Before the Dark Elves and Ashen Orcs could even speak, the Forgefire Dwarves in the group rushed forward and gave John Redbeard a thorough beating.
"Idiot, you idiot! That's the master's fortress down there, and the master is still on the deck! What the hell did you just do, you fool!"
"Go easy, don't kill him! Just make sure he gets a good beating as long as he survives!"
Several Forgefire Dwarves went wild, their feet and fists raining down on John Redbeard. After three minutes, they dragged his bruised and swollen body out of the cabin.
This was the patrol squad led by Elsa, made up of members from all three races. Whenever someone messed up, it was their job to handle it.
Whenever someone screwed up, their own kind always hit harder—because if you made a mistake, you could count on the other two races to mock you for ages.
This time, the Forgefire Dwarves were sure to be the butt of jokes from the Dark Elves and Ashen Orcs for years to come...
The unexpected little incident ended, and the destructive aura from the USS Dauntless faded. Yet its massive presence still brought an indescribable pressure.
For now, even the thieves in the Gray Orc Fortress didn't dare make a move.
There were still many corrupted magical beasts lurking in the mountains, and even some demons remained.
He ordered the three major races to clear out the corrupted magical beasts and demons in the mountains, while Leon himself headed to the Black Iron Orcs' fortress.
This was the first fortress they had occupied—a masterpiece ahead of its time. Hidden beneath it was a massive Alchemical Golem Factory, the entire underground base itself a colossal Sky Rank Alchemical Golem.
Now, at last, they could move into the natural demi-plane!
As Leon entered the underground base, he was greeted by Lord Sean's booming curses.
"Idiot! Idiot! You can't even handle something this simple—why are you even alive..."
Lord Sean, mid-curse, suddenly stopped and turned to see Leon standing there.
"Merlin, damn it, how long are you going to leave me here? It's so boring—only these hopeless idiots to keep me company. Not even a scrap of fun to be had..."
Leon surveyed the area. The underground base was running smoothly; the Gray Orcs who'd originally been captured now refused to leave. With complete facilities and ample resources, they could create any Alchemical Golem imaginable—anything they could think of, they could experiment with here.
Everything was in order, so Leon took Lord Sean into the demi-plane. The moment they entered, they saw the former prisoners from the Tower of Flowing Sand and the Shadow Tower hard at work.
The Shadow Tower mages, led by Dilas, had only just begun building their palace. No sooner had they started than more tasks appeared—there was no end in sight.
Those two orc ancestral spirits, always scheming to trick the Three-Eyed Wolf, were obsessed with building temples and palaces for their wolf god. Leon couldn't order them around—they volunteered as overseers, making sure the Shadow Tower mages never had a moment’s peace.
They even unleashed their magical power, speeding up construction and improving quality, but somehow their lives were more miserable than when their magic was sealed...
Those two crazed orc ancestral spirits watched them like rabid dogs—any hint of slacking off and they'd dole out brutal punishment.
Leon ignored the Shadow Tower mages. They could forget about ever going home—they'd be laboring here for a long, long time.
When Leon appeared, Dilas didn’t even dare look at him—just bowed his head and kept working. The once arrogant mage had clearly been put through the wringer lately, and at least he’d gotten smarter: he knew better than to resist now...
Leon chuckled and turned to the Tower of Flowing Sand mages. As the natural demi-plane evolved, its landmass grew exponentially—now, even its narrowest stretch spanned several thousand kilometers.
With so much land, it would take seven or eight years just to plan and organize all the rivers—especially now that the sea had appeared, and the continental shelf near the coast needed even more work. If they wanted to finish everything, it’d take at least a decade...
But in ten years, who knows what the demi-plane will become? Its rate of growth far outpaces their ability to keep up.
Slytherin from the Tower of Flowing Sand had already yielded, and during the Abyssal campaign, he'd performed decently. After Leon left, the amount of Eternal Dark Gold sent via sacrificial rituals actually increased—clearly, Slytherin had taken a personal hand, or there wouldn’t have been so much.
Now, with no real grudges left, it seemed improper to keep holding the Tower of Flowing Sand mages captive...
After some thought, Leon decided to let Dogtu and the others go. The demi-plane had vast reserves of Eternal Dark Gold buried within it, and its defenses were now fully integrated—no one could enter without Leon’s express permission.
No planar stowaway could sneak in, and with the demi-plane still growing, coordinates didn’t really matter. No need to worry about discovery.
After pondering a moment, Leon flew over to Dogtu.
"Lord Dogtu, you’re free to leave now."
Dogtu froze at Leon’s words, then seemed to remember something—his face went pale.
"Lord Andefa, I’m not leaving! I wasn’t trying to escape—I’ll finish clearing this river channel today..."
Leon paused, then immediately understood: Andefa must have disguised himself as Leon and tormented these poor souls. Now, even when offered freedom, they didn’t dare take it...
"Lord Dogtu, I’m Matthew Merlin, not Andefa. The grudge between me and the Tower of Flowing Sand ends here. Pack your things—I’ll see you out."
Dogtu hesitated, scrutinizing Leon for several seconds before finally confirming it was the real deal—not another of Andefa’s tricks.
"Lord Merlin, may I... may I stay? I rather like it here..."
Leon sighed. Andefa really had driven this mage around the bend—now, even when offered release, he’d rather stay in captivity. Completely broken...
"Lord Dogtu, I’m not joking. You and your Tower of Flowing Sand mages can leave—go home."
Dogtu shook his head resolutely.
"Lord Merlin, there’s no need to persuade me. I’ve made up my mind—I’m staying. In fact, I’ve never felt better!"
Leon sighed and walked away. It was the first time he’d seen a prisoner so addicted to hard labor that he refused to leave even when the cell door was open...
After choosing a spot in the demi-plane for the colossal Sky Rank Alchemical Golem, Leon departed.
Dilas found a moment to rest and secretly approached Dogtu.
"Lord Dogtu, what did Matthew Merlin say to you? Is he plotting something again? Is that demon Andefa coming back?"
Dogtu repeated Leon’s words honestly.
"Lord Merlin said I could leave."