Chapter 108

This is a plane shrouded by a dark red dome; after the starlight penetrates the thick sulfur-colored cloud layer, only the bleak orange-red afterglow remains, and the surface is always filled with a faint smell of rust and sulfur.

Land occupies sixty percent of the total area, with three giant continents as the core, divided by three oceans of different colors, the edges of the continents covered with broken island chains, floating on the sea like torn scorched earth.

Twisted floating rocks occasionally sweep across the sky, dark purple Abyssal energy seeping from the rock crevices, casting moving shadows on the surface; the temperature difference between day and night is huge, scorching hot during the day, and cold winds carrying Abyssal whispers sweeping across the wilderness at night.

The gale howls between the craggy rock pillars of the Dark Ridge Pass, rolling up sulfur-flavored dust and sand. Shalute stands on the edge of the cliff on the east side, beneath his feet is a bottomless rift valley glowing with dark red light. He kicks a weathered gravel into the abyss, hearing no echo for a long time.

"Grand Duke," he turns around, his voice overpowering the wind, his rough face full of confusion and impatience, "I just don't understand, why must we toss and turn in this godforsaken place where even demons find it uncomfortable?"

He waves his arm in a circle, pointing to the desolate and ferocious scenery around him.

"This broken place can't grow a grain of food, can't raise a ground lizard, and doesn't even have a decent road! It's not even on the path of the supply line."

He emphasized the last few words, his warrior's intuition making him full of doubts about this order, "Spending manpower and material resources to build a fortress in this broken place? Who exactly are we defending against? Defending against those lava worms below that can't even crawl up?"

"Young man, patience is the best whetstone." His voice was unhurried, then turned to the silent outline in the shadows on the other side.

"Gisk, you tell our impatient Marshal, which bright and beautiful roads are the coalition's visible 'main arteries' laid on?"

Gisk stepped out from the shadows of the cliff, the wind blowing his rough fur backward. His yellow-orange pupils contracted into a thin slit in the dim light, his voice hoarse and precise, as if reciting a map in his hand.

"Yes, Grand Duke."

He spat out the sand and gravel that had been blown into his mouth by the wind.

"Coalition maritime supply lines, two. Neither is a comfortable route."

"The first, the main supply line." He stretched out his claws, pointing to the direction where the roar of the tide was faintly heard in the southeast, "Setting sail from the Net Reef Port in the middle of the Poisonous Miasma Sea; that ghostly place has chaotic tides, and the underwater is full of shipwrecks and Abyssal monsters.

The fleet hugs the shallow water channel northward, finally arriving at the 'Dead Bone Wharf' on the eastern edge of the Rotten Swamp. It carries bulk goods: food, herbs, standard swords, and armor. Although slow and with high losses, it can feed hundreds of thousands of mouths on the front line."

He paused, his claws moving further south, as if he could penetrate the mountains and see that black sea area.

"The second, the elite supply line. The route is short, but more dangerous. Starting from the secret transit station on 'Lonely Soul Island' deep in the Ink Abyss Sea, that island does not exist on the map.

The fleet dives into a narrow sea area wrapped in sea fog and undercurrents, heading west, finally docking at 'Molten Fire Bay' at the northernmost edge of the Scorched Trace Wasteland.

This line only carries life-saving things: magic scrolls, high-level enchanted ores, secret orders, and 'special personnel' sent from various worlds. It is very fast, hidden, but also the most afraid of being cut off."

He retracted his claws, his gaze sweeping past Shalute, finally falling back on Sakavi.

"Two lines, one bright and one dark, both circling the cliff where we are standing, taking a big arc. The nearest 'Molten Fire Bay' is three hundred miles away in a straight line, with the entire 'Broken Blade Canyon' in between."

Sakavi's huge head turned toward Shalute, a light of near-playfulness flashing in his molten-gold slit pupils, the arc of his dragon snout as if smiling.

"Then, my dear Marshal—" his voice dragged out in the wind, carrying a playful tone like a teacher examining a student.

"In your view, when our coalition friends have so 'intimately' planned everything and established these two... uh, complete transport channels."

He paused deliberately.

"Would they still be willing to let us, this so-called friendly force whose 'loyalty is subject to observation' and whose 'stance is slightly subtle,' build castles and fortresses next to their lifeblood?"

"Does the Grand Duke mean we should just wait quietly now? I don't understand, what good does this do us? As time goes on, our role to the coalition will only become smaller and smaller."

"Shalute, may I ask what you see to the south of the pass?"

"Beach, the edge of the Poisonous Miasma Sea, the water is shallow and the reefs are dense, supply ships cannot approach, not suitable for building a port, but if it were our Lizardmen, it could be small-scale transport of supplies."

"That's right, if the coalition wants to completely clear this plane, it must set up powerful seals to block the channels of demon infiltration, but this will also cause the coalition's combat power above the Demigod Rank to be affected by the plane rules and unable to stand firm.

Later, they must mobilize a large number of soldiers to fill the combat power gap, so may I ask, who in the coalition would be willing to continuously provide food? If you only need to pay gold coins to buy it, then for them, isn't it a very cost-effective deal?"

"I understand." His voice settled down, carrying a certainty after the tactical breakthrough, "What you want us to build is not a front-line shield, but a future supply line held in our own hands."

He pointed to the direction where the coalition supply line was detouring in the distance.

