《Lord Evolution: Starting With SS-rank Skills》 Chapter 1: Winterseed March 2028 It has been three years since the release of Emperor''s Domain, a Fantasy x Kingdom-building video game that took over the gaming world with its mesmerizing graphics and immersive stories. In these three years, the game has umted over 1.9 billion yers, and the number of yers keeps growing every day. Last year, the game released a new feature that made it easier for yers to be rich; it would reward yers whoplete difficult missions and achieve impossible achievements with cryptocurrencies worth ranging from $100 to $500,000. As expected, this brought a lot of new yers to Emperor''s Domain, and also awakened the dead zeal of thezy yers. Six months after, ying Emperor''s Domain gradually became a profession that even the government recognized. And among those zealous yers was Rowan. Inside a wonderfully decorated and well-maintained gaming room filled with all sorts of expensive gaming gear, Rowan, a young, handsome man with blonde hair and blue eyes, faced his monitor with all seriousness as his fingers expertly tapped his gamepad, causing tapping sounds to fill the room. The expression on his face was intense; it seemed he was in the middle of a really challenging mission. His eyes narrowed from time to time, and the speed at which he tapped his gamepad gradually increased. Soon, a smile appeared on his face as he read the information on his monitor. -[ You have conquered Duke Nuah and seized control of Autumn Flower Kingdom ]- -[ Reward: 0.9 Vintage Coin has been sent to your wallet ]- "Haha, after three weeks of immersive gaming, I finally took down the crafty Duke. 0.9 Vintage Coin is definitely worth the stress," Rowan rejoiced with a smile on his face. 1 Vintage Coin is worth $88,999. 0.9 Vintage coin is approximately eighty thousand dors. Getting such arge amount of money from simply ying video games and not investing a penny is definitely worth it. "Sigh, I made a promise to rest for two days after conquering Duke Nuah. Should I go to a hotel or visit a clubhouse tonight?" Rowan contemted. Since he bought this house four months ago, he hasn''t stepped out. His social life is slowly dying. Going to a club could boost his declining social life a bit, He might even get some cool chicks. Getting girls wasn''t difficult for him. Rowan contemted his options; in the end, he gave up the thoughts of leaving the house. "To not break my promise, I will not y Emperor''s Domain for three days. But that doesn''t mean I won''t y other games; that is more than enough of a break for me," he concluded, a smile appearing on his face at the thought of rekindling his friendship with his other games. Nevertheless, when he saw the notification and countdown on his monitor, a frown quickly appeared on his face. -[ You havepleted hidden mission: unlock the Dark Duke''s Diary ]- -[ You will be transported to Emperor''s Domain in 0:00:34 ]- -[ Reward will be distributed after, good luck ]- "What is this? Is this some kind of joke from the developers?" Rowan wondered. He also wondered why there was a diary in y here. He had defeated three other dukes, but he never got their personal stuff, not even their royal attire. Why would this duke be different? Why would he be rewarded with something so personal? Not only that, how would a simple diary be able to send him to another world? Not to even start with how absurd and random the idea of it was. -[ Time remaining: 0:00:09 ]- -[ Time remaining: 0:00:08 ]- The countdown to transportation continued. Rowan observed it with a frown on his face. While he didn''t believe such a thing would happen, he wanted to see what woulde after the notification, and maybe get to observe the diary he unlocked. In the game, some random equipment could boost your arsenal and chance of conquering kingdoms. Maybe this diary won''t be any different; maybe he might unlock some secret like how to awaken magic and the secret of the Dark Dragon Empire. -[ Time remaining: 0:00:01 ]- -[ Time remaining: 0:00:00 ]- Immediately it struck 0, Rowan felt a sudden jolt, as if his entire body had been yanked out of ce. The world around him blurred and twisted, colors blending into a whirlpool of light. For a moment, he felt weightless, as though he was flying through the cloud. The feeling was confusing, unlike anything he had felt in the game or real life. It seemed like his very fabric of his being was being pulled through a tunnel of bright energy. His mind was racing, trying to understand his situation. *** Groaning, Rowan opened his eyes and sat up. He quickly realized he was no longer in his gaming room. Surrounding him was a strange room with an ancient mud house structure he has only seen in movies and strangely also in emperor''s domain. He realized he was sitting on a wooden bed, bandage was wrapped around his stomach and on his head. It appears this body has been injured prior to his arrival. Rowan was confused about his situation. Has he really been transported to the game world? Or was he in some kind of dream? To confirm this, he pped his stomach. And this instantly became the worst choice of action. Instantly, the pain the bandage was hiding kicked up and coursed through his body at once, causing him to let out a small cry of pain. Almost at the same time, floating text appeared in front of his retina and a mechanical voice resounded in his head. -[ Transportationplete ]- -[ Wee to Emperor''s domain ]- -[ Reward is being distributed ]- Chapter 2: Winterseed -II- -[ Transportationplete ]- -[ Wee to Emperors Domain ]- -[ Reward is being distributed ]- -[ Rewards: SS-rank 100x reward, SS-rank copy, SS-rank eyes of revtion, SS-rank merge, and SS-rank beast taming ]- SS-rank 100x rewards: For every achievement, big or small, there is a reward. With this passive skill, the quality of your rewards will be multiplied by 100! SS-rank copy: Actively copy skills of anyone below SS-rating power. SS-rank eyes of revtion: View the stats of everything ¡ª humans, monsters, and items. SS-rank merge: An active skill that allows you to automatically merge needed materials for an item, useful in manufacturing, medicine making, and cksmithing. SS-rank beast taming: With this active skill, you have a one hundred percent chance of taming any beast below SS-rank. Seeing these amazing skills popping up in different windows, Rowan couldn''t help but be amazed. Each skill was powerful and extremely useful, both forbat and territory development. On Earth, while ying Emperor''s Domain, he was only able to acquire a C-rank merge skill. Even with the C-rank skill, he was unstoppable in the game. Now that he had the SS-rank version of that same skill, he couldn''t imagine just how invincible he would be. "All these skills, but for what reason?" Rowan wondered. He had read many novels where transmigrated characters had a goal to achieve: defeat the demon king, be the strongest mage, and so on. But what was his purpose? A new notification shed before him: -[ MAIN QUEST: Evolve your territory to SSS-rank ]- Rowan''s heart sank. "What?? SSS-rank? That''s almost impossible," he muttered. "I yed Emperor''s Domain for three years and barely reached B-rank. Now I''m expected to build an SSS-rank territory?" The top gamer in Emperor''s Domain, with the username Venerable Mario, had only managed to increase his territory to A-rank. In an interview, he said it was impossible to go beyond that level. He even set up a squad of 20 excellent gamers to work with him in conquering other territories, but they still couldn''t seed. How then could Rowan achieve it? Was there even something like SSS-rank in the world of Emperor''s Domain? -[ On Earth, gamers had their limits. But in this real game world, there are no limits. Everything is achievable. ]- The system replied, as if giving Rowan a bit of hope in his quest. But it only made it worse. Back on Earth, he was ying the game from thefort of his room, controlling his character with a gamepad and mouse. He didn''t feel the pain or the difficulty of crafting out strategies. But here, he would have to go through the real deal. If he fought, he would sustain injuries. If he tried toe up with strategies, headaches would naturally follow. It was way different than ying a game, no matter how you looked at it. Rowan shook his head. "Maybe I am just overreacting. Who knows if my territory is already B or A rank?" Rowan decided to check his character panel. "Open character status," he called out. - Opening character panel - ______________ RANK: FF-rank Title: Vige Head TERRITORY: FF-rank, Winterseed Vige AREA: 20 square kilometers POPULATION: 3,000+ RESOURCES: Timber, farnds, small river Rowan Winterseed AGE: 18 HEALTH: 49% (Badly Injured) POWER: FF-rank (1,000,000 evolution points to evolve) EVOLUTION POINT: 0 SKILLS: SS-rank 100x reward, SS-rank copy, SS-rank eyes of revtion, SS-rank merge, SS-rank beast taming ______________ After calling out his character panel, Rowan expected something good. But after viewing it, he realized it was the opposite of what he expected. "This is outrageous," hemented furiously. "System, send me back home," Rowan demanded, anger rising in his voice. He couldn''t believe the game had taken him from his good life on Earth and sent him to a backwater vige. Even the resources he had at the moment were considered a curse to gamers on Earth because they offered no advantage to the yers! [ You have an option to return to Earth afterpleting your mission. Until then, it''s impossible ] The system replied,pletely dampening his mood. How could the system be so evil and inconsiderate? "At least, let me know who I am. I don''t even know anything about this body or the region I am located in," he requested. Since he had no way of going back to Earth, he might as well get on with the system. Though the mission was impossible and hellishly difficult, he had five SS-rank skills that would make it a lot easier. -[ Memory fragment avable for purchase, Cost: 100,000 evolution points ]- "Can I buy on credit and pay backter?" he inquired. -[ Affirmative... Delivering memory fragment ]- Suddenly, a strong ache struck Rowan, causing him to let out a loud cry of pain. Holding his head, he fell off the bed, twisting his body on the cold, hard floor as the pain in his head intensified indefinitely. A few secondster, the pain vanished, reced by memories of the Rowan of this world and the cmity of his vige. Rowan Winterseed was the only child of the former Vige Head, Dragun Winterseed. Six years ago, Dragun decisively ventured into another kingdom in search of a special milk and never returned. After months of waiting, the vigers dered him dead and forced 12-year-old, inexperienced Rowan to take on the leadership mantle of Winterseed, bing their new Vige Head. Unfortunately, surrounding viges took advantage of their weak, inexperienced leader and attacked the vige regrly, stealing their food and capturing capable soldiers as ves. Due to the declining strength of the vige''s army, the men defending the border became insufficient, causing monsters like Ratax and goblins to constantly attack the vige. Young Rowan tried his hardest, using every strategy he learned from his father, but there was no use; the burden of the vige gradually added up, bing a load he tried to get rid of. Four years after the death of his father and four years before today, due to the stress of leadership, Rowan Winterseed fell ill with an incurable disease. Two years ago, the illness weakened his system, crippling his body and rendering him immobile. Six months ago, he fell into aa. About the vige, it had plunged into more danger and poverty than it ever had. As Rowan made sense of the memories in his head, the door leading inside the room creaked open, and a group of ragged vigers came running in. "Lord Rowan! You are awake!" Chapter 3: Winterseed -III- Rowan''s cry of pain from the sudden ache in his head drew the attention of everyone around the small hut. Hearing his loud cry, they abandoned their tasks and sprinted towards the room. "Young master!" a beautiful white-haired youngdy screamed as she flung open the locust-infested wooden door. Following behind her were two older women and one older man. All of them, including the youngdy, were dressed in tattered clothes, evidence of the vige''s poor status. Seeing the ragged group run into the room, Rowan, who had just finished arranging his fragmented memories and realizing his identity and situation, frowned at the stats of the firstdy disyed before him. [ Name: Ri Vincred ] [ upation: Tailor ] [ Special Skill: x2 Sewing Speed; Can sew clothes two times faster than other professionals ] [ Status: Emotional ] He recognized her from his memories. Ri was the daughter of the former captain of the vige''s army, who had died protecting other vigers from goblins. She had been living with Rowan since then, and their rtionship was very close. Seeing a healthy Rowan sitting on the bed, Ri eyes turned wet, and she immediately ran to hug him, pressing her body deeply against him as she cried her heart out in his embrace. "I thought I had lost you Rowan, I''ve missed you so much," she wept profusely. "You haven''t. I''m back now, Ri," Rowan consoled her, patting her soft white hair as he turned to view the stats of the others in the room. His eyes fell on the man in front of him, whom he had also seen in the memory fragment. [ Name: Brandon ] [ upation: Assistant ] [ Special Ability: Territory Management; Possesses extraordinary talent in smooth running of territory ] [ Status: Surprised ] ''Exceptional ability, where are his other skills?'' Rowan pondered with a frown. Almost immediately, a detailed stats with his rank included was revealed. -------[ Brandon ]------ upation: Assistant (E-rank) SPECIAL ABILITIES ?Territory Management - Possesses extraordinary in smooth running or territory (F-rank) ?Lord of Gambling - Probability of winning every bet, gamble, etc., is increased by 20% (Rank: E) ?Sweet Tongue: Smooth talker, can even fool a monkey into eating meat (Rank: D) Status: Shocked -------[ Brandon ]------- Seeing this, Rowan was beyond impressed. ''I can keep him close to me to manage territory management while I concern myself with other aspect,'' While he didn''t want to copy the territory management skill, he decided to copy the gambling one as it will be useful for rewards in the future such as loot boxes and mystery cards. Without wasting time, he proceeded to copy the skill. On Brandon''s character tab, a special window popped out. [ Confirm to copy (Lord of Gambling) ] ''Confirm,'' DING! [ Skill (Lord of Gambling) has been copied sessfully ] [ Are you ready to merge with (Lord of gambling) ] ''Yes,'' [ Merging...1%...6%...100% ] [ Skill merged sessfully ] ''It''s pretty easy to copy skills, haha. I wonder what impressive skills I''ll get to copy next,'' Rowan mused. Still under Ri''s tight embrace as he felt the softness of her soft breasts, Rowan proceeded to view the stats of the two older women. Liora and Tiora were his personal cooks and had yed a role in his life since the death of his mother. After Rowan was done noting their stats, his stomach began protesting violently for nutrition. Hearing his grumbling, Ri let go of him and stood up. Her cute face filled with worry faced him as she said, "I''ll go prepare something for you to eat," and left the room. Tiora and Liora went with her, leaving only Brandon in the room. "Young Lord, it is a big miracle that you have recovered. Everyone in the vige had given up on you, believing you would never be able to survive," Brandon said with a smile. Rowan nodded in response as he stood up from the bed and proceeded to the mirror in the room to observe his visage. The reflection in the mirror was that of a young man with rough jet-ck hair and ocean-like blue eyes; his face was well-proportioned. While he looked pretty amazing, the roughness of his hair and other poor body-care factors reduced his attractiveness. "Not bad," he muttered before turning to Brandon. "Judging by the state of your clothes, I can tell the vige has declined significantly since I fell ill. Do you mind exining in detail what has happened during my absence?" Rowan inquired. "Your observations are correct as usual, my lord. Not only has our vige declined, but we have also fallen and be vassals under Glenwood vige..." Brandon began narrating with a pained voice, informing Rowan of all the events during his absence. ording to him, the poption of the vige had decreased by almost 45% due to the war and famine that constantly tormented Winterseed vige. Additionally, due to the decline in soldiers, goblin attacks had be frequent, resulting in the loss of food and lives. Glenwood had seized control over Winterseed River for their horses, resulting in farmers being unable to farm properly, thereby leading to a further decrease in food production. "Glenwood vige? Aren''t they the vige to the west that became vassals to another vige during my father''s reign? Has Winterseed fallen so much during my absence that we be easy targets for a small vige like Glenwood?" Rowan asked with a frown. While Rowan hadn''t heard of Winterseed on earth, the news of Glenwood being the weakest vige was pretty popr. He couldn''t believe his vige was a vassal to such a weak vige; it was disheartening. "I apologize, young lord. Even with my strategy, I couldn''t prevent these disasters, but I believe as you ascend to the position of vige head once again, we will survive," Brandon said, bowing his head slightly. "No need for that. We will start preparing to end the vassal rtionship with Glenwood immediately and take back what is ours," Rowan said with a smile. He had dealt with far worse territorial issues online; now it was time to implement the real deal. "Gather all the able-bodied men at the vige square tomorrow morning for a meeting," hemanded. Chapter 4: Winterseed -IV- Winterseed Vige is one of the smallest viges in the southern region. In the past, despite its size, it was popr among other viges for its vast supply of fresh food and the strength of its defense against savage monsters. Nevertheless, this fame ended when the previous vige head left to get milk and never returned. It was the bright hours of the morning, the gentle morning sun had risen, providing a bright, calm light over Winterseed vige square where arge number of youths and middle-aged men had gathered around Rowan Winterseed, their vige head who had miraculously recovered. The vige square was arge expanse ofnd, purely covered with greenwn grass. Every important meeting is held in this ce. In the middle, Rowan stood, surrounded by his guards and Brandon. Rowan observed the men around him with a slight frown on his face, ''They aren''t that many in number, around five hundred or so. If we should fight Glenwood, we would be at a disadvantage in terms of numbers.'' "Is this everyone?" Rowan asked, scanning the gathered men. Brandon nodded. "Yes, sir. These are all the men fit for fighting. The rest are either too old or too young." "Hmm," Rowan nodded. While the numbers weren''t that many, adding those men Brandon mentioned would be a waste of time. "Alright then, we will work with the men we have." Rowan turned to the men who gazed at him with respect and admiration. "Great men of Winterseed, thank you for heeding my call and leaving thefort of your homes to present yourselves today. I promise the meeting will be worth it," Rowan began by giving a long speech of appreciation. If the game mechanics work the same as the online game, a reward would be given for triggering the emotions of his soldiers. "Our vige has fallen into the hands of those bastards who harshly treated our people. But that will end now as I have returned. We will im back ournd and theirs and make their people go through the same fate!" Yelling thest part, Rowan lifted his hands and gazed upon the expressions of the men around him. "Yeahhh!!" "Lord Rowan has grown! Our vige is blessed!" "We will fight for you, Lord Rowan!" Reacting to his speech, the men cheered with determination and happiness. [ Goal: Motivate more than 500 soldiers has been achieved ] [ Reward: 500 evolution points ] [ DING! 100x reward activated ] [ 50,000 evolution points have been rewarded! ] [ DING! You have an impending repayment. 50,000 evolution points have been deducted. (Remaining: 50,000) (Evolution points: 0) ] A series of prompts popped up before his eyes. ''It worked...'' Seeing the initial prompts, a smile crept on his face. But noticing theter prompts, the smile on his face disappeared faster than it had appeared, ''Fuck, it didn''t even wait a second before collecting the ones I owe, and I still have more to pay!'' Rowan let out a short sigh and waved at the men to calm down. "For those of you who havepleted your military training, proudly step out so I can identify you," he announced. Following his words, five middle-aged men from the crowd walked aside. They were tall and muscr, which disyed the evidence of the training they had undergone. After walking out, the five of them bowed their heads slightly before Rowan, who then nodded and proceeded. "Starting today, you five are our new captains," Rowan dered. "Your job is to train the untrained and turn them into soldiers." "Thank you, Young Lord," one of the men said, clearly moved. Rowan smiled at them, "You all deserve your new titles. Make good use of this and make our vige strong again." "We will," they replied with emotions in their voices. "That is all for today. A lot of development will take ce in the vige and details of it will be passed to everyone. When you return home, pass the news that your vige head is alive and is ready to conquer our enemies." *** Two hours after the meeting, the news of Rowan recovering reached every nook and cranny in the small vige. It was a thing of joy, as finally, a leader would be able tofort them in this hard time. However, while they were joyous, they couldn''t help but wish the vige head would act faster. In a small hut, a woman with tattered clothes could be seen holding a baby wrapped in rag, but of better quality than the rag she wore. "Darlin, are you sure the vige head would save us?" The woman asked her husband with worries in her tiny voice. The baby in her hands looks malnourished and hungry, it started to cry and the mother patted its head with tears in her eyes. "I believe in the vige head, he is active now and is ready to im back our vige from those devils. I, as one of the new captains, will fight for our vige," the husband replied. He is one of the new captains Rowan had elected today. While his words wereforting, it didn''t hide the starvation of his wife and little kid. However, seeing their condition, he became even more motivated. *** Rowan was sitting inside his small room alone at this moment, his mind was active as he plotted out all strategies avable from his game experience. "System.. is the ''nner'' feature avable for use in the real game world?" Rowan suddenly asked the system. nner is a special feature avable for gamers in his previous life, it helps them input their goals and the system keeps track of it, informing them about every improvement and decrement. [ Positive ] [ nner Lv. 1, Cost: 200,000 evolution points ] ''Crap,'' Rowan cussed inwardly but he already expected it as this feature costs over two thousand dor in his previous life. ''I need to evolve my skills and my power, I can''t borrow evolution points anymore,'' Rowan sighed. As he fell into a deep thought once again, the wooden door pushed open and Brandon ran in. "Young Lord! Soldiers from Glenwood are arriving from the south!" Chapter 5: Winterseed -V- Rowan had just returned from setting up his vige''s defenses and was sitting in his room, deep in thought, when Brandon rushed in with rming news. "Lord Rowan, Glenwood soldiers are arriving!" "What?" Rowan eximed. He hadn''t expected the Glenwood soldiers to return so soon and couldn''t understand why they wereing to his vige. Standing up, he scolded Brandon, "Brandon! Why are theying so soon? When I asked you about the state of the vige, you never mentioned any war! How could you overlook something so important?" Brandon quickly exined the misunderstanding. He informed Rowan that Glenwood sent their soldiers every week to Winterseed to seize arge chunk of their farm produce and take new ves with them. He even told Rowan how some men had tried to fight the soldiers in the past and lost their lives. "This is bad. If they take any more food from our farms, the vigers will die of starvation," Rowan muttered, contemting with his hands on his jaw. This was a serious matter; the starvation of the vigers was not something he could allow. "How many men is Glenwood sending?" "Around fifty soldiers, my lord, and they''re really strong," Brandon answered remorsefully. ''Hmm, fifty men. We could definitely kill them if we wanted to, but that would provoke a brutal war between Glenwood and Winterseed, which would be the end of Winterseed. We can''t let them take our food, but we also can''t start a big war at a time like this,'' Rowan thought, stuck between two bad choices. If it were a weekter, he would have stood a chance against them, as he would have improved his territory and his soldiers. But it hadn''t even been a day since he arrived, and his territory was already in jeopardy! ''Fine then, we''ll sacrifice this week''s ration. In return, I''ll try to copy as many attack skills as I can from the Glenwood soldiers and teach them to my soldiers. It''s a lose-win situation,'' Rowan finally decided. "Inform the new captains. Tell them to meet me at the vige square. We''ll set out to wee our visitors." "Alright!" Brandon nodded and left the room. A few seconds after Brandon walked out, Ri strolled in with a cheerful smile on her face, happily swinging a basket of fruit. She was dressed in a short brown gown made with the poorest material, which entuated her voluptuous curves. Taking a clearer look at Ri, Rowan noticed her seductive shape. Her bust was not unnaturally big but wasn''t small either, it was the lovable size that could fit perfectly in one''s hands when they grope them. She also had a nice hip that would make even the gayest man stare twice, and her ass looked very soft. These featuresbined with her innocent face made her irresistible. As a guy who had spent a lot of quality time with models in his previous life, he could tell that Ri''s beauty rivaled theirs. With a little cleaning up and better clothes, it would be difficult to resist her charm. "Young Lord, you look really stressed. Here, I brought fruits for you," Ri smiled sweetly and lifted the basket of fresh fruit she was holding. It seemed she hadn''t heard about the soldiers of Glenwood approaching the vige. "That is very considerate of you, Ri," Rowan replied. "I will eat them when I get back." Ri nodded happily and kept the basket of fruit on the small stool beside Rowan''s bed. As she squatted, Rowan couldn''t help but take an extra look at her entuated assets and smile to himself. After dropping the basket, Ri hopped cheerfully beside Rowan and held his hands like a little girl with her crush and said, "I will go with you, Rowan." But Rowan refused her request instantly. In a situation like this, revealing someone as pretty as Ri to those soldiers would be the dumbest decision any sane man with brain and rod could make. "I am off to greet the soldiers of Glenwood. I fear you can''te with me because those bastards might try to seize the pretty innocent woman," he replied. "P-Pretty?" Ri blushed profusely, covering her heated face with her slender hands. Her gesture caused a slight jiggling that Rowan fortunately didn''t miss. But he couldn''t enjoy the sight more as he had more important matters to handle. Heplimented her beauty for a few moments before rushing out of the hut, leaving the flustered Ri behind. ..... A/N Wee guys to my first kingdom-building novel, I would like to read yourments about the first five chapters and if you have free power stones, send it here!! Chapter 6: Winterseed -VI- It was still the bright hours of the morning, but the sun was getting hotter, reminding the people of Winterseed of noon''s approach. At this moment, a small group of men led by Rowan could be seen strolling towards the southern border where Glenwood soldiers are approaching from. There were seven in number, Rowan sat on a malnourished horse moving in front, Brandon and the five captains walked behind him. After a short ten-minute stroll from the vige square, they finally arrived at the border which had no fences guarding them. Rowan could see the former fences made of wood on the ground, he wondered what the cause of it was but quickly dismissed it when he saw Glenwood soldiers. Compared to Rowan''s weak group of seven, Glenwood had more than fifty, and all of them rode on horses that looked stronger and healthierpared to Rowan''s. The men had visible muscles and were dressed in nice leather armors that disyed the wealth of their vige. In front of them, there was an older man dressed in a bright purple linen robe on a white horse, different from their ck horses. He appears to be leading the soldiers. Looking at them, Rowan felt very jealous. His mind ran wild as he thought of different ways to kill these men and take all the goodies they had, but he was scared it would cause a greater war that would destroy his vige atst. While his mind ran with these thoughts, his face maintained a calm look as he rode his horse, further closing the distance between them. "I see the young, dumb lord of Winterseed has risen from the dead." As they got closer, the older man mounting the white horse in frontughed while pointing at Rowan, mocking him. "What a mess, Winterseed is done for. Very soon, our Lord wille and take you out of your position and obtain direct control over your vige," another soldier joined in the mockery. Winterseed men gave no reaction; beforehand, Rowan had already warned them not to get provoked if the other party tried to mock them. Even though they felt mad that their young lord was getting badmouthed, they couldn''t do anything but follow his orders. As for Rowan, he smiled as the men continued with their insults while he observed their stats and did what he came here for. [ Name: Frado ] [ upation: Warrior] [ Special Ability: Sword master ] [ Status: Proud ] [ Name: Snitcha ] [ upation: Warrior ] [ Special Ability: Sword master ] [ Status: Wanna take a pee ] After observing the stats of the first twenty soldiers, he noticed all of them had the same special skill which was [ Sword Master ]. Theck of versatility in the distribution of skills among them made Rowan kind of disappointed; he was expecting to copy a lot of skills that he could teach his soldierster, but it turns out he might be stuck with just one. ''Fucking useless bastards, can''t believe these pathetic men have just one skill and it is just a random sword skill,'' Rowan cussed inwardly. He took his time to rain down as many curses as he could at whosoever gave them the same skills. "Don''t tell me even after resurrection, the young lord of Winterseed still can''t speak when it matters? The little prick can''t even stand for himself," the old man scoffed, causing the soldiers tough their hearts out. "Young Lord, what should we do?" Seeing that Rowan hasn''t spoken a word, Brandon softly tapped his shoulder to get him to speak. Rowan woke up from his thoughts with the light taps, he gave Brandon a nod of acknowledgement before looking at the soldiersughing at him. He spread his gaze among the group before clearing his throat and greeted in the most cheerful voice one can use in such a situation, "Wee strong, handsome and big men of Glenwood." Hearing his cheerful greeting, the soldiers of Glenwood looked at each other andughed their hearts out once again. "Who the heck greets like that?" One of them said amidst hisughter, grabbing his stomach andughing even more. But Rowan was unfazed, he continued with his unnned greetings. "You guys are free toe in and carry out your orders from your beloved Lord and remember when you get back to your vige, tell him the young lord of Winterseed is awake and is happy with the new vassal agreement. If I am not asking too much, you can also pass my intention to invite him for a nice feast in my vige as a thank you for his good works." Rowan continued with his greeting, appreciating the soldiers and praising their vige Lord. While most of his words were sarcastic, he made sure to let the soldiers know of his ''good'' intentions. However, his words came as a big surprise to them and they kept looking at him as if they were looking at a fool. The oldest especially, his aged wrinkled face twisted in a slight frown, ''Is he really thanking us for taking over his vige and seizing his resources? It seems the young lord forgot his brain during resurrection. But this is a good thing, today is going to be a good day, no one will stop us.'' The oldest moved his horse forward a bit and replied to Rowan, "It is good that you are not trying to fight back the control of our Lord, it shows you are a good leader and that you are not ready to risk the life of your people. For that reason, we will not take any of your women today and only take our regr portions of your harvest." ''As if I will let you take my people in the first ce,'' Rowan scoffed but he kept a smile on, feigning a good rtionship with this man who he is currently observing through his system. [ Name: Waga ] [ upation: Warrior ] [ Special Ability: Tongue of the lord; When he passes the Lord''s message, there is a 20% the order is obeyed ] [ Status: Proud ] ''Pathetic, parrot upation is definitely one of the worst upations in the emperor''s domain and that skill is the worst I have seen today. Welp, I will only copy the sword skill,'' "You have spoken well, Waga. You and your soldiers can do what you want, you are all wee," he greeted them in order not to appear out of ce. The soldiersughed heartily and rode their horses into the vige gantly. Some farmers in their farnds stood and watched as the soldiers marched into their vige with sad looks on their faces knowing their harvest would be taken once again. [ Random farmer is disappointed ] [ Random farmer is disappointed ] Several messages appeared in front of Rowan causing him to look towards the farnds where two old farmers stood with frowns on their faces, clearly disappointed. Rowan wore a smile on his face and made a hand gesture for them to calm down. [ Random farmer is considering ] [ Random farmer is settled ] [ Random farmer hopes you work harder ] [ +10 evolution points ] [ Reward x100, 1,000 evolution points has been rewarded ] .... [ +10 evolution points ] [ Reward x100, 1,000 evolution points has been rewarded ] [ System has collected its repayment ] Rowan smiled, he turned his horse back and followed the soldiers. He gave a few orders to the soldiers around him, his words seemed wise and he got another random reward once again. Chapter 7: Winterseed -VII- Two hourster, the Glenwood soldiers were done collecting what they came for. Ten of their horses carriedrge baskets of freshly harvested wheat, rice, green vegetables, and fruits. The amount was enviable; they hadn''t worked for it, yet they got to enjoy most of the harvest. While they were taking the harvest, Rowan copied their skills and merged with them. At that moment, a fresh set of exciting sword moves reyed in his head, filling him with the zeal to grab a sword and try them out. However, he copied the skills not because he wanted to use them but to pass them on to his soldiers. When they finished training, they would be stronger, which meant his territory would grow stronger. As he was lost in thought, a beep sounded in his head, drawing his attention to a red prompt that appeared before him. Red prompts only appeared when there was a negative matter, so he knew it wasn''t good news. [ Your territory has lost a considerable amount of resources ] Seeing the message, he could only shake his head as there was nothing he could do in this situation other than ept his unfortunate circumstances. He stood in a small field near the vige exit, the green grass highlighted by the bright afternoon sun. The Glenwood soldiers were still with him, ready to deliver their final message before departing. Waga stood in front of them with a big smile on his face, pleased with therger portionpared tost time. "This month''s ration is very small," he said, though his words contradicted his expression. Hearing this, Rowan couldn''t help but wish lightning would strike everyone rted to Waga. "What are you saying? You''ve taken more than eighty percent of our harvest and you''re still not satisfied? How greedy can you be?" Brandon, who had been keeping his cool, couldn''t hold back any longer and retorted harshly. "Yes, I have a pregnant wife who is famished, but you''re eating all this and stillining," one of the captains added angrily. Reacting, a few of the Glenwood soldiers drew their swords and rode their horses forward to challenge the unarmed captains. "Are you guys trying to pick a fight?" The captains did not back down. Though unarmed, they weren''t afraid to fight these despicable pricks. "Stay calm, all of you," Rowan ordered, riding his horse between the two sides to stop a fruitless battle from taking ce. Although he wanted to y the Glenwood soldiers badly, he knew he didn''t have the resources to do so and couldn''t take any chances. "I apologize for my men''s provocation. They haven''t eaten in days and are really irrational. I will correct themter," he pleaded. Only then did the Glenwood soldiers sheath their swords and return to their positions. "Teach your men to control their mouths. Next time, we won''t spare any of them," one of the Glenwood soldiers warned. "I will." Rowan smiled back. Waga observed Rowan and couldn''t help but be impressed by his leadership. "I will definitely pass your good message to my lord. When he hears of it, I''m sure he would be happy to work with you and even consider helping your vige build a new and stronger fence to prevent pest monsters," Waga said with a smile. ''I hope you guys get swallowed by snakes on your way back to your lord and you all get cuckold by goblins!!'' "I will be grateful if you do that. I wish you a safe journey back," Rowan bade them farewell. "Sure," Waga replied before signaling his men to start riding toward the exit of Winterseed vige. Rowan and his men watched as they exited the vige with calm looks on their faces. Only after they left did Rowan turn his back and head back to his house, followed by Brandon and his captains. [ Your captains are feeling bad about themselves ] [ Your assistant wishes for your forgiveness ] Several messages popped up, causing Rowan to look down from his horse at his men; they all walked behind him with dull steps, their faces filled with conviction. Seeing their disheartened attitude, Rowan, hungry for evolution points, immediately took the chance to cheer them up. "You guys did the right thing. You showed those men that we are not weak but brave. Good job." Fortunately, his words worked like magic. Brandon and the captains looked at Rowan with bright faces. "Thank you for the praises," they appreciated him, but Rowan was mostly interested in the system''s messages. [ Your assistant and captains are touched by your words and hope to do more ] [ You have motivated them ] [ +80 Evolution Points ] [ 100x Reward activated, you have received 8000 evolution points ] [ System has taken its repayment (Remaining: 40,000) (Evolution Points: 0) ] ''Just a little more and I will be out of debt,'' he thought to himself. He responded to the grateful words of his men with a smile and continued his ride home. On the way, he passed through the homes of his people and couldn''t help but be disappointed at the poor state of their buildings. All the houses were mud structures with detached roofs. Due to the heavy rainfall in the past few days, most of the roofs had fallen, and cracks had begun to appear on the walls. Another strong downpour and these people would be out in the open. ''I will work on this after taking care of the agriculture sector and ensuring proper food distribution as well as protection of farnds. I''m sure with my merging skills, I will be able toe up with something better in a very short time,'' he thought. He also noticed the poor clothing they wore. Most were lucky to wear rags, while others were either naked or dressed in makeshift clothes made of dry leaves, a vivid testament to the poor living conditions of his people. As a lord ready to work, Rowan was determined to change everything as soon as he could! Chapter 8: Winterseed -VIII- Twelve hours after leaving Winterseed, Waga and his men could be seen riding down a lonely path of a tiny forest, the ten horses with the harvests were in the middle, twenty soldiers rode in front and another twenty rode slowly behind to guard it. The chances of them getting robbed were considerably low, but there are savage monsters like goblins who usually attack farmers and take their wares. Waga and his men discussed andughed about the very poor mindset of Rowan, calling him weak andughing at him for letting them take all his farm harvest without protesting. "That Rowan guy is a big fool, if I were one of his vigers, I would kill him and take his ce as the new Lord," one of the soldiersughed heartily with his hands on his stomach. "He learned nothing from Dragun. While I hate Dragun, I can''t deny that he is a really strong leader who would not take such disrespect. If it was him today, I am sure most of us would have returned to the Lord with injuries or might not even return at all," another added. "Too bad that bastard didn''t get to pass his nature and strength to his son before running away like a prick to get lost in God knows where. Who knows, maybe a hobgoblin found him and killed him. We are lucky there is no hobgoblin in our vige; if not, even us fifty would not be able to stop it." The soldiers discussed their way throughout the journey. Waga joined in a few of their discussions to buy some time and not be bored. Soon, they arrived at arge mass ofnd, guarded by a tall and strong-looking wooden fence. The guards mounting the fences saw them and opened the gate for them, letting them into therge territory of Glenwood. The houses here were of better quality, most crafted with brick and others with mud, but these mudhouses looked very solid and their roofs were made firmly with bamboo. The vigers were dressed in clear fabrics made out of sheep cotton. They were vibrant, healthy, and most of them even had the guts to be very fat. If Winterseed people were here, they would definitely be envious of them. As Waga and the soldiers rode past, the vigers, seeing the new supply of food, couldn''t help but smile and wave at the gant soldiers. Very soon, they arrived at the vicinity of Glenwood Lord. His house was very big and beautiful, showcasing his status. While it doesn''t look like the castle of a king,pared to Rowan''s ugly mudhouse, it could be considered one. Inside, a very fat middle-aged man could be seen sitting on a long chair with two Winterseed women sitting beside him patting his fatty chest, which made the fatso smile in pleasure. "Waga, you have returned. Tell me everything I need to know. Were you able to get me another fine woman like I requested?" the fatso asked with a smile on his greasy, ugly fat face. The women patting his chest had sad expressions on their faces. It was evident that they were notfortable listening or doing the bidding of this fatso. "Lord Fagin, sadly I wasn''t able to get you a new woman, but there is good news. The portion this time is two big baskets more than thest one, and I also have other news for you, my lord: the young lord of Winterseed has recovered." Waga''s news caused the whole room to be silent for a short second as everyone digested the news. The women stopped patting the fatso''s chest as the revtion sank in. The revtion that their lord has recovered from his incurable disease was big news, one that gave them new hope of freedom. But the fatso received the news differently. His control over Winterseed is now threatened with its lord awakening. "Tell me more about him. Did he try to fight you guys? Did he try to provoke a way? Did he ask for his vige back? Tell me everything at once," he requested, his greasy chest heaving up and down as he seemed to be unsettled. But Waga replied with a smile and gave him the shocking news. "What? He did not fight back? He even invited me over to his vige for a feast to thank me?" The fatso was confused. What sort of Lord would be happy to have his territory controlled by another? Could that guy be a cuckold, but in territory? "Yes, we were shocked as well. At first, we thought he would ask us to go back, but he weed us, and when his men tried to pick a fight, he stopped them and apologized," Waga replied. He continued speaking, telling how all the vigers didn''t respond to them stealing their harvest. As he kept speaking, the women patting Lord Fagin''s chest began to lose their hope slowly. They could not believe that their lord would ept such a thing. This means they would be ves to this fat old bastard forever. It was a nightmare. As for Lord Fagin, he felt even more pleasured. His pleasure was akin to a viin who has just stolen the protagonist''s lover. His fat, ugly face couldn''t stop smiling as his thoughts ran wild with pleasure, giving him lots of mind-gasm. "Okay then, this is what you should do..." * * * [ Two of your followers cuss you with all their being ] [ Two of your vigers wish that you get r*ped and eaten by a horny goblin ] [ Two of your followers wish for you to get swallowed by a spring of fire ] [ Two of your followers wish your manhood never rises again ] [ Two angry followers wish you sleep and forget to wake up ] "AYOO! Who the fuck is wishing me all these? Why are you targeting my damn manhood, for heaven''s sake?!" Rowan roared. Chapter 9: Winterseed -IX- It is now a new day after the visit of Glenwood soldiers, and fresh morning dew fell from the bright sky on the green leaves of Winterseed farnd. The vigers have returned to their normal lives, working and farming as best as they can in order to reach the expected portion before Glenwood soldiers arrive again to im them. In the southern part of Winterseed, there was a vastnd cultivated by the vigers for farming wheat and vegetables. On a special part of thend, there was a ntation filled with tall fruit trees. More than one hundred farmers could be seen walking on their pieces ofnd with tired expressions on their faces, even though they enjoyed what they did. Women and children carried big and small baskets, respectively, to collect the ripe wheat and vegetables. A group of children could be seen in the fruit section, running around and collecting ripe fruits that had fallen. The scene was peaceful and serene, showing the unity among the vigers as they worked together for something to eat. Rowan and Brandon could be seen standing in the middle, observing everything with keen eyes, taking every detail into consideration as they set out to make ns to better the production in these farnds. An elderly farmer could be seen standing beside them, exining the situation of the farm in the past months. "My lord, the small river we have has been seized by Glenwood soldiers, and they have asked us not toe close to it or else they will take our lives. But without an adequate supply of water, we would not be able to grow wheat, and wheat is one of our major nutrients," the farmerined, his worries could be heard through his old, shaky voice. "Fortunately, the dew that falls every morning is enough to guarantee an adequate production of leafy vegetables, garden eggs, and tomatoes. Thanks to the reign of your father, we were able to nt some trees in his time, and with his guidance and protection, those trees have grown, and their fruit has be one of our major supplies in the past few years. Since the trees have already matured, they no longer require much water, but that can''t be said for wheat and the other grains," he continued, going deeper into hisint. In his previous life, Rowan only employed NPC farmers like this old farmer standing beside him, to take care of his farnds and produce food for his territory. He has never studied anything about this section. Also, he never had any further education in the area of agriculture save for basic knowledge, thus he was mostly naive about this topic. However, even with his limited knowledge of this topic, he understood that the agriculture of his vige is badly affected and needs to be worked on quickly. "Also, two weeks ago, we noticed a shortage of fruits and garden eggs in the morning when we returned to our farnds to work. We do not know what or who harvested them in the night while wey in our various homes. If that should repeat itself, we will starve for a really long time again," the old farmer added. "My lord, our soldiers did a little investigation of this matter two weeks ago, and we suspect that it is the handiwork of Ratax," Brandon quickly said to Rowan before he could even reply to the farmer. Ratax are active pest monsters that mostly operate at night, and they tend to destroy farnds, most times stealing the matured fruits for themselves. They are really troublesome monsters. "I have faced a few of them in my past life, and they are a big pain in the ass," Rowan scoffed. "About the river, do not worry about them. In a week or so, we will gain back our control over it," he said to the farmer, assuring him. "But have you tried adding other types of food to your farms? I notice we have no legumes growing on our farnds. Why is that?" he asked. Legumes are a major supply of protein, and the nts have a high fertility rate and a very short life cycle of approximately three months. Themon ones like peas and beans take less than three months to mature through the seed phase to maturity. If they could nt something like this, they would have more food to eat in less than three months. It was really not a bad suggestion. There are other crops that Rowan would want them to grow, but thend they cultivate is very small and might not contain them. "We have no seeds in our possession, my lord. We used to grow lots of beans back in the days and save up seeds to nt another season, but after you fell ill and Glenwood came, we had no choice but to devour the seeds, leaving us with nothing to grow more," Brandon exined. Rowan couldn''t help but sigh. Even his supply of seeds was not something he could be happy about. For a developing vige, seeds are very important resources in the agricultural sector. "Fuck my pathetic luck for letting me get a downgraded vige like this as my territory. How long would it even take for me to evolve this territory if everything is in shambles?" Rowan discussed with the farmer more. He gave them some simple modern methods to make their farming work simpler and more efficient. The seed issue was settled quickly. Rowan decided that he would get those seeds when he was done conquering Glenwood. With the resources he obtains from them, he would construct new fences. Also, with the resources, he would finally be able to test his SS-rank merge skills for the first time and see how they work. If it works as he thought it would, there would be a lot of inventions he would love to put in ce in his vige. "Now, I have to get to my soldiers and teach them the sword master skill I stole from those bastards." Afterpleting his supervision of the farmers, Rowan set out on his next sub-mission. As he prepared to leave, he heard a sudden beep sound in his head. Chapter 10: Winterseed -X- [ You have settled into your role and have started making necessary developments ] [ The creator has noticed your seriousness and will now release the necessary features ] [ Command "Reveal feature" to view it ] As Rowan rode his horse down to the vige square where the soldiers were already waiting for him, he decided to study the new message. ''Creator? This is my first time hearing this title. Who might this creator be? The developers of the game or some sort of supernatural being?'' Rowan wondered. His sudden transportation from Earth to this world was still something he couldn''t understand, and he was curious to know who or what sent him here, and why. Anyway, that was something for another time. For now, he wanted to see this new feature the system spoke about and learn if it was something useful. "Reveal feature," he whispered, his voice barely audible. DING! [ You have unlocked a new viewboard: Performance ] [ Performance: Call out when you intend to view your performance and closeness to your final goal ] [ Your main mission has been received and the requirements for each level have been released. The system will now reveal your next requirement ] __________________ TO EVOLVE TERRITORY TO F-RANK, you must have... --LAND: 40 Skm2 (Current: 20 Skm2) --Poption: 5,000 (Current: 3,000) --Five hundred active soldiers (Current: 505) --Military power: F-rank (Current: FF-rank) --Agriculture: F-rank (Current: FF-rank) --Power: F-rank (Current: FF-rank) --Wood-grade authority staff (Current: None) __________________ Rowan read all the requirements with a calm expression on his face. He was currently walking through his vige and couldn''t show any negative emotions; otherwise, his people would panic. ''I need to increasend mass and poption, and the others include developing special sections of the vige, but this authority staff...'' An authority staff is the greatest symbol of a lord; it disys the authority, identity, and power of the lord. ording to tradition, when a lord is defeated and his authority staff is taken from him, the one who defeats him instantly bes the lord of his territory. It is that simple and sacred. However, thest authority staff was taken away from Winterseed by Dragun, and since he didn''t return, no one has been able to retrieve it, meaning Rowan would have to find one for himself. Getting one is almost impossible. It might take ages to find one and could involve killing another lord and taking over their authority staff. ''Luckily, I already have Glenwood Lord on my kill list. That madafaka would not only pay for everything he has done to my people but also lose his authority as a lord.'' The simple thought of it made Rowan smirk deviously. He hadn''t stopped smirking when he heard a ding sound once again. DING! [ A reward came with the features ] [ 10,000 evolution points have been rewarded ] [ 100x rewards activated, 1,000,000 evolution points have been rewarded ] [ System has taken its repayment (Remaining: 0) (Evolution Points: 960,000) ] [ Rank F skill, Lord''s Voice has been rewarded ] [ Lord''s Voice: Each time you speak to your followers, their motivation increases by 10% ] [ 100x rewards activated, skill will now evolve ] [ F-rank Lord''s Voice ---- S-rank Super Voice ] [ Super Voice: Just your cough is enough to motivate your followers. When you give a speech, their motivation increases by 100% and their work efficiency increases by 200% ] Seeing these new rewards, Rowan was very happy. Not only had he paid back the evolution points he owed the system and had extra, but he also got a new skill. "I never knew the 100x rewards worked on skills too. I thought it only applied to evolution points and other rewards that have a numerical value attached," Rowan whispered with a smile on his face. "My lord, is there any problem?" Brandon asked. He heard Rowan''s whispering and wondered if anything was bothering him. "No problem. Keep moving. We need to start today''s training session early so we can end before dawn and make lots of improvements," Rowan replied with a smile. "My lord, sorry to say this, but we do not have any battle techniques in our possession anymore. Most of our best blocking techniques and sword techniques were stolen by Glenwood soldiers when they first arrived. And you, my lord, haven''t had any proper sword practice." Rowan understood Brandon''s perspective of the issues. Sadly, he could not tell him about his special skill that enables him to steal others'' skills. Even if he told Brandon, there was a 100% chance Brandon would not believe him. "Do not worry. I always watched my dad use his best sword techniques while training with his soldiers, and I am very sure I will be able to pass on his technique with ease," Rowan lied. Brandon looked at Rowan but had no reply. [ Your assistant finds your words hard to believe ] [ Your assistant is motivated by your confidence ] [ Your assistant wishes you won''t fail to teach the soldiers ] ..... At noon, Rowan was already done passing the basics of the [Sword Master] skills to the soldiers. As the hot afternoon sun beat down on Winterseed vige, a group of topless men could be seen at the vige square, swinging their swords in a refined manner, following a synchronized pattern. Rowan and Brandon stood under a tall tree in the vige square, observing the soldiers as they trained their bodies to the limit. The weather was unbearable, but these men, who had their family and vige in mind to protect, continued training without stopping. Rowan''s [Super Voice] also helped in the matter, motivating the soldiers to train harder and increasing their training efficiency twofold. Luckily, Rowan''s current status as lord and tutor allowed him to view the stats of his people and observe the rate at which theyprehended the skill. [ B - Warrior ] [ Status: Training ] [ Skill: Sword Master;prehension (10.44%) ] .. [ Judus - Warrior ] [ Status: Training ] [ Skill: Sword Master;prehension (9.00%) ] .. [ Rnd - Warrior (Captain) ] [ Status: Training ] [ Skill: Sword Master;prehension (17.56%) ] .. ''The captains have a far betterprehension rate than the others. They will be able toprehend the skill fully in less than five days, while it will take the others around eight days. Not bad at all,'' Rowan thought. The next time Glenwood visits is in six days. By then, he would have trained captains ready for battle and would finally begin his n to take over Glenwood. Time ran by quickly. The hot afternoon sun disappeared from the sky as dusk began to settle in. At this moment, Rowan decided to dismiss his soldiers and return home. ..... AUTHOR NOTE: Join discord: invite/56VRp7MaEB Chapter 11: Winterseed -XI- "Rowan!!" As Rowan strolled towards his hut afterpleting his session with his soldiers, he heard Ri''s cheerful voice calling out to him and looked up. He saw Ri running towards him, her slender figure swaying gracefully with every step. He couldn''t help but notice the bouncy motion as her chest moved up and down. "Rowan, you left so early and didn''t eat the fruits I left for you," Riined as she hugged him. "You should take eating seriously, Rowan. I don''t want you to fall ill again." Due to the weak texture of their clothes, Rowan could feel the full softness of her chest pressed against his. As he hugged her, he brought his hand down to her waist, feeling the perkiness of her behind. It was a heavenly sensation. ''These weak clothes aren''t a bad idea if you think about it from another perspective,'' Rowan''s perverted thoughts rang out. ''It is a bad idea!!'' he soon changed his mind when he noticed that the bulge in his pants was getting bigger. But Rowan did not panic; he simply ended the hug before she could notice. Thanks to the poor light from the moon, she wouldn''t be able to see. "Don''t worry, I will eat more after I have a nice bath. Would you like to join me?" Ri''s face turned a beautiful shade of red as she interpreted his words in her mind. She couldn''t believe he would suggest such a thing. "W-what do you mean?" she asked, backing away with a red face. Under the moonlight, her blush couldn''t go unnoticed by Rowan''s shameless gaze, and he found her reaction very cute and innocent. The sudden zeal to break this innocence made his heart beat faster. "We used to bathe together when we were young, don''t you remember? You alwaysughed at my small winnie and all that. Now my winnie has grown, don''t you want to see it?" Rowan smirked. He fully understood that his words were not suited for someone as pure and innocent as Ri, but he continued, ensuring to paint a lewd picture in her mind to see her reaction. And just as predicted, Ri fell for it. Her blush became redder and hotter, and her breathing became ragged. She covered her face shyly and replied, "I don''t want to see your w-winnie." "Are you sure? It has gotten bigger and matured enough to start making children," Rowan continued teasing her. "G-Good night, I have changed the fruit, eat it." She couldn''t take his teasing anymore and ran away with her hands covering her ears. ''She can''t be this pure and innocent with such a wicked body,'' Rowan noted to himself before walking inside his hut to rx for the day. Entering his small hut, which only consisted of a big bedroom and a small bathroom, Rowan saw a basket of fruit lying on the stool beside his bed. He quickly recalled what Ri said before running away. This morning, he had left too early, even before Ri coulde serve breakfast. Throughout the day, his stomach had remained empty. It was only at this moment, seeing the fruit, that his stomach began to react, grumbling hungrily. Beside the basket of fruit, he also saw a wooden bowl containing food, still hot and spewing out steam, spreading a calm aroma across the room that increased his hunger. "I guess this was also prepared by Ri. She is indeed wife material. When all this is done, I will make sure to make her my first wife; she deserves it," Rowan whispered. Without wasting time, he took off his upper clothes, washed his hands, and proceeded to devour the food like a madman who had never tasted good food before. After devouring the soup, he couldn''t help butment on the splendid taste that made his stomach protest for more. ''Even with the scarcity of nice ingredients, she was able to prepare something so delicious, remarkable.'' Rowan grabbed an apple from the basket and began to chew on it, enjoying the taste of fresh fruit for the first time since he transmigrated. "Character status," he decided to check how much progress he had made. -------------------- TERRITORY ? Winterseed Vige (FF) ? AREA: 20 square kilometers ? POPULATION: 3,000+ ? RESOURCES: Timber, farnds, small river ? PERFORMANCE (Reveal) Rowan Winterseed ? AGE: 18 ? HEALTH: 100% ? POWER: FF-rank ? EVOLUTION POINT: 960,000 ? SKILLS: SS-rank 100x reward, SS-rank copy, SS-rank eyes of revtion, SS-rank merge, SS-rank beast taming, S-rank Super Voice, FF-rank sword master. ------------------ There were not many changes in his character status except for the new arrangement and the [PERFORMANCE] tab, which he already knew about. Aside from that, there was [Sword Master], which ruined his stats by being ranked FF. Rowan simply could not bear seeing such a weak skill among his stats. If he could, he wanted all his skills to be B-rank at least; only then would he be able to use them to their full efficiency. Not wasting time, he clicked the skill. [ Sword Master (FF): an activeption of basic sword attacks, when activated, increases efficiency and attack power with ded weapons by 25% ] [ Requirements to evolve skill - 50,000 evolution points ] "Evolve." DING! [ Congrattions, you have evolved a skill ] [ Sword Master (FF) ----> Sword Master (F) ] [ Requirements for next rank - 75,000 ] "Evolve." DING! [ Congrattions, you have evolved a skill ] [ Sword Master (F) -----> Sword Master (E) ] [ Requirements for next rank - 150,000 ] "Is there no way to keep on evolving the skill without me having to say ''evolve'' after each round?" [ NEGATIVE ] "Fuck, evolve again!" DING! [ Congrattions, you have evolved a skill ] [ Sword Master (E) -----> Sword Grandmaster (D) ] [ Requirements for next rank - 250,000 ] "Continue." [ Congrattions, you have evolved a skill ] [ Sword Grandmaster (D) -----> Sword Grandmaster (C) ] [ Requirements for next rank - 500,000 (Evolution Points: 435,000) ] [ Insufficient Evolution Points ] Rowan sighed, seeing the insufficient evolution points message. He was a little disappointed about how expensive it was to evolve the skill. However, he was still d he had been able to evolve his skill so much in such a short time. In the game, one can only evolve their skill every week, which is equivalent to a month in the game''s time. In his head, arge amount of data, including exclusive and amazing sword techniques, appeared. Curious, Rowan clicked the skill to view its new stats. [ Sword Grandmaster (C): Active sword skill,ption of genius sword moves. When activated, efficiency and attack power when using a ded weapon increases by 300% ] "Impressive." Rowan concluded. While his power is still at FF-rank, which is equivalent to that of an average man, this newly evolved skill changes everything. The skill increases his attack power with a sword threefold, significantly enhancing hisbat abilities. With this boost, Rowan would be able to wage war against five of Glenwood''s soldiers and win easily. "AHHHHH!! HELP!!!" Rowan was prepared to sleep when he suddenly heard a loud scream for help, followed by furthermotion! ----------------- AUTHOR NOTE Hey guys, we''re already 11 chapters into the novel. I would love to receive your honest opinions in the review andment sections, especially reviews. If we can get 5 reviews before the reset, I''ll release 3 new chapters! Chapter 12: Winterseed -XII- [ Your followers are disturbed ] [ Thirty of your followers have copsed due to fear ] [ Your followers pray for your divine intervention in the matter ] [ Your followers are escaping towards the north ] A series of red prompts shed before Rowan''s retina, indicating the precarious situation of his territory. "What the heck is happening?" Rowan wondered as he jumped out of bed, ready to go outside and see what was going on. As he reached for the door, he could hear the sounds of hurried footsteps outside his hut as the vigers ran helter-skelter, screaming and praying for help. Just from the hurried footsteps and the fearful tones of their voices, Rowan could tell that it wasn''t a simple situation. He couldn''t help but be even more curious to find out what was happening. Rowan was very close to the door when Brandon and Rnd, one of Rowan''s new captains, abruptly rushed into his hut with worry etched on their faces. Rnd, middle-aged and tall with a huge body, was imposing. Although Rowan had only known him for less than a week, he had already noticed how strong and reliable he was. Rnd is also one of the fastest learners of the [Sword Master] skill. Right now, he was dressed in a ragged robe, and a small sword was strapped to his waist. When Rnd and Brandon saw that Rowan was okay, they let out a collective sigh of relief. "Young lord, sorry for barging in without knocking. We were in a hurry to ensure you were safe and forgot to inform you of our entrance. I sincerely apologize," Rnd quickly said. Rowan nodded. He wasn''t really concerned about their abrupt entrance; he had already expected the soldiers to storm his hut before heading towards the source of the distress to keep him safe. At this moment, he was more concerned about the source of thismotion. Without wasting time, he sought answers from both of them. "We don''t know what is happening yet, young lord. But two of our captains and their soldiers are headed in that direction to protect the vigers. I also sent two of my men to watch out and report to me immediately," Rnd responded promptly. "We should head there as well. Who knows if it''s an ambush by those pathetic Glenwood soldiers?" Rowan suggested, and without waiting for their response, he began heading outside. "Young lord, it doesn''t look good out there. You should stay indoors. We don''t want anything happening to you," Rnd said, rushing towards Rowan to stop him. "Rnd is right. If they capture you, it will be the end of our vige. But if you are alive, our vige will have hope of revival," Brandon added. As Rnd and Brandon tried to stop Rowan from leaving, two young soldiers arrived in front of the hut, panting heavily from running. Rnd recognized the two soldiers as part of his squad, sent with the others to scout for danger and report back. Stepping outside, he asked, "What is the report?" "Greetings, young lord. Greetings, Capta¡ª" the two young men began, bowing and greeting Rowan with respect. "Spare the formalities and get on with the report," Rowan said impatiently, prompting them to speak faster. The young men nodded and began their report, starting with the almost unimportant details of their journey and how they got the information. It turned out they hadn''t reached the location of the chaos before discovering the cause from escaping vigers. No wonder they arrived so early. "Goblins!!" When Rowan heard the source of themotion, he couldn''t help but yell in shock. "Yes, my lord, there is only a small group of them, but they are very strong. We fear there is a bigger group ready to strike soon!" the young men said with shaky voices. "This is very bad! We haven''t made enough preparations against those vile little creatures. How are we going to survive this?" Brandon panicked. Just by his tone, one could tell how terrified he was of goblins. Even Rnd, a fearless soldier, had a worried look on his face as he observed Rowan, waiting for his response to the situation. As for Rowan, he was deep in his thoughts, recalling past events on Earth; back then, goblins were one heck of a monster for an FF-rank territory to handle. In fact, they were nicknamed the doomsday of FF-rank territories by gamers. Even some F-rank territory lords would find it difficult to handle them! Goblins are crafty little creatures with strength equivalent to a full-grown adult man. To be precise, one of them could craftily take down someone as huge and strong as Rnd! They are even more hazardous when they are in a group. Unfortunately and fortunately, Rowan didn''t get to face this monster as an FF-rank Lord in the game because his territory was way stronger than that when he started gaming. Even his weakest soldier back then could single-handedly take down a group of fifty goblins. However, now that he was an FF-rank lord, he couldn''t help but imagine the destruction those vile creatures would bring to his territory. ''That won''t happen on my watch! Those ugly little bastards will regret attacking my territory today!'' Rowan thought. "We are going there immediately!" he dered with a stern voice. Brandon and Rnd exchanged worried looks. They were aware of the immense danger ahead and didn''t want their beloved vige head to get involved. However, seeing how determined he was, they couldn''t help but let him be while rushing behind him. As Rowan made his way towards the south where the chaos was taking ce, he saw many vigers running in his direction. He saw women running with their babies, teenagers trying to rescue their crushes and escape with them, the elderly moving as fast as they could¡ªeveryone was escaping. With this amount of disorderliness, he would end up losing more followers to other territories than to the goblins. "Rnd, organize your men and station them at the north border to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the vige! I will apany the other captains to take care of the danger in the south while you ensure the escapees are safe." ..... AUTHOR NOTE: For those questioning why Rowan doesn''t use Beast taming. Not that it is BEAST taming, not MONSTER taming Chapter 13: Winterseed -XIII- It was the dark of the night, and havoc grew in Winterseed Vige, beginning from a simple scream of fear and instantly transforming into a chaotic scene as everyone ran for their lives. The moon hung in the sky, illuminating the vige with its crescent glow, providing enough light for the soldiers to fight and for the vigers to escape. Under the calm moonlight, Rowan, Brandon, and two young soldiers could be seen hurrying towards the battlefield. "Fucking hell! This is not good at all. Those bastards have seeded in turning my vige upside down!" Rowan cursed inwardly as he gazed upon the destroyed mold houses. On his right, the roof of a mold house was on fire, and on his left, several copsed mound housesy in ruins. Seeing this amount of destruction, Rowan understood that they were getting closer to the battlefield. After a few minutes, the sound of weapons shing reached their ears. A few steps more, and Rowan found himself facing a chaotic battle. Rowan''s breath caught as he took in the chaotic scene before him. He could see his soldiers dressed in their torn, dirty clothes fighting desperately, their faces were streaked with sweat and dirt as they fought with all their strenght. Despite their tiredness, they kept swinging their weapons, driven by sheer will. Battling against them were goblins¡ªugly, green-skinned creatures with sharp, yellow teeth. Their red eyes glowed with cruel joy as they grinned andughed. Some wore rough armor made from animal hides, while others were nearly naked, with only leaves covering their lower halves. The goblins held crude weapons¡ªwooden clubs, spears with crude metal tips, and jagged pieces of metal they used as swords. Even though their weapons were rough, with their naturally evolved strength, they were difficult to fight against. With their short size of about 4''4 andrge numbers, it became difficult for the soldiers who were trained to fight humans to battle against them. Rowan evaluated the battlefield for a few seconds before charging in with a grim look on his face. "Lord Rowan, you can''t go into the battlefield!!" Brandon chased after him, trying to hold him back. Brandon didn''t have any special fighting skills, so he was helpless and useless on a battlefield like this, especially against crafty goblins. While Brandon had no impressive skills of his own, he knew Rowan was the same¡ªRowan never had any proper battle practice before now. Even the sword moves he taught the soldiers were moves he said he learned from his father just by watching. How could he then battle against goblins? Rowan didn''t heed Brandon''s calls as he was dead set on ughtering these vile creatures that came to disturb his peaceful sleep. Rowan''s eyes scanned the battlefield, quicklynding on a badly injured soldier trying to crawl his way out of the fight for safety. The soldier had a small sword in his hands. As Rowan had no weapon of his own, he made a quick sprint for the soldier. "Young lord..." The soldier was shocked to see Rowan appear before him. "You did a good job, I will make use of your weapon for now." Rowan shed him a quick smile and spoke a few words of encouragement before grabbing his sword. [ Your soldier is touched and honoured by your words¡­ ] [ Your soldier is on the verge of tears.] Rowan disregarded the message and dashed toward the battlefield. Thanks to the moonlight, he was able to see clearly in the dark, and also, thanks to the short size and distinctive skin color of the goblins, he would be able to avoid injuring his own soldiers. [ Goblin - Health: 89% ] [ Special skill: Night Vision (Copy? YES | NO) ] [ Status: Happy ] Rowan set his eyes on his first goblin; it was fighting against a soldier,ughing happily as it craftily inflicted numerous injuries with its crooked spear. ''Hmm, I can even copy skills from monsters? Incredible!'' "Lord Rowan!!" The soldier, just like the others, was shocked when he saw Rowan charging towards him. "Let go of this one; I will take care of it. Go and assist the others." "Yes, Lord Rowan." The injured soldier stepped back, causing the goblin to tilt its ugly face towards Rowan with a grin. It was d that Rowan was uninjured and would like to change that. "Hehehe!" Laughing maniacally, the goblin sprinted toward Rowan, who was just six feet away from it. Rowan smirked, seeing the goblin charging with no caution. It had already taken Rowan as one of the weak soldiers, which instantly became an advantage for him. Wasting no time, he activated his offense. [ Sword Grandmaster activated on weapon! Attack power and efficiency have increased by 300%. ] Rowan could feel the short sword in his hand buzzing with invisible energy. The goblin was already close to Rowan and was stabbing its crooked spear toward his chest when Rowan''s hands moved swiftly, deflecting the attack with ease. "Hee?" The goblin was shocked that Rowan blocked its attack so easily. It took two swift steps backward and observed Rowan with questioning eyes beforeughing maniacally and attacking again, this time swinging the spear with all its strength. Rowan blocked quickly and immediately used his free hand to grab the wooden handle of the spear,pletely disorienting his opponent. While grabbing the spear, he rendered the goblin immobile for a short second, but that short second was all it took to sh its neck, decapitating it. With a thud, the headless body of the goblin fell to the ground, and its head rolled toward it as a pool of blood began to form beneath it. Beside the corpse of the goblin, Rowan noticed a small glowing piece of metal. It was blinking as if to draw Rowan''s attention toward it. [ You yed x1 goblin | +20 Evolution Points, +1 chunk of crude iron. ] [ 100x Reward activated; you have received 2000 Evolution Points, 100 chunks of crude iron. ] [ You''ve received your first item and unlocked INVENTORY. ] [ INVENTORY (STAGE 1): Store all items here... Avable slot: 1/10. ] [ You can now ess INVENTORY from your character status. ] ... AUTHOR NOTE! Thanks for reading till this point, for those readers confused why Rowan didn''t use his beast taming skill.. I would love to rify that his taming only works on beasts.. magical, demonic.. etc but not monsters! Chapter 14: Winterseed -XIV- After the goblin''s death, Rowan witnessed a shocking scene unfold beside its corpse. First, a small metal piece, about the size of a baby''s fist, suddenly appeared. Then, within seconds, the metal piece multiplied a hundredfold, forming a small mountain of metal beside the goblin''s lifeless body. Almost simultaneously, several prompts appeared before him: [ You yed x1 goblin | +20 Evolution Points, +1 chunk of crude iron. ] [ 100x Reward activated; you have received 2000 Evolution Points, 100 chunks of crude iron. ] [ You''ve received your first item and unlocked INVENTORY. ] [ INVENTORY (STAGE 1): Store all items here... Slot: 0/10. ] [ You can now ess INVENTORY from your character status. ] ''This is incredible! A hundred chunks of crude iron from just one goblin? This feels like a cheat code! If yers back on Earth heard about this, they''d be so jealous they might hang themselves!'' Rowan thought with excitement. But his jubtion was short-lived; the battle was still raging. He stretched his hand over the mountain of crude iron and muttered, "Store." As he spoke, a dim glow enveloped the crude iron, and the next second, it vanished. [ X100 Crude Irons stored in Inventory ] Rowan turned back to the battlefield. His soldiers were beyond exhausted after battling the goblins for more than thirty minutes. Surviving that long against these vile creatures was a miracle, given the ghastly injuries many had already sustained. Hungry for evolution points and more crude iron, Rowan stepped onto the battlefield and began ughtering every goblin in his path. Standing at a distance, Brandon watched in shock as Rowan dominated the battle, his mouth agape. How could this be? Brandon had known Rowan since he was an infant and had watched him grow into the man he was today. But never had he seen Rowan lift a weapon, not even a kitchen knife, and yet here he was, dominating the battlefield like a seasoned sword emperor who had fought countless battles. He couldn''t help but wonder what had happened. Since Rowan recovered from his illness, he had be invincible. He was now exceptionally intelligent, even outsmarting his own father, who was considered a great lord. His decisions left everyone in awe of his newfound wisdom. Not just Brandon, but the soldiers were also puzzled by how extraordinary their lord had be. They watched him fight, each swing of his sword making them wonder if their young lord had suddenly gained the memories of a thousand-year-old sword emperor. While they were in awe of this fantastic moment, Ri came dashing towards them, her beautiful face filled with worry and remorse. Tears gathered in her eyes, threatening to fall at any moment. As she approached, she couldn''t help but notice the heated battle between humans and goblins, the same goblins that had taken the life of her beloved father. Their ugly faces reminded her of the day her father''s mutted corpse was returned from the border, his body barely recognizable after being brutalized by those vile creatures. It was a day she could never forget¡ªthe day she lost her only family and gained a new one in Rowan. But on this chaotic night, she feared she might lose yet another family to the same monsters. "Rowan!" she called out in panic, her voice quickly catching Brandon''s attention. Brandon and the injured soldiers beside him turned toward Ri, concern etched on their faces. It was not a good idea for a woman to approach a battlefield filled with goblins! "Ri? What are you doing here? You should be at the north side with the other vigers!" Brandon hurried towards her, trying to caution her. But Ri was too worried about Rowan to heed his warning. "Where is Rowan? I went to his ce and was told he''s here! Why did you let hime? Have you forgotten that he''s not ready yet? Do you want him dead?" She vented her frustration and anger at Brandon, unable to believe that someone as wise as him would allow Rowan to take such a risky move. Brandon, knowing how close she was to Rowan, quickly understood her worries as he too was concerned from the start and even tried to stop Rowan from joining the battle. But now, he decided to reprimand her foring to the battlefield. "I understand how much you care for Lord Rowan, but you need to care for yourself as well. Goblins are not creatures women should get close to, especially young, beautiful women like yourself..." Brandon went on, reminding her of the horrific past where women had been kidnapped by goblins and R**** until they lost their sanity and became nothing but useless vessels of their past selves. Ri listened, but her eyes were scanning the battlefield, searching desperately for Rowan. Her heart pounded, refusing to rest until she saw that Rowan was alive and well. As she scanned the area, her eyes locked onto a figure moving skillfully across the chaos, swinging his sword at every goblin he encountered, cutting them down with a single, clean sh. The darkness made it hard to recognize him at first, but she could see his de gleaming, dancing harmonically in the night, obliterating his opponents with ease. After about ten seconds of desperate observation, she finally recognized him. "Is that Rowan?" she asked, interrupting Brandon''s ongoing fatherly advice. ''What! She wasn''t even listening to me!'' he thought. "Yes, that''s Rowan. See, you had nothing to worry about," Brandon replied. "The young lord is impressive... there was no need for you to worry. You should leave now before those vile creatures set their eyes on you and try to capture you." He tried his best to make Ri listen to his words, but it was futile¡ªher eyes were glued to Rowan. [ Your soldiers are motivated by your valiant actions... ] [ Your followers are astonished ] [ Your followers wonder if you are another person ] [ One of your followers wishes that you get stabbed in the heart and die! ] Meanwhile, as Rowan fought, incessant messages from the system kept popping up every second. He ignored them all until his eyesnded on one. ''WTF! Someone wants me dead in this battle? Who could that be?'' Chapter 15: Winterseed -XV- After about two hours, the battle between Winterseed and the goblins finally ended with Winterseed miraculously emerging victorious. It was past midnight. The moon still hung in the sky, casting its dim crescent glow over the vige. The soldiers of Winterseed could be seen leaping across the battlefield,ughing and celebrating the war they had just won. They lifted their weapons high in the air and danced around the corpses of the goblins, their shoulders linked together in shared triumph. Some soldiers circled around Rowan, who stood in the middle of the battlefield with a calm, triumphant smile on his face, praising and thanking him for rescuing them from the tight clutches of death. Though exhausted from the long fight, it didn''t stop them from celebrating. It was a joyous moment. Rowan stood in their midst with a triumphant smile, but that smile wasn''t from the war he had just won but from the windows popping in front of him, carrying messages of his rewards. [ Your territory has sessfully eradicated SMALL GROUP OF GOBLINS! Your rewards have arrived... ] [ You have unlocked a new reward: MYSTERY CARDS ] [ MYSTERY CARD: Special Reward granted at the end of important achievements.. each card contains random rewards ranging from evolution points to special ability. ] [ You have received x1 Basic-grade Mystery card ] [ 100x Reward activated! 100 Basic-grade Mystery Cards ] DING! [ Mystery cards have been stored in INVENTORY ] Seeing the rewards, the smile on Rowan''s face broadened. In his previous life, he had only been able to obtain less than ten mystery cards throughout his gaming journey, and most of them were basic-grade ones, which are the lowest grade of mystery cards. Nevertheless, the rewards in those mystery cards, despite its low grade, became an important asset in his kingdom-building journey in Emperors Domain. Aside from the lowest basic-grade, there aremon, umon, rare, epic, legendary, and the highest grade¡ªDivine! A single Legendary-grade mystery card could boost an FF-rank lord into a C-rank lord in less than a week with the reward stored in it, and the same applies to territory. As for Divine-grade mystery cards, they would boost the same Lord into S-rank in the same amount of time, maybe even shorter. Just thinking about what he might obtain from the basic ones he got was already filling him with a lot of thrills that he couldn''t help but reveal a crazed grin. Sadly, he could not take them out now. He needed to be alone before he could check them out. [ One of your followers wishes you death ] [ One of your followers feels disgusted at your grin ] ''This should be the same person who wished me death earlier during the heat of the battle. This person is nearby, judging that he can see me grin right now, but who the heck is this person?'' Rowan looked around him, observing the faces of the soldiers, but he could not find anyone who stood out among the other soldiers. All of them looked equally happy and danced around, jubting. He even went as far as using his [Eyes of Revtion] to check the status of all the soldiers on sight, but they all had the ''Happy'' status. ''Could this person be a mole sent by another vige, or someone who simply loathes my existence?'' Rowan wondered. At that moment, Brandon and a worried Ri approached Rowan. "Rowan!" Ri''s voice trembled as she called out to him. She rushed to him, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "Do you have any idea how terrified I was? You shouldn''t have left the house, not with those goblins swarming the vige! What if something had happened to you?" Her voice wavered, betraying the fear and worries she had held back during the battle. Rowan smiled and epted her hug with gratitude. He was very happy that someone cared for him this much, especially someone from the opposite gender. In his previous life, Rowan had a lot of intimate activities with beautifuldies, even famous celebrities, but never built a rtionship with any of them. Thus, he was pretty new to having someone care this much about him, and he couldn''t deny that he cherished it so much. Some of the soldiers stopped and watched the interaction between Rowan and Ri with smiles on their faces. Most of them already knew about the close rtionship between the two of them when they were young. They already expected both of them to marry when they were old enough, and now seemed to be the perfect time. They whispered among themselves, wishing their young lord a merry rtionship. [ Your soldiers wish that you have a good time tonight ] [ Your soldiers pray for unlimited stamina while doing it ] [ Your soldiers agree in their minds that she is a worthy candidate ] Rowan raised an eyebrow, ''These fuckers! How dare they doubt my stamina!!'' He separated from Ri and gazed upon the faces of the soldiers, each of them having a proud smile on their faces, gazing at him. Even Brandon nodded at him, approving his rtionship soundlessly. Rowan sighed; they weren''t wrong. A good Lord deserves a good wife... good wives! He took an extra gaze around and finally announced. "You were all incredible today," Rowan said, his voice strong yet warm. "We fought as one, and because of that, we sent those goblins back to the hell they crawled out of. You''ve saved our vige. I couldn''t be prouder of each and every one of you." "Thank you, Lord Rowan! May your reign be long and fruitful!" Everyone responded in a loud voice. "Amen to that! We should get back to our homes and have a good night''s rest. For those of you whose homes were destroyed by those vile creatures, do not worry; I will build you a better and stronger house soon! One where you will be able to sleep without any fear of someone breaking in!" "You are the best, Lord Rowan!" Those whose homes were destroyed became really excited and looked forward to their new homes. The soldiers were dismissed after a brief discussion. Everyone returned to their various homes. Rowan, Brandon, and Ri were escorted to the north side to meet the other viges to inform them of the victory. After a few hours, Winterseed vige finally returned to its peaceful self. Since all the soldiers were beyond exhausted, no one guarded the borders. No one was afraid, though; they had already faced a bigger danger, and the odds of something else happening were very low. Chapter 16: Winterseed -XVI- After everyone left for their various homes, Rowan escorted Ri to her quarters, which were just beside his own hut. Even with the memory of this world''s Rowan, he hadn''t realized that they lived so close to each other. This was mainly because neither of them had much free time and were rarely home, except at night. And even at night, Rowan was always busy. After ensuring Ri was safely indoors, Rowan returned to his room, eager to see what the mystery cards held for him. Once inside his hut, he locked the door and strolled happily to his bed. "Open inventory." ----- [ INVENTORY - Avable spots 8/10 ] Crude Iron x900 Basic-grade Mystery card x100 ----- ''I can''t believe I have this much crude iron from just one small battle. It would have taken ages to obtain this much on Earth. Unfortunately, I have no blueprint avable yet; otherwise, these would have been extremely useful,'' Rowan let out a short sigh. He had no crafting knowledge, and his territorycked professionals in the crafting aspect. If he did, with this much raw material, he would have been able to create bulk quantities of useful equipment. ''I hope I get some blueprints from these mystery cards,'' he thought. Without hesitating, he went with what was important at this moment. "Open mystery cards." DING! [ You have arge number of mystery cards. You can open MAX: 20 at a time... Continue; YES/NO ] Rowan would have loved to open the mystery cards one at a time, but it requires patience and time¡ªtwo resources he simply didn''t have right now. Thus, without a single hesitation, he agreed. A window appeared before his eyes, featuring 20 shiny bronze rectangr cards. The 20 cards flipped, and their contents were revealed in a separate window, making it easier and more efficient. ----- [ Opening x20 mystery cards ] Revealing content... ?x11 Basic-grade swords ?x3 Basic-grade spears ?x1 Skill book ?30,000 evolution points have been added to your status ----- The rewards disyed before Rowan. The weapons and the skill book floated midair with a dim glow wrapped around them, making them look like something out of a virtual reality game. Seeing the contents, Rowan wasn''t that ecstatic. Except for the skill book and the evolution points, the other rewards weren''t that impressive, but it was still better than the content he would have gotten if he did not possess [100x Rewards]. Firstly, he observed the stats of the weapons with [Eye of Revtion], and they weren''t that bad, but they weren''t that good either¡ªjust normal weapons with a minor 10% boost in attack powers. It wasn''t that impressive; using such weapons would only be advantageous against same-level opponents when the wielder possessed superior technique or greater powers. Rowan simply stored the weapons in his inventory. As for the skill book, Rowan tried to view its stat, but it was impossible. For unknown reasons, [Eyes of Revtion] refused to activate on it. ''Perhaps the content remains a mystery until I open it.'' With no other option, he grabbed the skill book from midair, and the glow surrounding it immediately vanished. The book was slim and had a shiny back. Rowan couldn''t help but wonder how skill books functioned in reality, since in the game they only needed a simple key click to reveal their book''s content. [ SKILL BOOK: Grants a random skill. Once learned, the book bes nk and useless. | NOTE: If the skill is unlearned, the book can be transferred to a follower for manual learning. ] ''This is new; in the game, it was impossible to share a skill book with followers. But system, would I automatically learn the skill after opening the book like in the game? Because I don''t want to risk learning it and having to teach them myself,'' Rowan asked. He waited, but there was no response from the system, so he decided to just open the book and see what would happen. If he auto-learned the skill, he could easily transfer it to his followers, but it would take time. As Rowan opened the skill book, a bright light shed, making him squint. The light was so intense that he had to shield his eyes. The air around him buzzed with energy, and it felt like something Rowan had never felt before¡ªit was exhrating. After a few seconds, the blinding light vanished, and glowing texts appeared on the only page of the book. [ THREADMASTER APPRENTICE TRAINING: Increases the efficiency and effectiveness of training new tailors by 300% | This skill is unranked and can''t be upgraded (Learn skill? YES/NO) ] ''A skill for tailors¡ªnot bad. I already have someone in mind to give this to,'' Rowan thought. In this vige, there are fewer than ten people who are experts when ites to sewing, and Ri is one of them. In fact, she possesses the best sewing skills. With a skill like this, Ri would be able to raise new tailors from the interested vigers, and when the vige gets a proper supply of clothing materials, those tailors would y a good role in making more clothes in a shorter time. As clothing is one of the main issues of the vige, Rowan could not help but be happy with the new skill. Thankfully, he did not automatically learn the skill as he suspected. He just has to store the book for now and pass it to Ri the next time he sees her. After the first set of mystery cards, Rowan became even more impatient to reveal the content of the other mystery cards. ----- [ Opening x20 mystery cards ] Revealing content... ?x18 Basic-grade swords ?x1 Beast Egg ----- "A beast egg!!" Rowan jumped up with excitement in his eyes, finally, something that interests him has appeared! --------------- AUTHOR NOTE: Hey everyone, sorry for thete update. I''ve been busy preparing a stockpile for this book while also working on two new projects. I''ll let you know when they''re ready. Thanks for reading!! --------------- Chapter 17: Winterseed -XVII- "Beast eggs!" Rowan''s voice trembled with excitement as he leaped to his feet, his eyes locking onto the egg that hovered in the air before him. This was the moment he had longed for¡ªhis first step into the world of beast taming. As someone with a powerful beast taming skill, receiving a beast egg was an invaluable experience. And as someone who had never tried beast taming before, Rowan''s joy was even greater. Without wasting time, he reached for the egg, his face alight with excitement. He couldn''t wait to see what kind of beast it held and what special power it might possess. The beast egg was about the size of a baby''s head, and Rowan had to use both hands to hold it carefully; dropping it would render it useless. As Rowan observed the egg, information about it quickly appeared before him. [Beast egg: Contains random magical beast -->Time to hatch: 72 hours] Seeing the lengthy hatch time, Rowan wasn''t bothered and immediately activated his beast taming skill on it. DING! [Your SS-rank beast taming skill has activated... The hatching period has been reduced! (New time to hatch: 30 seconds)] The next 30 seconds felt like an eternity as Rowan watched the egg. What kind of creature would emerge? Would it be strong? What abilities would it have? His mind raced with possibilities. A faint crackling sound suddenly broke the silence, and a small crack appeared on the egg''s surface. The crack spread, snaking across the shell. Rowan leaned in, his heart pounding with anticipation. Tiny pieces of the shell began to fall away, revealing a soft glow inside. The light grew brighter as more of the egg broke apart. Finally, with a sharp crack, the top of the egg split open, and a small creature began to emerge, still partially hidden in the glowing light. Rowan watched with excitement, eager to meet his newpanion. The newly hatched creature hovered in the air, its small, gray body perfectly smooth and unblemished. Its skin was soft, almost velvety, with tiny patches of fur starting to appear along its back and limbs. It observed Rowan with a gaze filled with innocent curiosity and a hint of yful mischief. From its appearance, it was easy to tell it was male. DING! [Beast egg hatched sessfully] [Revealing details] --- Nickname: N/A Race: Ashfire Wolf Foundation realm (Low-stage) Unlocked skills: Fireball (Lv 1); can shoot a fist-sized fireball with a cooldown time of 3 hours. --- [You''ve tamed your first divine beast] [You''ve unlocked divine beast in] [Beast in: A pocket dimension with suitable conditions and adequate energy for all divine beasts] "Ashfire Wolf!! These beasts were incredibly popr in the game; they started out weak but became extremely powerful as they grew stronger and older! I can''t believe I got this from a basic mystery card!" Rowan rejoiced. It took a lot of self-control to keep himself from screaming in excitement. A skill book and a beast egg after opening 40 mystery cards was not bad at all! ''If 40 had these two, then thest 60 must contain something even more precious, like blueprints!'' he thought, ncing at his new pet. The Ashfire puppy was still looking at Rowan with its big, adorable eyes. The curiosity in its gaze remained, but there was a hint of annoyance, as if it was disappointed in Rowan for leaving it hanging for so long. "Come here, little one," Rowan said softly, reaching out a hand toward the creature with a gentle smile. "ze... That''s what I''ll call you," Rowan continued, his voice filled with determination. "You''re going to grow strong, and we''ll see what kind of magic you can really wield." DING! [Nickname ''BLAZE'' confirmed] Rowan ignored the system message, staring at the puppy in his possession with a calm smile. At this moment, he felt like a father whose wife had just given birth. As for little ze, the annoyance in its gaze intensified with each passing second. [Your pet is furious] [Your pet is hungry] [Your pet wonders what sort of father you are] [Your pet asks, ''Do you want me to die of hunger?''] Rowan could only stare at these prompts with a nk expression as he realized a major problem: what would he feed his pet? --- While Rowan experienced a whirlwind of emotions opening his mystery cards, something different was unfolding in Glenwood. It waste at night, and the moon still hung in the sky. Inside a spacious, luxurious bedroom with intricate details adorning the walls and arge bed, the very fat Lord Faginy sprawled, hisrge figure nearly covering the bed as he twisted his body in ways that seemed impossible. His annoyingly loud snores echoed through the room. Standing beside his bed were two beautiful women, their dark gazes fixed on his sleeping form as their minds wandered, contemting their next actions. Both women were striking, with long, luscious ck hair and faces that entuated their maturity. One looked older, seemingly in her early thirties, while the younger one appeared to be in her early twenties. The older woman was ra, and the younger was Liara. ra and Liara were the same women who had been taken from Winterseed because of their beauty and brought to Glenwood to serve its perverted Lord. They were also present when Wara and his men reported to Lord Fagin about their visit to Winterseed. After spending over two years in this hellish ce, both women began to long for home. But escape seemed almost impossible; they were weak and would likely be tortured if caught trying to flee. Nevertheless, they never lost hope, believing their lord woulde and save them. But this hope was shattered when they received the report. So tonight, they decided to take fate into their own hands. Standing on the right side of the bed, ra clutched a small knife in her hands. One didn''t need to think twice to guess what she was about to do. Standing opposite her, Liara looked terrified and worried. "ra, are we really¡­ Are we really going to do this?" she asked, her voice trembling as she nced nervously at the door. "I can''t take it anymore; I''ve waited long enough," ra muttered, her grip tightening on the knife. "I can''t sit by and hope anymore, Liara. We have to take matters into our own hands." Hearing her reply, Liara felt helpless. She was afraid of getting in trouble with these people. She wanted nothing more than to kill this fat bastard after all he had done to her, but she knew it was impossible to do so and get away with it. As for ra, she had already made up her mind. She lifted the knife above Lord Fagin''s body, ready to stab him. Her heart pounded in her chest, a part of her still hoping for another way. But that hope had long been extinguished¡ªthere was no oneing to save them. Sadly, before she could get her revenge, the door creaked open, and two guards walked in. Hearing the creaking sound, ra swiftly hid the knife beneath her dress, while Liara shivered in fear, even though she wasn''t the one holding the knife. The guards looked at both of them with suspicious gazes. "What are you two still doing here?" they asked in low voices, trying not to wake their sleeping Lord. "Lord Fagin asked us to stay beside him while he rested. If you want, we could leave now," ra quickly replied. The guards continued to eye them suspiciously before moving toward the bed to wake Lord Fagin. ra quickly signaled Liara, and both women swiftly left the room before Lord Fagin could awaken. After a series of calls and soft taps from the guards, Lord Fagin finally rose, his furious eyes ring at them. "Sorry for waking you, Lord Fagin, but the spy from Winterseed is here," the guards quickly exined. "Was that why you had to wake me up? Can''t you listen to his report and pass it on to me when I awake?" Lord Fagin grumbled, a deep frown on his face. "We did as you said, my lord, but he refused. He ims he has very important, juicy information that he must deliver directly to you." Lord Fagin''s eyes narrowed as he sat up, his annoyance reced by cold curiosity. "Juicy information, huh? This better be worth my time." His voice was a low growl as he motioned for the guards to bring the informant in, his mind already racing with different possibilities. ----- AUTHOR''S NOTE: Sorry, guys, I couldn''t update yesterday because I was busy with my new book, which I have already published: (I Can Bind and Absorb Characters.) But don''t worry, I will release two chapters at once! The next one wille in ten minutes! Chapter 18: Winterseed -XVIII- Rowan, oblivious to the plot building up against him in Glenwood Vige, continued staring at ze with a nk expression on his face while ze stared back with anger evident in his face. "So what kind of food should I feed you with?" Rowan asked curiously, as he really had no idea what he was going to feed his pet with. As if understanding his question, ze''s furious gaze became even more intense. It let out a soft but furious growl and then lunged at Rowan''s hand, trying to bite him, but its small teeth barely touched Rowan''s skin. Rowan held ze up and just stared at it while it iled in the air, squeaking and swiping its little ws, trying hard to reach him but failing. "Calm down, little guy. I will get something for you to eat very soon! Alright? Your popsy is very poor right now, but you should be happy I still took you in and did not throw you away like some scumbag dads." Despite Rowan''s words, ze continued to swipe its little ws in the air angrily. At this moment, Rowan realized he would go through a whole lot of drama with ze, and he was ready for it. After a few minutes of iling and fussing, ze finally settled down, reluctantly allowing Rowan to cradle it in his arms, but it was still very annoyed. In truth, it wasn''t really that hungry; after hatching, all divine beasts receive a sustainable amount of nutrition that sustains them for a really long time before they can fend for themselves, especially the flesh-eating divine beasts¡ªze was simply acting too much. Rowan patted ze''s head, but instead of getting a calm and lovable reaction, he almost got his fingers bitten by his mischievous toothless pet. He could only nod his head and proceed with opening his mystery cards, hoping to get a better reward. ----- [ Opening x20 mystery cards ] Revealing content... ?x20 Basic-grade swords ----- Seeing this one made Rowan frown as he didn''t get any sort of special rewards like the first two. He wondered if the rest would be like this. ----- [ Opening x20 mystery cards ] Revealing content... ?x5 Basic-grade swords ?x5 Basic-grade spears ?100,000 evolution points have been added to your status ----- "Damnit." Rowan cussed out inaudibly. At this point, he began to lose hope that the next and final round of mystery cards would contain anything useful. What he needed the most at this moment are blueprints, so he would be able to use the crude irons in his possession. Rowan would also appreciate some sort of fertilizers or maybe raw material for clothing, but that is very unlikely toe out of a basic-grade mystery card. Before opening the final round, he prayed in his heart to whosoever controls his luck to bless him with good luck. "Reveal thest set," hemanded and watched with hopeful eyes as the rewards were revealed before him. ----- [ Opening x20 mystery cards ] Revealing content... ?x5 Basic-grade food pills ?x7 Basic-grade swords ?80,000 evolution points have been added to your status ----- Seeing the rewards, his expression dampened as there was no blueprint among it. He was really hoping to get one. However, on a second thought, these rewards were actually good, especially the glowing green pills hovering in the air ahead of him. Even ze looked especially excited as he saw the green pills floating in the air, his eyes widened greedily and a single line of drool slid down from its mouth. [ Food pill (Basic-grade): A very good nutrition for divine beasts. When eaten, it prevents hunger for twenty-four hours. ] Twenty-four hours per pill wasn''t that bad, with this time and the amount of pill Rowan has, he wouldn''t have to worry about feeding ze for at least five days. Coincidentally, those five days were all he had to prepare before the next arrival of the Glenwood soldiers. It felt as though the cards had reserved these rewards just for him. *Growl* ze started growling hungrily at the sight of the food pill. Rowan, noticing its reaction, had no choice but to feed it one. He took one of the food pills, saving the others along with the swords in his inventory. He tossed the pill into the air, and ze quickly leapt from his arms to catch it midair,nding softly on the bed. It began devouring the pill almost immediately, an ecstatic look on its face. After finishing the pill, zey on the bed, twisting its body as if asking Rowan to pick it up. When Rowan saw this, he couldn''t help but feel a strong urge to starve his mischievous pet. Earlier, it had protested when he tried to carry it, but now that it was full, it wanted him to pick it up. ze kept rolling on the bed and even let out soft and cute growls, trying even harder to make Rowan pick it up. Rowan scoffed and opened the divine beast in, a blue-colored swirling portal suddenly appeared beneath ze. Before ze could even protest, it was swallowed by the portal and was transferred into the divine beast in. Through the sensory link, Rowan could see the beast in through ze''s eyes. It was breathtakingly beautiful, a vast expanse of nature that seemed untouched by time. It was a very vast and beautiful natural habitat with tall trees and beautiful carpet grasses that crawled on the surface. From ze''s vision, Rowan could see a big river flowing and a tall mountain far away. If Rowan should approximate the size of this ce based on what he has seen, this ce should be as big as the smallest continent on earth. As Rowan was observing through ze, he noticed that ze had already gotten used to the new ce and was jumping around happily. Wasting no time, he called off the sensory link and proceeded to have a nice rest. This night has been the busiest since he transmigrated. There would be other harsher nights but he was sure he would be strong enough by then. ----- AUTHOR NOTE: Thanks for reading, do not forget to check out ''I Can Bind And Absorb Characters'' and leave reviews andments about your take on it. Do not forget to leave some power stones Chapter 19: Winterseed -XIX- It is a new morning, and the vigers are happily returning to their various farnds with pride and happiness. After hearing how their young lord defended themst night from the hands of goblins, their hope of getting their vige revived to its peak increased, and they were all ready to work towards it. On a random street in Winterseed, arge group of vigers could be seen marching towards their farnds with happy smiles on their faces as they discussed. "Who could have thought that our young lord would be blessed with immense sword knowledge after resurrecting?" a man said to his colleagues with a proud smile. He is one of the soldiers whom Rowan rescued yesterday. "Haha... our vige is blessed. Before, my hope that we would be freed from Glenwood''s very was low, but now my hopes are high! I believe Lord Rowan will make Winterseed a big name again!" his colleague replied. "Today, I will train very hard toprehend that sword technique he is currently teaching us and make sure to impress him!" the young soldier clenched his fist and said with determination. "But did you hear the discussions by the captainsst night?" one suddenly asked. "Huh, what is it? You know I wasn''t around the captains too much," the other replied with a curious expression. "Yeah, I knew that. You were away guarding the vigers, and when you were away, the captains had a brief discussion. They believe arger group of goblins will attack very soon, and there''s a 50/50 chance a hobgoblin will be leading them." "Hobgoblin?" "Yes, that''s what they said. But the chances are low; they might note with therger group, but we should still prepare for the worst." This was the discussion of two young soldiers who escorted the vigers to their farnds. Among therge group approaching the farm, there were others who discussed different topics, especially how Rowan told them he would build their houses very soon and the fact that their vige would soon have a big war against Glenwood. Following these discussions from the vigers, a lot of windows popped up in front of Rowan, summarizing their conversations and also informing him about certain important details. [ One of your followers prays continuously for your downfall. ] [ One of your followers voices out his hate for you. ] At this point, Rowan was already used to this specific message popping up every now and then, making him wonder who the hell hates him this much and why he hasn''t been able to find them. However, he was very happy to receive these kinds of messages. If not, he would have fallen into a big trap in the uing war. Taking his attention off the system, Rowan''s eyes fell on the door, which creaked open at that moment as Ri''s pretty figure walked in, holding a tray of food. A beautiful smile appeared on her face when her eyes met Rowan''s. "Good morning, Rowan! I brought you something to eat!" Ri greeted with a cheerful and angelic voice as she strolled towards Rowan, who was standing beside his bed. Rowan couldn''t help but smile. It was very early in the morning, and she was already bringing him food, which could only mean that she had woken up very early to prepare it. He was very grateful for that. He watched as Ri squatted innocently and ced the tray of food on the small stool beside his bed. However, her figure was too wicked to do something innocent without triggering a reaction from Rowan. As she squatted, her soft clothes hugged tightly against her figure, entuating her curves. Seeing this, Rowan couldn''t resist the urge to spank her. He lifted his right hand and gave her a light tap, causing a low spanking sound to spread across a small radius. Feeling the gentle tap on her behind, Ri''s face turned red hot as she flushed profusely. She stood up abruptly and stared at Rowan with a flustered expression, which made her really cute. "Thank you for waking up so early to prepare something for me to eat, Ri." Rowan smiled at her and thanked her, acting as though he hadn''t just teased her behind. "Rowan~," she let out in a low tone, her face still red as she wasn''t used to being touched in such a