Chapter 56: Expansion (Happy New Year)

When Ninglu led the Second Regiment to arrive at Omsk, the entire Hive City was plunged into chaos.

Without much effort, he conquered the fourth-largest Hive City of Vostonia, which had lost its king and HuoweiDuiZhang and was left leaderless.

After experiencing the miraculous effectiveness of infiltration and decapitation, Ninglu immediately concocted two "Assassin" Potions and cultivated Tsvetana and Dementieva, who had slightly less potential than Maria but were equally loyal, into Beyonders.

After dispatching the three Beyonders to continue carrying out assassination operations, he quickly searched through the royal treasury.

In this warrior king's treasury, besides gathering two sets of "Warrior" Potions, Ninglu also found four Pit Gladiator Belts he had collected; they were the main materials for the "Warrior's" corresponding Sequence 8, "Fighter."

Like most Hive Cities, Vostonia also had hive dwellers who, due to debts or various other reasons, were controlled by the restrictive contracts of trade unions and reduced to miserable pit slaves.

The most miserable among them were the pit gladiators destined to fight to the death in the arena; in most cases, such arenas were not presentable, but Omsk was an exception.

Moder was quite obsessed with gladiatorial combat; not only did he open an arena, but he would also frequently attend to watch the gladiators' life-and-death duels, and the four belts he collected were from the only four hundred-win champions.

They eventually earned the chance to challenge Moder and died in the gladiatorial combat for their freedom.

【"Fighter" is also known as "Gladiator" or "Duelist," and the pit gladiator's belt is the material; it fits the internal logic quite well.】

Ninglu then thought of Thierry and summoned him to the palace.

The golden-haired noble arrived before him and immediately provided a briefing.

"My King, the Second Regiment did not suffer heavy losses in the previous battles; only one hundred and forty-two men were killed in action."

Ninglu nodded slightly and said approvingly.

"You performed well previously; during the time I was away, you trained the Second Regiment very well, improving their combat power and making their coordination more tacit."

"You also slew heretical believers and held Lukebo Hive City."

Hearing this, Thierry could not help but feel proud and excited; his efforts had been recognized by his monarch, and a smile appeared on his face involuntarily.

Though his mood was stirred, he did not get carried away and said earnestly.

"I have fulfilled my mission."

Ninglu nodded with satisfaction again, his deep eyes fixed on the "Warrior," using "Warp Insight" and Spirit Vision to observe the "Warrior" before him.

In "Warp Insight," Thierry's emotions were high, and his mental state was excellent.

The "Warrior" enhancements were all concentrated on the physical body, so when Ninglu used Spirit Vision to observe, he ignored the aura and focused on Thierry's body.

The areas involving movement, such as Thierry's hands and feet, appeared red; the surface of the head and brain appeared purple; the areas for excretion and detoxification appeared orange; the digestive system appeared yellow; the heart and regulatory systems appeared green; and the throat and parts of the nervous system appeared blue.

His body as a whole did not present a state of Balance, but was instead mixed with red and white.

【Thierry's body has not yet returned to a state of Balance; it seems he has not yet fully digested the "Warrior" Potion.】

After reaching a preliminary conclusion, Ninglu opened his mouth to ask Thierry for confirmation.

"Have you fully mastered the power I bestowed upon you?"

The "Warrior" did not answer immediately; he thought carefully for a few seconds before speaking.

"My King, I have not fully mastered it yet, but I have already found the correct path."

Hearing the "Warrior" say something that matched his own observations, Ninglu spoke.

"Continue to move forward on the path you have found; when you fully master the power I have bestowed upon you, you will obtain even further, more powerful strength."

Hearing this, Thierry felt even more encouraged; he knelt on one knee and said solemnly.

"I will certainly not let you down."

"Rise," Ninglu was in urgent need of talent, so he asked, "I previously had you observe among the warriors; have you discovered any talent?"

"My King, the Iron Warriors are excellent warriors, but their thinking has been brainwashed by the Mad King, becoming rigid and unchangeable."

"Besides them, I have discovered two talents: one is Buuka, who was once my personal HuoweiDuiZhang and now serves as a platoon leader."

"Not only is he skilled in using defensive equipment like riot shields himself, but he is also adept at commanding other warriors to construct defenses and withstand enemy offensives."

As Thierry spoke, he operated a Data Slate to show Ninglu the personal file of Buuka.

"The other is Juerjuer, a recruit I enlisted from the Hive City security forces after you liberated Lukebo; although he is only seventeen, he has a flexible mind and is daring in battle, so I appointed him as an assault platoon leader."

Ninglu nodded with satisfaction, "Order them to be in Omsk, and follow me into battle afterward."

"Your Second Regiment has experienced two consecutive battles; although the casualties are not heavy, it needs time to rest and reorganize."

"As you command, My King."

Thierry felt some regret; he longed to continue fighting to practice the "Warrior" path he had found.

Ninglu sensed his emotions and said with a smile.

"Do not be anxious; I have returned this time to conquer Vostonia, so you need not worry about having no battles to fight."

"After unifying Vostonia, the rest will only be temporary; there are countless worlds in the galaxy and countless wars awaiting you."

"During this time of rest, you must complete the replenishment and training of the Second Regiment."

Upon hearing this, Thierry's sense of regret vanished instantly.

"As you command, My King."

After Thierry left, Ninglu ordered Woyiqiehe to contact Howard to lead the Fifth Regiment to move toward the Hive City where the Seventh Altar was located.

One work cycle later, Ninglu led one company each of Buuka and Juerjuer to set out and continue the war of conquest.

Maria and the other two "Assassins" successively infiltrated the Hive Cities where the Fifth and Sixth Altars were located, assassinating high-level officials before Ninglu launched the war of conquest, reducing the resistance encountered by the Primarch.

After Ninglu conquered the two Hive Cities, he stationed Buuka and Juerjuer in the two Hive Cities respectively to form the Vostonia Seventh Regiment and Eighth Regiment.

Subsequently, after he met with Howard in the shantytown outside Shwidnica and captured the Hive City where the Seventh Altar was located, he summoned the "Arbiter" to the palace.

"My Lord, according to your instructions, I have already worked out a complete set of measures to improve the Dome system."

"My Lord is wise; when the enthusiasm of those Lower Hive workers is mobilized, production efficiency will be greatly improved, and the Hive City will also be more stable."

"The preliminary data obtained by Teziwoke shows that the average increase in production capacity is two hundred and three percent, food consumption has increased by forty-one percent, and the comprehensive benefits have increased significantly."

When Howard first received this data, he also found it hard to believe that those Lower Hive workers could actually erupt with such tremendous power after eating their fill.

Moreover, they had turned from unstable factors into subjects who loyally defended order; it was simply incredible.

"Very good; you must popularize this system to all Lower Hives as soon as possible and let them become the new engine for Vostonia's development."

Ninglu used Warp Insight and Spirit Vision to observe Howard, discovering that his condition was good in all aspects, so he opened his mouth to ask.

"How well have you mastered the power I bestowed upon you?"

(End of chapter)