"When the Demigods withdraw, those legions left on the scorched earth will find that every grain of food transported from home is so expensive that the sound of gold coins melting can be heard. And within the coalition, without the suppression of absolute force, all kinds of thoughts will sprout like mushrooms after rain."

He turned his head to look at Sakavi, a cold, hard smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"At that time, this place will no longer be a 'godforsaken broken place,' but the warehouse door closest and most stable to their core garrison area.

Buying supplies from us with gold coins is cheaper than transporting them across planes, faster than opening up farms on the Abyssal wasteland, and safer than relying on other 'allies' who have their own agendas..."

"They want the fruits of victory, and what we must do is become the only ladder that is within reach and most cost-effective when they pick the fruit." He paused, "The premise is that we must first nail this ladder more firmly on this cliff than the mountain."

"When the sound of the abacus drowns out the sound of the war song, our value will come."

"Hey, stupid pig!"

Gisk's rough sneer intervened, his yellow-orange slit pupils glancing sideways at Shalute, carrying the mockery of an old hunter looking at a greenhorn.

"Does your brain only turn with gold coins and grain bags? In the darkness of the multiverse, there are few places that recognize your 'fair trade' ledger, especially this Abyssal plane where even the land is bleeding."

He stretched out his claws, pointing virtually at the ferocious rock walls on both sides of the pass beneath his feet.

"This broken place indeed doesn't grow food, but it pinches the throat of the Broken Blade Canyon! When the coalition main force pushes forward and the Demigods pat their butts and leave, the rear will become a broken sack full of loopholes.

Those local Abyssal remnants who have suffered losses in the hands of the coalition, plunderers who came across planes smelling blood, and even some scum among the 'allies' who want to play dirty... they will act like hyenas, specifically biting the softest parts of the logistics line."

He spat, his claw tips tapping his own temple.

"Our 'godforsaken' fortress will then be an iron caltrop nailed into the hyena's throat. No need to station troops everywhere, just guard this one point; anyone who wants to bypass it to touch our rear warehouses and farmland must first ask if the alchemical cannons I set up on the cliff agree."

Gisk grinned, revealing sharp, bone-white fangs, his smile full of cold, sharp edges honed by actual combat.

"Doing business? The premise is that you must be alive to keep the shop open. This pass is the safety valve for our future 'Golden Supply Line.' Without it, no matter how much grain you hoard, it's all stored for others."

He finally patted the dagger at his waist and concluded: "Shalute, you are responsible for building the ladder firmly. As for how to ensure that no one can kick the ladder down... that's my job. Understand, Marshal?"

After speaking, he didn't forget to use his claws to make an extremely vulgar yet vivid "counting gold coins" action, and then pointed to the abyss. "Otherwise, no matter how much you earn, you'll have to go down and count with the demons, if they know how to count."

"Hahahaha!" Sakavi's ferocious laugh swung in the wind of the pass, carrying a tremor of sulfur, "Gisk, it seems that the eye for 'raising military funds' in the shadows of your ancestors has really flowed into your bones; the tricky angle of looking at the situation is indeed poisonous!"

His huge head turned toward the Gnoll Ranger, a playful light flashing in his molten-gold slit pupils.

"However... as for the ability to 'grow' a castle out of stone with real swords and guns, your claws, which are used to pulling triggers and touching traps in the dark, I fear are still lacking in fire. Compared to our..."

Gisk's ears stood up suddenly, his yellow-orange pupils contracted sharply, he let out a strange "Ha?" and his front claws smashed into his breastplate with a "clatter," splashing a few sparks.

"Grand Duke! You are being biased!" He bared his bone-white canine teeth, his voice rising, carrying the resentment of being looked down upon.

"I, Gisk, the chief graduate of the second phase of the Agrik Gnoll Military Academy, the 'Blood Claw Badge' with a record-breaking overall evaluation, no brat has been able to touch the tip of my tail yet!"

He straightened his back, his claws flexing, as if comparing tactical diagrams in the void.

"Shalute is the Ogre Academy, the leader of the first session, true. But my manual scores, tactical deduction, field survival, and land-air coordination classes, which one didn't pass with a full score?"

"Digging trenches? I led a squad to ambush demons in 'Gravel Valley,' and in one night I could make the trenches deep enough to bury a Berserker Demon! Fighting hard battles? Guarding the ferry in the Abyss, the enemy had three times the troops attacking, and in the end, I led the assault team to sneak in the dark and knock out their commander!"

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, his tail standing up stiffly like a battle flag.

"My shooting is accurate, my traps are set insidiously, but this doesn't mean I only know how to do this! Constructing positions, configuring crossfire nets, organizing defensive counterattacks, etc., I can draw them with my claws even with my eyes closed!"

He finally snorted heavily, turning his face away, but squeezed out another sentence from between his teeth:

"...... Building a city is a slow effort, but if it's about who can build a castle in the place where the enemy is most uncomfortable and hardest to break, Grand Duke, I may not lose."

"Good, since you have this spirit, the preparation of this pass fortress will be fully entrusted to you."

Sakavi's voice dropped, his molten-gold slit pupils locking onto Gisk.

"But remember, the coalition will not buy us time, and may even be happy to see us 'accidentally' consumed. The moment your engineering team drives the first pile, there may be 'remaining demons' that should have been cleared... 'happening' to surge out from some unlisted rift."