Chapter 970: Great Achievements

Lei En held a completion ceremony for the tower, but it was not as flamboyant as the unveiling of the God of Magic statue; only some Gotham City elites and a dozen or so Empire dignitaries were invited, and the rest of the attendees were dwarves.

Except for the dwarves, the guests had no idea what the ceremony entailed.

They were teleported from Gotham City; the teleport hall had already been moved underground, and when they emerged onto the surface they found a circular plaza about a kilometer in diameter, beyond which stretched an endless wasteland under a gloomy sky, seemingly the ruins of an ancient city.

"Where is this?"

The first thought that sprang to the guests' minds.

Then, judging from the dim sky, they concluded they were still on the New Continent, but within the territory of an Abyss faction, where the ground was tainted by evil energy, though not as severe as the Abyss wasteland occupied by Demons.

"It should be Netifu Demon territory," someone quickly concluded.

A few guests with keen eyesight examined the ruins beyond the plaza, thought for a moment, and, with some uncertainty, said, "It looks like a Tixibiya site?"

In the past two months, news that the Consul was pioneering Tixibiya had spread.

The battle on the Dreweil Peninsula, once some dwarves returned to Gotham City, could not be concealed at all, and Lei En did not deliberately hide it from the outside world.

Many people in Gotham City were probing the situation, and the Empire's upper echelons also took notice; a former capital was being rebuilt—how much profit was involved? Even if the vast majority went to the Consul, a single crumb slipping through the fingers would be enough to satisfy those who got a taste.

The Empire guests invited today were representatives of the major powers.

Eight Holy Soul Wizards who possessed a Fu Kong Cheng, except for PurpleFlameDuke, each sent a Legendary Wizard.

The Justice Church and the Earth Church each sent a senior official; the Empire Alchemy Association, the Steam and Machinery Guild, several high nobles, the Tould Trade City-State, a few top wizard and sorcerer academies, as well as several cabinet ministers, were all invited and came gladly.

Although no Holy Soul Wizard was present and the specifications were not top‑tier, each of these individuals was a major figure in the Empire, wielding great power or influence.

"It's Tixibiya!"

"The rumors are true!" someone exclaimed excitedly. "Consul has already been pioneering the capital of the Elf Empire, God of Magic above! We missed the chance when Gotham City was being built; this time we must seize the opportunity and not miss it again!"

The crowd nodded slightly, each weighing their own calculations in mind.

Before arriving, they had already contacted the Consul to gauge the tone on pioneering Tixibiya; the Consul's reply was that there was no need to be impatient, results would come soon.

Today the revelation would finally come.

Then another doubt arose: what was here?

People looked around and found that aside from the massive plaza there were no other structures. The plaza floor was paved entirely with smooth stone slabs, etched with numerous thick lines that seemed forged from alchemical material, containing obscure yet immense energy that covered the whole plaza.

Kaidejia looked down a few times and exclaimed, "A rune array?"

"Yes."

The Legendary Wizard beside him nodded; he was Otiluk from Flaniss Floating City, his face unable to hide shock, shaking his head he sighed, "Building a rune array this large would require at least tens of millions of Gold Shield in alchemical material alone!"

The guests all inhaled sharply, then relaxed.

The Consul is indeed wealthy; that is no longer a secret.

Even a single Gotham City's tax revenue could make countless people envious.

There is also the Continental Trade Company, of which the Consul is the largest shareholder, personally monopolizing the trade rights of several of the most valuable commodities; the Consul also cooperates with the Machinery Guild to produce submachine guns and ammunition, motorcycles, and Cameras, generating tens of millions of Gold Shield in revenue each year.

However, the Consul's most profitable venture is the magic‑potion business!

Years ago, before Lei En became Consul, he founded a "Glamorgan Alchemy Shop" in the most bustling district of Glamorgan, selling a variety of highly cost‑effective magic potions that were very popular, and soon opened branches in major Empire cities.

The shop's hottest magic potion was the "Frenzy Speed Elixir" researched by the Consul's student, Queying, which could not be bought elsewhere.

Then last summer, Glamorgan Alchemy Shop stocked the "Black Soul Elixir"!

It is one of the best soul‑refining magic potions; for transcendants below Legendary, there is hardly a better potion, yet it is scarce and highly sought after.

