[Night retreats, dawn arrives]

Alex rose with the sun, eager to relocate Undead City. However, she wasn’t keen on subjecting her companions to the “delightful” experience of the city vanishing from under them, potentially leaving them stranded in their birthday suits.

She decided to wait until they were awake and presentable. Besides, there was no rush.

As she waited in the main hall, she pulled out the parchment Edgar had given her. The system identified it as an information storage device, with no level or special features. It didn’t seem particularly remarkable, except for the pungent, musty odor clinging to it.

With no immediate use for it, Alex tossed it into her Warehouse and turned her attention to the three Race Tears.

One by one, she absorbed them into her Kingdom’s Tear.

**[Congratulations, Lord! You have conquered the Soul Devouring Crow race. You have obtained an Auxiliary Barrack.]**

**[Note: The Soul Devouring Crows are a race influenced by a [Special Unknown Lifeform]. You can choose to absorb the Auxiliary Barrack into your weapon spirit.]**

Interesting. A connection to the Source of Fear. Alex didn’t hesitate. She absorbed the Barrack without a second thought.

Her scythe pulsed with power. It wasn’t a dramatic increase, but it seemed to primarily affect the Scarecrow, the Source of Fear’s summoned being. Alex hadn’t summoned it yet, so she couldn’t gauge the exact enhancements. She’d have to experiment later.

The other two Race Tears belonged to the [Rock Serpents] and the [Vine Serpents].

These weren’t your average snakes. They possessed a unique ability to merge with each other, like skeletal warriors coalescing in a bone pit.

The Vine Serpents were venomous wood-attribute snakes lurking beneath the forest floor, while the Rock Serpents were massive earth-attribute pythons dwelling underground. Each race boasted over twenty Monarch level individuals. Combined with their remaining kin, they could rival a King level entity in strength.

Moreover, their chieftains were both genuine King level powerhouses. They would be valuable assets, bolstering the Dark Forest’s defenses alongside the two trolls.

With the Dark Forest under her control, Alex had gained four King level guardians, plus two more in the form of the serpent chieftains. Her sense of security skyrocketed.

Since both serpent races were native to the Dark Forest, Alex decided to establish their Auxiliary Barracks in Undead City instead of her other cities.

With the Soul Devouring Crows, Rock Serpents, and Vine Serpents accounted for, Alex had effectively taken control of the Dark Forest’s core. As for the weaker races on the outskirts, she’d deal with them at her leisure.

**[Kingdom’s Tear Upgrade Progress: 51/100]**

A significant jump of 26 points! It seemed upgrading the Kingdom’s Tear directly was far more efficient than slowly expanding her kingdom.

Both serpent races, like the Orc Empire, had contributed ten points each, while the Soul Devouring Crows provided five.

This confirmed Alex’s theory: factions with at least one King level individual, be it a race, kingdom, or empire, provided a fixed ten points towards the Kingdom’s Tear upgrade. As for Monarch level factions, the contribution likely varied based on their overall strength.

This expedition to the Dark Forest had been incredibly fruitful. Alex had gained spatial magic, a strengthened weapon, powerful allies, and most importantly, invaluable information – offering a glimpse into the true nature of this world.

Undead City was thriving. With the twins, Drake, the seven race kings, and Sophie holding down the fort, it was time for Alex to venture out. She needed to experience the world firsthand, understand its conflicts, and uncover the truth behind the previous undead lord’s demise.

Why were they so terrified of the undead? Was it simply because of the relentless undead scourge? Alex refused to believe it was that simple.

Only by exploring, by challenging herself, could she hope to avoid her predecessor’s fate, ascend to the pinnacle of power, and unravel the mysteries of this world.

Lost in thought, Alex didn’t notice her companions entering the hall until Xiao Hui’s cheerful voice broke through her contemplation.

“Miss Alex, we’re ready to move the city!” she chirped, practically bouncing with excitement.

Alex turned to greet them, glancing at the clock. “It’s still early. No need to rush. Have some breakfast first.”

“We can eat while we move!” Xiao Hui protested.

“You goofball, the city disappears when we move it,” Xiao Mu deadpanned, flicking his sister’s forehead.

“Oh, right.”

As the dark elves bustled about, preparing breakfast, Alex joined her companions, forcing down a few bites.

After breakfast, Alex gathered all the alchemy warlocks, dark elves, hobgoblins, and dwarves in the city center. Over a thousand individuals assembled before her.

With a final glance around, Alex teleported to the top floor of the palace, where the city crystal stood.

It pulsed with black energy, radiating outwards, encased within a transparent barrier – the [Crystal Shield], a special structure designed to protect the entire city. Today’s enhancement hadn’t been used yet. Alex decided to reinforce their defenses, upgrading the Crystal Shield to King level with an enhancement crystal.

The barrier shimmered, now stronger than ever. With the Dark Forest’s natural barrier and the enhanced Crystal Shield, the Specter Chandelier seemed somewhat redundant. Alex decided to prioritize other upgrades for now.

Deactivating the Crystal Shield, Alex placed her hand on the city crystal. It flared to life, and with a gentle tug, she lifted it free.

The city around them dissolved, leaving Alex floating in mid-air, surrounded by open ground and the expectant gazes of her assembled forces. They couldn’t use the recall feature, so they were depending on her to transport them to the Dark Forest.

Alex had anticipated this. Landing gracefully, her right eye pulsed with white light, and a massive spatial teleportation array unfolded before them.

“Let’s go,” she said, holding the array stable. She had marked their destination beforehand, and Edgar had taught her how to manipulate the spatial distortions within the Dark Forest. Her teleportation array wouldn’t be hindered.

First, the special troops, followed by the ground troops, marched into the swirling vortex of the teleportation array. Once they were all inside, Alex stepped in, and the array winked out of existence.

As for the flying troops…well, they could make their own way there. She wasn’t about to deplete her energy teleporting hundreds of thousands of undead.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep