Chapter 185 Unknown People

Edgar walked back toward the Fortress, his hands resting behind his back as he casually looked over the surrounding land.

The grey-black fog above him had become darker as the Eternal Night continued.

The Fortress remained brightly illuminated by the various lamps placed along the roads.

The sound of workers could be heard from different directions, along with the occasional clang of metal coming from the Smithing Houses.

Edgar stepped through the main gate.

He had barely taken a few steps when he noticed three familiar figures approaching from the other side.

Hera was walking beside Semele, while Sister Elara followed them.

Elara noticed Edgar almost immediately.

A gentle smile appeared on her face. “Lord Edgar.”

Edgar stopped and nodded. “Finished looking around?”

“Yes.” Elara looked around the Fortress once more before smiling. “Your Fortress is beautiful.”

Edgar glanced at the surrounding buildings. “It still has a long way to go.”

Elara shook her head. “Even so, it’s much better than I imagined.”

Edgar nodded before looking toward Hera and Semele. “I want to talk with her alone for a while.”

Hera nodded without asking anything.

“Alright.”

Semele also gave a small smile before turning around.

The two women walked away, leaving Edgar and Elara standing together.

Edgar gestured for Elara to follow him. “Come with me.”

Elara nodded and followed.

As they walked through the Fortress, Edgar glanced toward her. “Did you see the Smithing Houses?”

Elara shook her head. “No. I didn’t get the chance to see them.”

“Then I’ll show you.”

Edgar changed direction and began walking toward one of the industrial sections of the Fortress.

Elara followed closely behind. The further they walked, the louder the sounds of hammering became.

Eventually, several large buildings appeared ahead of them. Elara’s eyes widened slightly.

There were two large Smithing Houses standing beside each other, both surrounded by workers carrying ores, tools, and finished materials.

The sound of hammers striking metal echoed through the area.

Several furnaces burned continuously while workers moved between them, carefully controlling the temperature and processing the raw materials.

“This is…”

Elara looked around in surprise.

Edgar nodded toward the buildings. “The Smithing Houses.”

He pointed toward one of them. “Most of the raw materials are processed here before they’re sent somewhere else for further use.”

Elara watched one of the workers place a piece of ore into a furnace.

The worker quickly noticed Edgar and bowed before returning to his task.

The entire area was surprisingly organized.

There were separate places for raw materials, refined ores, tools, and finished products, while several workers were responsible for recording how much material was being processed.

Edgar led Elara farther inside.

Eventually, they reached a storage area filled with neatly arranged pieces of refined ore.

Edgar picked one up and handed it to her.

“Take a look.”

Elara accepted it.

She turned the ore around in her hand, examining its surface carefully. “This is refined very well.”

Edgar nodded. “It’s one of the things I plan to sell.”

Elara looked at him. “You’re going to sell this?”

“Yes.”

Edgar pointed toward the storage area. “There are plenty of these, but I need more time before I can export them on a city-wide scale.”

Elara nodded slowly. “If you can produce this much, there will definitely be buyers.”

“That’s what I’m counting on.”

She looked around again before asking, “Where do you get all the raw materials?”

Edgar smiled and he didn’t answer.

Elara stared at him for a moment before understanding. “I see.”

She handed the ore back to him and didn’t ask anything further.

Edgar appreciated that. There were some things she didn’t need to know.

The two continued walking through the Smithing House.

Elara occasionally stopped to look at different pieces of equipment, while Edgar explained the purpose of some of them.

Eventually, they left the building.

Elara looked around the area before her gaze suddenly stopped.

A large structure stood farther away from the Smithing Houses.

A strange skull-shaped structure sat on top of it, giving the building an ominous appearance.

Elara pointed toward it. “What is that?”

Edgar followed her gaze.

…The Tower of Souls.

His expression remained calm. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

Elara looked at him suspiciously. “…Alright.”

Edgar didn’t explain further.

There was no reason to reveal the true nature of the Tower. The two continued walking until they eventually reached the residential area.

Edgar glanced at Elara. “You should rest.”

Elara looked slightly surprised. “Already?”

“You’ve traveled for hours and spent the rest of the day walking around the Fortress.”

