Chapter 47: Establishing a Foothold in the Chaos Territory
As a Dragonblood Warrior, Linley meticulously searched along the Ponai River up to the imperial border city of Neil within the O'Brien Empire. After each search session, he had to rest to recover his spiritual energy.
For six whole days and nights, Linley searched every city along this route.
But...
Reynolds was nowhere to be found.
...
"Master Linley, please rest assured. Once our Dawson Conglomerate discovers Young Master Reynolds, we will immediately and safely send him back."
The head of the Dawson Conglomerate branch in a prefectural city within the O'Brien Empire said respectfully to Linley.
Linley nodded slightly.
He could only entrust this to the Dawson Conglomerate now. Linley felt a bit puzzled: "Fourth brother escaped, so why didn't he go to a Dawson Conglomerate branch? They have branches in all the prefectural cities."
In truth, Linley didn't know.
The suffering Reynolds endured on the slave ship had truly terrified him. Reynolds decided that, as long as he was within the O'Brien Empire, he would under no circumstances enter a large city. Although large cities had Dawson Conglomerate branches, they also had slave organizations. If the slave organizations were hunting him and he was discovered by them first, he would be in deep trouble.
"I can't take even the slightest risk of being caught. I'd rather travel a longer route." Reynolds' resolve was firm.
With his strength, taking some remote paths to reach the Chaos Territory would be no difficult task. Once he reached the Chaos Territory, he could contact the Dawson Conglomerate. Then he could return safely...
******
At dusk, within an ordinary courtyard in a prefectural city of the southeastern province of the Yulan Empire, Cessar, the five Barker brothers, Rebecca, Jenny, and Lina were all gathered.
A knock sounded at the door. Gates, who was two meters two tall and carried that terrifying giant axe, strode over and opened it. At the door were three waiters, each pushing a food cart.
"You're only coming now?" Gates' bull-like eyes swept over the three. The three waiters trembled inwardly. In front of someone as terrifyingly strong as Gates, they felt like children.
As they entered the courtyard, a beastly roar suddenly sounded. The three waiters followed the sound and saw—
The Blackstriped Cloud Leopard, Hei Lu, was lying lazily on the ground. But the unique, fierce aura of this top-tier magical beast still made hearts quiver. Its cold, dark eyes glanced at the three waiters, then it turned its head away indifferently and continued lying down.
The three waiters exchanged glances and didn't dare make a sound.
After placing all the dishes from the carts onto the dining table, the three waiters quickly left. Once outside the courtyard, they wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads.
"What kind of people are these? Those five big men are really burly."
"And that axe is huge. It must weigh at least a thousand jin."
"And that old man. He's like a skeleton. Just one look from him scared me. But those three beauties are really pretty. If I could marry a beauty like that, I'd be willing to live a few decades less."
In the eyes of the hotel's waiters, the guests staying in this courtyard were definitely of the most terrifying caliber. While Cessar and the others were dining, Bebe and Hei Lu remained in the courtyard. They both sensed... Linley was rushing towards them at top speed.
After a short while, Linley, wearing a deep blue robe, descended from the sky.
"Lord Linley." The five Barker brothers excitedly welcomed him. Jenny and the Rebecca sisters also came over.
"Linley, how is it? Did you find Reynolds?" Cessar asked.
Linley shook his head. He was in a relatively good mood now. The slave organization hadn't found Reynolds. With Reynolds' strength as a seventh-level magician, as long as he didn't provoke any major enemies, he shouldn't be in danger.
"Fourth brother has been in the military for so many years. Now that the slave organization isn't chasing him... under these circumstances, he should have a ten out of ten chance of getting back safely." Linley had great confidence in his brother.
"If that's the case and Reynolds still can't make it back, then he's not worthy of being your brother, my lord. The O'Brien Empire is usually not chaotic at all, and there's no real danger." Gates said boisterously. "Back when we brothers were still seventh-level warriors, we lived quite comfortably in the eighteen northern duchies."
Linley smiled.
Then everyone took their seats and began dinner.
"Linley." Cessar put down his utensils and asked, "Now that we're setting out for the Chaos Territory, what do you plan to do?"
Linley knew that among their group, Cessar was the most experienced. Having such an eight-hundred-year-old elder by his side made many things much easier.
"Cessar, what do you think we should do?" Linley asked.
Barker spoke up from the side: "Lord Linley, I think the Chaos Territory is probably similar to the eighteen northern duchies. Everything is settled with fists. With our powerful strength, we can definitely form a large force quickly."
Cessar nodded beside him: "What Barker said is one approach. Linley... I think there are two ways. One is what Barker suggested: use the name of a Saint-level powerhouse to rapidly expand your influence. In the Chaos Territory, a Saint-level expert has very strong appeal."
Linley nodded slightly.
In the Chaos Territory, with its constant warfare, the common people caught in the chaos also longed for their leader to be a powerful person. If he used the name of a Saint-level expert, many people would definitely flock to Linley.
After all, a Saint-level expert would give people a great sense of security.
"The second approach is to not publicly reveal your identity, Linley. We start small. First, find an ordinary small city where the people are suffering. Even I could easily take control of a small city. Then we gradually expand, occupy larger cities, establish a duchy, and step by step... You know, I once served as a Grand Duke in the Chaos Territory." Cessar smiled.
