Building An Empire Starting From The Labor Camp In Exile-Chapter 158: To the purple

The next morning, Manefor was the one who woke them in the wing given to them in the palace. The sun was still far from rising, as it was still dark out, but their attention was needed for the planning of the ruin clearing.

After a quick wash, they went to the throne room, where only the Chief and a man were waiting.

The Chief wasn’t wearing his crown, and he gave Atrox a bow before pointing at him, then at the man beside him. "Blessed Atrox, this is Tower Captain Leojan."

Atrox had already told the others about what the Forsaken Tribes were calling him, so they weren’t surprised. They also tried not to be stunned that the Chief was bowing to him.

Captain Leojan seemed to be on the smaller side for someone from the Forsaken Tribes, but the Errant Knight was still taller than Atrox and Tiber. He gave him a short bow. "It’s good to finally meet you, Blessed."

Atrox nodded deeply. "I will be in your care, Tower Captain."

Leojan nodded as Atrox introduced the others with him.

With the introductions out of the way, the Chief left the room, leaving Atrox alone with Leojan. He didn’t waste any time and asked, "What’s the percentage of success?"

Leojan shook his head. "If we’re clearing the ruin, then I’d say none. But the plan is to buy you time to enter the purple fortress, right? We should be able to hold back the monsters long enough for you to do that."

"Seems simple," Frexon said.

Leojan’s eyes flickered to him, but he didn’t respond. "The difficulty will be if you return without the Tower. The monsters will do everything they can to make sure you don’t leave alive."

Atrox smiled without warmth. "Then I just have to take the Tower, right?"

They finalized the rest of the plan pretty quickly. The warriors would hold back the monsters until Atrox entered the fortress, then retreat. Afterward, they would fight the monsters again when he was ready to leave. It was very straightforward.

"It’s so simple like this," Tiber said.

Leojan shrugged. "That’s all we can do. We can only react to whatever happens then. But for now, we’ll stick to the plan. Since this isn’t a raid, I plan on taking only Errant Knights. Ten of us will go."

"We’re going too," Slya said, already glaring at the man as if she knew what his answer would be.

"We’re not taking you along," Leojan said flatly. "You’re only Knight rank."

"Atrox is going, so are we," Slya insisted, carefully avoiding looking toward Atrox’s side.

Leojan shrugged. "I’m in charge of this operation, and my job is to keep the Blessed alive, which won’t be successful with two Knight ranks tagging along."

"He’s right," Atrox sighed. He had seen the way the Errant Knights fought the monsters and knew even he would struggle to keep up—not to mention the two of them.

Slya wanted to protest more, but Tiber put his hand on her shoulder. "They can protect him better than we ever could. Besides, anything that needs us to protect Atrox would kill us instantly."

She hesitated, glared at Leojan some more, then turned her glare on Atrox. "Die, and I’ll kill you myself."

Atrox grinned and bowed. "You’re welcome to try."

☆☆☆☆☆

Leojan’s Tower wasn’t like the usual Towers that looked like actual towers. It was shaped like an overly large stone with irregular angles and a seamless body.

Atrox learned that the Towers could come in different shapes and sizes, but they all performed the same function—to fight and kill.

The front of the Tower opened like a monster’s maw, and he was invited in. Atrox was disappointed. Apart from the room looking like an ordinary one with chairs and tables, the only difference was that one part of the wall was spinning with darkness like a portal. Everything else was etched with words of power.

"You can sit anywhere; don’t worry, once you sit, you’ll be locked in. The bulk of the work here is done by me. See those doors? They lead to different sections of the Tower, like storage, the enchanting room, and other places," Leojan explained. "We’re in the main room now, the core."

Leojan didn’t sit. Instead, he faced the black wall and chanted softly. The room lit up with red light that flared brightly before stabilizing into a soft glow.

Every symbol on the walls glowed, including the ones on the chairs and tables. Atrox felt a force gently take hold of his body, like a small invisible shield surrounding him.

But Atrox’s eyes were on Leojan, and he sucked in a sharp breath in wonder. Thick red bands of pure light coiled from Leojan’s spine into the floor. His skin seemed translucent as he floated gently.

When Leojan spoke, the entire Tower shook and rumbled, his voice resonating as though the Tower itself was speaking. The darkness in the wall flickered to life, showing different views of the outside around the Tower.

Leojan grinned. "I love this. It’s like I am the Tower itself, I can feel what it feels, and sometimes I can be it but it’s also very dangerous. Don’t ever lose yourself and remember that you’re human.

Atrox nodded, watching the wall that showed various sections of the outside. He saw Tiber and Slya staring at the Tower with wide eyes.

It was their first time seeing it.

Frexon watched impassively as the Tower gently floated out of the fortress. It flew a few meters above the ground but not at a height that could be considered true flight. Its speed and responsiveness were incredible, and soon, green trees and brown earth blurred past them.

It took about an hour before Leojan called, "We’re very close now."

Atrox sat up. The Tower had slowed and was floating just above the patchy forest beneath them. They maintained the same pace for a while when, suddenly, Atrox saw it.

The purple fortress.