One day, I journeyed to a far-off continent.
I had come to conduct an inspection with a specific objective in mind.
The location was a staggering distance from the Demon King's Domain, and the intervening waters were infested with vicious monsters. Moreover, certain stretches were subject to such relentless storms that passage by ship was impossible. Even if one attempted a detour, it would require an endless trek across both land and sea; consequently, this continent had remained entirely isolated from the land housing my domain.
During the incident with the Beasts of the Outside World, the local Defense Mechanisms had proven effective enough that there had been no need for my interference.
I had gone out of my way to visit this land specifically to establish a new base for the Demon King’s Army. I planned to build a castle on the surface and a Research Institute underground. As for the subordinates to be stationed here, I intended to use almost exclusively prisoners and slaves.
The slaves would be procured from the Slave Autonomous District. Luciana had already used her Charm on the rebellious ones; I would only dispatch them once they had been rendered fully submissive.
In a sense, this was an experiment. By intentionally constructing an environment with such specific conditions, I wanted to see what kind of talent might develop. The results would serve as a reference for my future operations.
Within a few years, I intended to station the Demon King's Army on every continent across the globe. It was an audacious plan, easily said but difficult to execute. Preliminary preparations were essential to increase the success rate as much as possible. This attempt served as a necessary precursor.
Of course, there was a possibility that the dispatched slaves and prisoners might run amok. Therefore, in addition to monitoring them with Clairvoyance Magic, I would prepare several other countermeasures. Regardless of the outcome, this continent should remain untainted by any negative repercussions.
(Still, this is a strange environment...)
I surveyed my surroundings.
Tall trees were packed densely together. Rain drummed against the broad leaves, soaking my robes in an instant. Beside me, Henry wore a look of utter exasperation. The two accompanying me on this inspection were him and Dorda—I had simply invited whoever happened to be free at the time.
Henry fanned his face with his hand.
"It’s damn stifling here, Boss. I can't stand it."
"It is a tropical rainforest. This environment is not unusual for this region."
As an immortal, I felt the humidity, yet it caused me no true discomfort. I suppose the same could not be said for Henry, who was still very much human.
Meanwhile, Dorda began to walk forward, unbothered by the rain. Gripping his axe, he stepped deep into the forest as if wandering aimlessly.
"Dorda, where are you going?"
"Heads... searching for... prey," Dorda answered in a clunky, halting tone.
Recently, he had become capable of basic communication. This was likely a result of his sanity returning to him more frequently of late. He was still far from fluent, but his condition was steadily improving. However, he still displayed many behavioral issues.
Dorda simply vanished into the foliage. I did not move to stop him; I intended to simply call him back when it was time to return. I was already tracking his location with Sensing Magic.
"Boss, do you really intend to build a castle here?"
"Do you have a complaint?"
"I just thought there might be a slightly more comfortable spot. The guys stationed here are going to have a rough time of it."
Henry’s assessment was correct. An excessively harsh environment could easily trigger unnecessary problems. I offered a supplementary explanation.
"As far as living conditions go, that can be managed easily enough with magic. I chose this area because of its high defense power. The local armies won't be able to stage an invasion very easily."
This location was at least a four-day march from the nearest town. As for the humidity, magic could maintain a comfortable environment indefinitely. Upon hearing this, Henry laughed, seemingly satisfied.
He peered into the distance and muttered, "True enough, it’d be a nightmare to march an army through this—oh."
Henry’s brow furrowed, and he cut himself off. He turned around sharply.
Towering before his gaze was a massive silhouette, a creature so vast it strained the neck to behold. It had rain-slicked brown scales, wings folded tightly against its back, and piercing yellow eyes fixed upon us.
Emerging from the shattered treeline was a bipedal Sub-dragon.