This second approach was the method used by many ambitious people.
The first approach was only suitable for absolute powerhouses with real strength.
"My lord, which approach will you choose?" Cessar looked at Linley. "The first approach has the advantage of speed. We could completely dominate several duchies in the Chaos Territory within a year. The second approach is slower, but it has the advantage of a solid foundation."
Jenny, the three girls, and the five Barker brothers all looked at Linley, waiting for his decision.
"Cessar, let's go with the second approach." Linley thought for a moment and made his decision.
"Our target is the Radiant Church. The Radiant Church's greatest strength is attracting the masses. We must proceed step by step, making the people completely obey our commands and develop a strong sense of belonging. Otherwise, even if we occupy a large territory, when we fight the Radiant Church, it could lead to rebellion." Linley said.
Cessar smiled and nodded.
"This is good too. We'll develop in secret first, at least not attracting attention. If we start by proclaiming your name, Linley, it would draw attention and cause rejection from all sides."
Cessar pondered for a moment and continued: "Linley, the Radiant Church and the Dark Church have a great influence in the Chaos Territory. For your development... I think the best place would be near the Dark Forest. That's the northernmost region of the Chaos Territory."
Linley raised an eyebrow: "The northern region of the Chaos Territory?"
"Yes. It borders the Dark Forest. Because of the long-term threat of magical beast attacks from the forest, the people in this area are extremely tough and have a strong martial spirit. Very few people in this region believe in the Radiant Church. They deeply admire the strong. And with our strength, we have nothing to fear from those low-level and mid-level magical beasts." Cessar said with a smile.
Hearing this, Linley agreed in his heart.
"The northern region of the Chaos Territory stretches several thousand miles from west to east. There are many small cities with only tens of thousands of people. We have plenty of room to choose."
Cessar said confidently.
In Cessar's view, occupying a small city with a population of tens of thousands in a place like the Chaos Territory was as easy as breathing. Whether it was Cessar or any one of the five Barker brothers, they all had the military strength to establish a duchy in the Chaos Territory, let alone just occupy a small city.
Linley's group was too strong.
They had a group of Saint-level experts. In particular, Linley, Bebe, and Hei Lu were all peak Saint-level powerhouses. Even the strongest hidden force of the Radiant Church in the Chaos Territory probably couldn't match Linley's group.
With such strength, opening up a situation in the Chaos Territory would be effortless.
××××××
The Chaos Territory's geographical area exceeded half of the O'Brien Empire and was comparable to the current territories of the Radiant Church, the O'Brien Empire, and the Rhine Empire.
According to a census from long ago, the Chaos Territory had forty-eight duchies and a population of over three hundred million. Such a massive population was no less than that of the O'Brien Empire or the Rhine Empire. The constant warfare over the years hadn't reduced their population; instead, it had made the people even more fierce and hardy.
This chaotic land was a paradise for the strong!
Crossing the border, Linley and his group stepped into the Chaos Territory. As soon as they entered the first city, Linley could feel the hustle and bustle of the people here.
"Long-term warfare makes food very expensive in the Chaos Territory. Although some duchies try to stop fighting during the harvest season, sometimes they have no choice but to fight..." Cessar sighed.
The Chaos Territory was completely different from the Holy Alliance and the O'Brien Empire.
In the cities of the Holy Alliance and the O'Brien Empire, one felt a sense of peace upon entering. Noble ladies and misses could wear splendid clothes and stroll and chat with each other.
But in the Chaos Territory, warriors clad in armor and carrying weapons were everywhere. The fierce atmosphere was palpable. Killing someone over a disagreement was very common.
Linley's group traveled northeast, carefully observing and learning about the Chaos Territory along the way.
"A priest?" Linley saw a man dressed as a priest from afar. "The Radiant Church has churches everywhere in the Chaos Territory, openly spreading their faith..."
As they traveled, Linley's heart grew heavy.
The Radiant Church's influence here was indeed immense.
Linley's group moved quickly. After about ten days of travel, they arrived at the northern region of the Chaos Territory. Linley and the others entered a small city called "Blacksoil City."
At noon.
In an ordinary private room of a hotel, Cessar said to Linley: "Based on my investigation this morning, the lord of Blacksoil City is a typical man with no grand ambitions. He's content to be the ruler of a small city and live like a local emperor. He oppresses the common people quite harshly... I think this should be a suitable small city for us."
"This is only the first small city we've investigated!" Linley was a bit surprised.
Cessar smiled: "That's normal. In a place like the Chaos Territory, except for a few duchies, most places oppress the common people severely. After all, war can break out at any time, and their power can be overturned at any moment. So they naturally seize the opportunity to plunder as much as they can."
Linley nodded slightly.
"Alright, let's go with this Blacksoil City." Linley made his decision on the spot.
The eyes of the five Barker brothers lit up. Gates was the first to speak excitedly: "My lord, don't worry. You don't need to get involved. The five of us will go. First, we'll kill the leader, then intimidate that army of a few thousand men. It won't be difficult at all."
The five Barker brothers had been military leaders in the eighteen northern duchies. They still craved that kind of passionate life.
"Don't worry, my lord. By tonight, you'll be staying in the lord's manor of Blacksoil City." Barker also patted his chest and said.