Chapter 1027: Fleet Expansion

Silver Star Duke left, and the next day both towers were completed!

That morning, Dean Zevier sent the two inactive Iola Cores from a sub‑plane of Gotham City to the western coast.

Lei En personally installed the Iola Core into the tower, then drew energy from the Star Destroyer to activate it, triggering the rune formation. Torrential pure energy poured into the array; the three‑hundred‑meter tower hummed, countless runes flickered, energy surged upward, and finally converged atop the spire.

Boom—!

A massive beam shot skyward, piercing the clouds.

A huge void ripped the dim sky, and the tower grew ever brighter, like a three‑hundred‑meter torch, erupting in dazzling light.

Ten-ring Spell, VijesCui's Magic Torch!

Strange magical radiance blossomed, instantly dispersing the dark clouds over the land and revealing a blue sky.

Every inch within three hundred li was bathed in the Magic Torch; most monsters in the area had already been cleared by the Duke's guard, but a few hidden ones were incinerated—body and soul—by the light, turning to ash.

The Evil Energy‑polluted earth spewed wisps of smoke, slowly being purified.

After half a month of continuous illumination, the Magic Torch can fully cleanse the Evil Energy Wasteland, restoring vitality, making it suitable for settlement and cultivation.

Of course, the Demonkin tribe that worships the Plague Lord still requires further purification before they can be at ease.

Lei En exhaled.

With the tower completed and the Magic Torch ignited, Luoshengdu fell under his domain, and now peaceful reconstruction and development could begin.

He stared upward, and seconds later a void portal opened as a cluster of silver flame surged toward the tower, merging into the spire's light column; mysterious, colossal energy instantly spread through the tower and rune array, altering its interior.

"Praise the God of Magic!"

Lei En prayed aloud, his face devout as he watched the portal close, then hummed under his breath, "Insatiable greed."

Since the statue of the God of Magic was erected, every tower thereafter has seen VijesCui intervene, blending its Silver Fire into the rune array, using the Iola Core's energy to answer believers' prayers and bestow blessings of wisdom.

Gotham City, Aisinger, Roli, and Obanni—none escaped.

Now Luoshengdu's turn.

Predictably, the King's Castle tower activated later would also not escape its "favor"; Lei En logged these debts in his notebook for future settlement.

Lei En cast Greater Teleport and entered Grey Valley.

"King's Castle" is more than a fortress; it is a city. Though smaller than Albert Bay, its location is superb, at the confluence of two rivers whose combined flow runs south over two hundred li, irrigating half of Grey Valley before emptying into Albert Bay and finally the sea.

The fortress, destroyed for over three thousand years, is being rebuilt—already more than half complete—a demand of the dwarf artisans that Lei En has fulfilled.

Within the fortress, a tower rose from the ground.

After the Giant Cedar Ridge tower activated, Reslin promptly delivered the Iola Core into it; installation was complete.

When Lei En arrived, Reslin immediately activated it.

Boom!

The King's Castle tower emitted a light column, magical radiance blossoming to illuminate three hundred li.

The northern and central parts of Grey Valley fell within the range; Albert Bay's elite legion and mercenaries constantly purge the valley of monsters, so their numbers are low. When the light shines, both nests and beasts are eradicated cleanly within a dozen breaths.

All residents of Albert Bay's three cities were alarmed.

Even three hundred li away, people could see a dazzling pillar on the distant horizon, radiating warm light that not only cleared the sky's clouds but also dispelled the gloom in their hearts, bringing unprecedented peace.

Suddenly, a grand aura descended.

The Magic Torch burst into a halo, brighter than the sun itself.

"Protection upon you, my followers," the voice of the God of Magic rang in people's hearts; regardless of belief, all received the blessing of wisdom.

"Praise the mysterious lady!"

"May the goddess protect, truth endure…"

Hundreds of thousands of Albert Bay's residents, many already followers of the God of Magic, were moved to tears of gratitude, their inner flame of faith burning brighter. Even those devoted to other deities, upon realizing the effect of the wisdom blessing, felt exhilarated and loudly praised its generosity.

Of course, people also remembered Lei En's contributions, thanking the Consul alongside their praise of the God of Magic.

Saint Fangjig City Lord's Residence.

Sea King Ake Man stood by the window, gazing at the distant pillar; with the Magic Torch Tower completed, Albert Bay was safe, easing his lingering worries.

