Chapter 90: Surrender Is Recommended
Sun Faction, Residential District.
The residential district was carved out from within the mountain. The entire border region was cut off by a sprawling mountain range, with the northern and southern ends of the range nearly reaching the oceans on both sides of the continent.
The only gap in the middle of these mountains was where the Sun Fortress was located. All the internal spaces of the mountains could be developed into residential areas, so the residential district was much larger than imagined, divided into Zones 1 through 89.
Residential Zone 3, being one of the earliest residential areas and also where the first ball field was located, was a place the Wild Boar Warriors and Dwarf Boar Men preferred to visit in their spare time.
In the open mountain space of Zone 3, various houses were built. These houses were diverse, most of them constructed by the Dwarf Boar Men.
The Dwarf Boar Men, with a population approaching 130,000, were also rich in talent. Besides mining Living Ore and building houses, they also had a certain business acumen.
Some clever Dwarf Boar Men formed groups of a dozen or so. Initially, they helped the Wild Boar Warriors build houses.
Building houses wasn't free. Did the Wild Boar Warriors have money? Of course not. But when they killed enemies, the spoils they took, except for weapons and combat suits, belonged to them, becoming their personal assets.
Initially, this personal asset was meaningless. But after those dozen or so Dwarf Boar Men started charging for house construction, the personal assets of the Wild Boar Warriors gained significance. They had no use for hoarding those spoils anyway, so they might as well use them to build houses.
This pioneering commercial activity gave those dozen Dwarf Boar Men more business than they could handle. Seeing this, other Dwarf Boar Men followed suit.
The Dwarf Boar Men worked 8-hour shifts in a three-shift system. With their stamina, working an extra 5 to 7 hours only made them feel a bit tired.
Thus, building houses in the mountain spaces of the residential area became a trend. Later, some more resourceful Dwarf Boar Men used the teleportation array at Warehouse 2 to travel between the Human Race and the Sun Faction.
They bought various goods like groceries, alcohol, and clothing in bulk at cost price, then bartered them for the spoils of the Sun Warriors.
In this way, a preliminary economic framework emerged. To Su Xiao's surprise, the Sun High Priestess Octavia had come to him earlier, hinting that she wanted to issue a currency.
Octavia made this request because she instinctively felt that if the Dwarf Boar Men continued using the currency of the Human Race, something very bad would happen in the future.
As for banning the Dwarf Boar Men from doing business, that was even more inappropriate. With the appearance of Dwarf Boar merchants, Octavia clearly felt that life had become much more convenient.
Su Xiao didn't object. He originally thought that the Sun Fortress wouldn't start developing commerce, currency, etc., until after he left this world. He didn't expect it to happen so quickly.
This explosive commercial development wasn't surprising. The Vassal Race and the Human Race had complete commercial, economic, and production systems. The Dwarf Boar Men just needed to 'copy the homework.'
One Dwarf Boar Man even wanted to start a bank, but he overreached. Without even a currency, setting up a bank was indeed ridiculous.
Su Xiao didn't get involved in the currency matter. After discussions among Hausmann, the Sun High Priestess, and Chef Lady Morty, they decided to first mass-produce a metal currency made of gold plus a certain amount of Living Ore powder.
Gold was chosen not for its intrinsic value, but for its stability, to prevent excessive fusion of the internal Living Ore powder with the metal material. The Living Ore powder was what guaranteed the currency's value.
This currency, which looked like gold coins but was called Sun Coins, became the first currency of the Sun Faction. Smaller denominations were not yet issued. The main users of this currency were the Dwarf Boar merchants, who were also called Dwarf Merchants.
The Sun Faction's overall military strength was formidable, and it was known for war. Additionally, both the Wild Boar Warriors and the Dwarf Boar Men had some wealth from the wars. The situation in the Sun Faction was changing rapidly.
This wasn't pioneering a civilization, but developing within an existing framework. With these hard conditions, it was hard to develop slowly.
Residential Zone 3, South Street. Su Xiao walked along the street with Bubu Wang. Small stalls were everywhere, mostly run by Dwarf Boar Men. Their greatest pleasure outside of work was setting up these stalls.
Su Xiao stopped in front of a two-story building. This was a hospital built not long ago. Each residential zone had a few, for the wounded to recuperate.
Entering the hospital, he went up the stairs to the second floor and pushed open the door to a ward. The room had good lighting, was clean and tidy, and had three beds in total.
On the middle bed lay a Vassal with a small beard on his chin. He had medium-length, slightly curly, flaxen hair, a high nose bridge, looked over 30, and had well-maintained skin. This man was a noble among the Vassals, the leader of this pilgrimage team, Queb Jepri.
Jepri lay on the bed with his eyes closed. He wasn't using a pillow; a brace supported the back of his head. Even in his sleep, he made meaningless groaning sounds. The previous blow to the back of his head must have been quite a shock.
