I, the Supreme Overlord, Start by Enslaving the Zerg Queen

After spending a night resting in the desert, Charles and his companions resumed their journey with The Desert Caravan.

Having traveled for half a day, they finally caught sight of a town emerging on the distant horizon.

The leader of The Desert Caravan, with a smile on his face, said to Charles, "Up ahead lies the trade hub of the Southern Desert of Sands. There, you can virtually purchase anything found across the continent.

Last year, I even encountered a caravan from the Northern Sea right here. Astonishingly, they had brought a supposedly still-living Evernight Whale from the Permafrost Lands."

The information the leader of The Desert Caravan mentioned was all new to Charles.

Thus, Charles asked the leader of The Desert Caravan to introduce himself and provide detailed information about the Permafrost Lands and the Northern Sea.

"The Northern Sea is actually situated to the north of elven territory. It is said that it leads directly to the world's end. No one has ever managed to sail continuously northward in the Northern Sea.

I've heard tales that a colossal sea monster guards the world's end. Any ship attempting to reach the world's end is devoured by this monstrous creature.

The Permafrost Lands are merely a vast expanse of floating ice in the Northern Sea. However, this floating ice is so immense that it might even surpass the size of the Serpent Empire. Many peculiar species inhabit this vast ice field."

"When I was a child, my dream was to venture to the Permafrost Lands. However, as I grew older, I abandoned that dream, believing my body could not withstand such extreme cold." he confessed.

After providing a general overview of the Permafrost Lands and the Northern Sea, the leader of The Desert Caravan led the group to the entrance of the small town.

At the town's entrance, a significant number of guards from the Serpent Empire were stationed.

However, the armor worn by these guards differed somewhat from the armor of the Serpent Empire's guards at Rock Fortress.

"These guards are under the jurisdiction of General Zarathustra of the Serpent Empire." the leader explained. "Zarathustra has long harbored ambitions to secede from the Serpent Empire.

But, his strength has never been sufficient to realize his schemes, so his plots have remained in the shadows.

After the Serpent Emperor descended into madness, Zarathustra became even more audacious. It seems that Zarathustra now considers all the surrounding towns, except for Rock Fortress, as his own territory. The only reason he hasn't attacked Rock Fortress is that the number of Serpent Empire guards there remains quite substantial."

Near the entrance, the leader of The Desert Caravan whispered these insights to Charles.

The reason he said this was simply to urge Charles to exercise caution.

As the leader of a caravan, he certainly didn't want his caravan to become a target of General Zarathustra.

Charles nodded upon hearing these words.

"You needn't worry. I am well aware of the situation. Now that we are in General Zarathustra's territory, I naturally won't cause any trouble for him."

Receiving Charles' reassuring response, the leader of The Desert Caravan nodded with a smile.

"Even so, let's promptly enter the town. I'll take you to the most luxurious inn within the town, where you can all have a good rest."

With the assistance of The Desert Caravan's leader, Charles and his companions faced no difficulties upon entering the town.

The leader of The Desert Caravan appeared to be quite familiar with the Serpent Empire guards stationed in the town.

Once inside, Charles was suddenly struck by how much more prosperous the town was compared to what he had anticipated.

He observed the bustling pedestrians with a slightly astonished gaze. Among them were individuals whose prowess reached the formidable fifth tier.

In such a desolate area, Charles had not expected to encounter people of such exceptional strength.

"You needn't look so surprised." the leader said. "Although this town is somewhat remote, it remains a commercial hub, attracting many powerful individuals.

There's no need to worry about them causing you trouble, as General Zarathustra's strength far surpasses theirs. It is said that General Zarathustra's prowess can reach the ninth tier."

Upon hearing that General Zarathustra's strength could indeed reach the ninth tier, Charles was even more astounded.

"I understand. Let's quickly head to the inn and check in." he said.

Initially, Charles had planned to scout the town and gather some crucial intelligence.

However, learning about General Zarathustra's formidable power made Charles decide to be more cautious.

If his true identity were to be discovered by Zarathustra, he might be detained immediately. Even if Medusa and Little Green fought with all their might, they would likely still be no match for Zarathustra.

Upon arriving at the inn, everyone was assigned their respective rooms.