manner, especially by Rowan, who she had a crush on. Seeing her flustered expression, Rowan continued to tease her verbally. "What, Ri? You know you''re so pretty, and I couldn''t contain myself anymore. We''re both adults now, remember? Our urge to do it and procreate when we see those we love bes higher and harder to resist." He spoke in a low and charming tone as he stepped closer to her. "When all this is over, I want you to be the first woman in my life and carry my babies," he continued. As he stepped closer to the flustered Ri, he pulled her in for a romantic hug, wrapping his hands around her waist and pressing her body against his. As he hugged her, he patted her hair lovingly as her head gently rxed on his chest. "Remember when we were young, you promised to be the mother of my unborn kids? Now is the time to keep that promise." While patting her, he whispered in her ear, his whisper summoning an electrifying sensation within her. Unable to hold back any longer, Ri quickly pulled away from his embrace. Her slender hands reached for his head, drawing it down as she stretched her body to press a deep kiss against his lips. As Ri''s lips met his, she closed her eyes, savoring the warmth and softness of the moment. Her heart raced as she poured all her unspoken feelings into the kiss, her body leaning into his as if drawn by an invisible force. For a brief second, Rowan was stunned by her sudden fierceness, his eyes wide with surprise. He hadn''t expected her to act so boldly and initiate their first kiss. But his initial shock disappeared as he epted her kiss and reciprocated it. Ri was new to kissing, and her kiss was somewhat amateurish, but Rowan preferred it that way¡ªit was better for him to teach her than for her to already be experienced. Rowan''s hands moved swiftly, one settling on her waist, the other gently cupping the back of her head, pulling her closer as he slowly dominated her mouth with his tongue. Both of them enjoyed a passionate kiss thatsted for more than a minute before Ri realized what she was doing and shyly pulled away. She was so deep into her feelings a minute ago that she didn''t realize what she was doing until now. "I... I can''t believe I just did that!" she eximed, her voice trembling as she tried to steady her breathing. Without waiting for Rowan to respond, she spun around on her heel, her feet moving on their own as she bolted towards the door. "I have to go!" Rowan simply watched as her gracious figure bolted out of the room with a smile on his face. "Hehe, this is what I''m talking about! An innocent wife who doesn''t even understand how to disy her love and lust. The next time we meet in private, she might try to exin herself or explore that same feeling. I don''t mind teaching her¡ªshe''s my woman, after all," he said to himself. But then he realized something important. "Fuck, I forgot to give her the skill book!" he cussed loudly. He was too focused on his lust that he forgot the skill book. Well, he couldn''t really me himself¡ªshe was just too adorable. Letting out a sigh, he walked towards his bed to eat breakfast, but before he could sit back and eat, the door opened. Brandon and Rnd walked in with questioning expressions on their faces. "We saw Ri running out of here. Was there a problem?" Rnd asked curiously as he observed Rowan''s lips and noticed the wetness. Rowan only smiled and replied, "No problem at all." But his response made the men even more suspicious. [ Your captain looks at you with suspicious eyes. ] [ Your assistant sarcastically thinks there''s definitely a problem. ] Chapter 20: Winterseed -XX- The day went smoothly, Rowan started by apanying Rnd and Brandon to the southern border, which is the closest to the farms and where the goblins attackedst night. Their assumption was that the goblins would attack again, and they would pass through this side of the vige since it is surrounded by vegetation, and beyond it, there is a very big forest that none of the vigers have dared to explore in the past few years. Rowan suggested that they venture into the forest, cut down trees, and use the timber to construct a strong fence around this area to prevent goblins from attacking again and also to prevent Ratax from stealing their crops. Brandon was against the idea. ording to him, going into the forest at this time would be a very bad decision as they might not survive. Rnd agreed, but he wasn''t sure about his decision. In the end, Rowan made another decision to build a tall guardhouse around this area. They would station guards there at night to keep watch and inform them each time they spotted anything strange. Of course, this wouldn''t just be on the south border but on every major one. With this, the problem of the defenseless border was solved, but there were other bigger problems, including food, shelter, and mainly the suppression from Glenwood. While these problems were significant, Rowan didn''t panic at all and decided to solve them gradually. Worrying and rushing to solve the problem would only result in costly mistakes that might require starting over. To prevent this, he decided to take it slow. Before Rowan left the farnds, the farmers rushed toward him andined about the water supply¡ªit had badly affected their crops, with most of them dying due to the inadequate water supply, and some were experiencing slow growth. "I am already aware of this issue, be patient with me. When we are done defeating Glenwood, we will take back control of the river," Rowan assured them. The farmers agreed, but they were still concerned about the high rate of low productivity in their crops. --- After leaving the farnds, Rowan rushed to the vige square, where the youth were already waiting for him, and began training them with [Sword Master]. Sadly, he could only teach them the lowest level of the skill because it was impossible to impart such an advanced skill to these soldiers who were still FF-rank in terms of power. Rowan was different from them, he could advance his skill without limit at any stage. Fortunately, this brought up a new and very important question for Rowan¡ªhow would he be able to help his soldiers evolve? [ Your soldiers would be able to evolve by cultivating special techniques that involve training their inner powers. ] Luckily, the system was there to answer him this time. ''And how do I obtain this special technique?'' he asked. Three seconds passed, and there was no response from the system. He could only sigh, it seems he would have to figure that out himself. He turned to observe the soldiers, who were training with a lot of determination on their faces. Rnd and the other five captains stood in front, practicing at a speed and with a determination that outmatched that of the other soldiers. Theprehension of the technique had improved drastically among the soldiers, especially among the captains. Two captains had reached 50%, while Rnd and two other captains were already at 60%. Two days from now, they would be able to wield the skill and unlock its full potential, then they would take on the role of teaching their soldiers. Rowan was very proud of their speed, though he knew it was mainly due to his disyst night. The more he observed them training vigorously, the more impressed he was, and the more hopeful he became that they would win the war against Glenwood. ''But I fear that we have a mole in our midst,'' he thought to himself. Those series of hateful messages he got could only mean there is either a spy in their midst or someone who is after his position. He was not entirely sure about the first one, but he could not stake the survival of his vige by neglecting that possibility. If there was a mole in their midst, the best solution would be to root them out. But since he couldn''t figure out who that person was, he decided to implement a brilliant n. --- It was now afternoon, and the heat of the sun intensified, making it very difficult for the soldiers to train. Rnd and the captains kept training while rivers of sweat poured from their bodies. Despite the harsh weather conditions, their determination to protect the vige intensified. They gritted their teeth and continued swinging their training swords, following a swift pattern. But this wasn''t the same for the younger soldiers, they all swung their swords with weary expressions on their faces. Due to the harsh weather, some began to make a series of mistakes in the execution of the technique. "Time to rest, everyone," Rowan announced. Following his loud voice were sighs of relief and the sound of many young soldiers copsing on the ground. Rnd and the other captains simply stopped swinging their swords and took inrge breaths. "Our beautiful women will arrive with lunch soon. While we wait for them, I want you all to gather around, we have to start preparing for the uing war," Rowan announced. The vige square isrge, at the center, there was a clear field for training, and on one side, there were lots of trees that served as shade from the sun. The soldiers dragged their worn-out bodies towards that area and found suitable spots to sit. As they all made their way towards it, Rowan received the usual message. [ One of your soldiers'' hearts skipped a beat at your words. ] [ One of your soldiers grinned widely and awaits your strategy. ] Rowan observed as many soldiers as he could with his inspection skill, but none of them had anything that gave them away. ''This person must be a master at cloaking their true emotions,'' he concluded after failing to catch the mole. After all the soldiers had gathered, Rowan opened up and revealed his battle strategy, including the time they would initiate their attack and the different formations they would use. His battle strategy was impressive, shocking even veterans like Rnd. But their impression wasn''t what Rowan was looking for. [ One of your soldiers'' hearts beats fast in joy hearing your strategy. ] [ The same soldier calls you foolish for revealing your battle strategy to them. ] Seeing this, Rowan realized that his suspicions were correct. This person is a spy! But a smile crept onto his face. He had only revealed the strategy for two good reasons: one was to understand the identity of this hater, and the other was to set a trap! ----- AUTHOR NOTE: Last chapter for today! Thanks for reading! We are now 20 chapters into the novel and I would appreciate detailed reviews from you guys This week, let us set a goal for bonus chapters: 50 Power stones - 1 Bonus chapter 100 Power stones - 3 Bonus chapters These chapters would be released immediately after we reach these thresholds! Peace!! Chapter 21: Emotions and monsters Same day. Outside Winterseed vige''s territory, beyond the southern border where the farnd sits, a group of more than one hundred young soldiers could be seen marching toward a vast forest several meters away from them. Each of the soldiers held a different cutting tool, from knives to axes, but the number of swords was higher since they didn''t have many cutting tools in the vige except for swords. In fact, most of the swords they held were the ones Rowan got from the mystery cards he openedst night. Rowan was riding a horse, leading them toward the forest that was almost a few minutes'' walk away. He observed the forest with a calm expression on his face. The forest was very big and seemed to cover more than 200 square kilometers, about ten times bigger than the whole of Winterseed vigebined. A lot of tall trees could be seen stretching toward the sky, and apart from the tall trees, there was other vast vegetation. Brandon, apanied by two captains, walked beside Rowan. Brandon had a pretty gloomy look on his face as he was very skeptical about the journey. After Rowan finished sharing the battle strategy with the soldiers, he was shocked to hear him suggest that they all venture into the dark forest to fell trees for timber. He tried talking Rowan and the group of young soldiers out of it, but they all ignored his words. Rowan was set on building the guardhouse as soon as he could, and the young soldiers were very curious to feel what it was like outside Winterseed, as they had been locked in the vige their whole lives. When neither Rowan nor the soldiers listened, he tried talking to the two captains, but the two captains were dead set on protecting their vige. When he told them it was risky, they responded with, "Would you rather we sit down and do nothing or build guardhouses to prevent the event ofst night from repeating itself?" Hearing their question, Brandon realized there was no way to talk them out of it, so he rxed. When they prepared to leave, he decided to apany them. "I heard pest monsters like Ratax are very active in the forest. Do you think we would encounter one?" Not too far away from Brandon, two young soldiers began discussing excitedly. "I hope we don''t, they are very powerful. My grandfather said they are bigger and fiercer inparison to goblins," the other replied. "Damn, while I hope we don''t face one, I wish to see what they look like." "Yeah, me too. Who knows, maybe we might face one. But there is no need to panic; our capable Lord Rowan and captains would be able to defend us." Hearing their discussions, Brandon could not help but shake his head in disappointment. The adventurous minds of youths are really dangerous and foolish, he thought. It was still thete hours of the afternoon, and the intensity of the sun''s heat had decreased by almost 60%, making the weather conditions more favorable to work. Rowan and his soldiers were now standing before the entrance of the forest, observing the vast vegetative species surrounding them. The calm sound of leaves dancing to the silent beat of the wind gently drifted across, and the singing of birds and other animals filled the forest with a sweet cacophony. ''So this is the south forest everyone in the vige is scared to visit. It doesn''t look anything special or different from forests on Earth; some of them on Earth look even scarier than this,'' Rowan thought. Looking at the forest, he realized there were more than enough trees to rebuild his vige, but hecked the equipment to take the trees down. Fortunately, they only needed to fell at least seven trees to build four guardhouses, one on each border, so they wouldn''t be needing much equipment. The number of soldiers avable and the few pieces of equipment they brought with them were already more than enough to take care of it, though it would take a very long time. ''I wish I had some sort of crafting knowledge; I would have manufactured my own version of a saw machine, and obtaining timber would be very easy and less time-consuming,'' Rowan sighed. His zeal to obtain the crafting profession grew bigger in his mind. However, as Rowan made lots of new decisions and calctions, beside him, Brandon gulped a mouthful of saliva nervously. It was evident on his face that he wasn''tfortable standing so close to the forest, as he appeared to recall some rather sad memories. "Alright, everyone, let''s get ready. Our work starts here. We''ll take down the big trees near the entrance first and only move deeper once we''re done with these. Which, of course, won''t be anytime soon," Rowan stated. The soldiers nodded and began preparing their tools, ready to work. They all looked very ready to start swinging their swords against these trees; it would be a great way to test out the progress of their sword training and the amount of strength they could exert with their swords. Brandon looked at their smiles and was still shocked at how they could be this calm and happy about something so dangerous. None of them looked scared or worried despite the numerous scary tales they''ve heard about the south forest and the monstrous cmities dwelling within it. As he was worrying, he failed to notice Rowan observing him. ''Brandon is still scared, but he has the right to be. If Ratax are said to be stronger than goblins, who even the captains couldn''t defeat easily, then it was really not advisable toe to the south forest, which is their permanent habitat,'' Rowan thought. He needed a way to safeguard his soldiers; thankfully, he had one. "Also, everyone, let me introduce you to the newest member of our vige ¡ª ze." Saying that, Rowan mentally called out ze from the divine beast in, where it was having the best time of its life jumping around, exploring the beautifulndscape. A portal quickly appeared, onlysting for a split second before disappearing and leaving ze in the arms of Rowan. ze rxed in Rowan''s arms and observed all the strange faces with a frown-like expression on its face, its adorable orange eyes scanning all the faces. Following ze''s appearance, the eyes of all the young soldiers widened, and their jaws dropped ¡ª What sort of power does their lord possess to make a beast appear out of thin air? ----- AUTHOR NOTE: Sorry for the dy, everyone. I was very ill yesterday and couldn''t update. The condition is still rough, but it''s manageable now. Chapter 22: Emotions and monsters ( II ) _Glenwood Vige_ ra and Liara sat among a group of young women of varying ages. The oldest among them was ra, who was in her early thirties, while the youngest was a prettydy who looked no more than neen. Each of them carried unique beauty that made them truly irresistible to the opposite sex. All of them were captives from Winterseed, trapped in the clutches of Glenwood''s perverted Lord. They all shared the same wish¡ªto leave and return home. Living in Glenwood could not be considered living at all. While Lord Fagin was very perverted towards them, he hadn''t been able to defile any of them because he was impotent, and his erection was as small as a baby''s pinky. However, he made them do a lot of embarrassing activities every day to pleasure himself. He made them confess to him daily and remind him that he had a "Dragon''s dick," which was far from the truth. He also made them dance, shake their bodies seductively, and do other humiliating activities. As women who respected themselves and cherished their dignity, being forced to do such activities was akin to drinking poison. At this moment, they sat in a dimly lit room inside Lord Fagin''s house, looking at ra, who stood in front of them with a serious expression on her beautiful face. The room was very big, with cleaning and farming equipment taking up most of the space. ra observed their faces before speaking in a serious tone, "The number of guards at the gate will be very small today because of the stupid party taking ce. We can use that opportunity to escape." After hearing her words, the others looked at her with frowns and questioning expressions. "You''re still on this, ra? You know we can''t escape even if we try. Glenwood is not like Winterseed, which has a very weak border defense. We will be caught before we even reach the gate," one of them responded. The others nodded at her reply. There was no one among the women who didn''t know about ra''s stubbornness. While all of them wanted to leave, ra was more serious about it and ready to take unnecessary risks. ra gently turned her head to the speaker, "They would only catch us if we escape without any ns. With a solid n, I''m sure we will be able to leave. But why isn''t any of you asking me why the sudden seriousness?" All the women exchanged gazes. "When have you not been very serious?" they asked. ra could only sigh. "I know you think I''ll get into trouble for always trying to leave and take matters into my hands, but if we don''t leave now, we will lose our home to these people. Winterseed as a vige will cease to exist!" "What do you mean, Winterseed will cease to exist?" Liara asked with worry in her voice. "Good question. Early this morning, I snuck into the battle chamber and overheard Fagin and his men plotting to invade Winterseed. They n to kill our young lord and seize control of everything," ra revealed, causing the women to gasp in surprise. "That is very bad¡­ Didn''t young Lord Rowan say he wouldn''t go against the vassal decree? Why are they trying to kill him even though he is on their side?" one asked. "Yes, weren''t you the one who told us Lord Rowan is not going to take any action against them?" ra listened to the questions before replying, "That''s what we heard, but it seems Fagin has a spy in Winterseed. Whatever that spy told him, it''s made him want to kill Lord Rowan. We can''t let that happen." ra discussed the situation further with the women, finding it hard to make them take risks alongside her. After some back-and-forth conversation, they finally came to a conclusion. "Fine, if we want to escape sessfully without being caught, then we have to draw the attention of the men away from the gate," one of them suggested. ra nodded, that was actually her n from the beginning, but knowing them, she knew they would most likely not ept it, which is why she never mentioned it. "I will stay behind to do that." Liara stood up and volunteered, causing everyone to look at her, especially ra. ra and Liara were captured on the same day. When they arrived, the young soldiers of Glenwood always tried to have their way with her. Liara was always shy and unable to fight back; ra had been the one driving off the young soldiers. She saw Liara as her little sister and always protected her. Hearing that Liara was volunteering to do something so dangerous made her very sad and worried. "Are you sure?" she asked, her worries evident. Liara calmly nodded, "The soldiers on duty today are among those who always tried to woo me. I''m sure I''ll be able to distract them easily. You don''t have to worry about me. As long as your mission to inform Lord Rowan is sessful, I would be very happy," she replied with a smile. ra could not believe her ears. Without her around, those perverted little pricks would use force on Liara and defile her¡ªbarely thinking of those little pricksying their hands on Liara made her angry. But she could only sigh. "Alright then, that is settled," she let out. --- Four soldiers sat beside the gate with their swords rxing on the ground. They all looked to be around the age of 19 to 23. Two of them were devouring chicken wings while the other two drank beers from big mugs. "Meh, I hate that old geezer. How can he send us to the gate and deny us such a big party? I heard all the maidens would be present, and Lord Fagin even nned on inviting those hot chicks from Winterseed," one of themined, taking a big sip of beer. "I''m still pissed at the captain. He could have sent others, but he decided to send us. What an old geezer, I heard he''s pursuing that fierce Winterseed woman, the one called ra," another replied. "Oh, Lord Fagin''s favorite bitch?" "Yeah, that one." "Damn, the captain is pretty ballsy to chase Lord Fagin''s woman," the young soldier said with augh. "We all know Lord Fagin can''t do shit with those women; they''re better off with the captain." The young men discussed among themselves, unaware of the group of women sneaking close to them. Liara turned her head to the women hiding behind a building close to the exit of Glenwood and nodded. Then she adjusted her dress and started walking toward the soldiers. The young soldiers were still talking when they noticed her, and their mood lightened up. Like ants attracted to sugar, they all ran towards her. "Liara! You look so pretty today, as usual!" "Liara,e y with me; I have big balls!" Liara hated their disgusting remarks, but she yed along, revealing a charming smile. "The men at the party are really old for me, so I came to look for you guys," she said in a voice capable of making the soldiers'' little brothers twitch with excitement. "Come with me; my balls aren''t the only thing that''s big¡ªmy room is as well!" "How about we see all your rooms first? I''ll pick the best one," Liara replied. As the boys came closer, their lust became even clearer, but it was just what she wanted. She gave a hand signal to ra and the others, and they immediately ran towards the half-open gate. They noiselessly pushed it open and ran out. Before leaving, ra turned to look at Liara with a sad expression. She swore toe back and rescue her. ..... AUTHOR NOTE: Last chapter for today, thanks for reading and do not forget we still have a power stone goal to beat before weak end. FOR 1 BONUS CHAP - STATUS: 32/50 FOR 3 BONUS CHAP - STATUS: 32/100 Chapter 23: Emotions and monsters ( III ) In the southern forest, the soldiers stared at Rowan and ze, dumbfounded, their eyes and mouths wide open in shock. When they saw a powerful-looking wolf fall out of thin air, they immediately assumed it was a divine beast. Their shock and curiosity only grew. "A divine beast! I can''t believe it, Lord Rowan has a divine beast!" "What? A divine beast? Those powerful creatures blessed with divine powers? My grandfather used to tell stories about them, but he always said a vige like ours would nevery eyes on one because only powerful kingdoms and empires have what it takes to raise and use them." "My grandfather also told me that a single divine beasts can wipe out a group of a hundred hobgoblins in less than three minutes!" "This is insane! Lord Rowan has truly awakened with God''s blessings! Our vige will be great again!" The young soldiers reacted, voicing their shock and excitement. As for the captains and Brandon, they were too stunned to speak. Unlike the young soldiers, who only heard about divine beasts in midnight tales, the three of them had actually encountered divine beasts before¡ªand it wasn''t a pleasant experience. They could still remember the day when a giant golden eagle flew past their vige at a devastating speed, powerful enough to fell tall trees and shatter numerous buildings. It was a sight etched in the minds of anyone at least 50 years old in Winterseed. If their vige had a divine beast, the possibilities for greatness in the future were endless. The young lord was truly blessed. Rowan and ze observed everyone calmly¡ªze with curiosity and Rowan with pride. But this was no time to bask in pride. "This is my pet, ze. It''s a divine beast and will certainly grow very strong in the future," Rowan began. "I know most of you are scared we might be suddenly attacked by monsters, so I''ll let ze patrol the area. With its keen sense of smell, it will detect the arrival of any monsters," he continued. Hearing his words, the vigers felt relieved, especially Brandon, who let out a loud sigh. With that issue settled, everyone grabbed their equipment and proceeded to work. Each tree was assigned ten soldiers, who swung their swords against it in rapid motion. Some did it inly, while others tried to use the swordmaster technique they had been learning. Very soon, the once-quiet forest was filled with the cacophony of soldiers working hard. Even Brandon lifted an axe and swung it against the thick trunks of a very tall tree. Despite being in histe middle age, he still had a lot of strength and was able to work. The two captains joined in as well, working together since their pace was much faster than the younger soldiers. They both used their swordmaster skills, following a uniform and strong pattern as they swung their swords. However, taking down a tree with very thick trunks would take them around thirty minutes. For the young soldiers, it would take about two hours because the trees had far bigger and stronger trunks than those on Earth. Rowan sat on his horse, watching them work with an impressed smile on his face. ze was perched on his shoulder, observing the area with curiosity, its round eyes almost glowing with intensity. As they both watched together, Rowan suddenly noticed a change in ze''s stats. ---- [ BLAZE ] - Race: Ashfire Wolf - Foundation Realm (Low-stage - 1%) - Unlocked skills: Fireball (Lv 1) ---- The (1%) beside its cultivation realm wasn''t there thest time Rowan checked ze''s status. Seeing it now made a smile creep onto his face. ''This is incredible. It hasn''t even been 24 hours, and it''s already making progress. But I never saw ze actively absorbing mana¡ªcould it be that it absorbs mana passively?'' Rowan wondered. If that were the case, it would be incredible, especially since ze was still in its infant phase, a period of yfulness in its life cycle. With this kind of speed in passive mana absorption, Rowan could only imagine how fast active absorption would be. The thought made him smile, and he couldn''t help but punch ze''s fluffy cheeks. *Squeak* *Squeak* ze let out two dismayed squeaks and gave Rowan a cold re, as if telling him not to touch it. "What? You''re my pet, you should be happy with my touches and praises, you little rascal," Rowan grumbled. ze responded with another cold stare and returned to observing the men with keen eyes. Rowan couldn''t help but frown, this pet was indeed mischievous. Last night, it only let Rowan touch it because of the food pill. Now that it wasn''t hungry, it had be unfriendly again. --- Three hours slowly passed in the south forest. It was now the cool and bright hours of the evening. At this moment, six trees had been sessfully taken down, and another five were in progress. The captains were the first to seed after about thirty minutes. Then they moved on to another tree and finished it in less than an hour. After taking down the second tree, they began bucking the fallen ones to make them smaller and easier to move back to the vige. On the other hand, it took a group of forty-seven soldiers to take down the other four, and those soldiers fell to the ground, worn out, after seeding. Only the two captains still had energy, disying the difference between them and the others. Rowan didn''t just sit down and watch them work. After the first hour of sitting and interacting with ze, he decided to supervise. He was currently supervising a group of tired young soldiers who were swinging their swords with theirst bits of strength. They were already very exhausted. ''I should help at least,'' Rowan thought. However, before he could assist them, ze began to make a series of loud squeaks, drawing both Rowan''s and the soldiers'' attention. ze squeaked loudly, eyes wide with terror, its fur bristling as it clung tightly to Rowan. The mischievous glint in its gaze was gone, now reced by pure fear. Rowan''s eyes narrowed as he sensed that something was terribly wrong. SHRIEK!! A loud and terrifying shriek sted across the entire area. Chapter 24: Emotions and monsters ( IV ) Rowan and the soldiers were working diligently when, without warning, a loud shriek sted across the forest. It was not just loud; it seemed to vibrate through the very air, echoing from somewhere dangerously close. Following the bone-chilling shriek, small animals fled the area in panic. Rowan''s eyes widened, and he quickly alerted, "Everyone, move away from the trees! Fast!" Even before his sudden call, the soldiers had already begun backing away from the trees out of fear. Brandon also moved with them, the fear on his face was evident. The captains stopped removing the fallen trees, grabbed their swords, and sprinted towards Rowan. "Lord Rowan!" they called out in unison as they arrived beside Rowan, who was backing away while looking at the forest. ze was still on his shoulder, letting out terrified shrieks and clinging to him. "A monster is nearby, and it''s already been alerted by our presence. It should being towards us as we speak," Rowan said with a frown on his face. As Rowan was discussing the current situation with the captains, loud, heavy steps suddenly sounded from within the forest¡ªthe monster was already nearby! "Damn! We didn''t even go deep into the forest!" Rowan cursed through gritted teeth. Though he had been warned beforehand about monsters, he still didn''t expect that one would trulye, even without venturing deep into the forest. The only valid exnation was that the noise had awakened whatever monster wasing towards them. But now wasn''t the time to think. Rowan took out the two swords left in his inventory and held them in both hands. He took an assertive stance, clutching the swords, ready for battle. "Everyone, grab your weapon and prepare to engage in battle soon. Remember all the sword techniques you have been practicing? This is the time to put them to use and defend yourselves. Is that understood?" he announced. The soldiers gulped nervously, grabbed their weapons, and began stepping back, eyes fixed on the forest, ready to see what enemy they would be facing. Even Brandon clutched his axe, preparing to fight for his life. The atmosphere around them was serious, and the tension was palpable. The steps from within the forest grew louder every second, causing the soldiers to panic even more. Rowan and the two captains standing in front of the one hundred plus soldiers kept their eyes focused on the path ahead of them. Due to the tall trees and therge amount of harsh grass, seeing whaty beyond the first row of trees became impossible, they could only see darkness. Rowan received many messages about the terrified state of his soldiers, but he ignored them. Then another window opened, containing a challenge¡ªhis first challenge since he transmigrated. [ A challenge has been triggered ] [ CHALLENGE: Defeat the threat without losing anyone ] [ Reward - 20,000 Evolution Points ] ''I wasn''t nning on losing anyone in the first ce,'' thought Rowan. "ze, get ready, your Fireball will be needed in this fight, alright?" he whispered to ze while his eyes remained fixed on the forest. ze let out a low squeak, epting his words. Thirty seconds passed, and the steps grew even louder and stranger¡ªit was as though there was more than one monstering towards them. The soldiers gulped, sweat dripping down their faces¡ªsince they joined the army, for most of them, this was their first intense moment, the first time they ever felt that if they didn''t fight, they would die. As the steps drew closer, their heartbeats became even faster. However, all of a sudden, the steps halted, plunging the area into a short moment of deep, awkward silence. ''What''s happening? Why did the steps suddenly stop? Is it over already?'' Rowan wondered. His thoughts were the same as everyone''s at that moment. Following the ear-piercing silence, the rustling of bushes spread across the area, drawing their attention toward the thick bush at the edge of the forest, which seemed to be shaking violently. Rowan''s grip on his swords tightened as the rustling grew louder. His eyes narrowed, scanning the trembling bush ahead. Then, unexpectedly, a small rat darted out of the bush, squeaking frantically as it scurried across the ground. It was a tiny creature, harmless and insignificant inparison to the fear they had just experienced. The soldiers gasped in surprise and even began to chuckle in amusement¡ªwas it just a rat causing all themotion? they asked themselves. "Just a rat?" Brandon muttered, he couldn''t believe what he had just experienced. But before calmness could fully settle, the ground began to tremble again. This time, the sound of heavy, thudding footsteps was much louder and more menacing than before. Rowan''s eyes widened in rm as he realized the true danger was yet toe. "Get ready!" he shouted, his voice cutting through the soldiers'' fleeting amusement. The urgency in his tone brought everyone back to full alert. From the very spot where the small rat had emerged, the bushes suddenly exploded outward as arge group of gigantic, rat-like monsters surged forward, their red eyes glowing with malice. Each of them was around the size of arge dog, their fur matted, and their teeth bared, dripping with saliva¡ªthey all looked hungry for flesh. The soldiers'' faces turned ashen as the horde bore down on them. The brief moment of relief vanished, reced by sheer terror as the reality of the situation hit them like a tidal wave. "Damn it!" Rowan cursed loudly, his frustration and fear mixing as he prepared to confront the oing threat. ze looked at the monstrous rats, each one at least seven times its size, with wide, terrified eyes. Its life hadn''t evensted a day, and already it was facing a battle against terrifying monsters. How cruel could fate be? ... AUTHOR NOTE: Thanks for reading, do not forget to leavements. As for our contest, here is current stats.. FOR 1 BONUS CHAP - STATUS: 51/50 (!!) FOR 3 BONUS CHAP - STATUS: 51/100 1 Bonus chapter would be released tomorrow!! Chapter 25: Emotions and monsters ( V ) Rowan observed the monsters storming out of the forest with keen eyes, he hadn''t expected this many monsters to suddenly attack. He was cautious enough to not enter the forest, but sadly, that could not stop the monsters from picking up on the sound of nearby human activities. These monsters¡ªRatax, as they are called¡ªare rat-like creatures. Among all the monsters known to mankind, Ratax are the only omnivores. They eat edible nts and fruits when avable, and when they aren''t, they start eating smaller animals and humans. They are truly dangerous. At this moment, watching more than two hundred of these monsters storming towards them made some of the young soldiers wet their pants. The loud, collective marching of the Ratax as they drew closer was terrifying, as were the bright red eyes that seemed to pierce deep into the young soldiers'' souls. As the Ratax drew closer, the soldiers became even more terrified, with some even considering running back home. "Everyone, this is a fight for your life and your people¡ªthe moment you let your guard down, you lose everything you hold dear in this life," Rowan addressed them once again. With his [Super Voice] activated, his words immediately motivated the young soldiers. Grabbing their weapons, they let out a collective war cry, confirming they were ready to fight. "Attack!!" Following Rowan''s words, all the soldiers charged towards the Ratax, with the two captains in front, running at a speed unmatched by the young soldiers. SHRIEK! Seeing their prey running aggressively towards them, the Ratax let out a collective shriek, and their red eyes glowed even more intensely. Running ahead of the soldiers, Rowan was the first to reach his first Ratax. The Ratax immediately leapt towards him, its mouth wide open, revealing sharp, jagged teeth ready to bite Rowan''s neck off. [ Your pet has activated (Fireball) ] However, before it could reach Rowan, a fireball the size of a man''s head sted towards it, hitting it. The Ratax let out a painful shriek as sharp burns inflicted its body while its fur began to burn¡ªit was a painful experience for the Ratax¡ªit lost all its will to fight and fell to the ground. [ ze has yed Ratax ] Rowan looked at ze clinging to his shoulder and shed him a proud smile before returning his eyes to the monster-human battle ahead. The soldiers and the Ratax shedpletely, the Ratax attacking with their sharp teeth and ws while the soldiers fought back with swords. With gritted teeth and determination to survive, they swung their weapons. Fear was evident on their faces, the voice in their heads kept telling them to escape as soon as possible. But the determination to not be cowards and survive pushed them further, making them appear fearless in the eyes of their predators. Brandon, who hadn''t swung a weapon his entire life, was swinging a heavy axe at this moment. "I refuse to die at the hands of filthy monsters like you!" he muttered to himself repeatedly as he swung the axe. The axe met the head of a Ratax. The Ratax fell to the ground but wasn''t badly injured, it gave Brandon a re and charged at him once again. This time Brandon stood his ground, his eyes fixed on the Ratax. When it closed the distance, he immediately swung his axe again, but it only managed to make the Ratax fall into a brief second of heavy dizziness. Taking the opportunity, Brandon continuously swung the axe, hitting the same spot until a ghastly wound appeared, digging deeper into the Ratax''s tough body with every swing. Being a man without powers orbat training, it was naturally difficult for Brandon to fight a monster around twice as strong as him. With an axe, a captain like Rowan would have taken care of the Ratax in about a minute, but it took Brandon much longer. Only after six minutes of continuously hitting the same spot did the Ratax bleed to death. ''My first kill!'' Brandon''s eyes widened as he observed the corpse on the ground, finding it difficult to believe he had just killed something he dreaded for most of his life. However, not only Brandon had his first kill in this battle, arge number of young soldiers did as well. It was their breakthrough and a reminder that, though monsters are strong, theyck intelligence and sheer will. The battle continued¡ªthe bright evening gradually turned dark, speaking volumes about the amount of time that had passed. At this moment, the battlefield had be bloody! Corpses of the gigantic Rataxy bare on the ground, piled into small hills in some areas. Unfortunately, the loss wasn''t entirely on the Ratax side, many soldiers had been badly injured and had fled to the back. Currently, only around 55 soldiers out of 120 were still battling the Ratax, whose numbers had also drastically decreased. Rowan could be seen in the heart of the battlefield, executing his sword technique and ying Ratax as fast as he could. Even ze was genuinely involved in the battle, having burned six Ratax with its fireball. [ You yed x3 Ratax +50 evolution points ] DING! [ 100x reward activated! 5000 evolution points have been added ] [ You yed x2 Ratax +40 evolution points ] DING! [ 100x reward activated! 5000 evolution points have been added ] As Rowan continued to fight the Ratax, he realized they were easier and faster to kill, about twice as fast as the goblins. They were so weak that Rowan could kill three of them in less than five seconds, gaining chunks of evolution points. ''I haven''t evolved my power yet, and I''m already this strong against Ratax. What if I evolve¡ªhow strong would I be?'' Rowan pondered, the sheer thought of bing extraordinarily strong filling him with passion to y more and farm more evolution points to aid his evolution. ''It''s getting really dark now, the Ratax will have a strong advantage over us when it ispletely dark due to their night vision,'' he thought. ''I was too carried away in the fight with goblins and forgot to copy their night vision skill. Luckily, these Ratax have it.'' [ Ratax - Health: 89% ] [ Special skill: Night Vision (Copy? YES | NO) ] [ Status: Hungry ] Without hesitation, he copied the skill and merged with it immediately. [ Skill (Night Vision - FF-rank) copied sessfully ] [ Merging with (Night Vision - FF-rank)pleted ] [ Night Vision (FF-rank) Passive skill, grants clear sight in dark ces ] As this skill merged with Rowan, he felt his vision be much clearer, as though it was still the bright hours of morning. ''Great!'' he rejoiced inwardly and immediately stormed towards the Ratax charging at him. With a simple swing of his sword, the head of the Ratax detached from its body. The fight continued for about two more hours before thest Ratax dropped to the ground. "We''ve won!!" Brandon let out a loud scream of excitement. "We did it! We did it!!" The young soldiers quickly joined him in rejoicing. Even the injured joined in, it was a miracle that they survived. But Rowan stared at his system with a frown on his face. [ CHALLENGE: Defeat the threat without losing anyone (STATUS: Active) ] ''We have in the Ratax down to the veryst one, so why is the challenge still disying active?'' Rowan frowned. He turned to scan the surrounding area. With night vision, he could see more clearly, and there was no Ratax in sight, not even a single moving rat. ''Is there something wrong with the system?'' he asked himself. But before he could question the system, a very loud and terrifying footstep was heard. The mere step caused the ground around them to tremble, quickly ending the jubtion. ..... AUTHOR NOTE: Today''s weekend and our schedule is 1 chap, luckily you guyspleted the challenge so next chaptering right up. Chapter 26: Emotions and monsters ( VI ) After defeating the horde of Ratax, the Winterseed soldiers began to jump around in joy, unaware of the danger approaching them. Their celebration hadn''t evensted for three minutes when, suddenly, the ground beneath them began to tremble. A loud, thunderous step echoed within the forest¡ªmuch louder and fiercer than anything they had heard during the Ratax attack. The sound alone was enough to freeze the blood in their veins. "What is happening?" the young soldiers asked, fear evident on their faces. They had just risked their lives, fought with all their strength against the horde of Ratax, and now something bigger wasing for them. Was peace really so difficult to attain? When Brandon heard the loud step, he was even more terrified. "This is bad!" He immediately ran toward Rowan. "Lord Rowan, we have to leave immediately! Staying here for even a second is signing our own death warrant!" Rowan turned to look at Brandon, easily noticing the fear on his face. The same went for ze, who repeated the same scared reaction it had earlier, reminding Rowan of another looming threat. "We can''t leave," Rowan replied firmly. "If we do, whatever monster ising will storm the nearest human settlement which is obviously our vige and we don''t have defenses strong enough to withstand it." The two captains tried toe up with a n, but none of their ideas were suitable for the situation at hand. "Take all the men and leave immediately. I''ll deal with the monster myself," Rowan dered, shocking everyone. "Lord Rowan, we can''t let you do that. It''s too risky!" The two captains immediately rejected his idea. Leaving their young lord behind was something they couldn''t even imagine doing. "We should all leave together, Lord Rowan. Our vige is getting better since you recovered; we do not want anything happening to you!" Brandon said. Some of the nearby young soldiers overheard this and silently rejected it inwardly. Though scared, they didn''t want to leave Rowan behind. "This is our only option. Leave immediately. I can handle it, but the same can''t be said for you," Rowan reiterated, his tone serious to show that he meant his words. Brandon and the two captains stared at Rowan for an extra second. Taking this step was very drastic and against their will! What would happen if the hope of their vige got badly injured or died? Winterseed would simply be hell on earth, a vast difference from the heaven Rowan had started to build. "EVERYONE LEAVE! IT IS AN ORDER!!" Rowan yelled in a furious tone. Their faces turned somber, but they had no choice. "Please do not leave us again, Lord Rowan!" "Lord Rowan, pleasee back alive. We believe in you!!" The soldiers called out one after the other as they grabbed their weapons and began sprinting toward Winterseed. The captains and Brandon stayed behind for a few seconds before leaving with the rest, their minds frantically praying for Rowan''s survival. Only after they had covered a safe distance did Rowan turn his eyes back to the forest. The steps echoed even louder, and the vibrations grew even more intense, but Rowan stood his ground. Sending his soldiers away was his way of ensuring sess in his challenge; he couldn''t afford to lose any of his men, nor could he afford to lose such arge amount of evolution points. *Squeak* ze, still terrified, started tapping on Rowan''s neck as if telling him to run away. ze, a divine beast, had a natural ability to perceive mana, and the mana this monster radiated was extremely strong and terrifying! Rowan gave ze a brief look before sending it back into the divine beast ne. As ze was sucked into the ne by the portal, it kept squeaking, trying to make Rowan change his mind. SHRIEK!!! At that moment, a loud shriek echoed across the area as the surroundings shook, plunging the scene into a terrifying silence. Unlike the horde of Ratax, who only made the bushes rustle, this creature''s presence made even the tall trees sway. SHRIEK!! Another loud shriek echoed! Following it, a monstrosity beyond anything Rowan had ever seen stepped out of the forest. It was a more terrifying version of the Ratax, about three times bigger¡ªbigger than even thergest elephant on earth. Its body was covered in jet-ck fur, making it invisible to anyone in the dark. It was only thanks to Rowan''s night vision that he could see it clearly. The Ratax halted in its steps, sluggishly observing the corpses of its kin. This gave Rowan the time to observe and prepare for the fight. [ RATAX GENERAL - Boss Monster ] [ Health: 100% ] [ Special skill: Resistance ] [ Status: Observing ] "A boss monster, this is going to be a harsh fight," Rowan whispered to himself as he observed it. He noticed that it had a different special skill from the other Ratax and immediately copied it. [ Skill (Resistance - F-rank) copied sessfully ] [ Resistance: Passive skill, grants the ability to resist 20% of attacks ranging from physical to magical. MERGE? ] Seeing the skill, Rowan was amazed. This would be his first defensive skill, and the stats weren''t bad. It was also his first time seeing a monster with an F-rank skill, the others always had FF-rank skills. Without wasting time, he merged with the skill. Instantly, he felt a new sensation entering his body, one that he couldn''t describe with simple words. [ Threat has entered RAGE mode. All stats have increased by 200%. BEWARE ] Sadly, Rowan didn''t have enough time to explore his new skill before the system alerted him. The Ratax General''s eyes locked onto Rowan, glowing brightly with rage. From where Rowan stood, he could see the Ratax General''s body trembling with anger. This was going to be a hard fight, but Rowan was ready! ... AUTHOR NOTE: This is reward for this week''s power stone challenge. NEXT WEEKS!! 100 Power stones - 1 Bonus chapters 200 Power stones - 5 chapters Do not forget to leave reviews andments!! Chapter 27: Emotions and monsters ( VII ) It was the dark of the night, Brandon and the rest of the soldiers could be seen sprinting toward the vige with disturbed expressions on their faces. None of them were happy after leaving their lord behind, someone they were supposed to protect until theirst breath. Brandon and the two captains had the worst expressions, they still hated themselves for being so weak and having to rely on their young lord for protection. As they got near the boundary of the vige, a loud, bone-chilling shriek swept across the area, reaching their ears and filling them with panic. Some farmers working nearby heard the shriek as well, but it wasn''t as loud and terrifying as what the soldiers heard. Still, it was enough to put fear into their fragile minds. "That is the cry of the monster. Lord Rowan must be facing it right now. Oh, gods of our ancestors, grant him strength and divine protection," they all prayed silently in their minds. As they crossed the border and arrived in Winterseed, they saw some farmers looking at them with questioning and confused expressions. The farmers had seen them leave alongside Rowan, and now they returned without him. What might have happened? Among these people was Ri, who hade to collect fresh fruits for Rowan. She was holding a basket of ripe apples. When she heard themotion, she immediately left the basket and went toward therge group of soldiers returning. "Where is Lord Rowan?" she asked Brandon, who was standing in front of the soldiers, breathing hard to catch his breath. She could easily tell from their tired expressions that they had run their way here and that it wasn''t just a normal run¡ªthey were running from something. While Ri''s question was directed at Brandon, all the soldiers heard it, and they became really ashamed. "Lord Rowan will be back very soon. He asked us toe back to the vige first," Brandon replied, struggling toe up with a proper answer. However, his answer wasn''t convincing. He tried to hide his panic and embarrassment, but it was evident to everyone. "How could you all leave Lord Rowan close to the south forest all alone? It doesn''t make sense, there is something you guys are hiding from us," one of the old farmers shouted in a loud, suspicious tone. The other farmers agreed¡ªthere was no logic in what Brandon said. Slowly, they began to grumble. Ri looked at Brandon with a questioning gaze, waiting for a genuine answer, her heart already beating fast, expecting the worst. One of the captains standing beside Brandon couldn''t take it anymore and stepped forward to speak his mind. "Lord Rowan is fighting a monster and will return soon. But until then, it''s not safe to stay near the south forest. Everyone, head back to your home." The mention of monsters caused a loud and disturbing reaction from the vigers. They quickly recalledst night''s event that almost destroyed their vige. "This is not a request anymore. All of you, go back home!" the same captain shouted again, with a deep frown on his face. The vigers looked at the huge captain, he was one of the strongest men in the vige, and his name was Bryce. Captain Bryce managed to make everyone leave. After they left, he stayed behind with the other captains to guard the border. Brandon, though scared, stayed behind with them. About three minutester, Rnd and the other captains returned with deep frowns on their faces¡ªthey immediately began berating Bryce for leaving Rowan behind. However, when they heard the full story, their eyes widened, and theypletely understood how dire the situation was. --- [ Threat has entered RAGE mode. All stats have increased by 200% for sixty seconds. BEWARE ] Seeing this warning, Rowan realized that it would be even more difficult now to defeat the Ratax general. But he wasn''t fazed, he has so many cards up his sleeves that he hasn''t used yet. As for the Ratax general, after observing the corpse of his fellow race, it became really pissed and red at Rowan while charging up inside. It was dark of the day and two monsters of different races could be seen ring at each other in the dark, the breeze whipped past their faces, but they remained unfazed, ready to devour their opponent. The Ratax general let out a bone-chilling shriek and began charging towards Rowan, its wed feet digging against the ground as it made its way towards its prey. ''Come on little monster,'' Rowan grinned, clutched his sword, and charged at it. They closed the distance almost immediately. The Ratax general whipped its wed fist towards Rowan, trying to decimate him with just one move. Rowan halted in his steps, dug his feet into the ground to provide bnce, and then blocked with his sword. The nging sound of their collision spread across the area. The Ratax general didn''t halt after the block,, it kept punching and wing continuously while letting out low angry shrieks. Rowan remained on the defense, testing the strength of the Ratax general. ''It is pretty fast for a big monster, but that is due to rage,'' he noted, his eyes analyzing the attack pattern of his opponent. Right now, the skills at work are [Night Vision], [Sword Grandmaster], and [Resistance]. Using these skills, Rowan did not back out and kept defending himself, waiting for the perfect time to strike. [ RAGE of threat has deactivated ] ''That''s it!'' Rowan yelled inwardly. The attacks of the Ratax general had already decreased by twofold, making it very weak and slow. Nevertheless, its punches still carried enough power to turn a soldier into meat paste. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Rowan made a quick dash to the right side, evading the ws of the Ratax. SHRIEK!! The Ratax general shrieked in annoyance as it slowly tilted its huge figure to search for its opponent. Its movement was sluggish as expected. Now behind the Ratax general, Rowan kept his sword back in his inventory and tried to leap onto its neck. Sadly, the huge figure of the Ratax was difficult to climb up to with just leaping. Thus, Rowan made use of its fur to drag himself upwards towards the neck. The Ratax general, feeling the itching sensation as Rowan climbed its back, began to move its body dangerously, trying to shake him off while letting out shrieks that carried its annoyance and anger. Unfortunately for it, and fortunately for Rowan, its big figure made its movement very sluggish, and while it threatened to throw Rowan off, Rowan was still able to climb onto it sessfully. Without wasting time, Rowan wrapped his hands around the neck of the Ratax to provide support and bnce. SHRIEK! SHRIEK! The Ratax general kept moving, fearing that its death was near as Rowan was now very close to its weak point! Its shrieks now carried its fear of death and frustration. "Die, you fucking monster!!" Rowan yelled as he summoned his sword from his inventory and stabbed at the neck of the Ratax. SHRIEK!!! As the cold de stabbed into the neck, the madness originating from the fear of death kicked off in the heart of the Ratax general, and it began shrieking continuously, whipping its body with no fear of wounding itself. Rowan found it even more difficult to keep his bnce at this moment. Even while grabbing its furs, his bnce wasn''t guaranteed, and he was almost tossed away. "Fucking monster!!" Rowan cursed as he kept his sword back in his inventory and then used both hands to hold himself. From this height, if he is tossed away, he would definitely sustain ghastly wounds, and that is one thing he could not bear, as there is a wave iing, and it would be pretty messy if he is not in his best state then. "Stop thrashing around, madafaka!!" Rowan cursed again. His hands grabbing the furs were already hurting pretty badly. ... AUTHOR NOTE: This will be the only chap for today. Sorry for missing yesterday''s I''ll make up for it this weekend. Chapter 28: Emotions and monsters ( VIII ) In the early hours of a dark night, before the moon had risen, near the southern forest, a fierce battle was unfolding, like a man battling a gigantic bear with his bare hands. Bone-chilling shrieks echoed around the area, and the frustrated curses of a man could also be heard, making the scene truly chaotic. Rowan, still gripping the fur of the Ratax general, came up with several strategies to handle his current situation, but none would work unless he hurt himself. In battle, sustaining injuries to prevent death was often the only sane step to take. However, if Rowan followed this advice, he would lose the uing war, which would also mean death. He was in a tight situation. [''ze'' wishes to offer assistance] [Your pet says it could help] These messages appeared in front of him. Rowan thought about it for a second before opening the divine beast in. ze floated out of the portal that appeared in front of the Ratax, causing the creature to stop its frantic movement for a moment as it observed the extraordinary phenomenon taking ce. It let out a low sound of confusion. Taking this opportunity, Rowan climbed up and wrapped his hands around its neck in a choking motion. "ze, use your fireball on its nose," Rowan suggested. If ze were to use the fireball on its eyes, it would only make its movements more frantic and might even activate its RAGE once again, making it much more difficult for Rowan to win. ze let out an obedient squeak before activating its fireball, shooting a ball of me at the nose of the Ratax general. The fireball started by burning its long whiskers away before scorching its nose, making it difficult for the creature to breathe as it began letting out heavy breaths in an attempt to recover. Using this opportunity, Rowan summoned his sword once again and stabbed it as fiercely as he could into the neck of the Ratax general. He observed its health and noticed it dropped by 20% with the stab. Thus, Rowan continued stabbing until the Ratax general lost arge amount of blood and copsed on the ground, weakened. Rowan jumped down and, with a final stab, took the life of the Ratax general. [You''ve in Boss Monster: Ratax General; +2000 evolution points] [100x rewards activated | 200,000 evolution points have been added] DING [THREAT has been defeated] [Challengepleted sessfully] [Reward +20,000 evolution points] [100x Reward activated | 2,000,000 evolution points have been added to your ount] Seeing the messages made Rowan smile profusely, especially when he saw the reward for ying the boss monster. "I haven''t evolved my power yet, even though I have more than enough evolution points," he muttered. If he had evolved, he would have easily in the boss monster, but the evolution points he would have gained would be very few. A C-rank Lord would gain nothing from defeating a Ratax general, and an F-rank would only gain a small amount of evolution points. As someone naturally greedy for evolution points, he decided to take the risky approach of endangering his life for more. As Rowan was lost in thought, ze started making loud noises to draw his attention to the corpse of the Ratax general. "What is it, ze?" Rowan asked, turning his attention to ze, who was using its head to point at the corpse. When Rowan focused on the corpse, something caught his eye, making him dash toward it immediately. "A monster core!" he eximed with exhration. He couldn''t believe he had obtained a monster core from killing the Ratax general. Monster cores are condensed mana reserves that reveal themselves after a monster''s death. For most monsters, it emerges immediately after they die, while for others, you have to dig into their skull to find it. However, it''s very rare to get monster cores from F-rank and FF-rank monsters. The mana from monster cores can be absorbed and used for various purposes like crafting. It can also be sold for money, though this option is out of Rowan''s reach for now. Rowan ran and grabbed the tennis-sized monster core. Now holding it in his hands, his eyes sparkled with excitement as his mind raced through different ways he could utilize the monster core. He arrived at a perfect decision¡ªhe made up his mind to give it to his pet to absorb the mana. He turned to look at ze, whose eyes were already focused on him. "You can use this, right?" he asked. ze nodded its head rapidly. Not wasting time, Rowan tossed it gently to ze, who leapt into the air to catch it with its mouth. "I don''t know how long it will take for you to absorb the mana stored in this, but I''m sure it will aid your culti¡ª" Rowan was unable to finish his sentence when he noticed something extraordinary. After catching the monster core, ze swallowed it without hesitation. ze''s body was suddenly surrounded by a faint, golden glow that lifted it into the air. Its eyes closed as it entered a deep meditation, the light pulsing gently around it. As the glow intensified, ze''s small form hovered in the air, absorbing the mana from the monster core. Rowan watched in awe as this took ce. He never expected that ze would be able to absorb the monster core just by eating it; normally, it would have to absorb the mana using the usual absorption/meditation method, which would take days or even weeks. After a few minutes, the glow around ze began to fade, and ze''s body gently descended. At that moment, a series of prompts popped up in front of Rowan. DING! [ Your pet (BLAZE) has broken through from (Low Stage, Foundation Realm) to (Mid Stage, Foundation Realm) ] DING! [ Your pet (BLAZE) has broken through from (Mid Stage, Foundation Realm) to (High Stage, Foundation Realm) ] DING! [ Fireball Lv 1 -------> Fireball Lv 2 | 30 minutes cooldown reduced to 5 minutes ] DING [ Your pet has awakened a new skill - me Synchronization Lv 1 ] Chapter 29: Emotions and monsters ( IX ) _Glenwood Vige_ It has been twelve hours since ra and the other Winterseed women escaped the premises of Glenwood for Winterseed. At this moment, Liara could be seen standing inside arge room, breathing heavily as she looked at the bodies of three men lying on the floor in front of her, in a pool of their own blood. They were the same three soldiers guarding the gate earlier, who had tried to have their way with her when they discovered ra wasn''t around to protect her as usual. After she left with the three of them, one of them took her to his room, which was quiterge, even bigger than some houses in Winterseed. As the soldiers argued with each other about who would have her in the end, she scanned the room and found a dagger lying beside the big bed. Sneakily, she walked closer, grabbed the dagger, and hid it under her gown. After staying with them in the room for about ten minutes, she rejected it, saying the room wasn''t good enough, and then she was taken to the room she is currently standing in. As usual, the three soldiers argued once again. Using the opportunity, she stabbed them in the back. However, being someone who had never hurt a fly before, she immediately felt different as a sense of remorse, guilt, and other negative emotions flooded her system. "What have I done?" she asked herself for the umpteenth time. Tears threatened to drop from the corner of her eyes. She looked at the corpses once again, and her heartbeat intensified. How would she bear the guilt of this forever? How would she even exin this to the others when they arrived? What would they do to her if they found out? So many thoughts rang in her head at once, causing her to have a slight headache. "What should I do now? What should I do?" she repeated to herself. As she whispered these words to herself, she heard footsteps approaching. Her eyes widened, and she immediately panicked. She quickly sprinted to the door and locked it from the inside to prevent anyone from entering. "Millson,e on out, man! You''re in big trouble with the captain! Are you inside? Come on, answer if you''re in there, or else you''re gonna be in more trouble than you already are!" came a voice from the door. The owner of the voice knocked and tried to open the door several times. Each time he attempted to open the locked door, Liara''s heart skipped a beat. She only rxed when he finally left. She returned her gaze to the corpses and quickly made up a n in her mind. She couldn''t let herself get caught in the middle of this mess. Even if she could escape and return to Lord Fagin without getting caught, she would be in deeper trouble, as she would have to answer for her sisters. "I hope they are okay and my sacrifice doesn''t go to waste," she muttered as she began acting on her n. --- It was thete hours of a dark night, with only the moon hanging in the sky, providing light over a narrow path in the middle of a dense forest leading to Winterseed from Glenwood, where a group of six beautiful women could be seen running at top speed. ra could be seen running in front, her expression entuating her determination to reach their destination. The other women looked really worn out, having run all the way with minimal rest. "ra, let us rest! My legs can''t bear this anymore!" one of themined. "I agree! My legs hurt so much! We need to find a ce to rest now, it''s the middle of the night, for heaven''s sake!" another joined in. ra stopped in her tracks and looked at the others. Her expression was serious at first, but then she let out a sigh, and it rxed. "If we rest now, we might fall asleep. Falling asleep in a forest filled with wild beasts and monsters is not true rest," she said. "We know that already, but still, we are not beasts that can continue without rest," theyined. ra and the women argued a bit about what to do. As they were discussing, the neighing sound of a horse reached their ears, causing them to look at each other with fear and panic in their eyes. "They have sent their soldiers already!" one of them eximed. "Let us hide!" Immediately, they ran into the forest and found trees to hide behind. The sound of the horse galloping towards them grew louder and louder by the second. After a few minutes, the horse finally closed the distance. From where ra hid, she spotted arge carriage driven by two white horses. She had stayed in Glenwood for almost two years, but she hadn''t seen anything like this, which made her wonder if it was really Glenwood soldiers chasing after them or someone else. As the horse-drawn carriage drew closer to her, the sweet singing voice of a man reached her ears. ?"Beautiful nights, in di forest so bright Gotta reach di vige, business tonight Pray Jah bless mi, with rewards so right"? Hearing the voice and the ent, she realized it wasn''t one of Glenwood''s soldiers, but she still wasn''t sure. ''Even if he''s not from Glenwood, we still can''t trust him. Who knows what he''ll do if he finds five beautiful women stranded in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night? I can''t even begin to imagine it,'' she thought. But then suddenly, the horse stopped moving, and the carriage came to an abrupt halt. The women hiding behind the trees began to panic, wondering if the rider had seen them. ra gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. A door opened in the carriage, and a young man with long white hair tied in a ponytail walked out. He was dressed in fine clothing with golden embroidery that glittered in the dark, he looked far superiorpared to anyone from Glenwood. The young man squinted his eyes as he observed different spots in the forest, coincidentally looking directly at the spots where the women were hiding. "Five beautiful women hiding inna di woods at night? Dat no good. Wah y''all hiding from? Just tell me, me a go help yuh." ..... AUTHOR NOTE: Sorry guys, I had a very long and difficult project toplete for my course so I couldn''t update. But now I am back!! Our contest results so far! For 1 bonus chapter - 70/100 Power stones For 5 Bonus Chapters - 70/200 Power stones Chapter 30: Emotions and monsters (X) As the stranger highlighted from the carriage, the women felt a strong sense of fear as they looked at him. It was nighttime, and the moonlight was very dim, so they couldn''t see his face clearly. After he came down, he looked around the forest and, astonishingly, found the exact spot where all of them were hiding, as though he could see them clearly even though the thick trees were obviously blocking his sight. "How?" The six of them all had the same question in their minds at this moment. They were out of his sight, yet he still spotted them precisely. How was that even possible? As for the young man, he observed their location once more before speaking, "Five beautiful women hiding in the woods at night? That''s not good. What are you all hiding from? Feel free to tell me, and I''ll help you." His voice and ent were foreign, but he had a friendly tone as he spoke. ra and the other women were shocked. His ent and the fact that he found them, even though it seemed impossible, were truly frightening. What did this person want from them? ra was stuck in a tight position; keeping quiet in this situation was not a good idea since the man had already found them. "Who are you? How did you find us?" she asked. The young man''s eyes darted immediately to the spot where she was hiding, and a smile crept onto his lips. "My name''s D''andre. No need to worry about how I found you all. While we''re chatting, why don''t you step out of your hiding spot? It''s not really safe." Hearing his response made the women question his identity even more. However, at this moment, they had no choice. They could already tell just from his unrealistic, precise sight that he was not ordinary. ra was the first to step out. She walked toward D''andre, her eyes fixed on him, revealing her uncertainty. The other women followed her, revealing themselvespletely to D''andre, who observed them with a calm smile on his face. The women left a lot of distance between themselves and him, but he wasn''t worried about that. D''andre proceeded to ask them a few questions: their names, where they wereing from, where they were heading, and why they were hiding. ra answered the questions as brilliantly as she could, keeping out all the details that could hurt them. Hearing her response, D''andre realized that they were in a pretty harsh situation. "No need to worry anymore, I''ll take you all back to your vige. My carriage has enough room for all six of you. You can have a proper rest while you''re in there," he replied with a smile. "You want to help us? Why?" ra asked with a frown. "No reason at all, just being a gentleman who wouldn''t leave lovely women like yourselves alone in this lonely and dangerous forest," D''andre answered. The women looked among themselves; based on what they had heard from this stranger and the aura he gave off, he seemed really friendly and kind. However, they would not let their guard down just because of that. ''Men would do anything to get in a woman''s underwear''¡ªthis thought kept ringing in their ears, making them even more cautious. "I understand, it''s tough for you all to trusting with me, feeling like your privacy''s at risk. So, I''ll ride up top on the carriage. Unfortunately, my carriage doesn''t have a coach box, as I''ve never really needed one. I could use one at a time like this," D''andre replied. After hearing his words, the women doubted in their hearts, but they knew they had no choice in this matter as this man did not look or feel ordinary to them. To be able to precisely spot them in the dark was extraordinary; they wondered who he really was. After further thoughts, they finally agreed to go with him. When they gave him their response, D''andre smiled happily, like he had just won a jackpot. Then he waved his hand gently in a noble manner and led them to the carriage. The women exchanged looks before walking towards the carriage, while D''andre stood behind. Magically, before they got to the door, it opened by itself, shocking them. "Don''t worry about that. You''ll be even more amazed when you step inside," D''andre boasted. The women swallowed nervously before stepping into the carriage one after another. Just as D''andre said, they were astonished by the view inside the carriage. From the outside, it looked only like a wooden container with no sort of decoration, but the inside was the total opposite. It was a very big room, with more than sixrge beds ced in it, and there was still more than enough space to fit three more beds. There was also a veryrge cupboard at the far end of the room made of fine wood. On the walls, there were glowing crystals that provided a soft glow, giving it a very luxurious appearance. "This is amazing!" "The rooms in Glenwood can''tpare to this one in terms of beauty!" "It looks like something out of a fairytale!" The women reacted excitedly as they sprinted towards the beautiful beds. ra watched with a serious expression, which rxed after a few seconds. ''This is amazing!'' she thought before strolling toward her bed with a neutral smile on her face. She was sad Liara wasn''t here to enjoy this view. ''What might she be going through in Glenwood right now? I hope those bastards didn''ty their hands on her!'' she thought. D''andre observed the women''s reactions from the door with a proud smile on his face. "I told you all you''d be even more surprised, didn''t I? Hehe, anyway, if you''re a bit hungry or thirsty, feel free to help yourself from the cupboard. There''s some fresh food in there, plus a bit of wine and water if that''s what you fancy." He spoke to them for a few seconds before shutting the door and climbing onto the roof of the carriage. "Open Inventory," he muttered. Following his words, arge system interface appeared midair, disying many items in different spots. If Rowan were here, he would be very envious. D''andre took out a can of beer simr to the ones on Earth and closed the inventory. He then muttered a few strange words, and the horses began speeding through the narrow road down to Winterseed vige. "Time to reel in a new customer," he said with a smile on his face as he took a big gulp. Chapter 31: Emotions and monsters ( XI ) DING! [ Your pet (BLAZE) has broken through from (Low Stage, Foundation Realm) to (Mid Stage, Foundation Realm) ] DING! [ Your pet (BLAZE) has broken through from (Mid Stage, Foundation Realm) to (High Stage, Foundation Realm) ] DING! [ Fireball Lv 1 -------> Fireball Lv 2 | 30 minutes cooldown reduced to 5 minutes ] DING! [ Your pet has awakened a new skill - me Synchronization Lv 1 ] [ me Synchronization: At this level, grants 20% Mental Synchronization with fire ] Rowan observed the congrattory messages with a shocked expression on his face. He then looked at ze, who had already begun descending to the ground after having two stages of breakthrough in his cultivation in less than two minutes. ze''s eyes shone with brilliance as itnded on the ground, its body seemed to have undergone some noticeable changes, it now looked a little bigger than it was a minute ago, and a calm, fiery aura surrounded its body. Afternding, ze began jumping around in joy, excitement clear on its face, before sprinting towards Rowan and leaping into his hands. [''This feels so good, I feel a lot stronger after eating that.''] A strange voice echoed in Rowan''s head, sounding like that of a 2-year-old baby who had just started to speak. Rowan turned to look at ze strangely, this was the first time he had heard such a voice in his head. It appeared that ze had not only grown physically and in cultivation but had also grown mentally, creating a better connection between them. "This is a great development, ze! When we get home, you''ll get two food pills as a reward!" Rowan smiled and patted ze''s head. [''You better fulfill your promise!''] ze replied cheerfully. ---- [ BLAZE ] - Race: Ashfire Wolf - Foundation Realm (High-stage - 7%) - Unlocked skills: Fireball (Lv 2), me Synchronization (Lv 1) ---- Rowan decided to observe ze''s stats onest time before sending it into the divine beast in. After sending ze back, he turned his gaze to the Ratax general''s corpse lying among the smaller Ratax corpses, with a disappointed expression on his face. "This much meat could have fed the vige for at least a month, but unfortunately, the meat from Ratax contains poisonous elements that lead to various harmful effects, including night blindness, which can only be cured with special herbs." Rowan sighed and began making his way down to the vige. Many ns were on his mind, and much work needed to be done. The days remaining before the war were dwindling. He still needed to implement several strategies to ensure a safe victory. "I still have a mole to catch as well," Rowan muttered as he strolled home, "No matter how much I use my observation skills on that person, I never manage to figure out their identity. This person is truly a master spy. Too bad he''s not on my side, he would have been a very important asset in the war." ..... Winterseed Vige. Inside a random hut, Rnd could be seen sitting in a shabby room with his wife and son. He was standing, leaning against the wall while his wife sat on the bed holding their baby, who looked much healthier than he did two days ago. "Darling, why didn''t you go to help Lord Rowan? You know our vige would be doomed without him. He''s our only saving grace now." She paused, her voice trembling slightly as she looked at their son. "Without him, our son''s future would be filled with sadness and hardship." Rnd didn''t reply, but the frown on his face became even more evident. Though he understood the reason Bryce left, he still felt that leaving was a bad decision. "He''ll be okay," he murmured. "How?" his wife immediately refuted. "I don''t know, but he will be okay, I believe that. You shouldn''t worry about that now because it would only cause you more stress, and stress at a time like this is not good for your health." "My health is only this good because Lord Rowan returned, remember? Look at our baby," she urged, her voice tight with worry. "He''s getting healthier, yes, but that could all change in an instant." "If anything happens to Lord Rowan, Glenwood will sweep in like vultures. They''ll enve us, take our homes, and turn our children into servants¡ªor worse. This isn''t just about losing a leader, it''s about losing everything," she continued. Rnd and his wife had a major argument, with Rnd trying to calm his wife down while she bombarded him with reasons she couldn''t. She also mentioned a fact that made Rnd even more worried. "You said you and the captains would stand in ce of our Lord if anything happened to him? Have you forgotten that our vige no longer possesses a staff of authority? Have you forgotten? Lord Rowan is only the Lord now because he is the direct descendant of Dragun Winterseed. If anything happens to him, we will never get a real Lord unless a staff of authority is found. Without a Lord, our vige would be imed easily." Rnd rethought everything. Rowan is only seen as a real Lord because of his father! The only reason Glenwood can''t take full control of their vige is that a Lord is still alive, ruling it. If anything should happen to Rowan, even if they chose another vige head, as long as he is not a direct descendant of Rowan and doesn''t possess a staff of authority, his position would be invisible to Glenwood, as he is not a recognized leader. With that, they can easily take over Winterseed without even needing to kill him because he wasn''t a Lord in the first ce. The dynamic of leadership in the vast world of the Emperor''s Domain is strange, mysterious, and unique. After rethinking these words repeatedly, Rnd finally realized the difficulty of the situation. His eyes shone with a cold glow as he grabbed his sword, strolled towards his wife, knelt before her, and caressed the baby in her arms before looking up at her face. "I''ll be back very soon!" he said. Without waiting for a reply, he ran out of the house. His wife watched him with a proud yet sad expression, silently praying for his and Lord Rowan''s safety. However, as Rnd stepped outside, he was shocked to see all the soldiers, both young and old, marching toward the South Forest. "You''reing as well?" Bryce asked him. Rnd nodded. Together, the soldiers, concerned about their Lord''s safety, began storming the South Forest. Chapter 32: Emotions and monsters ( XII ) In the dark hours of the night, the vigers, after hearing of their Lord''s heroic actions, began to doubt his survival. Women prayed, children worried, and a few brave men stepped out of their homes, ready to face whatever adversaryy beyond the vige border. At this moment, more than four hundred men could be seen marching towards the south entrance. "Do you think Lord Rowan''s okay?" someone whispered. "What kind of monster did he face? That shriek¡­ it didn''t sound like an easy fight," another added. "We pray Lord Rowan is still alive! I don''t mindying down my life for his as long as our vige gets to see him in the morning. He is the only one that can save us and take us towards greater heights." They all discussed among themselves, sharing the same thoughts filled with worries, doubts, and a tiny spark of hope. Rnd, Bryce, Bruce, Josh, and Oliver¡ªthe five captains¡ªmarched gantly in front of their soldiers as they got closer to the border. They all kept praying for Rowan''s safety. Meanwhile, beyond the border, Rowan could be seen strolling toward the vige with a big smirk on his face. ''I wonder what meal Ri prepared for me today. Though, I''d like to eat her before eating¡­ hehe,'' he thought with so much joy and calmness, a deep contrast to his vige''s current condition. As he got closer to the border of his vige, he began hearing loud footsteps, sounding like the marching of a thousand soldiers towards a battlefield. ''What is happening??'' Rowan''s heart skipped a beat as he began to panic. ''Don''t tell me Glenwood is already attacking my vige!! But that can''t be, I would have gotten a notification that something like that is taking ce!'' Rowan looked in the direction of the vige, there was no one in sight. He could only see the farms and the big trees that made up the southern part of Winterseed. His worries increased by the second. He brought out the swords from his inventory and began sprinting towards the vige at top speed, unafraid of the heavy footsteps heading his way. As he sprinted towards the vige, his eyes kept scanning the surroundings in search of danger, but there was none. The area was serene and peaceful, only the footsteps altered the calm environment. --- However, unaware of their Lord''s arrival, the soldiers kept discussing as they marched even faster towards the border. At the moment, they were just a few meters away from leaving the territory of Winterseed. Their faces held grim expressions, their hearts prayed for the safety of themselves and their Lord, their hands clenched their weapons intensely. The five captains marching in front finally made it past the border. Rnd and Bryce signaled the soldiers to a quiet halt. Bryce had a frown on his face. "If Lord Rowan is still fighting the monster, there should be noiseing from that direction, but I can''t hear anything right now¡ªnot even a shriek from the monster," he said. The others agreed. "What could this mean? Please, let it not be what I think it is!" "Is Lord Rowan dead?" "No, it can''t be!!" The soldiers reacted one after the other after hearing Bryce''s words, while the other captains frowned. "Keep your voices down, everyone! Do you want to draw the attention of the monster towards the vige?" Bryce reprimanded the young soldiers immediately. The noise they were generating at this moment could wake the monster if it was anywhere nearby, leading to many unnned casualties. "We should march forward! No matter what the fate of our beloved Lord is, we must not cower behind in the vige!" Bryce announced again, and they began marching again. However, before they could move ahead further, someone in the group spotted a dark figure speeding towards them¡ªthe figure sprinting towards them had the same structure as a human being. However, its speed and the way it ran made it difficult to categorize it as a human being. It must be a monster!! "Something is running towards us!!" he alerted with a shaky voice. His voice immediately triggered the soldiers. They stared ahead, and with the very dim light from the moon, they were able to make out a figure running towards them at a speed they hadn''t witnessed before. The young soldiers panicked immediately, some of them even started praying loudly to their ancestors to grant them protection. The captains, who had experienced battles in the past, were also perplexed. What monster could run at such inhumane speed? "A humanoid monster! This is more dangerous than we already expected! Everyone, prepare your weapons and get ready to attack on my signal." Rnd quickly drew his sword and stood in front of the soldiers, observing the approaching ''monster.'' The soldiers did the same. At that moment, everyone had their weapons ready. Rnd observed their expressions for a few seconds, lifted his sword, and dropped it down swiftly. "Attack!!!" Following his words, the soldiers let out a collective battle cry and began sprinting towards the ''monster.'' The sound of their feet as they ran towards the monster echoed across the area. The moon hung in the sky and graced them with its dim glow. The air around them was thick with tension and all their pent-up emotions. Nevertheless, as they stormed their enemy, they noticed something really strange. "Why is it not moving anymore?" one soldier asked his colleague as they ran together. "I don''t know, maybe it is afraid of our numbers," his colleague replied uncertainly. "The ancestors are indeed gracing us tonight. The monster has been weakened by the mysterious powers of our valiant forefathers!!" As the soldiers discussed, the captains became even more confused. Bryce and Rnd frowned deeply. What was the meaning of this? Why would the monster suddenly stop? Is it preparing a powerful magical attack to st them out of the battlefield or maybe activating its inner magic to gain an upper hand? Whatever the case, it remained a mystery to them. "Wait¡­ Did that monster just facepalm itself?" someone suddenly voiced out. It was a sight that shocked everyone. A monster facepalming? How rare was that sight? Is this some sort of new breed of monster with the same brain as humans? --- All of Rowan''s pent-up anger, worries, and panic died down when the soldiers came into sight and their stats appeared before him¡ªthey were none other than his very own soldiers! He facepalmed and let out a loud sigh before proceeding to speak in a loud voice. "Everyone, it is me!! Where the hell are you all running towards like that?" he let out with a tinge of annoyance in his voice. Following his voice, the soldiers halted at once, their collective reactions spread across the air. [One of your soldiers faints from shock.] [One hundred soldiers sighed in relief.] [One hundred soldiers copsed in relief.] [Two hundred soldiers praised the gods for their protection.] [Your soldiers wear smiles on their faces.] [Two of your soldiers grit their teeth.] [Two of your soldiers curse their luck that you are alive.] [Two of your soldiers stomp the ground in annoyance and curse the monsters for not killing you.] Seeing thest three prompts, a tired expression appeared on Rowan''s face. "There are two of them now? How troublesome. I couldn''t even catch the first one, and now they have multiplied. This is going to be a difficult task," he muttered. He used his inspection skill to check all the soldiers his eyes could meet at this moment, but there were no changes. They were all the same, no one looked too out of ce or had a status that sold them out. This made Rowan even more confused as it seems his suspects have a pretty tricky ability to camouge their emotions and fool everyone, including his system. Rowan could only let out a sigh and forget about them. After all, he already had an active n in ce, ready for the war that is toe. Even if the number of spies multiplies, his ns would still prevail! Wearing a smile, he strolled to meet his soldiers and calmed their hearts. As they walked back to the vige, Rowan began giving details about his aplishments after they left. His ''cool tales'' of defeating a giant Ratax monster with shy sword moves and impressive movements made the younger soldiers admire him even more. The captains smiled with pride as they listened to their young Lord. On the other hand, Rowan farmed arge chunk of evolution points. [480 soldiers are inspired.] [+5000 evolution points.] [100x Rewards activated | 500,000 evolution points have been added.] [Your captains are proud of your aplishments.] Chapter 33: Emotions and monsters ( XIII ) After Rowan and the soldiers returned, the vigers who had refused to sleep, knowing their lord was in trouble, stepped outside their homes to wee them with happy smiles, some even breaking down in tears. With Rowan surviving against a powerful monster, their hope for a better tomorrow grew even stronger. Only after Rowan retired to his room did they leave for their various homes. With no worries in their hearts, they could now sleep and await a new day. Brandon and Ri stayed with Rowan the whole time, refusing to leave his side. Brandon only left after Rowan retired to his room, but Ri, who looked very worn out from crying so much, refused to leave. "You should go to sleep, Ri," Rowan said with a calm smile. While he would not reject a beauty sleeping next to him, he could not trust himself to stay sane during the process. Judging by her current state, such activity would only wear her out even more. "I want to stay with you," Ri replied in her sweet, angelic voice, her head bowed shyly as she fidgeted with her fingers. "Are you sure? You know, two adults of opposite genders can''t sleep in the same room without the urge to make babies arising. Do you really want to carry my babies so soon?" Rowan asked. He opened his door and took a step inside the hut, looking back at Ri, whose face had turned red following his words. "I-I..." she stuttered. Rowan noticed her difficulty ining up with an answer and couldn''t help but smile appreciatively at her innocence. ''Oh god or goddess of sex, this faithful believer prays that you make my little brotherzy tonight, for thy servant finds it difficult to control in the presence of temptation,'' Rowan prayed inwardly. Ri was still standing, and from the looks of it, nothing he said would change her mind. "Alright,e sleep with me tonight. I know you''re worried I might do something risky again," Rowan surrendered and let her in. Ri smiled cheerfully as she walked into the room. As she passed him while entering, Rowan had to fight the strong urge to spank her. After Ri got in, Rowan locked the door from the inside and walked closer to Ri, who sat on the bed, her innocent eyes scanning the room, even though she had been in it before. "Ri, I have something I would like to give you," Rowan said. "What is that?" Ri asked. "It''s a book containing a special tailoring skill." "A special tailoring skill?" Ri''s eyes lit up after hearing his reply. "Yes, Ri, the skill will increase your efficiency in the art and also give you the ability to transfer your tailoring knowledge easily to others interested in learning. Very soon, we will have bulk supplies of raw clothing material, and I want you to be in charge of it. This skill will make your work much easier and faster." The more Rowan spoke, the more interested Ri became. As someone who loved her art, she was always ready to use it to help Rowan and the vige atrge. Hearing that she would get to help made her really excited. She became so excited that she stood up abruptly, facing Rowan with a cheerful smile and proiming her readiness. Rowan nodded with a smile, already knowing she would ept. Without wasting time, he brought out the skill book and gave it to Ri. She was so curious to observe the skills that she ignored the fact that the book had appeared out of thin air. Immediately after receiving the book, she flipped it open, eager to see what awaited her. On the first pages, there were a series of texts and illustrations that she understood easily. She read through them in a matter of two minutes and flipped to the next page. --- Ri - Comprehending skill (Threadmaster Apprentice Training) - 10% --- As she flipped through the pages of the skill book, Rowan couldn''t help but notice her rapidprehension. It was even more shocking than theprehension speed of the captains. At this rate, she might end upprehending all of it in less than an hour! It was indeed a significantprehension speed. And just as he predicted, after one hour... [ Ri hasprehended (Threadmaster Apprentice Training) sessfully ] [ Skill will level up the more (Ri) utilizes it and makes progress ] As Rowan observed the prompts, Ri closed the book and turned to him with an excited look on her face. "I haveprehended itpletely!" she eximed happily. "That''s really fast and impressive. Come here," Rowan responded with a smile, hugging her and patting her back. In his embrace, Ri couldn''t stop smiling, happy she was able to impress Rowan and had acquired a skill to help the vige. "You can start gathering those interested tomorrow. Once we''ve taken over Glenwood, I''ll construct arge ce for you and your students. I''m certain you''ll do a great job," Rowan continued, his praise making her smile even more. Her motivation was boosted not only by his praises but also by his [Super Voice]. As her motivation grew, Ri began happily chatting about some creative ideas she had, how beautiful they would be, and how they would sustain the vigers in different weather conditions. As she chatted with him, she felt very free and peaceful. She felt no need to hide anything from him. They talked for more than an hour before Ri finally fell asleep on Rowan''s chest. As she slept peacefully, Rowan couldn''t help but observe her face with a calm smile as his mind raced with many thoughts. It was strange, even to Rowan, that a woman as sexy as Ri was lying on hisp, yet he didn''t feel the need to sexually devour her as he did with other women in his previous life. He wondered if it was because his feelings for her were true, pure love and not carnal lust, or if the god and goddess of sex had actually answered his prayers and made his little brother weak for the night. After a few minutes, Rowan too fell asleep, as the weariness from the previous battle kicked in. The atmosphere in the room was serene and peaceful, a stark contrast to the atmosphere looming over Glenwood. Chapter 34: Emotions and monsters ( XIV ) Glenwood Vige hasn''t been the same in thest twenty-four hours! It first started with the sting of the announcement trumpet, followed by the message of five of Lord Fagin''s women. This report brought about the beginning of chaos, as soldiers stormed all the streets in search of the women. They entered every house in Glenwood, turning everything upside down in search of them. Sadly, there was no result. Seeing that there was no sign of them in Glenwood, Lord Fagin, infuriated, asked his horsemen to ride down the path leading to Winterseed in search of them. "If you find them and they resist, kill them!" he said to the horsemen before sending them out in search of the women. While he gave these orders, Liara hid behind the room and, sadly, heard everything. Those words kept ying over and over again in her head, causing her to tremble as emotions surged inside of her. She ran back to her quarters and couldn''t keep a calmposure, her mood dampened, eyes reddened, and breath ragged. She simply stared at the walls, recalling those words over and over again. Sadly, her alone time wasn''t even peaceful as two soldiers soon stormed the room and dragged her out. They dragged her body across the rough ground towards therge hall Lord Fagin used for receiving his guests. There, she could see the different able-bodied men and some ssily dressed women gathered together, looking at her with hateful eyes. "Drag that bitch over here!!" Lord Fagin roared in anger. The guards immediately obeyed, they dragged her and tossed her in the middle of the hall, where all the eyes in the room could reach her. She could only let out a short cry of pain as her body ached from the rough toss. "You!! Where are your sisters?" Lord Fagin asked with anger sting from his voice. Liara could only look at him with terror, refusing to answer. "Are you deaf?? Answer my question! Don''t act like you are not aware of your sisters'' ns to kill my soldiers and escape!" Lord Fagin''s round figure stormed towards her, his fatty flesh swaying disgustingly in the air. "I don''t know," Liara replied. "What do you mean? You bitch." Lord Fagin nted a p across her face. "How dare you lie in front of me?" Liara held her face, now inflicted with the stinging pain from the p. She realized that it would be even harder to get herself out of this situation. "I wasn''t told about their ns. You have to believe me," she immediately replied, tears falling from her face. "Fake tears! Lord Fagin, she is clearly lying. This bitch is definitely in on her sisters'' ns. Who knows? She might even be the one who killed those young innocent soldiers in order to aid their escape," one of the women in the room said with a scoff. "I agree with you. Someone like her does not deserve to live anymore. We should get rid of her immediately," another woman supported. Liara could tell easily why these women were actively against her just from the wrinkles on their faces. Both are almost the same age as ra, but unfortunately, their skin wasn''t as healthy as hers. The women of Glenwood never liked any of them from the beginning. Some men joined in condemning Liara, suggesting that she be killed immediately. However, one of the captains couldn''t help but smirk evilly. "Lord Fagin, she looks too weak and innocent to havemitted such a crime. How can a woman of such structure kill three of our well-trained soldiers at the same time? That is impossible. It is obvious the others grouped up to kill them before leaving," the captain suggested with a serious expression on his face. As he spoke, Liara couldn''t help but observe him, and she immediately recognized him¡ªhe is Captain Stanis, the same captain who has been trying to steal ra from Lord Fagin. ''Why is he trying to help me?? What sort of sick thoughts is he harboring towards me right now?'' Liara''s worries increased. The room became real noisy after Captain Stanis''s suggestion. Everyone, especially the women, disagreed with his suggestion. Stanis remained calm and didn''t even bother to argue with them, he kept his eyes fixed on Lord Fagin, who was fuming like a balloon ready to explode anytime soon. ''Why are you so pissed off about the departure of women you can''t even make love with? I would soony my hands on that thing, and when I do, I will im those women and make love with them every day and ensure you watch,'' his sick mind raced with dark thoughts. He turned to look at Liara and winked at her. His wink was quickly met with a feisty re, which caused him to loseposure. Nevertheless, he quickly gained it back. The noise in the room continued, growing even more every second. The tension in the room was palpable at this moment. "Quiet down, all of you!!" Lord Fagin barked. The room immediately fell silent, only a few murmurs could be heard. "I said cease it!!" he barked again, and the noise died downpletely. Everyone turned their heads towards him, ready to hear what he had to say. "All these issues started because of your poor security management, Stanis. You were supposed to be in charge of defense while the party was going on, but instead, you drowned yourself in alcohol and left three tiny soldiers to guard the gate," Lord Faginined with a dark expression, facing the captain who spoke in favor of Liara earlier. ''How dare a dickless fat fuck speak to me in such a manner,'' Stanis cursed inwardly. "I am very sorry, Lord Fagin." He bowed his head and apologized. "Keep your sorry to yourself. You have to take care of this mess because you started it. You will have to apologize to the families of the young soldiers and then take your men outside to search for those women. You are not allowed to return unless you find them," Lord Fagin dered. Hearing his words, the room fell into a deeper silence, every eye turned to Stanis with pitiful looks. Some who had grudges against him found the order really appealing. "But Lord Fagin..." Stanis grumbled. "No buts, Stanis. If I were you, I would kick off my mission immediately." After saying this, Lord Fagin sat back on therge chair in the room, his body already worn out from talking too much. He waved his hand, and almost immediately, two maids brought out two trays containing different delicacies. Stanis observed Lord Fagin for a few seconds before storming out of the room, swearing in his heart to get his revenge as soon as possible. As Lord Fagin ate his meal, he asked the guards to haul Liara away and lock her up. Liara let herself be taken away without uttering a single word. As she was being taken away, her eyes glowed with a sharp re of deep hatred that was felt by those who looked into her eyes. Some of the women couldn''t help but shiver at the intensity of hatred radiating from those eyes. They were only able to maintain properposure after she left. "Lord Fagin," one man in the room who had been quiet throughout the previous ordeal finally spoke up. "What is it?" Lord Fagin grumbled. "We need to be ready for war," the man responded. "Why? Is it because of a small ce like Winterseed? Their total number of people isn''t even as big as our army." Lord Fagin scoffed and cleaned his mouth with a napkin. "Those women have stayed with us throughout most of our meetings. They have heard a lot of our core battle strategies. If the Lord of Winterseedys his hands on those strategies, his victory would be easier." "So you are trying to say those women left to give out our battle strategy?" Lord Fagin asked, not even taking his suggestion seriously. Strategy or not, he believes Winterseed, with their small army, wouldn''t be able to defeat his. Not only are his soldiers much greater in number, but they are also well-trained and much stronger than Winterseed''s. "Yes, my Lord. I suggest we attack now before Winterseed gets the time to act on the information they''ve received," the man responded. Lord Fagin scoffed, grabbed a chicken wing from the tray, tossed it into his mouth, and devoured it while everyone watched. "You shouldn''t concern yourself with that. How can their young lord, who hasn''t experienced any battle in his life, gain the ability to understand our strategy and make a counter-strategy? It is impossible," he said. Everyone in the room agreed, they believed Winterseed stood no chance at all, except the one who brought the suggestion, he could only shake his head in pity. Chapter 35: Emotions and monsters ( XV ) Morning arrived quickly, and the sun resumed its duty, providing light to the people of Winterseed. They immediately returned to their daily activities as soon as the first light touched thend. Farmers rushed to their fields, while soldiers, following Rowan''s suggestion, did early morning exercises before continuing their duties¡ªsome heading to the borders, others to the vige square to await training. Everyone in the vige was busy and content with their tasks. Rowan woke up a bitter than usual, the weariness from fighting the Ratax general having faded away. "Good morning, Rowan!" Ri''s voice greeted him, drawing his attention. "Ri, you''re already awake? Did you get enough rest?" Rowan asked, noticing the food on the table and realizing she had woken up early. "I did, Rowan. I made something for you," she replied, pointing to the food. Rowan sincerely appreciated her gesture. He quickly rinsed his mouth before sitting down to eat. As usual, the meal was delicious. As Rowan ate, he noticed Ri still standing in front of him, her hands folded behind her back. A sweet smile graced her lips, but it was her eyes that caught his attention¡ªbright with an unmistakable hint of eagerness and curiosity. She watched him intently, as if waiting for him to say or do something. Rowan couldn''t help but wonder what she was expecting. "Is there something you want to ask me, Ri?" he asked. "I want to see it," she replied in a cheerful tone. Her response left Rowan confused. ''What is it she wants to see? Don''t tell me she wants to see my dragon!'' "See what?