Su Xiao gave the Sun High Priestess Octavia a look. After taking a deep breath, a gentle smile appeared on her face. In Baha's words, given time, this High Priestess would surely become an excellent little bitch, with a saintly smile on her face and a heart as venomous as a snake's.
The High Priestess stepped forward slowly, placed her hand on the shoulder of the noble Jepri, and gently shook him, calling out, "Mr. Jepri, wake up. Our Lord has come to see you."
Noble Jepri's eyelids fluttered. He opened his eyes, was confused for a moment, and then a look of anger appeared on his face.
"You... how dare you!"
Noble Jepri was recalling what had happened before. Last time he woke up, he was much calmer than this. That was because he had been knocked out. Anyone who gets their head smashed with a heavy hammer to the point of incontinence would be disoriented upon waking.
Seeing that Su Xiao didn't speak, the High Priestess knew this was her chance to shine. Her smile became even more saintly, and she said softly, "Mr. Jepri, regarding what happened before, we offer you our sincere apologies. A thousand apologies."
The High Priestess bowed. She had grasped the bitchy truth that as long as no substantial resources were offered, an apology cost nothing.
Faced with this situation, the anger in Noble Jepri's heart subsided a bit. Not only was the High Priestess truly beautiful and gentle in temperament, but as the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face, especially a gently smiling beauty.
"You talk a good game. If apologies were useful, there would be no need for laws in this world."
Jepri wasn't about to let it go. As a member of a noble family in the Aurora Council, he had originally thought that after arriving at the Sun Fortress, he would at most be treated with caution, but his treatment would certainly be good. In fact, the middle and high-ranking officials of the Sun Fortress would probably be deferential to him.
But who would have thought that before he even entered the Sun Fortress gate, he would be hit on the back of the head with a warhammer? He clearly remembered falling to his knees with a thud. Due to the severe damage to his central nervous system, he immediately felt a warmth in his crotch. The urine he had been holding in during the journey was already in his pants.
At that moment, Jepri was so angry he was nearly insane. But after taking four or five more blows to the head, he felt a suffocating fear. His thought at the time was that that pig was really going to kill him. This made him forget everything else and beg for mercy in a hoarse voice.
Recalling this, Jepri's lips turned pale and trembled. He couldn't swallow this insult, but he knew he had to be patient now.
"Lord White Night, your subordinates are too impulsive. I won't let this go. When I recover, I will duel that Hausmann."
Jepri's words sounded like he was unconvinced at first, but on second thought, he was admitting that this conflict was a brawl between him and Hausmann, each leading their own group. It was a personal grudge between the two of them, not involving the Vassal Race and the Sun Fortress.
Putting himself in Jepri's shoes, a Vassal noble, respected from childhood, receiving the best education and enjoying the best resources, such a person was undoubtedly an elite, but they also had pride.
After inexplicably suffering a near-fatal beating, saying something that sounded like a concession was clearly unwilling to accept.
Realizing this, Su Xiao turned and walked out of the ward. The High Priestess, still wearing her saintly smile, followed closely. Before closing the door, she said gently, "Get some rest, Mr. Jepri."
The door was gently closed. On the bed, Jepri's face grew darker and darker, and his fists clenched until they cracked.
Just then, bang! The door was kicked open roughly, and a burly figure walked into the ward.
Steel Fang and the Five Wild Boar Brothers, six of them, entered the ward. Each carried a bunch of white flowers.
Steel Fang, as if visiting a grave, threw his bunch of white flowers at the foot of Jepri's bed. No matter what, the six of them were here to visit the sick. They couldn't bring weapons, so they had to make do with what was available.
The six of them all looked at the mops stacked in the corner of the wall. These were all metal, with a mop head for cushioning. They wouldn't kill, but they should hurt quite a bit.
God knows why there were over a dozen mops stacked in the corner of the ward.
"Let's clean the room for our distinguished guests."
Steel Fang brought six mops. With one in each hand, the six of them all showed particularly friendly smiles.
Soon, screams like a pig being slaughtered came from the ward. Outside the door, a female pig-headed nurse leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette with a flick.
Half an hour later, Su Xiao returned to the ward. The bedding was new, the walls were white, but the faces of Jepri and the other two were covered in rectangular 'stamps' from the mop heads.
"How is your recovery? Our doctors here are very skilled."
Su Xiao spoke. Jepri, lying on the bed like a corpse, rolled his eyes, his teeth grinding audibly. Seeing this, the High Priestess behind Su Xiao sighed.
"It seems you haven't recovered well."
Leaving this remark, Su Xiao left the ward. Before falling out with the Vassal Race, he had to make Jepri voluntarily tell the Vassal Race that this was a personal conflict between him and Hausmann. That way, no matter what the Vassal Race said, it would be nothing but bullshit.
Might makes right. The joy of signing the Border Soil Treaty had made the Vassal side forget why they had chosen to negotiate in the first place.
