Chapter 39: The Backer
Su Xiao observed the evolved "Nest Fragment" again. For now, it was very stable. Although this organ occupied over 90% of the fortress's second floor, it was well worth it.
Returning to the main command room on the top floor, Su Xiao summoned four trusted subordinates—namely Hausmann, Steel Fang, and the other wild boar men—and assigned them tasks one by one.
This was Su Xiao's third day in the Borderlands. Since the Doomsday Fortress had been upgraded to T3 rank, the output of Living Ore had reached 100 units per day. For a small or medium-sized faction, this was a fortune. For Su Xiao, it was far from enough.
He had to upgrade the fortress to T1 rank, or even T0 rank, as quickly as possible. Only then could he increase the size of the Evolution Nest and accelerate his troop production rate.
The current Evolution Nest could accommodate up to 500 soldier units at a time. Evolving a batch of pig-headed men took 3.5 hours. Working non-stop around the clock, it could convert 3,428 pig-headed men per day.
Estimating the conversion rate of warriors at around 80%, that meant over 2,700 wild boar warriors could be produced daily.
To trigger all five buffs of the War Lord, Su Xiao needed at least 300,000 soldier-type units under his command. To summon ancient war beasts through the War Lord title, he needed at least 400,000 soldier-type units.
Simply maximizing the War Lord title wasn't enough to secure victory. Su Xiao's move to use pig-headed men as his combat force would inevitably enrage the Vassal Alliance—this struck at their very foundation.
The three major Vassal Alliance factions—the "Vassal Alliance," "Watchtower," and "Aurora Council"—each had armies under their command. Conservative estimates put each faction's forces at over a million soldiers.
This number was not an exaggeration. The Vassal Alliance and the human race had been locked in a protracted war. Now, the humans were huddled in the borderlands as the defeated side, yet both sides still maintained massive military forces.
It wasn't that they didn't want to fight anymore; they were both stockpiling their ultimate moves, frantically developing and amassing troops.
Under these circumstances, the three major Vassal Alliance factions each commanded over a million troops. Worse still, the soldiers and officers who had fought in the war against humanity were still in service, and they were in their prime.
The soldiers were fierce, and the officers were talented. Over 85% of the Vassal Alliance's officers had battlefield experience, and some generals had crawled out of piles of corpses.
Within the Vassal Alliance, there were two extremes: the military was terrifyingly strong, while the officials were corrupt to the core, and the Tribunal was a complete mess.
Su Xiao hadn't made any rash moves precisely because he feared the military power of the Vassal Alliance. If he didn't build up his foundation, starting a war in the morning would mean the Doomsday Fortress would be destroyed by nightfall at the latest.
Starting a war required capital. With the current daily production of 2,700 wild boar warriors, it would take at least half a year before he even had the right to wage war against the Vassal Alliance. And note, that was just the right—not a guarantee of victory.
To increase troop production, upgrading the fortress was essential. It was a unique kind of barracks.
Upgrading the fortress from T3 to T2 required at least 260 units of Living Ore. Relying solely on mining, it would take nearly three days to accumulate that resource.
As the saying goes, "A man without ill-gotten wealth won't get rich; a horse without night grass won't get fat." Su Xiao desperately needed a windfall.
Where to get this windfall? He had already prepared for this. More accurately, he and Kaisa had prepared together.
To get this windfall, he needed to make a trip to Freedom City. But before that, he had to stabilize the Doomsday Fortress completely.
Su Xiao ordered Hausmann to gather the wild boar men in batches. A total of 3,655 wild boar men would be divided into eight groups to enter the "Evolution Nest," evolving from level 2 units into level 3 wild boar warriors, ready for immediate battle.
After these wild boar men completed their transformation, the 2,638 pig-headed laborers would evolve into dwarf pig-men to improve mining efficiency.
Although Yueshitu's tens of thousands of summoned creatures were currently mining, that was ultimately an unstable source of income. If their disguised identities were compromised or if war broke out with the Apocalypse Paradise prematurely, Yueshitu and Molei would immediately flee without daring to stay a moment longer. The Apocalypse Paradise's execution was no joke.
Relying on others was never as good as relying on oneself. Evolving a large number of dwarf pig-men would stabilize mineral income. Even in the toughest times ahead, this revenue stream wouldn't dry up.
Su Xiao ordered Hausmann and Steel Fang to oversee and manage the evolution of the wild boar men.
Su Xiao, along with Bubu Wang and Baha, headed out of the room. As soon as they stepped out, they saw Dorothy standing by the door, wearing black gloves and music headphones, swaying slightly to the rhythm of the music.
Lately, aside from hunting with the wild boar men, Dorothy had little to do. The head chef, Lady Moti, had filed multiple complaints that Dorothy frequently stole food from the kitchen.
Lady Moti, an educated and skilled female pig-headed chef, had been diligent since becoming head chef, managing the hundreds of kitchen staff efficiently.
Upon learning this, Su Xiao didn't pay much attention. He just had Baha investigate. Initially, he thought Dorothy might have brought back some mutated beast cubs to raise in her single room on the third floor of the fortress, hence the food theft.
But Baha's investigation revealed otherwise. Dorothy stole food from the kitchen because she was hungry—so hungry it hurt.
This behavior was baffling. Realizing she couldn't hide it, Dorothy reluctantly confessed.