Glamorgan Alchemy Shop priced the Black Soul Elixir at 150 Gold Shield, a quarter cheaper than market price, truly a conscience‑price!

The first customers who discovered the Black Soul Elixir were ecstatic, trying to buy the entire stock on the spot to resell for profit, but were told the elixir was limited‑purchase: each transcendant could only buy one, had to register name, age, traits, and could not purchase again for three months.

Immediately someone thought of a workaround, having other transcendants buy on their behalf.

Within half a day, transcendants who got the news flooded Glamorgan Alchemy Shops in major cities, snapping up the Black Soul Elixir.

Then people found the quantity of Black Soul Elixir frighteningly abundant!

The buying frenzy lasted several days before the Black Soul Elixir sold out; by then, any transcendant who could muster 150 Gold Shield had almost certainly obtained it. Moreover, the alchemy shop announced that every two to three months a new batch would be sold, with no shortage in quantity.

This left the transcendants dumbfounded.

The opportunists hoping to profit were instantly stunned; the Black Soul Elixir they hoarded could not be resold at a markup, and they ended up earning only a meager sum.

Everyone wanted to know how Glamorgan Alchemy Shop managed to produce so many Black Soul Elixirs.

Someone roughly estimated that the first batch sold over 300,000 units, generating sales exceeding 45 million Gold Shield.

After deducting costs, the pure profit was at least 30 million Gold Shield!

In the following half‑year, Glamorgan Alchemy Shop sold two more batches of Black Soul Elixir; the three sales combined earned the Consul over a hundred million Gold Shield.

That's enough to build a Fu Kong Cheng!

Earning enough for a Fu Kong Cheng in half a year made even Holy Soul Wizards envious. Even if they weren't the Consul, they themselves are Holy Soul Wizards with power that deters covetous eyes; the Glamorgan Alchemy Shop could not keep its secret and would have been divided long ago.

Some major figures of various factions harbored secret jealousy but dared not act rashly.

The transcendants who bought the Black Soul Elixir were extremely grateful to the Consul; in just half a year the average strength of Empire transcendants rose noticeably.

Many transcendants, propelled by the Black Soul Elixir, successfully performed Soul Transformation ceremonies, breaking through their bottlenecks.

Ordinary people also became transcendants through it.

The number of Empire transcendants surged and their power increased, all credited to the Consul's achievements, earning deeper support for the Consul, netting over a hundred million Gold Shield, and inspiring endless envy.

After a few years of accumulation, the Consul's wealth will reach unimaginable figures.

Indeed, most people throughout the Empire now regard the Consul as the "Empire's richest," richer than Storm Queen and the husband‑wife lords of Thus: Thus: Thus: Shengangcheng!

Spending tens of millions of Gold Shield to build a rune array is not much for the Consul.

Hearing the two Legendary Wizards speak, someone asked:

"Can you tell what kind of array this is?"

Kaidejia and Otiluk did not answer immediately; they examined the etched lines on the ground carefully and soon discerned a pattern. Across the circular plaza there were two dominant lines, each over twenty meters wide, dividing the plaza into four equal sectors.

Their gaze followed those two lines to the intersection at the plaza's center.

Oti Luk immediately saw the clue.

"Covering formation?"

Kai Dejia nodded slightly; his constant Zhenzhi technique discerned a faint outline—a massive covering formation concealed a building, covering a huge area and rising straight up for hundreds of meters, instantly reminding him of a tall tower.

The vast majority of guests possessed considerable strength and also sensed the anomaly at the plaza's center; they strained to see through the covering formation but gained nothing.

The view remained empty.

"The Consul's covering formation isn't so easy to pierce," someone gave up decisively, "Anyway, it will be revealed soon."

"Indeed," another agreed.

A few top legendary Wizards from Fu Kong Cheng—Kai Dejia, Oti Luk, and A La Mansè—exchanged glances, thinking this was not an ordinary covering formation but the effect of the building it concealed.

"Honored guests, please be seated," a Gotham City Hall staff urged, "The Consul will arrive shortly."

The Empire's guests walked toward the center of the plaza.

There, over a thousand Dwarf Kings had gathered, each clad in heavy rune armor—the elite dwarf warriors—along with mages and priests. The five dwarves at the front wore crowns, exuding the aura of Saint Rank elites.

King of the Hills!

They are all Dwarf Kings!