The Magic Torch Tower is undoubtedly safer than the Great Wall.

Yet, when Ake Man heard prayers echoing throughout the city and the fervor of the God of Magic's followers, he couldn't help but frown.

He is a follower of the Storm Lord, backed by the Sea Tribe, and for centuries has supported the Storm Church in Albert Bay, with nearly half the populace joining it. Now that the Magic Torch Tower stands, the entire bay is under its protection, instantly overturning the church's standing.

Within ten years, the God of Magic will become Albert Bay's dominant faith.

Indeed, Albert Bay itself will change hands.

"Sigh…"

Ake Man felt a wave of helplessness.

He has spent every day this month in contemplation, yet cannot devise any way to stop Lei En from encroaching on Albert Bay.

In less than a month, the Titan Giant had fully seized Ouklan, rebuilding cities, supplying food, issuing governance policies, winning the support of the Fury Fist Knights, the merchants' guild, the mercenary bands, and ordinary citizens alike, all backing her as city ruler.

Ashina's position is unshakable, backed by Lei En.

Even Jose's Melandanna shows faint signs of leaning toward Lei En, which both astonishes and enrages Ake Man, yet leaves him powerless.

Now any person with a hint of insight can see that Lei En's unification of the New Continent is inevitable.

Melandanna's choice stems from self‑interest.

"My lord…"

Ake Man began to pray softly.

He first recited the prayer in Sea Tribe language, but as it deepened, it turned into a string of incomprehensible, bizarre syllables that seemed meaningless.

After a long while, Ake Man finished his prayer.

His expression was somewhat blank, yet unsurprised, just as with countless prior prayers; this prayer, too, received no answer. In fact, neither the Storm Church nor the Sea Tribe have ever had a follower receive a response from it.

Only on rare occasions do individual believers receive revelations in dreams.

The oldest priests among the deep divers left a prophecy: the great Kusura sleeps in its Divine Realm, and when the stars return to their positions, the Divine Realm will rise from the sea floor, and it will awaken from its slumber!

"When the stars return to their positions…"

Akeman's expression was complicated; he didn't understand what time that referred to.

"It's not that easy to make me bow; you're only a Consul, even if you were the Emperor of the Empire, you'd still be out of luck!" His expression returned to a resolute look, then quickly shifted to the image of the powerful, dignified city lord that the people of Albert Bay held in their hearts.

Lei En did not know what Akeman was thinking.

After the King Fortress tower was activated, he left behind a squad of Extreme Warriors and three hundred Thundercast Celestial Soldiers; this would be the tower's permanent force, rotating periodically.

Moreover, in the future a Grand Mage avatar will be stationed there, letting Reslin guard it for the time being.

The Giant Redwood Ridge tower is the same.

The Karanos Star Destroyer hovered over Giant Redwood Ridge, with Mavoro stationed there, ready to support King Fortress and Albert Bay at any time.

Lei En sat on the bridge, looking down over the vast Luoshengdu, his face showing contemplation.

"The Star Destroyers aren't enough…"

The current four Star Destroyers: the first, the Glamorgan, stationed in the Mist Mountains of the Abyss; the second, the Getan; and the third, the Aisinger, are to remain on the East Coast, which is my most important foothold on the New Continent, and the defense cannot be lax.

So I can only move the fourth ship, the Karanos, which originally was stationed in the Empire, to Luoshengdu, while also covering Grey Valley and Albert Bay.

That makes things a bit tight.

Lei En didn't think long before deciding in his mind: "Let's build a few more Empire‑class ships."

I need one Star Destroyer as a flagship, and Luoshengdu also needs one permanently stationed.

The West Coast was already in my plans, only forced to be advanced; when Luoshengdu's construction gets on track, the area north of Albert Bay will also be incorporated into my territory, and at least another Star Destroyer must be stationed there.

In addition, after recapturing "Sunshine State" in the southern East Coast, the demand for a Star Destroyer increased by one.

The whole Empire having only one Karanos is still insufficient.

The Victory‑class under construction can serve as my flagship, so this amounts to a shortfall of three Star Destroyers.

In recent years, due to the Empire's overall strength increase, shipbuilding materials are abundant, market prices have dropped, and mass production has saved many costs; the cost of an Empire‑class Star Destroyer fell from 200 million Gold Shields to about 170 million.

The total cost for three ships is roughly just over 500 million Gold Shields, about the same as one Victory‑class.

