City of Mist

After half a month of tireless effort by the dwarven craftsmen, enough houses for a hundred thousand residents had been built in the Misty Mountains. That noon, the dwarf sent to deliver messages finally arrived at the Misty Mountains with over fifty thousand members of the Minotaur tribe.

Mo Fei and Cain led the welcoming party. Having been away for so long, Cain rushed forward when he saw an elderly Minotaur leading the group.

"Elder Warton, is everyone here? Why haven't I seen my father?" Cain asked.

"Young Chief, those who have come are all the able-bodied youths of our tribe. The Chief knew that the city was still being built and needed labor, so he had me lead the young ones ahead. He and the rest will arrive in a few days," Elder Warton replied.

"My father always thinks things through. After all, migrating an entire tribe requires so many preparations. Gathering tens of thousands of people, passing through city after city, must have attracted the Empire's attention," Cain said, gazing at the crowd of Minotaurs before him.

"Thankfully, Lord Mo Fei prepared official documents in advance, or we would have been expelled by Imperial troops long ago," the dwarf responsible for delivering messages remarked.

Of course, Mo Fei had considered these issues. The great migration of the Minotaur tribe was not as simple as moving house.

After settling the fifty thousand Minotaurs, everyone gathered in the council hall to discuss the next steps.

"Cain, to think that the proud Young Chief of the Minotaur tribe would willingly serve as my guard. Truly a sacrifice!" Mo Fei said, looking at Cain.

"Young Master, if not for you solving the weakness that plagued our tribe, I wouldn't be where I am today! Nor would our tribe have such a good place to live. I'd willingly serve as your guard for the rest of my life!" Cain replied, full of emotion.

Hearing Cain's words, Elder Warton stood up, disbelief in his eyes as he asked, "Young Chief, is it true? Did Lord Mo Fei really resolve the weakness after berserking that has troubled us for centuries?"

"Absolutely. Now, as long as my battle energy is sufficient, I can remain in a berserk state indefinitely, and no longer fall into weakness afterward! Now that the tribe is here, I can teach this method to everyone! That was Young Master's instruction," Cain said as he demonstrated his berserk state.

Elder Warton, witnessing Cain's transformation, was so overwhelmed that tears streamed down his wrinkled face. Suddenly, he knelt before Mo Fei.

"Elder Warton, what are you doing? Please get up!" Mo Fei hurried forward to help him.

"Lord Mo Fei, on behalf of the Minotaur tribe, I thank you for your immense favor. You've solved a problem that haunted us for generations!" Elder Warton said, voice trembling with gratitude.

"Please don't say that, Elder Warton. I simply cannot stand to see the discrimination that exists on this continent. Strong Minotaur warriors deserve respect. I built this city so that all tribes could unite and stand against oppression! We won't provoke anyone, but if someone comes to challenge us, they will pay the price!"

Mo Fei spoke with fervor, and Cain and the others listened with hearts ablaze. With such vision and resolve, how could they not be willing to follow him to the ends of the earth?

Vivian, listening nearby, had stars in her eyes. As a princess of the Empire, her kind nature left her powerless before the deep-rooted discrimination in her homeland. Now, the man she admired was striving to change it all—how could she not worship him?

"Cain, you are to teach the new battle energy cultivation method to the tribe. Elders Auf and Warton, you will oversee the city's construction. Let me know if there's anything you need; I'll find a way to provide it," Mo Fei said, after delegating everyone's tasks, then left with Vivian.

With enough manpower now, the city would soon be completed, and Mo Fei could turn his attention to constructing the magic array.

Mo Fei's promise to protect weak tribes from oppression was not mere words. But to achieve that, he needed to be strong enough himself. Recently, he'd been busy buying land and building the city, neglecting his own training. He was still at the late Qi Condensation stage, not yet at Foundation Establishment!

A few days later, Cain's father finally arrived at the Misty Mountains with the rest of the tribe. With new members joining, many chores within the city were delegated to the Minotaur women and children, while all the able-bodied youth devoted themselves to the construction of the city and its walls.

