Sivis pondered for a moment, casually opening the system and taking a look, only to realize that in order to turn Werner into a guardian, all the materials required were at least of silver rank.
There was no way he could gather all of this in the short term.
Even after returning to his family and emptying all his assets, he still couldn't gather even a quarter of the required materials…
"Not to mention, I'm still too far off in terms of soul points," he muttered to himself.
"The first guardian will still have to be that little girl, Reina…"
Reina was Sivis's personal maid, whose aptitude was even slightly better than his. She met the requirements for the guardian title of [Dragon-Blooded Maid].
Sivis's system hadn't awakened, and being forced into becoming an Evil God, he had a feeling that he was doomed. So, when he left his family, he hadn't taken her along.
"Turning someone into a guardian won't affect their mentality, because the individual being refined must already pledge loyalty to me," he mused.
"Due to the slave brand, Reina was unable to cultivate, but this refining process will allow her to tap into extraordinary powers."
Recalling his obedient and beautiful little maid, Sivis's eyes softened, a slight smile playing on his lips.
After wiping out the adventurer squad in front of him and bringing back his family's resources along with his little maid, his territory would experience explosive growth!
Sivis planned everything carefully, and the restlessness in his body slowly subsided.
He turned to the Goblins. "Get back to what you were doing. Remember to plant food on the cultivated land as I taught you."
"If the commoners ask, feel free to share the techniques with them."
"Yes, my lord!" The Goblins responded with awe and fear, retreating.
However, their discipline was lacking, and they left in disarray. The "coffin" carrying Werner kept swaying left and right as they stumbled along.
...
Sivis watched as his surroundings became more open, and he walked to the center of his territory. With a flicker of his mind, a ball of radiant, multi-colored light materialized before him.
A new system prompt appeared.
[Heart of the Territory Activated!]
[Territory Overview: Level 1 [Click to View Details]]
[Population: Goblins (43/43) [Click to View Details]]
[Special Function: [Teleport: Lava Stone Demon]]
Through the system, Sivis could now view detailed data about his territory. At this moment, the [Teleport] button was flashing persistently.
Without hesitation, he clicked the "Teleport" button. It was best to gather more subordinates quickly in order to deal with the adventurer squad that was about to attack.
A dazzling light flashed, and Sivis felt a lightness in his body. When his vision cleared, he found himself standing on a not-so-tall mountain.
The mountain was covered in scattered vegetation, and at first glance, there were no signs of any monsters.
Since the teleportation was random, Sivis had no idea where he was.
Behind him, a pale blue teleportation portal remained, signaling that after capturing the monster, he could use it to return to his territory.
Sivis thought he would have to search for the Lava Stone Demon, but suddenly he heard faint footsteps from the surrounding area.
Moments later, he saw a group of adventurers, their bodies covered in blood, stumbling out from a hidden cave at the foot of the mountain.
They were holding torches, which lit up the night.
This group had most likely failed to challenge the Lava Stone Demon.
Behind them, a group of blocky, two to three-meter-tall monsters emerged, chasing them.
As the distance between the two groups continued to shrink, the leading adventurer yelled, "Simon, stay in the back!"
"What?" The adventurer addressed, Simon, who was visibly thinner than before, was about to resist, but suddenly, a shining symbol of a contract, a scale of justice, appeared on his body.
Helplessly, he dashed towards the monsters, taking the rear.
Thud!
Simon was struck dead by one of the Lava Stone Demons with a single blow.
The strength of these monsters was overwhelming, with their bodies bolstered by both their terrifying physical prowess and their bronze rank, making them extremely difficult for adventurers of the same rank to deal with. Simon, in particular, was facing them alone.
With him as the "sacrifice," the rest of the adventurers managed to escape.
The Lava Stone Demons let out a deafening roar. Those who had already fled, watching the scene from a distance, were filled with terror, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Not far away, Sivis silently observed the scene, a flicker of displeasure crossing his face.
Even in the darkness of the night, he clearly understood what had happened.
Most of the other adventurers were likely of noble birth, while the man named Simon was clearly a commoner. Forced onto the path of cultivation, he had been compelled to sign a slave brand.
