Chapter 91: Advancing The Territory

Cassian led his legion back toward the Lord’s Hollow.

​Instead of flying atop his Wydra, he chose to march alongside his troops. The battlefield behind them was silent now, littered with the remains of a fallen dominion, while the steady rhythm of thousands of skeletal feet echoed across the land as the undead army advanced in perfect formation.

​Halfway through the journey, one of the skeleton soldiers approached and extended a small leather sac toward him.

​Cassian accepted it. The moment he opened it, a subtle smile appeared on his face.

​Nyxara noticed the expression immediately, curiosity flickering across her usually stoic features.

​Without explanation, Cassian turned and handed the sac to Morghanna. "This should be for you."

​The undead orc blinked before quickly snatching the sac from his hand. "My thanks, Lord."

​She tucked it away almost immediately and continued walking as though nothing unusual had happened, a move that only made her actions look far more suspicious.

​Nyxara’s eyes narrowed. What was inside the sac?

​The question lingered in her mind, but she remained silent.

​It did not take long before the army finally returned to the Lord’s Hollow.

​The dark barrier still surrounded the territory, workers moved tirelessly through the graveyard fields, and the summoning gate stood proudly near the center of the settlement.

On the opposite side rested the cemetery, its countless tombstones creating an eerie, organized atmosphere.

​Morghanna stopped, her eyes widening as she stared at the territory before turning toward Cassian.

​"This..." Her voice carried genuine disbelief. "...this is actually your territory?"

​Cassian didn’t answer. He simply continued walking deeper into the settlement, Nyxara following immediately behind him, followed by the commanders and the vast legion.

​Morghanna remained standing in place, staring in complete shock.

​She could not believe it. This was the territory of the Lord who had defeated her, who had overwhelmed an entire dominion, and whose power had shattered her understanding of strength.

​She had expected towering fortresses, massive walls stretching toward the horizon, and countless castles befitting a conqueror.

She had expected a territory worthy of a supreme ruler.

​Yet this place looked, dilapidated.

​The word fit perfectly. The territory looked like something one powerful storm away from collapsing.

​A few moments later, however, realization struck her. Her Lord had only arrived in the region a single day ago.

Under such circumstances, the state of the territory was completely understandable.

​That thought should have comforted her. Instead, another realization surfaced, one far more painful.

​She had been defeated completely, thoroughly, and humiliatingly... by a Lord whose territory looked like this.

​Morghanna placed a hand over her chest as a sour ache spread through her undead body.

The feeling was difficult to describe: embarrassment, frustration, disbelief, perhaps all three.

​She lowered her head. For the first time since becoming a Champion, Morghanna genuinely wondered if she should have fought a little better.

​Unfortunately, that thought only made the ache worse.

​Ahead of her, Cassian suddenly glanced over his shoulder. "Why are you standing there?"

​Morghanna immediately straightened. "Nothing, my Lord."

​"Good." Cassian nodded casually. "Then stop looking so depressed and come over here."

​"..."

​Morghanna stared at him. She had expected many things after becoming his Champion, training, conquest, war, and glorious battles.

Yet looking around the territory, she suddenly realized there was simply too much base-building work to do.

​The undead orc released a long sigh before following after him.

​Behind her, Nyxara finally spoke up. "What was inside the sac?"

​Morghanna instantly stiffened. "Nothing."

​Nyxara narrowed her eyes sharply. Morghanna’s response only confirmed that there was definitely something inside, and the elf’s curiosity immediately doubled.

....

Cassian opened the Map section of the Ledger and focused on the entirety of the Graveshade Expanse.

​[Assigned Territory: Graveshade Expanse]

​Tier: I

​Classification: Death Zone

​[Description:]

​A land shrouded in death and darkness, the Graveshade Expanse is home to numerous Dark and Death-aligned monsters. Death Zones possess far greater dangers than Safe Zones, but offer faster development, richer resources, and greater opportunities.

​[Current Structures:]

​Summoning Gate ×1

​Cemetery ×1

​Graveyard Field ×1

​[Territory Development: 33.3%]

​[Warning: Death Zone Lords experience significantly higher mortality rates.]

​Survive, develop, and claim your dominion. May your Domain never fall.

​[Status: 4 / 4 Zones Conquered]

​Cassian stared at the information thoughtfully.

​The relationship between a Lord and their territory was inseparable: a Lord could only remain one Tier below their territory, equal to it, or one Tier above it.

If the territory lagged behind, the Lord’s growth would eventually stagnate; likewise, an underdeveloped Lord could severely limit the growth of an entire domain.

​Because of this, territory advancement was one of the most vital aspects of a Lord’s development.

​Several factors influenced territorial growth: construction of infrastructure, expansion of influence, conquest of surrounding lands, and the advancement of the Lord himself.

​Cassian had accomplished every single one of those requirements in a single day.

​Therefore, the next notifications didn’t surprise him in the slightest:

​[Requirements Fulfilled.]

​[Lord Rank Advancement Detected.]

​[Territory Advancement Available.]

​[Graveshade Expanse can now advance from Tier I > Tier II.]

​[Additional Infrastructure Required.]

​[Construct the required structures to complete advancement.]

​A second notification appeared immediately afterward:

​[Major Milestone Achieved.]

​[Entire Regional Territory Conquered.]

​[All Four Assigned Zones Controlled.]

​[Territory Advancement Limit Increased.]

​[Graveshade Expanse qualifies for Tier III Advancement.]

​[Additional Infrastructure Required.]

​[Meet all construction requirements to proceed.]

​Cassian smiled.

​Only two and a half days, that was all it had taken.

​In his previous life, reaching this exact point would have required months of careful expansion, countless tedious negotiations, and a mountain of resources.

Now, he was already preparing to push his territory to the very peak of the mortal stage.

​Of course, qualifications alone weren’t enough. A territory could not advance without proper infrastructure, buildings, resources, and materials were all strictly required.

​Fortunately, Cassian had already prepared for that. Not only did he have materials stockpiled within his vault, but his workers were also contributing constantly.

​His gaze shifted beyond the Lord’s Hollow, toward the endless forests of the Graveshade Expanse, toward the countless undead workers currently gathering resources, toward the mountains rich with ore, toward the territories he had conquered, and toward the Graveyard Field within the Lord’s Hollow itself.

​The materials were already being collected, and the foundations were already being laid.

​Soon, the Lord’s Hollow would no longer resemble the dilapidated settlement Morghanna had mocked with her expression earlier.

​It would become a true, formidable Lord’s Territory.

​And when that happened...

​Cassian’s smile widened slightly into a dark, expectant grin.