The Empire's guests felt a slight alarm; although the dwarves no longer held their former glory, the presence of five Dwarf Kings together signaled the ceremony's grandeur.

It was at least very important to the dwarves.

After taking their seats, important figures from Gotham City arrived, the most notable being Grand Mage Zhuo Er Kuilu and Holy Spear Knight Corps leader Li Fulin, a black and a white elf respectively; both are Saint Rank elites under the Consul and are very famous in the Empire.

Behind them followed another Saint Rank elite, also a dark elf, whose aura was subtle, seeming to be a Sword Saint.

Yizite is low‑key, and few know his identity.

A moment later.

A massive roar echoed from the sky; everyone looked up and saw Extreme Warriors descending, all clad in powered armor, their presence pressing down like a mountain peak, leaving the plaza's guests breathless.

Bang bang bang bang…

The Extreme Warriors landed, spreading around the plaza, then stood motionless like statues.

"So many Extreme Warriors…"

"Goddess above! They're all in powered armor!"

Some Empire guests were secretly alarmed; the fame of powered armor, since the Battle of Banbei City years ago, was known to all, and the Extreme Warrior Corps was called "the world's strongest legion."

At that time, only sixty Extreme Warriors were equipped with powered armor; now, just those scattered across the plaza number one hundred eighty, a three‑fold increase. The leading warrior was especially terrifying, nearly three meters tall, landing before the guest seats like a giant, its powered armor a metallic fortress with an unfathomable aura.

"Marious Corps Leader."

The five Dwarf Kings rose to signal, and some Empire attendees recognized the other's identity.

After the greeting, everyone fell silent awaiting; the appearance of the Extreme Warriors meant the Consul was about to arrive.

A tall, upright figure suddenly appeared.

"Honored Consul!"

Everyone stood, human and dwarf alike, king, Saint Rank elite or commoner, all bowing solemnly toward the person before them, each face showing respect, unwilling to reveal any other thoughts.

Lei En raised his hand, waved at the crowd, smiled, and said casually, "Please, everyone, take a seat."

The people sat down together again.

Then they looked at him, their hearts full of anticipation.

Lei En laughed, "I know everyone is curious; we called you from far away to attend the inauguration, yet you've seen nothing. Some of you might wonder if today's ceremony is just for this ruined plaza?"

"Hahaha…"

Laughter rang out below, and someone said, "No, no, we didn't think that way." Though Lei En's joke wasn't very funny, even a bit cold, someone still replied, "The Consul is truly witty."

When the laughter subsided, Lei En's expression grew serious, and he shouted, "Today is an important day for the Empire and the dwarves; it will surely be recorded in history."

People knew the secret was about to be revealed, their hearts pounding.

"Because today, the former capital of the Elf Empire, Tixibiya, becomes part of the Empire. We expelled the Netifu Demon who seized Tixibiya; this fertile land returns to the control of enlightened civilization!"

"This is an important symbol."

"The restoration of Tixibiya symbolizes that we—not just the Empire's humans—but also our dwarf allies, officially commence the great undertaking to reclaim the New Continent!"

"Tixibiya will not be the last rebuilt city."

"Next come Feili City, Luoboste, Igo, Morando… Within five years, the entire eastern coast of the New Continent will return to civilization!"

The guests below were left stunned.

These cities were the Elf Empire's largest on the eastern coast; during the Third Epoch they fostered a brilliant civilization, leaving countless glorious records, but all were destroyed by the Abyss invasion. Now they are either occupied by the Disaster Army, or belong to Netifu Demon or Demon.

Reclaiming the eastern coast of the New Continent within five years is an unprecedented grand plan.

If successful, it will be the greatest victory of the new era!

Then a thought arose: on what authority does the Consul dare make such a promise? Does he intend to send the Extreme Warrior Corps to push back the Abyss forces? Killing enemies alone is insufficient; how can such vast territory be occupied and conditions for reconstruction created?

Before the thought settled, Lei En waved his hand.

"The key step of the New Continent restoration plan is right before you; in fact, you've already seen it in Gotham City."

As the words fell, the surrounding space warped, the covering formation dissipated quickly, and a white high wall appeared before them, filling the view completely, even blocking the sky. Because it was so close, they could only tilt their heads upward, stunned and speechless.

It is a white tower over five hundred meters tall!

(End of Chapter)