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "ze." Ri''s reply made Rowan curse his own thoughts, feeling ashamed. Nevertheless, he wondered how she knew about ze. "You know about ze? How?" he asked. Ri replied almost immediately, exining how the young soldiers wouldn''t stop talking about the cute and powerful divine puppy Rowan had summoned out of thin air. As she narrated, her curiosity and interest surged even more as she eagerly anticipated seeing ze. Seeing how interested she was, Rowan could tell she had already fallen for the tales of ze''s cuteness, and he couldn''t help but feel a pang of jealousy. ''Dammit, ze, how dare you be so popr with the women at such a young age!'' Nevertheless, he didn''t hesitate and summoned ze from the divine beast in. As usual, a small portal appeared, and ze floated out of it,nding in Rowan''s arms. [''Where are my food pills? You promised to give me two when you returned home!''] ze immediately demanded after arriving in Rowan''s arms. Rowan sent it a cold re andmunicated telepathically, ''Dream on. You''ve sinned against me by stealing the heart of my woman!'' [''That''s not fair! I didn''t ask to be made this cute and irresistible! Give me my food pills, or I''ll scratch your face with my ws.''] ''When did you be a cat? Try that, and I''ll cook you. I bet your meat would taste amazing!'' Rowan threatened yfully. ze trembled slightly in his arms, clearly shaken by Rowan''s thoughts. Their exchangested only a few seconds, unnoticed by anyone else. As ze made his appearance, Ri''s eyes lit up with excitement. The tiny creature''s soft, brilliantly colored fur and innocent, oversized eyes that seemed to peer into her very soul¡ªevery aspect of the little divine beast instantly captured her heart. "So cute!" she eximed, her voice full of delight as she made her way toward them. Seeing the beautiful female human approaching, ze quickly puffed out his tiny chest and tilted his head slightly, trying his best to appear even more endearing. With a soft, almost musical purr, ze gave Ri a look so heart-meltingly innocent that it could soften the sternest of hearts. Ri''s smile widened as she reached out to stroke ze''s fur, her fingers gently brushing through his soft, silky coat. ze stretched out his tiny paws as if asking for an embrace. "Oh my goodness!" Ri giggled, utterly charmed. Without hesitation, she gently took ze from Rowan''s arms, cradling the little creature. ze responded by snuggling deeper into her embrace, letting out soft purrs akin to that of a cat. Rowan couldn''t help but watch with amusement and helplessness. "You little traitor, you''re not even a cat!" he muttered. Ri continued ying with ze for about thirty minutes before leaving him with Rowan and heading off to start what they had discussed the previous night. Rowan left afterward as well. He repeated his usual morning routine of visiting the farms with Brandon and Rnd. Afterward, he went to train the soldiers. Unfortunately, they couldn''t have long sessions as usual, as they had to go collect wood from the southern forest. This time, no oneined since it was still morning, and monsters are always inactive during such periods. They were also confident that any threat arising would be easily handled by their lord¡ªthis trust gave them a big boost in confidence and motivation. Rowan decided to take three hundred men this time around to make the work faster and avoid working until evening when monsters be active again. --- When they arrived at the south forest, they were greeted with a grotesque scene of numerous corpses lying on the ground. Various scavenger animals and birds had already gathered to feed on the corpses. The soldiers who hadn''t been there the previous day were shocked to see the bodies. Even those who had been present stared with wide eyes at the gigantic corpse of the Ratax general. Their admiration and confusion at how Rowan was able to kill the gigantic monster earned Rowan more than enough evolution points. After the initial reactions and conversations, the soldiers began working diligently. Some worked together in groups to fell trees, others joined the captains in bundling the fallen trees, while others carried the bundled wood back to the vige. It was still morning, and the weather was ideal for work. The sound of swords attacking wood echoed across the forest constantly. Rowan joined in the work, using his sword to fell as many trees as he needed and assisting the other groups. Their work continued for hours; some soldiers got tired, rested briefly, then resumed working. No one was ready toze around and let others overshadow their efforts. The harmony as they worked together made Rowan smile proudly as he watched them. After more than seven hours had passed, the workload finally began to lessen. The required amount of trees had been acquired, and now all that was left was bundling them and transporting them back to the vige. "Good work, everyone," Rowanplimented them. His praise added more bliss to their work, and they continued with renewed joy and motivation. Another hour passed, and the trees had been bundled into manageable sizes, and the soldiers began carrying them. Some wood was very heavy, requiring three soldiers to carry, while others were quite light. One by one, all the wood was taken away, and everyone strolled back home. On the way, those without wood helped those who were worn out. It was the early hours of the evening, and the light of the day was still bright, making their journey home much easier. ---- At the south border of Winterseed, the farmers and soldiers observed therge amounts of wood arranged into two tall pyramid structures with fascination. "Did you guys really do all this yourselves?" some of the farmers asked in disbelief. "There are so many, I can''t even count. They also look very big and heavy. How were you able to do all this alone?" they continued, with doubt and fascination in their voices. Even the soldiers couldn''t believe they had aplished all this with their natural strength. It seemed too incredible to be true. Rowan could only smile at their reactions. His [Super Voice] yed a significant role in the soldiers'' motivation and work efficiency, thus boosting their work output significantly. Of course, none of them were aware of this miraculous skill in his possession. "You all did a great job today. Tomorrow, after morning and afternoon training, we''ll start working on these woods¡ªsplitting them into the needed sizes and alsoying out ns for the guardhouse," Rowan announced. The soldiers agreed with a smile, and the farmers rejoiced inwardly. They were all eager to see what Rowan had in store for them. Meanwhile, as Rowan and the vigers gathered at the south border, the soldiers stationed at the north border noticed a strange structure moving toward them from afar. They could only make out a horse and arge wooden structure behind it. Nevertheless, the sight made them panic, as they weren''t expecting any visitors. "Quickly, inform Lord Rowan!" Oliver, the captain with them, ordered immediately. .... AUTHOR NOTE: Hey guys to do not forget to leavement and reviews after reading. It helps me improve. Thanks for reading! Chapter 36: Emotions and monsters ( XVI ) Rowan had just finished addressing the vigers when three young soldiers sprinted toward him, their faces etched with exhaustion and worry. The three of them came to a halt in front of Rowan and gasped to catch their lost breath. "What is it?" Rowan asked with a frown. "Captain Oliver sent us. There is somethinging towards our vige from the north!" the soldiers reported. "Somethinging towards us? What is it? A monster?" Rowan asked, uncertain about their report, wondering if it was monsters. "We haven''t confirmed yet, but we can describe it for you," one of them answered and began describing the structure they saw. "A horse-driven carriage," Rowan muttered inaudibly as his mind pictured the perfect imagery of their descriptions. Carriages are sophisticated structures in the world of Emperor''s Domain, only wealthy territories with rich and powerful nobles could own them. Even Glenwood, which is far superior to Winterseed, doesn''t possess one. The sight of one approaching his vige set Rowan''s mind racing. Was this a sign that a powerful lord had turned his gaze toward their small vige? Or perhaps a wealthy noble, intent on exerting their influence and taking what they wanted from the weak? "How close is it to the vige?" He asked the necessary question. "We can''t tell exactly because it was moving really fast. It should have arrived at the north border already," they answered. "Run back to Captain Oliver and tell him I am on my way right now." The soldiers nodded and ran back to the north border. Brandon, Bryce, and Rnd exchanged uneasy nces as they stepped closer to Rowan. Despite being part of the oldest people in Winterseed, even they hadn''t seen any structure simr to what the soldiers described. In their minds, they pictured a gigantic horse with a strangely shaped hunchback. The other soldiers around Rowan also became really curious and somewhat scared. "A box on wheels pulled by horses? What kind of creature is that? What does it even look like?" "Could it be an evolved monster with the appearance of a horse?" "Why am I thinking of a horse with arge wooden hunchback?" Hearing their doubtfulments, Rowan shook his head pitifully and decided to exin the structure of a carriage to them. As he exined, their eyes widened with interest. "It is called a carriage? What a cool name." "If we had one of those in our vige, moving harvests from the farm to our houses would be pretty sweet and easy," a farmer said with dreamy eyes. "With a carriage, we can move more than ten persons at the same time with just two horses?? That is too good to be true. Why haven''t I heard about this until now?" "If it can move more people with fewer horses, then it could be carrying some powerful soldiers to our vige as we speak!" "Oh no. It is an amazing structure, but it is also a weapon in the hands of our enemy. What should we do now?" "Lord Rowan? What should we do now?" After hearing Rowan''s vivid exnations, they reacted just as Rowan expected. First starting with curiosity and interest, then slowly migrating to thoughts of what or whom might lie within the carriage approaching the vige. Without taking time, Rowan gave a few orders to Bryce, Rnd, and the rest of the vigers before taking the horse and riding down to the north border. --- Oliver stood in front of his soldiers with a brace expression on his face. He clutched his sword and observed the strange structure being dragged by two horses, which was just a few meters away from them. As Oliver observed the structure, he noticed a strange human figure sitting on its roof. As the structure drew closer, he noticed that it was a man and his mind rxed a bit, d it wasn''t a monster. "You are in the territory of Winterseed!!" He quickly yelled at the man on the roof. "Stop this thing and tell us why you are here!" He continued, but there was no response. Seeing that there was no response, he turned to the soldiers behind him and gave a quick signal. The soldiers adhered immediately and lifted their weapons at the carriage, ready to attack if it crossed the border. They were still confused about the strange appearance of it, but they were ready to defend their vige. Suddenly, the horses neighed and came to an abrupt halt just a small distance away from Oliver, who stood in front of the others. The breeze as the horses came to an abrupt stop blew against Oliver''s face. But Oliver kept his stance and pointed his sword at the man on the roof, whose figure became clearer and stranger at the same time. He was a really handsome man with long white hair tied in ponytails, nevertheless, he was sitting in a strange sitting position, and his eyes were closed, seemingly in a sleep-like state. Seeing him, the soldiers couldn''t help but frown and look among themselves, and numerous questions appeared in their minds. The first was how the horse came to a stop without any movement or instructions from the strange man, and secondly, how he was able to remain calm and stable on the roof of a structure that moved with a speed they hadn''t witnessed before. The appearance of everything in front of them was clouded in mystery. "You there! Get down and exin yourself. Who are you, and why are you here?" Oliver''s voice boomed, cutting through the silence. But there was no response, not even a slight movement from the horses or the man on the roof. "Hey you. Stop ying deaf ears and answer me!" Infuriated, Oliver demanded again, and he got the same treatment. ''What the heck is wrong with this guy? Is he even alive?'' Oliver pondered. Oliver turned to look at the horses, they looked as real as they could, he could feel the movement on their faces as they moved, and their eyes, which gazed at the soldiers, looked real as well. But that man up there, he looked too unreal. Even his handsomeness didn''t appear natural, he looked more like a character out of a wonderful painting, and the atmosphere he radiated was impossible as well. If Oliver wasn''t surrounded by soldiers right now who shared the same reactions as him, he would have concluded already that he was in a dream. As his mind wandered with different thoughts, the man''s eyes snapped open, a grin spreading across his face as he stretched and yawned loudly, before giving the soldiers a casual wave. "Wassup, y''all." .... AUTHOR NOTE: -(This does not effect this chapter''s pricing)- Thank you for reading and spending your coins on my book. I promise to keep improving the quality and making the story more interesting. For the next 3 days, I''ll be releasing just one chapter daily as I''m currently stockpiling to release 21 chapters weekly next month which is my first month of Win-Win and MGS. Chapter 37: Emotions and monsters ( XVII ) _Before Arrival_ It was the middle of the night, and a horse-drawn carriage sped down the lonely, broad path leading to Winterseed. On top of the carriage sat a gorgeous man with long white hair tied in a ponytail, seated in a lotus position, his eyes closed as he absorbed mana from the surroundings. KNOCK KNOCK Suddenly, knocks came from within the carriage, causing D''andre to open his eyes. With a signal from him, the two horses pulling the carriage halted immediately. He floated down from the roof and approached the door, opening it to find ra standing there with her usual serious expression. "We''re getting close to your vige, prettydy," D''andre said with a smile. He is aware that the women still didn''t fully trust him. "I know," ra replied, "That''s why I stopped you." "Huh, I thought you wanted to return to your vige? Don''t tell me you''ve changed your mind so soon." "It''s not that," ra responded almost immediately, her serious expression crumbling into one of worry and pleading. "I need to ask you for a favor." D''andre found her sudden change in demeanor strange but signaled for her to continue. ra began speaking, her voice and tone sincere as she made her request. After hearing her out, D''andre smirked and nodded in agreement. "Rest assured, I''ll do exactly as you ask. I won''t deny it, you''re a truly intriguing person, and I''d like to discover more about you." He smiled sweetly at her, but she only responded with a wry smile before retreating to bed. D''andre locked the door, returned to the roof, and signaled the horses to continue on their way. --- "What''s up, y''all?" Oliver and the soldiers watched in surprise as the strange man suddenly opened his eyes. He yawned, as if waking from a deep sleep, then casually waved at them as though they were old friends reunited after a long time apart. His friendly greeting left the soldiers exchanging puzzled looks before they quickly turned their focus back to him. "Who are you and why are you in Winterseed territory?" Oliver demanded, pointing his sword at him. "Me? I am your friendly neighborhood superhero, D''andre Draegorath." D''andre introduced himself. His introduction leaving everyone even more confused. ''D''andre Draegorath? What a strange name,'' Oliver thought, his brow furrowing slightly. "State your intention for stepping into our territory," he quickly demanded, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized the stranger. "And what exactly is it that you have inside that big box you''re sitting on?" "My intentions are nothing but pure, I assure you. As for the content of my carriage, I can only reveal it after speaking with your Lord." D''andre replied with a sweet smile ying on his face. Though D''andre exuded an imposing presence, his words were entirely the opposite¡ªfriendly, with no hint of ill intent. ''What is he nning? Why does he want to see Lord Rowan before revealing what''s in the box? Could it be some kind of weapon, and he''s nning to ambush Lord Rowan?'' Oliver''s mind raced with these thoughts as he continued to scrutinize D''andre. As his thoughts wandered, considering every possibility, the galloping sound of a horse approaching reached his ears. He quickly turned around, greeted by the sight of Rowan riding toward them, a frown on his face. Rowan halted his horse beside Oliver, gave him a nod, and dismounted before using [God''s Eyes] to inspect D''andre. ---- [ Name: D''andre Draegorath ] [ Power: A-rank ] [ upation: Merchant ] [ Title: Harbinger of Prosperity ] [ Special Skill: Trading (SS-rank) - Uncopyable ] [ Status: Curious ] ---- ''Who is this guy? He''s got an SS-rank skill I can''t even copy, a power rank high enough to crush my vige with a flick of his finger, and a title¡ªNPCs aren''t supposed to have titles!" Rowan''s eyes narrowed as he studied D''andre. Rowan wondered about the true identity of this person¡ªwhy he held a title only yers could possess, and why he was here in a small territory like his even though his power and skill far out ranks it. Naturally, someone with such high power rating wouldn''t gain much even if he plunders the whole of Winterseed, so why was he here? Even with [God''s Eyes], D''andre remained a mystery to Rowan. He was like an open book written in an ancient and indecipherablenguage; everything was visible, but understanding it was impossible. Nevertheless, Rowan decided not to antagonize this person, as it could bring more harm than good to his vige. He also had a sudden urge to dig deep into this character and discover who he truly was. He also had one question, ''Could he be a yer who transmigrated just like me?'' As for D''andre, when he saw Rowan arrive on horseback, he immediately recognized him as the Lord of the territory, and a smile crept across his face. ''A new customer!'' he eximed merrily in his heart as he observed Rowan. He watched as Rowan dismounted, noticing the strange look on his face as he assessed him. ''That''s not the proper way to wee a visitor,'' D''andre thought. ''Maybe this one isn''t friendly,'' he concluded, and proceeded to introduce himself. "You must be Lord Rowan of Winterseed. Your subject''s name is D''andre Draegorath. I have many things that could help your territory develop rapidly. You should wee me." Rowan narrowed his eyes, his expression serious. "You im to have things that could help my territory develop rapidly. What exactly are these things, and why should I trust a stranger who suddenly appears in mynd?" D''andre chuckled, clearly unfazed by Rowan''s stern demeanor. "Oh,e on, my Lord. You wound me with your suspicion! But I understand, it''s not every day you meet someone as extraordinary as me. I have wares and knowledge that could turn your humble vige into a thriving hub of prosperity." Oliver and the soldiers found D''andre''s words too impossible to believe. "Lord Rowan, we should not trust this person," they suggested. Rowan could have agreed with this suggestion, but he had already seen enough to understand that D''andre''s ims weren''t a scam. However, despite this, Rowan did not trust himpletely. D''andre''s identity remained a mystery, and his reasons foring to the vige were far from satisfying. Why would an SS-rank merchant choose to trade with a small FF-rank vige when he could easily establish connections with powerful kingdoms and empires? Moreover, anyone who possessed a badass title like [HARBINGER OF PROSPERITY] was far from ordinary. "Oliver, lower your weapons and let him in." Rowanmanded after further contemtion. ... AUTHOR NOTE: Thanks for reading!! Chapter 38: Emotions and monsters ( XVIII ) In Winterseed vige, there exists a veryrge building used for weing visitors and holding important meetings. Nevertheless, thest time it was opened was during thest meeting Dragun Winterseed held with his strongest soldiers three days before leaving the vige. The details of thest meeting remain unknown, and all the participants of the meeting have been in by goblins and Glenwood soldiers. At this moment, Rowan, his captains, and D''andre could be seen walking toward the entrance of the building, which stood alone, opposite the vige square. It was still nighttime, and around twenty soldiers apanied them, quickly forming a defensive formation around the building upon arrival. Rowan and D''andre walked in front of the captains. Rowan opened the door, revealing therge hall within the building. With Rowan''s [Night Vision], he was able to observe the hall and notice the wooden chairs arranged properly in a circle. He also saw the cobwebs and dust that had settled in the room, indicating it had been untouched for quite some time. The air inside was musty as well. ''No one has ever thought of cleaning this room since Dragun left,'' Rowan sighed. He was a bit frustrated as this was the only ce they could use in epting D''andre. His hut, while being the second-biggest house in the vige, is only as big as a medium-sized bedroom on Earth. He couldn''t entertain anyone with that. While Rowan swam in his mental frustration, D''andre observed the room as well and noticed everything instantly. He whispered a few strange words into the air, and suddenly, a magic formation appeared, glowing brightly and drawing the attention of everyone, including the soldiers guarding the premises. They all reacted the same¡ªshocked and amazed. "Magic!" Rowan''s eyes widened in shock as he saw this. He had used magic in games and watched a lot of movies featuring magic, but he had never seen anything so close and realistic! The feeling he experienced right now was akin to living out a dream in real life. Nevertheless, there was a bit of curiosity and greed within him. He activated [God Eyes] and entered the detailed stats, where all of his skills would be disyed before him, and then he could copy them. However, after activating it, a frown appeared on his face as he observed the window floating in front of him. [Skills: Trading (SS), Light Magic (B), Fire Magic (A), Mana Breathing (A), Voice of Prosperity (A), Sweet Tongue (D)] DING [ERROR! You cannot copy skills from this character.] DING [ERROR!!!] Seeing these messages made Rowan''s heart skip a beat as he observed D''andre. ''Who the hell is this guy? I can''t copy any of his skills, not even the D-rank ones?!'' Rowan eximed inwardly. This was the first time any of his skills had failed to activate on a target. ording to the function of his [COPY] skill, he could copy skills from anyone below SS-rank, and D''andre wasn''t even S-rank, so why couldn''t he copy his skills? As Rowan pondered and wondered, the magic formation D''andre had created began to manifest its purpose as a strong wind suddenly appeared, drifting inside and across the room. Under his control, the wind acted as a cleaner, wiping away all the dust and cobwebs in a matter of seconds. The captains behind Rowan watched all of this with their mouths wide open in shock. This was simply extraordinary, throughout their lives, they had only heard that elemental magic existed but had never seen any before. In fact, ording to their forefathers, manifesting elemental magic could only mean one had been blessed by the heavens and epted by the elements, making them one with them. The young soldiers who had left their positions toe watch were shocked beyond description as they observed with wide eyes and open mouths. As for D''andre, he kept a smile on his face. After cleaning the room using wind magic, he made a ball of glowing crystal appear midair and used his wind magic to make it float into the room, letting it hover in the middle to provide lighting for the meeting. After setting everything in ce, he turned to Rowan, who was standing beside him, and nodded at him as if to signal, "He''s done." Rowan, still confused about D''andre''s identity and the situation with the system, could only nod in response. ''I will get to know your true identity very soon,'' he swore to himself. He then signaled the guards to return to their position and the captains toe inside with him. The soldiers obeyed and did as hemanded, and the captains entered the room. After five minutes, everything settled down, and the eight of them sat inside the room. The glowing crystals floated in the air, providing more than enough light. The doors were securely locked, ensuring the details of their meeting remained within the room. Rowan faced D''andre, who sat opposite him with a slight frown on his face. "You expect me to believe you just felt likeing here? Prove it," Rowan demanded, his eyes narrowing. He knew D''andre''s answers were nothing but a smokescreen for his true intentions. Rowan could literally see with [God''s Eyes] that whenever D''andre answered most of his questions, his status changed from [Cheerful] to [Dishonest], indicating that his answers were lies. "How and why should I prove it to you, Mr. Rowan? A merchant would venture into any territory he finds attractive and try to build up a sessful business connection there. It is the norm of the business world, and I am sure you are smart enough to know that," D''andre replied with a smile. [ Your captains find D''andre suspicious ] [ Your captains'' trust with D''andre has increased by 50% | Current Trust level: 30% ] From the system notification, Rowan could tell that D''andre''s answers were smart enough to convince the captains, but he knew they were fake as usual. ''What is this guy hiding?'' he thought but kept a straight outward expression. "There''s Glenwood vige nearby, and they''re at least three times more prosperous than Winterseed. If you were really the skilled merchant you im to be, wouldn''t it make more sense to build connections there? Besides, my vige barely has any purchasing power. So, what exactly do you expect us to pay for whatever you''re offering?" he asked. [ Your captains'' trust with D''andre has decreased by 80% | Current Trust level: -50% ] D''andre and Rowan went back and forth, debating, each of them trying to outsmart the other with every word they spoke. Their back and forth left the captains shocked and amazed: This was the first time they had seen their beloved Lord battle someone verbally. He was able to contrast all the points D''andre gave and use them for further interrogation. Meanwhile, D''andre was astonished. ''Is this the same guy ra described as young and naive?'' he wondered, recalling his conversation with ra before arriving at the vige. ''I''ve spoken and made deals with dukes, kings, and emperors, but none of them have ever made me question my own wit. Yet this guy¡ªa mere vige head of such a small ce¡ªis outsmarting me at every turn. Who is he really?'' Chapter 39: Emotions and monsters ( XIX ) A group of fifteen soldiers riding on horseback could be seen in the middle of the night, moving along the path that leads from Glenwood to Winterseed. It was the darkest and calmest hours of the night and only the sound of their horses galloping could be heard across a wide radius. Stanis was riding at the front, his eyes cold and reflecting the anger that boiled within him. "That damn fatso thinks he can order me around as he pleases. Very soon, I''ll change all that and make that bastard pay for all the humiliations," he muttered angrily. The soldiers riding beside him overheard his words and couldn''t help but swallow hard. While they supported Stanis in his aim to overthrow Lord Fagin and be the new lord, they were aware that aplishing this was almost impossible. Stanis would be going against the decree of the ancestors, which always bring deadly curses and bad luck. In the past, five soldiers, much like Stanis, had thought highly of themselves and schemed to take over the rulership of Glenwood from the Lord of their time. Nevertheless, they all met dark ends after seeding in their schemes, two died two years after from a deadly disease, one was mauled to death by a bear, and two were r*ped and killed by hobgoblins. Nevertheless, despite knowing all of this, none of the soldiers dared speak to Stanis. They feared that, in his current state of anger, he might cripple anyone who dared contradict him. Stanis continued riding, muttering to himself as they pressed forward. "Halt..." Stanis suddenlymanded after they reached a certain point. He brought his horse to a stop and instructed the others to do the same. He dismounted and tied the reins to a sturdy tree nearby. The night air was cool, and the surrounding forest seemed to close in, with darkness thick and almost palpable. Stanis nced around at his men, his cold eyes scanning each of them as they dismounted and secured their horses to the nearby trees. "We go on foot from here," he said, his voice low andmanding. "We can''t afford to draw any unwanted attention or suspicions from Winterseed before the war." The soldiers exchanged uncertain nces. Doubt flickered in their minds, but none dared to voice it. They had heard tales of the dangers lurking in the forests at night¡ªwild beasts, goblins, and other monstrosities that ruled the night. Traveling on foot seemed like a gamble with death itself. But they were helpless and could only obey hismand without reporting. Stanis, seeing theirpliance, gave a curt nod. "Good. Stay close and keep your eyes sharp. We have a long way to go, and the night is unforgiving to the careless." With that, he turned and began to lead the way down the narrow, overgrown path that wound closer to Winterseed. The soldiers followed, their footsteps muffled by the thickyer of leaves and pine needles underfoot. After walking cautiously for about two hours, they finally spotted Winterseed vige from afar. Sadly, the thick forest and bush ended there. Any further step they took would reveal their location to the soldiers guarding the border. Thus, they could not move any further and could only try to spy from that distance, which was almost impossible. Nevertheless, Stanis brought out a strange object from his pocket, which had a cylindrical shape with ss attached to both ends. If Rowan or anyone from Earth were here, they would recognize it as a spyss, mostly used by pirates in the 18th century. Stanis squatted and proceeded to use the spyss, which made the vige appear four times closer. With the dim glow of the moonlight and magnification from the spyss, he could see a group of more than ten soldiers guarding the border. He could also see a few huts beyond the border. He tilted the spyss in other directions in search of a clue, but there was no clue at all. "This is bad," Stanis muttered to himself. "To really confirm if those women have returned, I will have to enter the vige, but that would be stupid, and it is almost impossible," he continued. He could have attacked right away and kicked the soldiers guarding the border, but it would only draw attention. He was confident about killing ten soldiers, but what if thirty surrounded him at once? He would be gone for sure. At this point, he was stuck in a dead end with his mission! As he was about to give up and put away the spyss, he noticed a group of soldiers walking toward another group guarding the border. After the new group arrived, the old group quickly left. Nevertheless, Stanis paid particr attention to one of them as he recognized him¡ªhe was the spy who had divulged information about Winterseed to Lord Fagin. "I have to get that bastard to tell me all he knows, he is my only chance to find out if those women have returned to the vige," Stanis smirked. The other soldiers with him couldn''t help but wonder what their captain was talking about. From their position, without a spyss like Stanis''s, they could only see figures moving around close to the border. As they wondered to themselves, Stanis suddenly put away his spyss and brought out a small flute that the soldiers quickly recognized. It was a special and traditional gift handed to the best captains of the Glenwood army, passed down from generations. It was the identity of a captain, serving as a staff of authority to a lord. However, unlike the staff of authority, which only served as proof of identity and authority, the flute had numerous purposes. Ignoring the curious looks the young soldiers gave him, Stanis began to y the flute, a smooth tone drifting slowly into the surrounding area. Its tone was soft and almost inaudible even to the soldiers standing close to him. Nevertheless, magically, the sound drifted toward the Winterseed border and beyond. Three soldiers stood gantly at the Winterseed border, discussing D''andre. "Are you for real?" one eximed, shock etched on his face. "Yes, Judus, I saw it with my own eyes. He used magic!" the other replied. "I was there as well. Even Lord Rowan and the captain were shocked beyond description," another joined in. The one named Judus looked at the two with regret in his eyes, wishing he could go back in time and witness D''andre use magic. But, Suddenly... "What is that sound?" one of the soldiers said, confusion on his face. He could hear a tone, like the whistling of the wind, but it came with a sweet, musical quality that bore deep into his soul. "I can hear it too, so smooth. It sounds like the sound of wind blowing and music at the same time," the other replied. A deep frown quickly formed on Judus''s face as the sound reached his ears. "What are they doing here?" he muttered under his breath, his voiceced with panic, shock, and fear. The two soldiers with him turned, casting puzzled looks his way, having caught the distress in his whispered words. Judus quickly waved his hands dismissively. "Don''t mind me; I was just recalling something," he said, forcing a casual tone. The soldiers, though still curious, returned their focus to their watch. ''Shit, that''s the signal Stanis told me and the captain about. It can only mean he''s nearby, but why is he here so soon? Is there an army with him?'' Judus''s thoughts raced as he panicked. ''The captain is with Lord Rowan and can''t be disturbed, which means I have to deal with this myself¡ªand immediately. Knowing Stanis, he might lose it and ughter everyone just to get to me.'' "Guys, you''ve been working hard since morning and you look really tired, why don''t you guys go to sleep? I should take your ce and watch instead while you guys rest, remember tomorrow there will be a lot of work to do." After a few minutes of pondering, Judus went to his colleagues and said with a smile. The two of them looked at him strangely for a few minutes as Judus wasn''t the type of person who usually volunteers to help others. Nevertheless they finally agreed and left since they were already feeling sluggish and sleepy. After they left, Judus let out a loud sigh of relief. He waited a few minutes before sneaking towards the forest area, running with all his might to make it there before anyone sees him. ------ AUTHOR NOTE: 2nd Chapter for today! 3rding in 3...2...1 Chapter 40: Emotions and monsters ( XX ) After running for a few minutes at his top speed, Judus finally arrived at the thick, bushy area and scanned his surroundings. "Where is he?" he muttered to himself as he searched for Stanis. "Over here," a thick voice sounded from behind him, it was so abruptly that Judus almost jumped in fear. Nevertheless, he quickly calmed down when he saw who it was, but then a serious and curious expression appeared on his face. "Why are you here at this time? This wasn''t the date we agreed on," Judusined. Stanis only scoffed at hisint. "I am not here concerning the war, idiot. I am here for something else. ra and the other women we took from your vige killed three of my soldiers and escaped." "Huh," Judus was dumbfounded. "Are you sure of this? How can those women, who don''t know how to hurt a fly, kill your soldiers? That is impossible." Judus knew ra and all the women who had been taken from the vige by Glenwood; all of them were as polite and innocent as angels, so he found Stanis'' report really strange. On the other hand, Stanis'' expression turned cold as he heard the doubting questions. "Do you think I would leave thefort of my vige and travel for long hours through a deadly path just toe tell lies?" "Sorry for doubting you," Judus immediately apologized. "Have you found them?" he followed up with a question, though it was a foolish one that annoyed Stanis. He clenched his fist and punched Judus in the face. The punch came with so much force that it sent Judus staggering two steps backward. He clenched his face with his hands and looked at Stanis with a pained expression. "What did I do? I only asked a question, can''t you answer with your mouth or Is it the tradition of Glenwood to answer with their fists instead of words?" he retorted. Hiding inside the bush, the soldiers who hade with Stanis couldn''t help but shake their heads in pity after hearing Judus'' retort against their captain. "Rest in peace, brother," they muttered at the same time. Before Judus realized his situation, it was already toote. Stanis had alreadynded another punch on his face and swept his feet off the ground, causing him to fall back. He didn''t stop there and began kicking him in the balls! Judus cried out for help and pleaded for two minutes before Stanis finally let him be, heaving a sigh to calm his raging heart. "Tell me, have those bitches returned to the vige? Tell me everything I need to know, or I will chop off those beans size balls you have!" Stanis demanded. Judus was in pain, but he couldn''t afford to get more, so he immediately answered, telling him that the women hadn''t returned to the vige. He also told him about D''andre. Unfortunately, his story about D''andre seemed too impossible to be true, and Stanis kicked him in the balls again for lying. "I am not lying! I am telling the truth!" Judus pleaded, clenching his crotch with tears dripping from his eyes. After all those kicks, he believed he would never be able to enjoy life again. "Who are you kidding? I have been to more ces than you, and I have never seen anyone use magic, and you im to have seen one? Liar, you don''t deserve those balls anymore," Stanis berated. Inside the bush, the soldiers grabbed their crotches with both hands as if defending them from an invisible enemy. They all had pale expressions as they watched Judus lose his balls gradually. Judus continued trying to make Stanis believe him, but Stanis paid no attention as he unleashed all the anger he has been holding in on Judus. Each time Judus tried to speak more, he would be kick him in the balls¡ªit was as though he had traveled down from Glenwood just to destroy Judus'' balls! "I will be back tomorrow night. Make sure toe here and meet me," Stanis said with a scoff before turning his back and disappearing into the bush. He signaled his soldiers, and they left with him. Judus remained on the ground, clutching his destroyed lower half. Tears dripped down his eyes continuously as the pain intensified every second. After crying his heart out for a few hours, Judus struggled up and began making his way back to the vige. Fortunately, no one was at the border to see him approaching. When he reached the border, he found a ce to sit and stared at the moon with a vengeful expression on his face, swearing to himself, "I will kill you myself, Stanis!" --- Meanwhile, at Glenwood Prison, Liara sat on the rough ground inside a dark cell, her hands and legs bound by chains to the walls. A stinking smell drifted around the cell continuously, indicating its bad state. The stench was a mix of rotten food, decaying animal remains, and other rubbish that made it unhealthy to live in. Nevertheless, Liara had no choice but to stay there. She couldn''t free herself, and even if she could, she would be met by arge number of prison guards who would make her life hell without killing her. She sat there, staring into the darkness with tired, almost lifeless eyes. It had been more than twenty-four hours since she was locked in this ce and more than seventy-two hours since she had anything to eat. At this point, she had given up on life. ''As long as ra and the others make it to Winterseed and inform Lord Rowan about the plot of these evil people, I will be able to rest in peace after I die,'' she resolved. She recalled her youthful days back in Winterseed, remembering the beautiful scenes that reminded her of how wonderful life had been before Dragun disappeared and their vige fell into the hands of Glenwood¡ªback then, life was blissful, with plenty of food for everyone, and the vigers always had smiles on their faces. As her mind reminisced about the good old days, a creaking sound came from the door, causing her to dart her eyes in its direction with a dreadful expression on her face. Liara saw two figures at the door¡ªone holding a torch and dressed in the uniform of the prison guards, the other a middle-aged man whom she immediately recognized as one of Lord Fagin''s advisers. The prison guard stood outside while the middle-aged man walked inside. After he walked in, the guard locked the door from the outside. Seeing this, Liara''s eyes widened, and she began desperately trying to free herself from the chains, even though she knew it was impossible. "Stay away from me!" she cried out, her fear evident in her voice. She was aware of the excessive lust the men of Glenwood had for her and the other Winterseed women, and how they saw them as nothing but items to be imed at any time by anyone. "I am not here to hurt you, youngdy," the man said, his words contradicting her fears. But the darkness in the cell made it hard to see his face and expression. "Stay away..." Liara retorted again, looking at his shadowy figure in the darkness. She heard him let out a disappointed sigh. She also noticed his unclear silhouette reaching for something, which made her eyes widen and increased her efforts to free herself. ----- AUTHOR NOTE ( has no effect on pricing) : Thanks for reading everyone. Do not forget to leave detailed reviews. If we can move the reviews to 11 today, I will release one more chapter!! Chapter 41: Conquest Liara struggled even harder to free herself from the chains binding her as her eyes kept a cautious watch on the figure standing in front of her in the dark cell. "Stay away," she cried continuously, terrified of the possibilities that awaits her. She was trapped, and there was no ra to help her now. She also had no freedom of her own¡ªno chance to escape whatever fate awaited her. "Stop stressing yourself, young one. I am really not here to hurt you," the middle-aged man said as he tossed something onto herp. "Here, something to eat." Liara ceased her struggles and stared at the silhouette, confused and wary. ''He is giving me food to eat? Why?'' she asked herself, but soon her gaze tightened once again as mistrust took hold of her thoughts. ''He wants me to have enough energy for the evil he is going to do to me!'' The middle-aged man observed Liara in the dark and saw that she wasn''t going to touch the food he had given her. "My name is Ren," he introduced himself softly, trying to bridge the gap between them. "Youngdy, do not consider me the same as my people. I can''t even abhor such evil thoughts against someone younger than my own daughter¡ªit''s disgusting." "I''m not here to interrogate you for Lord Fagin or harm you in any way. I only want to help," he continued, making sure to convey his true intentions. Liara listened to him, and from his tone, she could tell he was sincere, but she still couldn''t trust him¡ªshe couldn''t trust any man from Glenwood. It was a defensive mechanism that her mind had developed after all she had seen, and she would rather die than let any of them defile her. "You all say the same thing! You im to be better and different from each other, but you show your true side the moment you get the chance you''ve been craving," she responded in a low and weak voice, almost sounding like a whisper. "I understand you, but think about your condition and your sisters. Do you think they would want toe back to find their sister dead? Do you know how much pain it would bring them? You better eat now that you have the chance." Liara quickly rethought his words and couldn''t help but imagine the pain one would feel from losing loved ones. But at the same time, she became even more confused. "Aren''t you that fat bastard''s adviser? Why are you helping me, and why do you believe my sisters would return?" Liara asked, her voice tinged with skepticism and suspicion. She heard Ren sigh before replying, "Glenwood is on the brink of copse, and I want no part in its downfall. I''m helping you because, in times like these, siding with the righteous is the only way to survive because they are prone to seed more." "About your sisters, I know it might be hard to believe, but I actually saw them leaving the vige that day and you ying the role of distracting the soldiers at the gate by luring them away. I know you killed those three young soldiers." Thest part of his statement uncovered a memory Liara had been fighting to forget. "You knew!" she reacted, her voice filled with guilt, sadness, frustration, and many other traumatizing emotions. She couldn''t believe her dark secret wasn''t actually a secret. ''What if this man decides to report me?'' she thought as her heartbeat intensified. ''Then I would surely be tortured and killed.'' "Those young men were clouded with lust and would have done a lot of evil things to you if you hadn''t killed them, I believe you were only saving yourself and nothing else. You shouldn''t feel guilty about that," Ren responded with a sigh and continued to convince her to eat. Liara refused. She didn''t believe him at all. She suspected him for a lot of things, showing kindness to have his way? Adding aphrodisiac to her food to make it easier for him? She used him of a lot of things, each one more desperate than thest. The more he heard her malnourished and pained voice using him of those intentions, the sadder he became. Ren had daughters older than Liara, and he wouldn''t even dare to imagine them going through half the torment Liara had had to endure. After more than half an hour of convincing her, she finally agreed to eat what he had given her, but only on the condition that he leave the cell. Having no choice, Ren bade her farewell and proceeded to leave. He knocked on the door and the guards quickly arrived to open it. Liara watched him leave before turning to look at the bread on herp. She stared at the bread for a few seconds before picking it up with her chained hands to eat, satisfying her raging belly while her bleeding heart kept wishing for her vige to be okay. --- In Winterseed, a few hours had passed since Rowan and D''andre began their meeting. A lot had been discussed during this period, but most of it was just heated back-and-forth exchanges between Rowan and D''andre. Rowan''s ability to use D''andre''s vocal strategies against him made D''andre even more appalled. ''ra was very wrong. This guy doesn''t look or show any feature of a dumb and naive Lord as she described him to be. With this much knowledge and skill, he could even handle ckstone Empire more effectively than its current emperor¡ªthat guy is nothing but a cuckolded prick,'' thought D''andre. He turned to look at the seven captains, whose eyes were focused on him. ''Sadly, even as wise as he is, he can''t tell that one of his captains is feeding juicy information to his enemies,'' he shook his head and turned to look at Rowan with a smile. "Lord Rowan, why don''t you send your captains out of the room for a few minutes? I have something really important and secret to show you, and only you can see it," D''andre let out. Almost immediately, Bryce, Rnd, and Oliver stood up and red at him. "We can''t leave our Lord with you!" they said in unison, their hands on their swords, ready to engage at any time. "Guys, I can handle this," Rowan waved his hands, and only then did they retract their weapons. "But Lord Rowan, why do you want to stay alone with him? He is not trustworthy enough. I can''t leave you alone with him," Bryce let out with a stern look on his face. The other captains agreed and joined him in a futile attempt to talk Rowan out of it. "I am strong enough to defend myself if anything should happen," Rowan imed, even though he knew this statement was a straight lie. "You guys shouldn''t worry about me. I am sure he wouldn''t waste time, right?" He directed hisst question at D''andre. "Absolutely, just a few minutes," D''andre replied immediately. The captains hesitated, exchanging wary nces before reluctantly leaving the room. As the heavy door closed, the room fell into an uneasy silence, leaving Rowan and D''andre alone. The glowing crystal ball floated peacefully, and the breeze blew calmly in the room as the two figures faced each other. "So, you''re a transmigrator too, aren''t you?" ..... AUTHOR NOTE: Thanks for reading everyone!! Please leavements about any suggestions orint!! JOIN DISCORD: invite/56VRp7MaEB Chapter 42: Conquest { II } A deafening silence sprawled across the room as D''andre and Rowan observed each other with smiles and frowns on their faces respectively. After a few seconds passed, D''andre finally smiled and let out, "So, you''re a transmigrator too, aren''t you?" The room descended into more intense silence after his question. Rowan''s eyes furrowed as he couldn''t believe what he had just heard. "I think I misheard, what did you say just now?" he queried, his voiceced with disbelief. "Maybe you haven''t heard about transmigration before, so let me exin in simple terms; You were suddenly transported to this world while ying Emperors Domain, am I wrong?" D''andre asked, raising an eyebrow. Rowan''s expression crumbled at once. He couldn''t believe what he had just heard. Another transmigrator? How was that possible? Rowan had only been in this world for less than a week and had already concluded in his mind that he was the only one, but now there was another? It was really confusing. Though it all made sense now; Rowan wasn''t able to copy D''andre''s skills in the beginning with [Copy] and D''andre also has a title which was strange for the real characters of this world to possess. But... ''But how did he know that I am also a transmigrator? Even with my God Eyes, I couldn''t tell he was one,'' Rowan wondered and he didn''t hesitate to ask. "How did you know?" D''andreughed out loud after hearing his question. "It took me some time to confirm it with my system to be honest. But before that, you raised my suspicions in many ways, when you came to the border, the way you observed me was way too unnatural, and I started to suspect if you were a weird one or someone who has inspecting skills." D''andre went on giving points of how he became suspicious, he mentioned how Rowan was always twisting his words in order to make him divulge his own identity and how Rowan''s experience and knowledge about kingdom building was too much for someone who is said to have just recovered from a six-year-longa and doesn''t possess knowledge of how to handle his own vige. "I''ll be honest, the way you argued baffled me, it made me feel less of myself thinking I was being outsmarted by an FF-rank vige Lord but it all made sense now," D''andre concluded with a smile. Rowan couldn''t help but look at him at this moment with a deadpan expression. It turned out both of them were ying the mind game with one another all along, one was trying to decipher the other''s true identity while the other was fighting hard to see why he suddenly became inferior. "Now that you know who I truly am and I know your true identity, can you cut the bullshit and cut straight to the actual reason you came to my vige?" Rowan asked without wasting time. He was amazed that there was another transmigrator like himself, but he couldn''t let that distract him from keeping his vige safe. "Come on, Rowan. Why are you still acting distant and cold despite knowing we are from the same world? If it were the others, they would run and hug me and cry their heart out about how they felt so lonely and missed earth and plead for my help." "There are others?" Rowan asked with shock. It was already a big surprise that there was one transmigrator but the fact that there are others made him really confused. "Of course, and I have met with three of them already, you are the fourth one. I believe there are more than one thousand yers in this world who were transmigrated like us. My main goal aside frompleting my mission is to get to meet all of them and build a strong connection with them," D''andre responded almost immediately. He told Rowan almost everything he knew and even went as far to tell him the different people he met, their profession, and even told him he made out with one of them as though he was speaking to his long-lost brother. Rowan didn''t understand why someone would divulge so much information about themselves without hiding anything, it was just too unwise. The only saving point D''andre has is that he is already powerful enough to defend himself from most people. On the other hand, while D''andre''s information was too excessive and personal, Rowan was able to get more details about the world and the other transmigrators. "I got along with the other three just fine and we made a lot of progress, and I see no reason why we shouldn''t build a good rtionship as well. If not as friends, then as business partners," D''andre let out. Rowan only nodded slightly as he found the statement true and logical but it didn''t take him from his main concern, "You still haven''t told me why you came to my vige," he said. D''andre could only let out a loud sigh. "I found five of your vigers on my way through the forest and brought them back with me," he finally told Rowan the real reason he was here. "Dude, can you stop the bullshit and tell the truth? No woman has left the vige in a long time, and you im to have five of them in your possession," Rowan retorted, frustrated by the constant lies. Dishonesty is a passive skill all businessmen possess, but using it too much is really annoying. For all Rowan knew, no woman had left the vige, and no one had traveled past the north border in a long time due to the dangers lurking along that path. It was almost as intense as the southern forest but with more versatile monsters than goblins and ratax. This time, D''andre didn''t bother to defend himself with words, as he already knew Rowan wouldn''t buy any of it. "Inventory," he called out. His inventory appeared before him. If any of the captains were there, they would think he was crazy, but Rowan wasn''t fazed, as he already knew D''andre possessed a system. Sadly, he couldn''t see his inventory. D''andre brought out a golden slip from his inventory and closed it. He held the golden slip and tore it, causing a small vortex to appear in front of him. The small vortex quickly transformed into a portal, and from the portal, five women walked out. The women had been briefed beforehand about the portal, so none of them were fazed by its extraordinary appearance. ra was the first to walk through the portal, her eyes immediately darting toward Rowan as she entered the room. Her gaze was cold, and Rowan felt the chill instantly. The other women followed, their eyes fixed on Rowan as well. Some of them frowned, while others seemed genuinely surprised at how much Rowan had grown. With the help of the floating crystal ball, Rowan was able to observe their faces and recognize them from the memories of the original Rowan of this world. He also noted their expressions, which were far from friendly. There was unmistakable hatred and disappointment in their eyes, and the system even confirmed it. [ Your follower ra is pissed at you ] [ Three of your followers feel disgusted by your calmness ] [ Two of your followers are confused about what to feel ] .... AUTHOR NOTE: Thanks for reading! One chaptering up in the 2 hours! Chapter 43: Conquest { III } As Rowan focused more on the women, a memory fragment was triggered in his mind. In the memories, he saw ra and the other women being dragged away by Glenwood soldiers. At the same time, their stats were revealed to him. ---- [ Name: ra ] [ upation: Farmer ] [ Special Skill: Farming (F) ] [ Status: Pissed ] ------- [ Name: Sansa ] [ upation: Cook ] [ Special Skill: Master of Ingredients (F) ] [ Status: Disgusted ] ---- As he studied their stats, Rowan noticed that three of them were farmers, while the other two were cooks. Given the vige''sck of development, tailoring, cooking, and farming were the main upations for women, while 70% of the men were farmers. As he mentally noted this, he couldn''t help but be concerned about the expressions on their faces, which clearly disyed hate and disgust toward him. ''What did I do to deserve such hatred from these women? I can''t recall anything in my memories where I offended them,'' Rowan wondered as he looked at their faces. "ra, I have fulfilled my promise," D''andre said to ra. ra only nodded in response, then returned her sharp gaze to Rowan. Seeing her sharp gaze, D''andre couldn''t help but pity Rowan. "Lord Rowan, did you really agree to be friends with Glenwood after all they have done to our people?" ra couldn''t hold back her emotions any longer and spoke up. Rowan looked at her with a dumbfounded expression. He was about to reply when she cut him off, continuing to berate him. "Why would you make such a decision despite all they have done to us? You were supposed to take after your father and be a notable ruler who wouldn''t cower in the presence of strong enemies. Do you have any idea what those people have done to us? They made us nothing but ves to fulfill their wishes, making our lives miserable, and yet you decided to ept their vassal decree!" ra went all out, speaking her mind on the issue. The other women joined in as well, revealing their disgust toward his decision. Rowan listened to them with a deadpan expression. He wanted to tell them that their perception of him was just a misunderstanding, but seeing how angry they were, he thought it better to hear them out. As they continued ranting about Glenwood, Rowan picked up bits of useful information they dropped. As he was gathering the information, suddenly a challenge was triggered. ---- [ A Minor Challenge Has Been Triggered ] ---- [ Challenge: Improve Rtionship with the Returnees ] [ Details: Five of your followers'' favorability has dropped to hatred (-80% favorability). You must raise their favorability to surpass friendly level (80%) to earn rewards. ] [ Reward: 500 Evolution Points ] [ Deadline: 3 Hours ] NOTE: Favorability updates will be reflected regrly until the quest ispleted or the deadline is reached. --- Rowan didn''t pay much attention to the challenge, as he already nned to improve his rtionship with them. And to do that, he just needed a few minutes. "Calm down," he said with a light sigh. Following his words, the women stopped talking, their chests heaving with visible anger as they looked at him. "You didn''t even give your beloved Lord a chance to wee you back from that damned ce... So now that I have your attention¡ªwee back," he smiled at them. [ Your followers look at you with dumbfounded expressions ] [ Your followers wonder if their Lord is sane ] [ -5% favorability ] [ Favorability has dropped to 85% ] As expected, they were all shocked, giving him puzzled expressions. Even D''andre couldn''t help but wonder what sort of n Rowan was scheming to handle the situation. He already knew that Rowan wasn''t a dumb Lord who couldn''t handle situation so he was really interested on how he was going to solve this issue. "This is a serious matter, Lord Rowan," ra said, her voice wavering slightly. "We need answers, not wees." "Answers to what questions exactly? Since you returned, you''ve been speaking nonstop, and you''ve asked more than ten questions, so be specific about which one you need answers to," Rowan responded almost immediately. [ -3 favorability ] [ -2% favorability ] [ Favorability has dropped to 80% ] "Did you really agree to the vassal decree with Glenwood?" one of the women asked. "Do you really think I''m so na?ve as to agree to such a rtionship?" Rowan asked. ''That''s exactly what they think of you, bro,'' D''andre thought to himself, looking at Rowan with an amused expression. As for the women, they were shocked. "But the soldiers said you agreed to the decree and even intended to invite their Lord to our territory for a feast?" ra said, shocked. She clearly recalled the conversation between Waga and Lord Fagin that day. "Those were all lies I told that day to prevent the soldiers from taking more of our women," Rowan replied. [ Your followers are shocked by your unexpected schemes ] [ Your followers feel bad for praying that you get eaten by bears ] [ +25% favorability ] [ +20% favorability ] [ +15% favorability ] [ +15 favorability ] [ +5 favorability ] [ Favorability has improved to 0% (Neutral) ] The women were all smiles after hearing his response. "This is a great relief, Lord Rowan!" one of them sighed, cing her hand on her chest. "We thought you had given up on our people. We''re d that wasn''t the case." One by one, the women smiled happily, but ra kept the same expression on her face, refusing to break her frown as she still wasn''t fully convinced. "What were your ns for us, Lord Rowan?" she asked. ''This one is going to be a tough nut to crack. She doesn''t look friendly at all,'' Rowan sighed as he prepared his answers. He started by telling them how he had only recovered from his illness less than a week ago. Then he went on to inform them of how he had been worried sick about them, how he worked hard to train the soldiers, and how they had been preparing to storm Glenwood and free them. He even went so far as to lie about how he didn''t get any sleep and skipped all his meals just to ensure their safe return. His story was so emotional that some of the women began wiping their tears with their shirts, their eyes red with remorse and regret. They regretted not believing in him sooner andying all sorts of diabolical curses on him. Even ra, who was emotionally strong, became weak in the face of such a wonderfully crafted story. Her eyes turned red, and she regretted hating him. [ +70% favorability! ] [ Favorability has improved to 70% ] Seeing their reactions and their current favorability toward him, Rowan smirked and decided to drop the bomb that would solve it all. He made his expression as sad as it could be, clenched his fists, and his eyes turned red with revenge and other emotions. He stood up from his seat and dered in a firm voice, "They have wronged our vige bymitting such evil against you, and we will make them pay with their blood. I personally shall bring that Lord to you five to do as you see fit, so he will realize that messing with our beautifuldies is something he should never have considered." .... AUTHOR NOTE: Thanks for reading guys, next chapter in 3,2...1 Chapter 44: Conquest { IV } The more Rowan spoke, the more emotional thedies got, and the more the tension in the room increased. ra and thedies'' eyes dripped with tears of different emotions ranging from sadness to regret, with a little hint of joy and pride. Two of them got so emotional that they even knelt on the ground to cry their hearts out. D''andre watched the scene unfold in front of him and couldn''t help but wonder about the kind of magic Rowan possessed to be able to elicit such strong emotions from thedies. Meanwhile, Rowan remained standing with a crafty smile on his face, watching their favorability towards him grow by the seconds. --- [ favorability +5 ] [ favorability +5 ] [ favorability+10 ] --- DING! [Challengepleted, your returnee''s favorability of you has surpassed the friendly level. Reward has been sent.] DING! [100x Rewards activated | 50,000 evolution points have been added.] --- The amount of evolution points he received made him smile even more. Although it wasn''t much, receiving rewards for something he would''ve done on his own was still a good thing. The glowing crystal floated in the room, highlighting the emotional faces of the women. Especially ra, whose eyes were fixed on Rowan, tears dripping down. Rowan stretched his hands out with a calm smile on his face, and the women immediately rushed to hug him. ra was the first to approach him, and she hugged him tightly while crying her heart out. "Be at peace, beautiful women of Winterseed, your beloved Lord is back and will take the vige back to the peaceful paradise you once knew," Rowan dered as he embraced the women. His eyes darted towards D''andre, who sat and watched with a cringed expression on his face after hearing Rowan''s emotional speech. ''This bastard,'' Rowan scoffed inwardly. Thedies cried in his embrace for more than three minutes before finally letting go of him. "Please take a seat,dies, we have a lot to discuss," Rowan said to them. The five of them sat down on the free chairs in the room and stared at Rowan. The past hatred and anger on their faces were gone, now reced with respectful and interested expressions. D''andre also looked at Rowan with an interested expression, ready to hear what he had to say. Rowan cleared his throat and spoke with a smile, "Once again wee back to Winterseed." He began, looking at thedies who smiled and nodded in response. "When youdiesined earlier, you mentioned a lot of concerning words like Glenwooding to attack, one of your sisters getting left behind, and others. I would like you to go deeper into those topics," he prompted. His words were met with an immediate response from the women. "Lord Rowan, we have to prepare for war in two days!" ra revealed, her expression turning serious in an instant. "War? Why exactly? The way I acted in front of the soldiers didn''t show any form of confrontation," Rowan inquired, wanting to know more. ra quickly exined all she had heard, starting by informing him about a spy from Winterseed who always released useful information to Glenwood. She then went on to talk about thest meeting between the spy and the Lord of Glenwood, which resulted in him preparing to take over Winterseed. Rowan wasn''t that shocked about the first part as he already knew about it. As for thest part, he wondered what information the Lord of Glenwood might have received to make him want to kill him so badly and take over his vige. "This information will be the core of our battle strategy. I''m d you were smart enough to gather such vital intel, you should be proud of yourselves," Rowanplimented, causing thedies to smile blissfully. "But I wonder, what would you have done with this information if I hadn''t cleared up the misunderstanding?" he asked. ra was the one to answer, "Nothing, we would have tried our best to talk you out of it." Rowan nodded and continued, "About that spy you talked about? Can you recognize him if you see him?" "I am sorry, my Lord, but I wouldn''t be able to recognize his face as I never got to see him. Lord Fagin always sent us out each time the spy arrives. However, I know that he is one of the new captains, and I can also recognize his voice," ra replied. ''One of the new captains?'' Rowan''s eyes narrowed slightly, ''Who among the six captains could this person be, and why is that person trying to betray his own vige?'' he wondered. Among the captains, Rowan was very close with Rnd and knew Bryce and Oliver a bit. As for the other captains, he had onlymunicated with them during training and hadn''t been able to speak more with them to understand their character. Considering that Rowan had only been in this world for less than a week, it was pretty understandable why he didn''t know his captains that well. ''She knows his voice, we will be able to fish him out very soon,'' he concluded and replied to ra without wasting time. "That''s great, ra. With your help, we''ll be able to catch him before he leaks more information to Glenwood." "I am happy I was able to help, but I have one request to make. It''s about Liara, the one who sacrificed her safety to grant us a safe escape," ra''s voice became low and moody as she spoke. She told Rowan about Liara and what Glenwood would do to her after finding out she aided their escape. She even mentioned how they had been trying to defile her and how she was always there to protect her. The other women joined in as well, emphasizing how lustful the men were and how they feared for Liara''s safety. As Rowan and D''andre heard the details of the matter, ugly expressions appeared on their faces, and anger boiled in their hearts. Though D''andre wasn''t a part of Winterseed, he made up his mind to aid Rowan in exacting revenge on those people! ... AUTHOR NOTE: Do not forget to leave reviews! Thanks Chapter 45: Conquest { V } Rowan discussed more with thedies and got to gather as much information as he wanted from them. He learned about the number of soldiers under Glenwood, their current n to attack his kingdom, the strength of their soldiers, and others. Each detail sharpened not only Rowan''s understanding of the enemy''s capabilities but also stirred aplex brew of emotions within him¡ªconcern for his people, a strategic resolve to protect them, and an underlying fear of what failure might bring to them. With this much information, Rowan crafted a new battle n in his mind. He mapped out possible defensive positions and escape routes, imagining each scenario that could unfold. The discussionsted for more than one hour. At this moment, it was already a few minutes past midnight as daylight drew closer. At this point, thedies were already getting dizzy and wanted to rest. Sadly, Rowan couldn''t send them to rest as he doesn''t have any ce for them to stay. And even if he did, he would not be able to send them away as it would lead to confusion among the soldiers outside who didn''t see them enter the room. Also, if the betrayer in their midst sees them, he might run away to inform Glenwood. Rowan''s mind raced as he considered his limited options. The safety of the vige hinged on maintaining the secrecy of this meeting. Not wanting to take such a risk, Rowan asked D''andre to let them stay in his carriage for the night and then exined why he said so to them. Thedies understood his intention and agreed without further ado but it wasn''t the same for D''andre. "I will help you but you have to agree to do business with me," D''andre requested. "Deal," Rowan agreed without wasting time. D''andre smiled profusely and then he brought out another golden slip from his inventory and tore it. Just like before, a small wisp appeared in the room, swirling speedily before turning into a portal. "Good night, Lord Rowan." ra and thedies bade Rowan farewell as they walked into the portal. "Have a nice rest,dies." Rowan smiled in response. The women entered the portal and it disappeared immediately. Now only Rowan and D''andre were left in the room once again. Meanwhile outside, the captains stood alongside the soldiers guarding the meeting hall with frowns on their faces. "It was really unwise of us to leave Lord Rowan with that man," Oliver let out with a deep frown on his face. "Yes, that man is untrustworthy, who knows what he might do to Lord Rowan now that he is alone with him?" Another captain added. The other two captains refuted as well, they regretted leaving Rowan. "It was themand of Lord Rowan, were you going to disobey his orders?" Rnd asked them with a frown. His question caused the other four to go silent for a minute before Oliver finally replied. "Our Lord is still very young and inexperienced, sometimes we have to do the opposite of hismands to prevent him from making a grave mistake." "Our Lord is inexperienced?" Rnd asked with raised eyebrow, "Are you saying the same Lord who brought a lot of positive developments in the vige in less than one week is inexperienced? The same man who was able to learn sword skills just by watching and is able to pass that skill to others is inexperienced?" The more Rnd questioned, the more short for words Oliver became and he quickly regretted making those statements. "Inexperienced or not, it doesn''t change the fact that he is still very young," Hemented, trying to remove the shame for losing the previous argument. Nevertheless, this only added to his embarrassment as not only Rnd but the other captains disagreed with hisment. "Fine, fine, you guys are right," he waved his hands and ended the argument seeing that there was no chance of him winning. Rnd and the others rxed as well. Rnd turned to look at the meeting hall, he could still see the light from the glowing crystal ball that D''andre had summoned earlier. He wondered what sort of discussion they were having in there but at the same time, he tried not to bother himself about it. In the history of Winterseed, those who dared to sneak closer to the meeting hall to hear what''s being discussed always end up cursed with deadly diseases that im their life months after. Rnd wasn''t trying to make the same mistake as those people. "Excuse me you guys, I have something I want to take care of, I will be back soon." Oliver excused himself. The other captains only nodded at him and returned to watching the area. Without wasting time, Oliver left, walking towards the northern border. Rnd watched as Oliver disappeared into the darkness wondering what he was going to do, but his thoughts didn''t linger on him for too long. He shifted his gaze back to the meeting hall. The light from the glowing crystal remained, casting faint shadows on the ground. Inside the hall, Rowan remained seated, his mind racing as he processed all the information he''d gathered. The weight of Glenwood''s ns to attack kept lingering in his mind and he knew he had to act fast. Turning to D''andre, he asked, "You mentioned you could help my territory in many ways? Now is the time, what can you do to help?" "A lot," D''andre replied. "I am a merchant, I sell everything you desire as long as you give me something of the same value in exchange," He continued, exining his ss to Rowan. "Everything I desire?" Rowan asked, a little bit confused. If what D''andre said was genuine, then he would be an important asset to grow his territory. "Yes, I can get you whatever you want, but you''ll have to pay with something of equal value. And just so you know, my ss has a restriction that doesn''t allow me to give out anything for free, even to friends," D''andre exined with a smile. Rowan nodded his head and quickly ran through all the things he wanted in his head. "I want weapons, skill books, food items, blueprints, food pills, and monsters cores, can you get me all of these and what do I have to give in return? Remember my territory doesn''t possess any sort of purchasing power." "Exchanges can be done with other things of value, it doesn''t have to be coins and money slips," D''andre quickly removed the doubt that Rowan had about the process. "Since you are a transmigrator like myself, then you should have evolution points, am I wrong?" He asked. Hearing that, a smile crept on Rowan''s face. If evolution points can be used as a purchasing power then his purchasing power should be really powerful considering that he has millions of evolution points currently in his possession due to [100x rewards] that has been multiplying his evolution points. "Of course, I have evolution points," He quickly responded with a smile. Before the mention of evolution points, Rowan was lost in thoughts thinking about what he could exchange to get his hands on what he wanted. But now that it was mentioned, Rowan became really excited. On the other hand, D''andre also got really excited as he would get to do business with yet another transmigrator. ''I wonder what impressive rewards I would get for getting another transmigrator customer!'' he wondered. ..... AUTHOR NOTE: Thanks for reading everyone, we need just one review toplete it 10. There will be a bonus chapter immediately after a review is posted!! Chapter 46: Conquest { VI } "As long as you have evolution points, we can do business," D''andre replied. He quickly recalled that Rowan was only the vige head of a FF-rank vige, which means he shouldn''t have enough evolution points to get what he wanted, so he quickly added, "With evolution points as purchase power, you can obtain items of up to one million evolution points for credit with a ten percent interest per month. The system will keep deducting from your bnce each time you earn until you pay off." Rowan understood why D''andre added thest part and a smirk appeared on his face. "That''s great, then. Now let''s get to business. I said I want weapons, skill books, blueprints, food pills, and monster cores. Which one of these do you really have?" he asked. "All of them," D''andre replied, his face wearing a smug expression. "But it all boils down to how much you can purchase. Monster cores and blueprints are really expensivepared to the others you mentioned," he continued. "Anyway, enough talk, let us start our trade." He smiled, then muttered something to himself. Following his mutter, a holographic window appeared in front of Rowan. Rowan was really shocked when arge holographic window appeared in front of him. His shock intensified when he saw what was on the holographic window. It was simr to his inventory in the fact that it had slots with items in them. However, unlike his inventory, which only had ten slots, this one had more than a hundred slots, and under each slot were the prices of the items. It was almost like the shopping websites on Earth. "What the heck!!" Rowan couldn''t help but voice out his surprise. Seeing his reaction, D''andre smirked and took the opportunity to boast, "That is one of my stores, and this one is specifically for FF-rank territories. There are other stores for each territory rank, so you can just imagine how many I have." "Thest transmigrator I did business with had a rank D territory and even he couldn''t afford everything on the FF-rank territory list," he added, his voice growing even more arrogant, revealing his pride. "This is amazing!" Rowanmented, ignoring all the arrogant remarks. His eyes focused on the window in front of him. -----[ WEAPONS ]----- - Common-grade saber - 600 E.P - Common-grade short sword - 500 E.P - Common-grade sword - 700 E.P - ... - ... - Common-grade shield - 800 E.P - Common-grade leather armor (Full) - 1,000 E.P -----[ WEAPONS ]----- In the list of weapons, there were onlymon-grade ones and nothing more in terms of quality. However, the number of weapons listed were over ten in numbers, which made Rowan even more amazed. Luckily, he was able to interact with the window and could view the stats of the weapons. After studying the stats, he discovered that all the weapons gave a 50% boost in attack power, which was five times the boost of a basic-grade sword. As for the defensive weapons like the shield and armors, they gave a 50% boost in defense. "Impressive weapons, right?" D''andre remarked from the sideline. "Indeed," Rowan nodded, without even looking at him. After observing the weapons, he went on to explore the monster core and food pills sections. Just like the weapons, the food pills were alsomon grades and could prevent hunger for 72 hours. As for the monster cores, they were all F-rank and not much else. "Can''t you get me something more than these? The F-rank monster cores are not motivating at all," Rowanined as he moved on to the blueprints shop. "Sadly, I can''t because of restrictions. The highest grades I can offer to FF-rank territories are F-rank andmon-grade items. I cane back again when you are done evolving your territory to F-rank, then the restriction would reduce, and you will be able to purchase items up to D and C-rank," D''andre replied. However, in his mind, he thought, ''I am not even sure you will be able to purchase more than a hundred items from the avable ones, and you are asking for higher-grade ones? Do you really think you can afford them?'' Rowan could only sigh. He really needed high-quality weapons but knew it would be impossible. In fact, being able to get enoughmon-grade weapons and armor for his soldiers was already more than enough, considering his vigecked everything. If it wasn''t for fate leading D''andre to the women, he would never have gotten his hands on this many weapons. ''I should explore the blueprint section and skills section before finalizing my purchase,'' Rowan thought to himself as he moved his gaze back to the window. D''andre observed Rowan with a slight frown, wondering why he was entering the most expensive section. ----[ BLUEPRINT ]---- - Simple weapon-crafting blueprint - 100,000 E.P. - Simple sewing machine blueprint - 200,000 E.P. - Simple windmill blueprint - 300,000 E.P. ----[ BLUEPRINT ]---- Upon seeing the number of blueprints, Rowan couldn''t help but frown and turn to D''andre. "You have only three blueprints?" he inquired. "Huh?" D''andre was clearly confused, his usually smiling face turning to one of extreme confusion as he looked at Rowan. "Did you take a look at the price?" He asked. "Of course I did, they are not that expensive. I just need more blueprints," Rowan replied. "They are not that expensive?" D''andre''s expression crumbled. "They are not that expensive considering that the price matches their usefulness," Rowan gave a straightforward answer. ''Ah, that is good.'' D''andre sighed internally. ''I thought he would say they aren''t expensive because he has enough money to pay.'' D''andre exined to Rowan that the blueprints were too advanced for FF-rank territories to handle, which was why there were only a few simple blueprints avable. Even these, he noted, were quite advanced for such a low-level territory. Rowan could only sigh. The more he realized that he was restricted from obtaining better assets due to his low-rank territory, the more his determination to evolve his territory increased. Nevertheless, he didn''t allow the stressful thoughts to distract him and proceeded to go through all the lists. He moved on to the food items section, which was divided into three categories: seeds, raw, and processed. In the processed section, Rowan was surprised to find canned foods and drinks simr to those on Earth, including canned sardines and various canned beverages like beers and sodas. Nevertheless, he made up his mind not to get the processed items and only opt for the seeds and raw ones. After reviewing the food, he quickly visited the skills section and discovered some impressive skills. These were FF-rank and F-rank skills suited for various upations ranging from farmer to warrior. Sadly, there was nothing rted to magic. When he asked D''andre, he received the same frustrating reply¡ªthat he couldn''ty his hands on them due to the restrictions, which only irritated Rowan further with D''andre''s system. After going through the entire list, Rowan proceeded to pick the items he wanted. He first returned to the weapons section and selected the most crucial items¡ªswords, spears, bow ans arrows, shields, and armors. [ Common-grade swords selected, enter number of items to add to cart -- {-0+} ] [ Common-grade spear selected, enter number of items to add to cart -- {-0+} ] [ Common-grade bow and arrows selected, enter number of items to add to cart -- {-0+} ] [ Common-grade shield selected, enter number of items to add to cart -- {-0+} ] [ Common-grade leather armor selected, enter number of items to add to cart -- {-0+} ] Three windows popped up simultaneously. Without wasting time, Rowan entered ''510'' in each of them. As he entered the numbers, D''andre''s eyes widened in shock and disbelief. ''How is he going to pay for all that?!'' ..... AUTHOR NOTE: Thanks for reading everyone! Remember 1 more review for one bonus chapter which would be released immediately!! Chapter 47: Conquest { VII } Rowan was so focused on his purchase that he didn''t notice the ugly expression on D''andre''s face as he stared at him. [ Confirm purchase of 510 Common-grade swords, spears, bows, arrows, leather armor, and shields for 2,075,000 evolution points ¨C YES/NO ] Rowan''s finger hovered over the YES button. As his hand moved closer, D''andre''s eyes grew wider with rm. Time seemed to slow downically at that moment. In ast-ditch effort to stop Rowan from making such a reckless decision, D''andre shot up from his seat and sprinted toward him, his mouth slowly opening as he let out a loud "NOOO!!" Time still movedically slow as the atmosphere in the room suddenly turned tense. Rowan''s finger was just two inches from the YES button. D''andre was seven feet away. But despite his desperate attempt, he couldn''t stop Rowan in time. DING! ---- [ Purchaseplete! ] [ 2,075,000 Evolution points have been transferred to merchant (D''andre Draegorath) ] [ Purchased items have been transferred to Inventory ] ---- These messages shed before Rowan''s eyes. ---- [ Tradepleted ] [ 2,075,000 Evolution points have been received from customer (Rowan Winterseed) ] [ Congrattions, you have received a ''Transmigrator business reward'' ] ---- These appeared in front of D''andre, who was now only a foot away from Rowan. Time resumed its normal pace, yet the tension in the room remained palpable. Rowan blinked as the notifications vanished from his view, a satisfied smile forming on his lips. "All done," he muttered, clearly pleased with himself. D''andre, however, stood frozen. His arm remained outstretched mid-sprint, and his face was a twisted mixture of horror, disbelief, and betrayal. His mouth hung open like a fish gasping for air, yet no words came. It was as though his brain was still trying to process the sheer absurdity of what had just urred. Rowan casually turned toward him,pletely unaware of the internal meltdown happening just a few feet away. "What''s up with you?" he asked, his brow furrowing slightly. "How did you afford all that? You''re only an FF-rank territory Lord!" D''andre''s voice trembled, a mix of awe and horror, as though Rowan had just revealed a treasure trove of gold. Rowan gave him a puzzled look. "Does being an FF-rank Lorde with some kind of curse that makes them poor?" D''andre could only stare at Rowan, dumbfounded. He alone knew the true value of what Rowan had just spent. In the world outside Winterseed, currency was based on coins, with the lowest denomination being the copper coin. One copper coin held the same value as a $1 bill on Earth and was equivalent to 1 evolution point. Ten copper coins made a silver coin, and ten silver coins equaled one gold coin. A single gold coin was enough to feed a family of four for two weeks, with some copper left as change. Rowan had just spent the equivalent of feeding over twenty thousand families of four for two weeks! Ignoring the dumbfounded D''andre, Rowan continued to select more items to purchase. As the merchant and owner of the system window Rowan was operating, D''andre could see all his choices, and his eyes widened with every purchase. His earlier arrogance had vanished. He was no longer confident that Rowan would run out of funds after a few purchases. Initially, he expected Rowan to beg for credit, which would have allowed him to make more money by adding a 10% interest every month. "This can''t be happening," he thought with a deepening frown. He recalled Rowan telling thedies that he had recently recovered and hadn''t been in this world for more than a week. This meant his transmigration was less than seven days old. Naturally, D''andre hadn''t expected Rowan to possess even half the evolution points he had just spent. Even if Rowan was a grinder who ughtered monsters andpleted quest as many and fast as he could, his total points should still be under ten thousand by now. Yet here he was, spending over two million like it was nothing. At this point, D''andre¡ªonce a figure shrouded in mystery¡ªbegan to find Rowan even more enigmatic. What was his secret? How did he umte such an absurd amount of evolution points in such a short time? Thoughts raced through D''andre''s mind, but he managed to calm his heart. "Maybe he got a huge bonus from his newbie rewards and has already spent them. Surely he can''t afford anything else after that first purchase." However, not even two seconds after thinking this, Rowan clicked on his second purchase. [ Confirm to purchase food items for 800,000 evolution points ¨C YES/NO ] Just like before, Rowan wasted no time and made the purchase. The usual notifications were sent to both of them. When D''andre saw this, a sharp pain shot through his chest as hisst shred of arrogance crumbled! This time, he didn''t even react. He just stood there, watching Rowan. Rowan, for his part, ignored the overdramatic merchant in front of him and continued with his purchases. [ Confirm to purchase 100 skill books for 435,000 ¨C YES/NO ] [ Confirm to purchase 100mon-grade food pills for 10,000 ¨C YES/NO ] [ Confirm to purchase 3 blueprints for 600,000 ¨C YES/NO ] [ Confirm to purchase 20 F-rank monster cores for 50,000 ¨C YES/NO ] One by one, Rowan confirmed each purchase, a calm smile ying on his lips. Thankfully, he had the Inventory feature in his system. Otherwise, the room would have been filled to the brim with all the items he had just bought¡ªespecially the food, which was far more abundant than the other goods. He made sure to buy everything he needed without worrying about how many evolution points he had spent. He knew he could earn more than that within the week. In fact, he could hardly wait to see the positive reactions he would get from his followers tomorrow morning when he miraculously presented them with the food he had bought. In his mind, he was already calcting a profit of over five million evolution points, which would easily cover all his expenses in one go. Rowan turned to D''andre who was frozen in ce. He wondered why he was acting too much. A few minutes passed and D''andre came back to his senses. He immediately told Rowan that he wanted to go back to his carriage to sleep as he could afford to get more shocked than he already was. Rowan narrowed his eyes. "Just remember, my women are in your carriage. You''ll have to find somewhere else to crash." D''andre gave Rowan a really annoyed look, "Excuse me? Since when do you get to make rules about my carriage? And for the record, do you think I''d touch your women without permission? What do you take me for?" Rowan shrugged and replied, "You don''t exactly seem like the type to be interested in women but still, they need privacy." D''andre''s eyes bulged. "What?! I''m a guy. Of course I like women! What are you insinuating? Are you calling me gay?" Rowan shrugged once again. "I didn''t say that, but if you say so, then so be it. Thou art gay!" D''andre jaw dropped and he was short for words for a few seconds, he tried to argue back by giving out points but was quickly interrupted by Rowan. "Say no more, your secret''s safe with me." The next five minutes was spent with D''andre trying to clear himself of the new title but it was impossible. Each time he makes a point, Rowan uses it against him. After arguing for a few more minutes, he realized Rowan was only joking and finally rxed. Afterwards, both of them made a deal and D''andre was given the room of one of the soldiers on duty to sleep on. After settling the whole issue, Rowan went back home to sleep for the short time left till the next morning arrives. Chapter 48: Conquest { VIII } Morning arrived pretty quickly, and the sun was already active, hanging in the bright sky and smiling over the world as usual, illuminating it with its divine, brilliant glow. In Glenwood prison, Liara could be seen sitting on the ground inside the rough and dimly lit cell. The only light sneaking into the room was filtering through a few small holes in the walls. Liara now looked way better and healthier than she had several hours ago. Her eyes were no longer lifeless and dim like someone who had given up on life but were now filled with hope and a willingness to continue living. Her pale expression had be rosy and healthy. Though her face still disyed an ufortable expression, there was a hint of willingness in her features. She could still recall the interaction from several hours ago with Ren. She had mistaken him for one of the vile and lustful men of Glenwood, but she had been proven wrong. If it hadn''t been for the bread he gave her, she didn''t think she would still be alive by now. If it hadn''t been for his intervention, she might have already given up and taken her own life by now. Sh still recalled his kind words as he spoke to her like a father to his daughter. It made her think of herte father. ''I will make sure to keep him safe when ra and the others return. Good people like him do not deserve to be punished with the bad,'' she resolved in her mind. Almost as though her thoughts had summoned him, the cell door creaked open, and Ren appeared outside with the same guard who had opened the door for him earlier. Ren walked into the cell with a joyful smile on his face, carrying a small basket in his hands. The guard gave Liara a nod before closing the cell door behind Ren. Liara couldn''t help but wonder about the guard''s position in all this, and why he was allowing someone to feed her even though Lord Fagin had clearly ordered no food should be given to her until she revealed the whereabouts of ra and the others. "You look much better this morning, youngdy," Ren greeted with a smile. This time, Liara didn''t try to fight the chains binding her and instead returned his greeting with a faint smile. "Thank you for the bread," she responded, her voice filled with sincere gratitude. "Haha, no need to thank me. It was just bread. I brought something better this time," Ren lifted the basket in his hands. "I asked my daughter to prepare this for you. It''s filled with vegetables; it''ll help you recover much faster." Ren brought out the food from the basket. It contained threerge tes¡ªone with boiled potatoes, another with soup filled with vegetables and hearty-looking proteins. As he set them down, a sweet aroma wafted across the room, and Liara almost began to salivate. "Thank you," her voice softened as she thanked him again, more genuinely this time. Ren simply waved it off and gestured for her to eat. The guard returned with two bowls of water¡ªone for washing her hands and the other filled with clear drinking water. Liara quickly washed her hands and devoured the food as fast, yet gently, as she could. After finishing, she thanked Ren once more. Ren remained for a few more minutes before bringing up an important topic. "Liara, do you really think your sisters will be able to make it to Winterseed in time and prepare your people against Lord Fagin?" he asked. "They will surely make it," Liara replied. Ren sighed at her response, then informed her of Lord Fagin''s n to start marching his soldiers toward Winterseed in just a few hours. "This is not good," Liara said, her voice tinged with worry. "ra and the others won''t make it to Winterseed in time. They''re traveling on foot," she added, distressed. ording to her calctions, ra and the others wouldn''t reach Winterseed until the next day if they continued on foot. With horses, they could have traveled faster, but they had none with them. Lord Fagin''s strong horses and soldiers would likely catch up with them if they began moving soon. As Liara became lost in thought, worrying about the predicament her people faced, Ren made a suggestion that left her wide-eyed, filled with shock and disbelief. --- _WINTERSEED_ It was the brightest part of the early morning. However, unlike every other day when the vigers would leave to carry out their daily tasks, today they could all be seen heading toward the vige square. Three beautiful middle-aged women could be seen making their way down to the vige square. Two of them carried babies, while the third held her 7-year-old son''s hand. "This is the first time Lord Rowan has summoned the entire vige since he recovered," one of them said, her voice tinged with curiosity. "I''m a little nervous," another added. "It must be something really important. I just can''t tell if it''s good or bad news." "My husband mentionedst night that a stranger came to the vige. He said the man could use some kind of strange powers. He said the man was able to clean the meeting hall that has been abandoned for a long time with just the swipe of his hands, can you believe it?" "Are you serious? That''s unbelievable! If someone like that is real, then this meeting must be about him." "Probably." Behind and ahead of the three women, other vigers could be seen heading toward the vige square. Some were running, while others walked at a steady pace. At the vige square, Rowan stood with D''andre, Ri, Brandon, and the five captains in the central part of the vast space, which was now filled to the brim with vigers. ''Hmm, it''s been less than thirty minutes since the announcement was made, and everyone is already here. Even the strongest president on earth wouldn''t be able to control his people like this,'' Rowan thought with a sense of pride. He nced to his right, where Ri stood, staring at the crowd with an amazed expression on her pretty face. Apparently, she had never seen this many people gathered together before. Rowan had invited her to stand beside him when she came to deliver his morning meal as usual. He told her to get used to it as she would be standing by his side more often in the future. Of course, this sentence created an awkward but romantic moment, and Rowan didn''t missed the chance to taste her lips before they left for the vige square, hand in hand like some teenage couple. Rowan smiled as he recalled the kiss, then turned back to the crowd gathered in front of him who stared at him with eyes filled with adoration, respect, curiosity and panic. He tilted his head, observing their faces, his eyes fell on a particr young man with bruises all over his faces, he wondered what might have resulted to such ugly bruises but did not concern himself too much about it. He cleared his throat and began his speech, unaware of the danger moving towards his territory. .... AUTHOR NOTE: Thanks for reading everyone and thanks for your support so far! Chapter 49: Conquest { IX } The people of Winterseed gathered in the vige square, standing attentively, ready to hear the speech from their beloved Lord Rowan. Men, women, teenagers, and little children all stared at Rowan with adoration in their eyes, as though they were gazing upon a messenger from heaven. However, the vigers couldn''t help but also feel curious about the strikingly handsome man standing beside their Lord. Some of the teenage girls couldn''t take their eyes off him. His white hair, striking blue eyes, tall and slim physique, and the confident smile on his face made many of them blush profusely. While the teenage girls focused on D''andre, the young women couldn''t help but wonder why Ri was standing beside Rowan. They began to specte about the nature of their rtionship. Ignoring the emotions swirling in the crowd surrounding him, Rowan cleared his throat and began his speech. "Wee, people of Winterseed. May your day be blessed by the graceful mercy of our ancestors," Rowan began, his gentle tone drifting like magic across the vige square. He continued his speech, praising the efforts of the vigers for the good work they had done in the past few days and thanked them for not giving up on him, even while he had been unconscious for a long time. Since this was his first meeting with all the vigers¡ªthest one having been only with men eligible for the army¡ªRowan decided to praise them all as much as possible to farm evolution points. He praised the efforts of the men, the virtues and charm of the women, and the purity of the children,plimenting as much as he could. The crowd reacted just as Rowan had expected. With his carefully chosen words and [Super Voice], which naturally boosted his followers'' motivation, he was able to farm a massive amount of points! [ All your followers are touched by your words and are on the verge of tears ] [ 3,000 followers smile happily after your graceful words ] [ 2,500 followers are amazed and hopeful because of your presence ] [ Goal: Motivate more than 3,000 followers has been achieved ] [ Reward: 60,000 evolution points ] DING! [ 100x reward activated | 6,000,000 evolution points have been rewarded! ] Seeing the rewards, Rowan''s face brightened, and his zeal to farm more evolution points grew. Nevertheless, even with the massive gain, Rowan wasn''t satisfied and continued praising them. Sadly, he couldn''t earn as many evolution points from the continued speech as from the first. He earned a total of two million, but it was still more than enough¡ªIf D''andre could see how many points Rowan had earned just by speaking, he''d definitely feel the urge to jump into ake and drown himself. After Rowan finished thanking them, he got straight to the topic of the day, beginning by speaking about the food shortage that had gued their vige for a long time. He highlighted the suffering it had caused, making his followers recall the good old days. His words sparked sad reactions from the crowd. But this was exactly what he wanted¡ªthe sadder and more negative their emotions became, the higher the rewards he''d earn by making them positive again. He watched their reactions with calmness before continuing, "But that suffering and shortage of food ends today!" "Thanks to this gentleman standing beside me, who is a divine merchant, we''ve been able to secure a miraculous amount of food!" Rowan gestured to D''andre, who reacted by waving with a charming smile and giving a gentle bow. Rowan''s words triggered new reactions from the crowd. They turned their attention to D''andre. To some, he already looked angelic, like a man crafted by the gods, yet they still wondered how this man could solve their food shortage. [ Your followers are confused ] Rowan ignored the notification and silently called out his inventory, giving it telepathic instructions. The vigers were still discussing among themselves¡ªsharing their disbelief¡ªwhen a small vortex suddenly appeared over therge empty space in the middle of the square. The vortex began swirling rapidly, expanding into a portal. A soft hum apanied the swirling, drawing the vigers'' attention. As their eyes fell on the expanding portal, their expressions turned to shock, curiosity, and a little bit of terror. Only Brandon, the soldiers, and Ri remained calm, having seen the portal before. For everyone else, it was a new and overwhelming sight. Nearly thirty seconds after the portal appeared, severalrge baskets filled with a variety of food¡ªranging from grains to fresh meat¡ªbegan floating out of it. This time, not only the vigers but even those who had seen the portal before stared at the miraculous event unfolding before them, their eyes wide in disbelief. Some began to tremble, pointing toward the portal. "What... what is this?" "This can''t be real, food ising out of nowhere!" "Look at that big chunk of beef! We''re finally going to eat meat!" "Our Lord is truly blessed! In less than a week after his recovery, he''s connected with a messenger from heaven! Our vige is going to prosper!" "A miracle!" "Mom, look, such a big basket of apples!" "This looks exactly like my dream of the sky raining down food!" The vigers reacted just as Rowan had predicted. Their expressions shifted from terror and shock to eptance in a matter of seconds after witnessing the vast amount of food floating down from the portal. As the food supplies rained from the sky, the vigers'' joy erupted. They began screaming happily. Some shed tears of joy, others danced, while children rushed toward the falling food, their faces full of glee. As Rnd saw the food falling miraculously from the sky, his expression turned to pure joy. He quickly recalled his conversation with his wife when they discussed how hard it had be to feed their baby! He remembered the sadness in her voice and the crying of their hungry baby. But now everything was going to change! With emotions swelling inside him, Rnd raised his sword and chanted loudly, "Long live Lord Rowan¡ªthe Lord who resurrected!" Chapter 50: Conquest ( X ) "Long live Lord Rowan¡ªthe Lord who resurrected!" "Long live Lord Rowan¡ªthe Lord who resurrected!" The voices of the people of Winterseed thundered across thend, chanting the name of their Lord with joy, pride, and admiration thundering from their voices. Their hands were lifted in the air as they chanted. The vige square became intense following the chants, emotions drifting across. Rowan observed the vigers chanting his name with a sweet smile on his face. For the first time, he was getting appreciated by a lot of people, the feeling was blissful and something that would stick in his memory forever. His heartbeat became faster, each beat carrying his joy at this moment. Rowan was so caught up in this emotional moment that he ignored the numerous notifications going off with the system. D''andre was also shocked as well, while he was a merchant who has been to numerousnds, far greater than Rowan''s, he has never felt such a sincerely emotional moment. A moment where everyone adored and worship their Lord as though he was an angel sent out of heaven to save them in time of distress. Their voices were loud and carried their emotions, their faces bright with heartfelt joy, something that is almost impossible to achieve by powerful emperors and kings! With the disy of emotions of the crowd, D''andre realized that Rowan is actually something else ¡ª His territory is weak, his power is low and his vige is going through so many crisis but their faith in him did not waver at all and their love were sincere. ''This guy has the potential to surpass other transmigrated lords and gain the supreme reward!'' he thought to himself as he observed the happily smiling Rowan. The chants continued and the mood was really bright. Rowan enjoyed it for a few more minutes before waving at the vigers as he gave instructions. "Due to the unavability of a storehouse, the food will be stored in the spatial storage device gifted to me by my friends and every day a nice portion will be shared amongst everyone to prevent the food from spoiling!" Rowan announced. The vigers were curious about the strange device that Rowan talked about but they didn''t question him. They had just seen fooding out of a portal so they believed that such an item existed as long as Rowan said so. On the other hand, D''andre wondered how Rowan was able toe up with such a cool lie using his name but he didn''t voice it out and maintained his cool. The next two hours were spent distributing food among the people. Everyone received a big portion of food supplies that was more than enough for a day. With the help of the captains and senior cook -Liora and Tiora, the distribution of food became even faster. As the vigers got their portion of food, they sincerely appreciated Rowan in their heart which earned himrge amounts of evolution points by the seconds. --- Two more hours passed, the vigers had already left to their various homes with their portion while Rowan and the soldiers remained. Ri, D''andre, and Brandon stayed behind as well. Rowan had already stored the food supply back in his inventory after the distribution was over. He stored them in a trickish way ¡ª He held a ring and stretched his hands towards the mountain-sized food supplies and pretended to chant strange words while sneakily opening his inventory. This simple trick saved him from a lot of exnations and also kick-started his trap for the Judas in their midst. The soldiers were gathered in the vige square waiting for the next order from Rowan. At a corner of the vige square, Rowan could be seen discussing with D''andre. "You want to buy more??" D''andre asked with eyes widened in shock. Rowan responded casually, "Yes but that will be after we catch the idiot leaking information to Glenwood." D''andre could only sigh and nod as he noted to himself for the umpteenth time that Rowan wasn''t ordinary. "Remember the n we madest night?" Rowan asked. "Yeah, you want to start it now or after you are done speaking with your soldiers?" D''andre inquired. "After speaking with them, we need the captains to be present while we make a quick change of ns. The Judas will get the sudden urge to escape and report; then we can catch them," Rowan exined. His n wasn''t thatplex or smart, but it was good enough to catch the Judas. Both of them discussed more before returning to the soldiers. Rowan gave a lengthy speech to his soldiers, going straight to the point and informing them about their ns to start their attack on Glenwood right away. "What, right away?!" Bryce was the first to react. "Lord Rowan, our attack was not scheduled for today? Why the sudden change of n? Did something happen," Rnd asked with concern. He doesn''t doubt the leadership of Rowan but he couldn''t help but wonder why an abrupt change was taking ce. The other captains were also curious as well. At this moment, all their status either reflected shock or curious and their faces reflected the same expressions - making it difficult to fish the Judas out. The soldiers reactions were also the same as the captains ¡ª This made Rowan realize that [God''s eyes] wasn''t that great with character emotions but he didn''t stay on that thought, a n was already in ce and that person would be caught soon. "I can''t tell you all the reason for my abrupt change of n but you will know about it when we get to Glenwood," Rowan let out. His voice sparked reactions in the soldiers, they began discussing the implication of the abrupt attack. Most of them haven''t been to a real war with fellow humans before but they knew that abrupt change of n could lead to a lot of casualties. Brandon and the captains tried to talk Rowan out of it but Rowan told them not to worry and trust in him. They could only rx and pray that their Lord''s n works. After the ttering calmed down, Rowan announced the new battle strategies. It was a lot different from their previous one. In their previous strategy, they nned to wait for the soldiers to return as usual to im their weekly cut of the vige''s harvest and ambush them then use their horses and weapons to charge at the vige and catch them at a time when they didn''t expect. While the new n was a lot chaotic, the captains found some perfect attack pattern that would wreck Glenwood. "Go home and take this news to your family, gather in the next two hours. We will leave immediately afterwards!" Rowan dismissed the soldiers. They agreed and left for their homes. As they left, Rowan gave a signal to D''andre and he nodded before walking towards the back of a tree, out of sight of everyone. He brought out a golden slip and tore it. Immediately, his body was shrouded in a gentle blue glow and he disappeared after a few seconds. Ri who has been listening to Rowan walked to his side with sadness in her eyes. "Make it back victorious, alright?" Rowan turned to her and nodded with a charming smile, "Of course I will be victorious. Why will I fail when a sexydy is waiting for me to make babies with her?" He teased. Ri blushed profusely but she didn''t overly react as she was already used to his teasing, which she cherished. Chapter 51: Conquest { XI } Captain Oliver could be seen walking toward his home with a bitter expression on his face as he frequently bit the tip of his finger and muttered strange words to himself. "Why did that bastard have the chance to change the n so suddenly? I was on the verge of achieving my goal," he muttered to himself, hatred dripping from his tone. "He has managed to win the love of everyone in less than a week and with that stupid guy providing him with food supply, he will win their love even more. I have to find a way to steal that ring," he continued, his tone bing deeper with frustration. "Where is that stupid son of mine? I need him right now." Saying this, he increased his walking pace and took long strides toward his home. As he stormed to his home, he maintained a calm smile on his face. If one saw him, they would find it hard to believe he could harbor hateful thoughts. Sadly, unbeknownst to Oliver, he was being followed and his identity as the Judas had already been discovered. Far away from him, cloaked magically away from the eyes of passersby, D''andre and ra followed him cautiously. D''andre had his usual aloof expression while ra looked worried. "That guy is really crafty, no wonder Rowan couldn''t catch him," D''andre turned and said to ra. "Keep your voice low, he might hear us. We need to follow him and know what his next steps are," ra elbowed D''andre and cautioned. "Hehe, even if we scream at the top of our lungs, he wouldn''t be able to hear us," he exined the nature of the magic he was using to her. "Keep quiet," ra shut him up again as her eyes focused on the man who has been endangering the life of her people by feeding information to their enemies. Seeing that ra wasn''t in the mood for a conversation, D''andre kept quiet, and both of them walked faster. Though, he couldn''t help but wonder why she was so tough with him but very gentle with Rowan. Both of them followed Oliver for a few more minutes and saw him arrive inside a small mound house. Seeing that, both of them sneaked closer to the building without entering. "What happened to your face, Judus? Who did this to you?" They could hear Oliver''s confused voice as he seemed to be speaking with someone. "Stanis did this," the voice of a young man replied. They could hear the sound of the young man gritting his teeth as he spoke, his hatred evident in his voice. Hearing the name ''Stanis'' made ra''s eyes widen, and she shivered with anger. "You know that person?" D''andre asked, seeing her reaction. "Yes, he is one of the strongest captains in Glenwood and is extremely wicked," she replied immediately. "That means that geezer is not alone, he has another aplice," D''andre noted and returned his attention to the conversation. "Stanis? How the heck did you meet with Stanis? Did you travel to Glenwood despite all my warnings? What if Lord Rowan found out?" Oliver berated Judus. "I did not leave Winterseed; that bastard came here at night while you guys were having a meeting. He asked me the whereabouts of five Winterseed women who escaped from their vige after killing three of their soldiers. I tried to exin that there had been a misunderstanding, but he beat me instead and even tried to destroy my balls. My balls are still hurting right now, father. I am not sure I will be able to give you a grandchild," Judus exined, anguish clear in his voice. Oliver reacted immediately, really worried about Stanising to Winterseed as he understood his bad temperament ¡ª it wasn''t in their agreements at all. Nevertheless, after ranting and consoling Judus, he told him about his ns, "Try to steal the ring from Lord Rowan while I escape to inform Lord Fagin. Can you do that for me?" "I will, father, as long as it helps you achieve your goal of leading the vige and I be your next in line," Judus replied immediately. A few minutester, both of them walked out of the hut and left for their separate missions, believing their discussion had been a secret. "Those bastards really have balls of steel to try and challenge Rowan," D''andre chuckled amusingly. On the other hand, ra became restless, "We have to act immediately; you can use magic, take care of them for the sake of our vige," she pleaded. But D''andre refused. "Why don''t you want to help?" ra was confused, tears on the verge of dropping from her eyes. "Rowan has to take care of this himself. I have already overstepped my boundaries by helping him, and I did that because of you, ra," he shed her a smile, trying to charm her. But she wasn''t fazed, "Let us go to Lord Rowan immediately!" she requested, not reacting to his statement. D''andre felt bad that she was giving him the cold shoulder but he had no choice and quickly activated a portal that sent him back to Rowan who was waiting in the meeting hall. When Rowan saw both of them appear, he immediately inquired about the details of their mission. "It went just as you predicted; he has an aplice who is also his son," D''andre was the one who replied first. "The son is on his way here right now to steal the ring while the father is trying to escape the vige and leave for Glenwood," he paused before adding, "Also, based on their conversations, one of the captains of Glenwood''s army is somewhere around your territory." When Rowan heard thest part his eyes widened, "Why didn''t you mention this part earlier!" he yelled at D''andre, who only reacted with a shrug. "Lord Rowan, we have to act fast; the captain they mentioned is very powerful and with a lot of battle experience. He is famous in Glenwood as the best swordsman," ra spoke with worries in her tone. She told Rowan more about Stanis. She even told him about how he has been lusting after them and his plot to take down Lord Fagin and be the ruler of Glenwood. When Rowan asked how she knew, she answered that he always boasted about it to them. Hearing more about this character, Rowan couldn''t help but have the sudden urge to kill him. His crazy ambition made him an easy target to manipte, but his strength and nature made it difficult. "Thank you for your help, ra. I am so sorry you and your friends have not been introduced to the vige yet; when I return from the war, I promise to throw a big party for you all alongside one for our vige bing a freend again," Rowan expressed his gratitude and made a promise. ra nodded with understanding. "Have you guys eaten?" Rowan asked, recalling that he hadn''t provided them with food. "Rowan, I am a merchant for crying out loud. Do you expect me to travel without food? There''s plenty in the carriage¡ªit might even be more than what you distributed today," D''andre boasted, shing ra a smile. Rowan scoffed at D''andre for trying to impress his follower in front of him. On the other hand, he was d she gave him the cold shoulder. Nevertheless, he also wondered how such a small carriage could contain the women and such arge amount of food and he couldn''t help but ask. ra exined to them how big the room was and the amount of food inside it. After hearing her exnation, Rowan was shocked and wanted to get one but his hope died when D''andre mentioned the price. Now that he was assured that the women were okay, he bade her farewell and D''andre opened the Portal as usual. After she left, Rowan discussed with D''andre and made a few new additions to the supplies he had bought earlier. This time he purchased a few building materials like wood, iron ores, galvanized steel, gravels, and others. He also added more weapons to his collection, some skills, and more food supplies. Sadly, he couldn''t purchase any blueprint as he had already purchased some of them earlier. But he wasn''t sad about that. After winning this war, he would be able to purchase more goods as he would finally evolve his territory!! But that hope was quickly shattered as D''andre let out a frustrated "Fuck" as he stared at midair, seemingly interacting with his system. "The tournament of Merchants is starting now!!" Chapter 52: Conquest { XII } It was thete hours of the morning and the vige fell into a very doubtful moment just after the joyful and bright moment they experienced in the morning. "Darlin, pleasee back home safe," Rnd''s wife, rissa said to Rnd with a sad expression on her face. The baby in her hand let out a lovely chuckle as he stretched his tiny hands towards his father, signaling for him to pick him up, clearly unaware of the emotional moment going on between his parents. Rnd took his son from her hand and yed with him a little before responding to rissa with a smile, "Lord Rowan is going to lead us to greatness, I believe it. And do not worry about me, I will be back very soon and when I do, our vige will no longer be under those damn people and our son will be able to grow under the same peaceful atmosphere we grew with." She sighed and prayed in her heart for his safe return and the victory of their vige. Rnd continued to y with his son. He was still ying with him when two of his soldiers knocked on his door and called him out with panic in their voices. rissa looked at her husband questioningly, "What is happening?" She asked as she took the baby from him. "I don''t know but do not panic, those bratty soldiers are always running and do not know how to call someone out peacefully." He smiled at her and rushed to meet the two soldiers outside. rissa went outside with him. When the two young soldiers saw her, they greeted her and she nodded. Then both of them turned to Rnd and said in hurried voices, "Sir, we need to go the south boundary immediately. You have to see what is happening!" Their tone made rissa even more worried but she bade them farewell. Rnd grabbed his sword and ran with the soldiers towards the northern border. "Tell me exactly what is happening," he requested as they ran. "We don''t know, the soldiers were gathered there but we heard that they have caught a traitor who has been leaking information to Glenwood," they replied immediately. "A traitor in our midst?" Rnd was confused, he has never for once in his life imagined that someone from the vige would have the guts to betray them. ''Could it be him?'' he wondered as he ran even faster. Leaving a big gap between the young soldiers who struggled to follow his pace. As they ran towards the northern border, they met with Captain Josh and Bryce who were