blogombal Chapter 267 267: The Infrastructure of Glory
Chapter 267 267: The Infrastructure of Glory
Gale City, East Wall.
"To the left! Three meters to the left! You half-witted bone-bags, can you not
distinguish your left from your right?!"
Skele-Greed stood atop a temporary wooden scaffolding, clutching a set of
architectural scrolls and roaring at the undead laboring below. His voice,
amplified by a localized Mana-broadcaster, echoed across the entire construction
theater.
Below him, tens of thousands of Undead were a swarm of industry.
The Skeleton Kings of the Punishment Legion were dismantled the stone
battlements in a synchronized rhythm of heavy iron. The Death Knights of the
Fearless Vanguard were utilizing their skeletal warhorses as heavy-duty dray
beasts, hauling massive blocks of granite toward designated anchor points.
The Aegis Giants of the Aegis Legion were carrying monolithic support pillars
across the site with the slow, deliberate gait of living cranes. High above, the
Liches of the Arcane Legion drifted through the air, using precision
cutting-spells to shave the stone, while the Bone Withers of the Silent
Extinction Legion circled at higher altitudes, managing the orientation of
super-heavy components.
Even the Shadow Guards were active, flickering through the recesses of the site
to coordinate with the State Army's safety inspectors. It looked like a
masterpiece of order, but in reality...
BOOM!
A thunderous crash erupted from the southeast sector. Greed snapped his skull
around just in time to see a massive support frame buckle and collapse. A dozen
Skeleton Kings were pinned beneath the timber, their bones scattered across the
dirt.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS INTERRUPTION?!"
Greed's head throbbed. He utilized a short-range teleport, manifesting instantly
at the site of the accident. A Skeleton King was crawling out from the wreckage,
its frame rattling as it struggled to a stand.
"Reporting to General Greed! It was the Death Knights of the Fearless Vanguard!
They 'accidentally' veered off their designated transport lane and rammed our
structural supports!"
Greed's gaze flickered toward the nearby thoroughfare. A group of Death Knights
were seated on their horses, looking remarkably innocent—one was even attempting
to "whistle" through his teeth, a sound like steam escaping a pipe.
Seeing them trying to casually depart the crime scene, Greed barked, "HALT!"
The Death Knights reined in their steeds with a flicker of guilt. The lead
knight looked at Greed, his posture a mask of feigned ignorance. "General Greed.
Is there a logistical issue?"
"You just leveled a Punishment Legion support frame!"
"Did we?" The knight scratched his skull. "We were merely following the
logistical flow. Who knew the Skeleton Kings would erect a fence in the middle
of a primary transport vein?"
"Bullshit! That position was marked in the master blueprint for forty-eight
hours!"
"Oh? Is that so?" The knight shrugged. "Perhaps our ocular sensors are
miscalibrated. We simply didn't perceive it."
Greed took a deep breath. He knew this wasn't an accident. The friction between
the Punishment Legion and the Fearless Vanguard was an ancient, structural
error, fueled by the personalities of Pride and Wrath. Putting units from both
legions on the same site was a recipe for a total system failure.
Greed offered a professional smile, but the soulfire in his sockets burned with
a chilling intensity.
"Fine. Since your ocular sensors are failing you..." Greed drawled. "...then
perhaps a cycle in the Re-education Demonstration Zone will serve as a
corrective treatment."
"BURY THEM!"
A squad of State Army safety wardens lunged forward, seizing the Death Knights
and dragging them toward the city limits.
"Wait! General Greed! We apologize! It was a minor calibration error!" "We
promise total compliance in the next shift!"
Greed ignored their pleas, turning back to the buried Skeleton Kings. "You lot,
re-erect the frame. Now."
"As commanded!"
The Skeleton Kings began clearing the debris. But as Greed prepared to move to
the next sector, he noticed something. One of the Skeleton Kings was clutching a
thin strand of high-tensile wire. The other end of the wire was attached to a
critical tension-point of the support frame.
Greed's soulfire contracted. He stepped forward and seized the Skeleton King's
wrist.
"Explain the presence of this wire."