Returning to the second floor of the Sun Fortress, Su Xiao looked at the Alchemical Greenhouse ahead. If the greenhouse operated at full capacity, it could cultivate about 50,000 War Boar mounts per day. No matter how he looked at it, this efficiency was too slow.
But this wasn't an insect nest; it didn't have that terrifying troop production efficiency. Cultivating 50,000 War Boar mounts per day was already overloading the system, and it would even permanently reduce the fortress's lifespan.
To equip the current 500,000-plus Wild Boar Warriors with War Boar mounts would take at least 10 days. Su Xiao couldn't wait that long. He estimated that the maximum time limit for this world's battle for dominance was only a few days away. He couldn't delay; he had to end it quickly.
Regarding the insufficient cultivation speed of War Boar mounts, Su Xiao had already thought of a solution. Since cultivation was too slow, he would convert them.
His idea was to select a type of Wild Boar Aberrant Beast, temporarily combine the characteristics of the greenhouse and the Evolution Nest, and use this Wild Boar Aberrant Beast as a base to convert into War Boar mounts. The principle was similar to converting Pig-Headed Men into Wild Boar Warriors.
Su Xiao felt this was feasible. Converting a life form was much faster than creating one.
Su Xiao left 100,000 Wild Boar Warriors to guard the base camp. The remaining 400,000 Wild Boar Warriors were divided into two groups. One group was led by Hausmann, the other by Baha. Their only goal was to attack all the gathering places and habitats of the Beast Race, killing any Aberrant Beasts they saw.
What Su Xiao wanted to do was simple: beat the Beast Race until they were completely isolated.
Why hadn't anyone invaded the Beast Race's territory before? Was it because their war capabilities were strong? No, it was because they were poor.
The Beast Race's territory, aside from some underground metal veins, had few other precious minerals and resources. Living Ore veins, for example, had long been mined to exhaustion.
The Beast Race had originally been driven to the eastern part of the continent by a temporary alliance between the Human Race and the Vassal Race. Moreover, the Beast Race was not only numerous but also had decent individual combat power. The cost of the supernatural materials gained from killing them wasn't enough to cover the military expenses and compensation for the expedition.
Su Xiao still chose to attack the Beast Race for two reasons: first, he needed a large amount of supernatural flesh and blood; second, he needed to force the Beast King to surrender.
Once they surrendered, Su Xiao could demand that they hand over hundreds of thousands of Wild Boar Aberrant Beasts. Catching that many Aberrant Beasts one by one was unrealistic. The only way was to push the Beast King into a corner and make him forcibly command these Wild Boar Aberrant Beasts, temporarily affecting their minds and making them come to the Sun Fortress on their own.
...
Aberrant Beast Territory, East Marsh.
This was the area closest to the border region, adjacent to it. As such a strategic location, the Beast King had naturally deployed a large number of Aberrant Beasts. The four representative forces of the Beast Race—Oil, Foot, Sting, and Claw—were all stationed here under the Beast King's orders.
Among them, the Sting group wasn't exactly beasts; they were mutated insects, vast in number, many with innate poison-type attacks.
At 6:00 AM this morning, this place was still a scene of thousands of beasts gathered together. But now, the moisture in the swamp soil had been evaporated by the high heat. The ground was covered with scorched insects, the smallest the size of a fist, and the beetles were as big as sea turtles.
On the dried mud, a tree that had turned to charcoal still stood barely. The highly venomous Fork-Tailed Snake coiled on it had become a dried snake, roasted until only its bones remained, like a blackened specimen.
Looking out, the East Marsh Defense Line was a scene of devastation. Everything in sight was scorched earth. The swamp had been evaporated into dry land.
"Is this all the defensive power you have on the border? Too weak."
Hausmann sat on a tree stump that was still sparking. In front of him was a one-armed old ape, its fur completely burnt off, with only one arm left.
"You... pig... our... beast horde... will fight to the end."
The injured one-armed old ape struggled to lift its head.
"Fight to the end? Why do you make it sound like our Sun Fortress is the invader?"
Hausmann looked down at the one-armed old ape. Even while sitting, Hausmann still appeared tall.
"You... are... the invaders."
"Old monkey, you have a short memory. Who ordered the beast tide to attack our fortress last night? It was your Beast King. You were the ones who provoked us first. Just a few hours later, and you Beast Race have become the invaded?
According to your logic, I could slaughter your entire clan, young and old, and you wouldn't be allowed to make a sound. Old thing, your Beast Race hasn't been shy about using us Pig-Headed Men as slaves over the years."
Hausmann was usually silent, but that didn't mean he wasn't good at talking. He just preferred to talk less, listen more, and learn more.
Hausmann had learned a crucial point from Su Xiao: no matter what you do, even if you know you're in the wrong, you have to find a reason to make a move.
"Stop the nonsense. Get on with it."
