New Intelligence

Three days later.

The combat at the front grew more difficult. The Swarm invading the Orc Empire had begun to suffer a certain degree of losses, but as new Zerg were produced and sent in as reinforcements, the scale of the offensive managed to hold steady at three hundred thousand.

Compared to the Mis Kingdom, the orcs' overall strength was greater. Their territory was more vast, and their average physical fitness was superior.

However, because they lacked powerful mages—possessing only a few individuals known as shamans—they were unable to effectively suppress the Zerg.

As the main force pushed forward, the front lines became increasingly spread out. Xia Jin gradually realized that her primary swarm was being stretched too thin. To compensate, she deployed a large number of locusts to the front to fill the control gaps across various regions.

Five hundred elf bugs were dispatched as support to various locations to maintain oversight.

The continuous offensive undoubtedly yielded a massive amount of energy. To manage this, Xia Jin mobilized two hundred thousand drones to transport the acquired resources.

“The stockpiles are soaring! Let’s see how much more I need for the next level.”

Upgrade requirements: 600 million units of standard energy, 1 million units of high-energy crystals, 50,000 units of gold, 1,800 units of mithril, and 2 billion tons of minerals.

Current: 512 million units of standard energy, 720,000 units of high-energy crystals, 3.2 million units of gold, 2,600 units of mithril, and 2.5 billion tons of minerals.

Although she had slowed drone production earlier to focus on the navy, the numbers had been replenished over this period, bringing the current drone count to four hundred thousand.

It was precisely because of this that such a staggering amount of minerals could be extracted in such a short time.

The price, of course, was that several mountains had been completely hollowed out.

In truth, while two billion tons sounded like a lot, the Zerg could gather it quickly by working tirelessly day and night.

“Next, I just need to get my hands on the remaining resources.”

It would only take a few more days.

Such speed was possible thanks to the expansion of the creep.

As for the high-energy crystals, they could actually be converted from standard energy.

At a ratio of 100:1, it would only take about 28 million units of standard energy to make up the difference.

Of course, they could also be obtained by hunting magic beasts.

However, the Zerg's current focus was on the Orc Empire. With her forces already spread thin, there was no need to provoke the magic beast populations in the forest at this time.

She hadn't forgotten that there was a large group of kings in the center of the Border Forest.

In particular, a few of them had actually taken a liking to her.

The thought of being 'loved' by a bunch of magic beasts made Xia Jin feel a bit depressed.

“Once I reach Tier 10... no, Tier 11, I should be able to protect myself.”

While the expansion into the Orc Empire was proceeding exceptionally well, the small scouting mosquitoes located within the Empire had also successfully slipped into the capital.

Likely due to energy considerations, the palace in the capital was not equipped with any magical facilities to ward off insects.

Then again, it made sense; using magic crystals just to deal with mosquitoes was indeed far too extravagant.

But this was exactly what gave Xia Jin the opportunity to spy.

Before long, several mosquitoes entered a building that had a very temple-like atmosphere.

Inside stood a faceless sculpture nearly eighty meters tall.

“Is this the legendary Goddess of Dawn?”

The mosquitoes circled the sculpture for a while, seemingly sensing a faint, indistinct energy radiating from it.

Fortunately, this energy was not harmful.

Eventually, the mosquitoes flew through a door at the back. After passing through a long corridor, they arrived in another hall.

Inside, several people were standing around a massive council table.

The man at the head of the table leaned forward with his hands on the surface, staring at a large map spread out before them.

“One of the Yelu Empire's new fleets has been destroyed by us, and our own new warships are being launched in batches. However, no one should relax. The combat situation ahead remains grim. Several of our main fleets cannot support the front in the short term, and we are far short on landing craft. For at least three months, we won't be able to launch a truly large-scale landing on the enemy's coast.”

Having said that, he pointed to the southern part of the map. “Correspondingly, the southern border remains our focus. With the deployment of new weapons, even ordinary people can finally wield the power to defeat demons. His Majesty's intent is to conduct a round of large-scale military expansion, increasing our numbers by at least one million. The future is the era of our rise. Whether it is the demons or Yelu, we must resolve them with the force of a thunderbolt. We cannot give our enemies any more chances to develop.”

As he finished speaking, a man with numerous medals on his chest and shoulders frowned. “Another million?”

“With all due respect, the pressure on the finance department is already immense. I need His Majesty to grant more authority—at the very least, the power to issue one million gold coins worth of new debt.”

“That's fine, no problem. His Majesty has already agreed,” the man at the head of the table replied with a smile. “You all may not be aware of His Majesty's concerns, but we have too many enemies. Aside from the threats of the demons, Yelu, and the magic beasts, a new race called the Zerg has recently emerged. They have taken control of the Clear region and occupied most of the city states to the northwest. This already constitutes a very significant threat.”

As he spoke, his finger tapped the northern section of the map.