Five days later.

Dawn City.

The current Dawn City was no longer the Stone City it once was.

It had risen a level higher than Stone City.

At its widest, it spanned nearly ten miles, qualifying as a large city.

In this world, it could accommodate hundreds of thousands of people.

It served as a center for economic and political activity in the region, or as a crucial military stronghold in border areas!

Playing an unimaginably important role.

At the highest point of the city.

Waldo’s eyes were focused, overlooking the troops below diligently training, his mind active and spirited.

The current Dawn City, compared to before, also had a livelier atmosphere.

Although it was still predominantly occupied by soldiers.

In some corners of the city, there were merchants and their caravans.

Additionally, a large number of engineers were continuously improving various facilities both inside and outside the city!

"It’s been a week since the annihilation of the Ye family’s army."

"I have once again upgraded the city by one level! Its defensive capabilities and capacity to house people have greatly increased."

"The upgrade consumed fifty thousand experience points!"

"But, from the previous battle, I annihilated over fifty-eight thousand of the Ye family, providing me with five hundred and eighty thousand experience points!"

"Summoning five thousand Barbarian Fighters cost a hundred thousand experience points!"

"Summoning five thousand Iron Wolf Guards cost a hundred thousand experience points!"

"Summoning five thousand Divine Archers cost a hundred thousand experience points!"

"Summoning twenty thousand Barbarian Fighters cost two hundred thousand experience points!"

"Summoning three thousand All-Purpose Scouts and three thousand Elite Engineers cost sixty thousand experience points!"

Waldo, looking at the soldiers training below, felt much more confident facing the Ye family, a colossus.

If he had some concerns before,

Now, he was fearless!

"A sixty-thousand-strong army, although still challenging to contend with the main force of the colossal Ye family, now has sufficient self-defense capability. Just one opportunity, and I could take control of Tianzhou, joining the struggle for supremacy in the region!"

Waldo’s ambition blazed fiercely!

He longed for the day he would gallop across Tianzhou!

Now, the Xiao family’s merchant caravans had already arrived in Dawn City.

Bringing various essential supplies, they relieved Waldo’s urgent needs!

Man needs food as a sword needs a whetstone.

Even summoned soldiers require replenishment of various energies.

Good food and drink are essential.

Waldo’s previous concern was feeding his soldiers.

When there were only a few hundred or thousand men, the issue of food could be easily solved.

Hunting in the jungles or exchanging goods through the system.

But when the number suddenly expanded to tens of thousands, the previous methods were no longer viable, and he had to rely on this world.

"Now, the immediate crisis is resolved!"

"The Ye family’s army has been defeated, winning us a period of peace."

"However, this is just the calm before the storm!"

"The storm, oh no, more like a tornado, is yet to come!"

Waldo was very clear about his situation.

The Ye family would not let things go easily.

Given the Ye family’s enormous scale and nearly unimaginable war machine, facing the still-developing Dawn City, they had an absolute advantage.

Hereafter...

Waldo inspected every corner of Dawn City.

Checking the city’s defenses.

Better safe than sorry.

In case the Ye family decided to go all out to take down Dawn City, Waldo had enough measures to respond.

Not a single area, inside or outside the city, was overlooked.

Dawn City gained a brief respite.

But none of the city’s warriors relaxed.

They trained tirelessly, night after night.

The shouts echoed through the cloudy skies of Dawn City day and night. Everyone knew that this was merely the calm before the storm.

Walking on the streets, especially for those from outside merchant caravans, the sense of impending doom before the coming storm was palpable.

The war was not over.

This was only the beginning.

The next time war erupted, it would involve far more than just eighty thousand troops.

It could be three hundred thousand.

Five hundred thousand!

Or even eight hundred thousand troops pressing on the border!

All of these were possibilities!

Before that happened, Waldo had to set up the pieces and prepare for any challenge!

...

At the same time, Waldo was constantly monitoring the messages in the chat channels.

They were spread throughout the Eternal World, with some lurking in isolated areas, others cooperating or even forming alliances with indigenous forces.

Tianzhou.

Waldo was not the only trial taker.

From the information obtained earlier, it seemed that there were trial takers among the eighty thousand troops that had intended to encircle and kill Waldo.

However, it was unclear whether that trial taker had been killed by Waldo’s army.

"If they participated in trying to kill me and got killed by me, they can’t blame me!"

Waldo shook his head.

The chances of survival for someone who had not participated much in large-scale warfare were slim. Surviving would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

Waldo didn’t know who the other person was, so he couldn’t warn his subordinates.

"If they do survive, I might try to recruit them. Compared to others, a trial taker can bring me much higher returns! Trial takers are different after all!"

Waldo focused his attention.

He needed intelligence!

...

Tianzhou, one of the five major overlords, the Ye family.

The disastrous defeat in this operation had caused a huge sensation.

What is the Ye family?

A dominant force at the overlord level!

One of the giants in Tianzhou, an existence close to the heavens.

Its influence even extends to several states beyond Tianzhou!

A considerable number of trial takers know about the Ye family’s existence and how powerful it is.

The result is that the mighty Ye family was defeated by a small trial taker.

It’s truly astonishing.

In the chat channels, trial takers were engaged in intense discussions.

"This guy is terrifying!"

"Dreadful!"

...

"By the way, does anyone know what’s going on with the Ye family? I mean, has the Ye family made any moves or stated their intentions for the next steps?"

Waldo checked, and so far, no one knew that he was the mysterious trial taker who had defeated the Ye family’s massive army. Therefore, he wasn’t afraid to openly ask in the chat channel.

"What can they do? The Ye family’s two famous generals personally led eighty thousand troops, and the result was total annihilation. Both generals died in battle. The upper and lower echelons of the Ye family are all furious and frustrated."

Upon seeing Waldo’s question, a trial taker who seemed to know the inside story immediately responded with a somewhat smug and mocking tone.

Waldo’s eyes lit up.

He felt that this person’s identity was not simple.

Perhaps they held a position within the Ye family and knew some confidential information about the Ye family.