also running in that direction. "You guys heard it as well," Josh asked Rnd and Bryce as he ran beside them. "Yeah! There is a fucking traitor in our midst, I heard. If it is true, I will kill that person myself!" Bryce let out anger in his voice. Rnd didn''t reply and kept running ahead. Soon they got to the northern border and saw that arge group of soldiers gathered. Rnd looked around looking for the other captains but he only spotted Bryce, Oliver was nowhere to be found. ''I hope it isn''t him!'' He thought in his heart as he ran towards the crowd. "Clear the way," he demanded and the soldiers cleared way immediately. The three captains ran through the path cleared for them and reached the front of the crowd but they were shocked with the scene unfolding. Behold, Rowan could be seen standing beside two bloodied and almost unrecognizable figures on the ground. His eyes carried an intense anger they haven''t seen before and his hands were stained with blood. Amidst the noise generated by the young soldiers, the whining and flinching of the figures on the ground could be heard. Rnd''s eyes widened as he observed the faces of the two people on the ground, "Oliver and young Judas?" He called out with shock. While he reacted pretty calmly, Bryce didn''t. With a cold expression on his face, he turned and asked the young soldier beside him to confirm before taking action, "Why are they on the ground?" "They are the bastards who have been giving information to Glenwood. They were caught by the brilliant n set up by Lord Rowan and the white-haired handsome man. They..." Bryce didn''t even wait for the soldier toplete his statement before dashing towards Oliver. "Oliver you bastard! How dare you!!" He thundered as hended a punch on Oliver''s face. He didn''t hold back after the first punch and continued raining down more hard punches on his face. Oliver let out loud cries of pain but no one stepped in to help. Due to the beating he had already received from Rowan, fighting back became impossible and he could onlyy there and receive all the punches that rained down. "That''s it captain Bryce! Deal with that traitor!" "Punch his balls!!" The young soldiers chanted with loud voices. Rnd watched as Oliver got beaten up without a single urge to help even though they had been friends since childhood. To him, whosoever put the life of the vige at risk and betray them is no friend! Rowan watched it all take ce without making any moves - He is still contemting about the details he received from D''andre before he left the vige for the merchant tournament. "Build your territory and your followers and get stronger as fast as you can Rowan. The date for the first tournament of Outworlders might arrive soon and death is not impossible," That was what D''andre said to him. ording to him, transmigrators are referred to as Outworlders by the system. He told him a lot of important details before teleporting out of the vige. He left his carriage as a gift to Rowan for their new friendship. As Rowan recalled those details, he made up his mind to do everything to make his territory progress. He returned his gaze to Oliver and anger zed in his eyes. Rowan opened his inventory and brought out the dagger he purchased from D''andre before he left. The dagger was shy with a sleek ck de that gave it a menacing feel. With the dagger in hand, he cleared his throat and the crowd became silent immediately. "What I am about to do to these two today should serve as a lesson to those who ever thinks of betraying our trust and love," Rowan started as he walked towards the pummeled Oliver and Judus. Bryce left Oliver and Judus and stood at the sideline, watching Rowan take action. "Winterseed has been a calm and loving vige since its creation and no one has ever thought of betraying their people! I will not let such stupidity start during my reign," He continued. His words caused the soldiers to look at him with respect and fear as they could feel the deep fury brewing inside him, a sight contrasting his usual loving smile that adorns his face everyday. Rnd looked at him and tried to speak him out of killing them. Oliver was his childhood friend and while he hated him formitting such evil, he didn''t have the heart to watch him die. "Lord Rowan, Oliver has been a good viger since birth. We can''t simply kill him, we should imprison him and make him pay for his crimes." He said. "We do not have space to waste on them," Rowan replied in a chilly tone, "Those who dare to endanger my people will face immediate death." Silence sprawled over the northern border following his chilly words, not even Rnd tried to speak for Oliver and Judus again. "Please.. Lord Rowan, spare me!" Oliver began pleading out as he saw that no one was trying to stop Rowan. He became hopeful when Rnd tried to plead with Rowan but his hope died quickly after Rowan''s cold response. As Rowan moved closer to him, Oliver felt as though death was stepping closer and he kept pleading frantically "Please I didn''t know what I was doing, Lord Rowan. Give me a second chance to prove myself!!" "Rnd, Bryce, Bruce, Josh! Help me!" He turned to his fellow captains and pleaded with tears dripping down his eyes. But they all ignored him. Bruce, Bryce and Josh kept a cold look on their faces, only Rnd showed a semnce of pity but he didn''t try to help. At such a crucial moment, with death only a minute away, Oliver couldn''t help but reflect on all his carefullyid ns and schemes to seize control of the vige. He had been so close¡ªjust a few steps away, just a few days from victory¡ªand now, everything was slipping through his fingers, shattering right before his eyes. ''I can''t let this happen! I''ve worked too hard for this!'' he screamed internally, his desperation rising. The hateful curses and mocking words of the young soldiers rang in his ears, fueling his growing rage. His anger red, but his body was weak, beaten, and broken. With onest, desperate effort, Oliver gathered every ounce of strength left in his vocal cords and screamed out a name, hoping against hope that it would save him. Chapter 53: Conquest { XIII } Rowan was just a few steps away from ending Oliver and Judus when Oliver suddenly yelled out a name at the top of his lungs. "Who is Stanis? Why is that bastard traitor calling the name?" The soldiers whispered amongst themselves, and even the captains were confused. Bryce looked at Rowan as if requesting permission to attack, but Rowan declined his request. "STANISSSSS!!!" Oliver''s voice thundered across the northern border. His voice was so loud that even his own throat began to ache, but he didn''t stop ¡ª this was his only hope of surviving. If Stanis was really here, as his son said, after hearing his call, he would attack, and the soldiers would be distracted, giving him the chance to escape death. With such a n in his mind to save his head, he didn''t bother ving his own throat. Judus looked at his father with puzzlement etched on his face and tried to stop him by yelling, "Dad, why are you calling his name?" But even that wasn''t able to stop him. Rnd and the other captains looked at Rowan, who stood just a foot away, wondering why he hadn''t taken Oliver''s life yet. Rowan was standing very close to Oliver. He only needed to swing his hands to kill Oliver and Judus from this position, but he didn''t. He simply stared at them with a cold gaze as his mind wandered, ''You think drawing the attention of the bastard hiding in my territory will save you from getting killed? You''re even more useless and stupid than I thought. Now you will not only die but also help me catch the bastard hiding in my territory.'' Rowan waited for Oliver to halt his screaming. After Oliver stopped screaming, he turned to look at Rowan with a smirk. "There is a group of soldiers hiding close to our territory, and with the sound of my voice, they will attack the vige and ughter everyone if they find out I was killed," he said with a shaky voice, trying to sound threatening. But Rowan just looked at him as though he was looking at a madman. "You have to leave me alone and let me leave in peace. Only then will they spare you." Seeing that Rowan was cracking to his threats, he added more, but it had no effect. Only Bryce and Rnd were triggered. "Lord Rowan, he is talking shit. Give me permission to kill him!" Bryce let out with anger in his voice. Josh and Bruce also joined him, their hatred for Oliver grew after hearing him threaten to kill his fellow people. As for Rnd, thest strand of friendship he had for Oliver died at that moment. Now he wanted nothing but to see him dead. "Lord Rowan, he has threatened our vige. Give me the opportunity to crush his balls." "Let us beat him to death." "He deserves to be stoned to death for disrespecting you." The young soldiers yelled out in anger. The whole border was shrouded in killing intent. Everyone wanted the traitor dead. But Rowan had something else in mind. He held the dagger up with a cold expression. Seeing this, Oliver got scared and screamed for help once again. But this was what Rowan wanted. "STANIS! THIS IS YOUR CHANCE!!" he screamed out. ''Yes, call him out,'' Rowan grinned. He waited for a few minutes, and just as he expected. From the bushes not too far away from the northern border, fifteen Glenwood soldiers on horses appeared, riding toward the vige with their swords lifted in the air. "Glenwood soldiers?!" Winterseed soldiers cried out. Rnd and the other captains were shocked, but they didn''t hesitate before grabbing their swords and stepping forward towards the soldiers arriving. With the current pace of the horses and the distance between them, the Glenwood soldiers would likely arrive in the next two minutes or more. "I told you! Those soldiers are stronger than everyone gathered here. They have trained in the arts of war and bloodshed from a young age," Oliver boasted with a crazed voice, grinning menacingly at Rowan. "You have to beg me to stop them, or else everyone will die, and then you will surrender and let me be ruler of Winterseed," he continued. Judus looked at his father with relief. He was d his father was smart enough to negotiate for their life with an intelligent n. He was really proud. "Lord Rowan, you have trained us. We are prepared for war. Do not listen to him," the young soldiers assured Rowan. They would rather die in war than let a heartless traitor rule over them. "You guys are nothing before them! They will kill you before you even know it," Oliver scoffed at the soldiers. He held Judus, and both of them struggled to stand up despite the aching pain inflicting their bodies. "Who asked you to stand up?" Nevertheless, before they could stand up and walk away, Rowan''s chilly voice reached their ears. His voice held no emotion, causing them to shiver. ''Didn''t he hear what I said?!'' Oliver panicked. Some of the soldiers watched Rowan with puzzlement, while the others, with swords in hand, went forward with the captain to stand against the approaching soldiers. "Oliver, you are old, but your wisdom is almost non-existent despite the experience you''ve gathered," Rowan began chillingly. "You betrayed my people, which is already too much and punishable by death. But now you have made it worse by threatening their lives," he continued. Oliver looked at him with fright, wondering how Rowan, who was no more than neen, was able to exude such a scary killing intent. Judus was more afraid. He hadn''t lived enough and was sadly still a virgin¡ªhe wanted nothing more than to escape right now and never return. "Y-You should be pleading for your life right now, Rowan!" Oliver''s voice thundered. "Pleading for my life? I think you''ve reversed the roles here, Oliver." "W-What! Only I can stop them! You can''t do anything!" Rowanughed menacingly at his foolishness. The Glenwood soldiers were just 60 seconds away from reaching them now. He had to act fast. He lifted the ck dagger in his hand and walked towards Oliver, who kept threatening while shivering in fear. He raised the dagger, and Oliver closed his eyes. ''Is this how it is going to end?'' he thought, as he heard the sound of the dagger slicing through the air. Death was so close. He could feel it. "F-father..." But suddenly, he heard the weak and pained voice of Judus. He quickly opened his eyes and was met with the most horrifying scene. Chapter 54: Conquest { XIV } The whole northern border fell silent! Only the faint cry of Judus and the neighing of Glenwood horses approaching from afar could be heard. Oliver turned his head sharply at the sound of his son''s voice, his eyes widening in terror. Rowan stood close to Judus, the ck dagger in his hand dripping with blood. Judus'' eyes were wide open in terror as he stared at his severed right hand, lying on the ground beside him. His breathing came in ragged gasps, his body trembling uncontrobly. Oliver was still trying toprehend the scene when Rowan moved again. The dagger in his hand blurred, and in the next moment, Judus'' left hand hit the ground! "No! My hands! Ahhhh! My hands!" Judus screamed in agony. He turned towards his father, who was standing right beside him, his eyes filled with a frantic plea for help. But the man he looked to for salvation could only stare back in horror. Oliver''s eyes turned red with regret, anger, and sadness¡ªthis was never part of his n. He couldn''t even move to save his son! While he was still processing everything, Rowan signaled for the soldiers behind Oliver to grab him and drag him further away from Judus. Rowan made sure to keep his gaze fixed on Oliver, ensuring the father would witness every agonizing moment of his son''s suffering, so he could truly feel helplessness and despair. "Killing you is too merciful. I''ll make you watch as I cut your son apart, piece by piece. I want you to experience true pain and regret," Rowan said coldly. Oliver, already traumatized by his son''s excruciating pain, was further crushed by Rowan''s words. "Please¡­ just kill him!" he begged. "Kill him? No. That would be mercy. Pain will im him in the end," Rowan smirked. "Keep them both under control," Rowanmanded the soldiers. "If they try to move, beat them as much as you want, but don''t kill them. I still have Glenwood bastards to deal with." With that, Rowan turned his back and walked away. "Rowan!!!" Oliver bellowed, his voice dripping with rage and hatred. "You can''t do this! You''ll die if you face him! Only I can stop him from killing you! Free me and my son, and your vige will survive!" Oliver shouted desperately. But Rowan had already reached the captains and other soldiers, ignoring Oliver''s plea. "I used to respect you, Captain, but now my respect''s dead¡­ just like your balls after we''re done here," one of the soldiers holding Oliver sneered with a smirk. Oliver was about to respond when a sharp kicknded between his legs. His eyes bulged in pain, and the other soldiers joined in, beating him while his son cried out, consumed by trauma and agony. --- Meanwhile, Stanis led his men fearlessly towards Winterseed. He had been hiding in the bushes, waiting for the right time to meet with Oliver, when he heard a loud scream. At first, he was confused, wondering why someone would scream like that. But when the second scream came, he recognized it was the voice of Oliver and was a cry for help. Without wasting time, he ordered his fourteen soldiers to mount their horses and charge toward Winterseed. They couldn''t afford to let anything bad happen to their spy. As they broke through the bushes, they saw soldiers gathered around the border and were taken aback. "Captain, we should fall back! There are too many of them!" one of the soldiers riding next to him said, fear creeping into his voice. Stanis scoffed, telling the soldier to be bold and not fear such a small vige like Glenwood. He didn''t believe the vige''s soldiers could pose a real threat ¡ª From everything he have heard from Oliver and Judus, they are no big deal. And to be honest, why would he be afraid of a naive teenage lord like Rowan? As they charged towards Winterseed, Stanis wondered what had caused Oliver to scream so loudly. His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a young man step forward, standing before the Winterseed soldiers. ''This must be the young bastard Captain Waga talked about, the naive ane weak fool,'' Stanis noted to himself, eager to deal with him. On the other side, Rowan turned and quickly gave orders to his soldiers. "No matter what, do not harm the horses, we will be needing them," hemanded. The Glenwood soldiers were now only a few meters away. Their faces were clear, their fearlessness evident as they charged, swords gleaming under the soft sunlight. Rowan''s eyes locked onto Stanis, the man he had longed to kill ever since he learnt about his deeds from ra. Rowan summoned ze from the divine beast ne and gave him instructions to assist the soldiers. ze, seeing the serious mood of his tamer, agreed without protest. Rowan couldn''t help but notice the newborn maturity in ze. His body was now a little bigger than it was before and his cultivations was growing. Sadly, he couldn''t focus on that details at this moment. He summoned his sword from his inventory, turned to his soldiers and shouted, "Charge!" "Yaaah!" the soldiers roared as they rushed forward. Stanis grinned, giving the order for his men to engage as well, while he rode his horse directly at Rowan. But Rowan wasn''t going to let him ughter through his soldiers to reach him, so he sprinted ahead, running twice as fast as the others. Within moments, he was at the front, his eyes locked on Stanis. His soldiers charged behind him, while Stanis'' men moved forward as well. "You''re the naive lord of Winterseed, huh? You look no different from any average teenage boy. I''ll enjoy taking your head home with me," Stanis taunted as he charged at Rowan. Rowan didn''t respond as he kept his focus on Stanis'' hands. ra had warned him about Stanis'' skill with the sword and Rowan wasn''t ready to lose due to carelessness. [ Sword Grandmaster activated! Attack power and weapon efficiency increased by 300%! ] Seeing this notification, Rowan gripped his sword and his readiness intensified. Stanis leapt off his horse,nding beside Rowan and swinging his sword. The battle-trained horse immediately moved aside, away from the chaos. Rowan blocked the strike swiftly. "You''ve never trained in swordsmanship, from what I know. You won''tst long against me," Stanis let out again, swinging once more. But Rowan blocked the blow effortlessly. Around them, the Glenwood and Winterseed soldiers shed fiercely. The Glenwood soldiers dismounted and fought with precision, their swords slicing through the air with deadly intent. Though they were better trained, their smaller numbers gave the Winterseed soldiers the advantage. "You bastards!" Bryce cursed as he grabbed one of the Glenwood soldiers by the neck instead of using his sword. Hisrge hands squeezed until the soldier passed out fromck of air. But Bryce didn''t let him off freely and stabbed him to ensure he ispletely dead. Rnd swung his sword against another, overpowering his opponent with his size. He quickly disarmed him and ended the fight. The younger Winterseed soldiers fought inrger groups topensate for theirck of skill. Though some sustained injuries, they were minor. Rowan and Stanis'' battle raged on. At first nce, it appeared Stanis had the upper hand, but Rowan was holding back, waiting for the right moment to copy Stanis'' skill¡ªCopy didn''t work on dead targets. As they fought, Rowan scanned his stats and found a skill he needed. [Muscle Strengthening (F): Permanent 200% boost in physical strength.] Without hesitation, Rowan copied and merged with the skill. "You should give up now. I''ll let you live long enough to watch me with your women!" Stanis boasted, confident of his victory. "Uno reverse," Rowan grinned as he blocked the next attack. "Huh?" Stanis looked at him as if he was looking at a madman. ''What''s this idiot saying?'' he thought. Before Stanis could finish the thought, he noticed a change in their fight. Rowan''s strikes grew faster, the force behind them stronger, pushing Stanis back. His eyes widened in disbelief, but before he could react, he felt something cold run through his flesh and the world quickly went silent around him. --- While the battle raged on in the northern border of Winterseed, two white horses could be seen galloping down the lonely forest path leading to the vige, pursued by a ferocious looking group with more horses! Chapter 55: Conquest { XV } It was still early morning in Glenwood, and the vige was very busy due to the preparations for war. In the home of Lord Fagin, he could be seen speaking with Waga and the other captains who remained after he had sent Stanis to get back his women. "Kill all the men and leave only the women," hemanded with hatred and anger in his voice, "Do not let a single male in that vige live, do you hear me?" The captains nodded in response. None of them refuted his insane orders; in fact, they wanted it that way, as it would give them unlimited ess to the beautiful women who dwell in Winterseed. "We will go with the strategy we nned, except that we will be missing a captain," Lord Fagin continued after getting their response. He turned to Waga, "You will be taking control of Stanis'' men. Ensure you do a good job now that you have twice the number of soldiers the other captains have." "You can count on me not to disappoint you, Lord Fagin." Waga bowed with a smirk. As they were discussing, two guards from the Glenwood prison rushed into the room and announced in a panicked voice, "Lord Fagin, the Winterseed girl has escaped!!" "What!!" Fagin''s voice thundered across the hall with anger. "How did that happen? Where were you all when it happened?!" "We don''t know, sir! We were walking down the passageway doing our hourly check when we found two of your men lying dead in front of her cell. We quickly rushed to check, only to find that she was gone!" The two guards reported, fear evident in their voices, knowing what Lord Fagin could do to them. Fagin''s eyes zed with anger as he heard their report. First, he lost his favorite woman ra and the others, and now the youngest and prettiest had escaped? How defenseless was his territory for these weak women to escape as they pleased? Waga and the other captains looked among themselves, wondering how such a woman could kill two well-trained guards and escape without being caught. "Someone helped her," Waga said matter-of-factly. "That youngdy is not capable of killing anyone. She doesn''t even know enough about the prison''s premises to escape without getting caught." The other captains nodded in agreement. Even Lord Fagin found his words believable. He had been with those women, and they didn''t seem like people who could hurt a fly, let alone a well-trained soldier¡ªthere was definitely someone helping them. Just as he was about to respond, two other soldiers ran into the room, the same ones he had sent to call Ren. "Where is Ren? I told him toe with you," he asked with a frown on his fat face. "Sir, we searched everywhere and couldn''t find him. Not even his wife and daughters were around." The soldiers'' report caused the room to fall silent. At that moment, everything started to fall into ce. Lord Fagin furrowed his brow. ''Ren never told me he was leaving, and why would he take his family with him?'' His eyes widened as the thought struck him, and he turned to Waga and the other captains. "Ren has been the bastard helping them. We need to stop him! Send some men after him, and gather the rest¡ªwe leave for war immediately!" --- Liara and Ren were riding beside each other on white horses, heading out of Glenwood''s territory. Liara wore brown clothes and a brown cloak thatpletely hid her face from anyone looking at her. Under her cloak, she wore a scared expression, fearing that death would soon be upon her. Ren nced at her, seeing her shivering, and couldn''t help but whisper a warning as they approached the gate. "Keep calm, Liara. We just need to pass through the gate, and we''ll be on our way to your people." Hearing Ren''s calm words, she nodded and fought her hardest to maintain herposure. The exit of Glenwood was just a few meters away. The seven guards at the gate had already seen them approaching but remained calm, knowing Ren. "Sir Ren, where are you headed this early in the morning?" one of them asked with a smile as they approached. "I''m taking my daughter out of the vige for a while to get some herbs for her fever. We''ll be back soon." Ren lied with a smile. His face was calm, and hisposure steady. The guards didn''t detect any falseness in his words. They observed Liara, whose body was hidden, but they could see her shivering intensely. "Ah, will she be okay? She looks really sick," they asked with concern. In the vige, Ren''s daughters were some of the most beautiful maidens, and many young men were quite interested in them. "She''ll be fine once she takes the herbs," Ren replied. Without further questions, the guards opened the gate, and they both rode through freely. They kept their horses at a normal pace, galloping gently further away from Glenwood as if they weren''t escaping. Ren whispered to Liara to ensure she was okay. "You im to know all of Sir Ren''s daughters well, which one do you think is with him?" one guard asked. "It''s definitely Rachel, the slim and curvy one," another replied. The guards discussed as they closed the gate. They returned to their posts and began talking about the war, rejoicing over the new Winterseed women who would be brought back. They were already making ns on how to woo the women. However, almost thirty minutester, fifteen soldiers on horses rode toward the gate. "Did anyone leave through the gate?" the one in front asked urgently. The guards exchanged confused looks before one of them replied, "Oh yes, Sir Ren left with his daughter to get some herbs for her fever. She looked really sick." "Which daughter? Did you see her face?" the soldiers followed up with another question. This time, the guards'' heartbeats quickened as they realized they had messed up. They hadn''t bothered to check her face. All they knew was that she was ady because she had breasts! "No," they replied, ashamed and embarrassed. The soldier in front cursed under his breath, gripping the reins tightly. "Open the gate immediately!" he barked. Embarrassed and worried, the guards rushed to open the gate. "What''s happening?" one of the younger guards asked, his face pale as the soldiers spurred their horses and rode off at full speed, leaving a cloud of dust behind. "I don''t know, but we''re surely in big trouble," an older guard replied. --- Further down the winding path leading away from Glenwood, Ren and Liara continued their ride, the morning breeze brushing against their worried faces as they drifted toward Winterseed. Liara was still shivering with fear; even the sound of rustling leaves made her terror intensify. Ren nced back at her and spoke in a low, reassuring tone. "We''re already out of Glenwood. With these horses, we''ll reach Winterseed before they catch us." Liara nodded, trying to push aside the overwhelming sense of dread. She still recalled the scene at the prison when Ren and a guard came to rescue her. Sadly, the guard had been killed in a fight against another guard who tried to stop them from escaping. Both guards stabbed each other and died in front of her. As she recalled the tragic moment, the sound of horses galloping toward them reached her ears, and her expression turned pale. ..... AUTHOR NOTE: Thanks for reading. If there is any part of the novel you want me to improve you can say it inment or review section or you can join my discord server :- invite/56VRp7MaEB Chapter 56: Conquest { XVI } "They areing! What should we do?" Liara whispered, her eyes wide with panic. Ren''s expression darkened. He tugged at the reins, urging his horse to move faster. "Don''t look back. Keep moving." Liara had only learned to ride horses in less than two days, after theoretical teaching from Ren, so she found it difficult to move. Ren didn''t move ahead; instead, he helped her by dragging the reins and forcing her horse to ride after his. The sound of horses galloping towards them grew louder and louder by the second. Even though Ren tried his hardest not to panic, his heartbeat raced. Luckily, he had secured his wife and daughter beforehand, sending them away to a nearby vige where his wife came from. Now, he just had to save Liara and her people. Even if he died after that, without seeing his family again, he would be able to rest in peace. "Over there!" As they rode, they heard a loud shout and looked back. A group of soldiers was heading towards them. Though they were still far away, with the speed of their horses, they would most likely catch up in no time. Liara''s panic grew. There was no way out! "Ren, stop right now!" the soldiers barked, but Ren ignored them and continued moving. If he stopped, he might not die, but he couldn''t say the same for Liara¡ªthose guards would kill her! Gritting his teeth, he urged his horse to move faster, dragging hers along. Liara was already deep in panic, seeing no way out of their current situation. She believed that if caught, Lord Fagin wouldn''t spare her by merely sending her to prison; he might execute her immediately. The soldiers raced towards them on warhorses¡ªhorses trained for battle and nearly twice as fast as regr horses. "Ren has failed to listen to our calls. We have no choice but to kill him¡ªand do not let the Winterseed girl live," the soldier leading the rest said coldly. The others nodded. They drew their swords and spurred their horses on even faster. The warhorses let out ready battle cries, elerating rapidly. They were only a few meters away, ready to ughter the pair, when suddenly the atmosphere shifted. The warhorses halted abruptly, causing some of the soldiers to lose control and crash to the ground. "What is happening?" the leader shouted, tugging at his horse to move faster, but the horse refused. Instead, it let out a protesting neigh and threw him off. The other soldiers faced the same fate, their horses refusing to obey and tossing them aside. But Liara''s and Ren''s horses continued galloping forward without the strange pause. Ren noticed themotion and slowed down to observe, wondering why the soldiers'' horses were behaving so strangely. "What is happening to the horses? They were fed enough tost two days without food, so why are they reacting this way?" the soldiers asked, frowning as they stood, dusting themselves off, and grabbing their swords. The warhorses remained immobile, their eyes fixed ahead. The soldiers were confused¡ªthey had never seen such strange behavior from their horses before. "This shouldn''t stop our pursuit. Go after them. I''ll try to settle the issue with the horses," the leader ordered, noticing that Ren''s horse had slowed down. He mistakenly thought Ren''s horse had grown tired and could be easily caught now. The soldiers nodded and immediately started their pursuit on foot. "Let''s go, Ren!" Liara urged with fear in her voice, but Ren had already started moving the horse again. "Stop right now, Ren, or else we''ll kill you!" the soldiers barked, their feet stomping the ground as they ran towards him, swords gleaming in hand, ready to strike. Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted again. The air became chilly, and the wind howled fiercely, growing chaotic. The soldiers hesitated, confused by the sudden change, but before they could react, they found themselves being lifted into the air, spinning uncontrobly in circles. "W-What... What is happening?" "I''m flying!" "My eyes..." They yelled in confusion. Even Ren and Liara stopped, looking back to see what was happening. They were stunned to see neen men being tossed around by a violent, chaotic whirlwind. Their mouths dropped, and their eyes widened in shock at the sight. The leader was equally shocked. "What is going on? First, the horses, and now this strange whirlwind! Are the gods punishing us for our actions?" he muttered in fear, stepping back cautiously, scared the wind woulde for him next. Before he could move away from the area out of fear, a voice sounded behind him, freezing him in ce. He instinctively swung his sword, but it was caught mid-air by something strong and unyielding. When he turned around, he was greeted by a charming smile from a tall, white-haired man. His eyes widened instantly as he asked, "Who are you?" D''andre looked at him with an amused grin and replied sarcastically, "I''m Batman." "Huh?" the leader stammered, unable to fully process what was happening before suddenly feeling his body levitating off the ground. Before he knew it, he was hurled toward the chaotic whirlwind, joining his men in the storm. Some had already lost consciousness from the violent tossing. D''andre watched the storm for a few seconds with an amused expression before sighing as he heard the system''s notification. [ 30,000,000 Evolution Points has been deducted from your ount for breaking rule 007 and helping FF-rank territory (Winterseed). ] [ Your skills: (Wind magic, Mana absorption) have been deranked to C-Rank. ] ''This fine is too much,'' heined inwardly. This was the first time he had broken this restriction, and the fine was simply outrageous. He wondered how much would have been deducted if he had helped an A-rank territory. But he didn''t think too much about it as he would most likely earn them back in the Merchant tournament. D''andre looked ahead of the hurricane, where a beautifuldy and a middle-aged man were looking at him with awe. ''That is the sister ra talked about. She''s just as beautiful as ra, but younger. Sadly, I prefer milfs,'' D''andre sighed as he began strolling toward them. Ren grabbed the reins of Liara''s horse, fearing the figure casually strolling toward them, while Liara shivered uncontrobly¡ªtoday had been a really bad day for her. "Who are you? Don''te any closer," Ren said. "Who are you, old man?" D''andre shot a re at Ren. "O-Old man?" Ren wanted to refute, but he kept silent. D''andre closed the distance between them. Behind him, the hurricane was still tossing the soldiers around, and most of them had already lost their lives by now. "You must be Liara?" he said after reaching them. Liara looked at him, confused. "You don''t have to worry, I''m not here to hurt you but to save you," D''andre shed her a charming smile. "W-Why?" Liara couldn''t help but ask. It was already confusing¡ªwhy would a strange, angelic persone to save her? "I saw a beautifuldy in distress and decided to help. Is that bad?" D''andre asked, trying to sound mysterious and cool. But Liara only looked at him without replying. Seeing that she wasn''t falling for his ''sophisticated'' charm, he sighed and said, "You should return to Winterseed as soon as you can. ra and the rest of your friends are worried sick about you." "ra??.." Liara''s eyes widened. But D''andre had already disappeared before she could finish her sentence. Ren looked at the spot where D''andre had just vanished, and his expression brightened. "Your sisters are alive. We should leave now?" He grabbed her reins, and both of them began their journey. Meanwhile, the hurricane ended, and the corpses of the soldiers fell to the ground. None of them survived. ..... AUTHOR NOTE: Thanks for reading Chapter 57: Conquest { XVII } At the northern border of Winterseed, the small battle was already on the verge of ending; the soldiers of Glenwood had already been taken down, their corpses sprawled across the border, blood dripping from them. But the nging of swords still continued as Rowan and Stanis engaged in intensebat. Nevertheless, unlike in the beginning when Stanis had the upper hand, Rowan had the upper hand now. "What!!" Stanis'' voice cracked in disbelief. Just a few minutes ago, Rowan couldn''t block his half-assed attack without taking several steps backward to maintain bnce. But now, even his all-out attacks seemed to be nothing before him. In fact, it looked like Rowan wasn''t taking him seriously anymore. ''How did he suddenly get stronger?'' Stanis wondered as he focused all his attention on defending. ''If it continues this way, I will surely die!'' he yelled inwardly. He struggled to sneak a look at his soldiers that he had ignored since the beginning of the battle but was shocked to see all of them lying dead on the ground. He was even more surprised when he saw that none of Winterseed soldiers was on the ground! ''This can''t be! That bastard told me they were nothingpared to my soldiers! Was he lying all along? Was he plotting everything to his advantage?'' his mind wandered. Gritting his teeth, he pushed back with all his strength and tried to create a gap between himself and Rowan beforeunching an all-out attack. "You think that would work?" Rowan''s taunting voice reached his ear. Stanis didn''t reply and red at him, but Rowan looked reallyposed. He kept walking closer towards Stanis, who took several steps back in fear while lifting his sword in a defensive position. "If I were you, I would surrender," Rowan continued taunting him. "Surrender? Never!" Stanis let out. "Do you still think you stand a chance? Even if you manage to kill me, do you think you will be able to escape the hands of my soldiers? There are more than a hundred of them and only one of you, so think carefully," Rowan continued taunting him. Rowan had decided against killing him instantly as he needed more info on Glenwood. He believed in the strength of his men but at the same time he couldn''t overlook the fact that Glenwood had more than six times his army. Meanwhile, Stanis considered his options. ''He is correct, I can''t win against him or his soldiers and I can''t die withoutpleting my goal. What if I use his men to take over Glenwood? Then I can kill himter for the death of my men.'' Stanis'' mind immediately came up with a n. "Fine," he let out in defeat, tossing his sword to the ground and lifting his hands in surrender. "I will help you wage a good war against my vige as long as you promise not to kill me," he offered. The captains and soldiers exchanged looks before turning to Rowan with varying emotions on their faces. "Lord Rowan, we can''t trust this guy." Bryce immediately reacted with a furious expression on his face as he looked at Stanis. "I agree. He might betray us when he gets the chance, we can''t risk that at this moment," Rnd let out as well. The other soldiers chattered about their agreements too. ''Damn it, these geezers are going to ruin my n if this goes on.'' Stanis was worried. He turned to look at Rowan to see what he had to say. Based on the information he had, Rowan was naive and weak. He believed Rowan would make the wrong choice by believing him. On the other hand, Rowan let out a sigh and withdrew his sword. He signaled to the soldiers behind Stanis, and they immediately ran to restrain him. "We need all the information you can give. If you tell a lie, I will know, and you will be killed immediately," he let out in an authoritative tone. The soldiers reacted equally. None of them agreed with his decision, but they had no choice but to ept it. Stanis grinned inwardly, ''He is just as naive as they said.'' "I will give you all the information I have and help you win," he agreed. Rowan only shook his head. Time was running out, and he didn''t have time to waste here. He signaled for the soldiers to force Stanis onto his knees and tie his hands. Stanis wanted to refute getting tied up, but then Bryce stepped forward and pped him across the face. With bitterness and helplessness, he let himself get restrained. After he was restrained, Rowan asked them to bring the overly pummeled Oliver and the handless Judus to the same spot, and they did. Oliver''s face at this moment was unrecognizable, swollen, and bleeding all over his body. Even his crotch area was bleeding profusely. "Oliver... Judus?" Stanis was shocked to see both of them in that state. Oliver''s eyes were swollen, so he couldn''t see clearly when he arrived. However, hearing Stanis'' voice, he forced his eyes open and they widened. Why was the great Stanis sitting on the ground? The great swordsman who could wipe out a hundred soldiers, kneeling before a naive Lord? How could that be possible? His mind ran amok. Rowan smirked as he observed their expressions. Oliver was confused and frustrated that his hope had shattered, and Stanis was devastated because he knew his plot was bound to fail at this point. "Oliver, you said this guy could deal with all our soldiers, right?" Rowan asked mockingly. Oliver''s head was bowed to the ground, and he couldn''t reply. "The man who is supposed to save your life is now living solely on my mercy. What can you say about your previous boasts now?" he continued taunting him. His every word was like a bullet that shot deep into Oliver''s head. Even Judus was embarrassed and ashamed on his dad''s behalf. "Now I am going to ask both of you questions, and you better answer me truthfully, or else one of your limbs ising off," Rowan threatened and brought out his ck dagger. Oliver and Judus were traumatized at the sight of the ck dagger. Judus began shivering and tried his best to crawl back, but there was no way as he was handless. "I will start by asking you two some simple questions, and if you are bold, lie to me." Rowan smirked. He started with Stanis, asking him a few questions, starting with simple ones and moving to tedious and more personal questions. With [God Eyes], Rowan could observe the changes in his emotions, and he could tell when he lied. Stanis tried to answer all his questions as sincerely as he could, but then Rowan asked a question that he wanted to deny with all his strength. "Have you ever tried to force your way with ra and Liara before?" Rowan asked. Stanis'' eyes widened at once. ''How did he know?'' Meanwhile, the young soldiers began to discuss among themselves. They talked about ra and Liara, how they were very beautiful, and what they would do to Stanis personally if it were true that he had forced his way with them. Hearing their reactions, Stanis had no choice but to deny. "Of course not! Why would I do that? I can do anything with any woman of my choice in Glenwood. Besides, they are with Lord Fagin!" he answered immediately, trying his best to sound as truthful as he could while looking at Rowan. The captains and soldiers believed immediately; his voice and reaction were too genuine to be false. "You lied," Rowan grinned, and his dagger moved following his words. "It was the..." Stanis tried to lie even more, but he couldn''t finish his statement when his left hand went off. "Ahh!" Stanis cried out in pain. "I warned you not to lie to me, but you did." Stanis kept crying as he stared at his hands. "You are lucky I sliced your left hand instead. I know how important your right hand is to you as a swordsman," Rowan continued. "Now I want you to divulge everything, and remember, one more lie and you will be handless forever," he concluded. With tears dripping from his eyes, Stanis divulged all the information he had. With the new information, Rowan didn''t waste any time and gathered his men. He brought out the weapons he had purchased from D''andre and distributed them to the soldiers. He only shared the swords and armors, as those were the most important weapons for the current situation and the only ones the soldiers had experience with. Rowan called for Ri, Brandon, and the two middle-aged cooks who used to cook for him before Ri took their ce. He then brought out enough food supplies for one week and left them under their care. Before Rowan departed, he shared a brief pleasant moment with Ri and assured her of his pending victory. With food distribution settled, Rowan went to the soldiers and selected 400 men. The other hundred stayed behind in Winterseed to guard the vige in case of rare monster attacks. As he marched out with the four hundred soldiers, the people of Winterseed gathered around the southern border, cheering for them while some blessed and prayed for their sess. This earned Rowan a few points. The young soldiers felt emotional, seeing the vigers'' reactions, especially the young beautiful maidens with their bouncing chests who waved cheerfully. Witnessing the "bouncy creations of God," their motivation soared, and they all swore to return alive. Just like that, the final preparations for the first battle under the reign of Rowan Winterseed the First ended, and the soldiers stepped out to conquer! ..... AUTHOR NOTE: This will be the only chapter today sadly because I wrote a long one. THANKS FOR READING! BTW, I will start leaving AUTHOR NOTE in the right section to avoid messing with chapters price from now on so do well to check. Chapter 58: Conquest { XVIII } Rowan and his soldiers could be seen marching through the forest path leading down to Glenwood. The path was mostly wide but narrowed in certain spots, with thick bushes and tall canopy trees lining both sides. The thick bushes and tall, canopy trees formed a natural fence, almost like walls closing in around them as they made their way through the forest. The sound of insects chirping and birds singing seized, covering the area with only the sound of their heroic marching. Rowan and the captains could be seen riding their horses in front, while the soldiers marched uniformly behind them with battle-ready seriousness etched on their faces. At thest row, two young soldiers could be seen dragging Stanis along the ground. Stanis was already unconscious at this point, having been dragged on the harsh ground for more than an hour. Rowan wanted to leave Stanis under the control of Brandon as they left for war and deal with himter alongside Oliver when he returned, but the young soldiers refused. They were all very pissed after hearing that Stanis had the balls to force himself on their beautiful sisters. So, Rowan decided to leave him in their care--they could do anything they wanted as long as he was still alive when they got to Glenwood. Riding in front of the others, Rowan was greeted with a lot of notifications. [ Your viger wishes you a great victory ] [ One hundred of your vigers gather together and pray for your safe return ] [ Your LOVER prays for your return ] All the notifications informed him about the current emotional state of his vigers, thest one made him smile as he knew it was about Ri. As they continued to march forward, Rowan decided to interact with his system. Without hesitating, he called out his character status. --- RANK: FF-rank TITLE: Vige Head TERRITORY: FF-rank, Winterseed Vige AREA: 20 square kilometers POPULATION: 3,000+ RESOURCES: (Click to view all) Rowan Winterseed - AGE: 18 - HEALTH: 100% - POWER: FF-rank - EVOLUTION POINT: 27,500,000 - SKILLS: SS-rank 100x reward, SS-rank copy, SS-rank eyes of revtion, SS-rank merge, SS-rank beast taming, S-rank Super Voice, C-rank Sword Grandmaster, F-rank Resistance, F-rank Muscle Strengthening, FF-rank night vision --- Rowan''s stats were much better than thest time he viewed them. Although his power hadn''t increased because he chose not to raise it, the amount of evolution points and the number of skills he possessed had grown. The amount of resources he possessed had grown as well after purchasing a few from D''andre. Recalling thest interaction with D''andre, Rowan couldn''t help but pray for his safety. If anything should happen to D''andre, he would lose a really important asset for territory development. "Lord Rowan, you look really tense right now? Is it because this is your first war?" Rnd asked from beside him. Rowan turned to him and shook his head. None of them could see his system, so they immediately assumed he was deep in thought as he stared at empty midair. Rnd nodded his head and continued, "We are getting close to the location we decided on." "I know," Rowan answered swiftly. He turned to look at his back and saw the soldiers marching valiantly and fearlessly. Stanis was still being dragged on the ground and was already unconscious. He returned his gaze to the front and pulled the rein, causing the horse to move faster. After about three hours of marching through the forest, they finally arrived at their agreed point. It was already the mid-hours of the afternoon, and the fiery sun had already taken its ce in the sky, sting the earth with its scorching heat. Rowan, riding in front, lifted his right hand and everyone came to a quick halt. "This is our major start point, everyone," Rowan began. The soldiers nodded their heads with fearlessness and readiness in their gazes. Seeing the readiness, Rowan smiled and proceeded. He ordered the captains to take fifty men each and march through the forest. This way, Rowan would be left to lead two hundred soldiers -- this was simply his n to create an illusion in the eyes of Glenwood''s army. Rowan further discussed instructions with the captains and then proceeded to give his usual speech with the amplification of [Super Voice] to boost their motivation. Nevertheless, as he discussed with them, his eyes caught two figures on horses riding towards them. "Hmm," he halted his speech and rode his horse forward. The captains quickly rode and formed a defensive position around him, staring at the figures arriving in front of them. The horses were still afar, but they didn''t let their guard down. "Lord Rowan, let me kill them if they try to do anything careless," Bryce dragged out his sword and said to Rowan in his usual furious tone. Rowan nodded. He had already obtained all the information he needed, so there was no need to keep any of Glenwood''s people alive. With Rowan''s permission, Bryce gritted his teeth, and his grip on his sword grew tighter--he was ready to engage in battle. Nevertheless, as the horses rode closer towards them, the faces of a middle-aged man and a youngdy appeared in their vision. "Liara?" Rowan muttered to himself as he quickly realized who the girl was. She was the same one ra had been talking about, the one who sacrificed herself for the safe escape of her sisters. As for the man beside her, Rowan hadn''t seen him before. A frown appeared on his face as he immediately assumed he was abducting her. While Rowan grasped the identity of the youngdy, the soldiers did the same. Their eyes widened in shock and happiness at the sight of her face. However, a deep scowl appeared when they gazed upon Ren. "Look, it''s Liara!" "Liara! I never thought I would see her again, but who is that sick fuck riding with her?" "Damn, if it''s another one like that bastard Stanis, I''ll burst his balls myself!" "Hey, calm down--you''ve already crushed two balls today!" The soldiers discussed amongst themselves. Meanwhile, at the front, Bruce had an emotional breakdown as he saw Liara riding towards them. "Sister-inw..." he called out in a low tone. Rowan looked at Bruce, a middle-aged man with an insanely huge physique, staring at Liara with a look akin to someone on the verge of tears. Only then did Rowan realize Bruce was actually married to her elder sister. But he didn''t focus too much on the realization. They still had to be careful about the man she was with. Ren and Liara had already spotted the soldiers from afar. At first, they couldn''t recognize anyone as they were still far apart. But even so, they kept riding, as long as it wasn''t Glenwood''s army, they knew they were safe. As they rode closer, Liara recognized Bruce''s face, and her eyes lit up. "They''re from Winterseed! They''re my people, we''re safe," she said cheerfully. Hearing her response, Ren felt both excitement and shock. He was excited that Winterseed was already preparing for war but shocked at how quickly they were moving. "They were supposed to be unaware," he thought inwardly. ra and the others shouldn''t have reached the vige by now, even if they used horses. Plus, Stanis and his men were sent to capture them, making it almost impossible to reach the vige and inform them in time. Also, ording to the information they received from Oliver, Winterseed had nned to attack when the soldiers came to collect their weekly harvest from the vigers. This meant they weren''t supposed to be attacking today at all. But now, Winterseed''s soldiers were marching toward Glenwood, which meant they had already been informed. How could that be? Ren had many questions on his mind, but he kept moving forward. He looked at the soldiers and could feel their heated gazes on him, making him realize his precarious situation. "My name is Ren, and I am not your enemy!" Ren''s voice echoed through the forest, causing the soldiers to stiffen, their hands tightening around their weapons. Rowan watched closely, his eyes narrowing as he gauged Ren''s sincerity. He activated his inspection skill to quickly observe his stats. From what the status revealed, Ren held no hostility toward them. Still, Rowan couldn''t judge his character based solely on his stats. Meanwhile, Liara''s eyes darted from the soldiers'' cautious stares to Bruce, her expression softening as sheid her eyes on him. Without hesitation, she slid off her horse and ran toward him, her face glowing with joy and remorse. Bruce also jumped down from his horse, running toward her with tears streaming from his eyes. As they neared each other, the tension of the moment melted away. Liara threw her arms around Bruce and tears of joy began to drip from her eyes. Both of them hugged each other tightly, they looked more like father and daughter. While the two of them embraced, the young soldiers advanced toward Ren with hateful res on their faces. Despite his im that he wasn''t an enemy, none of them believed him. Chapter 59: Conquest { XIX } About five minutes had passed since Ren and Liara arrived. Most of that time, Liara spent with Bruce, crying her heart out in his embrace. It was a great relief that she was finally out of Glenwood''s torturous hands and now in the arms of her loved ones. On the other hand, Ren was being restrained by the soldiers, who gave him heated res. Ren tried reasoning with them, but they paid deaf ears. Having been betrayed by one of their trusted captain and colleague, trusting others became difficult for them. Far away from themotion, Rowan sat on his horse and observed the entire scene with a calm expression on his face. He patiently waited for Liara and Bruce to finish their emotional moment before taking any action. Another two minutes passed, and Liara finally let go of Bruce and turned to look at Rowan. When she arrived with Ren, the only person she had recognized, besides Bruce, was Rowan, but she hadn''t paid much attention to him. Now, however, as she looked at him, she couldn''t help but be dumbfounded by how much he had changed. The Rowan of six years ago always had a shy and inexperienced look on his face, but the Rowan staring at her right now was the total and positive opposite. "Lord Rowan," she muttered in a low voice. "Liara, it is good to have you back," Rowan responded with a smile. But he didn''t have enough time for formalities. His expression turned serious at once as he turned to point at Ren and asked, "Who is he?" Hearing his question, Liara quickly realized that she had forgotten about her only helper. When she saw the soldiers holding him down, she immediately rushed to their side to free him. The soldiers let her do what she pleased, but they were confused as to why she was rescuing him. Wasn''t he trying to abduct her earlier? They asked themselves. After getting freed from the brutal hands of the soldiers, Ren dusted himself and bowed his head deeply before Rowan. "I am sorry for failing to greet you earlier. My name is Ren. I was an adviser to Lord Fagin of Glenwood before betraying him by freeing Liara. I am not your enemy," he said. Rowan looked at him with squinted eyes as he spoke. Then he turned to Liara and gave her a questioning gaze. "He is telling the truth. After ra and the others left Glenwood, I was locked in a cell to die of starvation. Ren was the only one who fed me and aided my escape, even endangering his life and the life of his family in the process," Liara exined. The soldiers who manhandled Ren earlier felt apologetic after hearing Liara''s exnation. After exining, both Liara and Ren looked at Rowan, anticipating his next action. Rowan sighed and thanked him, "Thank you for rescuing Liara, Ren." Then he followed up with a quick question, "But if I may ask, why did you let go of your good life in a powerful vige such as Glenwood and decide to help a girl from a weak, backwater vige?" Rowan had thought about this after hearing Liara''s exnation. If he was an adviser of Glenwood''s Lord, then his life in the vige was definitely good, but why would he take such a foolish risk by saving Liara? Although he appreciated his kindness, he couldn''t help but wonder the reason for his decision. "I am a righteous man, and no matter where I find myself, I try to do the right thing. When I saw that she needed help, as a father with daughters her age, I couldn''t let go without helping her," Ren stated with a smile. "That is great, but that still doesn''t exin your reason for escaping with her. Risking your life just to uphold your righteousness is unreasonable, there must be a deeper intention behind your actions." Rowan followed up without backing down. His questions were so well thought out that even Ren, who was an adviser known for his wisdom, couldn''t help but admire him. He couldn''t help but wonder why the spy told them Rowan was naive and inexperienced. Nevertheless, he didn''t keep Rowan waiting and gave his answers, stating his reasons for taking such a bold and risky step. He told Rowan how he tried to warn Lord Fagin against his actions, but Fagin never listened and always put the life of the vigers at risk. "I don''t want myself and my family to die because we are on the wrong side, so I picked your side. I believe you are going to win this war because you are in the right. Before, that was just a spection in my heart, but seeing you today, I believe your victory is inevitable," Ren replied. After hearing all his reasons, even Bruce couldn''t help but nod his head gently. ''Good, now we are going to get even more authentic information from someone close to the Lord of Glenwood,'' Rowan rejoiced inwardly. As he was about to engage in a deeper, strategic conversation with Ren, Liara suddenly opened up and told him about a mysterious white-haired man who helped both of them and then asked about the whereabouts of ra and the others. "A handsome white-haired man?" Rowan asked with confusion etched on his face. There was only one person who fits that description. Liara and Ren nodded. ''I thought he was going to the merchant tournament immediately, when did he get the chance to save them, and why?'' Rowan pondered. "Did he say anything before leaving?" he asked. "Yes, he told me to hurry back to the vige and also said that ra had arrived in the vige already. Is that the truth? Are they okay?" she asked. It was clear that she was worried for her sisters. Rowan immediately cleared her worries and assured her that they were okay and safe. Nevertheless, he couldn''t help but curse at D''andre inwardly. At first, when he heard the description of the mysterious man, how cool and shy his magic was and how gentle he was with her, the first person that came to his mind was D''andre, and his guess was confirmed after he heard what he said to them before leaving. Nevertheless, he didn''t dwell on that topic too much. He spoke with Ren, inquiring as much information as he could about Glenwood. Ren was pretty honest, revealing everything he knew, starting from the time of the attack and the particr strategy Lord Fagin was going to use. He even tried to suggest a counter-battle formation to conquer Glenwood''s army. Ren also went as far as to exin to Rowan how lucky he was that the strongest captain wasn''t around. "He is the greatest captain and the strongest swordsman in Glenwood, but he was sent away to capture ra and co. Since he hasn''t returned and you im they are okay, that means he was either killed on the way by goblins or got lost in the forest. Without him around, your victory would be much easier," he said. "You mean Stanis?" Rowan asked. Ren''s eyes widened. "You know him? How?" "Well, the bastard was gutsy enough to try and attack my vige with his men. His men are probably with the devil in hell right now, but the bastard is still alive," Rowan said. He signaled to the soldiers, and they dragged the ragged body of Stanis toward Ren. When Ren saw the state of Stanis, his jaw almost dropped to the ground. How had the great captain been defeated by Rowan and his men? On the other hand, Liara''s eyes grew cold with hatred and anger. Her fists trembled as the sudden urge to run over to him and squeeze the life out of him surged in her mind. "If this guy is your so-called greatest captain and strongest swordsman, then taking down the other captains will be pretty easy," Rowan said with a smirk. But his words fell on deaf ears. Ren''s eyes were fixed on Stanis, who was bloodied beyond recognition. His face was swollen, one of his hands missing, his body covered in ghastly wounds, and his cloth armor torn and ragged, making him look like a madman. "How many soldiers did it take to bring him down?" Ren quickly turned to Rowan and asked with curiosity. "Soldiers? Are you underestimating the power of our Lord?" the soldier holding Stanis said with an annoyed expression on his face. "This guy is not worth half the strength of Lord Rowan. If Lord Rowan wanted, he could have killed him when they fought, but he let him live simply because he had use for him," the soldier bragged with a smug look on his face. The more he spoke about how Rowan took him on alone, the more shocked Ren became. Even Liara found it hard to believe. She had been in Glenwood long enough to know that Stanis wasn''t a soldier who could be easily defeated, even by a hundred soldiers. But Lord Rowan was able to defeat him and make him beg for his life on his knees? How was that possible? How strong had Lord Rowan grown since she left the vige? "Lord Rowan, what are you waiting for? March your soldiers toward Glenwood and im your victory!" Ren urged. Rowan smiled. "Haha, then it''s settled!" He turned to his soldiers and quickly made a few changes to their formation. This time, Rowan sent three hundred soldiers with the four captains into the forest to form a sneak attack squad, while he led the remaining hundred. ording to the information from Ren and Liara, Glenwood''s soldiers had already begun marching toward them, and within the next seven hours, their forces would likely sh! Unfortunately and fortunately, it would be around the mid hours of the night. Chapter 60: Conquest { XX } It was still thete hours of the afternoon. Glenwood soldiers, under the leadership of their fat Lord, could be seen marching towards Winterseed with serious expressions on their faces. The army behind Lord Fagin had more than three thousand soldiers--five hundred soldiers rode on horses while the others marched. Lord Fagin and his eight captains rode their horses, staying at the front. They led the soldiers toward Winterseed to conquer it. After killing Lord Rowan, they believed their vige would prosper even more. The number of ves working their farms would increase, the number of usable women would rise, and their vige would be more popr among others. With this motivation in mind, they kept marching forward. Lord Fagin, riding ahead, waved his hand, and two soldiers quickly ran to him, handing him a big piece of meat that they had prepared beforehand. Fagin took therge piece of meat and devoured it in just two big bites. He then let out a satisfied belch and continued riding forward. Some of the soldiers felt disgusted but couldn''t voice it. Even the captains were repulsed by his actions--how could their Lord be nothing but a fat tyrant who knew nothing of ruling except conquering smaller viges and taking their women? The past lords had been nothing like him. They were all powerful warriors and true leaders. Nevertheless, Fagin was too obsessed with ttening Winterseed and seizing all the beautiful women for himself to notice the feelings of his soldiers. It had been nearly three hours since they had marched out of Glenwood. Due to therge number of soldiers, they had only managed to move a short distance away from their vige. "Lord Fagin, look over there," one of the captains pointed ahead of them. "What?" Faginzily asked, struggling to move his fat head in the direction the captain pointed. The other captains and soldiers riding at the front had already seen the surprising sight, and their faces were filled with shock. Up ahead, several meters away, fifteen horses stood in a dazed state. Close to the horses, fifteen soldiers were lying on the in ground, or so it seemed to them. When Fagin saw this, his gaze immediately turned furious. "Those bastards I sent after Liara and that traitor Ren are resting instead of doing their jobs!!" he shouted in anger. The other captains understood his rage. "You and you, go wake them up," Waga, who was beside Fagin, said to two soldiers behind him. The soldiers nodded, pulled the reins of their horses, and rode toward the group of horses and "sleeping" soldiers. When they arrived, they made their horses stomp on the heads of the men to wake them up. "Youzy bastards! How dare you defy the orders of our great Lord Fagin! Wake up this instant and face his wrath!" one of the soldiers berated as he stomped their heads. But there was no response. Not even a single movement from the men on the ground. At that moment, the soldier noticed the strange state of their leather armor--it looked as though it had been squeezed by something incredibly strong. ''Strange,'' the soldier thought to himself, and he stomped their heads even harder. Still, there was no response. His eyes widened as he realized the truth. He turned to look at Lord Fagin and the soldiers, who were watching him with squinted eyes, and said in a loud voice, "They are dead!" Gasps erupted from the soldiers. "What do you mean, dead? I told you to wake them up, and now you''re making up lies in front of me? Are you courting death?" Fagin was in disbelief and berated the soldier instead. "I am not lying..." the soldier responded quickly. He dismounted his horse and grabbed the body of one of the soldiers. Lifting the body up, he let go of it, and it slumped back into its original position without a single reaction. He did the same with the others, and only then did the shocking realization sink in. Fagin''s reaction was, as expected, overly dramatic. He ordered the captains to inspect the corpses themselves. When the captains returned, their reports shocked him. "What do you mean they died without any wounds?" he demanded, but the soldiers gave no answer. How could they have died without wounds? What had killed them? Why were the horses standing there without any reaction? So many questions filled their minds. "This is the work of Ren!" Fagin finally concluded. "That traitor knows how to use herbs to heal, which means he also knows how to use them to kill! He poisoned them!" he continued angrily. His conclusion was quickly epted by the soldiers. They all knew about Ren''s ability to heal with herbs, and they also knew that some herbs could be poisonous, which meant Ren could indeed kill with them. "Damn! He''s most likely taking that Winterseed wench to her people, and then he''ll give them all the information about us. We need to move faster and make sure he doesn''t get the chance! Even if he does, the people of Winterseed won''t be able to fully prepare before we arrive," he said to the soldiers. "Based on the calction from my advisers, we should arrive in Winterseed before midday tomorrow if we stop to rest on the way. But why should we rest? Let''s keep marching forward!" he roused his soldiers. They let out a loud war cry and nged their weapons together. "We need to reach their vige before dawn and attack while they sleep!" Fagin dered with a wicked grin. Without further dy, he resumed leading his men toward Winterseed to conquer it. They marched past the corpses of the soldiers on the ground. Some tried to take the horses, but the animals refused to budge. It was as if their bodies were frozen, though strangely, they were still breathing and alive. What could be happening? the soldiers wondered. But they didn''t stay to find out and kept marching forward. --- Meanwhile, in a vast in where a gathering of powerful individuals stood, D''andre suddenly recalled something and muttered to himself, "Damnit, I forgot to deactivate the mind-break spell on those horses!" Chapter 61: Conquest { XXI } Nighttime quickly arrived as the army of two viges marched toward each other with different purposes, one wanted to conquer the other to obtain women, while the other wanted to protect his people and improve his territory. Though with different purposes, their goals were simr, which was conquering the opposition. It wasn''t the darkest hour of the night yet, as the moon hung up in the sky and provided the earth with its crescent glow as usual. Unfortunately, as the sky turned dark, so did the expressions of Winterseed''s soldiers, as fear quickly gripped their hearts. Rnd and a group of one hundred young soldiers moved cautiously through the forest. Unlike the clear path cutting through to Glenwood, the path inside the forest was rough, filled with vines and thorns that made moving difficult. Rowan held his sword and chopped down as much vine as he could while the young soldiers walked behind him. He couldn''t help but notice their slowed movements. They had all be inactive, unlike their active selves in the daytime. They no longer chatted amongst themselves, afraid of drawing the attention of monsters. Rnd turned to look at the soldiers behind him, who were shivering in fear as they took cautious steps forward. "Walk faster, all of you. You''re soldiers. Fear is a natural reaction, but you''re not its bitch! Get a hold over fear and make it your bitch. Only then will you be great soldiers!" He tried to motivate them. The soldiers nodded their heads, but the fear in their minds remained. They kept thinking of the negative possibilities while neglecting all the positives--this was the work of fear. Their minds only considered the negatives, like: Will a monster attack? What if we get attacked by hobgoblins? What if a group of ratax attacks like the other day? Will they be able to survive? With these negative thoughts running through their minds, they gradually forgot about the freedom and victory awaiting them. Rnd could only sigh and continue forward, swinging his sword to clear off the bushes blocking his path while also creating one for the others. Rnd was currently leading the first hundred men in front as they took the left side of the forest. Far behind him and his men, Bruce could be seen leading fifty soldiers. On the right side, Bryce and Josh led one group of fifty soldiers. The formation inside the forest was pretty simple. The first group in front had the job of scouting and informing the others of the presence of Glenwood soldiers. Once the Glenwood soldiers arrived, they would send a signal to the group behind them and also to Rowan''s group. This was a formation they hadn''t experienced before, so it was kind of new. Nevertheless, they trusted in the wisdom of their Lord Rowan. In the clear and wide path, Rowan led his one hundred men. Riding beside him were Ren and Liara. Since he couldn''t send them to Winterseed alone, he decided to bring them to war. When he made the suggestion, he expected Liara to refuse, but shockingly, she agreed. In fact, she was joyous about experiencing the war, excited to see the expressions on the faces of the people who tormented her after losing to Rowan. As Rowan rode forward, his eyes were fixed in front. Thanks to his night vision, he was able to see clearly in the dark. This alone was a major advantage on his side. Nevertheless, the current skill rank wasn''t good enough, as it could only cover a short distance, so Rowan decided to upgrade it. He called out his system and began upgrading the skill, spending five hundred thousand evolution points in the process. [Skill (FF-rank Night Vision) has been upgraded to (B-rank Night Vision) | A new effect has been added.] ----- Night Vision (B): Passive Skill granting clear daylight vision at night. - Effect: Attack perception +50%. ---- Rowan couldn''t help but smile, seeing the new effect of the skill. He didn''t waste time and immediately tested the improvement in his night vision, and the result was amazing. The distance he could see clearly had increased, and his vision became as clear as though it were still the bright hours of the morning. With the improved effect of the skill, his advantage grew. --- Several hours passed, and their journey continued. It was already the mid and darkest hours of the night. The sound of owls and other nocturnal creatures could be heard across the forest. Aside from the sounds of the nocturnal creatures, the forest was mostly quiet during these hours, except for the current sounds of soldiers marching. Rowan''s eyes squinted as he heard the noise of the Glenwood army arriving. ''It is about to begin,'' Rowan thought with a sigh. He turned to his back and gave a nod to his soldiers, causing them to halt in their steps. Immediately as they halted, the sound of the Glenwood soldiers approaching became even louder. The chattering of the soldiers, the neighs and galloping of the numerous horses all became clearer at that moment. However, they still hadn''t seen each other because of the curve in the path ahead, which blocked their view. After a few minutes, the fiery glows from the torches began to illuminate the curved path, signifying the closeness of the Glenwood army. The soldiers'' hands clenched tightly around their swords, their eyes brightened with battle readiness, and their minds sharpened! Liara and Ren tightened their grips on their horses'' reins. The battle they had been anticipating was about to begin. In this battle, the victor and the loser would be decided, the conqueror and the conquered would emerge, and the dynamics of the two viges would drastically change, no matter the oue. Rowan turned to his left. With his improved night vision, he could see Bruce and his soldiers moving forward and taking formation. He turned to his right and saw that Bryce and Josh had already taken their positions as well. A smirk crept onto his face, and he returned his gaze to the front. The Glenwood army was now appearing out of the curved path blocking them, the soldiers riding in front held torches that lit up their paths. Riding among the soldiers was a fatso whom Rowan recognized simply with his size. As Glenwood soldiers stepped out more, they came to a halt as they set eyes on the small army standing on their path, shocked expressions appearing on their faces. Chapter 62: Conquest { XXII } Glenwood''s strategy for the battle was straightforward. They nned to reach Winterseed as quickly as possible andunch a surprise attack when it was least expected. By doing so, they would avoid casualties on their side and reduce the overall effort needed to secure victory. With this strategy in ce, victory was just a single step ahead. However, what they never considered while making this n was -- What if Winterseed was prepared? Thus, when they saw the army stationed far away, their expressions crumbled in shock. Captain Waga and the other captains were the first to spot the soldiers, as they were looking ahead cautiously, unlike Lord Fagin, who was busy devouring arge piece of meat while riding alongside. At first, they thought it was just their imagination, as they never expected an army to be stationed in the middle of the forest. But as they looked closer, and with the help of the dim moonlight, they realized it wasn''t an illusion -- it was real! "What?! Why are they here?" Waga was the first to react. "Didn''t that bastard spy say they wouldn''t take any action until the day after tomorrow?" another captain asked in disbelief. "Does this mean he''s been betraying us all this time, feeding us false information?" a third captain spected. Only after the captains began discussing the situation did Fagin understand what was happening. Tearing his focus from the meat, he looked ahead and saw a small army stationed there. Even though it was thirty times smaller than his own, it still took him by surprise. His expression crumbled instantly, and he cursed, "That bastard has been lying to us all along!" Turning to Waga, he added, "Make sure to catch that guy and bring him to me. I''ll kill him myself to teach him a lesson." While Glenwood''s soldiers reacted, Rowan smirked and signaled his men to get ready. Then he pulled the reins and rode his horse forward towards Glenwood army, fearlessly. Glenwood''s soldiers barely reacted, even as they saw Rowan riding toward them. They didn''t see him as a threat, but rather as prey they could easily defeat. Fagin watched Rowan''s approach with disgust. "You''re just as fat as the descriptions," Rowan mocked as he neared. "YOU!!!" Fagin''s bulky frame flinched with rage. But Rowan ignored his reaction and continued moving closer. "You and your people should be ashamed for taking control of a small, defenseless vige just because their lord was ill," Rowan continued, berating them without restraint. He took every opportunity to mock Fagin''s obesity and ridicule their cowardice and foolishness, saying everything he knew would get under their skin. Waga and the other captains argued back,ughing at Rowan''s physique, mocking his vige, and even ridiculing his father for being an irresponsible man who abandoned his duties, leaving them in the hands of a weak son. Their verbal exchangested for about two minutes. At this point, Rowan was only a few meters away, standing face-to-face with Fagin,pletely fearless. Fagin scoffed, "You talk a lot for a naive fool who doesn''t even have full control over his vige." "I think you meant control over *your* vige," Rowan smirked, then continued, "If your vige is as strong as you im, how did five innocent and ''weak'' women escape? How did your strongest captain, Stanis, lose to me? And why doesn''t even your adviser believe in you?" Rowan dropped bomb after bomb. In battle, one underhanded technique is to erode the opponent''s confidence, shattering their morale and making them lose hope. This forces them to make reckless, unnned decisions, inevitably leading to a humiliating defeat. This was Rowan''s n exactly. And, as expected, his words had a powerful effect. Through his night vision, Rowan saw the disbelief on the faces of Glenwood''s soldiers when they heard that Stanis had been defeated. It was clear that their faith had been in him. As for Fagin, his face twisted in rage as he barked loudly, "So, Ren''s with you, huh? I knew it! That bastard! After I''m done killing you and your men, I''ll deal with him personally. And as for those women? I''ll drag them back and make them suffer like never before." Ren and Liara heard his words, but it only deepened their hatred and anger. They silently prayed for Fagin''s swift and painful demise. Meanwhile, Glenwood''s soldiers grew enraged over Fagin''s threats against their beloved sisters. Bruce gritted his teeth, vowing to cut off Fagin''s tongue for his vile words. As for Rowan, heughed mockingly and fired back with a sharp retort: "You''re going to punish my women with that tiny little thing of yours? I heard it''s about as small as a two-year-old''s." Fagin immediately flushed with shame, his face reddening in embarrassment. Some of the captains beside him struggled to keep straight faces after hearing Rowan''s brutal jab. As Fagin''s anger continued to grow, a quest was triggered. ----[ QUEST ]---- **BRIEFING**: The Lord of Glenwood harbors a deep hatred for you and your people. With his army, he ns to overrun your territory and burn it to the ground. - Objective 1: Defeat the Glenwood army with fewer than 10% casualties on your side. - Objective 2: Take down 3 out of 8 of Glenwood''s captains. - Objective 3: Take the head of Glenwood''s Lord. **REWARDS**: X1 Common-grade Territory Box X1 Wheel Ticket Unlock WHEEL feature 1,000,000 Evolution Points ---- Rowan smirked and turned his gaze toward Fagin. Fagin was already fuming. His soldiers had drawn their swords, ready for battle. The captains lifted their hands, ready to signal any second. "Since you love to run your mouth, I''ll save you forst. I''ll let my army ughter your little group first, and then we''ll see if you can keep talking," Fagin grinned. He nodded at Waga. Waga quickly signaled the other captains, who in turn signaled their soldiers. The sound of swords being unsheathed filled the air, spreading across the forest in the dead of night. Rowan lifted his hand to signal his own soldiers, his eyes still locked on Fagin. "Let''s have a fair fight," he said coldly. He then rode back to his troops, who were ready for battle. "Draw your swords, men of Winterseed! Now is the time to prove yourselves worthy! The time to show your strength and make your ancestors proud." The more Rowan spoke, the more his soldiers'' confidence surged. Notifications of their rising morale popped up with each word. Winterseed''s soldiers gripped their swords tightly and took battle-ready stances. As they steadied themselves, thoughts of their families and loved ones filled their hearts, as the faces of those loved ones appeared in their heart, a supernatural boost in confidence and motivation appeared in their hearts! The strength to protect those loved ones appeared as well. The atmosphere turned deadly serious in an instant. The captains and soldiers hidden from Glenwood''s view also braced themselves for theing battle. Bryce and the other captains ensured their soldiers were ready while paying attention to the brewing chaos about to erupt. As both sides prepared, Rowan and Fagin locked eyes with each other with menacing gazes, one was smug and the other bright with schemes! With a loud voice, they let out in unison! "ENGAGE!!" Chapter 63: Conquest { XXIII } "ENGAGE!!" Fagin and Rowan yelled out in unison. Following their collective battle cries, the soldiers from both sides began moving toward each other bravely, ready to tear one another apart to ensure their victory. Fagin stayed behind while his soldiersunched at Winterseed''s, a confident smirk on his face--one akin to that of a victor! Ren, Liara, and the disfigured Stanis stayed behind as well. On the other hand, Rowan rode in front of his soldiers, sword lifted and eyes fixed on the army riding toward him. There was no trace of fear in his gaze, only a strong killing intent and brilliantly shining eyes assessing his foes. The soldiers ran beside him with boosted confidence, their eyes set ahead, ready to conquer. However, while the Winterseed soldiers disyed seriousness and a willingness to win the battle, Glenwood soldiers were the opposite; they had calm and collected expressions, some even chuckling and mocking the small number of soldiers running toward them. Even the number of soldiers on horses was greater than the total number of soldiers running toward them. So, how could they really win? Glenwood soldiers held this belief in their hearts, viewing the soldiers in front of them like ants that could be easily stomped on. Rowan smirked at the unseriousness in their eyes--this was his n! To create an illusion of victory in their perspective and then reveal his trump card when they least expected it. The distance between the Glenwood army and Winterseed army shortened drastically, with only a few seconds remaining before they shed. At that moment, Rowan lifted his hand once again and yelled, "ATTACK NOW!!" in a loud voice. Glenwood soldiers looked at him as though they were looking at a fool as they advanced in his direction. "What is this fool doing?" "Is this guy crazy? How is he even the Lord of Winterseed?" Theymented after hearing Rowan call to attack. They wondered why he was asking his men to attack when they were already doing so--only a madman would do that, they thought. Nevertheless, just seconds after Rowan''s shout, loud rustling noises erupted from the forest, forming a left-right wall around them. At first, it started as a faint noise, like a small animal crawling through the bushes, but then it grew significantly louder. The loud rustling sounds of the thick bushes distracted the soldiers very close to the forest, causing them to fearfully observe their sides. But it was toote. "AHHHH!!" Suddenly, loud battle cries resounded from the bushes, causing a swift disorientation in the hearts of Glenwood soldiers. Lord Fagin, who stayed behind, couldn''t help but shiver intensely. His fat figure fell off the horse carrying him. The horse, equally terrified, turned its back and fled. Following the battle cries, Winterseed soldiers emerged from the bushes one after another. They sprinted toward their opponents with dead serious expressions and began swinging their swords menacingly. Rnd and his soldiers were the first to attack, emerging right at thest line of the Glenwood army, very close to Lord Fagin, who was now struggling to lift his body off the ground. "Attack, do not spare any of them!" Rndmanded. The soldiers under him began stabbing the disoriented soldiers marching from thest lines. With determination to free their vige and protect their loved ones, they fought valiantly. Bryce, Bruce, and Josh attacked from the other wings as well. Just a few seconds after the appearance of the soldiers from the bushes, the battlefield became chaotic. One after another, Glenwood men fell to the ground with stab and sh wounds on their bodies. The remaining soldiers tried to fight against the new foes, but it was nearly impossible. They were all stationed to attack the army in front of them, unaware of those from the side, making defense nearly impossible. Rowan watched the chaos brewing, and a victorious smirk appeared on his face. He summoned two swords from his inventory and motivated the soldiers once more. "This is it! Our victory is right in front of us! Grab it with all your strength! Show no mercy!" he yelled. The soldiers behind him let out a loud "YEAHHH!!" and continued forward, shing against the frontline of soldiers fearlessly. Rowan shed with a soldier on horseback. As the soldier struggled to regainposure, Rowan stabbed him in the chest, killing him. [yed X1 foe, +70 Evolution points] DING [100x Rewards activated | 7,000 evolution points] Rowan ignored the reward from killing the soldier and moved on to his next opponent. With both swords tightly clenched, he felled every foe that came his way! The battlefield descended into chaos. Screams and the sh of steel filled the air as Rowan''s ambush took full effect. Glenwood soldiers, confident moments earlier, were now panicking. The calm smirks they had worn earlier vanished instantly as Winterseed forces poured out from the forest, attacking with relentless fury. "What the hell?" one of the Glenwood soldiers yelled, his voice trembling with fear. Waga observed the battlefield with a stunned expression and yelled, "Hold the line! Regroup!" immediately. But themand fell on deaf ears. No one heard or paid attention to his words as they fought for their lives. Winterseed soldiers didn''t hold back at all. They used all the anger they had harbored for the past six years under the harsh vassal decree by Glenwood to ughter without consideration. Fagin, still on the ground, no longer held the same confident smirk he had earlier. His hands trembled as he watched his army crumble. "This can''t be happening," he muttered, wide-eyed, as he struggled to lift himself from the ground. He would have escaped already, but his horse had already fled the battlefield, leaving him helpless. He could only watch with widened eyes. He saw the men right ahead of him getting ughtered with no defense from them. He watched as his army crumbled slowly. His people, his dream, his life--they all crumbled as the strength of his army diminished with each passing second Chapter 64: Conquest { XXIV } _Nighttime, Winterseed Vige_ After the exit of Rowan and the gant men of the vige, the vigers gathered outside their homes. The streets of the small vige were filled with arge crowd of worried vigers. Children, women, and the elderly all crowded the streets, sacrificing their night''s rest to worry and pray for the victory of their beloved lord. The vige square was crowded the most, with around 40% of Winterseed''s poption gathered around that area. A group of women could be seen kneeling on the ground, facing the moon that hung in the sky as though it was some sort of deity. They shut their eyes, and their mouths moved as they whispered words of prayers. Even the little children who had grown ustomed to the hardship inflicted by Glenwood wished hopefully that it would end. And that could only be achieved if their Lord won. Normally, the vigers were scared of getting out of their homes in the middle of the night for fear of monster attacks. But today, their fear sank to the back of their minds, and they stepped out. Due to therge number of people outside their homes, the vige became rowdy and almost chaotic. At the vige square, Ri and Brandon could be seen trying their best to calm the worried hearts of the vigers. Ri approached the youngerdies and little children, cautioning those who caused a nuisance and consoling the worried. Brandon did the same. At a corner of the vige square, a middle-aged woman hugging two beautiful young girls around the age of five could be seen. Ri, who had just finished speaking with two youngdies, quickly approached them to calm them down. "Mommy, will Daddye back?" one of the young girls asked her mother. The mother couldn''t even respond, as she too was worried -- her younger sister had been taken away by Glenwood two years ago, and she couldn''t help but be worried for her husband''s sake. Ri knelt beside the mother and her daughters, offering a calm smile. She gently stroked one of the girl''s hair. "Your daddy is very, very brave and strong. He''s with Lord Rowan, fighting for us. He wille back very soon." The mother nced at Ri, eyes full of worry just like everyone in the vige. Seeing the worried face of the mother, Ri squeezed her shoulder and reassured her. She then yed with the little girls a little to calm their little minds. This only took a short story of a strong knight fighting to protect his daughter. After calming them down, she smiled in relief and walked away. As she approached yet another group of grieving vigers, she looked at the sky and closed her eyes for a short minute, "Come back safe, Rowan." --- It was the middle of the night, and the morning hours were drawing closer. The dark sky had already begun gaining some hints of its usual morning brightness. However, unlike the pending brightness of the sky, a chaotic and dark scene of a bloody battle was taking ce below. Men swung their swords with the sole purpose to kill. A few unlucky ones got the receiving end of the sword. While the lucky ones dealt damage. The forest was shrouded in the nging sound of swords, the cries of soldiers losing or pleading for their lives, and the sound of the victorious letting out a loud chant after ying their enemies. Rnd and Bruce could be seen shing through Glenwood''s army. Rnd was badly injured, and his clothes were covered in blood, but he gritted his teeth and kept shing through the soldiers. The heaven-given strength boost that came with being a father kept him standing. "ughter all of them! Spare no one!" he called out to his soldiers with gritted teeth. Not too far away from him, the other captains did their job. Bryce was covered in blood as well, but he kept moving whileughing maniacally like a demon. Just hisugh added ayer of fear in the hearts of Glenwood''s soldiers. In this battle, Winterseed''s soldiers, though small in number, became bloodthirsty demons. While Glenwood became nothing but scared little pussies! About one hour had passed since the beginning of the battle, and Glenwood had suffered the most losses. Their corpsesy on the ground in pools of their own blood. Sadly, they weren''t the only ones who suffered losses, as some of Winterseed''s soldiers alsoy on the ground, dead. In the middle of this chaotic battlefield was Rowan, standing amidst Glenwood''s soldiers, who tried their hardest to focus on him, but fear seized their attention, causing them to lose focus as soldiers attacked from all angles, rendering them useless in the process. Rowan grinned as he twisted his right sword into the heart of the nearest soldier. Another Glenwood soldier tried to attack him, swinging his sword, but Rowan easily predicted the move thanks to his Night Vision. "Haha, even with my FF-rank power, y''all are still no match for me," Rowan boasted as he pulled his sword from the soldier''s chest. The soldier''s eyes had already gone nk, his hands weak, and his weapon had dropped from his grasp as he clutched his chest in shock, the fear of death clearly visible. He let out a small, struggling sound as he copsed to the ground. Rowan felt the usual surge of motivation but wasn''t bothered and proceeded to attack another soldier. His sword drifted venomously through the air and shed his opponent''s neck open, causing blood to spill on Rowan''s face. He wiped the blood from his lip and continued pushing through the crowd of soldiers toward their Lord, who cowardly remained behind. Thanks to the Lord''s fat body, escape was impossible, and Rowan didn''t even bother to hurry. After killing the soldiers around him, Rowan swiftly opened his challenge window. --- [ QUEST ] - Objective 1: Defeat the Glenwood army with fewer than 10% casualties on your side (Current casualties: 6%) (Status: Unfinished) - Objective 2: Take down 3 out of 8 of Glenwood''s captains (Status: Completed) - Objective 3: Take the head of Glenwood''s Lord (Status: Completed) --- Seeing the current casualty stats, Rowan''s eyes widened in shock and remorse. ording to the stats, at least 24 out of the 400 men he brought with him had fallen to Glenwood. "Fuck," he cursed, swiftly attacking the soldier sprinting toward him. "None of my soldiers need to die anymore," he muttered to himself. Controlling the battle at this point was almost impossible with his current strength. But there was one option. Rowan''s eyes turned cold as he gazed at therge number of Glenwood soldiers still standing. He called out to his system in a low tone, "Evolve Power!" DING [Spend 1,000,000 evolution points to Evolve? CONFIRM - YES/NO] "Yes," Rowan confirmed without hesitation. As soon as he did, the familiar notification sound echoed in his mind. Almost instantly, a wave of agonizing pain ripped through his body, forcing him to drop his swords. His fingers twitched as the pain overwhelmed him. Rowan crumbled to the ground, gritting his teeth. His body felt numb, his vision fading into darkness. The sounds of swords shing and men screaming around him dimmed as his hearing weakened. The pain was unbearable. He copsed to his knees, his mind barely registering the DING sounds ringing in his brain. --- [ Evolving... 0% ] [ Boosting physical strength... 3% ] [ Boosting physical defense... 8% ] [ Boosting vitality... 20% ] [ Forming Evolution core... 27% ] [ Bncing Evolution core... 47% ] --- Bryce, fighting nearby, noticed Rowan''s condition, and his eyes widened in shock. The manic grin on his face vanished, reced by sheer panic as he sprinted toward Rowan. "Lord Rowan!" he shouted, racing to his side. He quickly reached Rowan, grabbing him before he copsed further. As he supported him, Bryce could feel Rowan''s vitality draining, his strength fading rapidly. "Lord Rowan, what''s happening?" Bryce asked frantically, looking into his leader''s nearly lifeless eyes. But Rowan didn''t answer. He didn''t even hear Bryce''s desperate question. Nearby, Waga and his men spotted Rowan''s weakened state and saw an opening. They charged forward without hesitation, eyes fixed on the vulnerable lord. Seeing them advancing, Bryce gentlyid Rowan on the ground, grabbed his sword, and faced the iing enemies without a trace of fear. "Come at me, cowards!" Bryce snarled, his voice thick with anger. Some of the nearby Winterseed soldiers heard their captain''s call and immediately rushed to assist. In moments, ten men had formed a defensive wall around Rowan, whoy helpless and barely conscious on the ground. "Your lord is down! You bastards will join him soon enough!" Waga sneered,ughing coldly. He turned to his men and whispered orders. They split up, attempting to mimic the same strategy Rowan had used against them earlier. "Attack! Protect Lord Rowan with your lives!" Brycemanded before charging directly at Waga. The Winterseed soldiers responded immediately, forming a tighter defensive circle around Rowan. Their eyes gleamed with determination as they prepared for the oing fight. CLANG! Waga and Bryce''s swords shed violently. "Where''s your confidence now? Knowing I''ll y your beloved lord!" Waga taunted as he swung his de again. Bryce didn''t waste words. He parried the attack and quicklyunched a counter. But as he swung, a sharp pain shot through his injured arm, causing him to falter. Waga noticed the hesitation, and his confidence surged. "Haha! You''re no match for me now!" Sensing Bryce''s weakness, Waga intensified his attacks, swinging with brutal strength and ferocity. Bryce was forced onto the defensive, struggling to hold his ground. Bryce clenched his teeth as pain red in his body with each of Waga''s strikes. He staggered back, nearly losing his footing more than once. "I have to protect Lord Rowan!" he screamed inwardly. If he failed now, all their efforts would be for nothing. The freedom they had fought so hard for would remain an unreachable dream, and Winterseed would fall to even greater suffering. Meanwhile, Rowan remained motionless and vulnerable on the ground, his body limp. The soldiers forming the defensive circle around him fought fiercely, shing swords with Glenwood soldiers who saw an opportunity to strike. "You won''t touch Lord Rowan unless you go through me!" one of the Winterseed men shouted, gritting his teeth as he blocked yet another blow. But the Glenwood soldiers gave them no mercy,unching continuous attacks that allowed no time for recovery. One of the Winterseed men was struck down, falling lifelessly beside Rowan''s body. His blood formed a pool beside Rowan. This time, the Glenwood forces had learned to exploit their superior numbers, leaving Winterseed no chance to regain their footing. Not far away, Bryce was forced to one knee, barely managing to lift his sword and block Waga''s relentless strikes. The advantage Winterseed once held vanished the moment Rowan fell, leaving them struggling against the brutal attack of Glenwood soldiers. Chapter 65: Conquest { XXV } The battlefield was raging with the nging of swords and cries, carrying emotions ranging from that of death to that of victory. At this moment, the advantage Winterseed once had disappeared as Glenwood forces began to act even more harshly, following the sudden copse of Rowan in the middle of the battlefield. Prior to Rowan''s sudden copse, Winterseed''s men''s sole focus was on ying their foes. Every man fought on his own to y his enemies and had no reason to hold back. Nevertheless, following Rowan''s fall, they no longer focused on ying their enemies. Now they focused on protecting their Lord from Glenwood soldiers who tried their hardest to kill him and secure a quick victory. The formation Rowan set for his men was broken the moment he fell to the ground. So was their hope and faith in him. The confidence on the faces of the soldiers who saw him on the ground disappeared, reced by a strong determination to protect their only hope. Bryce could be seen not too far away from Rowan, kneeling on the ground. His leather armor was torn and blood gushed from the numerous wounds on his body. His face was already bloodied and his eyes were barely open at this moment. Waga stood in front of him with a smirk on his face and mocked him continuously. "Where is your smugness now? I told you to give up, but you never listened. Now all your efforts will go to waste after I chop off the head of your naive Lord and secure victory for my people." As the mocking continued, the anger inside Bryce boiled even more. He wanted nothing but to rise up and slit the throat of the bastard in front of him, but he had no strength left, not even enough to lift his body. He could hear the cries of the soldiers behind him as they tried to protect Rowan. ''I am sorry, Lord Rowan, I failed,'' Bryce thought to himself, his head bowed to the ground in defeat. Meanwhile, Rowan''s system was flooded with hellish pain. But the notifications never stopped appearing. Notifications carrying reports of the precarious state of his soldiers, notifications about their grieving and hopeful emotions, their deaths, and other important details. Notifications about the hopeful prayers of his vigers also rang in his head. Nevertheless, Rowan paid more attention to those involving his evolution. Once his evolution was over, the tide of the battle would turn in their favor. But it seemed fate was against him, making the process overly painful and time-consuming while his men were ughtered around him. At this moment, the sky had already brightened a little, revealing the arrival of a bright morning, but the bloody battle remained. Men copsed on the ground, dead, while others lifted their swords in victory, having in their opponents. Nevertheless, suddenly, from the middle of the battlefield, a strong breeze sted forth and swept over the battlefield. Dust filled the air, blocking the sight of those near the center. Time seemed to slow downically as everything began to happen at an incredibly slow pace. The soldiers fighting around Rowan were suddenly sted away, most of them blinded by the dust that had suddenly appeared unexpectedly out of nowhere. Not too far away, Waga''s sword could be seen descending slowly, vertically, as it was about to slice the helpless Bryce in two. Waga had a smug look as he stared down at Bryce, whose head was bowed to the ground in defeat, ready to face death. But then, suddenly, in the span of a split second, a thud sounded from behind Bryce. Bryce didn''t think much of the sound as he awaited the swish of Waga''s sword ending his life. Seconds passed, but there was no sound of the sword, nor any mocking from Waga. This confused Bryce, as he could hear more bodies falling around him. He struggled to open his eyes, only to behold the sight of a headless Waga still standing in front of him. His eyes widened in terror as he quickly tilted his head to observe his surroundings. He was first greeted with the gust that had gathered, and then his eyes fell on the numerous corpses of Glenwood men within a close radius around him. ''What happened?'' he wondered, eyes wide. Waga''s headless body was right beside him. Bryce quickly examined it and was shocked to see the clean cut on his neck, meaning an expert had dealt the killing blow. But who could that be? There was no one good enough to swing a sword in such a manner and obtain such results. Not even Stanis, known as the best swordsman, could pull that off. ''Maybe Lord Rowan could,'' he thought, ''but he is unconscious!'' Bryce quickly turned to look where Rowan had been lying unconscious earlier, but he was shocked to see a dent on the spot instead of Rowan. Both Glenwood and Winterseed men who had fought around him just a minute ago had been sted far away. As he watched, some of his men coughed and stood up with terrified expressions on their faces. "What happened?" Bryce questioned immediately. "I can''t exin... We were fighting just a few seconds ago, and then we were suddenly sted away. I think something happened to Lord Rowan," one of them exined, his voice revealing just how confused he was at that moment. Bryce tried to understand his soldiers'' ounts, but no matter how hard he tried, everything just seemed more bizarre. First, there was a fast-moving figure sprinting through the battlefield, and now their Lord was gone. What was happening? he wondered. "Ahh... demon! Demon!" "Everyone, run away! The Lord of Winterseed has turned into a demon... oh no, he is heading this way! Somebody help... Ahhh!!" "Captain Waga has been killed by the demon! All the captains are dead! Everyone, retreat!" "RETREAT!!" As Bryce and his men tried to understand the bizarre situation around them, the terrified cries of Glenwood''s men across the battlefield thundered. They turned to observe the chaos and were horrified by the scene unfolding before them. Chapter 66: Conquest { XXVI } Bryce and the men who protected Rowan earlier watched the new state of the battlefield with shocked expressions on their faces. Their eyes and mouths were wide open as they observed intently. They could see all of Glenwood''s soldiers retreating as they cried out in fear. As they ran, they even mentioned the name of Rowan and called him a demon, which made Bryce and his men, as well as every Winterseed soldier, stare in total confusion, wondering if their opponents had suddenly gone crazy! Even the horses had begun to escape the battlefield. Some of Glenwood''s men fell on the ground and were trampled upon by their ownrades and even the horses. Bryce and the others spotted a figure sprinting madly after the retreating soldiers. The figure had the same armor Rowan was wearing before he copsed, which made their eyes widen. They saw the supposed figure of Rowan suddenly elerate at an impossible speed as he arrived before the soldiers, who had their backs turned against him. They saw his hand make a swift sh through the air, and more than three soldiers copsed, causing theirrades to cry out in terror and agony. Bryce''s eyes widened as he noticed the ck dagger in the hands of the menacing figure. It was the exact ck Dagger Rowan had on him when he punished Oliver and Judus. "Everyone, it is Lord Rowan!" Bryce yelled, his eyes lighting up. The other men had already noticed by now that the figure wasn''t a ''Demon'' but rather it was their Lord Rowan. "Support Lord Rowan, let no man escape!!" Bryce lifted his sword and chanted. The men around and behind him let out a collective battle cry and sprinted forward. The other Winterseed men around the battlefield also joined Rowan in ughtering their enemies after noticing it was him. The tide of the battlefield once again turned in Winterseed''s favor, their vigor and motivation, which had suddenly disappeared due to Rowan''s unconscious state, returned ¡ª this time manifold! Even Bryce, who was badly wounded, moved his body as fast as he could and chased after the escaping soldiers. Far away from the battlefield, Liara and Ren observed everything taking ce with puzzled expressions. Due to the distance between them and the battlefield, they were able to observe everything happening. They saw when Rowan fell to the ground, when he suddenly rose up, and even the strong aura that sted away everyone around him. They even saw him sprinting into action! Having observed everything, their faces remained dumbfounded and their mouths and eyes refused to return back to normal. On the other end of the battlefield, Lord Fagin could be seen trying to crawl away. He had been crawling for hours since Winterseed soldiers suddenly popped out of the forest to attack. But now, seeing his men retreating toward his direction, he crawled even more intently. ''Why are thosezy bastards retreating?!'' he cursed inwardly. Even crawling was difficult for him due to his excessive fat figure. He gritted his teeth and pushed himself even more, but the strength in his body was incapable of helping him. ''No, I need to escape! If I can get to Glenwood, I can station my remaining soldiers to defend me!'' he thought with gritted teeth. The stomping sound of his soldiers sprinting fearfully toward him caused his heart to race uncontrobly. He turned to look behind him, and the scene wasn''t pleasant at all ¡ª it was like watching a pride of lions running hungrily toward him; it was terrifying! At this moment, about a hundred soldiers were already close to him. "Stop running and fight! Why are you disgracing Glenwood!" He quickly barked orders at his soldiers, expecting them to understand the situation, grab their weapons, and return to the battlefield. But it was quite the opposite ¡ª no one listened to his orders! It was almost as though he was speaking to a bunch of lifeless puppets. Even their gazes didn''t seem to hold any respect or reverence for his position. "Are you deaf? Go back and fight! Why are you afraid of a small and weak army like Winterseed?" Fagin kept barking orders, trying to stop his men, but none of them paid attention to his words. ''No, no, this can''t be happening! How am I the one escaping instead of Winterseed?!'' he thought. He continued barking orders, even going so far as to threaten to banish all of them if they didn''t listen to him. But the words fell on deaf ears. As his men drew closer, he could hear them screaming "Demon!" and he became even more confused. Just then, he spotted a strange figure sprinting amid his men. Nevertheless, unlike his soldiers, this one wore a different uniform and held a strange dagger. As he ran through the soldiers, his hands swiftly moved, and everyone in his path fell to the ground, dead. Those nearby made way and sprinted in other directions, some even running into the bushes despite the danger that lurked there. As Fagin looked closer, he recognized the face ¡ª it was Rowan. ''No! He''sing for my head!'' As he turned to escape, the men who were closer ran past him, screaming for help. Some of them didn''t even acknowledge his presence and stomped on his fat body as they fled. He let out cries and cursed them for their disrespect, but none seemed to be listening at that moment. Fagin could only give up on crawling and turn to face Rowan with terrified eyes. Meanwhile, Rowan, his face cold and expressionless, continued to y as many soldiers as he could. [ yed x1 foe, +30 Evolution Points ] [ yed x1 foe, +20 Evolution Points ] [ yed x5 foes, +130 Evolution Points ] [ Achievement: y x500 foes in one daypleted ] [ Reward: +50,000 Evolution Points ] [ You have obtained the Title (Merciless Killer Lv1) ] [ Special effect of Title (Merciless Killer) has been activated ] Chapter 67: Conquest { XXVII } [ You have obtained Title (Merciless Killer lv1) ] [ Special effect of Title (Merciless Killer) has been activated ] As Rowan ughtered his way down to the escaping Lord Fagin, several prompts appeared in front of him, revealing his new achievement and title. ''Hmm,'' Rowan paid attention to his notification, as this was his first title. --- MERCILESS KILLER: A title given to lords who would ughter to keep their territory and people safe. EFFECT: Bloodlust boost (lv1) ¨C Your bloodlust increases your attack power by 50% duringbat. --- Seeing the effects, Rowan couldn''t help but grin as he returned his focus to Lord Fagin. The Glenwood soldiers around him kept moving away from him in fright, as though he were a demon. Nevertheless, this gave Rowan the opportunity to move faster without restraints. Fagin, who had been trying to escape, immediately gave up when he saw Rowan approaching him with unexinable speed. He stopped crawling and could only watch in fright as Rowan got even closer. He looked at his men for help, but no one seemed to be paying attention to him. He even tried to call for help, promising them luscious rewards, but still, no one listened¡ªthey were not ready to lose their lives for a fat bastard who couldn''t even lift a sword. The resignation and remorse on his face became clearer. Rowan quickly appeared in front of Fagin and halted, a devilish grin appearing on his face as he stared down at him. Fagin shivered uncontrobly. He tried moving back, but Rowan just kept walking closer, the ck dagger in his hand dripping with blood. "You boasted so much earlier, Fagin. But now you''re cowering like a little bitch," Rowan mocked. "Where''s all that boldness now? That shitty confidence of yours to talk nonsense about my women, where is it now?" He continued tormenting him verbally. "Please, I was joking!" Having no other saving point, Fagin began to plead for his life. "Everything I said was pure lies! I wouldn''t darey my hands on innocent women!" He continued pleading as he stepped back, lifting his right hand to try and stop Rowan. "Oh... are you sure? What about ra, Liara, and the other women you used to satisfy your non-existing manhood?" Rowan asked. Hearing those names, the look on Fagin''s face revealed even more fear¡ªhe could still recall those women. He knew very well that Rowan''s words were genuine. "I was very wrong. I would never try it again! Please, forgive me. If you let me go, I will call off the vassal decree on your vige," he pleaded. "Hmm, you think I will really let you live for such a stupid reason when I can just kill you now and take control over your vige?" Rowan snorted. He would have killed Fagin already, but he wanted to make him go through the worst emotional pain of his life before killing him, as punishment for the men he had killed and the women he had vited. Rowan made Fagin plead for his life, even making him promise to reverse the vassal decree and be the one under Winterseed. He even went as far as promising Rowan 90% of their weekly harvest and control over his entire army. Rowan made him list everything he had to give him false hope of survival. Rowan grinned widely as he imagined the look on Fagin''s face when his hope waspletely shattered. While he tormented Fagin, Bryce and the other captains yed as many Glenwood men as they could. Some of the young soldiers who had lost their friends in the battle did not hesitate to ughter without consideration. The captains who had lost their men also didn''t spare their foes. Glenwood soldiers, who were more than