Elven cultivators

"The foreign army has only been established for a short time, and many races are still taking a wait-and-see approach. As they gradually understand the benefits of joining the foreign army, more and more people will change their attitudes and join enthusiastically."

Eleanor spoke with certainty.

She's right. While the treatment of foreign armies may not be as good as that of the Silvermoon Legion, or even the Guard, it's still far better than that of the armies of most other factions.

Stable military pay, ample supplies, comprehensive medical care, and an upward mobility channel through exchanging merit points for training resources and equipment.

These are things that other forces cannot provide.

Any normal person, unless they are too short-sighted, knows how to make the right choice.

Anton nodded in satisfaction.

With this army of 128,000 foreign soldiers, the clan's long-standing shortage of manpower will be greatly alleviated.

The Silvermoon Legion can be freed from manpower-intensive tasks such as garrisoning resource points and escorting supplies, allowing them to focus more on training and preparation for war.

The guard force can also devote more manpower to the daily patrols and security maintenance of the Primordial Spirit Realm.

Seeing the satisfaction on Anton's face, Eleanor's smile deepened as she continued her report.

"The number of disciples in Taichu City has also increased significantly in recent years, and has now exceeded eight hundred."

After a moment's thought, Anton understood the reason.

After all, the current mainstream cultivation methods of clans are nothing more than three types.

Qi channels, physical strength, and the method of cultivating elixir.

Traditional warriors and spellcasters are extremely rare.

More than half of the native elves are cultivators of strength.

Now, as long as these people meet the requirements, they can apply to become disciples of the Primordial City.

It is normal to have a large number of disciples in a short period of time.

Once this wave of enthusiasm subsides, the growth curve will gradually stabilize.

"Currently, a total of eighteen disciples have successfully established their foundations, with Ryan, who has the highest cultivation level, already reaching the third level of foundation establishment," Eleanor added.

Anton nodded secretly.

The cultivation speed of a spirit is indeed astonishingly fast.

Judging from Ryan's current progress, he might be able to reach the threshold of Foundation Establishment Perfection within a hundred years.

Whether he can condense a golden core, and what grade of golden core he can condense, will depend on himself.

"What's the progress of the exploration of the fertile land?" Anton asked.

Eleanor immediately opened another document and said, "According to the intelligence we have gathered so far, that area is called 'Crimson Blood Soil' by the local subterranean creatures."

"Crimson Blood?" Anton raised an eyebrow.

"Because there is a Blood Soul Crystal Cluster there," Eleanor replied, "and it's larger than the one we found before."

Anton's eyes flickered slightly, as if he were deep in thought.

It's another Blood Soul Crystal Cluster.

The Blood Soul Crystal Cluster that was discovered in the Nine Nether City Domain originally concealed an ancient experimental base.

Could there be similar relics beneath the Blood Soul Crystal Cluster in the Crimson Blood Fertile Soil?

If that's the case, then this area is probably not simple.

The appearance of the Blood Soul Crystal Cluster was by no means accidental. Perhaps the entire Crimson Blood Fertile Land was an experimental zone of some race's civilization in ancient times.

"There are many racial forces in the Crimson Blood Fertile Land, at least forty or fifty in total, large and small."

Eleanor's voice pulled Anton back to reality.

"However, only thirteen city-states are worth noting, including the dark elf city of Vion."

"These forces are currently cooperating to develop that large Blood Soul Crystal Cluster, distributing the collected Blood Soul Crystals according to an agreed share each month, but their relationship is not harmonious, and there has never been a break in the behind-the-scenes friction."

"In the distribution of Blood Soul Crystals, Vion City received nearly 40%, while the remaining twelve city-states split the other 60%. This distribution ratio has always made the other twelve city-states very dissatisfied."

"They seem to have formed an alliance to fight against Vion City together."

Anton understood.

He knew the dark elves' ways all too well.

Those guys believe in the survival of the fittest, act tyrannically, and like to solve problems through intrigue and force.

As a result, they have a terrible reputation in the Underdark.

Given that the Dark Elf city-states were often very powerful, it's not surprising that they were jointly guarded against and hostile towards by the twelve city-states.

"How many dark elves are there in Vion City?" Anton asked.

"No less than 20,000," Eleanor replied. "The other twelve city-states, with a combined population of no less than 200,000, and an estimated army of at least 70,000."

Due to the harsh living environment and fierce competition in the Underdark, the proportion of soldiers in the tribes is much higher than on the surface.

It is common for a population of 200,000 to deploy an army of 70,000 to 80,000 in the Darklands.

The Dark Elves went even further in this regard, to the point that they were practically a nation of soldiers.

Moreover, due to the fierce competition, their individual strength far surpasses that of ordinary subterranean creatures.

So don't underestimate Vion's small population; if a real war broke out, the other twelve city-states would probably be no match for it.

The city of Vion has not taken any action until now, because the cost would be too high.

"In other words, if we were to attack the Crimson Blood Fertile Land, we would likely have to face an army of nearly 100,000," Anton pondered.

"That's right." Eleanor nodded. "With our clan's current military strength, taking over the Crimson Fertile Land is no problem, but the casualties will probably be considerable."

"What about deploying them to the Daoist army?" Anton asked.

Eleanor thought for a moment and said, "Deploying Yellow Turban Warriors and the Five Battalions of Divine Soldiers could reduce casualties among our people, but although the terrain of the Crimson Blood Fertile Land is much flatter than other places, it is still more complex and harsh than the surface world. The caves and tunnels are narrow, making it impossible to deploy a large number of troops at once."