During the city's expansion, Mo Fei and others captured numerous beasts of burden and crafted many vehicles, solving the problem of transporting heavy objects. Relying solely on Minotaur warriors would have greatly reduced efficiency!

From groundbreaking to completion, the project lasted a month and a half. At last, a grand city nestled within the Misty Mountains was established!

"Lord Mo Fei, from now on, you are the master of your own city. We should address you as City Lord! Please, City Lord, give this city a name," Elder Auf joked.

"Don't call me City Lord, it sounds strange. Just call me Mo Fei as before. As for the city's name, since it's in the Misty Mountains, let's call it Mist City," Mo Fei said offhandedly.

"Now that we've built a city, rules must be set. We can't let the young ones disregard discipline—respect for the City Lord must be maintained," Elder Warton insisted.

"Elder Warton, I've thought about it. I have no experience managing so many people, and I'm sure I can't handle it. Why don't we establish a Council of Elders? Let the council handle daily management and simply inform me of important decisions. I still need to cultivate and don't want to waste too much time on administration," Mo Fei suggested.

"Don't worry, City Lord. With your talent and strength, you'll become a top expert on the continent. Besides, Mist City needs a strong leader to deter other powers. We won't let you waste your energy on mundane affairs. Leave routine matters to us," Elder Auf replied.

"City Lord, now that we've established a city, there are some things we should put on the agenda," Cain's father, Wade, said.

"Chief Wade, please speak," Mo Fei replied with respect.

"Our city now houses over a hundred thousand dwarves and Minotaurs. But daily life can't rely solely on the City Lord's funds. We should quickly establish trade ties with other regions. Dwarves excel at crafting—we can open a trading area outside the city to sell their wares. Our Minotaur warriors, after training in the new cultivation method, are much stronger. We can form a city guard to protect the city and ensure the safety of the trading area," Wade proposed.

"Chief Wade's proposal is excellent. To avoid oppression, we must have our own armed force. However, forming an army within the Empire requires reporting to the authorities. Elder Auf, please hurry and produce standard equipment suitable for the Minotaurs. We'll form a guard unit first, then demonstrate our strength to the Empire. Perhaps they'll even grant us military funding!"

After all, Emperor Tyron was his father-in-law! For a son-in-law to form such a powerful army for the Empire, the emperor should certainly show some support.

When Tyron received Mo Fei's message about forming a Minotaur berserker army, he immediately granted fifty million gold coins in military funds and authorized Mo Fei to oversee the army's formation.

Since the victory over the beast tribes, the beastmen scattered across various nations. Humanity, no longer threatened by the beastmen, lost its former unity, and friction arose between the empires.

The Dragonrock Empire often clashed at its borders with the neighboring Magus Empire, whose military was stronger. In every conflict, Dragonrock was at a disadvantage.

Now, hearing that Mo Fei had solved the Minotaurs' post-berserk weakness and was organizing them into an army, Tyron fully supported him.

Tyron allocated military funds and had only one requirement: that Mo Fei dispatch this army to aid the Empire should war break out.

For Mo Fei, this was no problem at all—not only because of his relationship with Vivian, but also because Minotaur warriors thrived in battle, growing stronger through combat.

War might not come soon, so Mo Fei knew their priority was to grow stronger.

Minotaur warriors were already unmatched in close combat, and the dwarves provided the best armor. The only flaw was their vulnerability to ranged attacks—archers and mages—without effective countermeasures. These berserkers were elite, and Mo Fei couldn't bear to see them fall to mages' spells on the battlefield.

He needed to enhance their ranged capabilities—ideally with something that could out-range even mage spells.

For days, Mo Fei pondered, recalling books he'd read on craftsmanship. Then, inspiration struck.

During his time at Jade Void Sect, he'd read about a weapon in mortal armies that outdistanced bows, fired faster, though less accurate—perfect for massed combat. It was called the repeating crossbow.

Relying on his memory, Mo Fei drew up a design for the repeating crossbow and handed it to Elder Auf, hoping the dwarven craftsmen could bring it to life.