She had always had an astonishing appetite. While making a name for herself in Freedom City, she had been fired over 30 times because of her eating habits. Later, she discovered that even if she didn't eat her fill, she wouldn't starve to death, so she endured it to avoid being looked at strangely by others.
After arriving at the fortress, Dorothy had to fight, which made her even hungrier. Each meal she ate was equivalent to 2.5 times the portion of a strong wild boar man. In her own words, to maintain her ladylike decorum, she hadn't even eaten her fill.
When Baha heard this, he couldn't help but say, "You? Ladylike? Decorum? Before you speak, spit out that bubblegum in your mouth first."
Last night, Su Xiao summoned Lady Moti and had her arrange for a midnight snack to be delivered to the command room. Then he called Dorothy in and told her to eat her fill. He didn't believe a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl could eat that much.
An hour later, after Dorothy had consumed the equivalent of Amu's eight-tenths-full meal, Su Xiao realized things were not simple. This was a bottomless pit. Her appetite was on par with Amu's.
At this moment, Dorothy was leaning against the wall by the door, eyes closed, swaying slightly to the music in her headphones, completely unaware that Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Amu, and Baha were standing in a semicircle watching her.
"Hey!"
Baha's shout startled Dorothy, making her jump.
"Wh... what?"
"Are you bored lately?"
Baha looked her up and down.
"Yeah."
"I'll find you something to do. I forgot to tell you before—you have a kindred spirit."
"Kindred spirit?"
"Yeah, someone like Boiling Red, a Devourer."
Baha said this with an increasingly mischievous grin.
"What does that have to do with me? So what if they're a kindred spirit."
Dorothy looked indifferent, not yet realizing the gravity of the situation.
"Well, it does. The host of the Devourer: Dark Sun is named Xin·Yugo."
When Baha mentioned the name Xin·Yugo, Dorothy didn't react for the first few seconds. But the surname "Xin" brought a flood of memories.
The Xin clan was a family of hunters and assassins, known for their formidable combat strength. At their peak, the clan had only a few dozen members, most of whom were powerful. Several clan leaders across different eras ranked among the top five in strength.
The current clan leader of the Xin clan was exceptionally powerful. If you set aside the scale of their influence, that old man was considered one of the three strongest in this world.
Dorothy had a blood feud with the Xin clan. This all started with her father, Li·Xiniwei. He had once taken a lover, who was a member of the Xin clan.
Members of the Xin clan were not to be trifled with. When they learned that Li·Xiniwei was already married with a wife, they immediately went to Freedom City, killed his wife, and attempted to capture the young Dorothy to legitimize the relationship.
Later, the matter escalated. The Xin clan couldn't bear the shame and planned to eliminate both Li·Xiniwei and Dorothy. It was only when Li·Xiniwei's backer, the Aurora Council, intervened that the matter was settled.
In Su Xiao's view, there was a suspicious point in this. Although the Aurora Council intervened, they only made a statement. It felt more like they were saying, "Let's drop this for now. Once the heat dies down, the Aurora Council will send Li·Xiniwei and Dorothy's bodies to the Xin clan."
Compared to the Xin clan, famous for their strength and assassinations, Li·Xiniwei, a minor official, meant little to the Aurora Council. His best use was as a scapegoat, a favor to the Xin clan for future cooperation.
Li·Xiniwei and Dorothy survived under these circumstances, and the Xin clan's scandal seemed to be swept under the rug.
"Xin·Yugo... what's his relationship with the woman who killed my mother?"
Dorothy, usually carefree, now had her eyes lowered and had pulled off her headphones.
"Let me think... Oh, I remember. Xin·Yugo is a blood relative of that woman."
Baha's figure disappeared and reappeared. In his claw was a pendant. He opened the clasp to reveal a circular photo inside—a gently smiling woman, Dorothy's deceased mother.
"Your husband fooled around outside and found a lover he couldn't afford to offend. Your mother was really unlucky to be killed because of it. Dorothy, are you just going to let this go?"
Baha raised his claw. Dorothy snatched the pendant from it. Wisps of steam rose from her body. Boiling Red had two main traits: boiling and blood. Clearly, Dorothy was developing toward the "Boiling System."
"Dorothy, are you scared? Afraid to take revenge on the Xin clan?"
"Of course not. But the Xin clan leader is too strong. I'm no match for that old man right now. I need to get stronger. The Xin clan leader is that woman's backer. I have to..."
"You have to what? Don't you have a backer?"
Baha found it both ridiculous and amusing.
"Well..."
Dorothy was too embarrassed to say it. She only knew that Su Xiao, Amu, and Baha were stronger than her. But how much stronger? She guessed they probably weren't as strong as the Xin clan leader. Otherwise, why would they need to develop in the Borderlands?
Blood Qi, frost, and chaotic space swirled around Dorothy. She instinctively stepped back but found her back against the wall. At that moment, she sincerely felt that her backer was incredibly strong!
Su Xiao walked toward the lower levels of the fortress. Dorothy snapped out of it and quickly followed.
Was Su Xiao making Dorothy provoke the Xin clan, only to gain another enemy? Of course not. The situation was far more complicated than it appeared on the surface.
As long as this game began, regardless of the outcome, two people would win: Su Xiao and the Xin clan leader.