Although he had been granted access to cultivation, he was still bound to obey his master's commands, even if it meant sacrificing his life.
This was the reality of Gandanyir—a world where oppression and bloodshed had reached their peak.
Yet, the nobles, with their extraordinary powers, continued to suppress everything for eternity.
Amidst the rampant growth of evil thoughts and malice, even if the Evil Gods fell, monsters would continue to emerge, more and more.
Sivis's expression darkened, but there was nothing he could do. As a Bronze 4th-level mage, he wouldn't make it in time if he rushed over. As the adventurers fled, the Lava Stone Demons chased off the intruders and began to head back toward the cave.
Sivis followed them from a distance.
After several minutes, he arrived at the cave's entrance.
Just standing outside, Sivis could feel the intense surge of magical energy from within.
As he took a step forward, he suddenly felt a gust of wind pass by him.
His face remained unchanged. He paused slightly and noticed a magic-infused spike shooting past him—it was a simple magical trap.
"It seems that some of the Lava Stone Demons have developed intelligence," Sivis mused.
"Well, that's a pleasant surprise," he nodded to himself.
The next moment, he continued forward, when a strange, wailing-like roar echoed from the cave. It seemed as though a Lava Stone Demon was issuing a warning to him.
Instinctively, the creatures sensed the terrifying pressure emanating from Sivis, and they were deeply unsettled.
But as Sivis continued his approach, the monsters could no longer hold back.
One of the stone demons was the first to slowly form from the ground and charged at him.
Sivis merely muttered a brief incantation, and the Bronze-level spell, Wind Blade, was cast.
A blade of wind, sharp as a razor, sliced forward.
Though Sivis was only a Bronze 4th-level mage, when the wind blade struck the Lava Stone Demon's body, a strange and sinister light exploded from the impact.
Swish!!
What appeared to be a weak attack actually severed the monster's arm completely!
The magic, accompanied by an overwhelming suppression force, burst forth, causing the stone demon to kneel on the ground in submission.
This divine position was one of the few benefits granted to Sivis.
When he attacked monsters, it would prevent them from using any method to resist or counterattack, significantly amplifying his offensive power.
It wouldn't allow Sivis, with his Bronze-level strength, to instantly slay beings of Silver or Gold rank, but the Stone Demons, though immensely oppressive to ordinary adventurers, were nothing more than ants in front of him!
"What kind of curse is this? Who are you!"
"Children, stop!" A hoarse voice came from within the cave.
A Stone Demon made of crystal slowly walked toward him.
A flash of understanding crossed Sivis's eyes.
In the occultism of Gandanyir, crystal represented wisdom and magical power. A crystal-bodied Stone Demon had broken through the racial limits, acquiring intelligence similar to that of humans, which made sense.
However…
After sizing him up, the crystal Stone Demon couldn't help but exclaim, "Such overwhelming suppression... Could it be that you are a servant of the Evil God?"
"Apologies, the Evil God has already fallen. We have no intention of fighting with humans. Please, leave."
The crystal Stone Demon spoke cautiously.
It had sensed Sivis's intentions, clearly seeing that he sought to recruit its kind. After all, it hadn't simply severed the attacking Stone Demon's arm without reason.
Thus, it firmly refused.
Most monsters, due to their nature, would naturally oppose humans, but the intelligent crystal Stone Demon understood that without the protection of the Evil God, the monsters no longer had the power to destroy or ravage the world as seen in various myths.
Yet the churches and nobility under the influence of the True Gods preferred not to eradicate the monsters completely. Instead, they raised them like livestock, allowing monster territories to continue to breed so that noble adventurers could quickly level up and acquire magical equipment.
From the perspective of the crystal Stone Demon, this Evil God's servant, if he sought to gather power to oppose the True God forces, was courting death.
It was like a pig that had been raised in captivity, willingly allowing itself to grow fatter.
No matter how strong it seemed, it was just for the owner's enjoyment.
Unless the Evil God could still be resurrected, the best fate for the monsters would be to live like its own kind— not too powerful, quietly hiding, and surviving for a while longer…