"Without overwhelming troop superiority, the war may drag on for a long time, and the consumption of resources will increase exponentially."

Anton pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "Don't rush into action."

"Continue to renovate the area and expand the control radius of the Nine Netherworld City."

"The shorter the distance between the Nine Nether City Domain and the Crimson Blood Fertile Land, the more convenient it will be for future troop deployments and supply lines."

Eleanor keenly sensed the hidden meaning in Anton's words and tentatively asked, "Chief, what are your plans?"

Anton smiled slightly: "I plan to refine a new type of Dao soldier suitable for fighting in the Dark Region. If all goes well, it should greatly reduce the difficulty of our attack on the Crimson Blood Fertile Land."

Upon hearing this, Eleanor immediately became curious.

New type of Taoist soldiers?

Anton hasn't put any thought into Daobing (a type of military strategist) for a long time.

In recent years, he has been either busy with cultivation or with refining the Six Ding and Six Jia Guardian Generals, and has hardly paid any attention to the regular Dao soldiers.

Why bring this up now? Does it mean you have some new idea?

However, seeing that Anton had no intention of continuing, Eleanor wisely refrained from asking further questions.

The family patriarch always acts with discretion, and he will naturally tell her when it's time to let her know.

In fact, the new type of Daoist soldier that Anton planned to refine was a Yin soldier.

Also known as the Underworld Soldiers or Ghost Soldiers.

Yin soldiers are combat units formed by ghost cultivators using remnant souls as materials and yin energy as nourishment, through special methods to refine souls into soldiers.

They have no physical form, existing purely as souls. They can pass through walls and the ground, ignore physical obstacles, and have extremely high resistance to physical attacks.

In the intricate terrain of the Underdark, filled with cliffs and caves, the Ghost Soldiers are practically born warriors.

They don't need passageways; they can simply pass through the rock walls and appear behind the enemy.

It can see its surroundings without a light source, and is even more at ease in the dark.

They are not afraid of poison gas or cold arrows.

Any physical means targeting flesh and blood are ineffective against the ghost soldiers.

It's perfect for dealing with underground races.

Anton had actually had the idea of ​​creating ghost soldiers a long time ago.

However, there is a prerequisite for refining Yin soldiers, which is that a large amount of Yin attribute materials are needed to make the Soul Gathering Banner, otherwise it is impossible to collect remnant souls.

Materials suitable for crafting Yin-attribute magic weapons have always been difficult to find on the Dawn Continent.

Fortunately, among the materials we seized from the dragons, there were a large number of Death Breath Stones, and the quality was quite good.

These strange crystals, formed in an environment with extremely high concentrations of death energy, are perfectly suited for crafting Soul-Gathering Banners.

Once the Soul Gathering Banner is completed, it can be handed over to the disciples of Taichu City to collect remnant souls.

It can hone the disciples' combat skills and also accumulate soldiers for the clan.

Kill two birds with one stone.

It is worth mentioning that the remnant souls used to refine Yin soldiers are essentially life-like entities that are gradually formed from the condensed soul energy left behind after the death of a living being.

They have no self-awareness, only the instinct to devour the souls of the living.

It typically occurs in places where a large number of people die in a short period of time, such as battlefields and plague-stricken towns.

Therefore, while the practice of creating Yin soldiers may sound evil, it is actually considered a righteous path in the world of cultivation.

To put it simply, it involves utilizing those remnant souls that already exist and would gradually dissipate or become even more dangerous if left untreated; it can be considered a form of resource recycling.

Unlike the demonic path, which focuses on capturing people, extracting their souls, and creating puppets.

Anton snapped out of his thoughts, looked at Eleanor, and asked, "What's been happening in the surrounding area lately?"

When this was mentioned, Eleanor's expression became more serious.

She opened a parchment map covered with dense markings, and pointed at it with her finger, saying in a deep voice, "Frostridge Plateau, Thunder River Basin, Tide Plain, River Valley, Iron Hill Kingdom... these places have been quite turbulent lately. Various forces have already broken out into several small-scale conflicts over resource points. Although it hasn't escalated into a full-scale war yet, the signs are already very obvious."

"Just as you said before, Chief, it's estimated that war will break out in various places soon."

The places Eleanor mentioned are all located in the eastern part of the continent, scattered around the Eldron Plains and the Green Highlands.

Ever since Anton gave her those instructions, she has been secretly gathering intelligence on various regions.

A special intelligence team was dispatched to establish an intelligence network in the surrounding area.

She receives news immediately whenever there's any disturbance in other places.

It was also a stroke of luck that, among the five top powers, Bloodhowl Fortress and Heart of the Mountains were located in the northern part of the continent, the Free Alliance was located in the western part of the continent, the Emerald Court was close to the center of the continent, and the Great Vortex Islands, where the Temple of Tides was located, were located in the center of the ocean outside the continental shelf.

Only the southern part of the continent and the eastern part of the continent, where the Eldron Plains are located, lack top-tier forces.

This means that the Silvermoon Clan faces far less pressure to advance than in other places.

We only need to deal with the top-tier and local powers in the surrounding area.

Anton nodded slightly: "Continue to monitor the situation in the surrounding area. If unrest breaks out, some forces may target us."

Eleanor nodded solemnly.

The clan-controlled trade network generates enviable profits every year.

Many forces had long coveted this opportunity, but dared not act only because they feared the clan's military might.

But once unrest breaks out, no one knows if someone will take the risk.

Prevention is always better than cure.