The one-armed old ape closed its eyes, seemingly defiant, but in reality, it knew it was in the wrong. Regarding the Pig-Headed Man business, the Beast Race had indeed been complicit in secret over the years. Facing the Wild Boar Warriors now, before even fighting, it already felt three parts in the wrong.
With its rich experience, the one-armed old ape knew that the more afraid of death it showed, the faster it would die. Only by appearing defiant could it survive. This was the valuable experience it had accumulated after being captured four times by the Vassal Race.
"Fine!"
Hausmann had a newfound respect for the one-armed old ape. He took a nearly 3-meter-long spike hammer from his trusted subordinate.
The one-armed old ape saw this through its slit eyes and was shocked. It really hadn't expected the other side to be so straightforward.
"Wait..."
Splat!
The one-armed old ape was smashed into a pulp of flesh and crushed bones. Hausmann looked puzzled and asked the Sun Attendant Mida, who was sitting on his shoulder, "What did he just say?"
"Nothing. Maybe he thought you were a fool."
"Fool?"
Hausmann frowned, not understanding what 'fool' meant. He asked, "What does 'fool' mean?"
"It means wisdom."
"Oh, then Lord Baha is also a fool."
"Uh..."
Sun Attendant Mida scratched her head, suddenly realizing the seriousness of the situation. Calling Baha a fool would, at worst, get Hausmann a thorough scolding. But if Hausmann one day had a brain fart and suddenly said, "My Lord, you are a fool," then...
Thinking of this, Sun Attendant Mida shuddered. She felt she absolutely had to explain the true meaning of 'fool' to Hausmann.
The Sun Legion attacking the Beast Race's territory wasn't just Hausmann's group. His 200,000-strong vanguard was responsible for breaking through the enemy's defense line. Behind him were two more Wild Boar units: one of 100,000 led by Baha, and another of 100,000 led by Amu.
According to the Vassal Race's estimation, Su Xiao would inevitably fight a war of attrition with the Beast Race. Even if the Sun Faction's combat power was stronger, they would advance slowly, swallowing the Beast Race's territory while gradually developing. This was the safest choice.
Any faction actually needs an enemy. Only then would it not be viewed with suspicion by a third party.
The current situation was that the Sun Legion, like a sharp sword, had stabbed straight through the Beast Race's chest. It looked like they intended to annihilate the Beast Race in a short time.
That same noon, behind the Beast Race's territory, the Great Gathering Place.
In the grand hall, a wide stone throne was at the innermost part, its base raised high above the ground. The Beast King on the throne had its eyes lowered.
Below the right side of the Beast King's steps, the Snake Woman kept her head down, but her eyes were secretly scanning the surroundings. She looked at the leaders Sand Flow and Wind Rider on the opposite side. The two beasts, usually arrogant, were now silent. The Beast Race's major leaders below didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
From the start of the war last night until this morning, the Beast Race had been beaten so badly that 'miserable' wasn't even enough to describe it. It was like the word 'miserable' was written all over their inner thighs.
The so-called 'Iron Wall' East Marsh Defense Line was breached this morning by the enemy's fierce general, Hausmann. From that point on, the nightmare began.
The enemy, with Hausmann leading the 200,000-strong Sun Legion as the main force, and the left and right wings of 100,000 each as support, pushed straight through.
It wasn't that the Beast Race's combat power was weak; they simply couldn't form a defense line. The charge of 105 Heavy Tanks was something the Aberrant Beasts couldn't possibly withstand.
Once the defense line was broken and the Wild Boar Warriors charged into the beast horde, it was over. The flame explosions from the heavy hammers were the Aberrant Beasts' nemesis.
On this basis, the Beast Race's major leaders sincerely regretted not building city walls or developing mobile fortresses. If they had such defensive structures, they could at least put up a fight.
More importantly, after the frontline collapsed, the Aberrant Beasts' morale was nearly in the negative. The number that fled was several times greater than those killed by the Wild Boar Warriors.
In the hall, a fluorescent blue, semi-transparent moth flew to the Snake Woman's side. She blinked, and her eyelashes fluttered with the movement.
This was the Snake Woman's intelligence method. This skill had made the Beast King regard her as indispensable. But now, every time a Soul Moth flew in, it brought bad news.
The Soul Moth turned into light powder and was inhaled by the Snake Woman. After a moment, she said, "King, the Stone Forest defense line has fallen."
At these words, the Beast Race below began murmuring in their own languages. The Stone Forest was the Beast Race's second main defense line. If the enemy passed the Swamp Light Canyon further back and advanced a bit more, they would reach the Beast Race's largest forest city, the Great Gathering Place. If the Great Gathering Place fell, the Beast Race would exist in name only.
The Beast King remained silent. But its silence actually reassured the Snake Woman, Sand Flow, Wind Rider, and the Aberrant Beasts below. In such a dire situation, the Beast King's calmness suggested it still had a trump card.
