Chapter 1305: Army

It didn’t take that long before another group was formed.

Apparently, she had decided to group these people into two, like Frecos and Selene...

The second couple was a former monster hunter who had spent years traveling through remote forests and a smuggler who knew hidden routes through several kingdoms.

Then, there was a mercenary captain who had fought in multiple border conflicts and a treasure hunter who had explored ancient ruins before being arrested for stealing artifacts.

The last couple, on the other hand, were a former assassin who specialized in infiltration, and a fifty-year-old bandit who had survived for more than twenty years by traveling through places even the military avoided.

Lisa was satisfied with this group and urged them to hurry.

"Go ahead and search for them. Do not reveal your identities. Do not tell anyone about me. Do not look for the Dwarves recklessly... Even though I don’t have a clue where you should be starting your search, don’t think of returning until you find an important clue about these hidden Guardians."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

None of them were ordinary criminals.

They had skills that could be useful outside the city.

Of course, Lisa did not turn every prisoner into a Vampire.

That would be foolish.

Too many Vampires would increase the chances of her existence being discovered, since they would also possess traits that could endanger them.

Instead, she carefully selected only those who could provide something valuable and used mind control instead of converting them.

Lisa had no intention of wasting these new slaves...

The Dwarves had already destroyed the previous thralls she had sent after the Order.

She wasn’t going to repeat the same mistake.

This time, she wasn’t sending soldiers... She was sending explorers.

Each Vampire would travel along a different route.

Some would probably follow trade caravans.

Some would visit remote villages.

Others would surely investigate ruins and forgotten battlefields.

They would most likely listen to old stories in taverns, question merchants, examine ancient artifacts, and search through ancient records.

Soon, Lisa returned to the surface...

From the balcony of one of her controlled officials, she used her bats to watch the twelve figures quietly leave different parts of Atrium City.

They had already obtained a few things like clothes, money, and potions from the Dawnblades. Now, she could only wait to see if this experiment would be useful or not.

Lisa then looked toward the distant mountains.

Somewhere beyond them, hidden beneath the earth, was an ancient civilization that had survived for centuries to the point that most people weren’t even aware of their existence.

The Dwarves.

She had never expected them to become an obstacle.

But now that she knew they existed, Lisa found herself becoming increasingly curious.

"What exactly are you hiding down there?"

Her smile slowly returned as she couldn’t wait to learn more about these Dwarves.

***

The next morning, Lisa finally decided that it was time to bring out one of the most valuable treasures she had obtained from Vale.

The Dark Arts Tower.

It was one of the sixteen towers that Vale had brought back from the Celestial Realm, and Lisa had ultimately passed the test required to claim ownership of it. Since then, the tower had remained in its miniature form, appearing as a dark pendant around her neck.

Lisa had deliberately kept it hidden until now.

There had been no point in erecting such an important structure while she was still recovering from the realm transfer. Now that her condition had stabilized and her influence over Atrium City was growing, however, she could finally make use of it.

She spent the entire morning searching for a suitable location.

Eventually, Lisa arrived at the outskirts of Atrium City, where the buildings gradually became less crowded and the surrounding land opened into a large empty area.

She stopped and looked around.

"This should be enough."

The location was close enough to the city to remain connected to its people, yet far enough from the central districts that the tower would not interfere with existing buildings.

More importantly, it had enough space.

Lisa reached up and touched the dark pendant around her neck.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"I suppose it’s time."

She removed the necklace.

The moment it left her hand, the tiny pendant began to tremble and soon, dark energy gathered around it.

The surrounding air became noticeably heavier, and even the sunlight seemed to dim for a brief moment.

Lisa then released the pendant.

Instead of falling to the ground, it floated in front of her and just like that, a tremendous amount of Dark Energy erupted from within it.

Boom!

The ground shook.

The pendant rapidly expanded the moment Lisa released it. What had originally been a tiny necklace suddenly transformed into a massive structure, growing larger with every passing second.

Countless black stones and metallic components emerged from the darkness surrounding it, assembling themselves together as the tower continued to rise.

Lisa watched calmly as the structure grew higher and higher. Within only a few seconds, it had already reached dozens of meters into the sky before finally stopping.

A colossal black tower now stood before her.

Its surface was covered in countless glowing runes as well.

Furthermore, enormous statues of shadow warriors stood along the outer walls. They had their weapons pointed toward the surrounding land as if they were guarding the tower.

Aside from that, a layer of dark mist constantly flowed around its foundation, while the upper portion seemed to be quite hazy...

Lisa’s eyes gleamed as she looked at the familiar structure.

"The Dark Arts Tower."

This was no ordinary building.

It was one of the sixteen great towers that Vale had brought back from the Celestial Realm. More importantly, Lisa had passed the test required to claim ownership of it.

Now, it belonged to her.

Lisa slowly approached the entrance. Before she could even touch the massive doors, they opened on their own, revealing a dark corridor that stretched deep into the tower.

The moment she stepped inside, Lisa immediately noticed the difference.

The concentration of Dark Energy within the tower was incredibly dense. Compared to the outside world, the difference was almost impossible to describe.

The Valor Realm was severely lacking in Arcane Energy, and even Spirit Energy was relatively scarce, but the Dark Arts Tower seemed completely unaffected by those limitations.

It possessed its own energy system, its own formations, and its own resources.

Most importantly, it possessed an army...