Chapter 172 Instructions
AI Model: gemini-2.5-flash
A few days later, everyone returned to the territory.
The city wall at the entrance of the territory was already over three meters high, and the craftsmen were bustling about, a scene of vibrant activity.
Seeing their Lord return, everyone stopped their work and respectfully saluted him.
Roger nodded in response, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. Besides Master Brun, not a single Dwarven Craftsmen was present.
"Master Brun, have Grimm and the others not returned yet?"
Previously, to recruit more Dwarven Craftsmen, Grimm and 28 other Dwarven Craftsmen were promised a cup of "dragon breath flame" for each person they recruited.
As a result, none of these Dwarves had returned yet?
Roger felt a pang of annoyance. The Dwarves' fanaticism for strong liquor exceeded his expectations.
He should have set a deadline if he had known.
Bren said sullenly, "Hmph, those fellows, to drink one more cup of 'dragon breath flame,' they'd probably tie up all their relatives from their hometown."
Roger helplessly rubbed his brow. He had originally hoped the Dwarves would bring back more craftsmen quickly to accelerate the territory's construction.
Now it seemed the construction period would likely be greatly delayed.
But there was no communication device to call them back immediately. What if these Dwarves were out recruiting for two or three years... Tsk!
"Master Brun, how long will it take for this city wall to be completed?"
"The most difficult part, the foundation, is finished. It will get faster the higher we go. It will be completed in two months at most."
With the additional manpower he had recruited also arriving in succession, the progress should be even faster.
Although the shortage of Dwarven Craftsmen was troublesome at the moment, at least the construction of the city wall would not halt.
Just then, Xiong Da excitedly ran over. "Boss, you're back?!"
Seeing Tiger behind Roger, Xiong Da's eyes lit up, carrying a hint of eager challenge.
"Boss, who's this big guy?"
Seeing Xiong Da's expression, which almost screamed "I want to fight," Roger found it a bit amusing.
Before he could speak, Tiger let out a low growl from his throat, his muscles tensing slightly, adopting a posture ready to pounce at any moment.
An atmosphere of tension instantly filled the air.
"Alright, both of you settle down."
Roger spoke to stop them, patting Tiger's arm, signaling him to calm down, then turned to Xiong Da and introduced, "This is Tiger, and he's also a member of the territory from now on. This is Xiong Da, he's my subordinate."
Xiong Da put away his obvious challenging stance, sizing up Tiger, and said in a booming voice, "He looks quite imposing, but I wonder if he can take a beating when it comes to a real fight."
Upon hearing this, Tiger snorted a disdainful puff of hot air from his nose, turning his head away with an arrogant posture.
Roger stepped forward, raised his hand to press on Xiong Da's furry head, and whispered, "Don't provoke him, you're not his opponent."
Xiong Da looked unconvinced, stubbornly muttering, "We haven't fought yet, how do you know? My fists aren't for show either!"
"Because I've fought him."
Xiong Da's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief. "Boss, you lost?!"
Roger irritably slapped his head. "If I lost, would he be following me? I think you'll need to practice for several more years if you want to beat him."
This made Xiong Da completely deflate. He hung his head, muttering softly, "Is he really that powerful?"
"Alright, stop thinking about that. While I was away these past few days, was everything alright in the territory?"
"It's great, Boss! Oh, right, a few Minotaurs came last time, and they're really strong!"
"Where are they? They didn't leave because they couldn't get used to it, did they?"
He hadn't seen those Minotaurs earlier.
"How could they!" Xiong Da grinned widely. "They like that forest, they said they can find a kind of sweet root they love to eat there, so they set up a temporary camp there. They work really hard every day, moving stones even better than us!"
"What about those Elves?"
Xiong Da pointed to the forest to the east. "They made a plot of land at the edge of the forest and mysteriously planted some flowers and plants. Anyway, they made it quite beautiful, it doesn't quite match our construction site, but it looks pretty comfortable."
It's good that they all stayed.
"Go find Physician Elton and tell him to go to the castle."
That fellow Ryan had started showing symptoms of fatigue since yesterday, and Roger figured the medicine was about to wear off.
He also didn't know what the consequences would be if he couldn't take the black pill in time.
Xiong Da left to carry out the order.
Back at the castle, taking advantage of Ryan's fatigue symptoms not yet fully erupting, he brought the Lie-Eating Warbler and interrogated him again.
Ryan's answers were no different from what he had said in the small inn a few days prior.
His name, the process of joining the sect, the black pill, the organizational structure, and the resonance stone... all details were "verified" by the Lie-Eating Warbler, indicating that he had not lied before.
Roger was a bit frustrated; this meant that this interrogation had not yielded any new, valuable information.
This guy was indeed just an insignificant peripheral member, completely ignorant of the core secrets of the Abyss Sect.
This guy's value was probably only left as a sample to observe the "black pill" withdrawal reactions.
Just then, Physician Elton hurried over.
"My Lord, you called for me?"
He briefly informed Physician Elton of the situation, including the suspected addictiveness of the black pill and Ryan's current state.
"You must carefully record all his subsequent reactions and try your best to cure his symptoms."
He glanced at Ryan, who looked somewhat dazed, and whispered to Physician Elton, "If there's really no way... once he's about to pass away, immediately examine his internal organs, understood?"
"Understood, My Lord."
He had Xiong Da take Ryan to Physician Elton's treatment room and instructed them to bind Ryan to the bed with ropes to prevent him from losing control and harming others when the drug took effect.
After they left, Harris, who was standing nearby, spoke with a grave tone. "People from the Abyss Sect? Does this organization really still exist? How did they find you?"
Roger briefly explained about the "tears of starlight" and encountering the Abyss Sect trying to snatch the "key."
"Then did you tell Teacher Anna about this?"
"No, I didn't. In that case, the fact that the 'tears of starlight' is in my hands would also have to be exposed."
Harris was a bit speechless. "Then why don't you hand over the 'tears of starlight' as well? Isn't that thing just a hot potato?"
"Perhaps, but what if this thing is a treasure?"
Roger stroked his chin, a hint of unwillingness flashing in his eyes.
"Moreover, I discussed this with Teacher Anna before; the high-ranking officials of various countries seem to know that the Abyss Sect has not been completely eradicated, but they haven't taken any effective countermeasures."
"I worry that this is tacit approval or even indulgence. What if I hand over the item, and the person who takes it turns around and uses it for some unknown, more dangerous purpose? Or, what if they are connected to the cult themselves?"
Rather than that, it was better to keep it in his own hands; at least the initiative was with him.