In reality, the Beast King was silent because it was speechless. It estimated that even if the Sun Legion marched at full speed without doing anything else, running from the East Marsh to the Stone Forest in one morning was already ridiculously fast. How did they have time to break through the defense lines along the way?
Sometimes, silence doesn't mean calmness; it could also mean being stunned into silence.
"Go inform the Blood Fang Tribe. Tell them to prepare for battle."
The Beast King spoke. Hearing this, the Snake Woman quickly lowered her head again. This made the Beast King feel a sense of foreboding. The giant crocodiles of the Blood Fang Tribe had never accepted him as the Beast King. At this critical moment, of course, he would send those giant crocodiles to the front line to be sacrificed.
"King, the Blood Fang Tribe has adopted a flanking tactic."
The Snake Woman said this euphemistically.
"Flanking tactic?"
The Beast King looked confused. He had become the Beast King not because of wisdom, but because he could fight.
"Their tribal leader said they would flank from the sea, go around to the enemy's rear, and launch a surprise attack."
The Snake Woman subtly winked at the Beast King. The Beast King suddenly understood. Flanking, my ass! Those saltwater crocodiles were using this opportunity to flee.
"The Dog-Fish Tribe..."
"King, they are using the same tactic."
The Snake Woman's meaning was for the Beast King to stop asking. Any tribe that could swim long distances at sea had already run away.
"Feathered Serpent, do you have any suggestions?"
The Beast King asked the Snake Woman. Knowing his own lack of strategic acumen, the Beast King wasn't a dictator and often took the Snake Woman's advice.
"King, I suggest we surrender."
The Snake Woman said this very quietly, afraid that Sand Flow and the other beasts would hear.
"This..."
Although the Beast King felt that the Snake Woman's proposal suited his heart, surrendering just like that was too embarrassing. If he didn't surrender, the enemy had already reached the Stone Forest. If he delayed any longer, and they reached the Great Gathering Place, it would be even more embarrassing.
"This is a very good suggestion."
The Beast King looked at the Snake Woman and showed a rare smile, which made the Snake Woman suspicious.
Sand Flow and Wind Rider beside them, one looking at the ground and the other at the ceiling, both temporarily went deaf. Anyway, the surrender proposal wasn't theirs. If they could avoid a beating afterward, that would be best. The core ideology of the Beast Race was to muddle along.
"Even if we really surrender, we need to negotiate first. We need to send an envoy. This envoy can't be of low status. How about we four vote on it?"
"Fine."
"As the King commands."
Sand Flow and Wind Rider spoke one after another. A few seconds later, they, along with the Beast King, all looked at the Snake Woman.
...
That evening, in the main command room at the top of the Sun Fortress.
Su Xiao extinguished the cigarette between his fingers and looked at the Beast Race envoy sitting opposite him. The other party called herself Feathered Serpent, also known as the Tide Leader. Clearly, Feathered Serpent wasn't satisfied with the title 'Tide Leader.'
Feathered Serpent had come this time for peace talks, or more accurately, surrender.
The Beast Race's surrender was so straightforward, it wasn't surprising. The Beast Race didn't have a very strong factional atmosphere. The Beast King could indeed forcibly control Aberrant Beasts, but only low-level ones. Mid-level and high-level Aberrant Beasts could ignore his mental commands.
This also led to the Beast Race being a scattered mess. When an enemy came, they would unite under the Beast King's leadership and strike back. But if the enemy was too strong to defeat, what then? Of course, they would run.
The tribes that could swim fled by sea. Those that couldn't scattered and fled individually.
It wasn't hard to force the Beast Race to surrender, but it was very difficult to annihilate them. Moreover, the Beast Race's existence was part of maintaining this continent.
If they were wiped out, the ecosystem, which had only stabilized for a little over a hundred years, might undergo another change. The last Black Rain had given all the intelligent races of this world the most painful lesson.
"Respected Sun Lord, we can coexist. All of this is a trap set by the Vassal Race. They are cunning, despicable, and shameless!"
The Snake Woman had just opened her mouth when she launched a relentless attack on the Vassal Race, righteous and indignant.
"Continue."
Su Xiao studied the Snake Woman. Her semi-human face was exceptionally expressive. This was the first time he had seen such a creature, and he was somewhat interested in studying it.
As if sensing Su Xiao's gaze, the Snake Woman's heart tightened. She said, "We are willing to share one-third of our current territory with your side."
The Snake Woman's offer seemed tempting, but in reality, the Beast Race's territory wasn't fertile. Moreover, being close to them would bring endless trouble in the future.
Why had the Vassal Race set aside the Border Soil Region? It was because being next to the Beast Race brought all kinds of trouble. For example, when planting grain, the Beast Race's snakes, insects, rats, and ants would all come to steal. When grazing livestock, they would also come to steal.