"500 million Gold Shields…"

Lei En casually calculated his treasury and nodded to himself: "Should be no problem."

He now lacks nothing; money!

The profits of the Subcontinent Trade Company rise year by year, and Lei En, being the largest shareholder, receives the biggest dividends.

His avatar Magnus serves as the Subcontinent Governor, using his position to control hundreds of kingdoms and city‑states, indirectly ruling three to four hundred million subjects, ruthlessly squeezing the Subcontinent's wealth and resources; last year alone he harvested nearly 100 million Gold Shields.

There is also income from selling Black Soul elixirs, yielding over 30 million profit per quarter.

These are the two biggest sources of revenue, continuously.

Ailoti Xiya gathered various resources in the Mist Mountains; the treasure of the ancient black‑iron dragon Barazakun was worth a total of 300 million Gold Shields; the 500 million Gold Shields promised by the Dwarf King have also been arriving gradually; the mining income from the Sein Plateau; and just now receiving 60 million Gold Shields from the two city lords of Albert Bay, among other things…

In contrast, the taxes from the Earl of Glamorgan's domain, the magic elixirs produced by the Weizelan Tower, the taxes and mithril mines of the Augustus Principality, the bullet production line in cooperation with the Mechanical Guild, the motorcycle factory, the Camera and the Phonograph…

The revenue from these items can be ignored.

Lei En doesn't even know how much money he has; it's so abundant he can't spend it all.

He poured countless Gold Shields into more than a dozen cities on the East Coast for various infrastructure—building roads and railways, magical airship routes, teleportation arrays, hiring officials and city guards, forming a ducal guard; Gold Shields flowed out like a flood, yet the treasury kept growing.

A Victory‑class Star Destroyer costs 500 million Gold Shields, and he also lent 50 million Gold Shields each to the Ouroin Master and the Medif Prophet.

Even so, the remaining money is still 200 million Gold Shields, and the stored construction materials are worth even more, together amounting to two to three hundred million!

A single Star Destroyer only needs 170 million Gold Shields—just a drop of water.

Before it was finished, the money was earned back again.

"Then just build four more!"

Lei En thought for a moment; since more Star Destroyers would be built later anyway, and he still owed Oshilia one, it was better to take advantage of the current ample manpower and build several more.

The Core of the Main Brain was upgraded to level thirteen three years ago, capable of creating 32 768 sub‑brain crystals.

In the past three years, the electricity harvested from the Abyss was partially converted by Lei En into Soul Diamonds stored in the Pixel World, partially used to expand the Pixel World, partially to create an avatar for Oshilia, and in Dragon Valley he trained a large number of iridescent dragon knights; the remaining electricity was used to forge Thundercast Celestial Soldiers.

By now, the number of Thundercast Celestial Soldiers exceeds 27 000!

Building a Victory‑class Star Destroyer doesn't actually require so many Thundercast Celestial Soldiers; limited by research and testing, fifteen thousand is more than enough.

The remaining twelve thousand Thundercast Celestial Soldiers are idle and can be put to use.

Lei En's mind shifted.

In the sub‑dimension of Getan City, several hundred Thundercast Celestial Soldiers were put to work; at the Karanos Mechanical Factory, another batch of Thundercast Celestial Soldiers also began construction.

The expanded Mechanical Factory can accommodate both a Victory‑class and an Empire‑class ship simultaneously.

Two Star Destroyers under construction at the same time!

A few days later, the Empire‑class Star Destroyers in both shipyards had taken shape.

Lei En roughly estimated that with ample manpower and material supply, it would take about ten months for these two Star Destroyers to be completed. By the following year, that is the summer of New Era Calendar 2545, he would possess eight Empire‑class Star Destroyers!

That happens to be the last year of my first Consul term.

"Eight Star Destroyers…"

Lei En's mouth curled with a hint of coldness.

The Supreme Council's Holy Soul wizards have only eight floating cities in total; the floating cities of the Ouroin Master, the Howai Master, and the Medif Prophet will certainly not keep pace with this upheaval. By the time their floating cities are finished, everything will be too late.

Even if they are all built, it doesn't matter; I still have a Victory‑class Star Destroyer!

"2545!"

"When my term ends, that's the moment the plan reaches its climax!" Lei En said to himself, "But before that, I must first retake the entire East Coast."

(End of Chapter)