Chapter 2

Reality and games are different.

After being transported to this world, Zane once again deeply understood this point.

In the game, he didn't need to consider other issues; he just needed to create enough space for the goblins to dig tunnels, and then he could spend money to build various rooms. However, in reality, he didn't have such benefits. Here, digging tunnels not only required considering the space but also the load-bearing capacity, windproofing, dustproofing, and other troublesome issues.

Although Zane had read many books in the demon library, unfortunately, the demons clearly wouldn't waste time recording such low-level tasks, so Zane couldn't become a master architect.

At first, Zane had also thought about directly digging out a vast space, but after almost burying himself three times, he finally temporarily gave up on the idea of expanding his territory and instead relied on natural caves to build his underground city.

As for other places, he let the goblins handle it themselves.

However, it seemed that letting them handle it themselves wouldn't yield good results.

"Ching—"

At this moment, a light sound suddenly rang in Zane's ears, and then a line of system text appeared before him.

[You finally realize that without a qualified architect, your fate will be to be buried alive in a collapsed cave. To ensure you don't die without knowing why, you need a powerful helper—Mission: Recruit an Architect (Reward: 100 experience, can create a summoning crystal)]

Is this system really not here to trick me?

Although he had long known about the system's mischief, Zane still frowned and carefully examined the mission in front of him.

This wasn't the first time Zane had received such a mission. In fact, almost every day, the system would randomly assign him a mission. And most of these missions were bizarre and varied.

For example, [You gaze into the depths of the dark abyss, feeling a call from within, an impulse driving you to break free and soar—jump off the cliff and embrace the surging passion] or [Seeing the girl before you, you are deeply attracted to her. Since ancient times, the way males express their admiration to females has only been one—knock her down, conquer her, and possess her] and so on.

Strictly speaking, the system wouldn't assign Zane tasks beyond his capabilities—jumping off a cliff might seem dangerous, but below was the abyss of the demon world. Apart from falling into the netherworld and happily picking up soap with countless demons, there was no real danger.

And expressing affection was also simple; the only problem was that the other party was his sister and a dragon hybrid... Well, if he didn't consider the consequences, it was still possible to complete.

If he didn't consider the consequences.

"Master, do you have any thoughts?"

The girl's soft, melodious voice pulled Zane back to reality. He turned his head and looked at his adjutant, then pushed his glasses up without showing any emotion.

"It seems we indeed need an expert in architecture."

Pausing here, Zane continued.

"If there's no other way, I'll go to Brandon Stone City."

Hearing Zane's words, the girl's expression didn't change; she just nodded.

"Gray dwarves are indeed excellent architects underground, and I have heard that they are often hired by dark elves or other underground races to build cities. But..." As she spoke, her bright red eyes calmly and intently gazed at Zane. "...gray dwarves are also known for their cunning and deceit. Although you are a demon, they shouldn't dare to do anything to you, but it's best to be prepared."

"I understand."

Hearing the girl's words, Zane nodded. He couldn't help but focus his gaze on her. Soon, a character information panel appeared beside the girl in Zane's eyes.

[Enora Alcynis (Silver)]

[Race: Undead]

[Combat Power: ★☆ (Undead do not tire or feel pain; she will fight for you until the end)]

[Management: ★★☆ (She possesses outstanding knowledge and management skills, making her a trusted right-hand)]

[Influence: ★★ (Few dare to openly oppose her suggestions, but whether it's due to her beauty or race is unknown)]

[Loyalty: ★★★★★ (Your souls are intertwined; nothing in this world can separate them)]

[Abilities]

[Spiritual Perception—Fragile souls are nothing before her (Skill Enhancement +3)]

[Intelligence Gathering—No whispers can escape her ears (Intelligence Gathering Speed +5)]

[Special Skills]

[Soul Reading: The ability to manipulate and read information from others' souls]

[Lightning Manipulation: The ability to wield lightning spells (Level 1 +1)]

Zane withdrew his gaze and then reached out, gently stroking the girl's hair. Beneath the smooth, silk-like touch was a cold, deathly aura. She was not a living person or a living being. But to Zane, the girl before him was his only subordinate, family, and comrade-in-arms.

Feeling Zane's caress, Enora closed her eyes like a cat, but soon her ears twitched. The next moment, the girl, who had been lazy like a cat, regained her usual calm.