If the theft was large-scale, you could go and settle accounts with them. But they didn't dare to do that. Some were just too hungry, small beasts stealing a little. The loss wasn't as big as imagined. Bringing this up in official negotiations with the Beast Race would seem petty.
After all, these were beasts that had gained intelligence. Some had the intelligence of a four or five-year-old child.
Causing trouble because of a four or five-year-old child and escalating it to negotiations at the national level was inevitably laughable.
In short, this was a troublesome neighbor. After being beaten, it cried the loudest and pretended to be the most innocent. And you couldn't exterminate it, as that would tear the ecosystem and lead to serious consequences.
Presumably, the Vassal Race had also found this troublesome neighbor extremely headache-inducing, which led to the creation of the Border Soil Treaty.
Under these circumstances, Su Xiao had no interest in the Beast Race's territory. Even if he wanted to seize territory, it would be outside the Border Soil Region, grabbing from the Vassal Race. Their territory was not only fertile but also had various underground resources.
The Beast Race originally had resources too, but after years of being coaxed and cheated by the Vassal Race and the Human Race, all that was left was vast land. In contrast, the Vassal Race and the Human Race, having fooled the Beast Race out of their resources, hadn't used much of their own.
So, the Beast Race sending an envoy to negotiate was the best outcome in Su Xiao's eyes. He was currently in a legion-flow state. In this state, having soldier-type units surround and kill a Overlord-level creature had a certain probability of not dropping a treasure chest.
Was legion-flow not good for reaping benefits? Of course not. Legion-flow didn't rely on kill rewards to get rich. Instead, it was about the 'compensation' obtained after beating the enemy half to death.
With his rich experience in developing legion-flow, Su Xiao knew that after beating the enemy until they whimpered, he could maximize the benefits.
If he annihilated the enemy, they would, in their despair, frantically destroy the existing resources, leaving nothing for the enemy that wiped them out. So, when Su Xiao chose to exterminate, the benefits he got were basically things that couldn't be destroyed.
For example, last time, by using the insect race to wipe out a tribe, he finally obtained a piece of Fire Gold weighing several hundred kilograms. This was a resource that the enemy had tried to cut down for half a day but couldn't destroy until they were completely annihilated.
If he beat the enemy half to death and let them see hope for a ceasefire, they wouldn't be stingy with resources.
"One-third of the territory? My subordinate Hausmann is stationed at the Stone Forest. That means the Beast Race has nearly half its territory occupied by us. And you want us to withdraw with just one-third of the territory?"
Su Xiao paused, then continued, "Can I take this as you trying to bribe me with what is rightfully mine?"
Hearing Su Xiao's words, the Snake Woman opposite remained silent. Seeing this, the Sun High Priestess behind Su Xiao asked softly, "My Lord, it's getting late. What would you like for dinner? Tonight's dinner includes clear-boiled snake soup, grilled tail snake, and snake meat noodles."
The High Priestess wore her saintly smile.
"No snake. Snakes are all bones."
"My Lord, it's a very big snake. The bones have all been removed."
As she spoke, the High Priestess politely nodded to the Snake Woman opposite.
"Then it's acceptable. Bring it up."
"That's not possible, my Lord. The ingredients aren't..."
The High Priestess glanced at the Snake Woman again, her implication clear. Lately, her skill at being sarcastic had improved.
"How dare you! Are you saying my guest is an ingredient?"
As soon as Su Xiao finished speaking, the High Priestess quickly knelt beside him, lowered her head, and said, "My Lord, I was wrong. Please punish me."
"If we can't reach an agreement, it will become an ingredient. It isn't one yet. Am I right, Ms. Feathered Serpent?"
Su Xiao looked at the Snake Woman opposite, a friendly smile on his face.
The Snake Woman could only force a dry smile. She estimated that the man sitting opposite wasn't joking. If they couldn't reach an agreement today, she would most likely be made into snake soup.
Su Xiao's demands were simple and clear. He wanted four things: Soul Stones, Essence, Supernatural Materials, and Wild Boar Aberrant Beasts.
The Snake Woman left the fortress that night to report to the Beast King. In the dead of night, news came back that the Beast King had agreed to provide Soul Stones, Essence, and Supernatural Materials, but firmly opposed handing over the Wild Boar Aberrant Beasts within the tribe.
The Beast King's attitude was that he could provide resources, but he would never betray his own kind!
This news deeply moved the nine Wild Boar tribes within the Beast Race's camp. Then, they left the Beast Race's territory that very night and came to the Sun Faction to seek protection.
This was the hidden benefit of choosing Wild Boar mounts. Why did nine Wild Boar tribes come to defect overnight? It was because the Wild Boar tribes and the Pig-Headed Men were somewhat related.
The Sun Legion, composed of Wild Boar Warriors, made the Wild Boar tribes very envious. Their thinking was, since they couldn't beat them, they would join them. Moreover, this was joining a faction with relatives. It made sense logically and emotionally.
