Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest

It might sound unbefitting after everything he had gone through, but the doubts pressed on his heart more with each passing day.

A confident smile blossomed on his lips as he wiped his tears and rose to his feet. This faith, he'd never betray it.

Too motivated to sleep, he strode to the warehouse, his determined steps echoing as the stench of blood thickened the air and numerous carcasses cramped the wide space.

Notifications flashed before his eyes: fur, bones, fangs, and other materials neatly piling up on the shelves with each dissolving body.

Without taking the time to check everything, he smiled at the vibrant stash of fire elemental gems.

"Finally, one thousand."

With the unused iron badges—including one from the elven city and two brought by Merlin—his territory's rank would rocket to silver tomorrow. The thought of leveling his lord's mansion to twenty and building the heretic's guild sent an impatient jolt through his shoulders.

"Why wait until tomorrow?" He muttered, checking the beast cores his team and the new recruits got today.

'Three thousand. I must reward the cart team for their foresight in bringing the beasts the lich experimented on.'

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With a smile, he turned to the last thing he had to check: the various bronze and the single silver chests.

The sound of heavy lids colliding with the floor echoed, followed by the rustling of papers as he gripped the blueprints.

Simultaneously, notifications rang in his ears and popped before his sparkling eyes.

[Obtained: Harbor, Holkas, Trireme.]

"That's good. The harbors will help connect the cities while the cargo ships will ease transportation."

He nodded at the cargo and warship blueprints from Thalassara before he shifted to the ones from Asterionis.

[Obtained: Enchanted axe, Sawmill, public bathhouse blueprints.]

A bright smile crept over his lips at those. The bathhouses would improve his subjects' cleanliness while cutting and processing wood would become a breeze with the axes and sawmill.

Most of the blueprints from beast camps were duplicates, so he listed them on the lord market with a shrug. Then, he finally checked the silver chest.

[Obtained: Necropolis Nexus blueprint.]

A brow raised at the name, he checked the blueprint panel.

Necropolis Nexus

Introduction:

A sprawling underground complex that serves as a bridge between the living and the dead.

Effect:

Ethereal Sanctuary: Protects the city from curses or death-related spells.

Soul Shard production: Generates Soul Shards as a unique resource used for crafting, rituals, or to fuel constructs.

Materials required: 50.000 units of bricks, 15.000 units of iron, 5.000 units of pure gold, 1.000 light and darkness gems, and 100.000 units of wood.

[Note: The bigger it is, the higher the cost.]

He clenched his trembling fists, barely resisting the urge to roar with joy.

"The protection against curses is amazing. But a unique resource that can fuel buildings?! Will we develop electricity soon?"

Though not strictly necessary in a world with magic, the idea enchanted him. Images of automated production chains flashed in his mind. How convenient would life become for his regular citizens?

However, shadows danced in his bright image of the future.

'I can't let their know-how disappear and the change might be too brutal for them.'

More than that, how would they earn money if he automated everything? Somehow, the idea didn't seem that good anymore...Nôv(el)B\\jnn

'I'll let them develop it themselves naturally. That way, they'll have time to adapt and rejoice with each discovery.'

Convinced by his idea, he took the blueprints with him and left.

Cleaving through the wind and accompanied by the loud flapping of his wings, he reached Harmony a moment later and entered his mansion.

Inside, he touched his lord badge, making the territory upgrade panel appear.

His fingers blurred on it next as he spammed the upgrade button, the badge shifting with each upgrade until it shed its bronze appearance to shine silver under the bright moon rays.

However, he sighed.

"Still not the first, huh?"

Even if he hadn't asked, he believed Mimi claimed all the first rewards in territory development. After all, she had conquered half her realm before joining him in the second event. Even if she lost a lot of soldiers, Hippolyta's arrival and the Nemean lion's hide, he had gifted her made her strength more terrifying than ever.

A soft smile curved on his lips as he shook his head.

"Well done, little sister, but I'll reach gold first."

Then, he upgraded his mansion without checking the requirements since his basic materials counted in the dozens of millions of units.

The hard ground rumbled with each tap of his fingers until clouds of billowing dust rose as it cracked open. Elegant marble tiles formed from it and settled onto the floor in a flawless arrangement that gleamed under the moonlight.

The walls followed and collapsed, only to reform into a thicker and more elegant version. Pulsing, chaotic lines ran along their smooth surface, adding an air of mysterious flair to his new habitat.

Far from over, the changes spread to the surroundings, exposition rooms, libraries, ballrooms, and a throne room rising from the ground. Sparse furniture and statues appeared to decorate them as the second floor followed.

More bedrooms, studies, and a demonic research lab filled with utensils he had never seen appeared before a flight of stairs leading down condensed before his widening eyes.

Intrigued, he rushed down and saw an underground lab, probably reserved for dangerous experiments. By it, he found a wine cellar filled with empty barrels and, on the ground, a magical circle, casting a soft light to regulate the temperature and humidity.

"Wow." He gasped at the surface changes he noticed, knowing more hid like the kitchen that had grown large enough to accommodate dozens of cooks. But time wasn't for discoveries, not when he could finally add the heretic guild's functions to his home.

Heart pounding, he gripped the blueprint and triggered the construction notification.

DING

[Lord's house reached level twenty. Do you want to add Surtr's heretic guild rooms and functions to your palace?]