When Nareth led the Second Regiment to arrive in Omsk, the entire hive city was plunged into chaos.
It didn't take much effort for him to conquer the fourth-largest hive city in Vostroya, which had lost both its king and garrison commander and was left leaderless.
After witnessing the astonishing effectiveness of infiltration and decapitation tactics, Nareth immediately prepared two doses of "Assassin" potion, elevating Tsvetana and Dementieva, who were slightly less talented than Maria but equally loyal, into Beyonders.
After dispatching all three beyonders to continue the assassinations, he swiftly began searching through the royal treasury.
Aside from completing two full sets of "Warrior" potions in this vault, he also found four Deep Pit Gladiator Belts. These were the main ingredients for Sequence 8 "Pugilist," which corresponds to the "Warrior" path.
Like most hive cities, Vostroya had hive dwellers who, due to debts or other reasons, had been bound by restrictive guild contracts and reduced to the miserable status of Deep Pit slaves.
The most pitiful among them were Deep Pit gladiators, doomed to fight to the death in arenas. Usually, these arenas were low-key, but Omsk was an exception.
Modur, the former king, was obsessed with gladiator combat. He not only established an arena but also frequently watched the gladiators' life-and-death battles. The four belts he collected belonged to four undefeated champions.
They eventually earned the right to challenge Modur himself in a battle for freedom, and perished in the fight.
'Pugilisit is also known as Gladiator. The use of gladiator belts as ingredients fits the inner logic well.'
Thinking of Thierry, Nareth summoned him to the palace.
The golden-haired noble approached and immediately began reporting.
"My Lord, the Second Regiment suffered relatively light losses in the previous battle; only 142 men were killed."
Nareth nodded slightly, approvingly.
"You performed well. During my absence, you trained the Second Regiment admirably. Their combat ability and coordination have improved greatly."
"You also slew heretical cultists and defended the hive city of Lukevo."
Thierry couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and excitement; his efforts had finally earned his lord's praise. A smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
Even though he was thrilled, he remained humble and responded earnestly:
"It was my honor to fulfill the task."
Nareth nodded again, satisfied, and used Warp Insight and Spirit Vision to observe the "Warrior" before him.
In Warp Insight, Thierry's emotions were high, and his mental state strong.
Since all "Warrior" enhancements are focused on the body, Nareth ignored aura readings and focused solely on Thierry's physical condition through Spirit Vision.
His limbs, involved in motion, glowed red. His head and brain appeared purple. Detoxification areas glowed orange, the digestive system yellow, the heart and regulatory systems green, and the throat and some neural regions blue.
Overall, Thierry's body lacked balance, dominated by a mix of red and white.
'Thierry's body hasn't yet reached a balanced state; he seems not to have fully digested the "Warrior" potion.'
After forming a preliminary judgment, Nareth asked him to confirm:
"The power I granted you, have you mastered it completely?"
The "Warrior" didn't answer immediately. He paused for a few seconds, then spoke:
"My lord, I have not fully mastered it yet, but I have found the right path."
Hearing this, and seeing that it aligned with his own observation, Nareth replied:
"Keep moving along that path. Once you fully master the power I granted you, you will gain even greater, stronger strength."
Thierry was deeply encouraged and dropped to one knee, speaking solemnly:
"I will not fail your expectations."
"Rise," Nareth said. In need of talent, he asked:
"Earlier, I instructed you to observe the warriors. Have you identified any talents?"
"My lord, the Iron Warriors are excellent fighters, but their minds have been brainwashed by the Mad King. They're rigid and unchangeable."
"Besides them, I found two promising talents. One is Buuka, formerly my personal guard captain. He now serves as a battalion commander."
"He is skilled with riot shields and other defensive gear and excels at commanding others to form defensive structures and repel enemy assaults."
As Thierry spoke, he operated a datapad and displayed Buuka's profile to Nareth.
"The other is Gul'gul. I recruited him from the garrison forces after you liberated Lukevo. Though only seventeen, he is sharp-minded and fearless. I appointed him as the shock troops commander.
Nareth nodded approvingly. "Have them stay in Omsk for now. They will follow me into battle."
"Your Second Regiment has undergone two consecutive battles. Though casualties are low, they still need time to recover."
"By your will, my lord."
Thierry looked a bit disappointed; he yearned to keep fighting and continue pursuing the warrior's path he had discovered.
Perceiving this, Nareth smiled.
"No need to worry. With the conquest of Vostroya underway, there will be no shortage of battles."
"Once we unify Vostroya, the rest period will be brief. The galaxy holds countless worlds and wars waiting for you."
"Use this break to replenish and retrain the Second Regiment."
Upon hearing that, Thierry's regret instantly vanished.
"As you command, my lord ."
After Thierry departed, Nareth ordered Wojciech to contact Howard and lead the Fifth Regiment toward the hive city where the Seventh Altar was located.
After one work cycle, Nareth personally led platoons under Buuka and Gul'gul to launch further conquests.
Maria and the two other "Assassins" infiltrated the hive cities containing the Fifth and Sixth Altars and carried out high-level assassinations before Nareth began his assaults, reducing the resistance he would face.
After conquering both hive cities, Nareth assigned Buuka and Gul'gul to each city to establish Vostroya's Seventh and Eighth Regiments.
Then, after meeting Howard in the slums outside Shvednitsa and capturing the Seventh Altar's hive city, he summoned the "Arbiter" to the palace.
"My lord, as per your instructions, I've devised a complete set of reforms to improve the dome system."
"You are wise, my lord. When the enthusiasm of the lower-hive workers is ignited, productivity will rise sharply, and the hive cities will become more stable."
"Tizca's initial data shows that average production capacity increased by 203%, food consumption rose by 41%, and overall efficiency surged."
Howard had been stunned when he first saw the numbers; those lower-hive workers, once fed, could unleash such incredible strength.
What's more, they had transformed from potential unrest factors into loyal subjects defending order. It was simply astonishing.
"Excellent. Spread this system to all lower hives. Let it become the new engine of Vostroya's development."
Nareth used Warp Insight and Spirit Vision to examine Howard and found him in excellent condition. He asked:
"The power I granted you, how well have you mastered it?"