Chapter 607: The Demon King Placed a Blood-Sucking Sword on the Hero

Sunny days are fleeting; with the arrival of June, the northeastern shore of the Whirlpool Sea finally entered summer.

On the Beixi Valley Plain, the blazing sun acted like a cruel overseer, wielding its scorching whip to strike every shoulder equally.

Boiling heatwaves warped the air, blurring the distant horizon into a shimmering mirage.

Yet more turbulent than that blurred horizon was the clamor spreading across this vast land—

"Push harder, brothers!"

"For tonight's grilled meat and beer!"

"Aaaooo!"

Thousands of muscular lizardmen, bare-chested, glistened with metallic sheen across their dark green scales under the sun.

They formed an endless line, like a living machine made of flesh, roaring to life across the wasteland.

This was the construction site of the railway linking Leiming City to Granston Fortress, the capital of Beixi Valley.

And also the final "battlefield" chosen by the Cemetery Railway Group to achieve an S-rank mission rating!

To break the daily progress record, players deliberately preserved this stretch—the flattest terrain with the hardest soil—as a "face-saving project" for Cemetery Railway Group to inflate their stats.

Moreover, they deployed the Necropolis's "Shadow Troops" to secretly transport sleepers, rails, and spikes under cover of night, pre-positioning materials at key points along the route.

Previously, these materials had been transported solely by train and cart, making it hard to move them far from the worksite.

Frankly, "Disaster Online" had been turned by these players into "Rail Tycoon Online"—they'd resorted to any means to set records!

Had it not been for daily progress reports from the Royal Railway Company and the Watchers of the Demon King watching their backs, they might have gone even further.

The player 【I'll Form the Head】 stood atop a high earthen mound, gripping a primitive megaphone and bellowing at the top of his lungs.

Under his expert command, this mixed force of lizardmen displayed astonishingly efficient coordination.

The first team consisted of Stone Lizard clan members.

They carried heavy sleepers, darting swiftly across the fiery worksite, each step kicking up clouds of dust!

Timber that would require two human laborers to lift felt like a toothpick in their hands.

Behind them came the rail-laying crew, hauling heavy four-wheeled carts pulled by quadrupedal lizardmen.

Long-tailed lizardmen deftly spun cranes and hooks, snagging rails from the moving carts, using inertia to detach them and guide them onto the sleepers.

With their coordinated efforts, two parallel lines of steel rapidly extended across the land, like an ever-lengthening iron dragon.

Finally came the spike-driving team.

No advanced steam-powered machinery was needed— their heavy iron hammers were the best tools!

The rhythmic "clang clang clang" merged into a grand, wild symphony.

Each sharp strike drove a rail spike deep into the sleeper, pinning the steel firmly to the earth.

Sweat streamed down the lizardmen's thick necks, dripping onto the scorching rails with a hiss, instantly vanishing into wisps of steam.

A new arrival among the construction workers wiped dust from his face, watching the rails grow visibly forward, and couldn't help exclaiming.

"Holy shit! This isn't scientific!"

"But it's magical, isn't it?" 【Dead Men Fear No Ghosts】 grinned at him, flashing his teeth beneath his scales.

To blend in with these lizardmen, he'd spent contribution points to acquire a branch tribe from the Southwest Swamps.

Now he looked even greener than before.

【I'll Form the Head】 stood with hands on hips, watching the spectacular scene, wiping sweat from his brow.

"I doubt anyone can break this record anytime soon!"

After all, the previous record was also set by them.

The sun sank slowly, staining the sky blood-red.

As the last sliver of twilight vanished beyond the horizon, the royal inspector pushed his measuring wheel along the final stretch.

Seeing the unbelievable number on the gauge, his eyes nearly popped from their sockets.

"By Saint Xis, ten… fifteen kilometers!"

He had overseen the entire railway project and watched these lizardmen work—he could hardly believe his own measurements.

Previously, these lizardmen managed two kilometers a day at best; now the number had been multiplied by 7.5!

At the exact moment he recorded the number, the player who drove the final spike on the entire line let out a deafening cheer.

Fifteen kilometers laid in a single day!

In an era without heavy machinery, this was nothing short of a miracle!

"Awesome!!!"

Players embraced in excitement—for the imminent S-rank rating, and for this moment destined to be etched into game history.

After over four months of construction, the 200-kilometer railway was completed—this would be the most monumental achievement in the infrastructure history of the Aus Continent!

It would connect the north and south of the Duchy, freeing its logistics system entirely from dependence on the Rushing River and its network of castles and rural roads.

Yet even more excited than the players were the lizardmen, exhausted from a full day of chanting and labor.

Once mud-wallowing swamp dwellers, they had never done work this intense. Thanks to these players, they'd experienced a whole new kind of "lizard life."

But the players gave them more than sweat—they gave them beer and grilled meat, things they'd never dared dream of.