The Skeleton King stiffened. "R-Reporting, General... it is... well, it is..."
"It is a sabotage tool used to trip the Death Knights' steeds, which in turn
caused the collapse, correct?"
The Skeleton King's soulfire flickered with a panicked rhythm. "General, show
mercy! We were merely providing a 'Counter-Lesson'! Those knights have been
intentionally dropping boulders in our path for three shifts!"
"So you manufactured a structural failure to shift the blame?"
"We... we..."
Greed released the wrist and looked at the other Skeleton Kings in the squad.
"Did all of you participate in this logic error?"
The skeletons bowed their heads in a synchronized, guilty silence.
Greed closed his eyes, centering his logic. Then, he snapped them open. The
professional smile was gone, replaced by a roar that could have cracked stone.
"ALL OF YOU! TO THE DEMONSTRATION ZONE! NOT A SINGLE BONE-BAG ESCAPES!"
"General!" "Mercy, General! We have learned the error of our ways!"
Greed remained unmoved, broadcasting a directive through the link to a fresh
cohort of wardens. "Bury them all. Three days. Ensure they have a view of the
grass they are fertilizing."
As the saboteurs were hauled away, Greed stood in the middle of the chaotic
site, feeling his Blood-Core hitting the redline. He had been on-site for barely
half a day, and he had already processed a dozen similar "incidents."
The Aegis Legion was being insulted by the Arcane Legion for their "sluggish
processing speeds," leading to a near-brawl. The Bone Withers had "accidentally"
dropped a structural component on a Shadow Guard phantom, triggering a territory
dispute.
Greed rubbed his temples. For a fleeting second, he missed the early days at the
Valley Base. Back then, resources were scarce and the environment was hostile,
but at least he didn't have to manage the egos of five other legions.
"General Greed! We have a Tier-2 emergency at the West Wall!" a State Army clerk
shouted, running over.
"Report."
"The Aegis Giants and the Arcane Liches are engaged in active combat!"
"Reason?"
"The Liches claimed the Giants possess the cognitive depth of a turnip and are
obstructing the flow of Mana-conduits. The Giants took offense and..."
"Enough. Lead the way."
After neutralizing yet another dispute, Greed stood alone, looking over the
site. He suddenly found himself chuckling at his own situation. He remembered
the Master, years ago, standing in a much smaller ditch, shouting at a group of
disobedient skeletons.
Back then, Greed was just a common foot-soldier. His cycle consisted of
obedience, hauling timber, and digging holes. It was exhausting, but it was
simple. He knew he was building a foundation for a God.
And now?
He looked up at the skeletal framework rising above Gale City. It was his
design—The Castle in the Sky.
It was a floating stage supported by permanent Mana-suspension arrays. At its
center was a gargantuan circular platform capable of holding millions.
Surrounding the platform were tiered sections for the populace.
And at the absolute apex sat the Sovereign's Throne.
That throne would be the singular focus of the world. When the citizens looked
up, the first and only thing they would see would be the Sovereign, seated in
absolute majesty. It was the ultimate architectural expression of "Absolute
Dominion."
Greed looked at the half-formed monument and whispered a question to the wind.
"My Sovereign... in my current capacity... am I truly a credit to your design?"
Once, he was a pile of bones given a second chance. Now, he was one of the Seven
Sins, managing the heartbeat of an Empire. He had transitioned from the tool to
the hand that wields it.
Greed balled his fist, reinforcing his resolve.
"This Ceremony will be flawless," he vowed. "The world shall witness the true
grandeur of the Evernight."
He picked up his scrolls and cleared his throat.
"ALL UNITS, HEAR MY COMMAND!" his voice boomed across the Gale sector.
"ACCELERATE THE LOGISTICS! I WANT THE PRIMARY FRAMEWORK SECURED WITHIN
FORTY-EIGHT HOURS!"
"AS COMMANDED!"
The sound of a million hammers resumed. Greed stood atop the high platform, a
small, ambitious smile touching his lips. The process was a disaster. The
coordination was a mess. But he knew the outcome would be perfection.
Because this was the Evernight Empire. And it was the only home they had ever
known.
☆☆☆
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