three thousand in number at the beginning, had been badly reduced to less than one thousand, and more kept falling every second. Rnd yed the enemies in front of him before turning to look at Rowan, who stood in front of Fagin. As he saw this, a proud smile crept onto his face. He could see it now¡ªthe fate of the vige was definitely going to be better! Rnd quickly recalled how the vige was two years ago when no one had a single hope of escaping Glenwood''s strength. But now, it was all going to change for the better. "Do you really want me to spare you?" Rowan asked with a smile on his face. Fagin immediately nodded his head vigorously. "Yes, I want you to spare me! I will do everything it takes¡ªanything." "Are you sure?" Rowan asked. "Yes, name anything you want me to do or bring for you, and I will fulfill it immediately. I''m telling the truth!" "How about handing over the staff of authority to me?" Rowan asked with a calm smile. The staff of authority is one of the few things Rowan needed to upgrade his territory. It is the sole and ancestral proof of one''s leadership over a territory. The staff of authority is always protected by its owners. Sometimes, even after killing a lord, it will take ages before one finally gets a hold of their staff of authority. Rowan didn''t want the stress of having to turn the whole of Glenwood upside down to find the staff of authority, so he made ns to obtain it without hassle. Nevertheless, his question came as a big shock to Fagin. His staff of authority is the only thing protecting his position as Lord of Glenwood. Once it''s taken away from him, even the lowest-ranked soldier could kill him and take his position. "My staff of authority?" he repeated the question as though he didn''t hear it right the first time. "Did I stutter when I said it the first time?" Rowan asked with a deep frown on his face, his eyes radiating a menacing killing intent that made Fagin shiver in fear. "No, no... you didn''t," Fagin immediately waved his hands in apology. "But..." he stuttered afterward, trying to exin the severity of Rowan''s request. "But what, fat pig? Are you going to sacrifice your staff of authority now and live, or do you want to die?" Rowan lifted his dagger, causing Fagin to shiver in fear. "Okay, I''ll give it to you! Please, spare my life!" he epted. Rowan grinned, hearing his response. Without wasting time, he grabbed Fagin by the shirt and forced him off the ground. Thanks to his recent evolution, lifting Fagin¡ªwho was almost the same weight as an adult bull became easy as lifting an infant. After lifting him off the ground, Rowan quickly made a loud, authoritative announcement to every individual on the battlefield, causing both Glenwood soldiers and Winterseed soldiers to stop in their tracks and listen to him. Chapter 68: Conquest { XXVIII } "If you want to keep your Lord alive, drop your weapons and surrender," Rowan announced with a smirk after calling everyone to an abrupt stop. The soldiers of Glenwood stood frozen, terror and confusion etched on their faces as they looked at Rowan. Rowan''s strength and the bloodlust radiating from him left them paralyzed, unsure whether to obey his words or make a run for it. Should they trust his words and surrender, or abandon their Lord to save their own skins? Rowan watched them closely, reading their fear and doubt. His smirk widened. "I know you''re all thinking about running away right now and you might also be wondering, ''Why should I risk my life for this fat fool?'' But listen carefully¡ªif you try to flee, I''ll kill your pathetic Lord right here. Then, I''ll march to Glenwood and ughter everyone¡ªold, young, it won''t matter. Everyone you care about will die because you disobeyed my orders. If I were you, I wouldn''t take such a risk." The more he spoke, the more the fear dug deeper into the hearts of all Glenwood soldiers on sight. Even Bryce and the others were sort of terrified after hearing him speak in such a dark and hostile tone. On the other hand, his terrifying speech did wonders as Glenwood soldiers started dropping their weapons one after the other. They thought about the implications of disobeying Rowan and decided not to take such a risk. Their duty in the first ce is to protect their Lord and their fellow vigers; what kind of soldiers would they be if they tried to save their heads and leave the rest of their vige to damnation? With these thoughts in mind, they didn''t dare to disobey the orders of the ''Demon.'' The nging sound as their swords were dropped on the ground soon exploded across the battlefield. One after the other, all of Glenwood soldiers began disarming themselves and getting on their knees afterwards to prove their full surrender. Bryce and the others watched as this took ce with surprised expressions on their faces. The scene in front of them was simply amazing and almost impossible to pull off, but their beloved Lord was pulling it off with just a simple speech. Even Fagin was puzzled; just a few minutes ago, he was pleading with his soldiers to rescue him. He even went as far as to make threats and promises, but none of them took his words. But all it took for Rowan to get their full obedience was a threat, and none of them went against his orders. ''How is this guy naive and dumb! I shouldn''t have listened to that bastard!'' he cried out inwardly. Not too far away from the shocking battlefield, Ren and Liara watched with surprised expressions. The scene both of them had witnessed in thest few hours was nothing but magical. On the other hand, Rowan observed Glenwood soldiers surrendering with a grin on his face. ''This is it! The joy of controlling even your enemies with fear is heavenly!'' he thought. After a few minutes, all Glenwood soldiers were now kneeling on the ground without a single intention to escape or attack. They had all given up and sumbed to their fears, bing nothing but prey under the gaze of the scary demon ahead of them. "You all made the right decision," Rowanmented with a grin. Then he turned to his captains and gave them a nod; they immediately understood the message behind his nod and sprang into action without hesitating. "Everyone grab their weapons," Bryce and Rnd ordered their men at once. They all went in the midst of the kneeling Glenwood soldiers and took the weapons in front of them, unarming them and leaving them with no single means of defending themselves. On the other hand, Josh and Bruce gave orders to their men to bind their hands with the rope Rowan had given to them before the battle. Sadly, the amount wasn''t enough to bind all of Glenwood soldiers, so they immediately went to the bushes to grab some fiber nts to use as makeshift ropes to bind the soldiers. Unarming and binding Glenwood soldiers took them more than thirty minutes. After they were done, Rowan began his next line of action. He ordered his men to start moving Glenwood soldiers as they marched forwards towards Glenwood. They immediately carried out their orders¡ªthey ordered Glenwood soldiers to make several lines, then began marching them toward the direction of their own territory like ves. Ren rode towards Rowan as fast as he could and gave him his horse to ride because there were no other horses around except the one Liara rode on. Rowan gave him a nod of approval as he took the horse from him and climbed on it. Then he gave Ren the order to grab Fagin and drag him along as they began marching towards Glenwood. At this time, morning had already reached, and the bright morning sun was already up, radiating its glorious glow upon the forest path. The scene below was quite mesmerizing and chaotic at the same time. A gant figure rode on a white horse, leading a group of more than one thousand men towards Glenwood. --- It was morning hours in Glenwood, and the people could be seen moving around with smiles on their faces. Unlike Winterseed people who got up very early to take care of their farms and go about other daily tasks, the people of Glenwood were the total opposite. The streets were filled with little children running and ying around, men making casual conversations, women putting on nice clothes to reveal their high ss, and others¡ªnone of them were busy or had the need to be. A group of men sitting in front of a nice house conversed with each other. "I do not have to visit my farm every day from now on. Once Lord Fagin returns with the new ves from Winterseed, I will finally be able to leave a rxing life of not worrying about the weeds on my farm but rather the harvest those new ves are going to bring for me," one of the men let out with a heartyugh. "Haha, that is it. My farm will also be taken care of by those ves as well, and I will have a lot of time to spend with my new wife. I am going to explore her every single free time I get," another added. "I can''t wait to see the beautiful Winterseed women Lord Fagin is going to bring with him." The men discussed with heartyughter, their every word revealing how much they trusted and believed in the might of their army to defeat Winterseed. None of them shared a single doubt because they believed their victory was set in stone. After all, the number of their soldiers was almost the same, if not more, than the total number of vigers inhabiting Winterseed. With such a small number, their defeat was inevitable. Not too far away from them, the women gisted among themselves with merryughter. "I heard the women of Winterseed are all young and beautiful," one of them said, bitterness dripping from her words. "Of course, they are," another woman chimed in, folding her arms. "I''ve seen one or two before. They don''t have a single wrinkle despite being the same age as us. Their skin is smooth as silk, and their hair shines like gold. That''s why our husbands can''t stop talking about them. Every time they mention those women, it''s like they forget we even exist." "They''ll regret it soon enough," one woman said with pure hatred oozing from her voice. "Wait until they bring those Winterseed women here. I''ll make sure my husband never looks at another one of them again." Unlike the lustful discussions of the men, the women''s were instead filled with hatred and jealousy. The men wanted to get one of the beautiful women as their concubines, but the women plotted how to stop that from happening. Nevertheless, if they all knew what wasing for them, such discussions wouldn''t be taking ce. Instead of thinking about obtaining ves, they would think about every possible way to avoid being one. Chapter 69: Conquest { XXIX } Winterseed Vige It has been more than twenty-four hours now since the men left for war, and the vige has be really calm thanks to the efforts of Ri, Brandon, and the soldiers. Nevertheless, while the vigers no longer revealed their worries verbally, inwardly, they were all concerned and praying for the safe return of Lord Rowan and his soldiers. It was the afternoon hours, and Ri could be seen speaking to a group of youngdies gathered at a corner in therge vige square. Thedies were of varying ages, ranging from the youngest, who was twelve, to the oldest, who is in herte twenties. Ri held a small needle, a long strand of thread, and a piece of clothing, performing simple sewing tasks on it as she exined to the youngdies. They all listened attentively, their eyes shining brilliantly, showing their interest in learning. "Wow, look how fast she''s sewing! It''s twice as fast as my mom, who ims to be an expert at it," one of the youngdies whispered. "My mom has been teaching me how to sew for over two years, but I still can''t hold a needle without injuring myself, and I don''t even know how to move my hands. But just looking at Ri and listening to her teachings, I feel like I can sew anything!" another added. "I im to be an expert, but her hands are so angelic with that thread and needle!" The youngdies continued to discuss among themselves, and it was clear from their words that they were amazed by Ri''s sewing prowess, which made them feel jealous¡ªbut in a positive way. Ri kept exining and demonstrating, a friendly smile on her face. Every time she looked at the youngdies and observed their expressions, her joy increased, and her desire to teach them grew even stronger. Thanks to the skill book she had received from Rowan, her teachings became creative, clear, and easy to understand, even for those who hadn''t tried sewing before. Even the twelve-year-old girl looked enlightened as she watched her. In the beginning, Ri couldn''t believe her own ability to exin with so much creativity and energy. The moment she opened her mouth to teach, her natural timidity vanished, reced by the confidence of a skilled teacher. She had been teaching for more than five hours now, but she felt no sign of tiredness, either mentally or physically. Nevertheless, while the joy of teaching blossomed in her heart, her worries about Rowan''s safety didn''t cease. Far away from thedies, Brandon and the soldiers observed her with smiles on their faces. Brandon was proud to see Ri smiling and doing something she loved. He saw her as his own daughter, so seeing her happy ddened his heart. As for the young soldiers, they smiled because they felt proud of their Lord for winning such a beautiful woman. "Lord Rowan is a badass when ites to women," they all thought in their minds. --- **Glenwood** It was evening, and Glenwood was as calm and peaceful as ever. The men were still outside, drinking and celebrating the arrival of new ves to work on their farms and the beautiful women they could woo all day with their excessive free time. The women were still plotting how to punish the new beauties, while the children yed happily. At the gate, the guards sat down and drank, already celebrating the victory of their Lord. No one in the vige showed any signs of worry as they continued with their merriment¡ªbut it would soone crashing down. As the vigers continued with their celebrations, suddenly, a loud trumpet sted across the entire region of Glenwood, reaching everyone. The people who had been sitting and talking stood up abruptly, looking at each other with confused expressions. "So soon? They shouldn''t be back until at least tomorrow, and that''s if they didn''t rx along the way," one of the men said, his expression confused. But the others around him didn''t share the same confusion. "Are you underestimating our military? They must have arrived already and wiped out Winterseed in less time than expected. This is something to celebrate," one said with a proud smile. "The trumpet signals their return, and as the people of Glenwood, we should not ignore its meaning. Let''s go wee them," another reminded the group. The men left their drinks and hurried to the vige entrance. The women did the same, as did the little children. Everyone in the vige at that moment was headed toward the entrance to wee their gant men. They all had smiles of merriment and curiosity on their faces, eager to see their Lord''s return. If there were a camera zooming over the vige right now, it would capture a scene of people flocking toward the gates like ants. They soon arrived at the entrance, and their expressions crumbled at once when they saw the scene before them. Their eyes quickly widened in terror. Guards were lying on the ground in pools of their own blood. Glenwood''s soldiers were bound and led into the vige like ves, apanied by a strong, fierce-looking group of men. Worst of all, their beloved Lord Fagin was being dragged like a cursed ve. In front of therge group of strangers and fellow vigers pouring into the vige, a young, handsome man was riding a white horse. He had a sweet and charming smile on his face, but it seemed to hide something demonic beneath, scaring everyone. "What is this?" one of the men who had been celebrating earlier whispered to his colleagues. "This is impossible¡­ we lost? How?" someone nearby said in terror. "That young man must be the Lord of Winterseed. He doesn''t even look older than eighteen. How did he manage to defeat our strong soldiers?" another added in disbelief. Seeing the terrifying strangers marching into their vige, even the little children became frightened, clinging to their parents'' legs. Both the men and women were terrified¡ªeverything they had hoped for had crumbled right before their eyes. Rowan observed their various reactions with a calm smirk. [ You have entered enemy territory: Glenwood Vige. ] [ You are 60% away from conquering this territory¡­ Good luck. ] Chapter 70: Conquest { XXX } The people of Glenwood stood far away from the gate and watched as Rowan led their soldiers and dragged their lord shamefully into his own territory. The looks on their faces right now were that of extreme terror, confusion, and surprise. None of them dared to speak out of ce at this moment. Rowan observed their expressions as he rode closer towards them with a scheming smile on his face. After reaching a good distance, he halted and signaled for the men behind him to halt as well. This simple gesture made the people of Glenwood aware of the authority he had. They all swallowed nervously as they imagined their fate. "I know you all are shocked to see a super young and handsome man like me addressing you after conquering your army," Rowan began, praising himself right from the beginning. "But do not be afraid, you all are safe," Rowan said, his words causing loud sighs of relief that quickly disappeared when he added, "For now." Rowan did not stop and kept on speaking, invoking fear in the hearts of everyone. "Your safety today will depend on the response of your lord. If he gives me what I asked for, you all will live, and if he doesn''t, you will die right after I kill him," he dered in a cold tone. Fagin''s heart skipped a beat after hearing the cold threats to his people. He was already beyond disgraced at this point¡ªdespite his military power and years of experience, he had lost to a youngd who wasn''t even twenty yet. Fagin''s only hope at this point was giving the staff of authority to Rowan. As long as Rowan didn''t reveal what he was asking for, Fagin might be able to hide the fact that he no longer had it and continue ruling over his people. Nevertheless, this little hope was shattered. The Glenwood people were still reacting to Rowan''sst words, whispering among themselves, expressing their fears and confusion, when Rowan silenced them with a simple hand gesture. "Do you all want me to reveal what I want?" Rowan asked in a yful voice. Fagin''s eyes widened after hearing his statement. "No, please!" he pleaded immediately. If Rowan revealed it, not only his position but his life would be threatened. Rowan heard Fagin''s scared protest and gave him a sharp re, causing him to shiver. "Did I give you permission to speak?" Fagin shook his head and immediately tried to plead more. "B-But please..." Nevertheless, he wasn''t able toplete his statement when Bryce gave him a heartfelt p on the face and told him to shut the hell up. Fagin could only give up and stare at the ground, embarrassed. Rowan returned his attention to the people, who still refused to answer his question. He demanded in a threatening voice, "Do you want me to reveal it, Yes or yes?" This time, they all looked among themselves, confused, ''What sort of question ends with Yes or Yes?'' But they had no choice. They immediately responded with a thundering "Yes." Rowan smiled in response and told them what he wanted. As expected, they all gasped. "If your lord tries to act tough and refuses my request, you will all die alongside him," Rowan added with a smile following their reactions. Fagin was already shivering at this moment¡ªhis future and legacy shattered before his eyes. There was no hope left. ''Once I give him the staff of authority, I''ll escape from the vige!'' he made up his mind. On the other hand, Rowan continued to speak to the people. After he finished speaking, he requested his conquest status. [ You are 50% away from conquering Glenwood... good luck ] ''Haha, I just need the staff of authority to finalize everything,'' Rowan thought. Rowan gave orders to his soldiers. He told the captains to apany him to retrieve the staff of authority while the others stayed behind to watch over Glenwood''s soldiers, preventing any sort of protest. After giving the order, he pulled the reins and rode toward the crowd, who began making way fearfully. As Rowan rode past them, he observed their depressed emotions, and a smile crept on his face. He was really satisfied with their emotions at this moment¡ªthis would serve as payback for the sadness, depression, and hard work his people had endured just to feed them. The captains walked gantly behind him, and even they were satisfied with the scared eyes fixed on them. Bryce didn''t miss the opportunity to snort at the men staring at him. Ren also came with them, as he was the one dragging Fagin along. He walked behind Rowan so they couldmunicate. "How do you feel now, Fatty Virgin?" Rowan asked mockingly. Fagin heard the mispronunciation of his name but didn''t even dare to refute it. He couldn''t even answer the question Rowan asked. "Are you deaf?" Rowan red at him intensely. "The next time I repeat a question, I''ll burst your balloon of a belly and watch your insides pour out." "I''m sorry... I was thinking of my answer," Fagin immediately apologized. "I feel really bad," he answered the question. "You feel bad? What are you trying to insinuate here? That I''m wicked?" Rowan furrowed his brows. "No... no, that''s not what I meant... I feel good!" Rowanughed, seeing the fat man struggling to speak. His reactions were amusing, but Rowan couldn''t wait to see what his reaction would be when it was time for him to die. As they passed through the crowd, the people behind him began to whisper among themselves. "This is not good at all! Our vige would be riddled with bad luck and shame after this loss." One of them whispered. "The lord... is he really going to surrender?" Another woman muttered, her voice barely audible. "I never thought I''d see him like this, He looks so scared like a little baby!" Another replied. At the back of the crowd, a group of men whispered among themselves, "We need to help Lord Fagin!" .... DISCORD LINK: invite/JzSJ9hjE3U Chapter 71: Conquest { XXXI } Rowan and his captains escorted Fagin to his quarters to get the staff of authority. They were able to move freely thanks to the fact that all the vigers had gathered at the entrance of the vige and were being guided by the soldiers. Nevertheless, even after escorting for more than one hour, they still haven''t gotten to Fagin''s ce, which revealed just how big his territory was. "I can make my peoplee live in this ce, but then I will have to kill all of Glenwood''s vigers," Rowan contemted as they made their way down to Fagin''s ce. If killing would ensure the evolution of his territory and the happiness of his people, he wouldn''t mind killing even a thousand innocent people with his own hands. Sadly, he needed more people to evolve his territory, which made the idea a really bad one. Rowan brainstormed many ideas to solve the issues, but he finally made up his mind to think about it after obtaining the staff of authority. After escorting for another hour, they finally arrived at a building that stood out from all the other buildings they had seen so far. It was bigger, with nice wall paintings, and there was a fence and gate protecting it, which wasn''t present at the other houses. Rowan and his captains didn''t even have to question Fagin before confirming that this was his ce. "This is it," Fagin spoke up. "I know. You wasted a lot of resources building this ce," Rowan snorted. Fagin didn''t respond, already too afraid of Rowan. "We don''t have all day. Get inside and bring me what I asked for," Rowan said, giving him a p on the back of his head. "I will, I will¡­ give me a minute," Fagin responded immediately and pushed his fat body forward. He tripped and fell to the ground, unable to move his body properly due to exhaustion. "How the heck did your people let you rule them when you''re this weak and useless?" Rowan asked, unable to help himself. If Fagin were ced in a fight with a ten-year-old, the ten-year-old would most likely emerge victorious. "Ren, take him inside and make sure he doesn''t try to escape or do something stupid." Ren nodded and helped Fagin up from the ground before dragging him toward the house. Fagin was breathing hard, as if he had just escaped a lion''s den. Rowan and his captains waited outside. Rowan ordered his men to form a defensive perimeter around the fences to prevent any unnned actions from Fagin. Fagin gave directions while Ren dragged him along. "You were my best adviser. I even made sure your family lived the best of lives, and still, you betrayed me," Fagin said with a hateful tone. "You deserved it," Ren snorted. "I warned you from the start, but you never took my advice. You never appreciated any of the hard work I put into my position because my advice always went against your stupid ns. So I figured I''d pledge my loyalty to someone smart enough not to reject my advice," Ren continued. "And if you think you lost because I betrayed you, you''re underestimating Lord Rowan. He had everything figured out from the beginning. Even without my involvement, he would have won," Ren concluded, pushing Fagin to move forward. Fagin heard this and couldn''t help but shiver with hatred. "You disobeyed thews of our ancestors just because I didn''t listen to you? You should be ashamed of yourself," Fagin responded. Ren couldn''t help butugh, finding Fagin''s response amusing. "Our past leaders were never as dumb or as evil as you. They stopped watching over you the moment you began defiling those innocent women." Ren and Fagin went back and forth with their conversation. Fagin''s words were filled with hatred and disappointment, while Ren responded only because he felt like it. He had long since given up his loyalty to Fagin. He had only followed him before because he hadn''t had the perfect opportunity to tell him the truth and leave. Seeing that Ren wasn''t showing any remorse or respect, Fagin tried to strike a deal. "Help me escape, and I''ll promote you. You''ll be in a position where no one in Glenwood is above you, except me. I''ll give you authority over half the vige. How does that sound?" Ren gritted his teeth at the offer. "You''re a fool if you think I''ll ept your ridiculous offer. If you believe I''ll help you, then you''re dumber than I thought." "But Ren, think about it. Half of Glenwood at your feet. You''ll have power, respect, anything you want." Ren scoffed, tightening his grip on Fagin''s arm. "Do you think that will work on me? After everything you''ve done? Power under you means nothing. I''d still be serving a fool, and I''m done with that." Desperation crept into Fagin''s voice as he continued, "We can split the wealth. I can even make sure your family lives like royalty¡ªwhatever you want! Just let me walk away." Ren stopped abruptly, turning to face Fagin with cold, sharp eyes. "Walk away? You''re bargaining with the wrong person. You''re the reason Glenwood fell apart, and now you expect me to save you for scraps of power?" "You don''t understand!" Fagin stammered. "Rowan will kill me! He''ll kill all of us! If I don''t give him the staff, it''s over. I can still help you, Ren. Just let me¡ª" Fagin kept pleading with Ren for his life, knowing he had no chance and that Ren had no reason to be loyal after everything that had happened. Fagin even went so far as to offer to help Ren marry as many women as he wanted, but this only angered Ren more. He threw Fagin to the ground and started punching him. --- At the entrance of Glenwood, the people were still gathered, and the soldiers remained bound, kneeling on the ground before the Winterseed men. However, amidst the crowd, chaos was brewing. A group of men were plotting to sabotage the peace. "We can''t let them take over our vige while we''re still alive!" one shouted angrily. "If they take the staff of authority, our vige will be nothing but a target for every vige around us," another added. "That bastard is still very young, I can''t let him rule over the vige. When even I haven''t dreamt of ruling over it!" "Then we have to act fast!" one of them suggested. "We need to help Lord Fagin secure the staff of authority and ensure these bastards don''ty their hands on it," he continued. "If we can pull this off, Lord Fagin will definitely give us new positions and we will be able to take some of the beautiful women for ourselves with our new positions!" The others nodded in agreement. They discussed the matter further and came to a decision to take action. The Winterseed men guarding the Glenwood soldiers remained vignt, ensuring none of the Glenwood soldiers had a chance to react. However, they soon heard amotioning from the crowd in front of them. They turned their attention to the crowd and saw people misbehaving. Some young men were pushing each other, breaking the line. Others were fighting, and a few ran around¡ªgenerating enough noise to irritate the soldiers. "Hey, all of you, shut up!" Winston, one of Rowan''s soldiers, barked. But themotion continued, as if no one had heard him. Winston and some of his colleagues drew their swords and marched toward the crowd to restore order. "I said, shut the hell up!" Winston barked again. This time, the front rows of the crowd settled a little. The youths who had stepped out of line returned to their positions, and things calmed down somewhat, though not to the level of quiet from before. One of the soldiers raised his sword, his eyes scanning the crowd. "If you know what''s good for you, stay quiet." Another soldier added, his voice sharp, "Anyone else causes trouble, and they''ll answer to us directly." The crowd murmured, but the sight of the Winterseed soldiers'' weapons was enough to quiet most of the unrest. Meanwhile, amidst the crowd, the group that had nned to sabotage Rowan''s ns nodded to each other, pleased with the sess of their distraction. They slipped away from the crowd and moved toward the buildings behind them. With the soldiers focused on maintaining order, they were able to sneak away without getting caught. "We need to reach him before they take control," one whispered as they moved through the narrow paths between houses. "I''d rather die than let these bastards take our vige without a fight," another said through gritted teeth. "We''ll make sure they don''t get the staff of authority. Fagin may be weak, but he''s still our lord. If they take the staff, Glenwood is as good as gone." The others nodded in agreement, their footsteps silent as they made their way toward their destination, determined expressions on their faces. Chapter 72: Conquest { XXXII } Only after beating Fagin to his satisfaction did Ren let him go. Fagin remained on the ground, breathing really fast, his face swollen from the harsh punches Ren unleashed on him without mercy. Ren red at his flinching figure on the ground before grabbing him up again and pushing him toward his secret chamber, where he imed the staff of authority was. They passed through narrow passages with torches on the walls, lighting it up. After walking for a few more seconds, they arrived in front of a door made of hard steel with a weird and secure-looking lock. "This is the secret chamber," Fagin said immediately after they arrived. "What are you waiting for then? Open the door and bring out the staff of authority," Ren snorted. But Fagin didn''t budge and only stared at the door, lost for words and unsure of what action to take next. "You are wasting time. Do you want another round of beating to get your shit together?" Ren threatened. Only after hearing the threats did Fagin make a move and pull out a key from his underpants, handing it to Ren. "You must be sick in the head if you think I''ll touch something that came out of your disgusting body," Ren snorted. Fagin didn''t respond and proceeded to unlock the door. The steel door creaked open with an annoying noise, revealing the darkness within the secret chamber. Ren quickly left to grab the torch he had seen on his way here, and then both of them entered the room. With the torch, the contents hidden in the secret chamber were revealed¡ªbeautiful robes,rge bags of copper coins, and a massive chest in the center of the room. Ren couldn''t help but gasp as he saw the contents of the secret chamber¡ªhe had been working in this ce for a really long time but never thought such expensive treasures were hidden here. "You had all this, and you never brought it out when we needed it for important developments?!" He berated Fagin. At this point, Fagin was already too devastated and dejected to even respond. Ren snorted and dragged him towards the treasure chest, where the staff of authority was obviously hidden. Fagin told him where the key to the chest was¡ªit was in a secret opening in the wall¡ªRen took it and opened the chest with it but was left dumbfounded afterward. Both Fagin and Ren stared at the empty chest, their expressions dumbfounded. "Someone has stolen it already!!" Fagin yelled out. Before he could say another word, a loudmotion came from outside. --- It was evening, and it was already getting dark in Glenwood. Outside Fagin''s ce, Rowan sat on his house, analyzing the houses around him, observing the structures and materials used in building them as he made ns to replicate the design in Winterseed. Nevertheless, as he brainstormed ideas, a group of men came running towards him with machetes, axes, and other farm tools, which were being used as weapons in this situation. Rowan counted, and they appeared to number more than fifty. "You filthy rat, get out of Glenwood immediately and return to your godforsaken vige!" "You will not seed, you little brat! You will pay for killing my son in battle!" The men yelled, hatred and anger thundering in their loud voices as they approached Rowan. Bryce and Josh saw the men approaching and quickly unsheathed their weapons, ready to engage in battle. Oliver and Bruce, who were at the back guarding, also heard themotion and quickly made their way towards Rowan. "Lord Rowan, stay back. We will deal with them for you," Oliver said as he positioned himself in front of Rowan. But Rowan signaled him to rx as he rode his horse forward toward the men. The men halted just a few feet away from him and pointed their weapons at his face. "We will kill you and your captains here if you don''t leave Lord Fagin alone! The staff of authority does not belong to you or your vige!" They barked at him while maintaining more than twelve feet of distance away from him. Rowan observed them with a scowl and asked, "Are you done barking?" "What!! This brat. Do you not know how to respect your elders?!" They reacted instantly. Thankfully, they seeded in pissing off the already furious Bryce even more. "Brat? Who among you said those words just now?" The men looked at Bryce and refused to answer. Although Bryce had many wounds on his body, his huge figure made him really threatening to the men who hadn''t been to war or had any sort of training beforehand. "I asked a question!" Bryce barked again. The men remained silent. Rowan waved at Bryce to calm down before facing the men. He could tell that none of them feared him as much as they feared Bryce, thanks to his age and slim physique. But he had to prove them wrong¡ªgetting his ego trampled upon by monkeys was something Rowan would not ept. "It appears none of you have any respect for me, so I will teach you how to respect me," he smirked. Then he brought out his favorite dagger from his inventory. The men looked among themselves in terror as they saw a menacing dagger appear out of nowhere. "My captain asked a question earlier, and I need an answer right away," Rowan demanded in a cold tone. [ Bloodlust boost has been activated ] They all shivered at the coldness of his tone. "Are you deaf?" Rowan barked at them. Immediately, the men who had acted impulsively earlier pointed at the culprit in fear. The culprit looked at his fellow men, his eyes widening. He couldn''t believe they had sold him out so easily. ''But why should I be afraid of him? He looks no older than myst son!'' he concluded inwardly and stepped out with his machete. "I said it!" he dered boldly and continued, "What are you going to d¡ª" Sadly, he wasn''t able toplete his statement when the dagger in Rowan''s hands darted toward him at a menacing and inevitable speed. His eyes widened, and he tried to react, but it was toote. The de of the dagger stabbed his neck, and he immediately began to choke, grabbing his neck and trying so hard to breathe, but it was impossible. His body slumped on the ground, and he gave up the ghost. "No... he killed Baba Solo!!" "Baba Solo is dead!!" The men behind him reacted fearfully, their eyes widened in terror and their bodies shivering. Rowan observed their expressions with a scowl as he ignored the measly five evolution points he gained for killing the bastard lying on the ground. ''Just a mere five evolution points? So useless,'' he noted inwardly and signaled to one of the men, "Bring my dagger to me." They looked among themselves, and one of them summoned the courage to bring him his dagger, shivering as he dragged it out of his colleague and brought it to Rowan. Rowan then asked him to clean the blood off the dagger with his own tongue, humiliating him in the worst way possible. He tried to plead, but seeing the dark look in Rowan''s eyes, he didn''t hesitate and hurriedly licked the dagger clean. His colleagues watched his actions with disgust and horror. Only then did they realize how scary Rowan was. Rowan didn''t even have to request that they disarm themselves before they began dropping their weapons and kneeling on the ground. Rowan snorted at their actions as he kept his dagger in his inventory. He gave them a reprimanding speech and invoked more fear in their hearts. As Rowan instilled fear in their hearts, the gate opened, and Ren and Fagin walked out. Fagin wore a terrified and worried expression on his face and let out in a dejected voice, "The staff of authority has been stolen!" Chapter 73: Conquest { XXXIII } "What do you mean the staff of authority is missing? Are you telling a joke or what?" Rowan asked with a dark expression on his face. Fagin remained speechless as he looked at the ground, as if seeking an answer from it. He couldn''t even believe his own discovery; the staff missing meant someone was already nning to seize his position from the very beginning. That person might have hidden the staff of authority, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and seize his position. But he couldn''t help but wonder who that person was and where they had taken his staff of authority. The realization that the position he was proud of had already been sabotaged before the war made him even more dejected. Rowan observed his expression and demeanor, he could tell that Fagin was telling the truth. ''Fuck, this is the only way I can get my hands on a staff of authority right now!'' Rowan cursed inwardly. "Who amongst your people do you suspect?" he asked. Fagin shook his head and replied, "There is no one I suspect." "What the heck? How can you not suspect anyone? You''re a bastard who knows nothing other than eating, defiling women, and making wrong choices. You should know that your people loathe you, and there must be someone who has openly shown hatred for you!" Rowan barked at him. The more he looked at Fagin, the more he felt the urge to punch him to death. "I think I know someone," Ren spoke up after a few seconds. "Hmm?" Rowan gave him a questioning look, urging him to speak. Even Fagin listened carefully. Throughout his reign, he had trusted everyone and relied on the protection of the ancestors. He had never suspected anyone. "Stanis," Ren replied instantly. "There have been rumors among the low-ranking soldiers that he had his eyes on ra and the other women Lord Fagin kept for himself. There were talks that he nned to kill Fagin and take his women." The more Ren exined, the wider Fagin''s eyes grew. Even the men kneeling on the ground couldn''t believe what they were hearing. "Hmm, I know about his disgusting lust for my women, but I never suspected he''d consider killing his lord for such a foolish reason," Rowanmented. However, he realized that Stanis'' decision was natural, given his position in the vige. He was the strongest man, while his lord was just a glutton with no strength. The urge to dominate would certainly be there. ''It all makes sense now that I think about it,'' Rowan nodded in realization. On the other hand, Fagin found the information too hard to believe. His most trusted soldier had been nning to kill him all along, and he had never suspected a thing! "You said you defeated Stanis already? Which means he''s dead. He''s the only suspect, the only one who might know the whereabouts of the Staff of Authority," Fagin tried to exin. He had only been told that Rowan defeated Stanis and didn''t know Stanis was still alive. "You shouldn''t worry. That bastard is still alive," Rowan smirked. He felt relieved that he had chosen not to kill Stanis earlier, even when he had the chance. ''This would''ve been a hell of a difficult task if that bastard were dead,'' Rowan sighed inwardly. "Let''s return to the others. Stanis is with them," he said as he pulled the reins and began riding away. "What should we do about these men?" Bruce asked, pointing his sword at the men kneeling on the ground. Rowan tilted his head back, observing their terrified faces. Some were already shedding tears, pleading for mercy. Fagin and Ren looked at Rowan, waiting for his answer as well. ''There''s no benefit in killing these bastards, and no consequence either. I could''ve done it myself, but they''re worthless,'' Rowan thought. He waved his hand, giving the captains approval to do as they pleased. Fagin and Ren''s eyes widened in surprise. Meanwhile, the captains grinned and moved toward the men, who scrambled on the ground, pleading for their lives. "No¡­ spare me!" "I never wanted to join them, they forced me. Don''t kill me!" "I don''t want to die!" Rowan continued forward without looking back. Ren dragged Fagin along with him. As Rowan neared the gate, a notification suddenly popped up before him, causing his eyes to widen. "Fuck!" he cursed out loud, quickly jumping off his horse and sprinting at full speed toward the border. Chaos was brewing! --- At the border of Glenwood, a crowd of more than seven thousand people caused a chaoticmotion, much worse than the earlier disturbance from the men who had already faced the consequences. The youth and a few middle-aged men from Glenwood were tossingrge stones at Winterseed soldiers. Some grabbed heavy objects from the ground and rushed toward the Winterseed soldiers, who were trying their best to calm themotion while also guarding the surrendered soldiers. As they attacked Rowan''s men, they hurled insults and curses. "Get back to your vige, you pathetic bastards!" "You''ll be our ves soon!" "Your lord is already dead! You should just give up!" Their curses left the Winterseed soldiers confused. How could their Lord Rowan be dead? "Everyone under Captain Bryce,e with me! Let''s defend against these bastards while the rest of you stay on guard. We can''t let them get close to their soldiers, or they might free them, and things will be much harder for us." Winston ordered loudly as he grabbed his sword, watching the people charging toward them with heavy objects, ready to attack. Thanks to therge number of people in Glenwood, even the attacks from their untrained men became a big threat to the soldiers, who were less than one-tenth of their poption. "Fuck all these bastards!" one of the soldiers near Winston shouted, attacking without hesitation. The others followed suit, attacking as well. But as they charged toward the iing attackers, more people from Glenwood joined in, making the battle even more intense and difficult. They shed, and casualties began almost immediately. Men from both Glenwood and Winterseed fell to the ground following the first seconds of shing. Chapter 74: Conquest { XXXIV } It was still the fairly bright hours of the evening in Glenwood, and a figure could be seen sprinting through the deserted streets. [ 3 of your soldiers have been killed | Casualty rate has reached 9% ] [ Any more casualties will result in a deduction from your Quest Reward ] These notifications rang in Rowan''s ears as he made his way toward the entrance, running at a speed even the fastest athlete on earth wouldn''t be able toprehend. Soon enough, the vigers of Glenwood came into view, and the scene in front of him wasn''t peaceful at all. He saw a lot of Glenwood people engaged in a violent protest, some screaming haltingly while others grew hostile and rushed toward the front, where his soldiers were stationed. "What the fuck happened?" Rowan queried inwardly as he drew two swords from his inventory and approached the crowd. He swung his swords at anyone standing in his path as he made his way toward the front row. "Get the fuck out of my way," he barked, his cold voice drifting across the noisy crowd. A few of the Glenwood vigers quickly noticed him, their eyes widening in shock. Wasn''t he supposed to be dead by now? What is he doing here? They asked themselves. Rowan didn''t bother to observe their expressions as he ughtered his way to the front without restraint. He would rather take many innocent lives than lose his men and his precious evolution points! After a few more ughters, he finally reached the front of the noisy crowd, where a lot of youths were engaged in battle with his soldiers, using their numbers to overpower them. Rowan wanted to yell at the people to stop, but he decided to speak with his actions instead. Therger crowd behind him, having already noticed his presence, fell silent while some cried over their deceased family members. They were speechless at this moment. The young men fighting the Winterseed soldiers continued, unaware of Rowan''s presence. Winston could be seen defending himself against three young Glenwood men who swung big sticks at his head. He gritted his teeth and held his sword tightly to block their attacks. "No one wille to save you! Your lord and his captains are already dead!" the young men cursed as they swung their heavy sticks, each attackced with hatred. "Who told you that?" Before they couldunch another strike, a sinister voice came from behind, followed by a swish, thest sound they ever heard as their lifeless bodies slumped to the ground. Winston looked at the corpses of the three young men, then turned to Rowan. "Thank you for saving me, Lord Rowan! These bastards started rioting all of a sudden, and we had to break formation to defend ourselves," Winston exined the situation to Rowan. "You did a great job," Rowan replied quickly before moving to save his other soldiers. He opened the divine beast in, letting ze out to provide support. After twenty minutes, most of the hostile youths from Glenwoody dead on the ground, and the crowd had realized Rowan''s presence and his devilish battle prowess. The rest of the youths dropped their sticks and escaped back into the crowd. Rowan looked at the cowering figures with a frown. He also observed the expressions of therge crowd, who now looked at him with fear. This time, he didn''t bother to address the crowd to invoke fear ¡ª his actions had already taken care of that. Nevertheless, he couldn''t help but be bothered about the young soldiers he had lost. He looked at the corpses on the ground with a solemn expression, wondering how he wouldpensate their loved ones. ''Fuck, I need that staff ASAP!'' he concluded. "Where is Stanis? Bring him to me," he asked Winston. Winston responded immediately and ran to the back. He returnedter, dragging a bloodied Stanis, then tossed him to the ground in front of Rowan. Rowan didn''t waste time and grabbed Stanis by the neck, waking him from his subconscious state. "Where is the staff of authority you stole?" "Huh?" Stanis struggled to decipher Rowan''s words. Seeing his reaction, Rowan scoffed and nted a resounding p across his face before asking again, "I said, where is the fucking staff of authority you stole from Fagin? Hand it over now!" Only after the p did Stanis understand his situation. His heartbeat quickened, and his mind wandered, ''How did he find out?'' Sadly, Rowan had already wasted much time and didn''t leave him any chance to collect his thoughts. He grabbed his dagger and stabbed Stanis in the thigh, causing him to cry out in anguish. "Speak now! I have no time to waste," Rowan reprimanded. "I will speak... please don''t hurt me!" Stanis pleaded. "You''d better speak, or I will keep stabbing," Rowan snorted. Stanis gulped nervously before revealing where he had hidden the staff of authority. After obtaining the information, Rowan moved away from Stanis and approached one of the kneeling Glenwood soldiers, grabbing him by the cor. "Take me to his ce immediately." The soldier nodded and led Rowan into the vige, toward Stanis'' house. This time, the crowd cleared a path the moment they saw Rowan approaching with one of their soldiers as a hostage. After Rowan passed the crowd, he noticed Ren and the others arriving. Bryce and the other captains rushed toward him to find out why he had suddenly taken off like that. Rowan didn''t have time to exin and simply told them to go see for themselves. He also ordered Rnd to hold Fagin and wait for him in front of the crowd. He gave a few more instructions before dragging the soldier along. Rnd and the others pushed through the crowd and arrived at the front, where the gruesome scene awaited them. Arge number of corpses sprawled across the border, most of them from Glenwood, while a few were from Winterseed. They all had the same question Rowan had when he first arrived. Meanwhile, Rowan didn''t stop until he stood before Stanis'' ce. Stanis'' house was muchrger and more beautiful than the others. Though it wasn''t as grand as Fagin''s, it was still far superior to anything Rowan had seen so far. The house had no fences, just like the other houses. ''Hmm...'' Rowan observed the perimeter of the house for a few seconds. "Open the door," he ordered the soldier, who obeyed without hesitation. The soldier shivered as he approached the door and reached to open it, but it didn''t budge. He turned nervously toward Rowan and reported in a low tone, "Sir... it''s locked." "I guessed as much," Rowan snorted. He pushed the soldier aside and strolled toward the door. Clenching his fist, he mmed it into the door, creating arge hole. He then tore the door apart with his supernatural strength, causing the soldier behind him to stare in astonishment. After tearing the door open, Rowan stared into the dark interior for a few seconds. Luckily, Rowan had night vision and could see the interior clearly and brightly, unlike the soldier. Nevertheless, even with his clear view of the inside, Rowan didn''t let his guard down. ''This bastard has the most valuable item in his house, he definitely has some sort of protection against intruders,'' he noted to himself before turning to the puzzled soldier. "Step inside," he ordered coldly. "Y-Yes, sir." The soldier didn''t think twice about Rowan''smand and started toward the house. Rowan watched as he took the first step inside. No unnatural reaction. "Keep moving," Rowan ordered again to ensure his own safety. As expected, the soldier didn''t question it and kept moving ¡ª after all, this was the house of his captain, and he wasn''t afraid of walking in. Rowan observed him as he took his second, third, and fourth steps, until the darkness swallowed himpletely. However, as the soldier took his fifth step, the sound of objects colliding echoed across the room. Rowan heard it. The soldier''s eyes darted around, searching for the source of the noise. He spotted a shiny object moving rapidly toward him from behind. "W-Wha..." he tried to speak, but it was toote. The object pierced his chest, creating excruciating pain that made him scream in agony before falling silent as he died. Rowan, having observed everything, sighed in disappointment, regretting not bringing more soldiers to test the ce for traps. ''Never mind, I have night vision and attack perception. I can defend myself against any traps with those,'' he concluded and stepped into the building. He moved through the narrow passage and reached the room that matched the description Stanis had given. He tore the door open and stepped inside. There wererge wine barrels neatly arranged around the room. Rowan couldn''t help but wonder why one person would greedily store so much wine. If Rowan''s calction is correct, the amount of wine in this room would be able to fill up 300 men at least. ''That bastard surely has some weird fetish.'' thought Rowan. "He said the barrel with a double-X mark at the bottom has the staff of authority..." he muttered as he scanned the body of the wine barrels. His eyes finallynded on one of the barrels with the said mark. Rowan smirked as he made his way toward it, eager to get his hands on the staff of authority. He slid off the cover gently, and his eyes fell upon a strange-looking item resting brilliantly at the bottom of the empty barrel. DING! [ You have found (Wood-Grade Staff of Authority) ] Chapter 75: Conquest ( XXXV ) As soon as Rowan opened the barrel of wine, a small object about the length of an adult''s arm was revealed inside. Its handle was made of wood and bore undecipherable engravings, giving it a mysterious feel. One end was in, while the other was spherical. On the spherical end, there was a yellow colored engraved crystal. Rowan realized what it was the moment he set his eyes on it¡ªthe Staff of Authority! With a fulfilled expression on his face, Rowan reached out and grabbed the Staff of Authority. DING! [You have found (Wood-Grade Staff of Authority)] DING! [Congrattions, you havepleted one criterion to evolve your territory] ---- Staff of Authority (Wood-Grade): The emblem of authority for FF and F-grade territories. Note: It can''t be upgraded. ---- Rowan studied the brief description before returning his gaze to it, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. "System, reveal the other criteria to evolve my territory," he ordered. ---- TO EVOLVE TERRITORY TO F-RANK, you must have.... --LAND: 40 km2 (Current: 20 km2) --Poption: 5,000 (Current: 3,000) --Five hundred active soldiers (Current: 470) --Military power: F-rank (Current: FF-rank) --Agriculture: F-rank (Current: FF-rank) --Power: F-rank (Current: FF-rank) --Wood-grade Authority Staff (COMPLETED) ---- Studying the information presented, Rowan smirked. "With the Staff of Authority acquired, I can use Glenwood to manipte my results and improve my territory ranking to F!" he dered aloud. Without hesitation, he closed the window and walked out of the building, stepping over the corpse of the dead soldier as he made his way outside. Night had already arrived, and the moon had taken its position in the sky, driving away the darkness with its brilliant crescent glow. Rowan began strolling through the darkness, the Staff of Authority tightly grasped in his hands. In his head, he prepared the best set of speeches to use when he reached the border. He couldn''t help but mutter to himself continuously, practicing how to present them¡ªthis would be his biggest moment yet, and he didn''t want to fumble it. --- Meanwhile, at the border. The people of Glenwood had finally calmed themselves down after witnessing the brutal strength of Rowan. After he left, they went out to carry the corpses of loved ones who had lost their lives to him. While they grieved their loss, they didn''t dare to me or harbor any revengeful thoughts against Rowan. Unfortunately, the casualties weren''t only on Glenwood''s side, as Winterseed soldiers also grieved the deaths of their twelve colleagues. Aside from the twelve who lost their lives, about fifty more soldiers sustained ghastly wounds; a few even lost consciousness due to the pain. Fortunately, there was Ren, who had a little medical knowledge. He was able to take care of the injured soldiers and reduce the intensity of their pain with certain manual procedures and applications of an herbal ointment he personally prepared. Liara assisted him, improving the efficiency of his task. Not too far away, Fagin sat on the ground close to the almost lifeless body of Stanis. He gazed up at the dark sky with a frustrated expression on his face, unable to stop thinking about his current predicament. He looked down beside him at Stanis, who was struggling to breathe. He still hadn''t gotten over the realization that his best captain was actually ready to betray him from the very beginning. ''Once I am done settling all these issues, I will make sure to kill you myself, Stanis!'' he swore inwardly. The hatred and anger he felt towards Stanis kept growing every second. Nevertheless, his malicious thoughts were cut off as he heard amotion arising from the crowd nearby, and he quickly looked in that direction to see what was happening. With the help of the moonlight, he was able to see Rowan walking out of the crowd; he could see a familiar object in his hands¡ªthe Staff of Authority. "He found it!" he muttered in shock. "The Staff of Authority of Glenwood is gone now!" he continued in a low tone, as he observed Rowan, his eyes revealing all sorts of depressed and sad emotions. Rnd, Bryce, Bruce, Josh, and every other soldier who understood the significance of the item Rowan held observed him with looks filled with pride, respect, and unwavering loyalty. On the other hand, the people of Glenwood stared at Rowan with terrified and worried expressions on their faces. "He''s holding the Staff of Authority!" a teenage boy pointed at the staff to his father with a shocked expression. His father immediately gave him a quick p on the mouth to shut him up, as he didn''t want his son to draw any attention to the scary young Lord of Winterseed. Nevertheless, even with the p, the teenager didn''t give up and continued pestering his father curiously for answers. "Since Lord Fagin no longer possesses the Staff of Authority, does that mean he is our new lord? What will happen to Lord Fagin and us? Will the ancestors be angry?" he asked a barrage of questions. But his father refused to answer any of them. Around the father-son duo, the crowd whispered among themselves, sharing the same question¡ª"What will be the fate of our vige?" Rowan heard their discussions, and a smirk crept onto his face. As he made his way down to the right spot in front of the crowd, he observed the expression of Fagin and gave him a crazed smile, causing the fat ex-lord to shiver in terror. Rowan gave a hand signal to the soldiers standing beside Fagin and Stanis to bring them forward. The soldiers obeyed immediately and dragged both of them towards Rowan. Stanis was in a half-sleep, half-dead phase, and everything happening around him was nothing but unclear and blurry. On the other hand, Fagin''s heart beat rapidly as he anticipated Rowan''s next actions, praying frivolously for them to favor him. Rowan halted after creating a considerable distance between himself and therge crowd. The soldiers dragging Stanis and Fagin had already arrived and ced the two of them behind him. At this moment, everyone standing observed the distorted and shameful state of their two top leaders. Their looks were filled with disappointment. Fagin couldn''t help but return his gaze to the ground, ashamed, while Stanis didn''t even understand his current situation. Rowan smirked, observing their reactions before turning to the crowd and beginning his speech. "People of Glenwood, I would love to introduce you to your new lord," he dered in a loud authoritative voice. Fagin''s eyes widened immediately, and his body shivered. ''What is he nning?'' he thought. Chapter 76: Conquest { XXXVI } "People of Glenwood, I would love to introduce you to your new lord," Rowan dered. His words drifted swiftly across the crowd, resulting in varying reactions from everyone who heard his statement. Beside him, Fagin shivered uncontrobly. Behind him, his soldiers watched with anticipatory gazes, awaiting his next actions. In front of him, the people of Winterseed had reactions ranging from fear to confusion. Some of them even began to whisper, making different assumptions. "Is he going to be our new lord?" some wondered. "I think he wants to assign a new lord and make them surrender to a vassal decree by him. With the Staff of Authority in his grasp and our military might already diminished, achieving that would be as easy as taking a pee," another spected. "We are doomed!" others concluded. Rowan observed all their reactions and scoffed. He turned to look at Fagin, who was already sweating behind him, and signaled the soldier to bring him forward. "This guy has been your lord, and under his reign, my people have suffered all sorts of hardship. My people became malnourished; some died of starvation; babies and mothers became fatherless and husbandless. They went through all these and many more..." Rowan began. His words sank into the hearts of everyone, especially Fagin. It was as though he was standing before judges and his crimes were being listed. The more Rowan spoke, the more Fagin felt like his life was close to ending. Fagin imagined himself in Rowan''s position; if a vige had done all that to his people, he would definitely seek revenge and kill that lord. ''My fate might be the same,'' he thought. "As a lord, dominating other territories is pretty interesting; it makes you realize just how mighty and powerful you are," Rowan continued. This time, Fagin felt strange. He didn''t even know how to react to what Rowan just said; whether he was being vengeful or simply exining what he would do was unknown. "Nevertheless, that is useless if your main goal of subjugating arge group of innocent people is just to collect their resources and defile their women!" This time, Rowan''s voice became cold and louder, causing the crowd to gasp and Fagin to shiver even more. Rowan continued and spoke about how Fagin had defiled his women. He lengthened his speech and made the people of Glenwood understand his perspective. [ 600 women in Glenwood feel your pain and curse their lord and the lustful men of their vige ] [ 600 women agree with you and take your side... +600,000 evolution points ] [ 100x activated | 60,000,000 evolution points have been transferred to your ount ] Rowan observed the rewards and smiled before continuing. Beside him, Fagin shivered even more; his legs became numb, and his teeth gnashed as he felt death''s cold hands slowly reaching for his shoulder. "So tell me, would you let that kind of lord continue ruling over you, or would you want a lord who is handsome, powerful, cares for his people, and most of all, has dignity and self-control?" he asked the main question. His question dropped like a bomb on everyone, even though they already saw iting. In the beginning, they all hated and despised him, especially because he was the lord of a poor and weak vige, and they felt he was the same. Now they didn''t even understand their own feelings. Fagin became hopeful upon hearing the silence following Rowan''s question. But his hope soon shattered when the women and youngdies in the crowd began to step forward slowly. ''No, no, what are they doing!'' he yelled inwardly. ''I am your lord; you shouldn''t listen to this stranger!'' Soon the crowd became even more active as more women stepped forward; even the men and children began to step out slowly, though not all of them. Rowan observed with a smirk; at least 60% of the poption had agreed with him¡ªhe needed to add more fuel, more reasons for them to agree with him. "The women have been smart enough to make the right decision because they are pure-hearted and actually understand what it means to have dignity!" he started. "For those men who stayed behind, are you trying to show that you are women abusers just like this fat bastard right here?" His next statement invoked a quick reaction. The women and youngdies, including the little children, looked back at the men with scowls of disappointment. The men immediately became at a loss for words. They wanted to act almighty and cool to prove they could never yield to any man, especially someone as young as Rowan. Most of them also didn''t want to agree because they feared betraying their vige''s original leader would invoke repercussions from the gods. Nevertheless, seeing the heated gazes of the women, their minds changed¡ªif they didn''t step out right now, not only were they risking getting killed by Rowan, they would be marked as women abusers upon their death, and no one would remember them, not even their partners who already felt disappointed in them. They let out sighs and began to step out slowly. Rowan opened his poption window and watched his poption grow slowly as he managed to sway the people to his side. [ Poption - 4600+ ] [ Poption - 4700+ ] Rowan just needed the 5000+ mark toplete the poption criterion. Nevertheless, while they agreed to his reign slowly, Glenwood soldiers kneeling on the ground behind him began to chant. "We pledge our power to you!" "We pledge our power to you!" Their chants grew louder and drew the attention of Rowan. Rowan gave them a nod of approval. DING! [ Congrattions, you havepleted the POPULATION criterion to evolve your territory ] DING! [ Congrattions, you havepleted the MILITARY criterion to evolve your territory ] DING! [ Congrattions, you havepleted TERRITORY SIZE criterion to evolve your territory ] [ You have won over the support of 98% of Glenwood poption and military.. CONGRATULATIONS, you have conquered GLENWOOD ] [ You have received title CONQUEROR ] Chapter 77: Conquest { END } It was nighttime, and the people of Glenwood could be heard shouting their eptance of Rowan''s reign. The voices of children, women, men, and soldiersbined to create a thundering cacophony that spread across the area. Fagin watched as his people chanted Rowan''s name with respect and fear¡ªsomething he hadn''t experienced throughout his long reign. Of course, as a lord, his people had chanted his name numerous times, but it had never held this much emotion¡ªthey only did it because they were forced to, not because they wanted to. "This," he muttered, finding it difficult to speak. Rnd and the other soldiers watched their lord''s back with pride shining in their eyes. The scene unfolding before them was both amazing and divine. At that moment, they realized their lord was not a simple man but someone capable of capturing the necessary emotions from everyone, including his own enemies. Ren and Liara felt the same. Liara continued looking at Rowan; she couldn''t believe that the same young Rowan of yesteryears, who always hid behind his father duringrge gatherings, would have the courage and power to invoke such emotions from men far older and more experienced than him. She couldn''t help but feel sad that her other sisters, who were captured by Glenwood, weren''t here to observe the scene. The chanting of the people continued, quickly transforming from chants of eptance to chants of Rowan''s name. "We hail Lord Rowan!" their voices thundered. Rowan listened to the chanting of his name with a smile on his face. He observed the happy and delighted faces of the crowd before turning to look at Fagin, who couldn''t believe his own eyes at that moment. When Fagin felt Rowan''s gaze on him, he quickly asked the question that had been bothering him: "You have my staff of authority and my people already. Will you please let me go? I will leave this vige and promise never to return!" But his words were met with a mocking chuckle from Rowan. Fagin''s eyes widened immediately. While Rowan chuckled, what he heard was the maniacalugh of a reaper ready to take his soul. Rowan didn''t even pay attention to him and turned to the people, basking in their chants for a few minutes before silencing them with a simple wave of his hand. Everyone stared at him with smiles on their faces, awaiting his next words. "You made the right choice epting my reign, and I promise you will not regret it as we will keep growing stronger and better each day that passes by," he started. "On the other hand, I will be using my authority as your new lord to set a new standard for all the men who think like these two," Rowan said as the soldiers dragged Fagin and Stanis forward. "These two do not deserve to continue living after the sins they havemitted. They have not onlymitted sins against you people but against your ancestors, and those sins, from now on, will be punishable by instant execution!" Rowan''s words spread across the area quickly. Fagin''s eyes widened, and tears began falling from them. "Please, you said you would spare me if I gave you the staff of authority! I did that! And you even took my people and territory away from me," Fagin began speaking frantically, pleading for his life. Rowan didn''t even bother to look at him. He drew his sword immediately, the sharp de glistening under the moonlight. Fagin''s body began to shiver. Stanis saw the cold de, and he too began to shiver as the realization dawned on him. "Cover the eyes of your little ones," Rowanmanded. The women and men immediately did as he said; all the innocent little children were prevented from witnessing the traumatizing execution. Although they had already experienced the battle earlier, beheading someone they had known and respected since they were born might create some sort of trauma, which Rowan sought to prevent as best as he could. The soldiers made Fagin and Stanis kneel on the ground, bowing their heads. Stanis intended to resist, but the pain in his body stopped him. Fagin''s huge build also made it pretty difficult to break out of the tight clutch of the soldier pressing him down. "Today, I deliver the justice my people deserve!" Rowan yelled. Rnd and the soldiers lifted their swords and chanted a thunderous, "Justice for Winterseed!" The people of Winterseed observed the process silently. "Please, do not kill me! I beg you, have mercy on me!" Fagin cried out in a loud voice. "Do not let him kill me, your lord! I have done a lot for you all!" he continued. Rowan snorted, lifted his sword, and sent it flying, delivering a clean execution. Stanis''s head fell from his body and rolled under Fagin. Fagin saw the head of his captain, and his eyes widened in fear. He began to plead once again for his life, but it was toote. Rowan executed him even before he could let out a single word. As Fagin''s lifeless body slumped to the ground, a heavy silence enveloped the crowd. For a brief moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. Then, from the midst of the vigers, a single voice shouted, "Justice for Winterseed!" "Hail Lord Rowan!" another joined in. Soon, everyone erupted into a unified chant, their voices merging into a powerful anthem that echoed through the night. "Justice for Winterseed! Hail Lord Rowan!" The thunderous chorus washed over Rowan like a tide, filling him with a mix of triumph and humility. He turned to face the sea of faces¡ªmen, women, and children¡ªall looking to him with hope and reverence. Their eyes reflected the glow of the torches, but also something brighter: faith in a better future. Rowan continued smiling as the Questpletion notification popped up in front of him. ---- QUEST COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY REWARDS: X1 Common-grade Territory Box, X1 Wheel Ticket, 1,000,000 Evolution Points You have unlocked WHEEL feature ----- [100x Rewards activated | x100 Common-grade Territory Box, x100 Wheel Ticket, x100,000,000 Evolution Points have been added] The smile on Rowan''s face widened as he reviewed the rewards before him. The appearance of the rewards and the chanting made his smile widen even more. The amount of joy he felt right now could not bepared to any he had felt! *Do not enjoy the moment alone!!* As he basked in the joyous feeling, a voice suddenly protested in his head, and he was quickly reminded of ze, whom he had kept inside the Divine Beast in after exhausting its powers earlier. He quickly called it out, and it appeared sneakily out of midair, rxing on Rowan''s shoulder. It stared at the people chanting the name of its master with a smug expression on its face. The people were too focused on their jubtion, and they failed to see ze appearing out of nowhere. They wouldn''t be too surprised, though, as they had already seen it before, even witnessed its magical prowess. Rowan observed the shocking growth of ze, both in size and cultivation level, for a few seconds before returning his gaze to the crowd. He brought out his staff of authority and lifted it into the air. The intricately carved symbols caught the moonlight, casting shimmering patterns that danced across the crowd. "People of Glenwood and Winterseed," his voice rang out, clear and strong. "Tonight, we have ended the reign of tyranny and injustice. No longer will you live in fear or suffer under the whims of those who do not honor you. From this day forward, I vow to lead with integrity, wisdom, andpassion." A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd, faces lighting up with renewed hope. Rnd and the other soldiers stood tall behind Rowan, their expressions a blend of pride and unwavering loyalty. Liara watched from the sidelines, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She could hardly believe that the timid boy she once knew had be the man standing before them¡ªa true leader. Rowan continued, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Together, we will rebuild and strengthen ournds. We will honor our ancestors by forging a future that our children can be proud of. Will you stand with me in this new beginning?" An overwhelming roar of approval met his question. "We stand with you, Lord Rowan!" He nodded, a satisfied smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Lowering the staff, he ced it firmly on the ground before him¡ªa symbolic gesture sealing hismitment. "Then let it be known that unity and justice will be the pirs of our reign." The people erupted once more into jubnt cheers. The atmosphere transformed into one of celebration, a stark contrast to the tension that had gripped them moments before. Families embraced, soldiers sped each other''s shoulders, and children danced around with uninhibited joy. Amidst the revelry, Rowan took a moment to observe his newfound domain. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Rnd standing beside him, a respectful distance away. "You have made the name of Winterseed great again, greater than what your father could ever imagine," Rnd said quietly with a smile. --- It was still nighttime in Winterseed, and the vigers were already in their homes, fast asleep¡ªquite different from the previous night when most of them had spent their time in the vige square, worrying and praying for the safety of their days. Meanwhile, at the southern border, a tall, imposing figure could be seen approaching the vige, dressed in ragged clothes and clutching a small bottle containing a glowing opaque liquid. He suddenly halted and observed the vige with a calm smile, "I am finally back with the milk!" Chapter 78: Jubilation "Lord Rowan still hasn''t returned." At the southern border of Winterseed, a group of soldiers stood guard, discussing among themselves. "He will be back soon, I''m sure of it, and he will definitely return victorious!" another soldier responded to his worriedrade. "The journey to Glenwood takes at least two days. We should expect their return starting tomorrow," added another. As they continued their conversation, they suddenly heard the sound of footsteps approaching. They immediately took battle positions, their hands gripping the hilts of their swords as they scanned the dim path ahead. The forest around them seemed to hold its breath as the crunch of leaves underfoot grew louder, closer. Each man tensed, the weight of anticipation heavy in the air. Through the darkness, they saw the figure of a man approaching. "Who goes there?" they called out, squinting their eyes as the figure continued toward them. Since it was the dark of the night, they found it difficult to decipher who it was. The figure continued moving towards them without stopping, they were only able to tell he was human due to his walking steps. "Identity yourself!" One of the soldier yelled again. "Hey, keep your voices down!" They heard a hoarse and faint voice as the face finally became clear. Their eyes widened immediately. "Lord Dragun!!" --- The jubtion in Glenwood continued throughout the night; even as everyone returned to their homes after Rowan''s brief announcement, the celebrations did not cease. After dering his reign, he revealed his intention to change the name of Glenwood to Winterseed, as it was now under his rule. No one dared oppose the change; in fact, they all loved it. Upon returning to their homes, they didn''t bother going inside but remained outside to celebrate with their neighbors. Only Rowan and the soldiers remained at the border. Rowan ordered his soldiers to free Fagin''s former soldiers, who had now be his own. After they were freed, they immediately bowed before Rowan and performed their traditional method of swearing loyalty to a new lord. After the brief oath, they greeted him as their new leader and proceeded to socialize with Rnd and the others. It took only a few minutes for them to be acquainted. Seeing the excitement, Rowan quickly sent some soldiers to Stanis''s ce to bring the wine he had found. The forty-plus soldiers returned with more than twelverge barrels of wine and arge number of wooden mugs. Rowan gave the go-ahead, and they all began drinking to their satisfaction. As they drank, ze, who stood beside Rowan, eagerly begged for a drink. Rowan tried to warn him that it was alcoholic, but he refused to listen, so Rowan let him be. ze ran off and approached Bryce, who was gulping down tworge mugs of wine. Bryce was shocked to see Lord Rowan''s magical pet standing beside him, looking up with the cutest eyes he had ever seen. He quickly understood what ze wanted and gave him some wine. ze quickly downed tworge mugs of wine, causing all the soldiers to stare at him with puzzled gazes, wondering what sort of stomach he had. After gulping two morerge mugs, ze began staggering around with a drooling expression on his face. Rowan could only shake his head and find a nice spot to sit. He found some wooden stools beside the gate and sat down; he wanted to observe his stats and see how much he had improved. "Rowan," Liara approached him as he walked towards the gate. Rowan turned to her with a calm smile on his face. "How are you doing, Liara?" "I''m good, thanks to you," Liara replied as she walked beside him towards the gate. "Thank you for standing up for our people and ending the suffering we have been forced to endure," she said appreciatively in a low voice. "No need to thank me. I was just doing my duty, and I''m proud of the work I''ve done," Rowan replied. They chatted back and forth as they approached the gate. Liara was curious about the state of her sisters and the mysterious handsome man. Rowan exined to her who D''Andre was and how he had helped the vige. He wanted to tell her that he was also a pervert who was trying to get ra but decided against it. He didn''t want to spoil the fun of his new friend, as he had a lot to gain. After Liara''s curiosity was satisfied, she bade him farewell and began walking away. Rowan seized the opportunity to study her character status. ---- [ Name: Liara ] [ upation: Practicing Herbalist ] [ Special Skill: Herbs Mixing (FF) ] [ Status: Excited ] ------- "Hmm," Rowan was pleasantly surprised; this was the first healing-type ss-rted skill he had seen in a while. As he studied her ss, Ren ran towards him to speak, and Rowan was shocked to see his ss as well. ---- [ Name: Ren ] [ upation: Herbalist ] [ Special Skill: Herbal Knowledge (D) ] [ Status: Proud ] ------ Since Rowan met Liara and Ren, this was the first time he had settled down to observe their character statuses, and thus he was surprised by these new discoveries. He hadn''t been at the border earlier when both of them helped the injured soldiers with their herbalist knowledge, so finding out made him even more curious to understand their ss. Ren spoke to him and thanked him for epting him into Winterseed and believing in him. "I am sure you have a lot of advisers in your vige and have no need for one extra adviser," Ren said with a nervous smile. "Nevertheless, aside from advising, I have other skills that would be of great importance to you." He told Rowan about his specialization in herbalism and how he could help him with it. Of course, he wasn''t aware that Rowan already knew about his skills. Rowan acted as though this was his first time hearing about everything. "Are you trying to tell me that you can identify which herbs can heal specific symptoms and which herbs can damage whatever organ you want?" Rowan acted surprised. Ren felt really proud seeing the surprised expression on Rowan''s face. "Yes, my forefathers were genius medicine practitioners who spent most of their lives in the forests picking herbs and identifying their various uses. Their knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation and has been modified several times. Sadly, Glenwood doesn''t value our craft that much." Rowan listened to his every word with a smile before promising to make him the head of health and welfare in the whole of Winterseed. Ren''s eyes widened, and he immediately knelt on the ground to thank Rowan. "I am honored to receive such a position from you, Lord Rowan. I promise not to let you down." Rowan nodded. "I am a man who loves good work. If you perform well, you will be promoted and rewarded." The more promises Rowan made, the happier and more motivated Ren became. Ren thanked him profusely for several minutes before returning to drink and celebrate his new position. Meanwhile, Rowan proceeded to copy his skill. [ Skill (Herbal Knowledge) copied sessfully! Do you want to merge now? YES/ NO ] Rowan immediately chose to merge. As the skill integrated with him, strange and profound knowledge about everything he needed to know about herbs¡ªranging from identifying them to mixing them¡ªentered his mind. Rowan suddenly felt as though he had been studying herbs for more than a decade. The feeling of acquiring a new and rare skill was satisfying. Now that he had more than enough evolution points, he couldn''t wait to acquire and evolve as many skills as he wanted! As his mind rejoiced, he quickly called up his system and requested the criteria to evolve his territory once again. ---- TO EVOLVE TERRITORY TO F-RANK, you must have.... --LAND: 40 km2 (COMPLETED) --Poption: 5,000 (COMPLETED) --Five hundred active soldiers (COMPLETED) --Military power: F-rank (COMPLETED) --Agriculture: F-rank (Current: FF-rank) --Power: F-rank (COMPLETED) --Wood-grade Authority Staff (COMPLETED) ------- "There''s only agriculture holding me back, but that doesn''t matter. My agriculture is low because Glenwood seized my river, thus affecting the fertility and production of the farnds," Rowan contemted. Now that Fagin was gone and Glenwood was under his control, the river automatically belonged to him, and with the water, his farnds would yield even more. More than 50% of the issues affecting his vige had been solved with this new victory. All Rowan needed now was to return home to his people and begin developing his territory as fast as he could with all the resources he had acquired from D''Andre and Glenwood. Development would be easier now! "I can''t wait to try merging with the blueprint I purchased!" he thought with a smile as he approached the gate and sat down. The celebration continued until midnight before everyone retired to their homes. Rnd and his captains slept at Fagin''s quarters, while the other soldiers joined their new colleagues in their homes. They needed to rest, as they would begin their journey back to Winterseed tomorrow. Chapter 79: Back to Winterseed The next morning arrived quickly; the morning sun rose and took its usual ce over Winterseed II, blessing the newborn territory with its heavenly radiance. The people of Winterseed II rose quite early, earlier than they had under the reign of thete Fagin. However, they didn''t get up early to leave for their farms or perform other tasks; instead, they used the time on their hands to prepare nice meals for their new lord. A lot of women gathered together to prepare their most delicious meals, while the men brought the game they had hunted and stored beforehand. They all worked together, preparing the best dishes as a wee to their new lord and the soldiers that came with him; this was to pay their initial respect and showcase their love for him. The streets were filled with noises and the delicious aromas of numerous cuisines. The atmosphere was joyous. Meanwhile, at thete Fagin''s quarters, Rowan and his captains woke up quite early to discuss. Inside the big sitting room, Rowan and the captains could be seen sitting down, facing each other and discussing. "Lord Rowan, your position has improved; no longer are you the vige head of Winterseed but the Lord of a dual fief," Rnd said with a smile. The lord of a vige is called a vige head, and a lord who rules over two viges is called the Lord of a Dual Fief or Fief Chief. Rowan already knew about this but acted surprised and thrilled by the details. The captains looked at him with faces brimming with hopeful and proud smiles. Rowan''s position increasing also meant that theirs had improved as well; they would control arger military base, and their authority would extend over more people than in Winterseed. On the other hand, Rowan had decided to rename Glenwood, calling it Winterseed II. He had already made his decision to let one of his captains be his assistant and rule over Winterseed II in his stead while he took care of the other. He made this intention known to his captains. "I do not want to leave your side, Lord Rowan. Being your captain is better than any other position," Bryce instantly rejected the idea. "Same with me, I would love to remain a captain and help train the younger generation," Rnd also rejected. "Same," Bruce and Josh added. All of them rejected his offer. "Hmm, I understand that you all want to protect and serve me, but as you know, I am already strong enough to protect myself. I want someone I trust to oversee this vige for me, and you four are the only people I trust," Rowan sighed. He really needed them to agree with his proposal, but he didn''t want to force them. The captains refused once again, and Rnd made a suggestion. "You want Ren to take over while we return?" Rowan asked with a frown. "Yes, Lord Rowan. I have only known him for a few days, but I can tell that he is sincere and loyal. Also, he knows more about this vige and the vigers than any of us; he is a better person for that position," Rnd exined. Rowan listened and couldn''t help but agree with him. Rowan thought about his words for a few seconds, considering the option. It wasn''t a bad idea, to be honest; Ren is honest and smart enough to rule the people in his stead. Nevertheless, he would have loved for Ren to return to Winterseed with him so he could use his herbalist skills to help some of his sick vigers and also train a new generation of herbalists to take care of the sick in his stead, like Liara, who already had a little knowledge about it. "I already copied Herbal Knowledge, but I don''t have that much time on my hands to go into the bushes, find, sort, and mix herbs to treat the sick, and I do not have enough time to teach others either," Rowan sighed. Rowan had a lot of tasks to aplish once he returned and didn''t want more tasks to be added. After thinking for a long time, he finally arrived at a decision. "That is settled; Ren will rule over in my stead." The captains smiled upon hearing his decision; it was a big relief knowing they had no need to leave his side. Rowan asked one of the soldiers stationed outside to call Ren for him. The soldier left immediately to deliver the message. Almost thirty minutes after the soldier left, Rowan heard themotion outside and strolled out with his captains to observe. When they got out, they were greeted by arge group of women holdingrge baskets brimming with delicious, steaming food whose aromas wafted across the area, quickly reaching their noses. Rowan couldn''t help but feel his stomach rumble at the sweet aroma. "Lord Rowan, this is our little token of appreciation for purifying our vige and bing our new lord!" the women said in unison. "We understand that you and your soldiers must be famished after such a long and tiring battle, so we have prepared more than enough delicious food to satisfy all of you!" one of them added with a sweet smile on her face. The other women spoke one after the other. A few minutester, some men arrived with wines. Rowan watched the show of love with a calm smile on his face. He was happy knowing that none of them thought of him as a merciless killer after his bloodbathst night; the smiles on their faces disyed their true love and respect for him. Rowan thanked all the women immediately and gave them the go-ahead to serve their wonderfully prepared dishes. Very soon, all his soldiers gathered around his ce and began to devour the delicious meals presented before them. Captain Bryce could be seen biting off arge chunk of flesh from the finely seasoned and roasted chicken given to him. Some soldiers could be seen takingrge gulps of wine and eating the delicious food. The street was suddenly filled with merriment, and everyone enjoyed themselves. Rowan was specially served inside the house. On the table, there was a lot of delicious food, starting with the well-prepared rice grains to the delicious and greasy chicken. Rowan didn''t hesitate and began devouring his meal. He was halfway done with his meal when Ren arrived with the soldier who had been sent to call him. "Lord Rowan, you called for me?" Ren bowed his head and greeted Rowan. "Yes, I did. Have a seat," Rowan replied before turning to the young soldier and nodding for him to leave. He thanked Rowan and rushed out of the room hungrily to join his colleagues outside. Rowan ate a little and drank some wine before informing Ren of his decision. When Ren heard his proposal, he immediately fell into deep thought. "Lord Rowan, I am not fit for leading others," he replied after contemting for a few seconds. "I understand, but you are the only person I trust in this vige. You are smart and, most of all, you have a good heart that puts the needs of the people above your own. You are the perfect candidate," Rowan replied. Ren rejected again and reminded him of his upation as a herbalist. He said he wanted to help with what he loved the most. Nevertheless, Rowan convinced him and showed him the benefits of the position. After a short conversation, Rowan was able to convince him. DING [You have ordained a DEPUTY LORD] [You will be able to influence and observe the decision of your DEPUTY LORD telepathically] "Hmm," Rowan observed the notifications. "Do not worry, as a fief chief with the staff of authority, I will be able to assist you even when I am away," he said to Ren. Although it sounded strange, Ren nodded his head and tried to act as if he wasn''t thrilled. Nevertheless, even though he tried to hide it, Rowan was able to see his stats thanks to his skill, and he decided to prove his point. [''I want you to improve the farnds starting tomorrow,''] Rowanmunicated with him telepathically. Ren''s eyes widened as he heard the voice of Rowan inside his head, loud and clear. He looked at Rowan with puzzlement. "D-did you say anything just now?" he stuttered. Rowan smiled and exined the process to him. After ensuring he was clear about the mental link between both of them, Rowan discussed what he needed from him. "I will return two weeks from now with Liara and a few of my people. I want you to teach them everything you know about herbs." Ren''s eyes widened upon hearing the proposition. He had long wanted students to learn his craft, but no one was interested; hearing Rowan''s proposal made him realize that Rowan truly appreciated his knowledge. He promised he won''t let him down and would work hard to make him proud. --- Two hours passed, and Rowan made his decision about making Ren his deputy known to the people. Thanks to Ren''s good reputation, the people epted him without much talk. Rowan made other announcements and promised the people he would return two weeks from now. They all listened to his words with smiles of respect and eptance. The men watched him with pride, the young men with adoration and aspiration, while the youngdies couldn''t help but imagine a romantic rtionship with him, which was natural. After making sure everything was in order, Rowan bade them farewell and left with his men. He brought 700 soldiers from the vige with him, which increased the number of men with him to about one thousand. Chapter 80: Unleashed ( End of Vol 2 ) Meanwhile, in Winterseed, everyone woke to shocking news! It was morning, and the vige was busy as usual, but no one left for their farms. They all rushed toward Rowan''s ce with surprised expressions on their faces. The streets were filled with vigers hurrying toward the same location from different parts of the vige. A group of men and women could be seen hurrying along. The men, mostly elderly, looked among themselves, disbelief disyed in their gazes. "This can''t be true!" one of them eximed in disbelief to the men walking beside him. "I think the same. I can''t believe this at all. We have all set our hearts on the fact that he is dead! But now he is back? How is that even possible?" anothermented with disbelief as well. "I need to go see for myself if what they said is true," another added. "What if Lord Dragun decides to take back the leadership from Lord Rowan? Which side will you be on?" one of them asked, causing silence among the group. "Let us just hurry to see for ourselves before jumping to conclusions." With that, the group of elderly men, just like every other group, continued down to their lord''s house. After a few minutes of walking, the group of elderly men finally arrived at their destination but were shocked to see a lot of people gathered, crowding and blocking their views. The men filtered their way through the crowd and found themselves in the front row. Meanwhile, while everyone gathered outside to see the face of Dragun, inside, Dragun was speaking to Brandon and Ri. The room was filled with a tense atmosphere at that moment. A middle-aged Dragun with a huge and muscr build looked at Brandon and Ri with a calm smile on his face. His shoulder-length ck hair fluttered gently as the morning breeze blew, and his blue eyes focused on the two people in front of him. Nevertheless, this new clean look was a miraculous change from his ragged appearance yesterday when the soldiers brought him in¡ªhe was covered in dust, mud, and leaves, which left him stinking harshly. If it wasn''t for the intervention of Brandonst night, he would have remained the same. "Why did you return?" Brandon suddenly asked, a deep frown on his face. Beside him, Ri stood and observed the face of Dragun, the man who had taken her in and cared for her for years, then suddenly disappeared, leaving the vige in chaos. At this moment, she didn''t know how to feel. Hate him or ept him back? The decision was difficult. Dragun chuckled at the question tossed at him. "Why shouldn''t I return?" But Brandon scoffed. "You have the guts to feel so neutral and positive after leaving the vige and everyone in it to suffer? Because of your reckless actions, we became ves and targets to every other vige surrounding us. So many innocent men died trying to clean up your mess while others almost died of starvation. There is so much more damage your reckless actions have done to the vige, so much I can''t even list it all!" Brandonined even more without holding back. He used to be friends with Dragun before he suddenly disappeared. Two months after Dragun disappeared, his friendship with him ended as he realized Dragun had left a mess no one could clean up¡ªat least, till Rowan showed up and miraculously took care of it. The vige was finally getting better and peaceful, and then the deserter of a vige head suddenly returned! For what!? Dragun could only listen to theints of Brandon with the usual calm smile on his face. "I will exin why I left to my son when he returns. For now, I will go greet my people outside," he said. "Your people?" Brandon asked, squinting. "What? Aren''t they my people anymore?" "The people you left to suffer and die because of your recklessness and irresponsibility?" Brandon queried with a re. "Irresponsible? Reckless? Hahaha. I might have left you people without warning but I am neither of those." Dragun replied with the same smile on his face. Brandon observed Dragun and shook his head, refusing to utter any word. He only shook his head and walked out of the room with a deep frown, leaving only Dragun and Ri. Dragun turned to Ri, "Ri, you have grown so much since Ist saw you." But she kept looking at him without responding. Dragun could only sigh. "Why is everyone acting so strange?" he grumbled as he made his way outside. The crowd outside was restless and rowdy, their whispers and grumbles of disbelief creating a noise across the area. As they watched on, they saw a huge figure step out of the house with a smile on his face as he waved at them. Instantly, their eyes widened and their jaws dropped¡ªit was really Dragun! "He is really alive!" "How is this possible?" Some expressed their surprise. "Why is he back after leaving us to rot?" "Why did he find the special milk only after Lord Rowan seeded in taking care of his mess?" "Leave!!" Others expressed their hatred and disgust without holding back. Very soon, the whole ce was covered in chaotic noise. The elderly were both shocked and disgusted at the presence of their irresponsible former vige head. The youth were disgusted at him while the young children only observed him with curiosity¡ªthey all knew about the tales of Dragun Winterseed, the lost Lord, but had never seen him before. Brandon stood at a corner in the crowd and observed the chaos building up against Dragun. He turned to observe the expression on his face. Behold, Dragun still had the same calm smile on as his eyes darted from one face to another. "Why is he still smiling?" Brandon gritted his teeth. On the other hand, Dragun waved at the people once more before speaking, "It is good to see you all after such a long, stressful time." His words fell on the crowd, and they quickly picked them up and threw them back at him, hatefully. "It is not good to see you!" "You are not wee at all!" "Go back to the forest where you belong! Who knows what you''ve been up to? Probably impregnating some innocent monkeys!" "Why are you still standing? Leave!" "Lord Rowan is a far better leader than you will ever be!" At this moment, none of them held back, and it made Brandon smile. ''Yes, show him how much of a loser and irresponsible bastard he is!'' he thought. Even with all the harshments from the people, Dragun''s smile still didn''t wear off; instead, it became brighter and brighter as the noise increased. He continued to strike up conversations with the people even though none of them paid attention to his words. Once he noticed their noise reducing, he would try to speak, resulting in even more aggressive uproars, but those didn''t even seem to break his smile. His unbreaking smile made Brandon and the others wonder if he had suddenly developed some sort of psychological problem or if he had hit his head against a wall before arriving. Dragun observed the rioting crowd for a few more seconds before heaving a loud sigh and muttering to himself, "If only they knew the hell I went through in my six years away from the vige." He gave them one more nonchnt wave before proceeding inside the house with a calm expression on his face. The smile on his face disappeared the moment he was out of sight, reced by a contemtive expression. Brandon observed the back of Dragun for a few seconds before leaving the area with a group of twenty soldiers to the vige square as usual, to prepare for the distribution of food for the day. --- After releasing all their pent-up anger and stress, the vigers left and returned to their various workces. None of them had a single strand of forgiveness in their hearts, as they couldn''t ept Dragun after all he had done. Ri left as well. She gathered thedies learning tailoring under her, and they headed to the vige square where they had been holding their daily sses for the past three days. In the past two days, more than ten out of the thirtydies learning under her had finally grasped the basics of tailoring and be efficient in it. For those who had already mastered the basics, their sewing speed became faster as well as their creativity. Ri also gained her advantages as well from teaching¡ªfirst off, her timidity began lessening the more she conversed with others, and her tailoring skills and creativity also improved. Aside from those, her reputation in the vige also improved, and most of the youngdies began to see her as a role model. Ri was excited with the positive changes happening around her, it made her want to help more around the vige and be useful to Rowan. .... CHECK AUTHOR NOTE! Chapter 81: Opaque reality After the short and aggressive meeting with their former deserter of a lord, the day went by swiftly in Winterseed, and evening quickly arrived. The evening wasn''t anything like the usual quiet and peaceful ones they experienced with Rowan around; their mood had been shattered and broken beyond words. Women, children, and men all walked around the vige with frowns on their faces. Hateful discussions about Dragun spread through the vige like an airborne disease, and even the little children couldn''t help but hate Dragun after seeing how their parents reacted to his return. Brandon strolled around the vige with a few soldiers as they made their way from the southern border to the northern border. He couldn''t help but notice the expressions on their faces. ''Only Lord Rowan can bring back the smiles and happiness in these people,'' Brandon thought to himself as he continued toward the northern border. After the earlier meeting, Brandon had joined the soldiers who guarded the southern border. He stayed and discussed with them all day to relieve the anger boiling up inside him. Now it was time for the evening switch, and he joined the same group heading for the northern border. After a few minutes of walking, they reached the northern border and quickly stationed themselves as usual. Brandon found a nice spot to sit and observed the bushes ahead under thest dull glow of the evening as night quickly approached. As soon as he sat, his mind wandered, pondering the situation of the vige, especially Dragun''s return¡ªhow would Rowan react? Would Dragun try to reim his position? What would be the new trajectory of the vige? Brandon sank deep into his thoughts as evening was engulfed by the darkness of night. "So many footsteps! Can you all hear that?" His wandering thoughts snapped back as one of the soldiers suddenly alerted his colleagues with a shaky voice. At that moment, the sound of heavy, human-like footsteps arrived and spread across the area¡ªthe sound was akin to a powerful army marching towards them, causing the soldiers to brace themselves. "This is not a simple footstep, arge number of soldiers are definitely marching towards us!" Brandon eximed as he stood up, staring ahead with worry evident on his face. "Could it be Lord Rowan?" one of the soldiers asked. "It could be, but the intensity of the footsteps doesn''t sound like something three hundred soldiers can make! It should be more than one thousand!" Brandon said worriedly. The soldiers gulped upon hearing his words and immediately took positions. --- While the soldiers at the border tensed up against an imaginary army of a thousand soldiers, Rowan and his men made their way down to Winterseed. Rowan could be seen riding in front, his eyes shining brightly as he observed his surroundings with a smile on his face. Liara joined him, currently sitting behind with her hands wrapped around his waist for support¡ªher face brimming with smiles as she got ready emotionally to reunite with the people she knew and grew up with. The soldiers marched beside them with calm expressions on their faces. They moved tirelessly thanks to the food supply Rowan distributed among them a few hours ago. "Winterseed is not far anymore! I will get to see the faces of my people after a long time and farm a lot of evolution points from them, haha!" Rowanughed inwardly. It had been almost twenty-four hours since he set out with the soldiers for Winterseed. Due to therge number of people with him, the journey became way longer than expected. But now they were only a few minutes away from the vige, Rowan couldn''t help but be merry inwardly. He pulled the reins and rode his horse faster as he emerged from the forest into the small bushy area. At this moment, he could see the border of his territory closely and the soldiers stationed there. "Finally," he muttered and rode forward. The soldiers behind him marched faster as well, especially the Winterseed soldiers who couldn''t wait to reunite with their families. Rowan could see the soldiers guarding the border breathing heavily with battle-ready expressions on their faces, and only then did he realize it was nighttime and others couldn''t see as clearly as he could. "It is me, Lord Rowan Winterseed!" he yelled in a clear voice to ease the tension among his soldiers. "LORD ROWAN IS BACK!!" the soldiers yelled with great joy as they tossed their weapons on the ground and began jumping around happily. Brandon observed the joyous moment, and a smile quickly appeared on his face. "He did it, he really came back victorious as expected!" he muttered to himself with pride and joy. At that moment, he felt so much joy that tears began dripping from his eyes. "You three, go inform the others to gather at the vige square to wee Lord Rowan!" he turned to the happily dancing soldiers andmanded. The soldiers left immediately withoutint; in fact, they were happy the others would hear the good news from them. The other soldiers kept jumping around merrily while Brandon watched the arrival of Rowan with so much pent-up emotion. Rowan was the first to arrive at the border; he leapt down from his horse quickly and helped Liara down. He then turned to look at the approaching figures of Brandon and the other soldiers. "Rowan!!" Brandon cried out in a loud, emotional voice as he hugged him. "You''ve done it finally; you have taken away the sorrows of the people and brought back our long-lost cherished freedom!" he said amidst the hug. His voice was filled with emotion, like a father congratting his son after a great achievement. Rowan epted the hug with a smile while gazing at the happily approaching soldiers. "Wee back, Lord Rowan!" "Lord Rowan, you are the real savior of Winterseed!" they said one after the other as they approached. The soldiers also went to greet the captains and congratte them on a sessful battle. As they weed the captains, the soldiers couldn''t help but notice the new faces among therge number of soldiers approaching the border. Surprise quickly etched on their faces as they inquired from the captains, who exined the situations briefly. While the soldiers reunited with Rowan and the captains, they didn''t fail to notice the presence of Liara and immediately went to greet her. Liara was all smiles as she reunited with them. "Liara, where are ra and the others?" "Did anything happen to them?" They began asking while weing her. Thankfully, Liara had already heard from Rowan that no one in the vige was currently aware of the presence of ra and the others, so she picked her answers wisely and told them they were okay. At that moment, more soldiers began to gather at the border, and soon it was crowded with arge number of them. However, despite therge crowd, not all the soldiers had arrived yet, as many could still be seen standing in the distance. The atmosphere at the border was exciting but nothingpared to the vige''s. Three soldiers ran through the vige while screaming at the top of their lungs about the arrival of Rowan. Their voices spread across the vige like wildfire; doors flung open instantly as vigers ran out of their houses and began dancing for joy, celebrating their new freedom. Inside one of the huts, rissa, Rnd''s wife, was feeding her baby when the voices of the soldiers reached her. Her eyes widened; she wrapped her baby in soft clothes and rushed out of the hut. She was instantly greeted with streets now filled with vigers celebrating¡ªsome danced, some knelt and thanked their ancestors, while others celebrated with loud voices; the mood was electric. "Gather at the vige square to wee Lord Rowan!" the voices followed immediately. Nevertheless, even without this, the people had already begun their sprints towards the vige square. Ri was up, working on some torn clothes when she heard the voice. Her heart skipped a beat, and she made her way to the vige square. Meanwhile, in Rowan''s ce, Dragun sat on the bed staring at the glowing opaque liquid in the small bottle with a serious expression as his mind recalled numerous dark events. But then, the voices of the soldiers sted from outside, and he realized his son had returned. He didn''t get up from the bed and only smiled wryly and muttered in a proud voice "He really did it, that''s my son." Chapter 82: Opaque reality [ 2 ] Within minutes of Rowan''s arrival, the vige square was filled to the brim with vigers, even though it was nighttime. Several campfires and torches were lit to illuminate the area¡ªnot a single person missed the arrival of their Lord, as it marked the beginning of a new era they couldn''t afford to miss. While the people gathered at the vige square, Rowan approached the meeting house discreetly with the captains and Liara. Parked beside the meeting house was the carriage D''andre had gifted Rowan. "Are you ready to meet them?" Rowan asked Liara with a smile. Liara nodded, but she was a little confused as she observed the carriage, wondering how such a small structure could contain five adult women. It would be ufortably tight for children, let alone adults. Even the captains couldn''t help but question the possibility. Rowan observed their worried and confused expressions and smiled. Walking closer to the carriage, he knocked on the door to inform ra andpany before opening it. Instantly, their faces turned pale with shock as the magnificent interior of the carriage was revealed. Not only was the space inside unbelievably big, it was also very beautiful! They could see decorative lights illuminating the room and big, beautiful,fy beds that looked otherworldly in their beauty. ra and the other women, who were already alerted by Rowan''s knock, stood at the entrance of the carriage with smiles on their faces. However, their expressions froze for a few seconds when they saw Liara, and immediately they ran out to hug her. "Liara, you are alive!" "It is good to see you back, Liara. Tell me, did those bastards do anything to hurt you?" They hugged her and asked so many questions, their voices filled with concern. Liara was overjoyed to be in the embrace of the people she had suffered with in Glenwood. She hugged them tightly, tears of joy streaming down her pretty face. Rowan and the captains observed the emotional reunion with smiles. They let them have their moment. After separating from the hug, ra approached Rowan and hugged him as well. "Thank you for bringing her back and ending the suffering of our people, Rowan." "I simply performed my duty as a lord; no need to thank me," Rowan replied, smiling as he epted the hug. After ra stepped back, the others came and hugged him as well. "It is time to reveal your presence to the people," he said with a smile after epting their hugs. They smiled and nodded before strolling toward the vige square. "Oh wait, appearing to the people in a grand, cool, superhero entrance wouldn''t be bad at all!" he thought and suddenly stopped the others. He suggested they take the carriage and ride toward the vige square in it. While this was mostly unnecessary, the desire to fulfill one of his grandest dreams didn''t stop Rowan from doing it. --- The vige square was still buzzing with discussions and emotions when the loud, angelic neigh of horses echoed across the area, causing the people to tilt their heads backward. They saw the mysterious horse-drawn carriage that had been resting beside the meeting house for a long time approaching them, and they quickly cleared a path for it. The horses pulled the carriage forward at a fast pace, neighing as they moved. The vigers watched the carriage with curious and confused eyes¡ªthey were only aware that it belonged to the mysterious angelic white-haired man, but what was he doing here? The carriage stopped at the raised tform at the front of the vige square. It halted in a position where the door was away from the curious eyes of the people. As they watched, they heard the creaking sound of the carriage''s door opening, and their eyes were almost blinded by the brightly shining light that sted forth from the door. Even though they weren''t facing the door directly, the light''s intensity still amazed them. "What is happening? Who is that? Is it that angelic man?" some of the youngdies whispered among themselves as they recalled the handsome face of D''andre and couldn''t help but blush. If Rowan knew what thesedies were thinking right now, he would definitelyy curses upon D''andre. The curious crowd remained silent and observed. Rowan emerged from behind the carriage, his figure illuminated by the warm glow of torches surrounding