Hearing that meat awaited upon mission completion, these muscular brutes erupted in frenzy, joining the players in shouting "Awesome!"

Though they didn't know what "awesome" meant, anything shouted by the Dragon-blooded was surely right.

After all, only these fellow countrymen from Jiana Continent could bring them delicacies even their chieftains had never tasted!

"Awesome—!"

"Aaaooo!"

Excited roars rose and fell in waves.

Thousands of powerful lizardman warriors gathered beside the newly laid rails, their thick tails rhythmically thudding the ground with a deep "thump thump."

They danced an ancient, wild war dance beneath the setting sun, their trembling footsteps echoing as if proclaiming the Dragon God's majesty over the conquered plain.

Too bad Taf didn't know about this—otherwise, he'd have been too ashamed to hide his little head under his wings.

He should've never used Zeta DNA as the blueprint for these things—this was pure sacrilege!

…

Elsewhere, at the Andes Estate in Leiming City.

Outside the window, white birch trees had grown lush branches, perfectly blocking the scorching sun from entering the study.

Inside the warmly decorated study, the air was quiet and cool—as if separated from the fiery construction site by another world.

Duke Edward sat at his desk, holding the urgent report just delivered, his gaze lingering long on the final line.

"Fifteen kilometers…"

He repeated it softly, voice laced with disbelief and awe.

Just months ago, these scaled creatures were monsters lurking in swamps, ambushing caravans—targets on the Adventurers' Guild's purge list.

Yet within less than a year, their status had transformed utterly—they'd become the most efficient builders on this land!

They worked harder than the strongest human laborers, obeyed more faithfully than the most loyal soldiers—so long as they were given enough meat and beer.

Though they couldn't handle complex tasks, they could extend Campbell's railways all the way beyond Gushing Pass…

It was nothing short of a divine gift to Campbell!

"... It seems our previous misunderstandings of them ran too deep," said Mr. Andes, standing before Duke Edward's desk, his face filled with reflection.

The Andes family had tried before to domesticate lizardmen as miners and porters—all attempts had failed.

Only Mr. Sak of the Guta Kingdom had the means to do it.

When they presented the Dragon God's legitimate authority and the ancient covenant of the ancestral homeland, they immediately won over the chieftains of the Southwest Swamps.

Once the "nucleus" was secured, the rest of the lizardmen became easy to manage.

They generated immense value for the Duchy of Campbell without consuming any of its social resources.

After all, the chieftains took the money and brought it straight to Leiming City; only a tiny fraction trickled back to the Guta Kingdom via trade routes.

"You're right, Mr. Andes. Our previous misunderstandings were profound—we must take them seriously from now on… They're not just a face-saving project against Guta Kingdom, but a strategic resource we've long ignored."

Duke Edward set the railway construction report aside, leaned back slightly, and interlaced his fingers over his abdomen.

His gaze quickly shifted to Mr. Andes beside the desk, asking the question now more pressing to him.

"By the way, how is the Silver Supervisory Commission progressing?"

In response to the Duke's inquiry, Mr. Andes bowed slightly, replying calmly.

"Everything proceeds smoothly, Your Majesty. We now require every bank in Leiming City to retain detailed transaction records for all large transfers and cash deposits or withdrawals. Though this increases their workload, not a single person objected when I proposed it."

Here, a mocking smile touched his lips.

"... After all, they're all suffering terribly. Too many low-quality silver coins have flooded in from upstream along the Rushing River, causing severe market chaos in silver pricing. If we don't regulate now, their vaults will be filled with worthless scrap."

Currently, three types of silver coins circulated in Leiming City's market.

One was the purest and most finely crafted Campbell silver coin. Another was the mixed-quality foreign silver coins imported from overseas kingdoms.

And the third—and most troublesome—was the coin mocked by Leiming merchants as "Raine Iron Slabs," the Raine Kingdom's silver coin.

Undoubtedly, the Campbell silver coin was the most valuable.

Even as all silver coins depreciated against gold, it depreciated slowest; prices pegged to the "silver pound" remained most stable, rarely needing daily adjustment.

This war without smoke was crueler than any war with it—Campbell's paper currency had quietly eroded the purity of the Devalu family's crown.

After all, no matter how vast the Empire's market, it couldn't instantly draw in all goods and currencies from elsewhere.

Edward understood the hidden Boyi behind this—even if he never commanded each battle personally, he still rejoiced at his "generals" winning the war.

He nodded in satisfaction, his fingers lightly tapping the desk, then asked further.

"And what of the silver pound issuance? I recall the original agreement listed only your Andes Bank as a signatory."

"It was indeed so; that was the darkest hour before dawn, and I alone steadfastly chose to stand with you."

Andes smiled, his black humor carrying the peculiar wit of the Campbell people.

"But as expected, once the sun rose, those who had dropped out regretted it. Lately, my door has nearly been worn down by their visits; those three chairmen are now begging me to let them return to this table."

Edward laughed along, but his eyes remained fixed on him.