This time, Charles had to share a room with Medusa and Little Green.

Due to the limited number of rooms available, the three of them had to squeeze into one room. Meanwhile, Eck and Johann had to share another room with one of the merchants from The Desert Caravan.

After settling their belongings, Eck and Johann promptly made their way to Charles' room.

They needed to discuss their next course of action.

"What you two need to do next is probably no different from before, right? Aren't you trying to find a way back to your own territory?" Charles inquired, his tone thoughtful.

"The teleportation array in Rock Fortress is inaccessible to you, but I believe the one here should be usable. If you don't have enough money, I can sponsor you a bit."

He continued with a reassuring smile.

Eck and Johann nodded in agreement, expressing their gratitude towards Charles.

"You don't need to be so formal." Charles replied warmly. "After all, we've been exploring together for several days. By now, we should consider ourselves friends, and helping friends is simply the right thing to do."

With those words, Eck and Johann took their leave, heading out of the room.

They were sensible individuals, fully aware that Charles, Medusa, and Little Green had more pressing matters to discuss.

After Eck and Johann departed, the smile on Charles' face abruptly vanished.

"I believe we need to revise our previous plan." Charles stated solemnly. "Initially, I intended to gather more intelligence within the town. However, Zarathustra's strength is simply overwhelming."

"If we take any hasty actions, he will undoubtedly detect it. Should he discover our true identities, he will go to great lengths to capture us." he added, his tone grave.

Charles' words caused Medusa and Little Green to feel a slight twinge of worry.

After pondering for a moment, Medusa spoke directly to Charles.

"Master, I believe you might be overthinking this." Medusa said with a hint of confidence. "As the Queen of the Serpent people, I have a certain understanding of generals like Zarathustra. While their strength is indeed considerable, their intellect leaves much to be desired."

"Moreover." she continued, "there is some discord between Zarathustra and my sister. Even if he were to discover your true identity, he wouldn't act against you. He would most likely choose to collaborate with you."

Charles remained noncommittal about Medusa's assumptions.

"Regardless." he replied with a note of caution in his voice, "we must be more vigilant than ever before. Even if Zarathustra wants to cooperate, I have no desire to partner with him."

"You all heard what the leader of the Desert Caravan said earlier. Zarathustra harbors grand ambitions. If we were to join forces with him, he would undoubtedly leverage our power to vie for the throne of the Serpent Emperor."

"Are you willing to hand over the position of Serpent Emperor to him?"

Charles' words made Medusa realize the significant flaws in her earlier thinking.

"Master." Medusa suggested thoughtfully, "perhaps I should go and gather intelligence alone. I am confident in my ability to conceal my identity from the guards of the Serpent Empire."

Little Green eagerly volunteered.

"Even if you don't trust me entirely, you can give me The Phantom Veil. With The Phantom Veil in my possession, my true identity will remain undiscovered by anyone."

Charles regarded Little Green calmly for a moment.

"You are right, it's best if you go alone to gather intelligence. Medusa and I will stay at the inn, awaiting your return."

With that, Charles handed The Phantom Veil over to Little Green.

Little Green was elated, knowing this gesture signified Charles' deep trust in her.

"Master, rest assured." she said with determination. "I will not disappoint you. I will gather ample intelligence, enabling you to swiftly formulate our next course of action."

After finishing her sentence, Little Green departed with utmost speed.

Medusa watched the direction in which Little Green had gone and said slowly, "I have a feeling she'll get into trouble."

"She might indeed cause some trouble." Charles replied with an air of indifference. "But if the two of us went out to gather intelligence, we would face even greater risks. Besides, even if she does get into trouble, we can always rely on the leader of The Desert Caravan to help us deal with the Serpent Empire's guards."

In truth, Charles did not fully believe that Little Green would succeed.

He sent her out partly to test whether she had the capability to handle things independently. Additionally, he aimed to use Little Green as a distraction to confuse the Serpent Empire's guards stationed in the town.

If the guards of the Serpent Empire focused all their attention on Little Green, the pressure on Charles' subsequent actions would be significantly reduced.

Charles still preferred to collect intelligence personally while in the town.

After all, information gathered firsthand is invariably more accurate. Intelligence provided by others always carries some imperfections.