Given their location, aside from the formidable frost dragon at top the icy peaks, there were no other significant aerial threats.

Sunsha Sha possessed flying apparatuses, alleviating basic safety concerns.

Yet Bayou kindly arranged for the lord of the demon spirits to escort her back to her castle.

Learning that Bayou had dispatched a commanding level unit to protect her moved son Shia Sha deeply.

Goodbye, sister Bay, she called out, waving energetically from the sky, and Bayou reciprocated the farewell.

Presently, Bayou commanded a total of five commanding level undead.

Although Arthur had yet to ascend to a commanding rank, he already exhibited commanding level combat prowess.

Complimented by a dozen level 9 undead that could also display such strength within their territory.

Bayou felt utterly unperturbed by the impending beast tide in two days.

With ample time remaining, Arthur would undoubtedly achieve his promotion.

By received the resources from the trading post, congratulations, Lord, on successfully trading 118 pieces of ordinary equipment, earning, 1180 magical crystals.

Congratulations, Lord, on successfully trading two commanding level weapons, earning 600 magical crystals.

With over a,000 magical crystals credited, only 8,000 more were needed for the castle upgrade.

Onward.

Following her promotion, Bayou had gained a tangible sense of her enhanced physical condition.

Her strength had significantly increased.

She believed she was no longer capable of merely slaying an old yellow ox with a single blow, but rather she could now crush a car with her fist.

Chapter 62.

Castle or town.

Having finished her bath, Bayou emerged from the bathroom, gliding bare-skinned towards her bedroom.

After all, she was the sole inhabitant of the castle, so what was there to fear? She promptly retrieved a loose- fitting white t-shirt from her wardrobe and dawned it.

As dusk approached, Bayou resolutely decided against venturing outside.

It was more trouble than it was worth to change again later.

Although she wore nothing on top, she still opted for a pair of shorts beneath, ensuring that the length of her t-shirt perfectly concealed them, achieving an effect akin to invisibility.

In the early evening by you received a private message which she opened to find it was from Xiaoli and Shua Xiao's orphan.

Boss, I have finished refining your iron ore and I also have an additional thousand iron ingots of my own.

Shall I send them over now? Finished refining.

How splendid with this but you could upgrade her castle.

Scum yellow fortress.

Please send them over now.

I truly appreciate it.

Xiao's orphan.

No need for formality.

We are allies after all.

Instantly.

3,000 iron ingots were credited to Bayou's account.

2,000 were derived from the iron or she provided while the remaining thousand were Xiao Yianu's own reserves.

Bayou now owed her a significant favor, showcasing the advantages of having teammates who could assist one another.

Although Xiao Yinue's castle was still far from upgrading to a town, and the iron ingots would merely gather dust in her warehouse, her willingness to lend such a substantial amount to Bayou indicated her trust in her ally.

Bayou could easily utilize these ingots and sever their alliance, taking advantage of the situation.

After all, what would stop the system from recovering the ingots once they were used? However, was she that kind of person? Certainly not.

Bayou prided herself on being a noble individual, resolute in her principles and unwavering in her commitments.

She would never stoop to such treachery.

As the saying goes, it is better to be born in a small nation than to commit the transgressions of a gentleman.

We born in a great nation should uphold the conduct of a noble.

By you, as an exemplary descendant of Hashia, would never be akin to those who pollute the seas.

Sighing, she resolved to contemplate how to repay Xiao's orphan as she did not wish to remain indebted to anyone indefinitely.

Upgrade.

The moment Bayou pressed the upgrade button, a radiant blue light enveloped the entire castle.

She hurried to the courtyard, gazing at the castle behind her, now transformed.

It had expanded significantly from its original seven stories to a striking 12.

The castle, predominantly black, emanated a faint blue luminescence that added an air of mystery to its grandeur.

This bluish glow resembled that emitted by the knight of divine retribution and the phantom dragon and by you noted that with the castle's upgrade.

The architectural style harmonized more closely with her troops as if reflecting the systems peculiar sense of humor.

With the castle's enlargement, the courtyard naturally expanded as well.

However, this did not affect the special structures as Bayou observed that the Blackwater altar had become smaller in size.

In a 12 tiered castle by you resided alone, it would surely take an hour to explore the entire castle, wouldn't it? Yet, wait a moment.

Wasn't it upgraded to a town? Where are the other structures? At this moment, the castle gate stood a jar, allowing Bayou to glimpse the outside, which appeared barren and desolate, devoid of any life.

An unsettling premonition washed over her.

Dismissing her trepidation, she ventured outside to investigate.

She circled the castle, scanning the surroundings, but found nothing a miss, only that the ground, previously cluttered with trees and stones, had been meticulously cleared by the system, now pristine and empty.

Bayou felt a sense of betrayal by the system.

Wasn't the promise of town promotion supposed to hold more promise? How could they leave her a vacant space to build upon? Upon checking her information, realization dawned upon her.

Confirming her suspicions, the cleared areas were intentionally designated as territory for the town.

However, as she perused the town information, the system presented her with several notifications.

Congratulations, Lord, on successfully upgrading the castle to a town.

You have received two random special building blueprints.

Congratulations, Lord, on unlocking the town exclusive building, the Gateway of Passage.

Congratulations, Lord, on successfully upgrading the castle to a town.

You may randomly select a power related to your lineage.

A wave of elation washed over by you.

The surprises arrived swiftly, akin to a whirlwind, she mused.

How could upgrading to a town yield nothing? Was it only through personal castle upgrades that one could obtain special building blueprints? Son Xiao<unk>s castle at level 5 had not granted any such rewards.

The true enhancements lay not in merely upgrading the castle, but rather in the accompanying features of the town.

Bayou's curiosity was peaked by the exclusive building, the gateway of passage.

Unlike the other town structures, this stood alone, hinting at its unique functionality.

Town exclusive building, gateway of passage, building level, none function, constructs a two-way portal, allowing free traversal between the territories of the lord's allies and subjects.

To her dismay, Bayou realized that this was merely a teleportation portal limited to interactions between her allies and subjects, requiring both parties to possess this structure.

It was hardly impressive, seemingly a mere burden.

Shouldn't such an exclusive building be a gift to the lord? How miserly? At this juncture, Bayou could confidently assert that she was among the earliest lords to upgrade to a town.

Her allies were Xiaoli and Shua, and her subjects included Sun Shia Shao, both of whom were far from upgrading their castles.

The gateway of passage was currently of no use, rendering its construction a waste of resources.

Fortunately, the territory size remained unchanged post upgrade.

Otherwise, the proximity to the frosty snow mountains and the dark forest will have posed even greater peril, especially as the novice protection period was nearing its end.

Chapter 63.

Magic advancement.

City walls and defensive towers.

First, one must acquire the skills unlocked by upgrading the town.

This is indeed a splendid opportunity for enhancement.

Although Bayou was uncertain about what she might draw, given a vast array of abilities.

She was hopeful for a highle skill that would grant her the power of flight.

After all, even her subordinate, Sun Sha Shao, could soar through the skies.

It would be quite unreasonable for her as the leader to remain earthbound.

Acquisition.

Congratulations, Lord.

You have successfully drawn dark magic.

Intermediate.

It has been detected that the lord has already mastered dark magic.

Beginner.

The learning cost is halfed.