53 The Rookies

I checked out the pictures and was pleasantly surprised.

It seemed I would spoil my new recruits with a vacation! The camp comprised an enormous lake with many islands scattered around.

This was a popularly visited spot for rest and relaxation. There were many beaches and scenic places throughout the grounds. It was truly a beautiful place in the Xertzul Abyss.

What they considered a lake in the Xertzul Abyss would qualify as an ocean in my old world. It was massive. It reminded me of the American Great Lakes.

I was able to ink out a deal for extended resort lodging for up to 10 members of the Libra organization for the next year. The price was very reasonable since they were a Hudson clan organization.

With the preparations made, I began studying what type of demon beasts I would face in the camp. They gave me a demon beast compendium of the campground with my reservation. It listed all the demon beasts that lived there. Since it was such an enormous area, the list was very verbose.

It looked like I had some studying to do. The most common demon beasts were: bears, foxes, elks, deer, moose, beaver, otters, wolves, eagles, gulls, and owls. Every Baron level demon beast would be unique. At the Baron level, demon beasts had unique evolutionary traits. With the extensive collection of demon beasts and the traits they could have, it was a momentous task to learn.

After combing through a bit, I decided it would be best for us to do a guided tour. I did not think I could guarantee my new recruits safety without proper wildlife survival training. Guided tours were what most new visitors to Wesser Forest received. An experienced forest ranger would walk them through what to watch out for in the area.

The tour fees were pricey, but I believed after learning about the area myself, I would no longer need a guided tour for every next batch of recruits. It would be a worthy investment. I was looking forward to heading to the forest. It would be my first time displaying my new strength as a Baron.

~~~

The bright-eyed recruits were finally ready to step into the Abyss! They had all worked hard to reach their cultivation levels at such a young age. They were told after they ascended they could not return to their homeland.

Ascension was permanent, because of the time differential everyone they knew and loved would be long dead before they visited.

The five best of their generation had many tearful goodbyes with their loved ones. They all wanted to grow stronger and serve their devil lord. Only through taking this step would they be able to.

The realm transportation was rocky as usual. One recruit couldn't hold his lunch. After stepping on the devil alter in the Tutan World, they soon found themselves in a large room. A servant noticed the transportation and soon greeted them.

"Wanfang should return by the time you have acclimated yourselves to the Xertzul Abyss."

The five ascenders were currently suffering from realm sickness. Moving from a lower realm to a higher realm required a bit of acclimation. They liked the mansion they appeared in, though. It was luxurious. They settled into their own rooms while recovering from realm sickness.

Wanfang soon returned to the mansion and received word the new ascenders had arrived.

~~~

"Have them meet with me in the war room in a weeks' time. For now, let them get used to the realm. I know it took me a bit of time to get used to the Xertzul Abyss after coming from the Tutan World. No need to overwhelm them," I said.

A week later they finally got to meet me. The war room was spacious, there was a long wooden table with many chairs. The head chair belonged to James as the leader of the Libra organization. I had my seat at the inverse head chair.

"I am Wanfang, previously I was the leader of the Earth Nation in the Tutan World. I'm sure much has changed in the Tutan World since I ascended. Now I am the war division leader of our young devil lord, James," I said.

"You all ascended to the Xertzul Abyss. As elves and sphinxes, I'm sure you lived very open lives in the Tutan World. Things are very different in the Xertzul Abyss. Races like yours have no standing. Everything is ruled by the noble devils," I said.

"The cultivation realms here go much higher than they did in the Tutan World so have much respect for everyone you meet."

"Our devil lord, James Hudson, is a member of the Hudson devil clan. The surrounding area is the Hudson Estate. Here we have a wonderful life as followers of a member of the Hudson clan."

"Touch my Devil Mark and you will be officially recognized as a member of [Libra], James' organization."

After touching the Devil Mark, the five understood the contract terms. They eagerly accepted them and were given their own Devil Marks, showing they were official members of [Libra].

"You five will be the founding members of the war division so you must work hard. The only pocket world we have under our belt is the Tutan World you all come from. Our war division's job is to conqueror unknown worlds for our young lord."

"You all are the cream of the crop from this generation in the Tutan World. You must work hard for our young lord. The better we do our job, the better standing James will have in the Hudson clan."

"Without James' backing we would be nothing in the Abyss. You all would do well to remember that. Here is the [Classic Elements Scripture]. Work hard to standardize your cultivation over the next few weeks."

"We will do drills from time to time, once everyone has fully converted their cultivation we will begin seeking missions in the Wesser Forest. I dismiss you all."

"Yes, sir!" said the bright-eyed recruits.