"Master, I think we have visitors."

Just like the surface, the dark and deep underground was home to many races, including bear goblins, gray dwarves, mind flayers, and dark elves. But it was more dangerous here. No matter which path you took, you might encounter fatal dangers. Even demons had to be cautious in such places—after all, nothing was more embarrassing than capsizing in a shallow stream.

Although the location of Zane's underground city was considered a remote area by demon standards, it was still fraught with danger. Around Zane's underground city were fire lizard nests, bear goblin pits, and dire claw beast tribes, all of which were terrifying monsters. Not to mention the gray dwarf cities nearby. If discovered, Zane's underground city could face unprecedented destruction.

Fortunately, it was far from the dark elves' territory. Although dark elves were generally the most trustworthy slaves and subordinates of demons, for a demon like Zane, who lacked strength, they were the best prey.

The underground is dangerous.

Now, Bixi understood the meaning of this phrase more than ever.

At this moment, she was walking with a group of fully armed mercenaries, her face full of sorrow. As a gnome, she was not unaware of the dangers of the dark underground. But the gnome's cursed curiosity had gotten her into trouble. If it weren't for the so-called "legendary crystal," she wouldn't have left the city alone and gone to Crystal Valley. As a result, she was caught by these mercenaries.

The mercenaries underground were not good people. They were mostly half-orcs and bear goblins, crude, greedy, but powerful. A gnome had no resistance against them. Bixi already knew her fate; she would be sold as a slave. Although she didn't know who the buyer would be, Bixi was sure her days would not be easy.

By the stone... I wish I could die here.

Just as the mercenaries were enthusiastically discussing how much money they would get from selling the gnome, a sudden change occurred.

"Boom!!"

With a loud noise, the ground began to tremble. Everyone turned in surprise and found that the passage behind them was completely blocked by heavy rocks, leaving no way out.

"What's happening? What's going on?"

This sudden incident shocked everyone. They panicked and looked around, but at the same time, they heard a "whoosh," and the originally dark underground passage suddenly became incredibly bright. Looking around, they saw burning torches illuminating the once dark passage, revealing its true appearance.

Strange patterns and carvings emerged from the stone walls, and the smooth passage extended in all directions. In the corners of the walls, evil statues glared menacingly at the intruders, as if they would turn into living beings and tear the enemies apart at any moment.

"Underground city—!!"

A piercing scream came from the lead half-orc mercenary, and hearing this, everyone fell into chaos.

Any creature living underground knew about the existence of underground cities. They were the lairs of evil rulers, cities of devils, filled with deadly traps, terrifying monsters, and incredibly powerful demons. No rational creature living underground would want to meet these terrifying beings!

"Run!!"

With their retreat blocked, the half-orcs and bear goblins panicked. Several half-orcs wildly waved their hands and ran into the side passage in a panic.

"Snap!"

As these half-orcs ran into the passage, a light sound was heard. The next moment, dozens of sharp steel spikes shot out of the ground, piercing the tall half-orcs from bottom to top in an instant, turning them into a pile of bloody corpses.

Seeing this, the other mercenaries went mad. They avoided the passage as if it were a plague. Some of the more agile ones even turned around and ran back, trying to open the blocked exit.

However, unfortunately, they made the wrong choice.

"Thud..."

As the bear goblins screamed and rushed toward the stone door, a light sound was heard, and a dark green poison mist suddenly burst out, forming a dense and deadly cloud that enveloped the bear goblins. The bear goblins, engulfed by the poison mist, didn't even have time to struggle, clutching their throats and staggering to the ground, lifeless.

The original group of over a dozen mercenaries was now down to less than five. This sudden change made the lead half-orc warrior pale with shock. But with the fate of the two groups of cannon fodder before him, he didn't dare to act rashly. He could only grip his battle axe and stand back-to-back with his remaining companions, vigilantly watching the surroundings.

As for Bixi, she had long been forgotten.

"Tap... tap..."

Footsteps echoed.

Hearing the footsteps, the half-orc mercenary tightened his weapon. He widened his eyes and looked in the direction of the sound. Under the gaze of the half-orc mercenary, a thin figure in a black robe slowly emerged from the darkness.