the vige square. His presence wasmanding, his gaze steady as he walked toward the lifted tform. Every step he took resonated with purpose, and the vigers felt a surge of anticipation. As he ascended the steps, a profound hush fell over the crowd. The night air became thick with emotion. Faces turned upward, eyes reflecting hope and admiration. Families held hands tightly, children peered from behind their parents, and elders nodded approvingly. Reaching the top of the tform, Rowan stood tall, his silhouette noble against the starlit sky. For a moment, silence reigned. Then, a lone voice thundered, "IT IS LORD ROWAN!" It was followed by another thunderous chant of his name and then another, until the square erupted in a chorus of cheers and apuse. The vigers began chanting his name. "Hail Lord Rowan the blessed, the conqueror, and the greatest freedom fighter!" The chants thundered across the ce, and the emotions of the people intensified. Some of them stared at Rowan with their hands and heads lifted, tears dripping from their eyes. Rowan observed with a calm smile on his face as he enjoyed the emotional moments. [ All your vigers look at you with brilliantly shining eyes ] [ All your vigers are emotional ] [ Your followers see you as the ray of hope ] [ You have broken your former record and obtained a new achievement for controlling the emotions of 4000+ people with your hard work; 40,000 evolution points have been rewarded ] [ 100x rewards activated | 4,000,000 evolution points have been rewarded ] As the emotions poured out from the people, so did Rowan''s rewards. The smile on Rowan''s face brightened as he began waving at the people. At a lonely corner of the crowd, Dragun observed Rowan with a proud smile on his face. Chapter 83: Opaque reality [ 3 ] Rowan''s n worked perfectly; not only did heplete one of his earthly goals in a grand style, but the amount of evolution points he gained from it was just too rewarding, making him smile. Nevertheless, enjoying their reaction as best as he could, he finally announced his victory and the major developments that took ce in Glenwood. He shared stories about the war, how the evil Lord of Glenwood died at his hands, how he subdued the army, and how he made the people his followers. His tales were impressive, and even Dragun couldn''t help but gasp while listening to his son''s achievements¡ªit was just too much for someone who wasn''t even neen yet. ''When I was his age, my only goal was leaving the vige as soon as I could to explore the world outside, but here he is conquering kingdoms and gathering followers. If his mother were alive, she would be very proud,'' he thought with a smile. ''But this peace¡ªhow long will itst? How long will he be able to keep the vige unaware of the horrors and magnificent discoveries? Should I tell him now?'' he asked himself as he fell into deep thought, recalling several dark scenes that he shook his head to forget. ''I will wait for a perfect time to tell him,'' he concluded inwardly, folding his hands and leaning on the fence to hear his son''s emotional speech. Rowan, still unaware of his father''s arrival, continued speaking as usual. After sharing the story of his war, he brought the women onto the stage, and the crowd was ecstatic. Bruce''s wife ran out of the crowd to embrace Liara, her little sister, while weeping. The families of the otherdies, except ra, came to wee them. ra stood in a corner and observed the scene with a faint smile as she had no family to wee her¡ªbut she didn''t harbor a single bit of jealousy against her friends. As she gazed upon the jubting crowds, two elderly women and a few middle-aged women went to hug her. "ra, my heart goes out to you! Your father and grandfather died protecting us from those evil night creatures, but they never gave up on you. They knew you would return one day," one of the elderlydies consoled her amidst the hug. Hearing their stories, ra burst into tears and hugged them tightly. She had been holding it all back since the beginning, but now she couldn''t anymore. The women did their best to console her, even inviting her to their home to eat after tonight''s event. After thedies were introduced, the captains came up as well, and the crowd erupted as usual¡ªhappy that none of the captains had died. The news about Oliver''s betrayal had already spread like wildfire across the territory, so no one actually considered his absence. Rowan gave everyone a chance to receive proper wees from the people, including the soldiers. After all this was done, he began announcing his ns. "After my victory over Glenwood, I was able to obtain a lot of interesting resources that will aid our vige¡ªwe willmence the reconstruction of the houses tomorrow, open the rivers that those bastards locked from us, grow more crops, make more clothes, and construct wonderful machinery. Our vige will experience a lot of supernatural growth!" he announced. "Yeah! Long live Lord Rowan of Winterseed!" "Long live the blessed and the conqueror!" They chanted. Rowan gazed upon the crowds, and his eyesnded on Ri standing in the midst, looking up at him with affection. "Also today, I will fulfill my promise to my wonderful friend and fianc¨¦." Rowan smiled. His voice caused the crowd to turn silent for a few seconds and then erupt into whispers. Ri looked at Rowan with a flushed face. Dragun''s face froze immediately. "What the¡ªhow is he getting married so soon? I didn''t even think about marriage until I was 25!" But Rowan continued, "She will be my firstpanion on my path to bing the greatest lord to grace this world with his magnificent presence and the strongest there will ever be. Please, everyone, give a round of apuse for Ri!" His voice was like a bomb that exploded through the crowd, even though they already expected both of them to be a couple! Brandon, who was standing not too far away from Ri, was all smiles to see Rowan growing faster than expected¡ªalready taking a wife at such an age was amazing, especially with a woman he cherished and wasn''t forced to marry like most of the previous lords of Winterseed. As for Dragun, who had missed a lot of time from his son''s life, his face remained frozen, finding it difficult to understand how his son had be so mature. "Probably because I forced him to grow up too soon by being a scumbag dad," he sighed. Some of the youngdies in the crowd, especially those learning tailoring under her, approached her and assisted her to the raised tform, while others gave a thunderous round of apuse. ra and the other women were all smiles, clearly happy for Ri¡ªto them, she had be the luckiest of all the women in the vige to be married to Rowan. Ri finally climbed up and stared at Rowan with affection in her eyes. Rowan walked to her, grabbed her hands, and walked to the middle of the tform facing the people. Brandon watched with a smile. He looked across the crowd, saw some soldiers around them, and sent them to get Dragun, who was at the back of the crowd. "Dragun?" the soldier asked, as he wasn''t aware of his arrival. "Oh, you guys haven''t been informed yet, my bad. He is back and waiting at the back of the crowd. Even though I detest him with all the fiber in me, I do not want him to miss such an exciting and life-changing day in his son''s life," Brandon sighed. The soldier stated to Brandon, totally shocked, before rushing to get Dragun. The crowd was still cheering while Rowan and his wife-to-be stood and watched with smiles. Nevertheless, as they stood there, suddenly, a familiar face began strolling towards them. They were able to notice it thanks to the crowd moving away. All the captains froze in shock and anger. Ri wore a quick frown on her face, and even ra and the others wore the same expression. When Rowan saw the figure, a quick memory fragment was triggered, and he quickly recognized Dragun¡ªthe father of the original ''Rowan Winterseed'' in this world. "What the¡ª!" Rowan''s eyes quickly formed into a frown. As his interrogation skill quickly activated, [ Name: Dragun Winterseed ] [ upation: Wanderer ] [ Power - D-rank ] [ Special Skill(S): Special Scout Grandmaster (B), Magic Researcher (D) ] [ Status: Proud and excited ] Rowan observed Dragun''s stats and his expression, while his eyes squinted in anger. He couldn''t help but recall scumbag dads on earth who leave to buy milk and only return when their kids get sessful. Rowan had just made a sessful name for himself and defeated a powerful vige, which could be considered a great achievement. The crowd observed Dragun from the back with sincere hatred and disgust in their eyes. Rowan could even feel the cold gaze from Ri. Just as everyone had discovered, Dragun''s smile never ceased. He stretched his hands out as he got closer and proudly said, "You have grown so much, Rowan. You achieved everything I couldn''t even think of aplishing. I am very proud of you, son." His words fell on the crowd. Rowan''s face remained with a frown. "What are you doing back in Winterseed after leaving everyone to die and your 12-year-old son to take care of your responsibilities!" Rowan thundered furiously¡ªhe hated scumbag dads from a young age. He hated men who would leave their sons to suffer the harsh world without fathers the most. Why? Because he had one back on earth. Rowan''s earthly father left the day he was born. His earthly mother ran away after two years and left him in a run-down orphanage to grow. But why hasn''t this sad backstory been addressed yet? Many might wonder. But Rowan has long buried this sad backstory deep within him¡ªhe never let the carnal mistakes of his parents ruin his life, and when he became rich, he totally forgot about his parents. Nevertheless, seeing Dragun, who reminded him a lot of his earthly father, immediately pissed him off. The vigers backed him up and stormed Dragun with a lot of angry questions, but the man wasn''t fazed. Even when some angry youths threw rocks at him, he took it as if it were nothing and went up to Rowan. "This is not how I taught you to wee a family member, Rowan," he replied. His words pissed Rowan even more. "Leave the vige right now!" He thundered, dragging out his swords from his inventory and pointing them at Dragun''s face. But this simple action made Dragun eyes widen at once, "Dimensional magic!!" Chapter 84: Opaque reality [ 4 ] Dragun observed the astonishing phenomenon as Rowan drew his sword out of nowhere. His eyes widened, and he eximed, "Dimensional magic!" He nced at Rowan, squinting his eyes as a frown appeared on his face; he was visibly confused. ''There is no mana in him, yet he can use dimensional magic?!'' he thought incredulously. ''Also, why is no one reacting to this?'' His frown deepened. If the people didn''t react to a sword popping out of thin air, then it could only mean they had seen such before¡ªor perhaps even more than that. Nevertheless, while Dragun mulled over these thoughts, considering all the pointsid bare before him, Rowan continued to point his sword at him. "What are you still waiting for? Leave Winterseed now!" Rowan barked again, his rage intensifying. Dragun snapped out of his thoughts and regarded him. ''I will ask him about all thister. For now, I need to mend my rtionship with my son! I''ve been a bad father,'' he sighed inwardly. "Rowan, I didn''t leave the vige because I wanted to, but because I had to," Dragun said, his voice tinged with emotion. "During my time away, I made many important discoveries and improvements. Of course, no one will understand the significance of my actions until a few years from now. But when they do, they''ll see it was all for the greater good¡ªfor your good as well, son." But his words failed to sway Rowan. He knew too well that scumbag fathers often tried to manipte their sons with emotional words, but he had long developed a defense against it. "Do you really think all that would work on me?" he asked with a frown. Dragun remained silent, unsure how to respond. "Just let him off the hook for tonight, Rowan." As Rowan red at Dragun, a calm voice came from behind: Brandon. Rowan turned to face him, still frowning. Brandon continued, "Today is a special day for you, and it would be better with your father''s presence. I know how much you hate him right now, but trust me¡ªyou need him." Brandon gave a few reasons why, some including cultural beliefs and his own experience in marriage. Rowan listened to him and, after a few minutes, agreed¡ªbut he didn''t forgive Dragun. He merely let him off the hook because of Brandon and because he knew he couldn''t really defeat him if they were to engage in battle. But why engage in the beginning despite the power gap? Well, it''s simple: what Dragun desired most at this moment was eptance from his people, and that desire would vanish the moment he hurt Rowan. Also, Rowan could tell from his status screen that Dragun was sincere in his words and emotions. "Fine..." Rowan sighed. "I won''t let your presence ruin my wedding." He ced his sword back into his inventory, shocking Dragun once more. Dragun smiled calmly and nodded. He then walked up to Ri and gently asked for her hands. She didn''t refuse and ced her hands in his. He held her hands and brought her close to Rowan, positioning them to face each other like newlywed couples do, then he began his marriage blessing prayers. The crowd had already be silent; they watched the emotional moment unfolding on the stage with smiles. Some still couldn''t hide their disgust for Dragun''s presence, though. Rowan and Ri held hands and stared at each other lovingly as the marriage rite went on. "With my divine authority as a father and a lord who has served Winterseed, I pronounce you two, husband and wife!" Dragun concluded his prayers with a loud voice. "Congrattions, Lord Rowan!" Immediately, the crowd erupted with rounds of apuse and cheers. Rowan stared into Ri''s lovely eyes while several notifications popped up. [ Your new soldiers wish you a happy wedding life ] [ One of your soldiers prays your balls never run dry ] [ One of your soldiers prays you receive heavenly stamina ] [ Your soldiers pray for strength and long life ] [ Your vigers are delighted with your new rtionship and wish you well ] Several notifications were triggered. As usual, most of them were nice and heartwarming, while others made Rowan want to seek out the person wishing him such weird things and kick their butt. Nevertheless, he was d there were no details of someone trying to kill him¡ªit filled him with relief. The cheers of the people continued and filled the area with a lively atmosphere, different from the hateful one a few moments ago. Dragun smiled and nodded at Rowan before walking down the raised tform. He couldn''t let the hateful gazes of the people ruin his son''s special day. Now left alone, Rowan smirked at the blushing Ri and wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her close as he brought his lips to hers and nted a deep kiss. Ri reciprocated, and soon the couple was engulfed in the heated moment, causing a wave of jealousy and happiness from the crowd. The cheers became louder as a result. Rowan didn''t mind and continued enjoying her lips in public, dering her as his own. Rnd and the other captains watched with proud grins while ra and her sisters were all smiles. As Rowan kissed, he suddenly received a notification. [ You have obtained a Wife (Ri Vincred) ] [ Starting now, you can ess deeper information about your WIFE, which includes interpreting her thoughts and understanding her goals ] [ You can now share certain skills with your WIFE ] ''Oh, there is something like this?'' Rowan was amused and excited at the same time with the new information. With this, he could make Ri strong and establish her as the greatest thread master to ever exist. ''If I am going to be the greatest Lord, then my wives would also be the greatest in whatever they do! Kings do not marry peasants!'' Rowan thought with pride as he made the kiss even deeper. After enjoying the kiss for another minute, he pulled back and smiled at Ri. His hands still wrapped around her waist, he drew her close once more. "To celebrate my victory and my wedding, I dere a feast tonight and a holiday for everyone tomorrow!" he announced. The crowd erupted in cheers as usual. Rowan received a few evolution points as a reward for the people''s gratitude concerning the holiday tomorrow¡ªit made him realize that even though people cherish their work, a work-free day would still make them happy. To make the celebration better, Rowan brought out the best food supply he had in his inventory and distributed it to the cooks to prepare for everyone. He also brought out two big barrels of wine he had brought from Glenwood. The vige square became busy as the women began preparing delicious dishes with the food supplies. Just about twenty minutes after distribution, the whole ce was already filled with the sweet aroma that made everyone drool subconsciously. The men didn''t sit back this time; they helped as best they could to make the work faster. In the vige square, a lot of fireces could be seen; there were either big pots over them orrge cuts of meat being roasted. Everyone was busy and happy, including the children. While this went on, Rowan spoke to the captains and then went on to his room with Ri. The captains looked at Rowan''s back with proud smirks as he strolled out of the vige square, hand wrapped around his woman intimately. "This guy is tough. I couldn''t talk to my crush when I was his age, but here he is going to do the real thing!" Brucemented, causing the other captains to look at him with puzzled gazes. "I would be embarrassed to admit that," Bryce responded with a loudugh, and the others joined in. The people were so busy and happy that they didn''t even notice that Rowan and Ri has left. As well as Dragun who went towards a different direction. --- It was a distantnd far away from Winterseed, where the atmosphere was the exact contrast to the current exciting one in Winterseed. It was still nighttime, but the sky was without a moon. Thend beneath was covered in thick fog, but if one looked deeper, they would be able to see the buildings wrapped in the fog¡ªthey were tall and built uniquely, made with hard and fine materials that made them stand out. Nevertheless, in this ce, the streets were deserted. The metallic smell of rotten blood drifted across with the fog. The sounds of scavenger animals and insects feeding on corpses could be heard across thend. At that moment, two figures dressed in dark clothing could be seen strolling through the foggy, chaotic ce with calm expressions on their faces. One of them observed the corpses, destroyed buildings, and every other chaotic scene without a single reaction, while the other wore a deep frown. "This... we shouldn''t have let that bastard Dragun escape!" the silent one suddenly gritted his teeth and said with deep hatred. Chapter 85: **Opaque reality [ 5 ] It was still nighttime in Winterseed. Rowan could be seen sitting on his bed with a pondering and somewhat pissed-off expression on his face as he recalled the event with Dragun. While he hated Dragun for his reckless actions, Rowan couldn''t help but rethink his words. "What sort of discovery is he talking about, and how would that really affect us?" Rowan pondered. Back then on the stage, he could tell that Dragun wasn''t bullshitting. All his words were genuine, from his apology down to the talk about discoveries. Ever since Rowan left the vige square, his mind hadn''t stopped resurfacing those words. He couldn''t help but wonder what sort of discovery Dragun had and how it would affect the vige¡ªWas it some pending chaos or maybe a treasure cave? Rowan was curious to find out. As his thoughts ran wild, the door to his room opened, and a freshened-up Ri walked in dressed in a short brown dress. Her hands were folded in front of her as she looked at Rowan with timidity and love. "At least, having sex with Ri would make me forget about this shit right now and clear my mind for the tasks ahead," Rowan sighed inwardly as he stood up and smiled at her. Ri closed the door behind her and began walking towards Rowan, who was already making his way towards her, his eyes moving up and down her body, observing her beauty. "You look so beautiful in this short gown that I can''t help but take it off and devour the lovely creature the gown is covering," Rowan muttered lovingly as he wrapped his hands around her and imed her lip in a loving kiss. Ri reciprocated his kiss; this time she was much more experienced, wrapping her hands around his head and smooching his lips with her eyes closed. The kiss she gave him was far better than the one at the vige square. As they endured the intimate kiss, Rowan ran his hands toward her behind and grabbed her bouncy ass, causing her body to freeze as she quickly ended the kiss and murmured his name softly. Just now, she felt something she hadn''t felt before. "Was I too rough? Don''t worry, I''ll be gentle," Rowan smirked as he squeezed her ass even more, causing her to let out a muffled moan. She immediately moved her hands to cover her mouth innocently, looking into Rowan''s eyes. Rowan only smiled at her innocence and kissed her again before moving his hands toward her boobs and ying with them. He kneaded her nice and sexy B-cup breasts, causing her to moan even louder despite her hands covering her mouth. Rowan grabbed her left, erect nipple and yed with it as well. His actions sent electrifying sensations shooting toward Ri''s brain, causing her to moan even louder. The feeling became so intense that she shut her eyes to enjoy all of it. On the other hand, Rowan was all smiles as he explored her body. He could already feel the wetness in herher region. He moved his hands down gently from her boobs to herher region and rubbed it softly. "Ummm~" Ri''s muffled moans became louder. She removed one hand from her mouth and blocked herher region defensively. "Come on, it belongs to me." Rowan chuckled as he pushed her hands aside. "But... I-it feels strange!" she muttered shyly. "It feels good, not strange. You do not understand these sensations now because you are new to it, but that''s all good. I will teach you to love and appreciate it, alright?" She nodded, and Rowan continued. "Umm~" "Umm~" Ri''s muffled moan drifted across the room softly alongside the crackling noise of the firece and the calm night breeze. After a few minutes of exploring her body, Rowan lifted her up and ced her on the bed. Riy on the bed and stared at him with her loving and innocent eyes, giving Rowan the strange urge to devour her without mercy like a beast. Rowan smiled and leaned his body in for a kiss while taking off her gown. Ri initially tried resisting, but he overpowered her and removed her gown, revealing her white underwear. Rowan then proceeded to take them off slowly before removing his lips from hers to take a proper view of her naked body¡ªHer skin was clear and smooth without any blemish, her boobs were the perfect size, and her healthy pink nipples stood erect. Her hourss shape and neatly shavedher region added to her allure. Just observing her figure made his little brother twitch with excitement. Ri tried to cover herher region and face from embarrassment, but it was toote. Rowan took her hands off and began kissing her hungrily while his hands slid to herher region. As he rubbed gently against it, her body began to twitch and squeeze on the bed. She found it difficult to even maintain the kiss as she began moaning. Her slender hands grabbed the sheet of the bed for support as she twitched on the bed. She bit her lip to lower the moan. Rowan observed her reaction with a proud smirk, proud of his technique¡ªBack on earth, many celebrities used to disturb his DMs daily, begging for a second time! He kissed her flushed cheeks gently before moving his head down to herher region, sniffing it. "Your little sister down here is ready to go, Ri," he lifted his head to tease her. Ri quickly moved her hands toward his head to try and push him away. "D-don''t sniff it... it''s nasty," she let out in a low tone. Rowan held her slender hands and pushed her back to lie down first on the bed before sniffing it again. "Who says it''s nasty, Ri? It smells so good and fresh." Before Ri could reply, Rowan brought his finger and prated her tight region with it. Ri''s eyes widened, and her body froze. "How does it feel?" he asked. "It feels good... I want more~" she replied. Rowan only smirked and continued with his fingering, starting gently and slowly increasing the pace gradually. As he increased his pace, he could feel her hymen tissue preventing him from going deeper, but this only made him smile and promise himself to break the hymen with his dragon! He continued with his finger action for about five minutes before Ri finally orgasmed and released her first love juice. Ri was breathing fast, her face sweating profusely after experiencing her first orgasm. She looked at Rowan with lovely eyes while Rowan smirked at her and said, "Now it''s your turn." Chapter 86: Opaque reality [ 6 ] It was almost midnight, and the vige square remained lively with the excitement of the people. At this moment, the cooks had already finished cooking, and everyone was currently eating their fill¡ªeveryone formedrge circles and ate together. Most could be seen eatingrge portions of meat, some taking generous gulps of wine, and others scooping up the delicious soup. Children ran around the ce as usual, making it even more lively. In some areas, groups of young men, including soldiers, formedrge circles around campfires, while beautiful women moved their bodies flexibly, exhibiting their wonderful dance steps. ps,ughter, and discussions echoed continuously across the vige square. Meanwhile, not so far away from the vige square, Dragun could be seen sitting beside the meeting hall with a solemn expression on his face. He sat on arge rock ced beside the house. In his head, several dark scenes resurfaced, torturing him mentally. In one of the scenes, both Dragun and three other men could be seen kneeling with their hands and feet bound in chains. Soon, two powerful-looking men radiating dark and evil auras walked towards them, one of them holding a long and sharp scythe like the Grim Reaper. The scene quickly fast-forwarded to Dragun and the men kneeling, desperately pleading for their lives and seeking escape. They struggled to free themselves from the chains; one cried with tears and snot dripping from his facial orifices, pleading with all the strength he had in him¡ªbut their struggle was fruitless. The two men onlyughed at their struggles. The one holding the scythe even began swinging it to make them feel even more threatened¡ªthe crying man even had a heart attack on the spot. The men didn''t seem to care at all. The scene then fast-forwarded again, now showing the two men beside Dragun dead. Dragun could be seen staring at the corpses with fright, sadness, and anger for the men who killed them¡ªthe two deceased men were his friends. They had been through hell together but never even got to enjoy the fruits of their hellish journey before dying. Dragun quickly turned his head to the two men in front of him, with deep anger and hatred radiating from his eyes, his teeth gritting angrily. But his angry and fierce look turned timid and horrified when one of them brought out a strange and terrifying centipede-like creature from his pocket and brought it close to Dragun''s face while Dragun tried his best to move away, even screaming for nonexistent help. As thisst scene appeared, Dragun clenched his fist, and his teeth gnashed uncontrobly¡ªhe quickly stopped himself from rethinking those moments over again. He let out a loud and heavy sigh, "Night has gradually be a torturous part of the day for me because of those evil scumbags!" he eximed hatefully, clenching his fist. "I can''t sleep properly because of them at night, and even in the bright hours of the day, I can''t rx because all I see and recall is the ugly and hateful face of those... those fuckers!" Dragun kept speaking to himself with a lot of anger. After muttering to himself for a few minutes, his eyes turned red, and tears dropped as he recalled the number of friends he had made and lost during his journey¡ªall at the hands of some evil, powerful bastards! "I can''t even think of their names anymore! Simply thinking of mentioning their names could bring destruction upon these people," Dragun sighed. He had a lot to tell others, but it would only bring their destruction¡ªDragun preferred to keep everything inside and try to work everything out himself. ---- While the night continued blissfully in the vige square and solemnly with Dragun, Rowan and Ri engaged in the physical manifestation of their love and lust for each other. Ri could be seen looking at Rowan with worried eyes after hearing his words. "W-What should I do to make you feel good," she muttered in a low and embarrassed tone, still feeling the blissful sensation of pleasure from her flower cage, which remained hungry for more. Rowan looked at Ri and smirked¡ªit was an unwritten tradition in Winterseed for the youth to learn about the practices and methods of making babies from their parents. Sadly, Ri had none, and she was so inexperienced in that topic. She had only heard a few rumors about how it feels to have sex from her very few friends, but never ''how to have sex.'' Hearing her question, Rowan couldn''t help but want to hear how she would make him feel good if she knew nothing about sex. "You tell me, Ri. Remember, you didn''t instruct me on how to make you feel good." Ri looked at Rowan with an embarrassed look on her face as she recalled their activity earlier¡ªthe sensation, her body movements, and the weird sounds she made during the process, especially when she orgasmed. She now desired nothing but to dig a hole and hide her face at this moment. "Come on, don''t keep me waiting. I want to feel good too!" Rowan hurried her with a smirk. "Tell me how you n to make me feel good, Ri!" Ri thought about her answers for a few seconds before shyly pointing at Rowan''s backside and chest. "I-I will follow your steps, Rowan," she said softly. Rowan''s face turned pale immediately, and his expression ashened. ''Being inexperienced has its own disadvantages sometimes¡ªwhy the heck would she want to squeeze my peerless, powerful ass!'' Rowan couldn''t believe that Ri would suggest such a thing. Ri observed his reaction and immediately felt bad, she didn''t even understand what she did wrong to make Rowan react that way. Before she could even apologize, a smirk appeared on Rowan''s face, and he looked at her with a cunning expression¡ªRi had only seen this sort of expression a few times and knew it wouldn''t end well for her. "Ri, darling, squeezing a man''s ass does not make him feel good!!" Chapter 87: **Opaque reality [ 7 ] "Ri, darling, squeezing a man''s ass doesn''t exactly make him feel good," Rowan said with a smirk. "H-how can I make you feel good?" she asked curiously, her eyes wide with innocence. "So many ways, Ri, so many ways," Rowan repeated, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You see, the gods are really partial. You women have at least five pleasurable body parts, while we men are left with just one. Nevertheless, to our advantage, there are countless ways that one part can be pleasured..." Rowan began, as though he were tutoring a highly advanced ss in sexual education. He went on for about two minutes, poetically describing the art of lovemaking to his beloved wife. Then he delved into the theory of the simplest way to pleasure a man''s most intimate part. "Handjob?" Ri repeated his words, tilting her head slightly. Rowan nodded as he loosened his drawstrings, allowing his pants to slide down and reveal his already gant and erect nine-inch dragon, which stood proudly. Ri''s eyes widened at the sight of the impressive member before her. She quickly recalled the descriptions her friends had given about their lovers'' penises, but those sizes were nothingpared to the one in front of her. She felt a stirring deep within her, a hungry twitch in her most intimate ce, though she couldn''t quite exin the feeling. Rowan smirked, enjoying her amazed reaction to his size. Ri, on the other hand, lifted her upper body from the bed so that her face was just a few inches away from Rowan''s erect dragon. She swallowed nervously. Rowan didn''t waste any time; his arousal was evident and ready to be pleasured. He instructed Ri on how to perform the "handjob." Inexperienced, Ri brought her slender hand close to his shaft and gripped it softly, feeling the heat and hardness beneath her fingers. She began moving her hand in the pattern Rowan had instructed. Rowan felt the movement of her hands and smiled. Although it was amateurish, it was still very pleasurable. "This is the simplest method, and its impact is minimal. So let''s move on to the upgraded version. Kneel," he directed. Ri looked up at Rowan, a hint of confusion in her eyes. But she didn''t protest and knelt as instructed, determined to make him feel good. She thought that if she pleased him, Rowan would reward her by satisfying her again. "ce it in your mouth," Rowan instructed, his voice soft yetmanding. "M-my mouth?" Ri shivered slightly at the suggestion. "Yes," Rowan nodded. Then he suddenly recalled some amusing posts he had seen online back then about men getting hurt by inexperienced partners and quickly added in a cautious voice, "But whatever you do, don''t bite it!" Ri nodded earnestly and slowly brought his length towards her mouth, a shy blush spreading across her face. Rowan felt the wet warmth of her tongue at once. He looked down to see her gazing up at him with cute and curious eyes. The pose she held as she knelt, her sexy curves entuated, while her mouth wrapped softly around his shaft, made Rowan feel even more aroused. His member couldn''t help but twitch in her mouth. He gave her instructions on how to give him the most satisfying experience, and she began immediately. Soon, the room was filled with lewd, sloppy sounds as Ri pleasured Rowan with her mouth. Her hands moved as Rowan had instructed, and she took in half of his length with each motion. Rowan held her hair and gently pulled her closer to him, guiding more than five inches into her mouth as he relished the wetness and warmth, the pleasurable sensations overwhelming him. Ri''s eyes became a little teary and slightly unfocused as his length pressed against her throat. Rowan grinned at her and continued, gently guiding her movements with his hands. Ri felt his fingers entwined in her hair, his touch both firm and tender. She began to adjust her pace, bing more attuned to his reactions. Her tongue explored his length with growing confidence, and she noticed the subtle ways his body responded to her touch. "That''s it," Rowan murmured appreciatively. "You''re doing wonderfully." Encouraged by his words, Ri wrapped her free hand around the base of his shaft, synchronizing her movements. She experimented with different rhythms, watching his expressions closely. Each soft moan and sharp inhale from Rowan told her she was on the right path. The warmth and wetness of her mouthbined with the delicate strokes of her hand sent waves of pleasure coursing through him. His breathing deepened, and he could feel the tension building within. Ri''s innocent curiosity and eagerness to please only heightened the experience. "Just like that," Rowan whispered, his voiceced with desire. He could barely contain himself as she continued, her eyes asionally flicking up to meet his and her cute and lewd expression only drew him close to climaxing. Ri felt a sense of pride and excitement. She wanted to make him feel as good as he had made her feel earlier. She increased her pace slightly, her movements bing more fluid and natural. The taste and feel of him were bing familiar, and she relished the control she had over his pleasure just as Rowan did over hers. Her actions made Rowan understand her character better ¡ª she is timid but once she is certain she is doing well, her confidence boosts uncontrobly. ''She is perfect!'' Rowan thought as he pulled her head closer and thrust his dragon, his eyes shutting gently as he enjoyed the feeling. Seeing his reaction, Ri focused all her attention on making him cum. She applied gentle suction, her tongue swirling around the sensitive tip before taking him deeper again. Her hand moved steadily,plementing the motions of her mouth. Rowan was a bit shocked by the new electrifying sensation of her tongue moving against his dragon. "Ri..." Rowan called out her name lovingly, feeling himself nearing the peak of pleasure. Sensing his impending climax, Ri intensified her efforts. Her tongue moved with newfound confidence, and her hand maintained a steady rhythm. Thebination of her warm mouth and the tender way she gazed up at him sent Rowan over the edge. With a deep groan, he surrendered to the overwhelming sensation. Waves of ecstasy coursed through him as he reached his release. He quickly instructed Ri to move her face away as love juice burst out of dragon, the sticky white love juice poured on Ri breast, a bit of it reached her cheeks. The feeling was heavenly as this was actually the first time the Rowan of this world has experienced it! As Rowan breathing slowed and the tension left his body, Ri pulled back with a satisfied smile. She wiped her lips subtly, her eyes shining with pride and affection. "Did I do well?" she asked softly, her cheeks flushed with curiosity and delight. Rowan looked down at her with a mix of adoration and amazement. "You were incredible," he replied sincerely, helping her to her feet. He pulled her into a warm embrace, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "I couldn''t have asked for more." She nestled against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. "I''m d," she whispered. "I wanted to make you feel as good as you make me feel." "That is good of you! I will reward you for that." Rowan smiled. Ri felt ecstatic following his words. She couldn''t even reply before Rowan lifted her and ced on the bed. Soon the room was filled with the lewd sound of Ri moaning. Both of them engaged in intimate forey for about an hour ¡ª Rowan made it as slow-paced and romantic as he could, he explored her body as best as he could and made her orgasm thrice in three hours. Nevertheless, despite their lengthy session, Rowan didn''t engage in the main sexual intercourse and kept her pleading for it. The session ended and Ri fell asleep on Rowan''s shoulder with a satisfied smile on her face. Rowany on the bed facing the ceiling with a proud and satisfied smile on his face. He felt a lot better and calmer now after the intimate session. He opened his inventory for a few seconds and observed all the rewards waiting for him to collect them ¡ª The territory box, wheel tickets and every other reward made him smile profusely. Rowan slept off while observing the rewards, smile still etched on his face ¡ª tomorrow was a new day and he couldn''t wait to unlock his rewards and develop his vige! Chapter 88: Opaque reality [ 8 ] Rowan woke up quitete; Ri was still sleeping peacefully beside him. He observed her lovely figure with a calm smile on his face before proceeding to perform some push-ups and sit-ups to strengthen his bones a little bit. Afterwards, he went into the bathroom, had his bath, changed into a new set of clothes, and strolled out of the house. It was around 7 a.m., and people were already outside their homes, doing some simple morning chores. Since Rowan had dered today a holiday to celebrate his victory and wedding, no one went to the farm, and only a few soldiers went to guard the border. "Lord Rowan, you look so awesome this morning!" "Good morning, Lord Rowan! How was your night?" They greeted him with smiles on their faces. Rowan responded to all the greetings casually. Usually, when he got up for the day, most of the people were either on their farms working or busy with other tasks, and they didn''t have the luxury of sharing greetings in the morning. Some of the young men couldn''t stop looking at Rowan with admiration in their eyes, while the youngdies gave him bright smiles. "Lord Rowan, can we see your divine pet?" some of the youngdies approached him and requested with curious eyes. The stories about ze had long spread across the vige, but no one had actually set their eyes on him. "No problem," Rowan smiled and called ze out of the Divine Beast in. ze appeared out of the portal as usual andnded beside Rowan. ze was now more than one foot tall and reached Rowan''s knee when standing on all fours. Its fur had be smoother, and its color was even more brilliant; there was still a warm aura radiating from it. Its eyes now shone with a little maturity and mischief as it gazed at the beautifuldies looking at him with bright expressions. ---- [ BLAZE ] - Race: Ashfire Wolf - Foundation Realm (Peak-stage - 89%) - Unlocked Skills: Fireball (Lv 3), me Synchronization (Lv 1) Cooldown time of Fireball has decreased from 5 mins to 30 seconds! Your pet has had a minor breakthrough and is on the verge of having a major breakthrough. NOTE: Major breakthrough requires arge boost of mana. ---- Rowan had been so busy that he missed a lot of ze''s development. Thus, seeing the messages following its stats made him even more surprised and proud of his mischievous pet. Thedies had already drawn closer and were patting ze''s smooth fur while it let out cute sounds that made them giggle. Rowan watched with a slight frown on his face; ze had already matured but still acted like a puppy in the presence of beautifuldies. Nevertheless, he didn''t spoil the fun and let thedies y with it for a few minutes before calling ze to his side and waving thedies goodbye. They waved back at him cheerfully and wished him a good day before walking in a separate direction. ''You little mischievous brat, you have grown so much. I am proud of you,'' Rowanmunicated telepathically as he squatted and tried to pat ze, but it swiftly moved away from him. The speed at which ze evaded surprised Rowan. [''I need monster cores, lots of them,''] ze suddenly requested. ''Hmm, you want to go for the major breakthrough so soon?'' Rowan asked with a frown. [''Yes, I want to be stronger. I don''t want to pee myself like that day with those ugly rat bastards!''] ze replied. ze walked beside Rowan as they made their way to the southern part of the vige where Rowan nned to begin his reconstruction of the building and utilize the blueprints he obtained from D''andre. When others observed, they only saw their lord and his divine pet strolling; they couldn''t tell they were having a serious discussion. ''Haha, I can still remember your scared face that day. You were so terrified, you couldn''t let go of me...'' Rowan teased. ze growled angrily at him in response. Both of them continued on their way while discussing amongst themselves. They agreed on a time for ze to try his first major breakthrough. Rowan was a bit proud that his pet had its own motivation to be stronger and wasn''t just getting stronger because it had to; this would create a stronger will within it. As they strolled towards their destination, some of the Glenwood soldiers approached Rowan, greeted him, and volunteered to escort him. Of course, Rowan didn''t have a problem with that. In fact, he needed a few hands to carry out certain tasks over there. He also met Brandon on his way, and Brandon joined the small group. After a few minutes of strolling, they finally arrived at the farm area where a small hill of wood could be seen, reaching an admirable height. The Glenwood soldiers were a little amazed by therge number of wood. However, if they learned that it only took Rowan and his soldiers two days, they would be very surprised. "Sigh, because of the war and all that, we didn''t have enough time to build the guard houses we discussed," Rowan muttered with a sigh as he observed it. "It was for the best that we focused on the war instead. If not, who knows what would have be the fate of our people?" Brandon tapped him on the shoulder and said. Rowan nodded. "We need to start building the guard houses and reconstructing the destroyed houses as soon as we can. We have more people in the vige than usual, and they need a ce to stay," he said afterwards. The soldiers beside him couldn''t help but agree. Rowan already had ns to expand his territory by clearing the bushes and forests surrounding it, but that would be after he was done with the tasks inside the vige. One shouldn''t forget that Rowan was no longer the vige head of a single vige but two, which meant he had to think about evolving both. It was a difficult task, but Rowan already had a lot of experience from ying the game back on Earth. Rowan didn''t waste any time at all and instructed the soldiers to begin carrying some of the wood to the locations where they would be needing it. The soldiers didn''tin and got into action instantly. They carried the wood from the farm to the border. Brandon escorted them and showed them the spot to ce them down. ze also escorted them to scout for nearby threats if they were present, while Rowan remained and began his next phase of action. He opened his inventory and viewed the avable blueprints. ---- [ BLUEPRINTS ] - Simple weapon-crafting blueprint - Simple sewing machine blueprint - Simple windmill blueprint ---- Rowan clicked on [Simple windmill blueprint], and for the first time, a lengthy description appeared. ---- [ Simple blueprint: Windmill ] Type: Structure Function: Converts wind energy into mechanical power for basic operations (e.g., grinding grain, pumping water, chopping wood). - Required Resources: 50 Logs of wood, 50 chunks of crude iron - Activation Cost: 50,000 evolution points - Build Time: 2 hours - Automation Feature: Automatically integrates with avable resources upon activation. No manual assembly required. NOTE: This blueprint has 10 avable activations ---- Chapter 89: Opaque reality [ 9 ] Rowan read the description with a calm expression on his face. Despite the lengthy exnation, he didn''t fully understand how it operated. The only way to find out was to activate it and see how it worked. At this moment, there was no one around Rowan, giving him the chance to test the blueprint. "Activate the blueprint," hemanded. DING [ 50,000 evolution points deducted. Activating Simple Windmill blueprint! ] Following the notification, Rowan''s vision ckened for a few seconds. When he opened his eyes, his surroundings had transformed, and he appeared to be standing inside arge, green holographic box. The space within the box appeared to be around fifty feet by fifty feet, as spacious as certain bungalows on Earth. Inside the enclosed holographic box, there was arge mountain of crude iron and a small hill of wood. These were originally a few meters from Rowan before he activated the blueprint. Everything inside the box was exactly the raw material he needed to build the windmill! Aside from the appearance of the enclosed holographic box, Rowan also began receiving certain vital information concerning the formation of the blueprint. It was as though the process of utilizing the blueprint magically appeared in his mind. The influx of information was so vast that it took Rowan almost ten minutes to fullyprehend it. Afterward, his eyes brightened, and a profound smile appeared on his face. He immediately stretched his hand and muttered, "Begin the material identification and umtion phase." Almost immediately, a certain amount of crude iron and wood began to glow. They floated into the air, drifting toward the same direction at a rather slow pace, taking about five minutes toplete the simple process. Rowan noticed how annoyingly slow it was, but he had noints. This was the simplest of all blueprints, so it was natural for it to be this slow. It would take days or even weeks to build a functioning windmill manually, so why would he be annoyed when he had the means to build it in just two hours? On the other hand, while the time was miraculous to build such aplex structure, Rowan couldn''t help but wonder how Brandon and the soldiers would feel when they returned and saw the strange scene manifesting. In fact, he wondered what the heck they would be seeing because even he didn''t understand his current location and how it mixed with the real world. Thankfully, his system understood his worries and quickly cleared his doubts by answering his question: [ Once a blueprint is activated, you will beunched into a crafting space; your body disappears from the real world. But you do not have to worry as twenty-four hours in the crafting space is just one second in the outside world. ] With this reply, Rowan finally let out a relieved sigh and began with the next phase. "Begin the merging phase," hemanded. At hismand, the floating materials suddenly began to spin rapidly around each other, immediately forming a whirlpool. As they spun rapidly, they began to release an intense glow and a powerful breeze that threatened to blind and push Rowan away. He shielded his eyes with his hands and steadied himself to prevent being tossed into the air. While maintaining his bnce, Rowan peeked at the process. He witnessed the glowing materials leaving the whirlpool and slowly entering its center, where they began forming the structure of a windmill. The process was a bit slow; only one material left the whirlpool every thirty seconds or so, making it annoyingly sluggish. But Rowan didn''t mind and observed the whole process. As someone who came from Earth, where processes like these are scientifically impossible and fictional, Rowan gained a bit of satisfaction watching it. The process continued for about an hour. The materials spinning in the whirlpool had reduced drastically, and the glowing structure of the windmill in the middle became clearer and halfpleted. At this point, Rowan could stand properly to witness the process as the whirlpool became less violent due to the lesser amount of material within it. Another ten minutes passed, and thest material merged with the structure. Following thest merging, the windmill structure released a sharp glow and descended upon the ground. The windmill stood about fifteen feet tall, crafted from abination of sturdy wood and crude iron. Its fourrge wooden des, each six feet long, spun slowly, connected to a central hub made of reinforced iron. The iron parts gleamed slightly, reflecting the magical energy from the merging process. The wooden base and des had a strong, rustic appearance, while the iron provided stability and durability to the structure. Rowan observed the simple yet effective design. The mix of wood and iron gave the windmill both strength and a practical charm. A faint hum of energy emitted from the structure, signaling that it was ready for use. DING! [ Simple Windmill constructed. ] ---- [ Simple Windmill Information ] - Height: 16 feet - de Length: 6 feet - Materials: Enchanted wood and crude iron - Power Output: Capable of generating wind power to operate basic farming and crafting tools within a 50-foot radius - Do you want to upgrade structure? --- "Hmm, I can improve the structure?" Rowan mused, and he immediately clicked yes. --- Structure can be upgraded in three directions to perform specific tasks perfectly. - Water irrigation - Wood splitting - Grinding grains --- Rowan picked wood splitting for now because he needed to split therge logs of wood into the necessary sizes and shapes to facilitate faster construction. DING [ 100,000 Evolution points deducted | Beginning specific upgrade ] Immediately, the structure of the windmill glowed. After a few minutes, it stopped glowing, and Rowan was shocked to see the improvement. The base of the windmill became thinner, and the des became a little longer and slightly faster than before. But that wasn''t the shocking change. It was the fact that the windmill now appeared to have several arms about two feet above the ground. Rowan observed and discovered that each of the arms had either a fast-moving saw or an axe rapidly moving up and down as though it was being wielded by a woodcutter. It was a lot different from the windmills on Earth, more advanced even though it was just a simple one. At this moment, Rowan couldn''t help but wonder how efficient the upgraded version would be. Construction and upgrade of Windmillpleted Do you want to exit the crafting space? Rowan nodded, and he was quickly sent out of the crafting space. His vision ckened as usual, and when he opened his eyes, he was standing at the farm, except that right now, a tall windmill structure was descending onto the ground a few meters away from him. BOOM! The structurended with a small quake, and dust blew everywhere. The long, exquisite des of the windmill rotated gently, releasing a low whooshing sound. Rowan observed the structure with a smirk. But he wasn''t the only one who saw the giant structure appear. The soldiers who were standing at the border witnessed it, and their mouths remained wide in clear shock, including Brandon. Not too far away from the farms, Dragun was dumbfounded as well¡ªhe hadn''t even been in the vige for 48 hours, and he was already being greeted by shocking discoveries. Chapter 90: Opaque reality [ 10 ] Brandon and the soldiers rushed into the farm a few minutes after the magnificent windmill structure descended on the ground. They halted immediately upon arrival, staring at the structure with mouths wide open. They didn''t understand the purpose of the windmill, as this machinery was entirely new to them. However, that didn''t stop them from experiencing their surprise at witnessing an object bigger than most of the houses in the vige appearing out of nowhere. It was simply too shocking. ze strolled toward Rowan while observing the structure calmly. "Master, what is this?" ze asked curiously. Rowan answered telepathically without looking at ze, exining the structure to it. ze let out a soft growl of understanding after hearing his exnation. It had already witnessed Rowan bringing out different objects out of thin air, so it wasn''t really surprised by the appearance of this one. But that wasn''t the same for the soldiers. "What is this?" "What is that thing rotating? Is it arge wooden sword?" "It is almost bigger than two housesbined!" "Is it a monster? Look, it has hands!!" "T-this..." They were so shocked they couldn''t even move from their positions, fearing that the ''monster'' would suddenly attack. Rowan observed their reactions with a smile before calling for their attention. They all looked in his direction with confusion. One of them even yelled cautiously at Rowan to move away from the ''monster'' before it attacked him. "Stop overreacting, all of you. Let me exin the use of this structure," Rowan calmed them with a wave of his hand. "This is called a windmill. It is a magnificent structure of magical origin, which I can''t really exin to you guys currently. This windmill canplete tasks a hundred times faster and with 100% efficiency!" Rowan exined. He even told them that there would be more structures simr to this appearing around the vige in the future. Nevertheless, the more Rowan exined, the more confused and dumbfounded they became, but Rowan only shook his head and decided to show them what he meant by using the machine. He walked towards the hill of wood close to the windmill. "No! Don''t get closer..." Even with the exnation, some of the soldiers still tried to warn Rowan against the ''monster''. Rowanughed inwardly as he grabbed a log of wood, thinking, "I wonder how they will react when they see cars and aircraft from Earth." The wood had already dried up a little under the sun and wasn''t as heavy as it was a few days ago. Nevertheless, it was still very heavy and would take two powerful soldiers to lift one up¡ªbut Rowan lifted it with one hand as though it was nothing. Thanks to his first evolution, lifting such a heavy object was nothing to him. Rowan ignored the soldiers'' reactions to his strength and went closer to the windmill. He brought the log of wood close to one of the hands with a saw, which was already activated, and immediately the saw cut through the wood, creating a perfect split. Rowan didn''t stop there; he used the saw to split the wood into a t rectangr shape. "What!!" the soldiers reacted with shock. Rowan also ignored their reactions and used the axe section. Arge log was split into eight uneven parts after just a few seconds. After utilizing the windmill for a few minutes, the soldiers finally came to terms with it. Some of them even tested out the windmill, and they were equally amazed. "We do not have much time to waste; let us proceed with the guardhouse!" Rowan announced. The soldiers reacted actively and proceeded. With Rowan''s supervision, they began to split some of the wood into the needed shapes and moved it towards the border. Rowan helped this time. He bound most of the split wood with rope and carried them on his shoulder towards the border. Each trip, he carried arge amount of wood that would take ten soldiers to carry. It only took one hour and two trips topletely move the amount of wood they needed to the border. At this moment, more than twenty soldiers, along with Rowan, Brandon, and ze, could be seen standing at the border. It was almost afternoon, and the heat of the sun hadn''t started beating down harshly on the earth yet. Rowan was holding arge paper with the architectural drawing of the guardhouse''s structure, and the soldiers surrounded him, listening carefully as he exined it to them. Thanks to the simplicity of Rowan''s drawing and exnation, the soldiers listened attentively and were able to understand it easily. "Do you understand?" Rowan asked, and they all nodded. "Great." Rowan smiled and put the drawing back in his inventory before proceeding to mark the lines they had to dig. After marking, he brought out shovels and axes from his inventory and distributed them among the soldiers. The soldiers did not ask questions and began digging along the lines Rowan had made. The area was soon filled with the sounds of axes and shovels digging up earth. Rowan joined them, and with his super strength, it only took about six hours toplete the whole digging process. At this moment, the afternoon had already approached, and the sun was already beating down pretty harshly. A group of women, who saw Rowan and his soldiers working, brought lunch for them, and they ate. After they were done eating, Rowan proceeded with the next phase and beganying the foundation with the help of stones andpact earth around them. Afterwards, they began to set up the frames of the guardhouse, which took another five or so hours, and they weren''t even able toplete the process as nighttime approached. "Alright, we stop here today and begin work tomorrow morning. With more hands, we will be able toplete the overall structure in no time," Rowan announced as he wiped the stains on his hands with wet leaves. They left the southern border and returned to their homes to rest and prepare for tomorrow. ze became sleepy on their way back, and Rowan sent it back into the divine beast in. Chapter 91: Opaque reality [ 11 ] Ri did not remain idle while Rowan worked at the southern border. When she got up and saw that Rowan was away, she went to the vige square to help Liora and Tiora distribute the remaining food supplies Rowan had left with them before leaving for the war. After she finished distributing food, some of thedies learning under her came and were ready for lessons despite the holiday, so she didn''t waste time and began teaching. She tutored them for about five hours before returning homete in the afternoon. When she got home, Rowan still wasn''t back, so she helped arrange the house and added a little touch of decorations with the few materials she had. Afterwards, she went to her ce, which had all the cooking utensils, and brought them back to Rowan''s ce. Some youngdies saw her and volunteered to assist her. Since she was now the wife of Rowan, her rank in the vige had increased, and everyone began to respect her as much as they respected Rowan. She first noticed this positive change at the vige square when everyone began greeting her the moment she arrived. It wasn''t that no one respected her in the past, but today, the respect and admiration she received were overwhelming. It even made her swear to herself to achieve a name and achievements for herself to ensure she deserved all the respect and admiration she received. She nned to get better at her upation and solve the problem of clothing across the vige! In this part of the world, there are three seasons each year¡ªthe very dry and hot season in the first four months, the moderate season in the middle, and the rainy and cold season at thest part of the year. They were currently in the middle part of the year, just a few months until the cold and rainy season. In thest few months ofst year, a lot of vigers fell ill due to the cold as they didn''t have good clothes to keep them warm¡ªthree elderly vigers and two infants died because of this. This year, she swore to make leaps in her endeavor and ensure everyone experienced thest part of the year in bliss. After Ri got home, she quickly began preparing food while sewing some of Rowan''s old clothes, adding new designs to them with her needle and thread to make them even more beautiful. As she sewed his clothes, she couldn''t help but sniff them and long for the presence of Rowan¡ªshe recalled everything fromst night and Rowan''s promise for tonight. It made her blush and be aroused. Now it was nighttime. Ri had already taken her bath and was wearing a nice gown, waiting for Rowan. She had already lit the torches, which illuminated the room¡ªthe new designs she added were entuated by the yellow light from the torches. At that moment, Rowan walked into the room. He was greeted with the new and fresh look of his room, the crackling sound of the torches, and the sweet aromaing from nearby. "You did all this?" Rowan asked with a sweet smile. His room used to look like a cage with a bed, but now it looked like what an average room should look like on Earth¡ªthough averagepared to Earth''s luxury, it was still a lot better than before. Ri stood up and nodded with a smile. Rowan observed the dress she wore with an appreciative smile and didn''t hesitate before moving towards her to hug her, enjoying the softness of her body once again. "You did a beautiful job and deserve a reward," he whispered in her ear. Ri was already aroused even before he arrived, so everything became pretty easy. He lifted her and ced her on the bed, engaging in about five minutes of forey, causing her to moan and almost reach orgasm. Afterwards, he took off his robe and revealed himself. He made Ri lie on the bed with her back touching the bed, then he dragged her body towards the edge of the bed and moved closer. He nted a kiss on her lips as he used his hand to guide himself towards her soaking wet entrance and gently prated. "Umm~" Ri let out a soft moan as she felt the pration. Her eyes reddened as she felt pain. "Painful~" shemented in a soft tone. "It''s natural to feel pain at your first pration, but soon you will be greeted with the best feeling you''ve ever felt, better thanst night''s." Rowan smiled and nted a kiss on her cheek before focusing on his motion to not hurt her. As he thrust himself slowly into her, he could feel her wetness, warmth, and tightness, as well as the barrier guarding her entrance. Rowan added more force to his thrust and finally tore through the barrier, causing blood to flow out with the original wetness. "Uhhhh~" Ri let out a moan as her virginity was finally taken by the man she loved; her eyes were filled with tears of pain, love, and passion. Rowan maintained his gentle pace after deflowering her, and the moans inside the room intensified. He didn''t thrust his whole length yet and only used about half of it, which was already too much for such a tight embrace. The lovemaking continued, the sexy and soft moans of Ri as well as the manly growls from Rowan spreading across the room, voicing out their pleasure. After ten minutes, Ri experienced her first orgasm for the day. Rowan observed the sweating and smiling face of Ri and muttered loving words to her before thrusting again, this time with more force than the first round as he wanted to release too. The session continued for another forty-five minutes before Rowan made Ri sleep after her third release. After everything ended, Rowan proceeded to have his bath and eat before opening his status to view his stats and check out the new Wheel feature. Chapter 92: Opaque reality [ 12 ] RANK: FF-rank TITLE: Fief Chief TERRITORIES: Winterseed, Winterseed II AREA: 60 square kilometers POPULATION: 5,000+ RESOURCES: (Click to view all) Rowan Winterseed - AGE: 18 - HEALTH: 100% - POWER: F-rank - Titles: Merciless Killer Lv1, Conqueror - EVOLUTION POINTS: 315,500,000 - SKILLS: SS-rank 100x Reward, SS-rank Copy, SS-rank Eyes of Revtion, SS-rank Merge, SS-rank Beast Taming, S-rank Super Voice, C-rank Sword Grandmaster, F-rank Resistance, E-rank Lord of Gambling, B-rank Night Vision, D-rank Herbal Knowledge LINKED CHARACTERS - Ri Vincred: Wife (View stats?) - ze: Tamed pet (View stats?) - Ren Jora: Deputy lord (View stats?) WHEEL INVENTORY QUEST(s) ----- Rowan studied his character status with a calm expression; the amount of evolution points he had, the new titles, the territories¡ªeverything made a smile creep onto his face. Aside from that, he also noticed many changes in his stats, especially in the Linked Characters window and the uncategorized features like Wheel, Inventory, and Quest. Rowan nned to spend ten of the tickets he had on the wheel tonight to see if he could farm some awesome items. He didn''t hesitate and immediately opened the wheel. A holograph of a wheel game appeared in midair, apanied by descriptions. --- Introducing WHEEL (Version 1) WHEEL: Utilize your wheel tickets to spin the wheel and test your luck. You can only spin ten times in twenty-four hours. Avable tickets: 100 Avable spins: 10/10 You can activate spin by thinking or saying "SPIN" when the WHEEL tab is opened. ---- Rowan read the instructions of the game and got ready to test his luck for the first time. "Spin," hemanded in a low tone, careful not to wake his wife. The wheel began to spin and stopped after a few seconds. Three glowing chunks of crude iron floated in the air beside the wheel. [Congrattions, you won 3 chunks of crude iron] When Rowan saw what he won, he couldn''t help but cuss at his bad luck¡ªthree chunks of crude iron were just too low. If there was a market and he were to sell that amount, it would only fetch around 300 evolution points, which was very little. "I think I have a way to twist the wheel to my advantage," Rowan smirked as he opened one of his long-forgotten skills. [LORD OF GAMBLING (E): Probability of winning every gamble is increased by 20% (Rank: E)] ''I haven''t used this skill since I collected it from Brandon, and sometimes I don''t even notice it on my character status because it''s not so useful in terms ofbat or building my territory,'' he sighed. [Evolve (Lord of Gambling (E)) to D rank? YES/NO | Cost: 20,000 evolution points] Rowan noticed that the cost of improving the gambling skill was less expensive than when he upgraded other skills, even though those skills were of lower rank than the gambling one. It only made him realize that the system charged more evolution points for important skills, and Lord of Gambling was definitely not among those. "Evolve," hemanded. DING! [Lord of Gambling (E) ---> Lord of Gambling (D) | Probability of winning = 40%] [Requirements for next skill evolution: 50,000] "Evolve," he repeated. [Lord of Gambling (D) ---> Lord of Gambling (C) | Probability of winning = 75%] [Requirements for next skill evolution: 200,000] ''Hmm, the price just shot up four times,'' Rowan was a little surprised but continued anyway. [Lord of Gambling (C) ---> King of Gambling (B) | Probability of winning = 100%] [Requirements for next skill evolution: 1,000,000] ''Why the heck is it getting so expensive?'' Rowan yelled inwardly at the system, but there was no reply. He could only sigh and continue evolving the skill because he needed it to obtain good results from the wheel. [King of Gambling (B) ---> God of Gambling (A) | Probability of winning = 200%] DING! [You have reached the evolution limit of God of Gambling] ''200% chance of winning? Not bad, let''s try it out,'' Rowan thought as he returned his attention to the wheel and whispered, "Spin." The wheel began spinning and stopped. [Congrattions, you have won 300 chunks of crude iron] The prize this time made Rowan jump up from the bed abruptly and punch the air happily. If Ri wasn''t in the room right now, he would definitely be jumping around and punching the air continuously while screaming. ''This is what I''m talking about!'' Without wasting time, he did the third spin and got two hundred thousand evolution points, which wasn''t bad at all considering most of the missions he had taken so far didn''t reward him that much. It''s only thanks to [100x Reward] multiplying his rewards that Rowan had arge amount of evolution points. He went on with the fourth spin. [Congrattions, you''ve won 10 leather coats] In midair beside the wheel, the glowing leather coats floated. "These will be useful in theing rainy season," Rowan muttered. "When D''Andre returns, I''ll try to get some raw leather from him and give it to Ri to make leather coats," he continued. He had a sewing machine blueprint which he hadn''t used yet, but he was sure the sewing machine would work on leather, which would be very useful to Ri. Also, thanks to Ri teaching otherdies, the sewing of the robes would be even faster. "Rainy season is approaching, and this period is prone to render some of my people ill if they don''t have good clothes to keep them warm all the time. I need to start working on making these as soon as possible," he muttered to himself before storing the leather coats in his Inventory and continuing with the spin. He continued spinning until he reached the limit of ten spins per day. ---- Fifth - 300,000 evolution points Sixth - 400 chunks of crude iron Seventh - 6 leather pants Eighth - 20mon-grade swords Ninth - 20mon-grade swords Tenth - 20mon-grade swords ---- Thest three spins gave the same rewards, which disheartened Rowan a little. By the time he was done with the spins, he became sleepy and retired to bed. He hugged Ri from behind, feeling the warmth of her naked body. Ri felt his embrace and snuggled closer to feel his presence even more. Both couples enjoyed the warmth of each other as they slept. Chapter 93: Opaque reality [ 13 ] Rowan woke up the next morning to a series of notifications popping up every second. [ Your farmers are weary ] [ Most of your farmers run away from their farms in fear of the windmill ] [ One of your farmers bows to the windmill and prays for a big manhood ] Rowan stared at the messages with a slight frown before hissing and ignoring the notifications. "Good morning, d-darling," Ri greeted him. Rowan turned to see that she was already prepared to leave for the vige square to teach her students as usual. She was dressed in a long brown gown meant to be casual but couldn''t hide her sexy figure. "Good morning, my beautiful and sexy wife. How was your night? Did you sleep well?" he smiled back and greeted her. "I did," she replied cheerfully. Rowan noticed that she was extremely cheerful today and couldn''t help but be curious, so he asked her. "Ten more women n to join my ss today, and I am very happy about it. Very soon, many of them will join, and we will be a great group to help the vige in terms of clothing. It will be of great help to you, Rowan," she replied with all smiles, even doing a little dance and jump to show how excited she was. Rowan hadn''t seen her this cheerful before; it was almost like he was looking at a new person. Also, because of the new emotional link between them, Rowan also felt very excited. "That is a great development, Ri!" Rowanplimented her. "I already knew you were the best choice when I passed that skill book to you," he continued. "I have other skill books and equipment I would like to give you, but I will do that when I obtain enough raw material for you and your apprentices to start working on clothes for theing rainy season. How does that sound? Are you up for the task?" Ri was very happy with his suggestions. Just yesterday, she was thinking about working on the clothes for theing season, and now Rowan was ready to provide the materials and help, which cheered her up. "It sounds good, Rowan. Actually, I already nned to start making clothes for everyone to prevent them from falling ill due to the cold. Last year, we lost a few loved ones to the harsh cold; I do not want that to repeat itself this year," she said happily and with determination. "That is the spirit! I''ll notify you as soon as Iy my hands on raw materials," Rowan smiled at her. Her mentality right now was just what he needed and desired from his woman, and he nned to help her evolve as best as he could. "I''ll be leaving. I already prepared your breakfast," she said, pointing at the table not so far from the bed. Rowan stood up from the bed and strolled to her with a smile before nting a kiss on her cheek and tapping her ass a little bit, causing her to let out a soft moan. "We should do it when we get back~" she let out softly as he felt his grip on her behind. "Of course we will," Rowan smiled and nted a kiss on her lips before bidding her farewell. Ri waved back as she left for the vige square to begin her task. Rowan went to shower and rinse his mouth before sitting down to eat. Brandon and Bryce strolled in while he was eating. Both of them looked really bright and happy, a big contrast from themselves a week ago when they always had serious expressions as they thought about their sole enemy, Glenwood. Now that Glenwood was gone and freedom had returned to the vige, their moods naturally improved. "Greetings, Lord Rowan," both of them greeted him with smiles. "Good morning, you two," Rowan responded. "Hope you guys had a nice rest?" he asked. "Yeah, I am as active as a youth right now," Brandon responded. "We definitely did," Bryce replied and asked, "How has married life been so far?" "Pretty interesting and fun. Ri is such a beautiful woman with a nice goal; I love her," Rowan responded while recalling their recent conversations. "Haha, that is great. Ever since I returned, my daughter has been disturbing me to let her go to the vige square to attend her sses. She seems to be inspired by Ri so much," Bryceughed heartily. "Not just your daughter; almost every youngdy in the vige wants to be like Ri. Some of them are pretty jealous of her because you married her instead of them," Brandon added. "Haha, it hasn''t even been a month since you recovered, and all thedies in the vige are already dying to be your woman. That is supernatural-level charm and luck. If I had that back in my youth, none of the men in the vige would have wives because I would have married all of them before they even got the idea of marriage," Bryceughed. "It''s not my fault that I am just so cool and handsome," Rowan replied with a mischievous smirk. The discussion continued for about five minutes, and they couldn''t stopughing and joking with each other. Brandon even brought up the topic about the windmill and the farmers and mocked their reactions. He told Rowan that if it wasn''t for him and some of the soldiers who witnessed it firsthand yesterday, the farmers would have returned to their homes out of fear and neglected farming for the day. Brandon also mocked Bryce; apparently, Bryce was there and tried to attack the windmill with his sword when he saw it. Bryce became really embarrassed and tried to defend himself, but he only made it worse as Brandon didn''t give him the chance to redeem himself. Rowan couldn''t help butugh¡ªwitnessing the hot-blooded Bryce getting embarrassed was really funny. On the other hand, Rowan felt really happy that they were able to joke andugh freely now, unlike in the past. It made him proud of his achievement and realize that true leadership is not about conquering enemies but ensuring the happiness of your people. Fagin was the total opposite in this case; he was the lord of a really prosperous vige, conquered Winterseed, but he never got the support and love of his people. Rowan only conquered his vige and gained the support of everyone in less than twenty-four hours. After the discussion with the two of them and after he was done eating, he left and gathered some of the soldiers at the vige square to have a brief meeting. They started by carrying wood to the north, east, and south borders. Afterwards, Rowan shared his architectural drawings with Captain Rnd, Bryce, Bruce, and Josh and exined them to them. He then gave each of them two hundred men to apany them as they worked on the construction of the guardhouse. While they were carrying out constructions, Rowan and Brandon and about fifty soldiers strolled towards the southwestern region where the river was located. All the soldiers had swords with them to protect themselves. Apparently, the river is within the southern forest, and as usual, there are meant to be monsters lurking around. Rowan wasn''t that scared though; he now had F-rank power, which boosted his overall physical strength, and he also possessed pretty powerful skills, and thus taking care of any FF or F-rank monster wouldn''t be that much of a stress to him. His n at the moment was to locate the river and clear the path leading from the vige to the river of all sorts of bushes and trees. Then he would set up the windmill and upgrade it to water irrigation setting; he wondered what structure this new windmill would have, but if it was like the simple ones on Earth, he would need a clear path to connect the hoses from the river to the windmill, then the farms¡ªwith this, the farmers would not need to endanger their lives going to the river to fetch water every day. ''I still haven''t informed the farmers about this yet. I wonder how they would react when they find out; I hope I can earn some evolution points,'' Rowan thought. Rowan and the soldiers haven''t made their way out of the forest when Rowan began to feel something strange happening to him causing him to frown. [ Your Wife is experiencing deep pain ] [ Your Wife gasps and struggles for breath ] [ Your Wife has lost consciousness ] "What the heck!" Rowan eyes widened immediately. "Wait for me here, I will be back very soon." He told his soldiers and began sprinting at an astonishing speed. The soldiers looked at him with confusion as he hurried towards his wife. Chapter 94: Opaque reality [ 14 ] It was almost afternoon, and in the vige square, Ri could be seen teaching her apprentices with her usual enthusiasm, smiles on her face as she spoke and demonstrated with her hands. The women sitting on the grass around her watched her with respect and eagerness to learn. Nevertheless, all of a sudden, Ri began to act strange. Her eyes blinked several times as though fighting back a strong urge to sleep, her words and demonstrations became unclear as well. "What is happening, Lady Ri?" "Are you okay?" they asked, concerned about Ri. "I¡ªI am okay," Ri muttered while staggering backward. She was okay until a few seconds ago when her head was greeted with a strange, indecipherable noise. After the strange noise, she began to feel strength leaving her body and her vision bing blurry. She tried to fight against the weakness in order to continue teaching, but it was impossible. Each second, the strength in her body kept decreasing rapidly. Before she knew it, all her strength left her, and her vision ckenedpletely as she began falling toward the ground. "Lady Ri!" Thedies quickly moved from their positions to try and save her, but they were too slow. Rinded on the ground, her body bing immobile. Everyone around her became scared at once and began to panic. They approached her body and tried to wake her up, but there was no response from her. One of them even checked her pulse through their traditional method, but she felt nothing. "What is happening to Big Sister Ri? She is not responding at all," the youngest among them, who appears to be around ten years old, shook Ri''s body and said worryingly¡ªshe is Bryce''s little daughter, Mitchell. "I don''t know what is happening¡ªI think she is gone," one of them replied to Mitchell with a scared expression on her face. Everyone was worried and didn''t even know the next action to take, seeing that their beloved teacher didn''t respond to their calls. Close to the vige square, Liara, who was observing some herbs growing among the weeds near the vige square, saw themotion and sprinted toward Ri anxiously. She approached them and squatted beside her unconscious body and asked the otherdies what happened. They exined everything, worrying, and even Liara, who had a little knowledge about medical stuff, didn''t understand what happened. Nevertheless, she wasn''t short of action like the otherdies and asked them to lift her gently and bring her to afortable spot under one of the big trees in the vige square. After ensuring that she was in afortable position, Liara quickly checked Ri''s pulse and found it faint but steady, meaning she was still alive but unconscious. She felt relieved with this. She grabbed a cloth, dipped it in cold water, and gently wiped Ri''s forehead, neck, and temples as Ren had taught her. When Ri didn''t respond, Liara tried massaging pressure points on her palms and ears, then pinched her earlobes lightly to trigger a reflex, but there was nothing. She was only unconscious but wasn''t responding to any of the triggers, which made her worry. She even began to doubt herself. ''Could it be that I have been practicing the wrong steps all this while? I still recall Instructor Ren''s instructions, and I have done everything he instructed, but why is she not responding? I need to meet him as soon as possible to correct all these!'' While she pondered to herself, the others kept looking at Ri with worries while whispering among themselves. At that moment, they felt a strong breeze against their faces as something came rushing toward them at an unnatural speed; it turned out to be Rowan. Rowan arrived as soon as he got the notification from the system. He saw the women gathered at this tree and immediately knew that she would be here and approached them. He saw Liara trying to help while Ri was lying on the ground, unconscious. "Lord Rowan!" thedies greeted one after the other. "What happened to her?" Rowan asked with a worried tone. "She was teaching us, and all of a sudden she began acting strange and copsed! Would she be okay, Uncle Rowan?" Mitchell asked with worries in her voice. Rowan immediately noticed that she was the daughter of Bryce and didn''t mind her calling him uncle. "She will be okay. Thanks for taking care of her, all of you. I will take her home now," Rowan let out. ''System, analyze her condition,'' hemanded internally. [ Analyzing condition requires 10,000 evolution points. ] [ Deducting 10,000 evolution points. ] [ Analyzing condition... ] [ Analysisplete. Revealing results. ] [ Subject has undergone a rare evolution, potentially resulting in the acquisition of a new special skill or the enhancement of an existing skill which will arrive soon. Unconsciousness has urred due to a significant depletion of both physical and mental strength. Subject might remain unconscious for more than 24 hours. ] Rowan observed the analysis with a slight frown before proceeding to look at her face. ''Rare evolution? This is new. What is she going to awaken? Is she going to be okay?'' he pondered worriedly. He could still recall his painful evolution back then, which knocked him unconscious as well¡ªhe was expecting a quick evolution like that of ze, but it wasn''t anything like he expected; it almost cost his vige a lot during the war. At this point, he couldn''t help but imagine just how much it would affect Ri. But there was nothing he could really do. He asked the system for suggestions, but it said there was nothing, meaning she could wake up when the evolution settled. He could only sigh and ask thedies to take Ri back home and take care of her. He let ze out to protect them from any sort of danger when he was away. After settling all these, he returned to the soldiers waiting for him, and they continued their journey to the river. On the way, Rowan was pretty worried about the condition of Ri and wished for her to recover quickly. Brandon and the others tried asking him why he suddenly left, but he waved his hand and told them not to worry, that it was nothing. Chapter 95: Opaque reality [ 15 ] Thedies did as Rowan instructed, carefully bringing Ri back home andying her gently on the bed. Liara apanied them, meticulously ensuring that Ri wasfortable to prevent her from waking up to any sort of pain. Mitchell sat beside Ri, holding her hand with a sad and worried look on her face. None of them left; some stayed inside the room while others lingered outside, their faces etched with concern. ze rxed on thep of one of the beautifuldies in the room like a cute puppy, his eyes fixed intently on Ri. Despite his seemingly calm demeanor, there was an alertness in his gaze as it didn''t want to fail Rowan ¡ª Beside Rowan promised him food pills so he was ready to work hard for it! Meanwhile, Dragun, who had been living away from the eyes of the vige people for the past two days, suddenly rushed towards the house. His footsteps were hurried, and his face bore an expression of urgency. "Where is Ri? Is she okay?" he asked anxiously. Apparently, he had heard rumors that Ri had suddenly fallen unconscious in the vige square while teaching her apprentices and he came immediately to check on her. However, as soon as thedies saw him approaching, they moved to stop him. "What are you doing here? You are not wee!" they retorted sharply, their voicesced with hostility. Dragun tried to exin that he meant no harm, his hands raised in a cating gesture. "Please, I just want to help," he said, but they paid him no heed, their faces stern and unyielding. He could only sigh, and with a determined stride, he made his way inside despite their threats. Upon entering the room, the others in the room attempted to send him out as well, voices raised in protest. But Dragun was undeterred; his eyes were fixed on Ri, and a deep frown creased his forehead. "Mana! How?" he muttered under his breath as he noticed a faint trace of mana radiating from her body. It was so faint that it was almost impossible to detect, but he sensed it nheless, having dwelled in this field for the past few years. The verbal protests of thedies continued, their voices growing louder. Just then, the room suddenly became intensely bright, causing everyone to pause. Silence fell as the sudden change drew their attention. Arge ball of mes hurtled towards Dragun''s head. He noticed the sudden imbnce in the atmosphere, his eyes catching sight of the fireball. His frown deepeningst time he checked, no one could use magic or had mana in the vige. So why is a fireball flying towards him?" he questioned inwardly. Reacting swiftly, he muttered a quick chant, his hands beginning to glow with a soft light. He stretched out his hands and caught the fireball as though it were nothing. The intensity of the mes diminished rapidly until it disappearedpletely. The room became eerily silent. Everyone, including Mitchell, stood up, their gazes fixed on Dragun with dumbfounded expressions. ze was no longer sitting on thedy''sp, he stood now, ring at Dragun, ready to engage with the stranger at any moment. ze felt threatened, seeing his fireball deflected so effortlessly. After deflecting the attack, Dragun turned to ze, and a look of astonishment crossed his face. As someone deeply involved in magical research and scouting for the past six years, he was well-versed in the knowledge of divine beasts and was shocked to see one here. "The mythical Ashfire Wolf, one of the greatest and rarest divine beasts of the wolf family!" he whispered, finding it difficult believing his eyes. ze growled angrily, feeling the probing gaze of Dragun upon him. He could easily tell that Dragun was using some sort of interrogation magic. Enraged, he fired more fireballs at him, but Dragun deflected them all with ease. ''This is a tamed beast! Did Rowan tame it? How did he evene across one? This doesn''t make sense at all!'' Dragun pondered inwardly as he blocked another fireball. Seeing that ze was unwilling to stop, Dragun released a fraction of his magic aura. The room seemed to pulse with energy, and ze shivered, taking several steps back while still ring at him, now with a mix of fear and anger. At this point, none of thedies in the room dared to speak against him as he made his way toward Ri. Their earlier hostility was reced with uncertainty and a visible hint of fear. "Stay away from her!" Mitchell eximed, stepping forward to defend Ri fearlessly, her small frame trembling but determined. Dragun looked at the little girl and couldn''t help but smile softly. Speaking in a gentle tone, he said, "I promise I won''t hurt her." His eyes held sincerity as he reassured her. He then ced his hand on Ri''s forehead gently He checked her pulse, confirming that she was alright. Liara observed Dragun''s actions with a slight frown on her face, her eyes watching every movement. At that moment, Dragun''s hands began to glow softly as he ced them on Ri''s forehead. A gentle humming sound emanated from his hands, filling the room with a soothing vibration. Thedies watched in awe as they observed life returning to Ri''s pale face. Color flushed her cheeks, and her breathing steadied. After about two minutes, she suddenly opened her eyes, sitting up abruptly. Everyone watched with shock, their mouths agape. Liara was the most astonished among them all¡ªthis was unbelievable. He had been able to heal her using magic powers in less than two minutes! While thedies experienced their shock, Ri looked around and observed their faces before her eyes fell on Dragun standing beside her with a calm smile on his face ¡ª she was a bit confused at this moment, thest thing she recalled was hearing that strange sound and everything turning dark. "Big sis Ri!" Mitchell jumped on herp and hugged her. Ri reciprocated the hug, but it didn''t hide her confusion at this moment. "I will be taking my leave now. Ri, you might experience some sort of change in your body. When you do, and if you do not understand it, don''t hesitate to find me." Dragun waved at everyone and left the room. This time, no one even dared to speak to him after witnessing his supernatural power earlier. Ri didn''t understand his words, but she nodded. Observing the expressions of everyone in the room, she knew something wasn''t quite right. Thedies came to hug her after Dragun left and exined what had happened at the field, how Rowan came to check on her, and how Dragun used supernatural powers to wake her up from her unconscious state in less than two minutes. Each of thedies spoke at the same time, creating noise in the room that caused Ri''s head to ache a little bit. She revealed a slightly pained smile as she tried to cover her eyes. The noise continued, and she began to hear nothing but white noise. Then, suddenly out of nowhere, a strange voice sounded in her head, "Wee, my chosen one." Chapter 96: Opaque reality [ 16 ] "Wee, my chosen one" Ri was listening to the noisy chatter of thedies, which was causing her a slight headache, when suddenly a voice¡ªgentle as the morning breeze and authoritative like a ruler¡ªsounded in her ear. The voice was feminine. When she heard the voice, she shivered and cautiously looked around her, but there was no one else around. All she could see and hear were thedies around her, still talking to her. "What is that voice? Where did ite from?" she questioned worriedly. But there was no response whatsoever, and she could only calm herself down and conclude that she was hearing voices because of her unstable state of mind. She continued discussing with thedies for a few hours before bidding them farewell after she began to feel strange again¡ªnot like the feeling at the vige square; it was as though there was new and foreign information in her head. Ri was now alone in the room, sitting on the bed while eating a fruit that looked like an apple but had an orange color instead. While she ate the fruit, she tried toprehend everything that had happened to her today, but it was just too difficult to really understand. All she knew was that nothing was ordinary! As if in response, the same voice she had heard earlier sounded again, saying the same thing. Since she was alone, she immediately stood up and anxiously scanned every corner of the room, a bit scared. "Who is that?" she asked, as if someone was lurking somewhere in the room. "Calm down, Ri. I am in your head; you can''t see me," the voice replied in a slightly amused tone. "In my head? How did you get in my head? Am I even thinking straight right now?" Ri was thoroughly confused. "I don''t know how to exin the situation in terms you could understand, but take it that I am your friend in the divine realm." Ri pondered her response and could onlye up with a simple conclusion¡ªthe ancestors were speaking to her! Just like they do to Rowan! But her conclusion was quickly dismissed when the voice in her head chuckled amusingly. "I am not your ancestor, nor am I rted to your little vige¡ªI am a divine being, a goddess." Ri didn''t even know what to think at this point. Simply hearing the voice of the ancestors was considered a blessing and sign of good luck and honor. But a goddess? She just couldn''t exin it. Winterseed was not a vige without religion. In the past, their ancestors prayed to the gods of the weather, and the farmers used to pray to the god of harvest for better yields. But after the vige began to encounter a series of cmities from all sides, they let go of their beliefs in imaginary gods and ced all their faith in their own hard work and their lords. Therefore, hearing a voice speaking to her through her head and iming to be a goddess made Ri confused and worried. She even thought she had gone crazy somehow. But the voice immediately reassured her that she hadn''t lost it yet and exined the supernatural connection a little bit. "First of all, what is your name? What are you the goddess of? Why did you choose me? Why? What quality do I possess to make a goddess notice me?" Ri asked a series of questions. She heard the goddess sigh as she proceeded to exin further. "I chose you simply because I am bored and feel like you would reduce my boredom a little bit. I could have linked with your husband, but for some unknown reason, I can''t form a connection with him. I''ve been trying for the past week now and nothing has changed," she replied, sounding a little disappointed when talking about Rowan. "Since I chose you, I will provide you with certain resources whenever I want to, to help you with whatever conflict you have," she continued. "I failed to introduce myself earlier¡ªI am Laverena, the goddess of creativity! You can already tell from my name that I love creativity, and you are one character with a crazy amount of creativity," she revealed. "The goddess of creativity? Does that even exist?" Ri had grown ustomed to the practice of praying to the god of the rainy season and the god of the dry season, so she wasn''t used to a title such as goddess of creativity. She received a disappointed sigh from Laverena. "I only have about thirty minutes tomunicate with you each day because your mental strength will copse if I exceed that time," Laverena revealed. "I already sent a gift, and it should be arriving really soon," she said. Ri wanted to ask questions, but the voice in her head suddenly ceased. The only sounds she could hear were the people outside walking to and fro. She stood and observed her surroundings with a confused expression, uncertain about the whole situation and how to react¡ªshould she tell people about the goddess speaking to her? Absolutely not; they might think she is crazy, and what sort of title is the goddess of creativity? Also, she said she gave her a new gift? What gift was she talking about? As she was thinking about Laverena''sst words before her voice disappeared, she heard the sound of an object falling on the ground and turned to look at it. She saw a strange book with the same appearance as the one Rowan gave her but of a different color. When she picked it up, there was a golden title: [Enchanting Embroidery] Curious, she sat on the bed and began studying the skill book. Just the details on the first page made her eyes widen in shock¡ªeverything was just too marvelous! No matter if clothes are made from the weakest material or the finest fabric, it doesn''t matter. Once they bear the magical touch of enchanted embroidery, they can withstand anything! A robe of soft wool, when blessed with the right enchanted embroidery, can even resist the sharp edge of a de! Chapter 97: Opaque reality [ 17 ] While all those events were taking ce at the vige, Rowan and his men were strolling along a path amidst the southern forest, heading toward a certain location. At this moment, they could hear the sound of water flowing gently, reminding them that they were very close to the river. Rowan walked in front of the others with a calm expression on his face. After he came back from the vige square, he received other notifications about the emotional states of ze, which disyed that it was furious, but it was only short-lived. Still, Rowan was a little bit curious why such a thing had happened. Nevertheless, at this moment, his entire focus was on constructing the water irrigation windmill and improving the agricultural productivity of his vige as swiftly as he could, ultimately evolving it. After a few more minutes of strolling, they finally arrived at the river that sprawled before them. The gentle sound of water flowing in the river could be heard, along with the rustling dance of leaves on the big trees around it. Though the sounds were calm and serene, the soldiers couldn''t help but grab their weapons, feeling rmed by their surroundings. Rowan observed the river carefully; it was bigger than some of the local rivers he had seen back on Earth, and the water in it didn''t look so pure to him. The river was vast and appeared to be flowing from a very long distance; the end and the beginning of the river could not be seen from where they stood. At this moment, Rowan couldn''t help but be a little bit confused about the situation. "Didn''t Glenwood im to have seized this river? I thought they would have soldiers stationed around here, or maybe a g nted to represent their territory, but there''s nothing!" he thought to himself. "So they only said those words to scare my people from using the river, just to instill fear in their minds! Damn, if I had known earlier, I would have imed the river as soon as I could; there was no way they would have noticed!" Rowan felt really ashamed of himself for not thinking this through from the very beginning. The memories he received initially didn''t reveal anything about the river because the original Rowan was already in aa before Glenwood imed to seize it. Thus, Rowan couldn''t tell from the start that they were simply bluffing to assert superiority and authority over his people. Thinking about it now pissed him off badly; it also made him realize how foolish Fagin really was¡ªhe wanted the farmers to supply his vige with fresh food every day but seized the only thing that could guarantee more supplies. "Sigh, enough of all that; they''re in the past now," Rowan sighed and returned his attention to his soldiers, who were looking around, rmed. Brandon turned to Rowan with a look of realization. "Lord Rowan, Glenwood lied to us about the river!" he said. "I figured that out already, but we shouldn''t dwell on the past anymore," Rowan said, waving his hand to dismiss it. He could tell that Brandon felt really ashamed for having fallen for the lies. Rowan proceeded to tell the soldiers about the windmill he nned to build on the river and its functions this time. They were easily amazed by the idea of a machine pumping water from the river to the vige in a short time! After Rowan was done exining to them what he nned to do, he brought out the windmill blueprint. Simple Windmill Blueprint - 9/10 Activations remaining | Activate blueprint? Rowan clicked yes, and as usual, he was sent to the crafting space while time slowed down drastically in the real world¡ªthe fastest running cheetah became a thousand times slower than a snail! Rowan saw the hill of wood and iron ores as usual, which were the only materials he needed for the process. All the necessary raw materials floated into the air, just as before, after hemenced the material identification and umtion phase. Without wasting time, he moved on to the merging phase, and everything began merging in front of him at a really slow pace. Rowan stood and watched the whole process as the materials merged magically in midair and formed the shape of the windmill. --- DING! Simple Windmill constructed. Simple Windmill Information Height: 16 feet de Length: 6 feet Materials: Enchanted wood and crude iron Power Output: Capable of generating wind power to operate basic farming and crafting tools within a 50-foot radius Do you want to upgrade structure? --- "Upgrade structure, water irrigation model," Rowan whispered. --- DING 200,000 Evolution points deducted | Beginning specific upgrade After the evolution points were deducted, several notifications popped up in front of Rowan. Filtration system added Automatic function added Adding special parts and materials --- Rowan read all of them with a frown while watching the windmill glow intensely like it did the first day. The glowing session ceased at once. Nevertheless, the structure remained the same as it was before Rowan upgraded it. There were no visible changes, making Rowan a bit confused. But he didn''t waste time and left the crafting space. Because of the vast time difference between the crafting space and the real world, no one even noticed that Rowan disappeared from their midst. Even those looking at him didn''t notice any changes because Rowan was only away for less than a split second. Nevertheless, immediately after Rowan arrived, just like thest time, the windmill began tond softly ahead of him and away from the soldiers. Its gigantic figure cast a big shadow over its surroundings; the sounds of small birds and animals flying and running away could be heard as well. "This..." Brandon and the soldiers were scared at first when they saw therge structure casting a shadow over them. Some even held their swords and hoisted them at the structure as though it was a monster nning to attack them; a few of them even tripped over due to fear. Nevertheless, when they realized it was the windmill, they calmed down but were still dumbfounded by the supernatural phenomenon. The windmill finallynded. Nevertheless, the moment itnded, Rowan noticed some magical changes taking ce right away¡ªseveral big pipe hoses suddenly appeared out of the base of the structure and began to dig into the ground, their motion akin to a python crawling inside a bored hole in the ground. This time, not only were the soldiers shocked by the action taking ce in front of them, but even Rowan was dumbfounded as he watched the scene with widened eyes. "I knew it would have an advanced structure!" Rowan muttered to himself while watching everything unfold. After the pipe hoses dug and bored into the ground, Rowan noticed their movement as they began to crawl their way speedily underground toward the river. "This is great!" Rowan eximed joyfully. This simple process would have taken so many engineers days to aplish. Even the digging alone might have taken days, but the windmill was doing it at a fast pace. Rowan even received certain notifications about the dumbfoundedness of his soldiers, which made him smile. Sadly, he earned no evolution points. A few minutes passed, and the pipe hoses finally finished digging into the ground. Nevertheless, on the opposite side of the windmill¡ªthe side facing the vige¡ªthere were ten smaller pipe hoses bulging out of the base. But unlike the ones on the other side, these ones didn''t dig into the ground; these hoses also had a stic object at the top simr to taps. Rowan strolled towards the pipes, grabbed one of them, and pulled it a little bit. He then turned it on, and to the amazement of the soldiers, water began pumping out of it. After testing it, Rowan understood it a bit more and called out to the soldiers to help drag the pipe hoses towards the vige. The soldiers were a little unsure at first about holding the pipe hoses on the ground, which looked like snakes, but after they saw Rowan holding it and nothing happening to him, they became relieved. Ten of them volunteered, strolled out, and proceeded to grab one pipe each, trying to pull it. "Ouch... It''s very hard!" "I can''t make it budge!" Nevertheless, while Rowan was able to pull the hoses quite easily without any stress, that didn''t seem to be the case for the soldiers, who failed to make it budge. "I almost forgot my strength is different from theirs," Rowan facepalmed. He then instructed the soldiers to work in groups to pull the pipe hoses¡ªat least five soldiers grouped up to pull just one. Rowan, on the other hand, grabbed and pulled two pipes at the same time with ease. "Lord Rowan is so strong!" the soldiers couldn''t help but be amazed by his strength once again. Chapter 98: Opaque reality [ 18 ] It was afternoon, and most of the adults¡ªeven the teenagers and children¡ªin the vige were joyfully carrying out different tasks, working together towards the benefit of their belovednds. Most of the soldiers worked on the guardhouse projects at the different borders, the farmers cultivated theirnds¡ªeveryone worked hard. At the farm area close to the southern border, arge number of farmers could be seen working diligently on their various plots ofnd¡ªsome could be seen weeding the grasses, while others were either harvesting the mature crops or engaged in other tasks. As the sun cast its warm glow over the ripening fields, the breeze carried the sweet scent of blooming flowers and ripened fruits mixed with the earthy aroma of freshly turned soil¡ªbirds chirped melodiously from the treetops, adding a cheerful soundtrack to the bustling activity below. Childrenughed as they chased butterflies while picking ripe fruits from the ground ¡ªtheir joy infectious to all who heard. The farmers smiled as they worked, sharing stories and helping one another¡ªtheir hands busy but their hearts light. Some of the old farmers stopped working constantly to observe the happy scenes which made them even more grateful to Lord Rowan for conquering their tormentor. The farmers were still working cheerfully when they began to hear the voices and footsteps of their men approaching. Some of the farmers stopped working to look at them and they were shocked to see them pulling on tiny flexible objects that appeared more like snakes to them. "What are they pulling?" Most of the farmers asked. "Did they face off any sort of snake monsters in the forest?" Some questioned. "Dad, what are they doing?" Some of the kids couldn''t help but ask with curiosity. Rowan and his men finally made it to the farms with the hose they have been pulling for the past few hours. The first few hours of pulling for the soldiers was hectic, but thest few hours the hoses became very light all of a sudden making it pretty easier for them to pull ¡ª but they were already tired for the first few hectic hours, they were all breathing fast at this moment and their clothes were soaked in perspiration. Some of the farmers dropped their tools and approached them. "Wee everyone, wee Lord Rowan." They greeted. Rowan and the soldiers nodded their heads as they let go of the hoses. Brandon and the soldiers copsed on the ground and began breathing really fast to catch their lost breath. "You guys did a marvelous job, thank you for your hard work." Rowanplimented his soldiers with a smile. At this moment, all the farmers were standing in front of Rowan and the soldiers, forming arge crowd. Their eyes were fixed on Rowan and the pipes with curiosity evident in their gazes. "Lord Rowan, what is that?" they asked, eyes wide with curiosity as they pointed at the long, flexible tubes sprawled across the ground. Rowan wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and smiled warmly at the assembled farmers. "These," he began, gesturing to the hoses, "are called hoses. They''re special tools that allow us to bring water from the river directly to your fields." The crowd exchanged puzzled nces. An elderly farmer stepped forward, his weathered face etched with skepticism. "But how can water travel through these? Is it even possible?" he asked, gently prodding a hose with his walking stick. "It''s quite simple, really. We''ll connect one end of these hoses to arge windmill like the one over here, by the river. The pump will push the water through the hoses all the way here. Think of it as guiding the river''s flow straight to us, you can use it to water your crops and even drink without fear of getting ill as the water are purified." The ground became noisy as they all began to murmur amongst themselves. "Does that mean we don''t have to carry heavy buckets anymore?" One of the young teenager asked with wide eyes. "Exactly," Rowan affirmed. "You''ll save time and effort, which means you can focus on other important tasks. It will also prevent you guys from the horror of the forest!" A moment of stunned silence followed before a wave of joy washed over the farmers. Laughter and cheers erupted as they began to grasp the impact of this innovation. Some pped their hands, while others embraced one another, their faces alight with gratitude. "Bless you, Lord Rowan!" a woman eximed, tears welling in her eyes. "You''ve lifted a great burden from us." An elderly man approached Rowan, extending a calloused hand. "You''ve not only conquered our tormentors but also our daily struggles. We cannot thank you enough." Rowan shook his hand firmly. "It''s the least I could do. Together, we''ll make thisnd flourish." The farmers continued to dance and sing around in joy, some of them even breaking down in tears. The soldiers felt happy seeing that their hard work paid off and made the people even happier. Even Brandon was all smiles as he watched their happy reactions. Rowan was able to gather more than one million evolution points from their joy. ''This is what I am talking about!'' Rowan rejoiced inwardly. After they celebrated for a few minutes, Rowan proceeded to show them how it works. With renewed energy, the farmers gathered around as Rowan began demonstrating how toy out the hoses properly and switch it on. The soldiers joined in, guiding them on how to handle the equipment. It was really easy to understand and the people grasped the mechanics in a matter of minutes. When Rowan turned it on in front of them for the first time, they yelled in amazement. Rowan even let some of the farmers and children hold the hose and experience how it feels to pump water. Since the hose has be light, even the children were able to hold it and y with it, spraying water on their friends whileughing happily. The adults watched with smiles, some even breaking down in tears. Rowan observed the scene for a few minutes before leaving to inspect other tasks taking ce in the vige. Chapter 99: Opaque reality [ 19 ] The construction of the guardhouses proceeded steadily along each border. With the captains'' supervision and the soldiers'' hard work, they were able to work remarkably quickly. ording to Rowan''s calctions, they would finish the construction in less than three days. The only difficult task was digging the foundations, and they had alreadypleted that phase today. Tomorrow, they would move on to the other steps, which required less effort. In fact, with the number of men working, they might finish the work even faster than Rowan had anticipated. It was already evening, and Rowan was returning from the eastern border with Rnd and his men. They were chatting among themselves, smiles on their faces. The soldiers escorted Rowan and only left after he arrived in front of his house. "Good work today, everyone. Rest well so you''ll have the strength to do another good job tomorrow," Rowan said, waving at them. "Sure," they replied, waving back before heading to their various homes. Rowan watched them walk in different directions toward their houses before letting out a sigh and strolling toward the door. He entered his house, and Ri, having heard his voice, opened the door and rushed to wee him cheerfully. ze hurried behind her to greet Rowan as well. Rowan hugged her with a slight smile on his face¡ªthough he was confused; he hadn''t received any notification from the system that Ri had regained consciousness. ["I did my job already! Pay me now!"] ze yelled at Rowan telepathically. Rowan nced at ze while hugging Ri and couldn''t help but frown. Still embracing her, he took out three food pills from his inventory and tossed them to ze. ze leaped into the air and caught all of them. Rowan didn''t give his pet time to enjoy the meal before sending him back inside the divine beast ne¡ªhe couldn''t let his pet distract him during this moment! "Ri, how are you feeling now? What really happened at the vige square? Can you exin?" Rowan asked without dy. Ri immediately told him how she had heard a strange noise in her ear, suddenly felt weak, and then fell unconscious. She also mentioned that his father was there and, ording to the otherdies, he was the one who healed her using magical powers. She included the words he had said to her before leaving. When Rowan heard her reply, he