Edgar pointed toward his house.

“You’ll be staying here. There’s a spare room.”

Elara nodded. “Thank you.”

Edgar led her inside and showed her the room he had prepared.

It was simple but comfortable, with a bed, a small table, a chair, and a window overlooking one of the Fortress roads.

Elara looked around. “This is more than enough.”

Edgar turned toward the door. “Rest for now. We’ll discuss the trade arrangements later.”

Elara nodded. “I understand.”

Edgar left the room and closed the door behind him.

He stood outside for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. Edgar closed his eyes. ‘Let’s see what’s happening outside.’

The moment he focused his consciousness, something changed.

His awareness expanded. The Soul Network connected him to the various Soul Guardians scattered throughout his territory.

For a brief moment, Edgar could feel dozens of different presences before his attention moved farther away.

Toward the subsidiary Fortress near the Han River.

Edgar opened his eyes. ‘I should visit.’

He didn’t waste any more time.

—

Several hours later, Edgar stood near the subsidiary Fortress.

He had traveled the entire distance on foot.

Despite the long journey, he wasn’t particularly tired.

Edgar rolled his shoulders and looked at his hands. ‘I’ve really gotten better at controlling this body.’

His physical strength had increased considerably since he first arrived in this world.

Even more importantly, he had learned how to use that strength efficiently.

He no longer needed to waste energy with every movement.

Edgar looked toward the Fortress. ‘I’ve also grown quite a lot.’

The subsidiary Fortress was much busier than his main territory.

People moved through the roads while workers carried materials between the different buildings.

Several Smithing Houses had been constructed throughout the area, their chimneys constantly releasing smoke into the Eternal Night.

The sound of metal being hammered echoed across the settlement.

Edgar walked toward the entrance.

A middle-aged man was already waiting for him.

The moment he noticed Edgar, he immediately bowed. “Lord Edgar.”

“Osric.” Edgar nodded. “How are things going?”

Osric straightened himself. “Everything is going well. We’ve continued operating as usual.”

Edgar looked around. “Good.”

He walked deeper into the subsidiary Fortress.

The settlement had grown considerably.

There were more workers than before, several new houses had appeared.

The storage buildings were beginning to fill with processed materials.

The closer they came to the Smithing Houses, the stronger the smell of smoke and heated metal became.

Edgar entered one of the refineries.

Inside, several workers were processing large quantities of ore.

The raw materials were being heated, separated, and refined before being placed into different storage containers.

Edgar walked toward the finished materials.

Edgar nodded.

“This is good.” He placed the ore back down before turning toward Osric. “I’ll take these to my Fortress.”

Osric blinked. “When?”

“Soon.” Edgar looked around the refinery. “But I won’t take everything at once.”

He pointed toward the storage area. “I’ll move about a quarter of the materials at a time.”

Osric nodded immediately. “That would be wise.”

He looked toward the massive amount of refined ore.

“There are too many dangers on the roads. Moving everything together would make the caravan an obvious target.”

“Exactly.”

Edgar understood that transporting large quantities of valuable materials through the southern territories wasn’t something he could take lightly.

The Han River wasn’t the only danger.

Edgar turned toward Osric. “We’ll start moving them soon.”

Osric nodded. “I’ll have everything prepared.”

Edgar opened his mouth to respond and he felt it.

A strange sensation suddenly passed through his mind.

He frowned and immediately closed his eyes. The world around him disappeared.

His consciousness was pulled through the Soul Network before his vision returned.

A completely different scene appeared before him.

A Soul Guardian was hiding high within the branches of a large tree. Its body remained completely still as it watched the road below.

Edgar could see through its eyes.

Several people were moving through the distance and unlike ordinary travelers, they weren’t simply passing through the area.

They were looking around.

Edgar’s eyes narrowed as his expression slowly turned sour. “So they’ve finally arrived.”

The people he had been expecting had finally shown themselves.

Edgar remained connected to the Soul Guardian, silently watching the group from the safety of the tree.

‘…They must be the people who are behind the slave trading.’

Taking in a deep breath, Edgar opened his eyes and looked at the direction where the group was.

“… Let’s meet them.”