Su Xiao's display of willingness to recruit made the nine Wild Boar tribes even more tempted. The Beast King's stern refusal was to maintain his dignity as the Beast King. If he compensated with resources, it could be called enduring humiliation. It wasn't glorious, but it wasn't hard to hear either.
But if the Beast King agreed to hand over the Wild Boar tribes, it would be selling out friends for personal gain, and he would be despised by other beasts.
The current situation could be called a win-win for both sides, with the Beast King breaking even. Su Xiao's side gained benefits. The nine Wild Boar tribes that came to seek protection also found an opportunity to rise, going with the flow.
As for the Beast King, although he lost a large number of Aberrant Beasts, he didn't lose territory and kept his throne. This was much better than being surrounded and killed by the Wild Boar Warriors.
When the sky began to lighten, the mountains and fields were covered with Supernatural Wild Boars. Some had bristles on their backs, while others had straight tusks.
In front of the curved floor-to-ceiling window of the main command room, Su Xiao looked down at the Supernatural Wild Boars covering the mountains. The nine Wild Boar tribes ranged from a few tens of thousands of members for the smaller ones to over 200,000 for the larger ones.
These Wild Boar tribes seemed to come willingly, but in reality, they were forced by circumstances. Their leaders were intelligent enough to know that if they didn't do this, neither Su Xiao nor the Beast King would let the Wild Boar capture go.
Moreover, the transformation of Pig-Headed Men into Wild Boar Warriors was something the Wild Boar tribes had witnessed. As intelligent Supernatural Beings, it would be a lie to say they weren't envious.
Su Xiao had miscalculated one thing. From the current momentum, there was no need to cultivate combat creatures through the greenhouse. Instead, he would use the Evolution Nest to transform these Supernatural Wild Boars into War Boar mounts. This was much faster than cultivating them one by one, and their basic qualities would be guaranteed.
Creating the greenhouse wasn't useless. The appearance of the Alchemical Greenhouse increased the amount of active tissue in the fortress. By temporarily putting the greenhouse's connective tissue into hibernation, the Evolution Nest's connective tissue could occupy more of the active tissue's usage rights, further enhancing the Evolution Nest's transformation efficiency.
The previously obtained Sub-Overlord-level creature gene sample could enhance the transformation of these Supernatural Wild Boars.
The main gate of the fortress opened, and the Supernatural Wild Boars entered one after another. Some went up to the second floor and into the Evolution Nest. More went down to the underground mines or into the mountain spaces of the residential area.
For a time, the fortress, the underground mines, and the residential areas all felt stuffed. Fortunately, there were enough Dwarf Boar Men on their side. Upon receiving Su Xiao's order, they all stopped mining Living Ore and went to Zone 89 of the residential area to open up Zone 90, Zone 91, and so on.
Each Wild Boar tribe had its own agenda. Some Supernatural Wild Boars, with intelligence no less than humans, also had their own plans. Their posture clearly indicated they were preparing to conquer the Sun Fortress from within.
Su Xiao wasn't worried about this. With the Evolution Nest's transformation efficiency of nearly 9,000 units per hour, it wouldn't be long before these Supernatural Wild Boars started praising the sun.
On the second floor of the fortress, Su Xiao waited. There were 10 minutes left until the first batch of War Boar mounts completed their transformation.
It had been some time since the Wild Boar Warriors mastered Heavy Hammer Mastery. It was time for them to learn Beast Riding Technique.
The War Lord's War Skill Awakening ability couldn't be stacked infinitely. For example, after the Wild Boar Warriors awakened Heavy Hammer Mastery, they could at most awaken one more skill, Beast Riding Technique. Two skill slots were their limit.
Su Xiao activated the War Skill Awakening ability. The next second, a fist-sized Source Core appeared in front of him. Tens of thousands of threads spread out from this Source Core, ignoring the obstruction of walls and embedding themselves into the chest of every Wild Boar Warrior. The skill awakening began.
Every Wild Boar Warrior in the fortress and the residential area felt an unbearable pain all over their bodies, as if something inside them was being consumed. At the same time, a kind of knowledge they had never encountered before appeared in their minds.
Over an hour later, all the Wild Boar Warriors had completed their ability awakening. They all felt a bit weak and needed some time to recover.
The Beast Riding Technique they had awakened was all at Lv.36. With the War Lord's bonus, it reached Lv.48.
For a riding ability, a level close to Lv.50 was quite rare. Except for battle-hardened cavalry, few people mastered such a high-level riding ability.
The mounts hadn't finished transforming yet, but the ability was already mastered. This made the Wild Boar Warriors eager to try.
Just then, the entrance to the Evolution Nest in front of Su Xiao opened. Amidst the floating sparks, War Boar mounts walked out one by one. The Sun Force within them made their pupils appear dark gold.
The War Boar mounts retained some characteristics of Wild Boars, but their form was different. Their backs had a slight physiological curve, ensuring riding stability. Their size was several times larger than before, to match the height of the Wild Boar Warriors.