wasn''t too surprised; he already knew Dragun possessed strong magical power. Although not as strong as D''andre, Dragun could still finish off everyone in the vige in a matter of hours if he wanted to. However, Rowan was quite curious why Dragun asked her to meet him if she experienced anything strange. As Rowan pondered Dragun''s words, he quickly recalled he hadn''t checked her character status to see what new skills she had acquired and promptly did so. [ Ri Vincred ] [ Tailor ] [ Special skill: Chosen One (A-rank), Enchanted Embroidery (B-rank) ] Rowan squinted slightly as he noticed the two new amazing skills in her character status. He was particrly curious about the first one and quickly checked its description, which made him even more surprised. [ Chosen One: A special and unique skill granted to characters who caught the attention of divine beings inclusive of gods and devils ] [ Enchanted Embroidery: Make special embroidery into clothes to manifest special effects ] Before he could even ask, Ri brought out a skill book and showed it to him, then exined her interaction with Laverena. "An actual goddess spoke to you and gave you this amazing skill as a reward?" Rowan was amazed by the details. "Yes," Ri replied cheerfully. She was still amazed by the wonderful work she could do using the Enchanted Embroidery skill. After reading the skill description, she realized that she didn''t even need raw materials before using the embroidery. All she needed to do was sew the enchanted patterns into the clothes, and the effects she desired would manifest. If she could create a cold-resisting enchantment on the clothes, then she wouldn''t have to worry about people getting sick. She exined all this to Rowan joyfully. Rowan could tell how happy she was, but he was really confused about the goddess aspect. Even though he had yed the game on Earth, he had never heard of such skills¡ªhe didn''t even expect that there would be gods in this world. This made him realize that the actual world was much more advanced than the game he used to y. While Rowan was confused about the whole thing, he didn''t hesitate to congratte his wife and wish her the best. Ri felt really proud after Rowan congratted her. "I didn''t expect you''d be home so early. Let me prepare something for you," Ri said, stretching up to kiss his lips before rushing off to make his meal. Rowan smiled as he watched her figure sway gracefully. He was happy that Ri was bing bolder and more open around him. After she left, Rowan immediately began asking his system questions about her skill. "Can the gods directly control fate or events happening in the life of their Chosen One?" he asked. [ The answer varies depending on the authority of the divine being in question. Most of the strongest divine beings can actually control the fate, oue of events, or even stir up a new event in the favor or disadvantage of their chosen one. ] Rowan read the response, a frown forming on his face. "Is there any chance I can get chosen by one of them?" [ Positive ] "Hmm," Rowan nodded. It would be nice to get his own god soon who would give him an amazing skill like Ri''s as a gift. Rowan proceeded to ask the system other questions regarding the topic and the evolution of his territory. The system answered most of them and left some unanswered, but Rowan was already satisfied. Ri soon arrived from the kitchen with food and both of them ate together. After eating, they had their bath and rxed in each other''s embrace while speaking amongst themselves, growing their familiarities with one another and sharing dreams. Talk led to actions and both of them didn''t miss the lovely disy of affection through sex whichsted for almost an hour before both of them fell asleep. Rowan slept off early as well as he had a lot of work to do tomorrow which requires proper rest. Chapter 100: Opaque reality [ 20 ] It waste in the evening, yet the sky remained bright even after the sun had set for the day. By the river, Dragun stood before the windmill, observing its structure with amazed and curious eyes. While strolling around the vige as usual, he arrived at the farms and saw farmers pumping water from snake-like pipes. At first nce from afar, he thought they were using water magic and quickly sprinted towards them, only to be met with the realization. He saw the farmers happily watering their crops and others filling up buckets with it. He could see the clear liquid and easily tell that the water was pure enough for drinking, which surprised him even more. Sadly, he couldn''t speak to anyone as they would only ignore him, so he followed the path back to the river where he saw the windmill. Even after hours of studying the windmill, he still didn''t understand how it actually worked! "This is simr to the one near the farms for chopping wood," he muttered. "How did Rowan do all this? There''s no way he could''ve built them; he made them appear out of thin air just like he did with the wood-chopping one," he continued muttering to himself. He still couldn''t forget the scene of that one appearing out of nowhere in midair and descending slowly to the ground. Dragun was truly amazed back then; he didn''t feel threatened by the monstrous structure of the windmill at all, as he couldn''t sense any sort of manaing from it. "Could he be one of those strange lords who possess supernatural abilities aside from magic?" Dragun wondered to himself. During his journey outside Winterseed, he made friends and entered several territories ruled by strange lords. There was one time he entered a kingdom where the lord¡ªa king¡ªcould summon monsters out of nowhere to do his bidding. There was even one who could use blood magic and another who was able to heal others without using mana. Another one could multiply the loot he got from war by tenfold! Dragun usually found these hard to believe when he heard about them from his friends. But when he saw most of them, he couldn''t help but ept that there are more mysteries in the world than he imagined. At this point, he couldn''t help but realize that his son was weirdly simr to those lords. In fact, Rowan was even more mysterious. Speaking of mysteries, Dragun didn''t forget the faint trace of mana he sensed from Ri earlier. "Is she going to be a mage?" he asked himself. "Bing a mage is pretty difficult, especially for a vige like ours with no strand of mana in the atmosphere. But with some of the potions I have, she might be able to be a first-stage mage apprentice and unlock her affinities," he continued. Dragun muttered other things to himself concerning Rowan and Ri. While he was muttering to himself, a pair of red eyes red intently at his figure from the river. Suddenly, two gigantic hippopotamuses with sharp teeth and bloodthirsty red eyes crawled swiftly out of the river towards Dragun. Dragun was still looking at the structure of the windmill, not paying much attention to his surroundings, when he suddenly heard the noise of the hippopotamuses charging towards him and quickly turned his attention to them. He saw the two gigantic hippopotamuses emerge from the river, moving faster when they spotted him. Their massive bodies pushed through the water, muscles bulging under thick, gray skin. Sharp teeth glinted in the fading light of the calm evening, and their blood-red eyes stared hungrily at Dragun. Despite their fearsome appearance, Dragun remained calm. He stood still, taking a deep breath as the ground trembled with each heavy step the monsters took. The hippopotamuses were enormous, about twice the size of elephants on Earth. Their sheer presence was terrifying. Their eyes burned with wild hunger, and their mouths opened wide, showing rows of big, sharp teeth. They looked like living nightmares, their massive forms casting long shadows in the evening light. "Demonic hippopotamuses," he muttered as he recognized the monsters; he had fought them in the past. Without wasting time, he began to chant softly, his voice steady and clear. As he spoke the ancient words, water started to flow from the river, rising into the air around him. The liquid shimmered and froze quickly, turning into sharp ice spears that hovered in midair. With precise movements, Dragun directed the ice spears toward the first demonic hippopotamus running ahead of the other. The spear darted through the air and struck the creature''s head, making it let out a pained cry. The beast staggered back, surprised by the attack. Not wasting any time, Dragun continued his chant. More water flowed from the river, forming additional ice spears. The second hippopotamus charged forward, but Dragun was ready. He threw the spears at the monster''s head, each one piercing its thick skin. The pained sounds made Dragun more determined. He summoned more magic, creating a rain of ice spears that poured down on the attacking monsters. Each spear found its mark, stabbing into the heads of the demonic hippopotamuses. The creatures, now wounded and confused, began to retreat. The demonic hippopotamuses turned and made their way back into the river in fear of the monstrous human. But Dragun wasn''t ready to let them go easily, as they would attack others in the future¡ªhe had to prevent that from happening. He stretched out his hands and focused his eyes, drawing more water and forming many ice spikes at once before shooting them at the monsters. The ice spikes rained down brutally, badly injuring the monsters, who let out loud cries of pain. Before they could reach the river, they fell to the ground and died. Dragun strolled casually toward their corpses. He brought out a small pouch from his pocket, dipped his hand inside, and drew out a sharp, long knife that wouldn''t fit into the pouch naturally. However, it could fit because the pouch was a magical item. Dragun squatted beside the corpses and used his knife to extract theirrge teeth, storing them inside his pouch. He didn''t touch any other part of the demonic hippopotamuses and didn''t even bother to bring them back to the vige with him as he left the area. Chapter 101: Opaque reality [ 21 ] Ri was the first to rise the next morning. She went and took one of Rowan''s old robes and began practicing her [Enchanted Embroidery] on it. She sat at the edge of the bed, using the light of the torch in the dim room to work, as it was very early in the morning and the natural light wasn''t bright enough. She held the robe in one hand and the needle and thread in the other. Her hands moved swiftly as she embroidered a beautiful design on the robe. She creatively added a small design of a howling wolf, giving the robe a new and refreshing feel. As she finalized her design, the thread in her hands began to emit a soft glow, and so did the design on the robe. "It''s working!" she muttered happily. Using the [Enchanted Embroidery] was really simple: she had to add a design, and if it was good enough, the embroidery would activate by emitting a glow like it just did. Then she would try to manifest any effect she wanted on the robe by focusing on it mentally. At the current rank of her skill, she could only add one effect per robe, which was already perfect. Seeing that the skill had activated, she focused her eyes and mind intensely on a special effect for the embroidery. The needle and thread in her hands twisted magically as she was about toplete the design. Unfortunately, as a mortal, focusing on her hands and thoughts simultaneously without faltering became really difficult. But Ri was dead set on finishing what she started and did her best. A few minutes passed, and the design was finallypleted. Ri stared at the ck robe, the design of a howling wolf adorning the center front of the garment. The design glowed softly. "Did it work?" Ri wondered with a panicky expression on her face. She wouldn''t be able to forgive herself if she didn''t get it right! Nevertheless, as if to answer her question, the glowing design shone even brighter, signifying it was sessful! Though the bright glow onlysted for a few seconds before it disappeared entirely. "Yes!" Ri eximed, punching the air excitedly. Her little cheer of excitement woke Rowan. Rowan wiped his eyeszily as he traced his gaze to Ri standing beside the bed, holding one of his robes. Rowan''s eyes cleared immediately when he saw the cool design on his robe. He was not only amazed by the wonderful design but also by the description that followed afterwards. --- Enchanted Robe: A robe that has been enchanted with [Enchanted Embroidery] Effect - Luck: When equipped, luck increases by 150% --- Rowan rose from the bed and rushed towards Ri, taking hold of the robe with a genuinely amazed expression on his face. "This is beautiful, Ri!" he said with a bright smile. "The design is very cool and reminds me of ze!" Rowan continued,plimenting her, causing her to smile profusely and feel really proud of herself. "I used Enchanted Embroidery as instructed by the book, and it worked on my first try! I am happy your robe was my first attempt," Ri responded cheerfully. Rowan pecked her cheek before asking, "What effect did you add to it? I am very curious; tell me, please." He acted curious even though he already knew the effects. Ri happily exined to him, telling him how she wanted him to be lucky with everything he does and not experience any bad luck. "That is very sweet, Ri." Rowan kissed her andplimented her once again. While Ri made the robe for that simple and romantic reason, Rowan understood what boosted luck could actually do. The quality of the rewards he received during that period would be improved by a satisfactory percentage. Also, the drop rate after killing monsters would increase¡ªit was a really good thing to possess, especially since Rowan had thoughts of going hunting soon. Ri was very happy with Rowan''s reaction and made up her mind to add the same effect to his other robester. Though she wondered if it would be easy to replicate the effect perfectly. --- Two hours passed gradually, and morning finally arrived. Ri and Rowan left the house together and strolled to the vige square, receiving many greetings andpliments along the way. Ri left to meet her apprentices, who were already waiting for her, while Rowan went with Bruce and his men to the northern border. He briefed them on the construction n for a few minutes and gave them the equipment they needed. He did the same for the other groups. After that, he left for the farm area. At the farm area, he saw a lot of people collecting the clean water in all sorts of containers. Last night, the farmers and little children didn''t fail to announce the news of the clean water source that Rowan had provided them, and this morning, they didn''t waste time and gathered to get their share of the clean water as fast as they could. ''No wonder I noticed a slight increase in my evolution points. I thought I was just imagining things, but it turned out to be true, haha,'' thought Rowan with a smile as he watched from a distance. When the vigers saw him, they immediately rushed to him and thanked him for what he had done. Rowan responded with smiles and promised them even more developments in the future. With his super voice activated, he was able to get all of them to experience the fullest of their emotions, thus earning him a few evolution points. ra, who came to work at the farm today after rxing for thest two days, came forward to greet Rowan with a smile. The other women who came with her that day were also present, and they greeted Rowan with smiles, which Rowan reciprocated. After greeting, ra didn''t waste time and quickly told Rowan about the issues she had with the farm; she told him about the need for new crops. Fortunately, that was the reason Rowan came to the farm, and he assured her he was going to take care of it. The farnds in Winterseed were very big, about asrge as the inhabited part of the vige. Nevertheless, only less than 60% of thend was being cultivated due to the unavability of resources to take care of the other parts. However, now that the most important resource, water, was avable, cultivating the uncultivated parts was the right thing to do. Rowan called all the farmers together and spoke to them for a few minutes before announcing his decision to appoint leaders and representatives. None of them argued with him and immediately agreed. They even suggested five people to represent them¡ªtwo of them were men in theirte middle age, one middle-aged woman, one young man, and ra. "Great, all five of you will be in charge of the farms from now on. When I am busy and have information to pass to everyone, I''ll pass it to you, and you will pass it to others. Also, you can gather the suggestions andints of the others and pass them to me," Rowan continued, listing their tasks. After ordaining the leaders, he proceeded to distribute the seeds he had with him. They were all very grateful and ready to work. After Rowan was done, he left to proceed with the other tasks on his hands¡ªtoday was definitely going to be stressful! Chapter 102: Opaque reality [ 22 ] Rowan was busy throughout the day. After leaving the farms, he went to inspect the houses that had been destroyed during the goblin attack. The sight of the ruins filled him with determination as he began to make architectural drawings of a simple yet better building than before¡ªone that could be constructed with the materials currently in his possession. He wanted to design homes that were not only sturdier but also morefortable for the vigers. Thanks to his knowledge of architecture, he was able to produce a satisfactory n after about an hour. After finishing the drawing, Rowan didn''t wait for anyone. With a renewed sense of purpose, he grabbed a shovel and began working immediately, eager to turn his ns into reality. His digging speed was astonishingly fast. He was able to dig the foundation of one house in less than three hours since he didn''t have to hold back like he did the day before whileying the foundation of the first guardhouse. His enhanced strength allowed him to work tirelessly, moving earth with ease and precision. With his incredible speed, he was able to dig the foundations of three buildings before evening finally arrived, and he retired along with the other soldiers. As the sun began to set, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink, he walked back home alongside some of the farmers and soldiers who were returning from their ces of work. The group moved together, sharing stories of the day''s efforts andughing at small jokes to lighten the mood. Everyone was very happy to tell Rowan how their work had gone for the day and how much progress they had made. ra was among them, and she approached Rowan with a determined expression. She told him that she and the other ministers of agriculture had decided to start clearing the uncultivated parts of the farms to begin nting as soon as they could. ording to her, it would take them more than three days to finish clearing since thend was really big and because they didn''t possess that many farm tools for clearing; only a few of the farmers in Winterseed possessed cusses and hoes. Rowan only realized this now and noted it inwardly to ensure he would purchase as many farming tools as he could the next time D''andre visited. As for the soldiers working on the guardhouse, they reported that their project was almost halfway done, which made Rowan smile a little bit. He went back home and was greeted with exciting news from Ri. "I enchanted a dress that can warm the body during the cold season!" she told Rowan cheerfully, her eyes sparkling with pride at her achievement. She held up the garment for him to see, the fabric shimmering slightly with magical energy. Rowan was ted and immediately congratted her on her aplishment. The more Ri improved in her craft, the happier Rowan became as he realized the problem of clothing would be solved very soon. She was his only hope in that sector, and he wanted her to grow as fast as she could. Both of them enjoyed the night together before a new day began, and they left as usual to continue with their tasks around the vige. Rowan first went to supervise the soldiers at the borders and then the farmers before proceeding toy more foundations. Around forty houses had been destroyed during the goblin raid, and he had to dig the foundations for all of them as soon as he could in order to begin rebuilding. Those people who had lost their homes had been living with other vigers, leading to overcrowding which might lead to a lot of negative events like disease outbreaks and spread if care wasn''t taken. There hadn''t been any case of a major disease outbreak in the vige, and Rowan was ready to maintain that for as long as he could. Rebuilding the houses was his way of preventing such problems. --- Liara could be seen venturing outside the northern border, looking for herbal nts to pick and store in case there was anyone in the vige who needed them. Not too far away from where she explored, Bruce and his soldiers were working on the guardhouse, thus she was safe exploring the area without fear. "The red sunflower is absolutely essential for treating any cold-rted illness. I need to find a reliable supply as quickly as possible before the rainy season hits, because once the rains start, the flowers die off and be nearly impossible to find," she muttered to herself as she looked around. She was holding a woven basket in her hands, and there were varieties of herbs in it ranging from oddly shaped leaves to small, tiny fruits with peculiar shapes as well. Liara had been a nt enthusiast since birth; she spent most of her childhood in the bushes picking beautiful flowers and tending to lovely nts which she grew to love. Nevertheless, when she learned from Ren that she could use those herbs to help the sick, she became really interested and curious to find out more. Because of her piqued interest and curiosity, she was able to learn a lot from Ren in the very few hours they spent together. When Ren described nts to her, she immediately identified most of them because she had seen them before, while she noted the ones she hadn''t seen before in her head and made sure to go hunt for them every opportunity she got. Since she returned from Glenwood, she spent most of her free time going around the vige looking for special herbs among the grasses since she couldn''t leave the vige to explore the forest and bushes beyond the border. While she was picking herbs this morning, Winston approached her and told her she could apany them to look for herbs in the bushes close to the north border, and she happily went with them. At this moment, she strolled gradually, looking for the red sunflower which was pretty hard to find. After a few hours of searching, she finally spotted the red sunflower and ran towards it with a joyful smile on her face. The red sunflower was almost the same as the usual sunflower; the only difference was its size, which was three times bigger than the usual sunflower and its blood-red color instead of yellow. Liara squatted in front of the flower and observed it for a few minutes with a gentle smile before gently harvesting the petals in a way that didn''t affect the main nt. She had learned this process from Ren. "If this one is here, then there might be others," she muttered happily and looked around. Luckily, she found a few other red sunflowers a few meters away and quickly ran to pick them up. She was so focused on finding and collecting red sunflowers that she failed to notice Dragun strolling casually behind her, observing the herbs in her basket with a calm expression on his face. He was standing so close beside her, but she couldn''t see him; in fact, not even the soldiers noticed him on his way here because he had activated a spell called GLIMMERFADE which hid his presence from others. He could only be detected by those with stronger mana than his. He had been using GLIMMERFADE all the time in the vige to avoid much interaction with others. His eyes at this moment were mostly focused on the red sunflowers she collected, as they were an important ingredient in the brewing of a special magical potion he had in mind. Thankfully, he was here on time to see her discovering the red sunflowers. Nevertheless, seeing how she was eager to pick all the red sunflowers on sight, he couldn''t help but silently hope that her basket would get filled up quickly. Dragun was still walking beside her, noting the spots where the red sunflowers grew so he would be able toe harvest the petals when they grew back in the future. Suddenly, he felt a monstrous presence deep inside the forest approaching the vige. His eyes darted towards the forest; he applied mana to his eyes and was able to see clearly through the trees and spotted a red-scaled snake hissing as it observed Liara. Dragun didn''t waste time and immediately sprinted towards the snake and killed it before it could even notice him. Sadly, he didn''t have any use for any part of the red-scaled snake. Liara felt the breeze blow weirdly fast against her face and looked around her cautiously before returning her gaze to the red sunflower in front of her, unaware of how her life had just been saved by Dragun. Chapter 103: Opaque reality [ 23 ] At around 2 in the afternoon, the sun beat down on Winterseed, making work more ufortable, but the people of Winterseed pulled through and continued working without stopping, with a clear goal of progress in their minds. Three groups working on the guardhouse project had already finished the frames and walls, now left with other minor steps before setting up the roofs and finalizing the construction. The other group led by Josh was far behind, but they would be done with the same step before retiring for the day if they continued working at the pace they were currently working at. Meanwhile, Rowan spent his time digging the foundation without rest. He had already dug the foundations of five houses today, totaling eight he had done so far. Right now, he had around 32 more foundations to dig, and thus he didn''t waste a single moment and continued digging. Some of the idle, unmarried youngdies couldn''t help but watch as his slim, shirtless, muscr figure worked hard. They couldn''t stop fantasizing about romancing such a strong man. The sweat running down Rowan''s body made him even more attractive to the youngdies who couldn''t take their eyes off him. Some of the young men who walked past the group of youngdies watching Rowan couldn''t help but scoff at them for being so shameless in the open. However, deep down, they wished they could get the same attention their Lord got from thedies. Rowan was aware of their leering eyes, but he wasn''t bothered a bit and continued working nonstop. Unfortunately for thedies, Rowan didn''t n on being unfaithful to his wife. The Rowan from Earth would have jumped at every single look of attraction he received from the opposite gender and ensured to make the best out of it¡ªbut in this world, Rowan had made up his mind to be faithful and principled with a clear goal in mind. Thedies were still observing and fantasizing about Rowan when Ri arrived, holding a basket containing cooked food in her hands. When she noticed the youngdies ogling at her man, she immediately became pissed and wore a frown as she walked faster towards Rowan. The youngdies immediately noticed her and quicklyposed themselves, greeting her with respect. Ri responded to their greetings with a cold nod, and the youngdies immediately disappeared from the area. Only then did the frown on Ri''s face disappear, quickly reced by a smile as she strolled towards Rowan, who had already noticed her presence. He received a notification that his wife was pissed and quickly understood she was here. He stopped working and observed her interaction with thedies, a sweet smile on his face. Ri rushed towards him, observing his sweating, muscr body with a somewhat dazed smile. The ray of the sun beating on Rowan''s shirtless figure made him even more attractive. In her mind, she concluded that only she could ogle at the wonderful figure of her husband! "Don''t let thosedies look at you like that again," she said with a cute frown when she was close enough. "Haha, somebody is jealous," Rowan teased. "I am not," she retorted with a pout, a slight blush appearing on her cheek that didn''t go unnoticed. "What are you then?" Rowan asked. "Protective," she replied. Rowanughed, seeing her pouting; he loved that she really cherished him and didn''t want others even looking at him. They exchanged little teases before Ri brought out the food she had prepared for both of them. She told him she had sent her apprentice home with a task to be submitted tomorrow, then used the free time to prepare food for them to eat together. Rowan already told her what he would be doing and where he would be working, so she didn''t find it difficult to locate him. They found a nice, neat spot under a tree growing not too far from where Rowan was working. She served the food, and they enjoyed it while discussing like a lovely couple. When they were done, they spent a few more minutes talking before Ri told Rowan that she would be needing more needles in the future, as there weren''t enough in the vige for thedies to use. ording to her, most of her apprentices didn''t possess needles, and she had to share some of hers with them. "Do not worry about needles, Ri. I have something really nice that''s far better than needles. I will give it to you when I get back this evening. As for your apprentices, when D''andre visits, I will make sure to purchase as many needles as I can," Rowan smiled and promised. "Really?" Ri''s eyes brightened up. "Yes, you will get to see it tonight. It is way faster than needles, at least twenty times faster." The more Rowan spoke about it, the happier she became, and this made Rowan pretty happy as well. "Has Laverena spoken to you today?" Rowan asked curiously. "Yes, she said she was proud of me for using the skill she gave me sessfully on the first trial," Ri let out proudly. "Did she mention anything about giving you a new skill anytime soon?" Rowan asked. He loved free things, and right now Laverena had be a major source of free skill books for his wife, and he couldn''t help but want her to drop more. "She didn''t say anything about a new skill, but she told me to continue with my work and that she might surprise me in the future with something even more interesting," Ri replied. "Something even more interesting," Rowan muttered to himself, pretty curious about what that interesting thing was but he didn''t stretch the matter too much. Ri stayed with him for a few more minutes before leaving; she wanted to try and make more enchanted embroideries on his robes. After she left, Rowan continued working while the sun beat down on his body. He continued working for a few hours before receiving a rather disturbing notification. [Your territory (Winterseed II) is....] Chapter 104: Opaque reality [ 24 ] Winterseed II After Rowan left the vige a few days ago, having killed Fagin and dominating thend, the people didn''t return to their previouszy way of life. Instead, they began working hard to aplish the progress Rowan had spoken about. His speech that day transformed their mentality, making them almost as hopeful and hardworking as the people of Winterseed. For thest three days, they woke up very early and took on tasks they had never taken seriously during Lord Fagin''s reign. Ren was very happy about the changes that Rowan had made in the vige. He felt truly proud to be alive and even serving under him. His wife and daughters, who had returned from the nearby vige where he had hidden them, were also happy when they came back and saw thezy youths ready to work instead of ogling at girls all day. Meanwhile, as the vige prospered, Ren made several improvements in his skill. Before, he used to gather and mix herbs without a single subject to test their effects on. But after the people saw how he used his herbs to help Rowan''s soldiers the other day, they began to rush to him and report every single illness or pain they felt in their bodies. Ren was able to utilize some of the herbs he had stored for a long time and even discovered new techniques. He couldn''t wait to inform Liara about his new discoveries since she was the only person who had shown interest in herbs¡ªaside from his daughters, of course, but they were engaged and would soon leave him to live with their husbands. It was evening in the vige, and the people had already begun to retire to their homes. Ren was at the entrance of the vige square, attending to a little boy who had injured his big toe while ying with his friends. "Waa! It hurts, it hurts! Please make it stop, Uncle Ren," the little boy cried in pain. His friends stood beside him, watching with solemn expressions as he cried. Ren observed the children''s faces and gave them a friendly smile. "Don''t worry, I''ll treat you, but next time be more careful." He took the little boy and made him sit on hisp. He examined the boy''s foot, which was bleeding profusely. A painful amount of skin had peeled off from his big toe, making Ren shake his head in pity as he imagined the pain the little kid felt at that moment. But he didn''t waste time; he dipped his hand into the woven bag on hisp and brought out a bottle containing a dark green liquid. He then dipped his finger into it and applied the liquid gently around the injury. Following that, he brought out a blue-colored, star-shaped leaf, squeezed it, and poured the extract on his toe. "Waaaa!" The boy''s cry became even louder as pain engulfed his entire foot. But the painful sensation onlysted for a few seconds before a cool feeling spread across his foot and reduced the pain miraculously. He stopped crying and looked at Ren with amazed eyes. "Thank you, Uncle Ren! You''re amazing!" he said with a big smile as he tested his foot on the ground, feeling no sort of pain. "Thank you, Uncle Ren!" "Thank you, Uncle Ren!" His friends joined in, thanking Ren. "No need to thank me. Next time, be very careful while ying, is that clear?" "Yes, Uncle Ren," they responded uniformly. "Bye, Uncle Ren." They waved at him and ran off yfully. Ren heaved a sigh and watched the activity of the vigers. Some of them, returning from their various workces, waved at him as they made their way home. The vige was really peaceful, with no sort of drama or chaos. Ren was about to retire for the day and return home to practice more on his herb-mixing techniques when suddenly chaos erupted. A lot of vigers, including little children and the elderly, began to run toward the vige square fearfully. When Ren saw the first person running toward him¡ªsince he was standing in front of the vige square¡ªhe thought they were just exercising, until he saw arge crowd of people running past him with horrified expressions on their faces. "What is happening?" Ren sprang into action and rushed toward them. "Why are you all running?" he asked, but most of them were too horrified to reply. "They areing!" one of the vigers cried out to Ren. "What is it? Tell me what is happening!" Ren inquired with a panicky voice, as this was his first time experiencing this. "Monsters!" someone running past him answered without looking at him. "Monsters?" Ren''s eyes widened. "Ren, this is bad!" While Ren was trying to understand the situation, one of the middle-aged soldiers of the vige approached him and said in a panicky voice. Ren quickly asked him what was happening, and he immediately exined, causing Ren''s eyes and mouth to widen gradually. ording to him, he and his colleagues were guarding the border when a group of scary-looking monsters of different races suddenly appeared out of thin air and began sprinting toward the vige. When they saw this, they immediately locked the gate and informed everyone to run away. "Luckily, none of the monsters can fly; if they could, we wouldn''t be standing here having this conversation right now. The only thing buying us time are the walls, and I fear they are going to copse soon because those monsters are pretty aggressive," he concluded. Ren was still dumbfounded by the news he had just received. His mind couldn''t even process the information he was receiving at the moment. The people around him were still sprinting frantically into the vige square, which was filling up at an rming rate. In their current state, not even his words would be able to calm them down. Ren was still thinking of how to calm them when suddenly, from other directions, other vigers began to run toward the vige square as well, screaming for help. The soldiers guarding those points came to him and reported, their stories strangely simr to that of the first soldier. "They are attacking from so many sides at the same time; this can''t be a simple coincidence," Ren concluded while observing the chaotic scene. Monsters appearing out of nowhere from one side was already too much, but when the same thing happened on the other side at the exact same time, it simply wasn''t a coincidence. Was the ancestor trying to punish them for killing their previous Lord? Or was this merely a natural coincidence? He wondered. He bit his finger for a few seconds, pondering what action to take next, before turning to the soldiers and giving themmands to gather themselves. "I wish Lord Rowan was here; only he would be able to solve this problem with his insane strength and divine leadership skills," Ren couldn''t help but think about the strongest person he knew at this moment. --- Not too far away from the walls of Winterseed II, two figures adorned in ck robes could be seen sitting on the branch of a very tall tree, watching the whole chaos unfold with satisfied smiles on their faces. Chapter 105: Opaque reality [ 25 ] About thirty minutes had passed swiftly since the chaos began. At this moment, the entirety of the vigers had gathered inside the vige square as though it were a defensive tower, a ce where harm wouldn''t reach them. Most of them stared around continuously in fright; some shivered, a few cried out, while others prayed in their hearts that someone truly powerful woulde to y the monster wreaking havoc on the vige. Not far from the vige square, a group of more than five hundred soldiers, armed with various weapons, stood around Ren, listening to his ns. "We need to stay here for now and keep everyone safe," Ren suggested in a deeply worried voice. "But the monsters will bring down the walls if we don''t act quickly! We can''t afford to lose them; they''ve been the only thing preventing monster attacks like these for decades," one of the soldiers immediately refuted, pointing out the ws. A few others joined in, trying to dissuade Ren from his decision. Ren was at a loss for words, his mind wandering in search of a better decision in such a dire event. His heart beat rapidly, and sweat formed on his forehead. As he racked his brain, searching for the perfect solution to the crisis, he suddenly heard a voice in his head that sounded just like Rowan''s. At first, he thought he was imagining it, since he had been praying for Rowan to suddenly show up ever since the chaos began. [''Ren... you can hear me, right?''] the voice in his head became clearer, and he immediately recognized that it was truly Rowan and not his imagination. He almost jumped for joy at that moment, if it weren''t for the men surrounding him who would definitely think he was crazy if he did that during such an intense moment. [''What''s happening? What is attacking the vige?''] Rowan''s voice sounded urgent and serious, and judging from his words, he already knew the vige was under attack. This realization shocked Ren. Ren tried to reply to Rowan through his mind, but it was quite difficult. [''Just imagine yourself speaking to me and tell me everything.''] Ren did as Rowanmanded and imagined himself speaking to him. Immediately, he felt a sudden connection, like Rowan was standing right in front of him. ''Lord Rowan, a great horde of monsters has befallen the vige from all angles,'' he reported. [''Exin...''] Rowan demanded. Ren opened up inwardly and told him everything he knew so far about the monsters, how they attacked, how they were threatening to tear down the walls and invade, and every other detail he knew Rowan would require at this moment. Following his lengthy exnation, there was silence, as if Rowan was processing the information he had just received. Ren waited eagerly for Rowan''s answer, trusting that his n would definitely work since he was a genius strategist. Nevertheless, the silencested for about thirty seconds before Rowan spoke to Ren. [''Send the soldiers outside the walls to battle the monsters. You can''t let them destroy the walls; if they do, the nearby monsters will surely visit the vige afterward if these ones fail to finish the job.''] When Ren heard Rowan''s n and his reasoning¡ªwhich was exactly the same as the soldiers''¡ªhe couldn''t help but agree immediately. Ren wasn''t much of a battle strategist, so he promptly agreed with what Rowan said and told the soldiers to get on with it right away. Rowan discussed a few strategies to kill the monsters with Ren, and Ren made sure to pass the information to the soldiers, who were already marching toward the walls with serious expressions on their faces. The wall had been one of their protectors for several decades, and they weren''t going to let the monsters bring it down¡ªit would make the years their ancestors spent building it a waste. The people in the vige square saw the soldiers marching away and reacted in various ways¡ªsome cried because they felt defenseless without the soldiers, while others prayed fervently for them to win miraculously. Ren did not n to go to the battlefield himself, knowing he would only get killed since he didn''t possess any sort of battle technique. If they were facing human foes, he might have apanied the soldiers to help as best he could. But this time, they were up against monsters, and it would take an extraordinary amount of luck to venture into their midst without getting eaten. He stayed behind instead. But he quickly changed his mind after a few seconds and joined a group marching towards the gate. --- Meanwhile, in Winterseed. Rowan was biting his nails as his mind wandered, pondering the dire situation of his territory. He had been digging the foundation when he received a notification that his territory was under attack, and he quickly contacted Ren telepathically to inquire about the situation. When Ren told him what happened, he was truly shocked. "Monsters appearing out of thin air are already suspicious and unnatural, but when they appear simultaneously at different points of the vige, it''s more than mere suspicion¡ªthis is the handiwork of some bastards!" Rowan gritted his teeth as he muttered to himself. "Could this be the handiwork of one of my fellow transmigrators?" Rowan wondered. "Or could this be the work of someone entirely different?" he continued asking himself. Rowan didn''t possess much information about the territories around him. His knowledge was limited to just a few small viges nearby, and those viges had no way of getting their hands on powerful magic such as summoning monsters. While Rowan was pondering, Dragun, who was returning from the southern river where he had gone to gather herbs he would be using to brew his potion, couldn''t help but notice the worried state of his son. He observed his surroundings, and when he saw that no one was around, he began moving toward Rowan. Dragun''s Glimmerfade spell was activated, so Rowan couldn''t notice his presence at all. When Dragun got close enough to his son, he deactivated the spell. Rowan was still deep in thought when he felt a strange and somewhat powerful presence behind him and quickly turned, assuming a defensive pose. "It''s you..." Rowan hissed when he saw that it was Dragun. Inwardly, he was a little confused about how he had gotten closer without him noticing. "What is it, son? You look so worried," Dragun said, smiling at Rowan. Rowan scoffed and asked, "Why do you care?" "I think I might be able to help a little if you could just exin your situation to me," Dragun replied. Rowan scoffed but didn''t dismiss the offer, even though he despised the person standing in front of him. ''Maybe he has magic spells that will help in this situation,'' thought Rowan before he opened up and revealed his dire situation to Dragun. Nevertheless, as he narrated to Dragun, he became more surprised. "How did you get such information so easily from a vige far away?" Dragun asked curiously. Rowan lied, saying that the people had sent a crow with a letter to him, since he couldn''t reveal that he could magicallymunicate with someone far away. Dragun found his answer a little suspicious, but he didn''t ask any questions. "I can be of help," Dragun said with a smile. Chapter 106: Opaque reality [ 26 ] Nighttime slowly approached Winterseed II, and the moon rose high, its pale light the only illumination over the vige. The banging sounds as the monsters threatened to burst down the walls, and their angry, eerie, bloodthirsty cries drifted across the vige, filling the vigers with even more fear of impending doom. The fear of the vigers significantly increased as the darkness of the night veiled the vige, the moonlight casting long, eerie shadows. Nevertheless, despite the sounds of the monsters trying to break into the vige, the soldiers boldly moved ahead towards the walls to defend it¡ªthey were ready toy their lives down in order to guarantee the survival of the others. Most of the soldiers were middle-aged men who had experienced many battles, which had strengthened their will. There were a few young soldiers, but even they had made up their minds to fight andy down their lives to protect their vige. "Ren, you shouldn''te with us. This battle is going to be extremely dangerous. Lord Rowan wouldn''t take it lightly if you got hurt," one of the middle-aged soldiers said, approaching Ren and trying to deter him from following them to the walls. "You can''t talk me out of this now; I''ve already made up my mind," Ren replied firmly. The soldier could only sigh and join his colleagues in the march forward. Ren walked closely behind them with a determined expression on his face. From time to time, he touched the woven bag containing herbs hanging on his shoulder. As they marched closer towards the gate, the chaotic noise of the monsters became louder and clearer. At this point, some of the young soldiers began to lose their nerve and get scared, but the middle-aged ones quickly reprimanded them. After a few more minutes, they finally approached the big gate, where a few scary-looking monsters could be seen banging on it under the eerie glow of the moon. Ren immediately instructed the soldiers with bows and arrows to aim at the monsters at the gate. They obeyed at once and fired at the monsters through therge holes in the gate. Numerous arrows darted through the air and pierced the monsters lingering behind the gate. After several rounds of firing, inflicting wound after wound on them, the monsters at the gate finally fell dead to the ground¡ªbut at the cost of the archers emptying their quivers. The other soldiers quickly stormed the gate, opened it, and stepped out. As soon as they stepped out, they were greeted with the gruesome sight of the monsters banging on the walls, turning their attention towards them, their bloodthirsty red eyes fixated on them. The monsters on this side of the wall stopped banging when they saw the humans pouring out of the vige¡ªthe look on the monsters'' faces at this moment could be described as predators setting eyes on weak, helpless prey. ROAR! HOWL! HISS! The monsters cried out ecstatically as they began stomping towards the soldiers from all angles. The soldiers grabbed their weapons and fixed their eyes on the monsters in front of them. Some of them were scared, while the others were ready for battle. Ren was in the middle and could see the ravaging monsters closing the distance with the soldiers at an rming pace. "Attack! Fight for your lives and your people! Remember to aim for the head always or any other weak point you can find. If the monster has... you know... don''t forget to strike it with your swords!" one of the middle-aged soldiers cried out loudly. The other soldiers reacted with loud chants as well and grabbed their weapons without wasting a single minute. They began charging towards the monsters, slowly leaving only Ren in the middle. The pale light of the moon illuminated the path ahead of them, and the soldiers fearlessly marched through it, not a bit scared of challenging the monsters. Ren, who stood in the middle, took his time to observe the monsters as closely as he could¡ªhe noticed that the monsters were of varying races and sizes. There was a vampire-toothed chimpanzee the size of a whole house and possessed-looking rabbits the size of a dog. They all looked scarypared to the measly humans charging towards them¡ªthe vampire-toothed chimpanzee could easily smash a huge soldier to meat paste, and the possessed rabbits were fast and nimble and could bite. The possessed rabbits are one of the most encountered monsters in this region¡ªthough they were small in size, their bites are very poisonous like a viper''s, and they are also very fast, making them impossible to kill. To think that mortal soldiers would be bold enough to face off against these monstrosities to protect their people shocked Ren. Meanwhile, as his mind ran amok, the soldiers and the monsters collided and attacks began. Not too far away, two young soldiers holding long spears could be seen stabbing at the crotch area of a monster standing on two feet like humans do. Very close to those two, one middle-aged soldier was suddenly engulfed in mesing from a fire-spitting monster, and close to the unfortunate soldier, his colleague was being devoured by a really ferocious snake! "Ahhhh... Help me, drag me out, please!" the soldier cried out, but his cries were in vain. His colleagues could have helped, but their hands were full at this moment. The battle wasn''t going in the soldiers'' favor at all. The scene in front of Ren immediately became gruesome¡ªsoldiers fell dead on the ground one after the other, and some were getting devoured and swallowed by the monsters. Ren''s eyes widened in horror; his body began to shiver as he stepped back towards the gate. "This is bad! This is bad! Everyone is going to die!" he panicked. He hade because he thought he might be of help to the soldiers and heal them when they got wounded. But his intention became nothing but an illusion since no one got injured¡ªthey were either killed or eaten! As Ren was backing up towards the gate, the vampire-toothed chimpanzee who had just finished devouring a soldier spotted him and began moving towards him with blood dripping from its mouth and its red eyes dead set on Ren. "No..." Ren turned back and tried to run away as fast as he could, but then another monster appeared behind him; it was a wolf-type monster, and it was ready to devour him. Ren halted in his steps and just stared at his impending death with horrified eyes. Everything was going to end now¡ªnot just for him, but everyone in the vige would be devoured at this rate! As he wallowed in his thoughts, the monsters got closer, and time seemed to slow down in his very own perspective as death drew nearer. "You must be Ren." Nevertheless, suddenly he heard an oddly calm and collected voice behind him. "Don''t worry, I''ll rescue you!" Chapter 107: Opaque reality [ 27 ] "You must be Ren. Fear not anymore, for I''ll rescue you from the hands of these ugly monstrosities," a calm voice sounded behind Ren. Ren, shocked and horrified beyond description, tilted his head backward and saw a strange man walking toward him with a serene smile on his face. Before he could even reply, the figure of the man suddenly disappeared. Ren immediately pped himself, reminding himself that it was just an illusion and that no one was reallying to save him. He shut his eyes and awaited the two monsters ready to devour him; he was prepared to ept death. But then... SHRIEK!! Two loud, painful shrieks echoed around him, causing him to immediately open his eyes to see what was making the terrifying monsters cry out in pain. To his surprise, the wolf and the vampire-toothed chimpanzee were lying dead on the ground. The head of the wolf was beside its body, and there was arge hole in the stomach of the vampire-toothed chimpanzee. Close to the vampire-toothed chimpanzee, he saw the back of the same man he thought he had seen earlier. The man turned to face him. In the crescent glow of the moonlight, he was able to see the man''s face, which bore a strong resemnce to Rowan''s but had more mature features. At first, Ren thought of no other person but Rowan''s father, Dragun Winterseed, but he quickly dismissed the thought since Dragun was dead. "Who are you?" he asked quickly. Dragun looked at Ren but didn''t bother to reply. He activated his GLIMMERFADE spell once again and moved toward the other monsters, catching them unaware as he used offensive magic to ughter them one after another. Some of the soldiers were risking their lives fighting and were almost on the verge of death when they noticed the monster they were battling suddenly fall dead to the ground. Ren watched the scene with a dumbfounded expression, unable to understand what was going on. Minutes passed, and minutes turned into an hour in this part of the walls of Winterseed II. At this moment, many monsters could be seen lying dead on the ground, while the other monsters still alive left the soldiers they were previously fighting and watched out for the invisible killer. Around the battlefield, the few soldiers still alive stood and watched the impossible scene unfold. They began moving back toward Ren, who was close to the gate, while their eyes remained focused on the scene. "What''s happening?" "Something invisible is killing the monsters for us!" "Is this the handiwork of the gods? Are they really not angry with us for giving away Lord Rowan''s staff of authority?" They discussed amongst themselves as they retreated far away from the scene to avoid getting killed by the monster killer. Some of them felt solemn that this monster killer hadn''t arrived earlier to save their colleagues who fell into the hands of the evil monsters. They felt sad recalling the gruesome scenes of theirrades pleading for their lives while the monsters devoured them. Among all of them, only Ren knew what was happening, but he didn''t even know how to exin it to the others. He could only watch for the rest of the time until thest monster¡ªthe same snake who had swallowed so many soldiers¡ªwas in. "Yes!" The soldiers couldn''t help but cry out in joy. Ren was still looking at the battlefield to see if he could at least find a trace of the invisible figure. "You asked who I am earlier." He was still focusing when the same voice sounded behind him. He felt a touch on his shoulder and turned to see the same man standing beside him. The soldiers standing around Ren were also taken aback by the voice, and they all tilted their heads toward the huge figure who resembled someone familiar. Just like Ren, they thought it was Dragun Winterseed, but at the same time, they knew Dragun was dead, so they didn''t dare make certain assumptions. Dragun observed their facial expressions briefly before smiling and revealing his true identity. "I am Dragun Winterseed. My son sent me here to rescue your people." Everyone looked at him as though they were seeing a fool and a ghost at the same time. Even Ren couldn''t believe his ears. "Dragun Winterseed is dead! How can you be someone who is dead?" one of the soldiers eximed. "If you are dead, does that mean we''re seeing a ghost?" another asked. The soldiers voiced their disbeliefs, but Dragun only shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. "I have no time to exin my identity to you. I need to get to the other part of the walls as soon as possible. If you have doubts, send a crow to my son and ask him. I''m sure his reply will clear up your doubts." After saying that, Dragun disappeared, leaving the soldiers puzzled and staring among themselves in confusion. The soldiers stood in stunned silence, eyes fixed on Dragun''s fading figure. "What just happened?" one soldier asked shakily. "Did you see that? He just... disappeared," another replied, rubbing his temples. "What was he saying about crows?" some asked. "All his words are strange, he might actually be a ghost!" The use of crows as a means ofmunication was new to them; thus, they found Dragun''s words really strange. As they discussed among themselves, suddenly the real question dawned on them. "If what he said is the truth, then how did Lord Rowan know we are under attack?" Ren listened quietly, unsure how to exin everything to them since it would only sound like gibberish to them. After sometime, he told them their next phase of action and they rushed into the vige to meet the people at the vige square. --- At the northern wall, chaos reigned. Soldiers were on the verge of death, barely holding their ground against a massive, tusked beast. As the creature raised its ws to strike, Dragun appeared in a blur of motion. Without hesitation, he conjured a massive fireball and hurled it at the monster. The mes engulfed the beast, reducing it to ash in an instant. Luckily this massive beast was the only one in this location and after killing it, Dragun disappeared and arrived at the other locations as fast as he could to take care of the monsters. He appeared at the wastern side of the vige where the monsters have already yed more than half of the men fighting them. A few of the monsters were focused on killing the soldiers while others continued pushing against the wall to break it down. Dragun didn''t waste time after observing the scene and kicked into action. He exhausted his mana reserve defending the people. But not so far away from the vige, hidden in the darkness of the nights, two strange and powerful figures became irritated of him for his heroic actions. "It is that bastard, Dragun!" One of them cursed angrily. He turned to the one standing beside him with gritted teeth, "We should kill him now that he has appeared!" He urged. Nevertheless the figure beside him was eerily calm and only shook his head, "Let him be for now." .... AUTHOR NOTE: Sorry for the dy everyone! Chapter 108: Opaque reality [ 28 ] It was midnight, but the moon hanging in the sky was still shining brightly, washing away the darkness in Winterseed II. The vigers hiding in the vige square were still very scared, hugging each other while some kept crying and praying for a miraculous intervention, which, unbeknownst to them, had already taken ce. At this moment, Ren and the soldiers with him arrived at the vige square. The vigers immediately became curious and tense upon seeing the soldiers. "What happened?" some couldn''t help but ask. "Where is my son?" "Where is my husband?" Some of them even began to ask for their loved ones who didn''t arrive with Ren and the others. Ren immediately became sad as he would have to share the bad news of the death of their loved ones. He felt a pang in his heart and was almost on the verge of crying¡ªhe wasn''t emotionally strong enough to share such news. Seeing the hopeful vigers crying for their loved ones would definitely break his heart and shatter his courage. One of the soldiers with him saw that he couldn''t answer and responded to the questions instead. His answers caused cries to thunder across the vige square, adding more sorrow to the already sorrowful atmosphere hovering over the people. After answering the questions about their loved ones, he also went on to share that their deaths weren''t in vain, as they had actually been able to defeat the monster on their side. This news was a little relief to the people, but it didn''t remove the pain of losing their loved ones. Some of the soldiers assisted their colleagues in sharing the news, while Ren could only watch helplessly with a sad look on his face. He felt really ashamed that he had actually tried to run away from the battlefield. While he was wallowing in self-pity, some of the soldiers from the other side of the walls began to arrive one after the other. "The monsters have been defeated!" they revealed happily upon arrival. "A mysterious man appeared out of nowhere and defeated all of them with supernatural powers. He summoned a big fiery ball of mes and defeated a gigantic monster that a hundred of us couldn''t even stand against!" they praised Dragun. "He is definitely a messenger of the ancestors! They are still watching over us!" some of them assumed. They hadn''t seen Dragun''s face, and Dragun hadn''t even spoken to them, so they just assumed he was a supernatural helper sent by their ancestors. "What about you guys? How was it over there?" some of the soldiers asked Ren and the men who went with him. "The same man defeated the monsters for us," one of the soldiers said. "He said his name is Dragun Winterseed. Can you believe it? He even said Lord Rowan sent him. How is that even possible? Lord Rowan doesn''t know about our predicament, and Dragun is dead..." Ren didn''t bother to listen to any of them and went into the vige square to console some of the vigers who had lost their loved ones. After consoling them, he began to treat those vigers who had incurred pretty bad injuries while rushing into the vige square. He kept his bag on the ground, and the injured ones began to gather one after the other. Time went by slowly; the soldiers from other parts of the walls arrived gradually, and soon all of them were gathered. Currently, they were discussing and arguing about the mysterious man. Even those who saw his face did not believe it was truly Dragun Winterseed, while those who didn''t see his face didn''t even bother to buy the story of the others. "How can you say you saw a dead man? You guys must be out of your minds¡ªthat man is a messenger of our ancestors; he''s no human!" "Are you calling all of us who saw him fools just because you didn''t see his face?" "You! How dare a delusional man speak to me in such a manner?" Discussions turned into arguments, and arguments slowly turned into aggressive exchanges of words, on the verge of developing into a brawl. Nevertheless, they were so engaged in their argument that they failed to notice the figure of Dragun appearing behind them. Only Ren and some of the vigers watching the arguing soldiers saw him appear out of thin air. Ren decided not to utter a word, while the vigers beside him were just too stunned to speak. Dragun looked at the soldiers arguing about him and couldn''t help but shake his head. "I exhausted all my energy to save you all, and all you can do is talk badly about me behind my back, hmm?" His voice quickly drew the attention of the arguing men, and they stared at him with strange expressions. With the help of the moonlight, they were able to notice his resemnce to Rowan, and they immediately believed that it was truly him. "What? Aren''t you supposed to be dead?" one of the talkative soldiers asked. "Aren''t you supposed to keep your mouth shut and do the needful by thanking the person who saved your life?" Dragun scoffed. The soldiers looked among themselves, confused, and turned to look at him, still failing to believe a dead man was actually speaking to them. Beside the arguing men, the vigers were still gazing upon the back of the huge figure of Dragun. Ren decided to exin the situation to them. "Everyone, this is our savior¡ªhe single-handedly defeated all the scary monsters trying to tear our vige down. We owe him all our thanks," he announced in a loud voice. His voice only reached the vigers close to him; those who heard him spread his words across, and in a few seconds, his words had circted among the people. They were all struck with disbelief, but they were very grateful. "Thank you, savior!" they thundered in unison. Dragun heard the loud shout of the people behind him and stopped reprimanding the talkative soldiers. He turned to them, smiled, and waved his hand, enjoying the looks they gave him¡ªit made him feel like a hero, in contrast to how the people of his own vige treated him. As he waved at them, his face became clearer, and some of them almost mistook him for Rowan because of the resemnce. This caused another spark of confused whispers, but the thunderous voice of appreciation shushed it. Chapter 109: Opaque reality [ 29 ] The chants of gratitude continued as Dragun kept waving with a smile on his face. He cleared his throat, applied a voice-amplifying spell on his throat, and spoke with a loud voice, "Thank you for showing appreciation, unlike your talkative soldiers." His words invoked a little bit of hatred from the soldiers behind him, but none of them were bold enough to speak against him¡ªnot after seeing his supernatural powers. "The true hero of this victory is none other than my son, Rowan. If he hadn''t sent me here, it would have been a different story," Dragun announced with pride in his voice. "Lord Rowan? His son? How is that possible?" "Wait, if Lord Rowan is his son, then he is Dragun Winterseed!" "How can this be? Dragun Winterseed is no more!" "Were the people of Winterseed telling lies all this while to hide the powers of their former lord?" "This doesn''t make sense!" The people were confused, but they didn''t speak about Dragun with disrespect like the soldiers, and Dragun appreciated their respect for his name. "I am Dragun Winterseed in the flesh, not a ghost!" he announced. "The rumors of my death were nothing but misinformation following my long absence from my people," he continued. He made sure to convince everyone that he was real before rxing. The people were convinced by his words, and they thanked Rowan for sending him here to save them. This made them believe that their lord was truly a man who cared for them. Some of the vigers didn''t even bother to ask how Rowan knew about their predicament. If his father could possess such extraordinary powers to defeat hordes of powerful monsters, then Lord Rowan himself must possess other special powers. Ren felt greatly relieved seeing how Dragun handled everything. After Dragun''s speech, the vigers began to retire to their homes one after the other to rest for the night. They were pretty exhausted after all the mental and physical torment they had gone through in thest few hours. Some of them, on their way home, met with Dragun and thanked him personally for saving them. "When I grow up, I want to be like you, Uncle Dragun," one child said. "Same with me! How do I grow strong to be like you?" another asked. A group of children approached Dragun, excitement evident in their innocent faces. "You have to eat lots of vegetables and respect your elders to be like me when you grow up," Dragun said, patting their heads and lying to them. "Really?" they asked in unison. "Yes, respecting your elders makes you really strong like me as you grow into adults," Dragun lied even more. The children thanked him for his advice and left with so much determination to eat as many bitter and tasteless vegetables as they could in order to be like him. Dragun watched the children running away yfully, and his mind quickly recalled a simr scene of Rowan running away to swing sticks after he told him doing that would help him be a strong warrior. Dragun sighed sadly; he hadn''t spent enough time with his son, and now his son hated him to the core. After Ren finished applying herbal ointment on thest wounded viger, he hung his bag on his shoulder and approached Dragun to thank him personally. "Thank you foring to our aid," Ren said, stretching his hand out to shake his. Dragun shook his hand andughed heartily. "No need to thank me." Both of them smiled. "By the way, I will be needing a ce to stay for a few days. I have exhausted my mana reserve and won''t be able to return to Winterseed," Dragun requested. "That is not a problem," Ren smiled. He called three young soldiers and instructed them to go clean the lord''s quarters for Dragun to stay. While they were away, the soldiers who stayed around approached Dragun and began to apologize. Dragun wasn''t really bothered about how they had treated him earlier; he had already forgiven them even before they asked. But he took the opportunity to request their assistance for a task. "You want us to help you harvest organs from the monsters you killed?" one of them asked, a look of confusion stered on his face. "Yes, I will instruct you what to do in the morning," Dragun nodded. "What are you going to do with the organs we harvest? Is that what ghosts eat?" one of the talkative ones¡ªthe same one who tried to start a fight earlier¡ªasked. Dragun''s smile disappeared as he gave the soldier a look of disappointment. "Just do what I asked," he replied and walked away from the ground. The other soldiers looked at the talkative one with disappointment as well; they were pretty fed up with his tendency to seek trouble with everyone, even those stronger than him. The talkative soldier looked at his colleagues with a straight face and left when no one spoke with him. The other soldiers retired to their homes after discussing with each other for a few seconds. --- Meanwhile, not very far away, the same two mysterious men observed everything. The moonlight shone on their figures, highlighting their faces. Both had tall, imposing statures and youthful appearances, seeming to be around the age of 25 to 30. One of them had long white hair tied in a ponytail and hazel eyes that keenly observed everything; he also wore a calm expression that added to his mystery. The other had short white hair and blue eyes that shone with anger and hatred. He looked youngerpared to the long-haired one. "Alister, why did you say we should let him be? He knows so much secret information about us and even has something of ours in his possession," the short-haired one gritted his teeth and let out with extreme anger. Alister kept calm and kept staring ahead, ignoring the protest of his brother. "Answer me, Alister!" he demanded once again. "I already made my decision, Xandros," Alister replied without even looking at Xandros. "But.." Xandros tried to protest once again but Alister ced his finger on his lip to shush him up. "We report everything to the syndicate, excluding Dragun." Alister let out. Xandros only gritted his teeth, it was easy to spot his hatred for Dragun. Chapter 110: Opaque reality [ 30 ] At the first rooster''s crow, the vige began to awaken. Soft sunlight peeked over the vige, casting a warm glow on the streets. Doors opened one by one as vigers stepped out, stretching and breathing in the fresh morning air. "Good morning, Mary!" a woman called out, a bright smile on her face. "Morning, Helen! Isn''t it a lovely day?" Mary replied, her eyes shining with joy. Children ran along the paths,ughter echoing as they yed. Farmers headed to the fields, tools in hand and spirits high. The cksmith stoked his forge, humming a cheerful tune. Everywhere, there were smiles and greetings. "Did you sleep well?" a man asked his neighbor. "Better than ever, knowing we''re safe," the neighbor answered, nodding gratefully. The memory of yesterday''s danger had been reced by relief and gratitude. The vigers went about their tasks with a renewed energy, thankful for the hero who had saved them. In a quiet room close to the center of the vige, Dragun sat cross-legged on the wooden floor. His eyes were closed, his hands resting on his knees. He focused on gathering mana from the surroundings, but the energy was thin and scarce. He opened one eye and frowned. "The mana here is so little," he muttered to himself. "At this rate, it''ll take forever to recover." He closed his eye again, trying to concentrate. The faint traces of mana trickled toward him, but it wasn''t enough. However, he might be able to use the organs harvested from the dead monsters to his advantage and restore his mana faster. As he tried to find peace within himself and focus more on his meditation, amotion started outside the house he was staying and soon he heard loud knocks. Dragun sighed deeply. "Can''t a man meditate in peace?" he grumbled. He stood up and walked over to the door. As he opened it, he was greeted with the sight of ten women, each holding a trayden with food ranging from steamy hot soups, breads to delicious and greasy chicken! "Good morning, Lord Dragun," the eldest woman said, bowing her head slightly. "We''ve brought you breakfast." "We wanted to thank you for saving our lives and our children," another added, her eyes filled with gratitude. Dragun blinked in surprise. "There''s no need to thank me," he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Please ept our gratitude," a younger woman insisted. "It''s the least we can do." He looked at the array of dishes and chuckled softly. "Very well. Please,e in." The women entered the room, carefully cing the trays on the table. They moved gracefully, arranging the food neatly. "We hope you enjoy the meal," one of them said shyly. "I''m sure I will," Dragun replied warmly. "Thank you all." They exchanged pleased smiles. "If you need anything else, don''t hesitate to ask," the eldest woman said. "I appreciate your kindness," he responded. The women bowed slightly before leaving the room, closing the door gently behind them. Now alone, Dragun sat down at the table. The feast before him was impressive. He picked up a piece of warm bread and took a bite. "Delicious," he murmured. As he ate, he couldn''t help but feel a warmth in his chest. It had been a long time since anyone had shown him such kindness. Just as he was savoring a bowl of hearty stew, there was another knock at the door. "Who could it be now?" he wondered aloud. "Lord Dragun, may we speak with you?" a voice called from outside. Recognizing it as one of the soldiers, he stood up and opened the door. Three soldiers stood there, looking a bit uneasy. "Good morning," Dragun greeted them. "Good morning, sir," the first soldier replied. "We wanted to apologize for how we treated you yesterday." "We didn''t recognize you and were disrespectful," another added, his eyes downcast. He is the talkative ofst night. Dragun waved a hand dismissively. "It''s already forgotten. You were protecting your vige." They looked up, relief evident on their faces. "Thank you, sir. We also wanted to offer our help, if you need anything." He considered their offer. "Actually, yes. I already told you about my ns to gather organs of the monsters I killedst night, I will need your assistance." "We''d be d to help." Though the soldiers were pretty confused why he needed such materials, they still agreed. It was the least they could do to apologize and appreciate him for saving their lives and their loved ones. "Good. Meet me at the vige square after breakfast," Dragun instructed. "Yes, sir," they agreed. Before they turned to leave, Dragun gestured toward the table. "Have you eaten yet?" They nced at each other. "Not yet, sir," one admitted. "There''s plenty here. Join me," he offered. They hesitated. "We wouldn''t want to impose," another said. "Nonsense," Dragun insisted. "Sit and eat." They smiled gratefully and took seats at the table. As they ate, the atmosphere grew more rxed. "This soup is excellent," one soldiermented between bites. "The women of this vige are wonderful cooks," Dragun agreed. Time slowly continued and he enjoyed the meal with the soldiers. He needed them to assist him so he tried to appear likable as best as he could, making jokes andughing with them. --- On one side of the wall, Dragun and over a hundred soldiers stood, observing the corpses of the monsters in the previous night. The bodies of the vampire-toothed chimpanzee and the giant red snakey on the ground, still remarkably fresh. Dragun surveyed the field of defeated monsters sprawled along the wall''s edge. More than a hundred grotesque bodiesy motionless, all evidence of his victory from the night before. Wasting no time, he pointed at each monster and instructed the soldiers on what to do. They drew their des and set to work. Steel met bone as they pried open jaws to extract long, razor-sharp teeth. Horns were sawed off thick skulls, each task requiring strength and precision. ws were detached from massive paws, their edges still sharp enough to cut through armor. The soldiers moved efficiently, their hands steady despite the gruesome task. Piles of teeth, horns, and ws steadily grew beside them. Meanwhile, Dragun walked among the fallen creatures with a keen eye, searching for the rare few that held monster cores¡ªsmall, powerful orbs hidden deep within. Out of the hundred beasts, fewer than ten had monster cores. He found the first one, a particrlyrge chimpanzee. With a swift cut, he reached into its chest cavity and retrieved a glowing core, warm to the touch. He moved on to the next, a giant snake with faintly shimmering scales. Carefully cutting along its belly, he essed the core nestled near its heart. Each core had gentle yet vigorous energy flowing through it, vital for mana. Dragun ced them into a pouch at his side, securing these invaluable items. The soldiers remained focused on their task. Blood and sweat mixed as theybored under the sun. They avoided damaging the valuable parts, handling them with care despite the urgency. des sliced through sinew and bone, the sounds muffled by the sheer scale of the operation. The air was thick with the scent of iron and earth. Dragun finished collecting the tenth core. He stood and nced over the field. The soldiers had made significant progress; most of the monsters had been stripped of their teeth, horns, and ws. He observed the heaps of harvested materials, satisfied with their efficiency. Without pause, the soldiers began cleaning up. They gathered the extracted parts into sacks, ready for transport. The remains of the monsters were dragged aside, clearing the area. Some soldiers dug trenches to bury the excess, ensuring the site wouldn''t be a breeding ground for disease. Others washed their hands and weapons, the water running red before seeping into the ground. Dragun secured the pouch of monster cores, feeling the energy emanating through the fabric. He knew these would elerate his recovery, a necessary step for the challenges ahead. He watched as thest of the materials were packed up, the soldiers showing no signs of fatigue despite the hard work. The sun climbed higher, casting harsh light over the scene. The field that had been a battleground now bore the marks of their harvest. The soldiers shouldered the sacks and began moving back toward the vige. Dragun followed, his mind already contemting how to use the monster cores. As they returned, the vigers watched with a mix of awe and gratitude. They saw the soldiers carrying the remnants of the creatures that had once terrorized them. Children pointed at the horns and teeth, whispers of amazement spreading through the crowd. Reaching the vige square, the soldiers deposited the sacks in an orderly fashion. Dragun parted ways with them, heading toward a quiet area where he could begin absorbing the cores'' energy. The soldiers dispersed, some returning to their posts, others taking a moment to rest. In seclusion, Dragun sat and emptied the pouch of cores onto a t stone. The orbs glowed softly, each one a concentrated essence of the monster it came from. He closed his eyes and began a silent ritual, drawing the energy from the cores into himself. The power flowed through him, rejuvenating his spirit and replenishing his mana reserves. --- Meanwhile, in Winterseed, Rowan woke up to a lot of messages popping up, causing him to frown slightly. [Your WIFE has...] Chapter 111: Opaque reality [ 31 ] Last night, Rowan retired to bed quitete; he didn''t sleep until he received a notification that the attack on Winterseed II had bepletely tak care of by Dragun. However, there were a few casualties because many soldiers lost their lives before Dragun arrived. Dragun''s actions helped Rowan understand his character a bit more. Wh Rowan told him about the vige''s situation, Dragun became guinely concerned and told Rowan he wanted to help. Initially, Rowan believed there was nothing Dragun could do, since simply traveling to Winterseed II would take hours. Ev if he took the fastest horse, everyone in the vige would have be wiped out before he got there. Nevertheless, to Rowan''s surprise, Dragun pulled out a silver slip¡ªsimr to the gold one D''andre uses, with the only differce being the color. Dragun exined how rare, expsive, and important the slip was, along with its function, before tearing it to activate its magical effect and disappearing into thin air. Dragun didn''t ask for any sort of favor orpsation from Rowan, despite using such an expsive and rare item on his behalf. He was willing to use it as long as it would guarantee the safety of the innoct people of Winterseed II, and this increased Rowan''s favorability toward him a little. Rowan wt to bed a few hours past midnight and woke up veryte, with a slight headache from inadequate sleep. "Sigh, I''ll try to rest a bit more this eving," Rowan thought,zily wiping his eyes. He turned to look beside him and saw Ri still sleeping. Last night, she had be up working with her [Enchanted Embroidery] skill; she had slept only a few minutes earlier than Rowan. As Rowan gazed upon her peaceful, resting face, a ding sounded in his head, and a window popped up in front of him. DING! [ Your WIFE''s upation has evolved ] --- Tailor -----> Arcane Threadmaster (Tier ) Permant effects: --> Sewing speed +00% --> Mana affinity boosted to 33% --- "What..." Rowan was quite surprised to see these messages appear before him. "Is this some sort of gift from Lavera?" he muttered, curiosity shining in his eyes. "Does that mean she''ll be able to use magic very soon?" he continued muttering to himself while looking at her sleeping face. There was no noticeable change in Ri from Rowan''s perspective; she was sleeping calmly and didn''t seem to be expericing any pain. In fact, if Rowan hadn''t received these notifications, he wouldn''t have suspected anything. At that momt, Rowan couldn''t help but recall Ri''s words about Dragun asking her toe meet him if she noticed any changes in her body. "Could it be he already saw thising since he''s a mage with the ability to perceive mana?" Rowan wondered. If that was the case, th Dragun would be the perfect person to help Ri grow stronger in the field of magic, as he was the only one who understood magic in the tire vige. Rowan''s head was still upied with many thoughts wh Ri woke up. She greeted him while stretching her arms, th gave him a quick kiss. Afterwards, she stood up and wt to rinse her mouth. Rowan observed all her movemts, but there were no noticeable changes. Wh Ri wt to the bathroom to take her bath, Rowan, who was expericing his morning wood, couldn''t resist the urge and wt into the bathroom to make out with her before both of them washed up afterwards. Ri wt to the vige square afterwards. Her task today wasn''t tutoring; instead, she would be working on robes to try to perfect her chanted embroidery. In the past few days since she acquired the skill, she had managed to master two chantmts: one that boosts the wearer''s luck wh equipped, and another that makes the robe water-resistant. She created the water-resistant chanted robe while attempting to master heat resistance, which was a bit more difficult for her. She had already asked a few of the vigers to bring their clothes to her so she could work on them. She didn''t inform them about the chanted embroidery and only told them she was going to add amazing designs, which was perfect as most of the wom didn''t ev ask questions and decided to bring their clothes as soon as possible. Wh she arrived at the ce she had arranged for the meeting, she found more than fifty wom and a few young soldiers waiting for her with their best clothes. Rowan had escorted her so he could see the people''s happy expressions. After suring she was in good hands, he left to inspect the soldiers who were on the verge ofpleting their projects. Standing at the southern border, Rowan found himself near a tall and sturdy guardhouse structure. The guardhouse was elevated by strong wood pirs that lifted it six feet above the g; each of these pirs appeared exceptionally sturdy and reliable. There was a simple staircase made from wood and stones, facilitating easy try into the small guardhouse. The only part missing at that momt was the roof, which they were already working on. Judging by its size, the guardhouse could amodate t soldiers at most, and with opings on all sides, keeping watch would be significantly easier and safer. They had no fear of being attacked by wild beasts since the structure was elevated, and spotting intruders from this height would be much easier. Rowan already had ns to paint the guardhouse ck to make it more difficult for intruders to detect at night. Rowan praised the soldiers'' efforts before leaving to inspect the other sites. With the way they were working, the construction would be finished by tomorrow at thetest. This made Rowan quite excited; with the guardhouse, the vige''s security would improve. After he was done with his inspections, he wt on toplete his digging until eving before retiring home. The next day, the soldiers were done with the construction of the guardhouse. After theypleted the structure, Rowan gave them some tips on how to effectively utilize the guardhouse. The following day, some of the soldiers joined Rowan to dig the foundation he had alreadyid out for them, while the others guarded the border and patrolled the vige. While Rowan and the soldiers worked hard, the farmers also put in a lot of effort in their task of clearing the farnds. Some of the free soldiers assisted them, and currtly they had managed to clear out arge portion of the uncultivatednd; nting wouldmce very soon. ra and the other heads of the farmers did a good job managing the farm''s workforce. They implemted a new morning and eving routine that guaranteed a good yield from the farms. With the ideas ra had gained from living in Glwood for a long time, she was able to sure the farms were in good condition. However, she had one goal she wanted to achieve, which was raising livestock like they did in Glwood. But she didn''t bother to inform Rowan yet until she was done suring the maximum quality yield of all the crops on the farm. The vige was progressing smoothly, and two more days passed. At this momt, Rowan was staring at a notification with teary eyes. "Finally!" he thought as he read the message over and over again, his heart beating faster with joy every second. Chapter 112: Opaque reality [ 32 ] Rowan stood in his room, staring at the message he had be waiting for since he transmigrated into this world. He had worked tirelessly, sacrificed his time, lost some of his people, and ev killed just to achieve this. An intse emotion washed over Rowan''s face as his eyes remained glued to the notification floating before him. DING --- Your territory has evolved! Currt rank: F-rank!! Productivity of all your followers has increased permantly by 50% Productivity of your farnds has increased permantly by 50% Attack power of your soldiers has increased permantly by 50% Your territory has be registered in the Codex of Territories; territories belonging to transmigrated lords. Your territory has tered the NOVICE Ranking | Ranking for transmigrated lords under D-rank. There are weekly and monthly rewards for those in top ranks. You can ess your position. CONGRATULATIONS! New criteria for E-rank will be revealed very soon. --- Rowan read the lgthy message, his face filled with emotion. "This is it. All my hard work has finally paid off," he muttered to himself, a wide grin spreading across his face. The effects of his territory''s evolution were so much better than in the original game, which filled him with excitemt. Also, the introduction of the Codex of Territories and the ranking system gave Rowan a new sse of responsibility and determination to achieve more. Wasting no time, hemanded, "Op novice ranking," eager to view the list. ----[ NOVICE RANKING ]---- Total positions: 9,08 Your position: 9,08 Currt recurring rewards: NONE (Enter top ,000 to obtain your first recurring reward) Do you want to view the top ? Cost: 0,000 evolution points --- Rowan observed the stats before him, his eyes widing slightly. He was shocked by therge number of transmigrators on the list. If there were over nine thousand transmigrators with territories below D-rank, th there were definitely more than a hundred thousand or ev a million transmigrators under and above those ranks. The sheer thought made Rowan frown. "Why are so many people being st into this world? Who is behind this, and what are they trying to achieve?" he couldn''t help but ask himself. "And people like D''Andre, who have other job sses, ar''t ev considered lords! Which means there might be more than a million transmigrators in this world!" Rowan suddly realized. Just thinking about his currt situation made his head ache, so he decided to take his mind off it for now. Wh he grew stronger and built his territory further, the mystery would definitely begin to reveal itself. "Show me the top t list," he said, pushing aside the troubling thoughts. DING [0,000 evolution points deducted, revealing list...] ----[ Top Novice Ranking ]---- - Jacking Paul | Dragonstone Dukedom | E-rank - William Chuckwudi | Latec Dukedom | E-rank 3 - Ivan Dreski | Dreski Dukedom | E-rank ... ... - Jake Chuckwudi | Latec Dukedom III | E-rank --- Rowan checked the list; he wasn''t surprised by the ranking of the territories. However, two territories caught his atttion¡ªthe ones belonging to Jake and William, who shared the same surname and territory name. He couldn''t help but wonder about the rtionship betwe those two. On the other hand, he felt a bit disappointed that he couldn''t see their skills to copy; these lords would definitely possess far better skills than him. Rowan closed the window. "I need to do everything possible to improve my territory and get into the top one thousand rankings to see what kind of rewards are up there. I''m certain they would be important assets to hance both my power and territory," he resolved, setting a new goal for himself. Seeing the list of the top t filled him with new motivation to do more, fueling thepetitive spirit within him that had died down a bit due to theck ofpetition. Now that one had arrived, he was ready to do everything to stay at the top! --- Winterseed II About a week had passed since the monster attack and the arrival of the vige hero, Dragun Winterseed. In the days that followed, the vige was filled with purpose. Soldiers trained from dawn till dusk, honing their skills with unwavering focus. They sparred in the op fields, their movemts sharp and disciplined. Farmers doubled their efforts, tding crops while also reinforcing defses. They knew the importance of being ready. Childr watched the soldiers with wide eyes. Inspired, they gathered sticks and practiced mock battles. Laughter mixed with determination as they mimickedbat moves. Each swing held the promise of future guardianship. "One day, we''ll protect everyone," they thought, gripping their makeshift swords. Meanwhile, the wom kept the vige running smoothly. They prepared meals, cared for the young and the elderly, and sured daily life continued without a hitch. Their hard work providedfort and stability, allowing others to focus on defse. In a secluded room filled with swirling smoke, Dragun stood before an unusual firece. An oddly shaped pot bubbled over the mes, emitting a soft glow. The air was thick with the sct of herbs and magic. He selected special nts with shimmering leaves and added them to the brew. From a pouch at his side, he took out parts from the in monsters: sharp fangs, gleaming ws, fragmts of dark horns. One by one, he dropped them into the boiling liquid. The mixture hissed and changed color with each addition, reacting with bursts of sparks. "Just a bit more," Dragun thought, his eyes fixed on the pot. The room vibrated with ergy; the air hummed. The liquid began to glow intsely, cycling through shades of red, blue, gre, yellow, and purple. Suddly, five colored smoke rings rose from the pot, floating above him in a mesmerizing dance. A satisfied smile appeared on Dragun''s face as he observed the reaction. He had be trying to brew this potion for the past three days but always ded up with unsatisfactory results. Seeing the five-colored smoke floating in the room, which signified a sessful mana-restoring potion, made him smile. "Finally, I can refill my mana reserve!" he muttered with a smile. Chapter 113: Opaque reality [ 33 ] After sessfully brewing the potion, Dragun allowed it to cool for about two hours before storing it in the small ss potion bottles inside his spatial pouch. He was able to fill five potion bottles with the tire batch he had just brewed. If others had se him at the start of brewing and now during packaging, they would be pretty surprised by how drastically the volume had decreased. Initially, it filled arge pot, but now it couldn''t ev fill more than t tiny potion bottles. Only Dragun knew that the amount he obtained was already perfect, as others might not ev get up to three bottles from their batches. Dragun stored four of them in his pouch and stared at the one in his hand. The liquid inside was pale blue and looked highly vtile. "I''m only a Tier Mage, so I need at least four of these potions topletely replish my mana reserves," Dragun muttered. He studied the contts of the bottle for a few seconds before gulping it down. The bitter, hot liquid slid over his tongue and burned his throat as he swallowed. Immediately, he felt a burning ssation in his stomach, as though he had swallowed hot coals. His body began to sweat profusely as it produced an insane amount of internal heat, causing him all sorts of unimaginable pain that could kill a full-grown adult in less than three seconds! Nevertheless, Dragun''s body had be stronger and more durable than a normal human''s, giving him the durance to withstand the unbearable pain¡ªbut that didn''t stop him from feeling it, which was totally nerve-wracking. As the minutes passed, the pain intsified. It felt like mes were racing through his veins, scorching every inch of his body. Dragun''s heart pounded wildly, and his muscles tsed uncontrobly. His vision blurred, and beads of sweat dripped down his face. He clched his jaw, trying to withstand the agony. Each breath he took felt like inhaling fire. The room seemed to spin, and his legs threated to give way beath him. The searing pain grew sharper, testing the very limits of his durance. Just wh it seemed unbearable, a sudd coolness washed over him. The burning ssation began to fade, reced by a soothing calm. His heartbeat slowed, and his breathing steadied. The tormt subsided, and strgth returned to his limbs. Dragun exhaled deeply, relief flooding through him. His body had finally absorbed the potion''s contts. He could feel a surge of ergy as his mana reserves started to replish at a rapid pace. Thirty minutes passed, and the effect of the potion ded¡ªDragun checked his mana reserve and discovered he was still about 60% away from reaching his peak state. He let out a sigh and swallowed the next potion. He braced himself as he felt the second potion burn its way down his throat. The scorching heat returned, searing his insides and making his muscles tight. Sweat poured down his face, and his heartbeat thundered in his ears. Minutes crawled by as the pain peaked and th slowly eased. Wh the difort faded, he checked his mana reserve. He was now 40% away from full capacity. Without wasting time, he uncorked the third bottle and drank it in one gulp. The intse agony struck again, sharper this time. His vision dimmed at the edges, and he had to steady himself against a table. Every nerve in his body screamed, but he refused to yield. Gradually, the tormt lessed, and a cool ssation spread through him. Another nce at his mana reserve showed he was just 0% short. Summoning his remaining strgth, Dragun swallowed the fourth and final potion. The pain hit like a zing inferno, the worst of all since his mana reserve sucked the mana more greedily and aggressively. He gritted his teeth, muscles quivering under the strain. It felt dless, but he held on. Evtually, the mes within subsided, reced by a soothing wave of ergy. As thest traces of pain disappeared, Dragun ssed his mana reserves fully replished. He let out a loud sigh. He wt to take his bath and cleaned the room using wind magic and water magic spells together, before walking out of the house. It was eving, and people on the street greeted him happily as usual. He greeted them back and inquired about R''s currt location. He was told that R was at the vige square, so he immediately headed there. At the vige square, R was mixing herbs of various sizes, colors, and shapes inside a small wood bowl. After he finished, he handed the mixture to a feverish olddy sitting on a wood bch beside him. She drank it without hesitation. She didn''t feel anything differt for the first five minutes as the concoction settled within her system. The cold and fever were still there and hitting hard, causing her pain. But th, after another five minutes, it was as though a strange new ergy washed through her body and filled her with life, conquering the fever and cold she felt. "I feel so good now!" she eximed happily, standing up and bowing slightly to R. "Thank you very much, Lord R." R waved at her with a proud smile. "No need to thank me. Go back home and don''t forget to eat healthy foods with plty of vegetables. This medicine I gave you will only calm the symptoms and fight them slowly. If you continue eating unhealthily, once the effect wears off after two days, the fever will return." "Sure, I will," she thanked him and left. R smiled and rinsed his equipmt with water. He was pretty happy that he had just helped another viger in need¡ªit made him proud. Dragun, who was observing not too far away, sighed and muttered to himself, "With this much knowledge of herbs, he might be epted into the Devildoor School of Alchemists, but he''s already passed the maximum age limit." He shook his head and wt to inform R of his n to return to Winterseed. R was devastated by the news, but he had no choice. "Please sd my greetings to Lord Rowan and Miss Liara," R said, waving at Dragun. Dragun nodded before bringing out a magical silver slip and tearing it. Immediately, he teleported, unaware of the two dark figures trailing him. Chapter 114: Opaque reality [ 34 ] After Dragun activated the silver slip¡ªalso known as the low-grade teleportation magic slip¡ªhis body teleported from his currt location and traveled at an amazing speed toward Winterseed. Those who witnessed it were amazed. R stared at his disappearing figure with a smile thatsted for a few seconds. Nevertheless, while the low-grade teleportation magic slip was a very important magic item for transportation, it had a lot of downsides giv its grade. Not so far away from the vige square, away from the prying eyes of the vigers, were two figures cloaked in dark armor observing Dragun''s movemts¡ªthey were other than Xandros and Alister. Xandros had his usual hateful expression, while his elder brother Alister maintained a straight face. Alister could be se holding a small object with a ss scre in the middle of it. The momt Dragun activated the teleportation magic slip, the scre of the object lit up in a bright red glow. Immediately, Xandros brought out a mid-grade teleportation magic slip and tore it, both of them teleported from their location, following the signal the device in their hands showed them. --- WINTERSEED It was afternoon, and Rowan and his m could be se digging up the foundation for their next project. They were on the verge ofpletion with just about four left. Not so far away from the m digging were othersying the foundations of the houses with wood and stones. Some m could also be se mixing y and adding it to the foundation to make it ev sturdier. Rowan could be se working alone on one of the sites with a very bright smile on his face. His mood had increased significantly following the rect evolution of his territory. No one knew about it, though. Nevertheless, Rowan could see the effects of his territory''s evolution in the vigers, especially the m working with him. Normally, it would take one hundred soldiers a whole day to finish working on one site, but today, only soldiers were almost done with the same task, and the eving hadn''t ev approached yet! Rowan also noticed the effects on everyone except the soldiers, on his way here, he witnessed some of the old and weak farmers clearing the weeds faster and without much stress. He couldn''t really observe the changes in everyone in the vige, but from the ones he had se so far, he could tell the effects were a buff. Rowan couldn''t help but imagine just how powerful the effect would be wh he reached F-rank! Rowan was still working tirelessly as the afternoon sun radiated on his well-refined slder and muscr physique, wh he noticed a sudd change a him and looked up only to see Dragun standing in front of him with a smile on his face. The arrival of Dragun drew the atttion of the soldiers a the area, who looked at him with frowns on their faces. "Did you see him walk past us?" one of the soldiers asked his colleague. "I didn''t, and I''ve be watching the whole time. How did he get to Lord Rowan without us noticing?" his colleague replied, both of them looked really confused. The others with them were also really confused as well. Dragun observed all their reactions and waved at them with a smile on his face. But they all scoffed at him and wt back to their work, ignoring his prescepletely. Dragun heaved a sigh and turned to his son, who was looking at him with a neutral expression. He greeted him first and th proceeded to share the story of his achievemt in Winterseed II. He ev wt as far as sharing his suspicions, saying that the attack appeared nned rather than natural. Of course, Rowan already suspected this from the beginning, as it was impossible for monsters of differt races to storm a single vige from all sides at the same time. If it was a single race, like a group of hungry wolf-type monsters, the situation would''ve be a bit understandable since monsters of the same race td to move like that to capture their prey. One time, Rowan couldn''t help but suspect that he was up against a viin hidd in the shadows. He didn''t dwell on these thoughts too much and proceeded to thank Dragun. "Thank you for helping me," he began. "If it wasn''t for your help, those innoct people would have lost their lives to those monsters." The more he spoke, the more the smile on Dragun''s face wided. Since he returned, this is the first time his own son has spok to him without hatred and disappointmt, and thus it dded his heart. "I did what I had to do, and I''m d it saved those people''s lives. Whever you have issues like that, don''t forget to inform your capable father," Dragun dered proudly. Rowan only shook his head, he could easily tell what thoughts were going through his father''s head¡ªhe was trying to use the help he had just rdered to rekindle his lost rtionship with him. The Rowan of this world might have fall for it, but Rowan didn''t, he only nodded and wt on to resume his task. "How is Ri?" Dragun asked wh he saw Rowan wasn''t going to speak to him. "She''s fine," Rowan replied without looking at him. "How has she betely? Has she disyed any sort of strange symptoms?" Dragun continued. Rowan answered all his questions without skipping any. ''He is truly aware of Ri''s magical affinity,'' Rowan concluded. All of Dragun''s questions revolved a Ri showing signs which are rted to magic awaking in the novels Rowan had read on Earth. Sadly, Rowan couldn''t tell him directly that she has the affinity for magic as it would most likely draw suspicions to him, so he decided to ask, "What''s the purpose of all these questions?" "Did Ri inform you I healed her wh she was unconscious?" Dragun responded with a question. "Yeah, thanks for that, but that doesn''t answer my question. I feel like these questions ar''t really rted to you healing her, there must be something more," Rowan replied. Dragun smiled and nodded his head, proud his son was smart ough, like him, to spot the true inttions behind the words of others. "Rowan, Ri has the pottial to be a powerful mage," he finally revealed. "Be a mage?" Rowan asked, still acting like he wasn''t aware of it already. "Yes, I ssed mana from her while healing her the other day, which shows she''s capable of using magic like me. To be honest, for her to possess such mana in a vige like this, with little to no mana in the atmosphere, it only means her affinity with mana is top-notch! If she''s nurtured properly, she might ev be an archmage in less than 50 years!" Dragun said with so much excitemt and interest in his voice. The excitemt was akin to a little boy telling his frids about his favorite superheroes. Rowan acted surprised and th proceeded to ask questions about magic as a whole¡ªhe took this opportunity to begin establishing his foundation as a mage! He started by asking about magic as a whole, what one could do to be able to wield magical powers, how one could tell if they are talted in the field of magic, the ranks of magic and many other important questions. Seeing how interested Rowan was in learning about magic made Dragun smile profusely as he oped up and began exining everything to Rowan in simple, understandable terms. Nevertheless, while both of them discussed, far up in the air and shrouded in a concealing magic spell were Alister and Xandros, listing to the conversation of father and son. "Someone with the pottial to be an archmage, huh? Told you we''d get more befits from letting him live than killing him," Alister said to Xandros with a smirk. "I admit, your judgmts are precise, brother," Xandros said while observing Dragun. Alister eyes were mostly set on Rowan because he could feel some sort of strange powersing from him. He could easily tell that Rowan was stronger than the average man but he doesn''t seem to posses ev the slightest bit of mana. "Strange," Alister noted to himself. He observed the other m a Rowan and how they carried out their tasks efficitly. From his position, he could stare a and notice everything happing in the vige ranging from the little childr a, to the farmers working in the farms and the soldiers standing guard over the border of the vige. Alister was a bit surprised that a small vige would be this peaceful and cooperative and it was all under the control of a young man like Rowan. ''To export this sort of control, he must be really special.'' He noted once again. He turned to Xandros to see that he was still ring at Dragun and couldn''t help but sigh, recalling a certain evt. Chapter 115: Opaque reality [ 35 ] Alister gazed down at the father and son duo below him, his mind recalling a dramatic momt involving Dragun, himself, and his younger brother, Xandros. In his recollection, Dragun and a few other m were kneeling before Alister and Xandros. Xandros was torturing the m with a parasitic magic insect that ate their flesh and drained their mana reserves. He slowly killed off the other m after asking them the same question, leaving only Dragun, who wore a traumatized expression as he gazed upon the corpses of his colleagues, the fear of death bing more evidt on his face. "You''re the only one alive now, Dragun, and ording to our information, you''re the one in possession of the item we''re looking for!" Xandros said with a frown, staring inttly at the kneeling Dragun. "I swear, I know nothing about it! I''m innoct!" Dragun pleaded repeatedly, but the more he cried, the angrier Xandros became. Alister stood behind his younger brother with a calm expression. "Let him be," Alister finally said after a few momts had passed. "Why?" Xandros barked angrily, turning to look at Alister. Alister gave him a sharp re, warning him to watch his tone. Dragun looked at the two of them with a slightly worried expression. Whatever the oue of their discussion would determine whether he lived or died. "We''ve already in half of the guards at the cult''s hideout, and we still hav''t found it. Do you think killing him will help?" Alister asked with a frown. "But what are we going to report to the echelons? What if they find out we lost something so important to the cult?" Xandros retorted. They gaged in a heated argumt with one another. The crux of their dispute was whether to let Dragun go or kill him like the rest. From their argumts, their inttions were clear and understandable¡ªboth belonged to a really powerful cult, the same as Dragun. However, Dragun and his colleagues were low-ranking members, mostly used as guards or experimtal specims by the cult. ording to Xandros, Dragun was the leader of the group guarding a particr item of great importance to the cult. But a few days ago, they discovered the item was missing, and of the guards admitted knowing its whereabouts. Xandros was ready to kill every one of the low-ranking members to learn about the item''s whereabouts because they were the ones in charge of watching it. No high-ranking cult members could ess the facility due to restrictions. On the other hand, Alister believed it wasn''t the guards'' fault¡ªthat there might be a high-ranking member trying to steal the item and ce the me on the low-ranking members. The argumt betwe the two brothers grew intse and slowly developed into a fight. Xandros controlled the wind a him to attack Alister, while Alister simply deflected the wind attacks with waves of his hands. He didn''t attack his brother at all because he understood just how hot-blooded he was. While they were fighting, Dragun struggled to free himself and evtually seeded. He pulled out a teleportation magic slip from his spatial pouch and used it without wasting time. Immediately, he vanished from the area, unnoticed by the brothers. Alister and Xandros only realized that Dragun was gone after a few minutes. Xandros reacted angrily and med Alister, while Alister simply walked away. --- Alister recalled all this and sighed¡ªXandros still believed Dragun was in possession of it and was ready to kill him for running awayst time. Both of them watched Dragun and Rowan for a few minutes before disappearing. --- Unaware of the eyes watching them from the beginning, Rowan and Dragun continued discussing magic with one another. Rowan learned a lot about magic from his father. He learned that magic can be cultivated by anyone, talted or not. However, the more talted one is, the fewer resources and less time they would need to grow stronger in the field of magic. ording to Dragun, there are several levels of magic¡ªthe apprtice mage realm, which is divided into low-stage, mid-stage, and peak-stage. Once one ascds through these three basic stages, they will have all it takes to be a real mage. There are also Tier to Tier-7 in the ranking of mages, with Tier being the weakest and lowest, and Tier-7 being the highest and strongest. Dragun is a Tier-3 mage! Rowan learned so much from Dragun, which gave him hope that he would be able to cultivate magic on his own one day. For someone originating from Earth whose greatest dream is to wield supernatural powers, the news naturally made him excited. After they finished discussing, they came to an agreemt that Dragun would take Ri as his apprtice and help her awak her magic pottial. But Rowan said he would have to ask Ri, only if she agreed would he let Dragun take her as his apprtice. Dragun had no objections and left. After he departed, some of the young soldiers stopped working and strolled toward Rowan to ask questions. Rowan gave them simple answers and continued with his task. In the eving, they finally finished digging the foundation and all retired to their homes to rest. On their way home, they met some of the farmers and chatted; their discussions were nothing but positive and heartwarming, clear evidce of the peace and harmony in the vige. Rowan got home and found Ri holding one of his robes with a sweet smile on her face. "Here, try it on!" she said, waving the robe in front of him. Rowan immediately checked the status of the robe before reaching to grab it from her. --- Enchanted Robe: A robe that has be chanted with [Enchanted Embroidery] Effect - Defse: Wh equipped, defse is boosted by 33% --- "A robe that boosts defse!" Rowan was pretty surprised wh he saw the stats. The effect of the robe was far better than a basic-grade item and almost as good as amon-grade one. Evmon-grade leather armor only gave a 50% boost in defse! "If she keeps evolving in her field, I won''t need to waste evolution points on purchasing armors in the future!" Rowan eximed inwardly as he began putting on the robe. After donning the robe, he thanked her sincerely and couraged her to do more. Ri was already very excited, and hisplimts made her ev more so. She proceeded to inform Rowan about her work today. She told him how she had be working to create a robe that warms the body but kept failing to do so. Rowan saw the sadness in her eyes as she discussed the topic and immediately cheered her up. To be honest, Ri was already working too hard with the chanted embroidery skill. Since she received the skill, she had be working non-stop, adding embroidery to robe after robe and trying new effects every day. "Don''t push yourself too much, Ri," Rowan concluded. "I won''t... thank you for believing in me, Rowan," Ri smiled cheerfully and kissed him on the cheek. Rowan smiled at her and nodded. "Let me go prepare something for us to eat," Ri said and began walking toward the kitch. "I''ll join you," Rowan said, strolling beside her into the kitch. "Can you cook?" Ri asked; she hadn''t se Rowan prepare anything in his life before. She would ev find it hard to believe he could boil water. "Definitely. Who knows, I might ev be a better cook than you," Rowan