Operation

Karen (Lord)
Territory Owned: Unnamed
Territory Level: 2
Territory Energy: 160
Territory Buildings: Common Graveyard (1) (11/50), Small Tombs (21)
Corpses Available for Conversion: [Tier Two Trash] (3), [Tier One Elite] (150), [Tier One Common] (43)
Undead in Service: Little Green {Tier Two Common}, Ironbone [Tier Two Common], Skeletal Boar [Tier Two Trash]
Goblin Skeleton Warriors [Tier Two Common] (7)
Goblin Skeleton Mages [Tier Two Trash] (2)
Below Tier One: omitted
Special Items: Whisper of the Dead (Fine) (1), Whisper of the Dead (Seedling) (3011) (Expected to reach Trash quality in 85 days)
...

These are the current attributes of Karen’s domain. It could be said that the development of Karen’s territory is now well on track. Especially regarding territory energy, with the seeds of “Whisper of the Dead” and the guidance from “On the Planting and Care of Plants,” Karen has successfully cultivated two acres in his graveyard to grow “Whisper of the Dead.”

At present, the growth of “Whisper of the Dead” is steady. If all goes well, in about three months, Karen’s first crop will mature, at which time he will receive a windfall of 30,000 territory energy.

In other words, as long as Karen patiently waits for three months, he will command several dozen Tier Two undead, perhaps even enough to upgrade his territory to level three!

In terms of power, after spending 2,740 territory energy to convert eight Tier Two undead, Karen’s strength is now quite formidable. He already commands twelve undead of Tier Two or higher. Coupled with his own outstanding combat prowess, on par with a Tier Two, the force at his disposal is not to be underestimated.

And with such strength, Karen can’t help but itch for action.

To be honest, Karen now has his sights set on that goblin tribe! Well, to be precise, Karen had set his sights on that goblin tribe long before this. Over the past ten days, Karen has traveled between the goblin tribe and his own territory every night, coming to understand the tribe’s terrain and details to a considerable degree.

The more he learned, the more determined he became to take down the goblin tribe—he simply didn’t have the strength before. Now things are different. Though his undead forces are still modest, totaling just over a hundred, twelve of them are Tier Two or higher.

With such power, there’s real hope of crushing the goblin tribe outright—not to mention Karen has a plan that could easily subdue them.

His eagerness stems from two main reasons. The first is territory energy.

At present, Karen lacks territory energy. Wiping out a goblin tribe would surely bring a surge of energy. Perhaps not a huge amount, but exterminating a tribe of a thousand should net him at least ten thousand territory energy.

With that in hand, and a bit more effort, there is a real chance to upgrade the territory to level three!

He has finally managed to get Old Jack out of the way, finally has a chance to develop—how could he not seize the opportunity to advance as much as possible?

Of course, aside from territory energy, another crucial reason is that the goblin tribe is simply too close to Karen’s land.

Lately, as a result of the more than two hundred new corpses, his territory has been expanding in the direction of the goblin tribe. There’s no option: Karen’s domain lies between Dolay Village and the goblin tribe. If he doesn’t expand toward the goblins, he must expand toward Dolay Village.

Given the choice between goblins and Dolay Village, Karen fears the latter more, for it stands behind the might of a human kingdom, while the former is but a tribe. Between the two, Karen’s choice is obvious.

But by expanding toward the goblin tribe, there’s always the risk of exposure. Furthermore, Karen’s frequent travels between the tribe and his own territory have left some traces.

If Karen doesn’t act, the goblin tribe may soon discover his land. After all, with the recent expansion, only three or four miles separate them.

So now that he has some strength, Karen is itching to wipe out the tribe.

No, it’s not just an itch anymore—he’s ready to act!

On the eleventh night after upgrading his territory, Karen informed the masked woman that he might be gone for a day or two, then took up his longsword and departed.

The masked woman watched Karen’s departing silhouette, her gaze thoughtful, but she quickly looked away. She knew well enough that Karen harbored secrets, but she chose not to interfere. For her, the only thing that mattered now was keeping Niv safe.

Karen had already seen through her thoughts—otherwise, he wouldn’t be staying out all night, would he?

Leaving home, Karen headed straight for his territory and gathered all his undead minions.

But the reason he brought every single undead with him was not because conquering the goblin tribe would be difficult and required all his strength. Rather, he planned to use the battle to weed out a number of Tier Zero undead, allowing them to expend their last usefulness.

With his undead army in tow, Karen arrived near the goblin tribe and began issuing commands.

He divided his undead into two squads. One, composed of Tier Two undead, included all except the skeletal boar and the two goblin skeleton mages. Their mission was simple: at Karen’s signal, launch a direct assault, break through the front, and seize the entrance to the goblin mine.

Karen was confident in his plan—if they could secure the mine entrance, the battle would be all but decided!

Karen’s own task was somewhat trickier: he needed to create an opening for Little Green and the others to break through, while also guarding their rear.

For tonight’s battle, Karen’s goal was simple: leave none alive!

...

I’ll occasionally organize and post some territory stats on the public WeChat account. If you’re interested, search for [Angry Smile] on WeChat and take a look!