Su Xiao approached a War Boar mount. The ends of its four legs were hoof-claws, a structure Su Xiao had never seen before.
Five blunt claws were gathered together to form a hoof, to avoid putting a burden on the foot during long-distance running. When charging was needed, these hoof-claws would spread out into five sharp claws, greatly improving grip and running stability. After receiving a blunt attack, they could grip the ground deeper to prevent being knocked back.
On both sides of the War Boar mount's belly, there were dozens of finger-thick black tentacles. These tentacles looked a bit Lovecraftian, but they served a great purpose. When the Wild Boar Warrior was riding, these dozens of finger-thick tentacles would wrap around the warrior's crotch, legs, and soles.
This would completely connect the rider and the mount, sharing a single center of gravity. It prevented the rider from feeling like their feet were floating and ensured that attacks were delivered with full force.
With these tentacles, the rider would feel more stable than if they were using stirrups. Even while riding, they could use the ground force when swinging a hammer, generating power from the soles of their feet.
All War Boar mounts had dark red bristles on their backs and front chests. This was a fire-resistant characteristic manifested after they gained Sun Force.
Transforming Supernatural Wild Boars into War Boar mounts consumed much less Living Ore than cultivating them from scratch. After everything was done, Su Xiao estimated that about 27,000 units of Living Ore would remain.
This Living Ore couldn't be used to continue expanding the army. The Vassal Race wasn't blind or deaf. The fact that their side had reached a peace agreement with the Beast Race so quickly meant that their defective heavy cannon weapons hadn't been sold. This enraged the Vassal Race's high-ranking officials, causing them to stop selling Pig-Headed Men to their side.
Since he couldn't replenish his forces, Su Xiao planned to use the remaining Living Ore to develop Heavy Tanks. Conservatively, he could transform about 560 of them. Adding the existing 105, the total would reach 665. This would be a formidable charging force.
Furthermore, it was estimated that about 500,000 War Boar mounts would need to be cultivated. With such a huge number, elite individuals were bound to appear. At that time, through War Skill Awakening, he could select one ability of an elite individual and have all War Boar mounts master it.
By then, with the War Lord's bonus, Sun Force within them, and an awakened powerful ability, the War Boar mounts would be more than just mounts. Their own combat power wouldn't be weak.
War Skill Awakening was the most powerful ability of the Eight-Star War Lord. With just one elite individual, the collective combat power would skyrocket.
At the current conversion rate of War Boar mounts, in a little over two days, all the Wild Boar Warriors could be upgraded to Wild Boar Cavalry.
At that time, the Wild Boar Warriors, after War Skill Awakening, riding the War Boar mounts that had also undergone War Skill Awakening, would form the Wild Boar Knights. Would this be a Tier 4 unit? If so, the destructive power of hundreds of thousands of Tier 4 units seemed somewhat inhumane.
Since he was already being inhumane, among the nearly 665 Tier 5 Heavy Tanks, Su Xiao didn't believe that none of them would produce an elite individual. Once one appeared, he could use the War Skill Awakening ability to make all Heavy Tanks master this elite ability.
Su Xiao felt this plan was feasible. But the more important thing now was how to make the Vassal Race watch quietly for two days.
Su Xiao took the communicator from Baha's claw and called Alliance Marshal He Condivi.
While waiting for the call to connect, Su Xiao walked towards the main control room on the top floor. He returned to the main control room and had just sat down on the sofa when the call connected.
"White Night, your peace agreement with the Beast Race has caused huge losses for both our sides."
He Condivi's voice was still authoritative, but now it also carried a hint of coldness.
"The Beast Race is too poor. I can't see what we could gain from fighting them."
Su Xiao poured boiling water into a teacup as he spoke. A refreshing tea fragrance filled the air, refreshing the mind.
"You're not going to fight the Beast Race? Could it be..."
He Condivi's tone changed.
"That's right. The Human Race's territory is much richer. Since it's war, I'd rather attack them."
Su Xiao's way of stabilizing the Vassal Race was to use the pretext of attacking the Human Race to bide his time. The blood feud between the Human Race and the Vassal Race was too deep. Su Xiao's proposal to attack the Human Race was a great thing for the Vassal Race.
"Indeed. The Beast Race's territory is too barren. The Human Race's territory is more suitable for the Sun Fortress."
He Condivi's tone on the communicator had become somewhat friendly. No wonder. If the Sun Fortress attacked the Human Race, the Vassal Race would be overjoyed.
"When do you plan to make a move?"
He Condivi on the other end of the communicator was still a bit suspicious.
"One week from now."
"Good. I'll wait for you for one week."
After saying this, He Condivi hung up the communication.
Su Xiao placed the communicator on the coffee table. As for this 'old friend' He Condivi, how could he make him wait a whole week? In at most two days, he would bring 500,000 troops to 'greet' him.