smirked. "A challge?" Ri grinned. "Yes, we should prepare our own delicacies and see whose is more delicious." "Okay th!" The couple proceeded into the kitch, which was a pretty small room with two fireces for cooking. The ingredits were stored in wood cupboards, and some of the food items were neatly arranged on the g. The cooking utsils were nailed to the wall to prevt pests from getting near them. There was a small wood cab for storing tes and other items that needed proper handling. Ri took one firece, and Rowan took the other. Both of them grabbed the stuff they needed. Nevertheless, Rowan quickly discovered he had no idea how to prepare something nice with the ingredits in his grasp. They were so differt from the noodles he used to prepare on Earth. Without wasting time, he oped Ri''s character status and essed the full details where he could see all her skills. Luckily, there was [Cooking, E-rank]. He copied and merged with the skill without hesitation. Immediately, he was filled with knowledge about the culinary world. Rowan didn''t upgrade the skill in order not to cheat too much. About an hour passed, and they finished preparing their meals. Ri was the first to finish; th she wt to observe Rowan. She was pretty surprised to see him cooking as though he had be doing it for a long time. Somehow, they both prepared the same delicacy. Rowan didn''t make any noticeable mistakes in the preparation of his, but it wasn''t as good-lookingpared to Ri''s. At the d, Ri won because hers was not only good looking but tasted far better than Rowan''s. Chapter 116: Opaque reality [ 36 ] After finishing the meal they had prepared, Rowan told Ri about everything he had discussed with Dragun and asked for her opinion about the matter. "I can use magic?" Ri asked, her face showing shock and excitemt. "Yes, and not just that¡ªyou are pretty talted in it, which means you can achieve a lot with magic," Rowan replied. The tales of magic in Winterseed were vast, and many of the vigers wished they could one day wield the miraculous power of magic, and Ri was no differt. She asked Rowan a lot of questions after hearing that she had the talt to be a great mage. Rowan tried his best to exin everything as best as he could to her and tried to persuade her to learn magic under Dragun in the process. After a few minutes of discussion, Ri finally agreed to start practicing magic with Dragun, which made Rowan pretty excited. "I''ll pass your answer to him tomorrow, and we can arrange a schedule. I know you''re going to do pretty well as a mage," Rowanplimted her. Ri was really excited about this new developmt. She ev told Rowan that she would love to master healing magic so she could help the vigers wh they were sick. Rowan could''ve asked her to practicebat magic more, but knowing her personality, he decided against it and let her be with healing magic. ''Healing magic is not a bad choice after all; I won''t have to spd resources making medicine for the sick vigers,'' Rowan thought. Both of them had a good time together before Ri wt to bed. Rowan proceeded to op his wheel and see what reward he might get tonight. In thest few days, Rowan had already used 0 more tickets, and he got pretty impressive prizes ranging from evolution points tomon-grade items. There were not many extraordinary prizes. --- Avable tickets: 70 Avable spins: / --- Rowan proceeded to spin the wheel t times, and he got the following rewards. --- ,00,000 evolution points x80 Common-grade swords x80 Common-grade spears x0 Common-grade leather armors --- The rewards wer''t that impressive, but Rowan knew they were worth a lot of evolution points. He nned to sell the weapons to D''andre or any merchant he came in contact with wh he got the chance. Rowan checked his invtory and observed the items stored in it. There was still a lot of food supply left to feed the whole vige for a very long time, and more than 000 weapons to distribute anytime. There were still some skill books and other building resources. Rowan bought somebat skills books from D''andre and nned to pass them to the captains to train the soldiers with. Nevertheless, ever since the war, he had be busy with developing the security and reconstructing the houses, giving him less time to settle down and pass the skills to the soldiers. ''Well, it''s not like reconstructing the houses is a total waste of time; there are so many people in the vige right now. Some of the soldiers who came from Glwood had to ev sleep at the vige square because there is no ce for them to live,'' Rowan sighed. He studied the other details about his system before going to sleep. --- While Rowan wt to sleep, Dragun strolled towards the southern border to see if he could get his hands on some nice herbs to prepare more potions for himself and Ri. He believed Ri might have already agreed to his request to tutor her in the field of magic, so he was ready to prepare everything she needed. Dragun walked past the boundary without any of the soldiers standing on the guardhouse noticing him. He used a cloaking spell to hide his presce from the soldiers and wt on towards the forest. He arrived at the spot hest explored and continued his exploration. He picked herb after herb and stored them in his spatial pouch. He kept going deeper into the forest to pick herbs. Meanwhile, at the guardhouse he had just walked past, Josh and five other soldiers could be se standing, staring far ahead into the darkness, observing for threats. Josh sat down on a stool while the others watched. Two of the soldiers watching the direction of the southern forest suddly noticed a slight movemt which onlysted for a split second. The two soldiers looked at each other as if to confirm if neither of them was seeing things. "Did you see that?" one whispered. "Yeah, but I think it''s just the breeze," the other concluded, and both soldiers returned to their positions. Nevertheless, they wer''t greeted by the usual darkness but with something differt! "Monsters!" one of them suddly yelled out, alerting the others. Josh, who was in a half-sleep state, stood up immediately and wt to observe. Behold, arge horde of monsters could be se marching towards the vige. Josh quickly understood what sort of monsters was moving towards them, judging by their movemt and height ranges. "Goblins and hobgoblins," he noted with wided eyes, his body shivering a little bit. The monsters marching towards the vige were inrge numbers, from Josh''s perspective, they could be a five hundred to one thousand. About sevty perct of them were goblins, while the rest were the most powerful of the goblin race¡ªthe hobgoblins! Josh took his eyes off the shocking sight and gave themand to his soldiers. One of them grabbed a makeshift whistle and began to blow on it, releasing a pretty loud sound that spread over a short distance. Another two ran away from the guardhouse, holding the same makeshift instrumt that they began to blow as they made their way towards the vige. The ones the two soldiers held released a pretty loud sound that reached the houses closest to the border. Thankfully, Rowan had arranged for a situation like this after they built the guardhouse. After the sound of the makeshift instrumt reached the houses closest to the border, which actually belonged to soldiers, the soldiers in those houses grabbed their own makeshift instrumts and blew them to inform the others. Suddly, the whole of Winterseed was covered in the sounds, informing everyone of the dangering towards them. Chapter 117: Opaque reality [ 37 ] It was midnight, and Winterseed was calm as usual when the sound of whistles and other wind instruments sted into the air, alerting everyone to the danger approaching the vige. Thanks to Rowan''s prior warning, only the trained soldiers emerged from their houses, while the others remained indoors. In the streets, many soldiers, grabbing different weapons, could be seen marching toward the southern border, from where the threat was approaching. The soldiers from the guardhouses at the other borders left their posts and immediately sprinted toward the southern border. Rowan and Ri were sleeping when they heard themotion outside. Rowan was the first to wake up since he hadn''t been deeply asleep. He was the one who had instructed the soldiers on what to do, so he immediately understood that great danger was approaching the vige. He jumped off the bed and went to grab the robe Ri had enchanted for him¡ªthe one with boosted luck, as he needed more loot. After putting on the robe, he gave Ri a kiss on the cheek. "I''ll be back very soon," he told her. "Come back safely, Rowan," Ri said, worry etched on her face. Rowan nodded and left the room. Outside, Rnd and a few of the soldiers who had been guarding the northern boundary earlier were near his house; they escorted him as they made their way to the southern border. Rowan immediately summoned ze from the Divine Beast in. ze appeared beside him with a battle-ready expression. Rowan observed its stats and saw that it was getting closer to reaching the next major breakthrough¡ªjust less than 2% to reach the point they had agreed on before Rowan would give it the monster core to break through. As they rushed toward the southern border, other soldiers emerging from their houses joined them, and together they reached the southern border. Luckily, the horde of goblins still hadn''t made their way into the vige. Josh and the soldiers at the guardhouse hurried to meet Rowan and report everything to him. Rowan listened while observing the horde marching toward him. Thanks to his night vision, he could see the goblins clearly. They were goblins taller and much stronger than the ones who had attacked a few weeks back. These goblins were about five feet tall and looked really muscrpared to the previous hordes; they also had pretty refined weapons like makeshift machetes and spears, different from thest ones who came with sticks and other wooden weapons. Amongst the goblins were gigantic hobgoblins wieldingrge weapons ranging from axes to des attached to chains and other dangerous-looking weapons. Just by looking at them, Rowan could tell they would be very difficult to fight. If his soldiers engaged these monsters in battle, they would definitely lose their lives. Furthermore, Rowan couldn''t engage all the monsters simultaneously without sustaining ghastly injuries. "Everyone, gather around," Rowan called the soldiers together after pondering for a few seconds. He discussed a quick battle strategy with them before distributing weapons to those without. All the soldiers from Winterseed got swords since it''s the only weapon they have trained with, while those from Glenwood got spears and bows and arrows. After the short speech, the soldiers nodded their heads and grabbed their weapons tightly; they all felt really motivated to fight as usual. The horde of goblins was still pretty far away. With the pace they were moving at, it would take them about five minutes to reach the vige. "Attack now!" Rowan yelled out. "Remember, leave all the hobgoblins to me and only attack the goblins. Do not attack them alone!" he continued. The soldiers nodded their heads, eyes zing with determination, and they all charged toward the horde. As if the horde noticed the soldiers'' readiness, they also began storming toward them, their collective steps creating a horrifying stomping sound that reverberated across the southern border. ze''s eyes turned red with bloodthirst; a ming aura wrapped around its figure as it moved at a shocking pace toward the horde. ze was up ahead of the whole group, just a few inches away from Rowan. [ Merciless Killer special effect: Bloodlust activated | Attack power +50% ] Rowan''s eyes were fixed on the opponents ahead as he observed their stats with the few minutes he had before engaging. When he observed the goblins, he discovered they had the same special skill as thest ones¡ªnight vision. It disheartened him a little since he couldn''t copy them, as he already possessed an even stronger one. Nevertheless, he was somewhat excited when he observed the hobgoblins. [ Hobgoblin - Boss Monster ] [ Health: 100% ] [ Special skill: Dark Rage (F-rank) ] [ Status: Revengeful ] Sadly, there wasn''t much time for him to study the skill and copy it, as the distance between himself and the horde was closing rapidly. Given their supernatural skill, Rowan and ze were the first to sh with the monsters. ze leapt into the air and tossed a fireball at the head of the closest hobgoblin. But it didn''t let the fireball attack at once; it quickly used [me Synchronisation] to control it, shaping it into a fiery spear before tossing it at the hobgoblin''s eye. The hobgoblin let out a loud cry and brought its hands toward its badly injured eye. ze summoned another fireball and used [me Synchronisation] once again to form a spear, tossing it at the other eye without wasting time. While the hobgoblin was struggling in pain, Rowan closed the distance and shed its neck with his dagger. However, the hobgoblin''s skin was too tough, and Rowan''s cut only reduced its health from 75% to 28%. Without wasting time, Rowan quickly shed once more. After two more shes, the hobgoblin fell to the ground. --- You''ve in Boss Monster: Hobgoblin; +1000 evolution points x100 rewards activated | 1,000,000 evolution points has been rewarded --- Rowan recalled the time he defeated the Ratax General, which was also a boss monster, and got 2000 evolution points as a reward. But now, after defeating the hobgoblin, which was much stronger than the Ratax General, he only got half the reward, meaning he had gotten stronger. Before Rowan could fully analyze the rewards, one of the hobgoblins behind him swung its huge axe toward him furiously. Rowan narrowly evaded it, feeling the wind from the axe brush past his face. Without losing momentum, he spun around and delivered a quick sh to the hobgoblin''s leg. The creature roared in anger but remained standing, its thick skin absorbing much of the damage. ze quickly sensed Rowan''s need for support and unleashed another fiery spear aimed at the hobgoblin''s chest. The spear pierced through, causing the monster to stagger backward. Seizing the opportunity, Rowan lunged forward and plunged his dagger into the hobgoblin''s heart. The creature let out a final groan before copsing to the ground. Rowan and ze had already defeated two of the hobgoblins before the soldiers and the horde finally shed. War chants spread across the battlefield as the soldiers began to sh at the monsters with their swords and stab with their spears. The archers stood at a distance and aimed at the goblins! The night was soon filled with the shing of swords. Nevertheless Rowan soon noticed something pretty strange! Chapter 118: Opaque reality [ 38 ] The southern area of Winterseed echoed with the sounds of shing weapons, loud battle cries, and groaning goblins as men and goblins engaged in battle¡ªone side fighting for dominance, the other striving to protect their loved ones. The soldiers, armed with swords and spears, battled the goblins at close range, while the archers stood aside, firing at the goblins intermittently. Rowan and ze fought side by side, defeating the hobgoblins one after another. Although the hobgoblins were much stronger than them, theirbined powers allowed them to perform wonders. At least thirty minutes had passed since the battle began, and over eight hobgoblinsy dead on the ground, with several goblin corpses scattered beside the gigantic hobgoblin remains. Throughout those thirty minutes, Rowan was greeted with numerous shocking discoveries. First of all, he noticed that none of the monsters were dropping material loot like crude iron. He found it strange since the goblins from thest attack had dropped such loot. But this wasn''t the most shocking discovery! --- [ Captain Rnd has in 1 goblin, gained 50 evolution points ] [ 10% of the soldier''s earned evolution points have been transferred to you ] [ Your soldier: Winston has in 1 goblin, gained 80 evolution points ] [ 10% of the soldier''s earned evolution points have been transferred to you ] --- Rowan''s eyes nearly fell out of his head when he saw these notifications popping up. There were so many at times that he couldn''t even focus on fighting. ''They are earning evolution points!'' he yelled inwardly. Before now, he had been the only one earning evolution points, and now his soldiers were earning them as well! It was quite surprising. "Why did they start earning evolution points only now?" Rowan asked the system as he shed his dagger at a raging hobgoblin. --- [ Only registered territories can unlock this feature. Your territory in the past wasn''t registered. More perks will be added as your territory evolves! ] --- Seeing the system''s reply made Rowan understand his situation. ''Damn, this is good! Not only myself, but even my soldiers will be able to improve their powers by ying monsters! This is beyond good. In a few months orter, I will have soldiers with F-rank power, and any FF-rank or even F-rank territory military would be easy for them to deal with!'' Rowan thought to himself with a ddened smile. This was a new development, and it made him genuinely happy. Being a strong leader was already a good achievement, but being a strong leader with a strong army would be the greatest achievement. With a strong army, conquering other territories would be very easy. It was still nighttime, and the fight between the goblins and humans continued, resulting in more casualties on the goblin side as the soldiers became too united and coordinated for the goblins to handle. Despite the goblins being stronger than the soldiers, as theybined their powers together, and with the archers supporting from the sidelines, defeating the goblins became a fairly easy task. Out of the one thousand-plus goblins that had attacked at the beginning, only about seven hundred remained alive at this moment. About 20% of the hobgoblins had fallen to their demise under the collective power of Rowan and ze. Since the fight began, ze hadn''t backed down once and kept giving its all to the battle. Rowan witnessed ze use different tricks with its me Synchronization skill. ze was able to manipte the fireballs it spewed, make them take different shapes, aim at the hobgoblins, and even determine the pace at which they darted through the air¡ªthe power was simply amazing! Rowan observed ze''s power from time to time and couldn''t help but feel envious of his own pet. Sadly, he couldn''t copy magic-rted skills from anyone because he wasn''t a mage and didn''t have his own mana core yet. He could copy skills from other sses, but the magic ss proved to be the most difficult as it requires a core, unlike the others. Rowan didn''t let this demotivate him and kept battling. He and ze moved in perfect harmony. ze assisted Rowan by unleashing streams of fire, which Rowan used to his advantage. The mes disoriented the hobgoblins, allowing Rowan to strike swiftly with his dagger. Theirbined attacks were overwhelming. The soldiers, inspired by their leader, fought with renewed vigor. They formed tight groups, covering each other''s nks. The archers from Glenwood provided support, their arrows finding goblin targets with precision. Captain Rnd led a charge against a group of goblins trying to break through their lines. "Hold the formation!" he called out. The soldiers braced themselves as the goblins attacked. Swords shed, and spears thrust forward. --- [ Captain Rnd has in a goblin, gained 50 evolution points ] [ 10% of the soldier''s earned evolution points have been transferred to you ] [ 2 soldiers have in two goblins, gained 160 evolution points ] [ 10% of the soldiers'' earned evolution points have been transferred to you ] --- Rowan noticed the notifications appearing more frequently. His soldiers were not only holding their own but also growing stronger. A group of goblins wielding makeshift spears tried to nk the soldiers. "They''reing from the side!" shouted Marcus. Rowan saw the danger and acted quickly. "ze, cut them off!" ze sent a wave of fire toward them, forcing the goblins to halt. The soldiers seized the moment, attacking the disoriented goblins. "Now!" shouted one of the archers, releasing a volley of arrows that struck the goblins in effective spots, killing most of them and weakening the others. --- [ Soldier Marcus has in a goblin, gained 60 evolution points ] [ 10% of the soldier''s earned evolution points have been transferred to you ] your-MVLeMpYr-source [ Soldier Riviz has in a goblin, gained 70 evolution points ] [ 10% of the soldier''s earned evolution points have been transferred to you ] --- Rowan and ze continued targeting the hobgoblins. ze''s fire weakened them, making it easier for Rowan tond decisive blows. One hobgoblin swung its massive axe at Rowan, but he ducked under it and shed at its leg. The creature stumbled, and ze finished it off with a burst of mes. Another hobgoblin charged at ze. Rowan intercepted it, blocking its attack with his dagger. The force pushed him back, but he held his ground. ze took the opportunity to send a fireball into the hobgoblin''s chest, knocking it down. --- [ You''ve in Boss Monster: Hobgoblin; +1000 evolution points ] [ x100 rewards activated | 1,000,000 evolution points have been rewarded ] --- Rowan and ze continued their relentless assault. Over the next two hours, they moved swiftly across the battlefield, taking down hobgoblins one after another with theirbined efforts. As more hobgoblins fell, the remaining hobgoblins and goblins began to realize that they stood no chance against the united force of the humans and started to retreat little by little. They turned their backs on the battlefield and began to flee toward the forest without wasting time. Two soldiers were fighting a goblin who suddenly let out a defeated shriek, dropped its weapon, and ran to join his fellow goblins who were escaping. The battlefield took a quick turn; the goblins no longer tried to defeat the humans but ran from them¡ªthis amazed some of the soldiers, causing them to stand and watch in awe for a few seconds. "Don''t let them escape!" Rowan quicklymanded, breaking the brief rxed state of the soldiers. "If they escape, they will regroup ande back stronger. We can''t let that happen!" Rowan announced. "Archers, this is your time to shine!" With Rowan''s words, the soldiers became active again and began a hot pursuit after the monsters in front of them. --- Not far from the battlefield, inside the South Forest, Dragun could be seen walking deeper into the dark woods with a neutral expression on his face. The sounds of nocturnal creatures and insects filled the air, but Dragun didn''t seem bothered. He continued moving on with his search for more herbs and possibly monsters, so he could y them and collect their monster cores. He found a few herbs in his current location, but as he moved further, he discovered that the magic herbs were bing scarcer and scarcer. "This is the red sunflower, but someone has already harvested its petals beforehand," Dragun thought with a frown. He looked around and saw more red sunflowers, but all the petals¡ªthe important part for potion brewing¡ªhad already been harvested, confusing him. "Only a mage or herbalist would harvest the petals of a red sunflower and leave the other parts," Dragun mused, frowning. The only herbalist in Winterseed is Liara, but she wouldn''t dare venture this deep into the forest because of the dangers that lie within. If it wasn''t Liara, then there must definitely be someone harvesting herbs from the forest, and that person is definitely not from Winterseed! "But who might that person be?" Dragun couldn''t help but wonder aloud. He frowned, observing the area for a few seconds before shaking his head and proceeding deeper in search of herbs. He crossed distances that no one in Winterseed had dared to cross in the past few years. After a few hours of walking, he began to sense a strange presence around him, causing him to look around with a frown, but there was nothing there. Dragun''s frown deepened, and he halted. Just then, footsteps grew louder in front of him as a smirking figure appeared out of the thick bushes. Chapter 119: Opaque reality [ 39 ] Dragun was still searching for herbs in the dark hours past midnight when he suddenly began to hear footsteps approaching him from different directions, causing him to frown a little bit and observe his surroundings, but he spotted nothing out of the ordinary. As he halted to look around, the footsteps ceased all of a sudden. He also began to feel a faint trace of mana at that moment, as though some mages or monsters with really vigorous mana were surrounding him. "This is strange," Dragun muttered to himself but kept moving forward without any sort of fear. If it was a monster or a mage, with the faint mana they were releasing, he was sure he would be able to handle them easily. He strolled a little bit further, and the steps that had halted earlier continued once again. This time, Dragun didn''t bother to stop and continued moving forward until the footsteps around him got closer and louder. All of a sudden, a smirking figure appeared in front of him, dressed in a robe with a strange insignia embroidered on its chest pocket area that Dragun recognized but couldn''t recall where he had seen it before. The insignia was intricate, depicting an intertwined serpent and staff, hinting at an affiliation with a magical institution or guild. With the pale glow of the moonlight filtering through the tall canopy trees in the area, Dragun was able to observe his features. It was that of a young man around the age of 18 to 23, he had long ck hair that rxed on his shoulders a little bit and blue eyes that carried a weird sense of happiness in them. He was also wearing a crooked wizard hat that matched the color of his robe. The attire suggested he was a mage-in-training or perhaps a recent graduate from a magic academy. The smirk on his face was funny, almost like a nervous smile and a cheeky onebined. It was hard to really exin his facial expression. "Who are you, and what are you doing in this ce?" Dragun asked with a frown. But the young man standing in front of him kept looking at him as though he hadn''t just asked a question. "Do not make me ask again. Who are you?" Dragun kept his hand in his pouch in his pocket and got ready to make the smirking man speak. The young man remained standing,pletely pissing Dragun off. Dragun stretched out his right hand and chanted a quick spell, a wisp of me appeared, swirling chaotically in his right hand. The fire illuminated their surroundings, casting flickering shadows on the nearby bushes. The smirk on the face of the young man quickly ceased as though he suddenly realized that Dragun was a threat. "Please, I am not an enemy," the young man let out in anguage that Dragun couldn''t understand. Dragun suddenly realized that the young man in front of him didn''t understand his words earlier. He called off the fireball and used signnguage tomunicate with the stranger and inform him he couldn''t hear him. The young man gave a strange look of realization before bringing out a small silver magic slip from his pocket. Seeing the silver slip, Dragun''s face turned cold, and he prepared himself for any spell the silver slip might be hoarding. He assumed he was going to attack and was ready to counterattack and kill him without hesitation if he did attack. Nevertheless, after he tore the slip, three small soft-looking wisps of light floated out¡ªone of them drifted towards his mouth and floated just a few inches away, while the other two went towards his ears. The wisps settled into ces and soft, calm hum filled the air. After all this was over, the young man looked up at Dragun and said in a calm and somewhat polite voice, "Hi, sorry, I didn''t understand what you said earlier. I am not an enemy, please don''t attack me!" This time, his words weren''t in an undecipherablenguage, and Dragun understood him immediately. Thenguage barrier was causing the misunderstanding. Dragun understood that the silver slip he just used possessed a rare type of sound spell, which could trante anynguage to one that others could understand and make the strangenguage of others understandable to the user. It is mostly used by wandering mages who travel around the world andck the time to learn thenguage of the ces they visit. He has heard of such spells but rarely saw anyone using it. "It is okay, I won''t attack you unless you make the first move," Dragun replied. "Still, what are you doing here, and who are you?" "My name is Vishirk. I am here to collect herbs for my school. I didn''t mean to step into your territory, please forgive me," Vishirk introduced himself. "Collect herbs for your school?" Dragun repeated with a raised eyebrow. "Yes, senior. My school is holding our annual potion brewing contest, and the participants have to go into the Dark Forest of the Wishiros to collect their ingredients by themselves," Vish, Vish, Vishirk began to exin, his voice sounding really excited as he exined. Dragun looked at Vishirk with a confused expression on his face. Since he is a wanderer and mage who has been traveling around the world for six whole years, his knowledge of the geography of this world is pretty broad. Wishiros is the name of the country in the Southreach continent, which dominates the south part of the world. Wishiros is a very big country with a lot ofrge territories like empires, kingdoms, dukedoms, and small territories like viges, including Winterseed. The Dark Forest, known as the South Forest by the people of Winterseed, is a bigndmark in Wishiros, and it serves as arge border for tens of territories. To move from one end of the forest to the opposite end would take at least two weeks, and based on Vishirk''s narration, he has been in the forest for more than two weeks and imed to be lost. "Weren''t there any sort of guides with you guys while you took the exam?" Dragun asked with a frown. "There were," Vishirk said, and his expression saddened. "Did anything happen?" Dragun quickly asked. But Vish, he didn''t answer immediately. His eyes reddened, and tears started streaming down his face, his fists were clenched as he seemed to be recalling some pretty solemn and gruesome memories. "What could have happened? Did his ssmates beat him up and chase him into an unknown part of the forest to steal the ingredients he collected?" Dragun wondered. Vishirk cried for a few seconds before looking up at Dragun and revealing, "All my schoolmates, and the guides assigned to watch over us during the exam were ughtered..." Dragun''s eyes widened as he didn''t expect such a gruesome story. "How?" Dragun asked immediately. Vishirk opened up and told him the full details, describing how they were deep in the forest and two strange dark mages suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began ughtering everyone without consideration. He said he was swimming in a river nearby when this took ce and was able to escape from the killers by lowering himself in the water, away from their field of sight. Dragun felt really remorseful for Vish when he heard his story. Vishirk looked so young and had to witness such gruesome deaths. "The path of magic is gruesome and filled with bloodshed, but these kinds of bloodshed are really stupid and pointless!" Dragun thought inwardly. Somehow, the dark mages in Vishirk''s story made him recall the faces of Xandros and Alister! "Wait, can you describe the dark mages or the magic they used?" he asked Vishirk immediately. "They were white haired, one of them could summon monsters, and the other one used darkness and blood magic. Also, they took one of my colleagues without killing him," Vishirk replied while still in tears. Dragun''s eyes widened as he came to a quick realization. "Alister and Xandros!" he yelled out in pure horror. Vishirk turned to look at him with a pretty confused expression on his face. "Sir, are you okay?" Vishirk asked. Dragun only waved at him without speaking as he fell into deep thoughts. Dragun aura became a little weak as he turned his back against Vishirk and just stared at the bushes with widened eyes. The revtion he had just received shocked him to the core, it was like witnessing one''s worst nightmare in reality! -read-now "They are nearby!" Dragun muttered inaudibly. "If they find out my whereabout! They are going to destroy not only but everyone rted to me, just as they did to all the territory theye in contact with!" "Now that I think of it, that horde attack on that vige wasn''t a coincidence at all, It was their doing!" Chapter 120: Opaque reality ( 40 ) The archers swiftly nocked their arrows, drawing their bows as they sprinted after the fleeing goblins. The others let out fierce war cries, their voices echoing through the night as they charged forward on foot. Rowan and ze led the pursuit, their forms a blur as they surged ahead of the rest. "Don''t let them escape into the forest!" Rowan shouted over his shoulder. ze growled in agreement, mes flickering around its paws as it bounded beside him. Nearby, Captain Rnd rallied a group of soldiers. "Cut off their path! Surround them!" The soldiers split into smaller groups, nking the goblins to prevent their escape. The air was filled with the twang of bowstrings and the sh of steel as they closed in. A goblin turned to face Rowan, desperation in its eyes. It lunged with a crude spear, but Rowan sidestepped effortlessly. "Too slow," he muttered, striking it down with a swift sh. ze leaped into the fray, unleashing a wave of fire that blocked several goblins'' path. They shrieked and stumbled back, only to be met by the advancing soldiers. "Push forward!" Captain Bryce and Josh yelled simultaneously, their swords gleaming under the moonlight. For the next two hours, the battle raged on. The soldiers fought tirelessly, their unity and determination overpowering the dwindling goblin forces. One by one, the goblins fell until none were left standing. Rowan received a series of notifications from the system, which made him smile menacingly as he slew more hobgoblins in front of him. He was a little bit disheartened that no loot fell from the goblins like thest time, but at the same time, he was positive he was going to harvest a lot of monster cores from the hobgoblins after the battle. While Rowan didn''t have a use for monster cores himself, he could use them for ze in the future or sell them to merchants when his vige started branching out and forming connections with other big territories. Also, in the game, cores from monsters could be added to weapons to enchant them and make them more powerful. With all this in mind, he didn''t think too much about the unavability of immediate loot from ying the goblins. As dawn approached, the battlefield grew quiet. The first rays of sunlight cast a pale glow over the scene. Rowan stood amidst the fallen goblins, his breathing steady as he surveyed the area with a calm and proud smile on his face. "We did it," Captain Rnd said, walking up beside him. Rowan nodded. "Good work, everyone." The soldiers gathered around, their faces showing a mix of exhaustion and relief. They looked at the goblins with proud expressions¡ªmost of them couldn''t really believe that they were able to defeat so many goblins themselves. Thest time, a smaller group of goblins attacked the vige, but none of them were able to y a single one. This victory reminded them of their growth over the past few weeks, and this growth was all thanks to Rowan. They felt even prouder of themselves for serving such a wonderful Lord. ze sat next to Rowan and observed the corpses as well; there was a calm fiery aura radiating from its fur. Rowan turned to the group. "Start collecting their weapons. We can make use of them in the future." The soldiers agreed without hesitation and proceeded with the task, using the pale light of the morning sun toplete the task at hand. Rowan nced at the bodies of the hobgoblins and gave instructions to the soldiers with swords to start digging into the heads of the monsters to bring out the monster cores stored in them. The soldiers were hesitant at first when they received this order since they hadn''t done such a thing before and also found it strange that a crystal might be hiding in the head of a monster. Rowan had to exin to them how it works before they finally understood and proceeded with it. The first hour of the day was spent harvesting monster cores and looting the weapons of the goblins. Fortunately, Rowan got a good harvest of monster cores totaling 322 monster cores; each of them was F rank. The weapons they got were numerous as well¡ªit was a nice harvest. Rowan also checked his total evolution points and was pretty amazed with the new number. [ Evolution points: 925,770,321 ] "Almost a billion evolution points!" Rowan almost yelled out of pure excitement when he saw this. If these evolution points were to be converted to coins, it would definitely feed a whole country for a few months or even years! After checking his evolution point bnce, he proceeded to observe his soldiers and saw that a new tab had appeared on each of their character statuses. --- [ Captain Rnd ] [ upation: Captain ] [ Power: N/A (1900/100000) ] [ Special skill: Sword master ] [ Status: Proud ] [ Winston ] [ upation: Soldier ] [ Power: N/A (700/10000) ] [ Special skill: Sword master ] [ Status: Excited ] --- What Rowan noticed made him smile but also made him frown at the same time. He was happy that his soldiers were now on a path to getting stronger. On the other hand, he was pretty dismayed by the fact that all of them needed just one hundred thousand evolution points for their first evolution. "The system was cheating me all this while," Rowan thought with a deep frown on his face. The system made him spend one million evolution points for his first evolution, which is ten times the normal quota for others. It made Rowan pretty jealous, but he sighed and calmed himself with the fact that he got one hundred times the evolution points anytime he slew monsters. He turned to the soldiers who were already done with looting and spoke to them, thanking them for their valiant actions. Since they didn''t get enough sleep for the night due to the monster attacks, he told them to rx for the rest of the day to get their strength back. The soldiers chanted his name and thanked him. Rowan nodded and proceeded to ask them for onest favor, which was gathering the corpses of the goblins in one ce so he could burn them up. The soldiers agreed and worked together to bring the goblin corpses together, while Rowan carried the gigantic hobgoblins alone using his insane strength, which amazed his soldiers even though they were already aware of it. When the soldiers were done with their task, they left for their houses to rest, leaving only Rowan and ze with the tall hill of goblin corpses. Rowan ced his hand on his waist and stared at the corpses in front of him with a pretty tired expression on his face. "ze, can you burn this up with your me magic?" he turned to ze and asked. read-on-NovelFire ze looked at the corpses and then at Rowan with a in expression on his face. "Just answer me, dammit," Rowan felt like beating ze for not answering. He needed to remove the corpses from this ce or else it would cause a heck of a mess and even make the area reek pretty badly. The only option was to burn it and he needed fuel but that doesn''t exist in this world. Luckily he has a pet with fire magic but the strength of its me at this point would not be able to consume the whole pile of corpse at once. "I think its time you breakthrough, ze." Rowan turned to look at ze with a sigh. ze returned his gaze with a pretty excited expression on its face as if asking, "Really?" Rowan brought out some monster cores from his inventory and tossed them at ze. ze leapt into the air and caught all of it precisely with its mouth, swallowing all of it at once. zended softly after consuming the monster cores. A faint glow shimmered around his body, growing brighter with each passing moment. His fur rippled with energy as the aura intensified. Slowly, he lifted off the ground, hovering inches above the earth, enveloped in radiant light. The air pulsed gently around him, charged with the mana he absorbed. A soft hum resonated in the silence. Minutes passed as ze remained suspended, eyes closed in deep concentration. The glow flickered and swirled, reflecting the rapid flow of energy within. Subtle changes appeared¡ªmuscles tightened, senses sharpened, a newfound strength emanated from him. Rowan watched intently, awe evident in his eyes. The transformation was mesmerizing. He could feel the surge of energy from ze, a testament to his growing power. The atmosphere was charged, the air vibrating with potential. As the glow began to fade, ze descended gracefully back to the ground. His paws touched the earth lightly, and the aura dissipated. Opening his eyes, a new rity shone in his gaze, signaling the sessful breakthrough. The transformation wasplete. ze had absorbed the mana, elevating his abilities. The air felt different now¡ªcalmer, yet filled with untapped potential. [ Your pet has broken through ] Chapter 121: Awakening [ I ] DING! [ Your pet has had a major breakthrough ] [ Your pet has reached Advanced Realm ] [ Fireball Lv 3 ----> Fireball Lv 4, cooldown time has reduced to 3 seconds and skill strength has been boosted ] [ me Synchronization Lv 1 ----> me Synchronization Lv 2, effect has been boosted by 300% ] [ Your pet has unlocked a new skill: Fire Disk ] [Fire Disk: Your pet can toss out thin disks of concentrated me, which can essentially cut through every object! COOLDOWN: 10 seconds ] A series of notifications popped up in front of Rowan, causing him to smile as he studied all of them. The improvement of the previous skills was good enough, but the addition of a new offensive skill made Rowan''s smile widen. The cooldown time was also very impressive for a newly unlocked skill. ze was standing not too far away from him, looking at Rowan with a proud expression on his face as the vigorous me aura around him radiated even more. Its eyes now revealed a level of profound brilliance, and its muscles seemed to have undergone a series of strengthening, giving it a tougher and somewhat bigger physique than before the breakthrough. story-source-NovelFire "ze, use Fire Disk," Rowan instructed with a smile. ze was eager to test out its new skill, so it didn''t hesitate and immediately used Fire Disk. ze''s body tensed as mes gathered at his paws, forming into a thin, glowing disk. With a sharp flick of his head, heunched it forward. The fire disk flew through the air at high speed, cutting through a nearby goblin corpse easily. The sound of splitting flesh and the sizzling sound of organs being burnt resounded. ze did not stop after the first one and shot out a few more fire disks, sending some towards the big trees a few meters away from them. The me disks also cut through the trees easily, making Rowan realize yet another importance of the skill, aside frombat. "Great!" Rowan muttered happily. "Can you burn these corpses now?" Rowan asked ze with a smile. Nevertheless, before ze could respond, a voice answered from afar, "Wait!" --- A few hours before dawn. In the dark forest, after Vishirk told Dragun about the white-haired dark mages who ughtered his schoolmate, Dragun''s expression and aura became really negative. Vishirk was sort of confused why Dragun was acting in such a way after hearing about the killer of his schoolmates; he even wondered if Dragun knew them or was he just being extremely sympathetic about it? But he did not bother to distract Dragun as he didn''t really understand his characterpletely. On the other hand, Dragun found a small stone boulder and sat on it to ponder with a deep frown on his face. He had been pondering for a few hours now, recalling several uncanny moments that he had been trying his best to hide for a long time, since he managed to escape their grasp on his life. He knew just how much darkness and destruction those two could bring on any territory they arrived at. Now that Dragun thought about it, the monster attack on Winterseed II might not be a coincidence after all. ''It is definitely the handiwork of Xandros! That psycho bastard!'' Dragun gritted his teeth. ''I need to leave this forest ASAP since they might still be within it. They can never think of finding me in a small vige like Winterseed,'' he thought to himself and stood up from the boulder. "Senior," Vishirk immediately moved close when he saw him standing up. "Come with me, Vishirk," Dragun said to Vishirk without looking at him as he began making his way down to the vige. Vishirk was happy and followed Dragun without uttering a single word. Both of them strolled through the bushy part of the forest in silence. Vishirk''s eyes darted across the area from time to time in search of herbs. He saw a nice herb and was about to go pick it up when Dragun gave him a cold re, "Do not pick any herb in my territory." "Okay, senior," Vishirk nodded and picked up his pace, although he was pretty disheartened he couldn''t pick more herbs. After a few hours of strolling, the darkness in the sky began to clear up, and the pale morning sun glowed down on the earth, illuminating their path as they reached the exit of the forest. After a few more steps, they finally made their way out. Dragun halted for a minute as he noticed so many footsteps on the ground,ing from different entrances of the forest and trailing down to the vige. As a wanderer, he instantly knew it was goblins! He immediately understood that a horde of goblins had befallen the vige. ''Have they arrived at the vige yet? Did the vigers run away and survive? What about Rowan and Ri? Damnit! Why wasn''t I around to rescue them,'' Dragun''s eyes became active as he started making his way down to the vige. Vishirk had questions about the numerous trails as well, but he did not stay back and rushed after Dragun. Both of them crossed thest bush and were greeted with another shocking scene. "Such arge corpse hill!" Vishirk was amazed by the scene. Far away from them and not too far away from the vige, the hill of goblin corpses that Rowan and his soldiers had made immediately drew the attention of Dragun and Vishirk. Vishirk was pretty amazed by the scene, finding it cool, but on the other hand, Dragun was confused¡ªhow were the soldiers able to y so many powerful goblins? he asked himself. Both of them began making their way towards it. As they got closer, Dragun noticed the gigantic corpses of hobgoblins among the numerous goblin corpses. He also noticed that the smallest goblins were far stronger and wiser than the ordinary goblin, which made him question even more how the soldiers were able to kill them. ''Even I will find it difficult to kill such arge amount of them at the same time,'' Dragun frowned. Dragun soon began to hear voices behind the hill and hurried up to find who the speaker was. As he got closer to finding out who the speaker was, a very thin and fast-moving disk of fire suddenly flew past and cut down a small tree nearby, shocking both of them. Dragun suspected it was an intruder at first until he got closer and saw Rowan speaking with his pet. "ze, burn it down now," Rowan said to ze. ''Wait, he is going to burn everything and all the monster cores would go to waste!'' Realizing this, Dragun ran out and shouted, "Wait!" to stop them from burning the corpses. Chapter 122: Awakening [ II ] Rowan was on the verge of burning the corpse when he saw Dragun and a strange young man around his age, dressed in a mage uniform, walking beside him. [ Vishirk ] [ upation: Mage ] [ Special skill: Magic (F) ] [ Status: Amazed ] A questioning look appeared on Rowan''s face as he observed Vishirk, wondering why he was here. He even began to wonder if Vishirk was Dragun''s illegitimate child since both of them were almost the same age. He was pretty curious about the soft glowing wisp of light floating close to Vishirk''s mouth and ears but didn''t bother to ask. He was a mage after all and could do stuff naturally impossible; creating wisps of light around his ear and mouth to look good should be expected. He took his eyes off Vishirk and returned them to Dragun, who was rushing towards him, still trying to stop him from burning the corpse even though he had also paused. "Can you leave these corpses? I want to harvest the monster cores. I will burn them myself afterwards," Dragun requested, looking at the hill of corpses with a pretty expectant look on his face as he wondered just how many monster cores he would get from it. "I already harvested all the monster cores," Rowan replied. Dragun''s expectant expression crumbled immediately, and he turned to look at Rowan; only then did the worry and confusion in his heart earlier return. "Sorry for asking the unnecessary question first," he scratched his head in embarrassment with an anxious smile on his face. Rowan didn''t bother to reply to him. Seeing that Rowan didn''t reply, Dragun proceeded to ask all the questions he wanted to ask about the goblin attack and how Rowan managed to defeat them. He even inquired if there were any casualties. ze could understand the words of Dragun. He could tell that Dragun thought of them as weak and incapable of defeating the monsters, which made ze a little bit furious, growling at him as he spoke. Vishirk, who still hadn''t taken his eyes off the corpse hill, heard ze''s growl and tilted his head towards it. A surprised look appeared on his face afterwards; he muttered to himself in a low voice, "The ashfire wolf, holy cow!" Rowan noticed Vishirk''s eyes on ze, and his frown deepened a little bit as he turned to the speaking Dragun and interrupted him, "Are you really going to ask all these questions first and not introduce the stranger you brought with you?" m _vl _em _p _yr only "Oh, I forgot," Dragun eximed and signaled for Vishirk toe closer. "This is Vishirk, a young mage schr that lost his way in the forest. I found him while I was picking herbs in the forest at night," he introduced. "Vishirk, this is my son, Rowan Winterseed, the Lord of Winterseed vige." He introduced both of them to each other. Vishirk was really surprised when he heard that Rowan, who was the same age as him, was Lord over a territory. In his mind, Rowan immediately became a cool person. Vishirk stretched his hand out for a handshake, "Nice to meet you." Rowan looked at the hand for a few seconds before shaking it. Both of them gave each other a friendly smile. But Rowan''s was more of a pretense since he didn''t understand why Vishirk was here in the first ce. He would have to ask Dragunter when no one was around to listen. Rowan turned to ze and instructed it to burn the corpses since Dragun had no use for them anymore. ze nodded and strolled closer to the corpse hill, the me aura radiating from its body growing stronger and more chaotic. ze halted and tossed out several fireballs into the air and used me synchronization to halt their movement. Vishirk and Dragun stood beside Rowan and watched the disy of ze with pretty amazed expressions on their faces. The scene in front of them was one they had been seeking for a long time since they discovered the world of divine beasts, which is a crucial division of magic. The scene in front was also pretty amazing even for Rowan who only wanted to see ze incinerate the corpses. Several huge fireballs could be seen floating in the air as ze continued to summon more every three seconds; the fireballs were akin to mini suns, shining brightly but ready to scorch everything in their path. After summoning a wholesome amount of fireballs, ze used me synchronization to merge all of them into one very big inferno that sent scorching heat and intense glow in the area. Rowan and Vishirk had to step back since the heat was affecting them, but Dragun had a me resistance spell activated so he wasn''t affected. The huge ball of inferno began levitating onto the top of the corpse hill before descending down on it like a burning meteor descending from space. Instantly, the corpses were engulfed in intense me, and the sizzling sound of flesh melting gradually drifted across the area. ze watched its creation for a few seconds before turning and walking towards Rowan with a proud smile. The huge fire behind ze as it strolled towards Rowan created a really badass heroic effect, causing Rowan to be a little bit envious since he couldn''t achieve such a badass moment yet. ''When I am done investigating Virgil, I might ask for help on how to awaken my mana core,'' Rowan thought to himself, observing the amazed Vishirk beside him. If Vishirk turns out to be a sheep in wolf''s clothing, Rowan was ready to kill him the moment he discovers it. But if he isn''t, he would make use of him to begin his magic journey and advance in it while Dragun helps Ri. [''Reward??''] While Rowan was thinking, ze stood in front of him and requested. ze did a good job so Rowan wasn''t bothered and gave him a five food pills which ze devoured at once. Afterwards, he sent it into the divine beast in. The three of them then returned to the vige together. ..... AUTHOR NOTE: Expect two more chapters in three hours! Chapter 123: Awakening [ III ] Because of the soldiers'' coordinated actionsst night, none of the vigers were hurt, and no houses were destroyed like thest time the goblins raided the vige, which was a significant development in its defense. When the soldiers sounded their instruments and alerted the whole vige to summon the other soldiers, the vigers naturally heard it and understood that a great danger was approaching the vige that required the power of all the soldiers dwelling in it. Naturally, they panicked and would have run out of their houses as usual. But this time, they stayed calm inside and prayed for victory. Ri was among them, and she didn''t worry too much because she believed her husband was capable of bringing peace to the vige once again. Most of the vigers were unable to sleep due to worry. As daylight finally approached, they emerged from their houses one after another to look outside and were d to see the area was peaceful. However, they became worried that the soldiers hadn''t returned yet. Some neighbors stood inside their houses andmunicated with one another, sharing their worries. They didn''t step out because Rowan had asked them not to unless the soldiers were back. Some of them even sat outside their homes because they grew tired of waiting inside. A few minutester, the sound of numerous footsteps could be hearding from the south. Everyone standing outside immediately turned their heads in that direction, and their solemn faces lit up at once. They rushed towards the approaching soldiers. "Yes, Lord Rowan and our men have done it again!" "Peace has returned to the vige!" "This is good, my son is alive!" They cried out as they ran to wee the soldiers, who felt proud and happy seeing the reaction of their people. They hugged their loved ones with proud smiles on their faces. It was a great achievement to protect the smiles and happiness of their loved ones from impending doom! As the vigers hugged the soldiers, they began to ask about what happened. The soldiers started narrating everything that took ce, causing the vigers to listen with their hands over their mouths in awe of the news they just heard. "Hobgoblins, the strongest of all goblins! And not just one of them but hundreds?" "Thousands of powerful goblins, and you all were able to defeat them! This is great, our soldiers are bing stronger." "What? Samuel, you killed twenty yourself? That''s great! I''ll finally be your girlfriend, let''s get married and make babies." The vigers reacted to the news in different ways. The old and mature people who knew about the hobgoblins understood just how difficult they were to defeat. In the tales of their ancestors, a hobgoblin had once attacked the vige and took the lives of hundreds of strong men. Only the power of the Lord at that time could stop it, and he did so by sacrificing his hands and almost burning himself to death. They couldn''t believe that their Lord Rowan and his divine pet were able to take care of hundreds of them alone. It was too good to be true. While some soldiers told the truth, there were a few who twisted the tales to their advantage in order to woo their crushes and garner attention from the beautiful maidens. Ri came out only after a few minutes had passed, as she was previously sleeping. She was among the few who were calm and collected while the soldiers were away. When she got out, she saw the vigers and soldiers rejoicing and immediately knew they had won, which made her smile. She looked around for Rowan, but he was nowhere to be found, causing her expression to sadden a little as she began approaching the crowd. Captain Rnd, currently holding his baby and celebrating, noticed Ri and her somewhat worried expression. He immediately approached her and told her Rowan would arrive soon. Ri nodded, and her heart became calm again. The vigers continued celebrating for the rest of the time before Rowan, Dragun, and Vishirk finally arrived, drawing the attention of the celebrating vigers. The vigers quickly swarmed them and danced in circles while celebrating happily. Dragun and Vishirk had to find their way out of the circle since they weren''t recognized by the people. Dragun stood at a corner, watching his son with a smile, while Vishirk was more than amazed. "Your son is really incredible, senior. Can''t believe we are the same age," Vishirk said to Dragun with a smile. "Yeah, yeah, he took that right from his father. The awesomeness runs in the bloodline of the Winterseed family," Dragun responded without even looking at Vishirk. Vishirk observed the youngdies and his smile widened even more. They were all beautiful and had more positivity in thempared to the girls at his school, who are so negative they might even stab a guy for looking them in the eyes. "This vige is heaven!" he thought to himself. On the other hand, Rowan basked in the praises and celebration with a smile. As usual, Rowan didn''t miss out on the chance to harvest evolution points from his people. He spoke to them and distributed the daily supply of food since the ones he stored with the cooks had already been exhausted. "Congrattions on your victory, darling," Ri said as she came to hug him after he was done speaking. Both of them exchanged a quick, intimate kiss that sparked a lot of reactions from the crowd; some cheered while others became envious. On the other hand, Vishirk''s eyes widened when he saw Rowan kissing the very beautiful white-haired woman. He had seen the other women in the vige, and even the middle-aged ones were more beautiful than some self-proimed school belles at his school. However, when he saw Ri, he immediately confirmed inwardly that she was the most beautiful. Then he was greeted with the biggest shock of his life when Rowan kissed her. "I am still a virgin and he is married to the most beautiful woman in his vige!" Vishirk felt like crying. He turned to look at Dragun, who was still smiling, and said, "Please adopt me and make me part of your cool family!" ..... Next chapter loading ..... Chapter 124: Awakening [ IV ] Rowan and Ri left the celebrating crowd and went to their room to have a quick romantic moment before freshening up. Ri''s apprentices were still carrying out their assignment, so there would be no ss today. She had brought some clothes home yesterday and nned on working on them for the day. Rowan bade her farewell and left. Brandon and Captain Rnd could be seen not too far away, speaking to Vishirk and asking him question after question. Brandon spotted Rowan and waved at him before strolling towards him. Captain Rnd asked Vishirk toe with him to meet Rowan. Brandon and Captain Rnd greeted Rowan first before reporting what they had to report. "Lord Rowan, we cannot trust this guy," they both suggested. "Don''t worry, I''ll investigate him myself and deal with him the moment he tries to do anything that harms any one of my people," Rowan responded. Brandon and Captain Rnd nodded. "Please be cautious around him," they said, waving before turning back and leaving, leaving only the two of them together. Vishirk was smiling in a friendly manner at Rowan while his blue eyes shone with adoration. If an outsider were to describe both of them, they would definitely say they were brothers due to the simrities they share. Both of them had ck hair and blue eyes. Vishirk''s hair was longer, while Rowan''s eyes were a brilliant ocean blue. Based on height, Rowan was slightly taller, but not by much. If he was 6''2", then Vishirk would be around 6''1" or 6''0". After observing Vishirk for a few seconds, Rowan said, "Come with me," and strolled towards the meeting hall with him. Vishirk walked beside Rowan with a cheerful smile on his face. He was amazed by the beautiful women walking past and waving cheerfully at Rowan. Both of them reached the meeting hall. They walked inside, and Rowan closed the door. Rowan took a seat, and Vishirk took the one opposite him, still wearing a smile on his face. Sunlight filtered through the small windows, providing adequate lighting for the room. Rowan began his questioning by asking about Vishirk''s name and where he originated from, which Vishirk quickly provided. Vishirk imed he was a student of Wishiros'' 7th School of Pure Magic and Potion-Making, one of the ten biggest schools of magic in the country of Wishiros. Rowan asked further about Wishiros, and Vishirk exined it to him. ording to Vishirk''s exnation, the country of Wishiros was at least three times bigger than Canada on Earth. Rowan also learned for the first time that his vige was part of a country. Since Vishirk was as talkative as D''andre, he quickly divulged more information than required, while bragging about the superiority of his school of magic. Rowan learned a few geographical details from him: that the name of this world is Nexteria, and it has five continents; each continent had morend and poption than the whole of Earth. Wishiros is part of the Southreach continent, which is the smallest of the five. "Our magic instructors are so mighty and cool; one of them even possesses the legendary Inferno Dragon as his pet!" Vishirk continued bragging with bright eyes. "Alright, enough of the unnecessary information," Rowan said, waving at him to stop talking. "Tell me why you are here. Why did you leave your awesome school and wind up in a ce like this?" Vishirk turned sad again and told Rowan everything. Rowan was pretty surprised when he heard his reason. But at the same time, he was suspicious. "Your ssmates were ughtered by powerful dark mages, and you somehow managed to escape? How is that possible?" he asked. Vishirk told Rowan the same thing he told Dragun about hiding in the river while the ughter took ce. Rowan found the story convincing, but he couldn''t trust him fully, even though he could tell with his inspection skill that he wasn''t lying. He asked Vishirk some other questions to clear the doubts in the air before proceeding to ask the questions he wanted to ask most¡ªabout magic. But Vishirk became surprised as to why Rowan would be curious about magic when his dad was a powerful mage. He couldn''t help but voice his question. Rowan told him the truth: that Dragun wasn''t really around when he awakened and started cultivating magic. "That''s understandable. The mana in this vige is too faint to awaken and cultivate magic. The chances of anyone awakening in this vige without the use of outside resources is very low. Only a genius blessed by heaven and nature can awaken in such a ce," Vishirk continued speaking; he said almost the same thing as Dragun. But Rowan got a few points from his speech that gave him hope. "With the right resources, magic can be awakened and cultivated in this vige?" Vishirk nodded and told Rowan how some people in his hometown didn''t awaken their mana core even after reaching the age of fifty. He said those people seek the help of top magic organizations, like his school, and those organizations were able to give special potions and procedures to awaken it. "But the resources to do so are very rare and require a lot of money to acquire. Some nobles I know had to burn all of their wealth to be able to cultivate magic," Vishirk concluded. Rowan nodded. "For a wealthy man to spend all their wealth to cultivate magic, then it must be really special." "Yes, magic is the greatest wealth anyone can desire. With magic, everything is achievable¡ªbing immortal, resurrecting the dead, creating life itself¡ªall of it is possible with magic," Vishirk said with a smile on his face. It was evident on his face that he cherished magic so much. Each time he spoke about it, his mood brightened and his voice became really loud. For the next few minutes, Rowan and Vishirk discussed more about the topic. Rowan revealed his desire to awaken his mana core, and Vishirk agreed to help by collecting all the needed ingredients and brewing the core awakening potion for him. In exchange, Rowan epted him in the vige. Rowan informed him about the unavability of shelter, and Vishirk told him not to worry about that since he had some mobile tent stored in his spatial item, which he didn''t reveal to Rowan. Rowan could tell Vishirk didn''t want to reveal it because he was scared he would take it, but he didn''t speak about it. It was a wise decision, to be fair. Both of them discussed for a few minutes more before leaving the meeting hall. Some young women carrying food baskets walked past them and greeted them. Rowan only waved back, but Vishirk proceeded to walk with them and try to strike up a conversation. Unfortunately, the effect of thenguage spell faded off, and his words became gibberish in the ears of thedies, causing them to hurry away while he tried to use another magic slip. Rowan only shook his head and left him. While he was strolling towards his next destination, he opened his system and checked his current ranking. ---- [NOVICE RANKING] - Total positions: 9,028 - Your position: 8,937 (¡ø91) - Current recurring rewards: NONE Do you want to view the top 10? Cost: 100,000 evolution points ---- Next chapter will be in a few hours... Chapter 125: Awakening [ V ] Three days passed slowly after the arrival of Vishirk. In those three days, the vigers grew ustomed to Vishirk''s presence. He gradually became the talk of every household in the vige after they discovered he could use magic. Since magic was rare and only a thing of myth and legend in Winterseed, the people naturally became curious. They would meet Vishirk whenever they had the chance and beg him to show them his magic powers. Vishirk wasn''t bothered by the people''s curiosity, which slowly became a distraction. Since there were pretty girls among them, he decided to perform his coolest magic to impress them. Yesterday, he even called a group ofdies himself and started performing magic for them. He juggled some fireballs and used wind magic to fly himself a little bit. He even used wind magic on the youngdies, filling them with thrills andughter. Back in his school, Vishirk was a below-average mage and couldn''t win the interest of any girl, as they were all in love with the talented mages. Thus, when the chance to be the superior one came, he took it without hesitation and enjoyed the benefits. Nevertheless, he didn''t get enough time on his hands to enjoy the attention from the beauties, as he still had to work on making Rowan''s awakening potion. Vishirk would go into the forest at night to look for some special herbs which could only be harvested at night. Sometimes, he even went with Dragun, since Dragun was a senior mage who had already explored some parts of the dark forest and had knowledge about the special herbs he needed. On the first day, he went alone and returned after only two hours because he was scared the white-haired dark mages would suddenly appear and ughter him the way they did his schoolmates. On the second day, he spotted Dragun and quickly followed him. In the vige, Dragun was the only one he felt reallyfortable with, he saw Dragun as his savior and father figure. As an experienced mage and potion brewer, Dragun caught on to the type of potion Vishirk was going to make when he heard the ingredients. Vishirk exined to him and told him Rowan wanted the potion. Dragun had a lot of questions but didn''t ask and just went with the flow. He had already started his tutoring of Ri and studied the signs in her body. His prediction about her being talented in magic was correct. Not only was she talented, she seemed to possess a special blessing that Dragun couldn''t understand, no matter how he tried. While the mages and those gifted with magic talents were busy advancing in their fields, Rowan didn''t stop working on his vige and ensuring its prosperity. The construction was still ongoing and moving at an incredible pace. The building of the houses became really quick, one thousand soldiers were able toplete 7 to 10 houses per day due to the simple structures and materials needed, as well as the productivity boost added by the territory evolution. The farms had also improved drastically¡ªthe uncultivated parts had been cleared and new seeds had been nted, most of which were already showing signs of germination. Under the supervision of ra and her colleagues and with the avability of a stable water supply, the yield of the crops in the farm had increased manifold. Yesterday, ra even approached Rowan and told him she would appreciate it if they could start rearing their own livestock so the vige would have a stable supply of meat. Hunting was notmon among Winterseed, thus, the only sources of meat were from the supplies Rowan provided. "With the addition of livestock to the farnds, not only would we have a stable meat supply but we would also get manure for the farms," she said. Rowan was amazed by her intellect in the field of agriculture, it far surpassed his, who had only read about it in school. Rowan promised to bring livestock after his visit to Winterseed II, which would be in a few days. His promise made ra really excited. Skipping to the current day and current moment, Rowan could be seen standing in his room checking the novice ranking. It was early morning, and the light had already descended upon the vige. ----[ NOVICE RANKING ]---- -Total positions - 9028 -Your position - 8910 (¡ø12) --> Current reurring rewards: NONE --------------------- In the past three days, every morning, Rowan made sure to check his ranking to see if some sort of miracle had taken ce and shot him up the list. ''Ah, only 12 today, at this rate, reaching the top 1000 would take a very long time,'' Rowan sighed. "What are you thinking about, Rowan?" Ri''s sweet voice came from behind as her hands wrapped around Rowan and her head rxed on his back. "Nothing much, what are you up to today?" Rowan replied with a smile. "I already told youst night, Sir Dragun said the final phase of my awakening will take ce today! Did you forget?" Ri asked. Rowan felt her hand leaving his body and immediately understood that she was upset he forgot about such an important event. He turned to her, and just as he predicted, there she was, looking at him with a cute, angry pout on her lips, with her hands folded and her head tilted in another direction. Even when she tried to be pissed, she couldn''t help but appear even more attractive. ''How did you expect me to remember? You told me during the heat of sex!'' Rowan yelled inwardly but kept a straight face. "I did not forget, I just wanted to hear the good news from your mouth again," he lied. "Really?" Ri''s eyes lit up. "Yes, and not just that¡ªonce you finally awaken your mana core and step into the first stage of magic cultivation, you''ll be the first woman in Winterseed to ever use magic!" Rowan added, spicing it up to make her happy. And as usual, he was able to make her forget her anger. Both of them had a few nice talks before leaving in separate directions. Ri went to meet Dragun at the vige square, while Rowan went to resume his daily supervision, beginning with the farms. Ri strolled down to the vige square, receiving tons of greetings from the people on her way. When she got to the vige square, she met Dragun standing beside a strange andrge-looking firece with a weirdly shaped pot on top of it. There were some idle vigers gathered at the vige square watching him in awe. "Did you see that just now? Something like a dragon flew out of that pot, I swear I really saw it!" "Look at those smokes, what kind of food brings out multicolored smokes?" Some of them voiced their shock. The vigers didn''t get close to Dragun because he had already warned them beforehand not to. Those who tried to disobey him ande closer fell unconscious due to the strange smell of the strange stuff Dragun was preparing. Ri strolled past them and towards Dragun. As she got closer, she began to hear the strange bubbly sounding from the pot, as well as the unfamiliar smell which caused her body to experience strange reactions. "Ri, you are here." Dragun sensed her presence and greeted her without looking. "You came a few minutes earlier than I expected, but don''t worry, the anesthetic concoction would soon be ready. It will numb the pain of awakening your mana core," Dragun continued. Ri nodded and waited for a few minutes. After everything was done, he brought out a mat from his spatial pouch andid it on the ground for her. She sat on it in the meditative sitting position she had learned from him. Dragun then proceeded to bring out strange-looking, glowing crystals andid them at different angles around her, then he connected the angles with chalk. Ri and the vigers watched, pretty confused as to what he was doing. After Dragun was done, a pentagonal drawing mixed with spiral shapes and strange symbols was drawn on the ground. Dragun checked everything over and over again to prevent any mistakes, as even a single misdrawn line could bring about unmeasurable disasters. "This part is done," Dragun muttered to himself. He brought out a clean wooden bowl, scooped out some of the concoction he had just made, and gave it to Ri to drink. Afterwards, he told her to close her eyes and brace herself before he proceeded to chant. Chapter 126: Awakening [ VI ] Vishirk was strolling leisurely around the vige as usual in the morning, looking for idle youngdies to impress with his magic power, when he unexpectedly came across the vige square, where arge crowd had gathered. The confused murmur of the vigers made him curious, so he decided to approach and went to observe. When he got there, he saw Ri and Dragun standing together. He immediately recognized both of them, but he was confused when he saw Ri sitting in a meditative position in the middle of aplex pentagonal magic formation etched into the ground. "The Evil Repelling Formation! Senior knows the Evil Repelling Formation!" Vishirk thought to himself, quite surprised. The Evil Repelling Formation is one of the hardest and most intricate formations in the magic world. Its primary purpose is to repel evil during awakening and ascension in magic cultivation and some other supernatural activities; nevertheless, a simple mistake in this formation could bring about the opposite effect. There was even a catastrophic ident in the past involving the formation, which led to the destruction of several kingdoms and the deaths of millions in just one hour! It took the sudden appearance of an archmage to finally stop the disaster. Because of that disaster, the usage of the Evil Repelling Formation reduced drastically in the magic world, as people feared its potential dangers. "This is bad; what if Senior made a mistake in the formation!" Vishirk thought anxiously, quite worried. Just then, Dragun started chanting the activation spell, and the circles inscribed on the ground began to light up gradually. Vishirk was on edge as this took ce, clenching his fist tightly and silently praying against any sort of mishap. The crowd around Vishirk gasped in surprise as the glow intensified, forming several brilliant light pirs which immediately took the form of a cage around Ri. A white, glowing mist also began to spew out from the formation. Sitting in the middle, Ri followed the technique she had learned from Dragun in the past few days¡ªeyes shut and body stable, her breathing and heartbeat also followed a slow, steady rhythm, synchronizing with the magic. Her lips were moving slowly as she quietly repeated the magic phrase Dragun had taught her. Suddenly, a weird and heavy sensation shot through her body, causing her to twitch slightly. The sensation surged rapidly towards her brain. Ri felt like her consciousness was being forcibly dragged away. Her calm meditative position suddenly turned chaotic as she began to shiver uncontrobly, her body trembling while still maintaining the sitting position. "It has started," Dragun muttered quietly to himself. However, his reaction was the utter opposite of the crowd''s growing panic. "What is he doing to Lady Ri?" someone in the crowd eximed. "Look, Lady Ri is shivering; she is writhing in pain!" another viger shouted. "Dragun is hurting Lady Ri!" a third voice cried out. The crowd began to voice their concerns loudly. Some of them even began to move towards the light cage to try to save Ri. Vishirk saw this and immediately rushed to stop them. "All of you, keep calm!" Vishirk barked urgently at them. He knew the danger of stopping the awakening ritual; it not only affects the person awakening but also those near them, potentially causing catastrophic results. "Why are you stopping us, foreigner? Can''t you see she is going to die? We need to save her," one young man barked angrily at Vishirk. "Yes!" the others shouted, backing him up. Vishirk sighed deeply. If only these people knew what was happening, he thought. He proceeded to exin the process and the grave danger of stopping it. It made the vigers realize their mistake but also instilled a sense of fear, as well as a flicker of hope in their minds. They began to pray fervently that Ri would survive the ordeal. While they were praying for her safety, Ri''s consciousness ceased in the real world and appeared in a strange, unfamiliar ce. It was the void¡ªendless darkness stretching far beyond the eye''s reach, seeming to have no end. Ri panicked at the dense darkness, but suddenly the ce transformed into a beautifulnd; it was akin to a forest but possessed an extraordinary beauty that calmed the heart and soothed the soul. "Where am I?" Ri whispered, utterly confused. She was with Dragun just a few seconds ago, and now she was in a strange ce that seemed out of this world, beyond imagination? "Am I dead? Is this paradise?" she couldn''t help but ask herself. "Why does every single human share the same lines of thoughts? Am I dead? Is this heaven? Is this the end? Is this paradise? Can''t y''all ask new and refreshing questions?" the voicemented. As Ri was trying to get used to the strange new environment, an annoyed but calm-sounding voice came from behind her, drawing her attention immediately. The voice was deep and masculine. She tilted her head, and her eyes fell upon the most glorious being she had ever seen in her life. His hair was long and white as snow. His eyes were golden, like they wielded all the wealth in the world, shimmering with untold secrets. He was adorned in a robe that emitted a soft glow that almost blinded the eyes with its brilliance. On his back were beautiful,rge white wings. The entire being of the figure in front of her emitted a divine glow and aura of majesty. The sight was wonderful but at the same time slightly frightening. "Who are you?" she asked curiously, her voice trembling. "I am Zero, Enigma of Magic and Nature, the being who oversees worlds and whatnot," Zero introduced himself proudly. Ri tried to understand all the gibberish he said but failed. Zero snorted and immediately understood that this mortal in front of him was naive about magic. He felt a little embarrassed that she didn''t understand the gravity of his cool titles. Such a waste of an introduction, he thought to himself. "Well, it''s not like you are ever going to remember anything you saw or experienced here. No one does," Zero muttered loudly, ensuring Ri heard every word. Ri became even more confused as time passed; at one point, she even thought she was stuck in an unrealistic dream or an illusion. She asked Zero questions, and Zero answered, but she didn''t understand since she didn''t actuallyprehend most of theplex magical terms he used. Zero became bored and tired of the mortal''s ignorance and decided to hasten the process. He waved his slender hand, and a series of glowing orbs appeared in front of Ri. They were about one hundred in number, each having varying colors and symbols, shimmering softly. "You can only pick one of those, and it''ll determine what element or set of elements apanies you in your magical journey when you get home," Zero exined with a hint of impatience. He then gave Ri two minutes to ponder for herself and pick any one of her choice, watching her closely. Ri stared at the numerous orbs in front of her and was utterly confused. One minute passed, and she still couldn''t make up her mind. Zero floated above her and snorted. Seeing how she didn''t understand magic, he expected her to choose an orb that would only bring doom and misfortune in her magic journey. Zero is a being that has existed since the very beginning of time itself. He has experienced the creation and destruction of worlds and watched countless mortals make the wrong decision. Most of them end up choosing something that makes their cultivation life impossible or arduous. Examples are those mages who find it difficult to evolve in the magic world, those with elements they can''t work with, those with elements thatck resources to cultivate, and others who face insurmountable challenges. Sadly, none of those humans are aware that their fate had been decided with their own hands and end up cussing the heavens for their perceived bad luck. While Zero was busy ridiculing the mortal race in his mind, Ri found a special orb that appeared to be calling to her, and she immediately went for it. Immediately she touched the orb and epted it in her heart, it turned into a wisp of light and darted straight towards her chest, permeating it like foam going through water, easily and without restraint, merging with her bein. Afterwards, a strange bang urred in her brain, and her consciousness in this world suddenly ceased abruptly. Her body disappeared from this strange world immediately, vanishing without a trace. Zero observed the whole phenomenon with a straight face, although he was pretty surprised with the orb she picked unexpectedly. "Another lucky one," he noted to himself and was about to disappear when another human suddenly appeared in the same spot Ri had just disappeared from. He had the same reaction as Ri and even asked himself aloud if he was dreaming. "Another bastard!" Zero cussed inwardly before attending to the neer with a sigh. Chapter 127: Awakening [ VII ] At the vige square, everyone watched with worried expressions on their faces. Even Vishirk, who understood the concept of magic, couldn''t help but feel a little anxious; there were many dangers involved in awakening¡ªloss of memory, getting possessed by demons and dark creatures, or even death¡ªall these weremon dangers involved in awakening. Dragun stood beside Ri and observed everything keenly. He observed every single detail in her body and even focused on her very slightest movements. He was praying incessantly in his heart, even though he had no god he revered. He did not want anything to happen to his daughter-inw. Under his keen observation, he had noticed a few minutes earlier when Ri''s body suddenly rxed after shivering for some time. He knew that the process had begun and would end very soon. He was still praying incessantly when he noticed that her body had started shivering again, this time more vigorously than before. He also noticed the manaing from her had gotten stronger. "It has finally begun! If she can survive this phase, then her mana core will finally form and she will begin her magic cultivation! Her element might also awaken if she is really blessed by nature and magic," Dragun muttered to himself. He moved closer, stretched his hands out, and prepared himself to start healing at any moment. As for Ri, after her consciousness returned, she was greeted with intense pain that caused her body to shiver uncontrobly. She felt a burning sensation from her chest down to her stomach, as though she had just swallowed moltenva. Her head began to ache like it had just been stomped by donkeys¡ªevery fibre of her being was plunged into unimaginable pain. But she maintained her meditative sitting position¡ªnot that she wanted to, but controlling her body at this moment had be unimaginably difficult. Only her mind was under her control, and even that part of her was going through turmoil at this moment. The vigers watched with panic. Vishirk and Dragun''s hearts beat rapidly as they prayed for a safe awakening. --- [ Your WIFE has begun the AWAKENING process ] [ Your WIFE''s mana core is awakening... progress: 57% ] [ Your WIFE is going through immense pain, possibility of dying - 20% ] DING [ Your WIFE''s possibility of dying has increased to 35% ] [ Your WIFE''s possibility of dying has decreased to 15% ] [ AWAKENING progress: 62% ] Rowan found it difficult to focus on the current task at hand, as the system kept sending him notification after notification reminding him of Ri''s awakening. It had started right from the moment she began and even notified him when she lost consciousness during the process. Rowan had received at least two hundred of these notifications by now,pletely disorienting him from working. He had to excuse himself and find somewhere far away from the working soldiers in order not to draw unwanted attention¡ªit would be pretty weird if his soldiers kept seeing him staring into midair and frowning each time. Now, sitting in a lonely spot at the back of one of the newly constructed houses, Rowan studied the notifications one after another. Rowan didn''t bother to go to the vige square because he had already been informed beforehand by Dragun that she would go through a hell of a lot of pain. He told him not to worry, that everything would be okay; he even asked him not toe. Rowan believed it at first and didn''t bother to visit the vige square¡ªhe would only get himself worried, watching his wife in intense pain. Nevertheless, after seeing the concerning notifications, he began to doubt his previous choice. [ AWAKENING progress: 64% ] [ Pain has increased by 200% ] [ Possibility of death has increased to 60% ] Another set of notifications appeared, and this time Rowan couldn''t take it anymore. "This is not good at all. Dragun lied to me; this is beyond what Ri can handle!" Rowan gritted his teeth as he took a shortcut, leaving the site without any of the soldiers noticing, and made his way down to the vige square. On his way, he met a few worried vigers who were alreadying to inform him about the event happening at the vige square. "Lord Rowan, your father is going to kill Lady Ri!" "He is performing some evil-looking ritual on her and she appears to be in deep pain." "Yes, her body is shivering uncontrobly. Lord Rowan, you have to save her." They told Rowan. Rowan only nodded at them and continued hurrying his way down there. Some of them even followed him back since they wanted to see what would happen. They told Rowan how they tried to help and how they couldn''t, as a strong force was always pushing them back. Rowan did not bother to engage in conversation with them as the notifications kept appearing, making him even more worried. After strolling for a few seconds, he arrived at the vige square and was greeted with the scene. Just as described by the vigers, Ri was sitting in the middle of a magic formation, a cage of light formed around her. White mist spewed out from the formation, blurring the view of the onlookers. Rowan noticed the shivering of his wife and couldn''t help but feel a sharp pain in his chest. It pained him to see her suffering! The vigers watching the scene were yelling at Dragun to let Ri go. After observing the scene for a few seconds, Rowan shook his head and began making his way to the front. Vishirk was still blocking the front and preventing the vigers from getting close. He quickly spotted Rowan. "You are here," he said. Rowan didn''t reply and proceeded to inquire about the current situation from him. Vishirk exined and told him not to worry. "She will be fine in a few minut..." Vishirk tried to calm Rowan''s worrying heart. But he was quickly disrupted by the explosive sound from behind him. It came from the position of Ri and Dragun. The breeze of the explosion blew across, sending small objects flying and causing some of the vigers to lose their footing. Rowan had to use his arms to form a shield to prevent the dust from flying in his direction. "What happened?" Rowan muttered as he opened his eyes to see what had just happened. [ Your WIFE has passed.... ] ... Do not open the next chapter now, please. Chapter 128: Awakening [ VIII ] Dragun was observing Ri keenly when suddenly a massive surge of mana exploded from her body, causing a loud bang and sending chaotic gusts across the vige square. Fortunately, being a mage with a refined body, Dragun managed to stay grounded against the force of the explosion. The mist from the evil-repelling formation spread across the area and blocked his vision of Ri. The explosion caught not only Dragun off guard but everyone present, including Rowan and Vishirk, who were beside him and closest to the st. Vishirk quickly turned to Ri''s location, which was covered with mist and dust, worry written on his face. ''What happened? Did she survive?'' he thought with concern. The same thought ran through the minds of the others. They stared in that direction and waited for it to clear so they could see what had be of their beloved Ri. Rowan shared their worries, but his attention was mostly focused on the notification floating before him at that moment. [Your WIFE has passed the AWAKENING trial and ritual!] [Your WIFE has awakened sessfully] [Skill: Magic (FF) has been added to her status] [Her magic cultivation stage has been updated: current stage: APPRENTICE stage] [Your WIFE''s condition is returning to normal] His eyes widened after he read the messages, and he turned to look in Ri''s direction. Without wasting time, he began sprinting towards Ri. Vishirk immediately tried to stop him. "Remember what I told you just now! If you get closer you will be hurt badly, you might get possessed by demons!" Vishirk warned, trying to strike fear in Rowan''s heart to prevent him from getting close to Ri. Some of the people who had witnessed others copse while trying to get close also tried to warn him. "I will be fine," Rowan told them without looking back. After a short sprint, he arrived beside Ri, who was currently lying on the ground in a semi-conscious state. Her eyes were open and active, but her body appeared very numb and unresponsive at this moment. Dragun was standing beside her with his hands stretched over her head. His hands were glowing as he used healing magic to quickly improve Ri''s condition. Dragun gave Rowan a nod and a smile when he arrived, and Rowan did the same, his eyes mostly focused on his lovely wife. Ri was looking up with a somewhat lost expression when the visage of Rowan appeared through the mist; immediately, a sweet smile appeared on her face. Rowan returned the smile before kneeling beside her and cing her head on hisp, looking into her eyes with love and pride. "I seeded..." Ri whispered weakly. "You did, Ri. I am proud of you," Rowan said to her and caressed her face lovingly. Ri smiled happily. Still smiling, she fell asleep on Rowan''sp. "She is a strong woman, Rowan. She kept herself awake even though she was beyond exhausted just to share the news with you," Dragun said to Rowan. Rowan nodded and kept looking at Ri''s face¡ªhe was looking at his wife and the first female mage in the history of his territory. He couldn''t help but imagine the wonders she would be able to perform with her magic in the near future. He was also curious about what kind of element she had awakened! While Rowan and Dragun were already aware of the sessful awakening, Vishirk and the vigers weren''t. From their perspective, the mist and dust still hadn''t cleared, so they couldn''t see what had be of Ri. Slowly, a gentle breeze began to blow. The mist started to fade, and the vigers watched with hope in their eyes. As the fog lifted, they saw Rowan walking toward them, carrying the sleeping Ri in his arms. Beside him was Dragun, both of them smiling warmly. A hush fell over the crowd. Then, smiles spread across their faces. "Ri! Ri!" the vigers began to cheer, their voices filled with joy. They were all happy that the process was a sess and that Ri was okay. Everyone pped their hands and called out her name happily. Vishirk let out a sharp sigh of relief when he saw them. He knew at once that the process was a sess, which ddened his heart. Rowan and Dragun approached them, the sunlight highlighting their happy faces. Ri looked peaceful, resting safely in Rowan''s arms. Rowan turned to the people and announced the sessful awakening with a clear and proud voice. Vishirk had already exined the awakening to the people, so they understood what Rowan meant easily. "Yes! Our vige now has its own magician!" "We are blessed once again with something special; Winterseed will definitely reach great heights in the future!" Everyone became really happy and celebrated. Rowan smiled and left the vige square with Ri gently cradled in his arms. He didn''t earn any evolution points from the excitement of the vigers, but he wasn''t bothered. He gave the speech not because he wanted to farm evolution points but because that was what he really felt. Dragun and Vishirk went with Rowan while the other vigers dispersed slowly. Some returned to their homes while others went to spread the news happily. For ages, they had believed magic was a divine power that could control the impossible. The arrival of Dragun first opened their eyes to the fact that magic could be wielded by humans. Vishirk came a few days ago and performed magic, and also told them stories about how almost everyone in his hometown could use magic. He also briefed them on the possibilities that magic made possible. Thus, having a magician¡ªa mage¡ªwho was one of their own made them happy and expectant of many miracles in the future. Sadly and unfortunately, they weren''t the only ones happy about the sessful awakening of Ri. Floating in the air above the vige was the handsome Alister cloaked in his usual dark robe, observing the joy of the vigers with an evil smirk. Xandros wasn''t with him this time. "The cult is going to be happy with this information!" he muttered before disappearing. Chapter 129: Awakening [ IX ] Dark Forest It was a moonless night; a thick darkness enveloped the forest, apanied by a harrowing silence that filled the atmosphere with mystery and terror. In this profound darkness, not even the sound of birds singing or insects buzzing could be heard¡ªonly the faint, constant rustling of leaves from nearby trees broke the silence. In the heart of the dark forest stood a in-looking cave, surrounded by thick bushes. Suddenly, a sharp breeze stirred the air, and the dark figure of Alister appeared out of nowhere. Alister observed the area keenly with his hazel eyes, his expression cold and focused. After ensuring the surroundings were clear, he began moving toward the concealed entrance of the cave before him. As he drew closer, he chanted in a strangenguage, seemingly activating the magical locks of the door. A sound of wind whistling spread as a strange dark portal appeared before him. Alister walked in, and the dark portal quickly disappeared. After crossing the portal, he found himself in a ce that looked too clean and advanced to be called a cave. He was first greeted by a long passageway endowed with glowing crystals of different colors that provided illumination and also served as decoration. Beyond the passagewayy a wide hall adorned with more magical crystals. The mana inside this ce was dense and carried traces of darkness, indicating the dark nature of the ce despite its beautiful interior. Alister walked through the passageway and arrived in the hall where a long, rectangr table with numerous chairs stood in the middle. However, there was no one upying these seats except a masked, dark-robed figure sitting at the far end of the table. A visible dark, misty aura emanated from his body. His red eyes, which appeared to glow despite the lighting in the room, stared at Alister. Alister, who was always calm and collected, couldn''t help but shiver in his presence. He quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, 8th Grandmaster." "Mm," the 8th Grandmaster responded with a simple hum before gesturing for Alister toe and sit beside him. After Alister sat down, the 8th Grandmaster didn''t waste time and quickly requested reports on the mission he had given Alister and Xandros. Alister nodded as calmly as he could, preparing his answer carefully. Even though he knew and was close to the 8th Grandmaster, he still found it difficult to stayposed in his presence. Without wasting time, he reported everything he had prepared beforehand to the 8th Grandmaster. He started by recounting some of the previous missions they hadpleted, including the destruction of certain territories and the assassination of specific targets. Afterwards, he proceeded to share the good news about the arrival of a new target, who was none other than Ri. "A newly awakened mage with the potential to be an archmage?" the 8th Grandmaster asked, his red eyes glinting with disbelief. "Yes, 8th Grandmaster. Not just that; there is a high possibility this one possesses a blessing¡ªjust the type we need for the Dark Seed ritual," Alister replied. His reply caused the expression of the 8th Grandmaster to change. It was easily noticed in the movement of his eyes, which turned from neutral to interested in a split second. "Are you sure?" he asked Alister. Alister nodded and borated further. The expression of the 8th Grandmaster brightened after hearing his words. "Good job, Alister. I always knew you were the right candidate for this task. Keep a close eye on the target and bring her in when the time is right. I''ll train her myself¡ªeither to strengthen the blessing if she has one or to give her one if she doesn''t. This might take a few years, but that gives you and your brother enough time to find others like her. The sooner we perform andplete the ritual sessfully, the sooner we achieve the cult''s ultimate goal. We''ll be unrivaled, immortal, and make history in the wizarding world." Alister listened to the words of the 8th Grandmaster and nodded. They discussed matters for a few more minutes¡ªthe 8th Grandmaster mostly spoke about the past rituals the previous heads of the cult had performed and how they had failed. He told Alister such failures wouldn''t happen this time, as he had studied the ws of the recorded rituals and found ways to prevent them. He even ensured to remind Alister of the other benefits of the ritual. The 8th Grandmaster spoke with joy and determination as though he was speaking to his own child. Alister knew the 8th Grandmaster didn''t mean any harm, but the dark power the grandmaster possessed was chaotic to someone on Alister''s level. While Alister was powerfulpared to other mages, he was nothing in front of the 8th Grandmaster and the other grandmasters of the cult. Both of them discussed for a really long time before Alister stood up and prepared to leave. "Wait a minute, I have something you need to have," the 8th Grandmaster said, waving his hand in the air as a ring appeared. "I added more magic artifacts than thest time; it''ll definitely be of help to you and Xandros. Also, I added a new spell I formed¡ªtry to see if you can understand and master it," he said as he handed over the ring. "Thank you very much, 8th Grandmaster," Alister said as he took the ring from him and observed it; the amount of magical artifacts inside made his heart tinge with excitement. "No need to thank me; you and Xandros have worked harder for the cult than anyone else," the 8th Grandmaster replied. Alister nodded before walking towards the exit. While walking toward the exit, Alister couldn''t help but smile as he felt himself getting closer to achieving the goal his ancestors had failed to reach. The lifelong goal of the cult was profound and supreme; most of Xandros and Alister''s ancestors were founding members of the cult a few centuries ago. They worked tirelessly toward the same goal but failed to achieve it before death seized them. Xandros and Alister were born into the cult; they learned about its ways and cause from a very young age. As they grew up, they became serious in their magical cultivation and study of the magical world, doing everything it took to ensure they didn''t end up like their fathers, who worked hard but never achieved the goal. However, both of them had different approaches. One pursued it actively and aggressively, while the other did so calmly, calcting every step he took. Currently, both of them were high-ranking members of the cult, which was already impressive considering their young ages. The cult had different levels of membership, beginning with the lowest¡ªves¡ªthen moving up to the highest ¡ª Supreme Master. Alister and Xandros were currently masters. ''If this ritual seeds, both of us will be promoted to grandmasters immediately and be able to ess the Supreme Codex of Knowledge and Death,'' Alister thought, smirking as he passed through the portal and appeared outside the cave. The night was still dark, and the forest still echoed with deafening silence. Alister stared at the sky for a few seconds with a calm smile before disappearing. Chapter 130: Awakening [ X ] Rowan didn''t go back to join the soldiers after bringing Ri home. He stayed with her and kept watch over her, alongside Dragun and Vishirk. Only when nighttime approached did the two of them leave the couple alone. Before Dragun left, he gave Rowan a few tips to ensure Ri was okay. At this moment, it was nighttime, and Ri still hadn''t woken up. Rowan was sitting beside her on the bed, watching her with caution. ''Hmm, how long is she going to remain like this?'' Rowan couldn''t help but ask himself with a worried expression on his face. It had been more than half a day now since she fell asleep, and there was not a single sign of her waking up anytime soon. Rowan naturally became worried. He inspected her body for the umpteenth time with his inspection skill. [ Ri ] [ upation: Arcane Threadmaster ] [ Special skill: Enchanted Embroidery, Magic ] [ Magic cultivation: 1st Level, apprentice stage ] [ Status: Sleeping ] ''Show her health status,'' Rowan asked again. He had checked her character status more than twenty times since nighttime began, and he made sure to check her health condition every single time. [ Health status: 100% Healthy ] It was the same response as usual. Rowan let out a deep sigh. He had never been this worried for someone before¡ªhe didn''t even understand if he was being this caring because Ri had be an important asset to the development of his territory or if it was because he truly loved her. Rowan usually dismissed the idea of true love, believing it no longer existed on Earth since before he transmigrated. To him, true love had died in the nies, a time when people genuinely loved each other for who they were. Without that kind of love, he thought rtionships had be nothing more than two people having sex without needing to pay, which was why he never got involved. DING!! [ Criteria for the next territory evolution has been updated ] Rowan was still thinking about the condition of Ri when a notification from the system drew his attention. "It is here already!" Rowan''s eyes widened as he read the text. He almost stood up from the bed. "Reveal the criteria," hemanded. --- TO EVOLVE TERRITORY TO E-RANK, you must¡­ ¨CBe in Top 5000 in Novice ranking (current rank: 8900) ¨CSurvive 3 Cmities (Current: 0/3) ¨CPossess 100 F-rank soldiers (Current: 0/100) ¨CAgriculture: E-rank (Current: F-rank) ¨CPower: E-rank (Current: F-rank) --- Rowan read the criteria, and his face froze when he saw the first three on the list. Especially the second one, which was new and confusing. Even when he yed the game, there was no such thing as cmity. "What sort of cmities are you talking about, system?" he quickly asked without wasting time. [ Cmities exist in different forms¡ªmonster attacks, disease outbreaks, uncontroble death rates, and disastrous weather conditions. What sort of cmity you would face is not predetermined; survive these cmities and fulfill one of the criteria for your next territory evolution ] Rowan studied the system''s response, and a frozen look washed over his face. The whole exnation didn''t make sense no matter how he looked at it. "Wait, the previous hordes of goblins and hobgoblins that attacked my vige? Could that be considered a cmity?" he asked quickly. [ Negative, that is just a simple monster horde. Monster hordes considered as cmities are more powerful and more numerous than the previous attack on your territory. Be warned, host, and prepare yourself for the worst! ] Thest message of the system caused Rowan''s heart to beat really fast. "What the heck? A horde of more than one thousand monsters with the power to topple over my vige in a matter of minutes is not considered a cmity!" Rowan was really confused. "What about the one at Winterseed II?" [ Not a cmity as well ] "What the heck!" Rowan cussed out loudly. There were so many questions in his mind at this moment. He asked the system all of them, and thankfully, the system didn''t keep quiet today and actually answered those questions¡ªthe answers were not fully understandable but it was better than being ignored. At least now, he had something to work with. The other criteria were pretty harsh, especially the first one which required him to be in the top 5000 of the Novice ranking, and the second one which asked for one hundred F-rank soldiers. For the first criteria, he would have to improve his territory faster than those above him in order to surpass them. For the one involving the soldiers, he would have to take them into the south forest to hunt for monsters. Aside from those two, the others were pretty easy to aplish, especially the one involving his power being at E-rank. "Come to think of it, I haven''t checked how many evolution points it would take to enter E-rank," Rowan muttered as he opened his character status and clicked on [ POWER ]. --- Power: F-rank --10,000,000 evolution points required for E-rank NOTE: Evolution to next rank would be ten times more painful than thest one. --- "Why the heck is everything about the system trying to scare me shitless today?" Rowan frowned. "When I am ready, I''ll evolve Resistance skill to help reduce the pain when evolving. That will be in a few days from now, when I begin preparing to visit Winterseed II," Rowan thought. After he was done studying the new task at hand, he heaved out a loud sigh and prepared himself mentally to begin working towardspleting all of them tomorrow. At the same time, Ri''s body suddenly moved, drawing Rowan''s attention at once. Ri''s eyes opened and turned to look at Rowan with a pretty lively smile on her face. She struggled to lift her upper torso up. Rowan immediately moved closer to her and held her body with a genuine smile on his face. "How long have I been asleep for?" Ri asked as she observed the room. She noticed it was nighttime and thus she was curious. "For a few hours, but you are awake now," Rowan spoke to her softly. After ensuring she was alright, he went to the kitchen and warmed the meal he had prepared for her and gave it to her to eat. After she ate, he proceeded to discuss with her about her newfound magic, enquiring about everything she experienced during the awakening and how she felt currently¡ªhe was curious to know how, since his magic awakening would be anytime soon. Chapter 131: Awakening [ XI ] Rowan and Ri were woken up the next morning by knocks on the door, Dragun and Vishirk hade to check on Ri. Rowan woke up with a frown and went to open the door for them. He was a bit annoyed at their early knocking, but at the same time, he was grateful they had arrived. Dragun gave Rowan a nod and proceeded to meet Ri, who was sitting up on the bed. Both of them smiled. Dragun began by congratting her before checking her condition with healing magic. Vishirk and Rowan exchanged nods before Vishirk walked in and stood beside Dragun. "Your awakening was a sess, Ri. You are now an apprentice-stage mage," Dragun began. "The apprentice stage is further divided into three levels. Once you have surpassed these levels, you will experience a breakthrough that will improve your mana core and physique, marking the true beginning of magic cultivation as you be a 1st-tier mage," Dragun continued. He exined many things to Ri and Rowan. Vishirk also shared a few notes he had learned from his school, some of which were modified versions of Dragun''s exnations, which even shocked Dragun by how effective they were. Rowan was able to derive a lot of information from their exnations. When Rowan observed others with magic powers like Vishirk, Dragun, and D''andre, all he could see were their special skills, not their magic cultivation realms. This was different with Ri, since the two of them shared a special link. As they spoke, Rowan discovered that Vishirk, who had F-rank magic skills, was a Tier-1 mage, and Dragun, who had D-rank magic, was a Tier-3. In his calction: FF - Apprentice, F - Tier-1, E - Tier-2, D - Tier-3, C - Tier-4, B - Tier-5. Dragun and Vishirk said there were only five tiers of magic, which means the rank after that would be Archmages and other superior mage realms. "Does that mean D''andre is an archmage? I recall he had A-rank elemental magic among his skills, I think he had some B-rank elemental magic as well," thought Rowan. At this moment, he realized just how powerful D''andre was. If he actually wanted, he could destroy Winterseed in a matter of seconds. Rowan couldn''t help but feel a cold sensation drifting through his body as he realized the power D''andre held. He quickly thanked his stars that D''andre was on his side. He returned his attention to the ongoing exnation, whichsted for another ten minutes before Dragun handed Ri a small bottle of pink transparent liquid. "This is a soothing potion made for new awakeners. It will strengthen your physique and mana core over time, making it less stressful and painful to absorb mana in the future," Dragun exined. Ri and Rowan thanked him sincerely. Dragun nodded and announced his n to leave the vige for a few days to visit a faraway town and rent an Aether Crystal, which would be used to check Ri''s elemental affinity. He also promised to purchase a few apprentice-grade spells for her to begin practicing. Rowan was very grateful for this and thanked him genuinely. Dragun nodded and turned to leave, signaling to Rowan toe with him as he had some words to share. Rowan didn''t waste time and followed Dragun to the side of the house. Dragun then told him what he wanted to say. "Huh? Why are you suggesting I shouldn''t impregnate my wife?" Rowan asked, confused as to why such a topic was even brought up. "Giving birth for apprentice and Tier-1 female mages is very difficult and could lead to the death of the mother in most cases. The babies are usually okay, but that''s not the same for the mother," Dragun exined. But Rowan was still confused. "Rowan, during my journeys away from the vige, I made a lot of mage friends, and most of them were women. A few of them got the sudden urge to have their own babies, but all of them died during childbirth," he began. "I didn''t learn about the danger until two years after losing my closest friend. I don''t want that to happen to Ri, so I suggest you make your pull-out game stronger," Dragun concluded with a smile. Rowan finally understood the reason why. He even found it simr to some xianxia novels where female cultivators go through hell at childbirth. He tried asking Dragun if there was any exnation, but Dragun could only reply that there was none. Rowan thanked him for the details before both of them went separate ways. Rowan had a chat with Vishirk and learned that a few of the ingredients needed for his awakening potion had been found. "I am not sure we''ll be able to find some of the ingredients here in your territory. We would have to purchase them from outside, and they cost a fortune. Even if you sold everything in your vige, you wouldn''t be able to afford some of them," Vishirk exined. "But you said you would be able to get them? Did you lie so I would let you stay in the vige?" Rowan frowned. "No, not that. I nned on searching for cheaper and less rare herbs with the same effect as the expensive and rare ones in the dark forest, but after several nights I could only find a few of them," Vishirk quickly replied. He told Rowan that he would have advised him to go for the original ingredients, since the others had nasty side effects which might affect himter on. "Just find the ones you can, I''ll take care of the otherster," Rowan replied. Vishirk nodded, even though he wondered how Rowan would be able to take care of the other ingredients¡ªsome nobles in his hometown couldn''t even afford them, so how would the lord of a backwater vige be able to ess them? he asked himself. He didn''t voice his doubts, though. He waved at Rowan and left to prepare for the journey he would embark on with Dragun. Chapter 132: Awakening [ XII ] The days following Ri''s awakening passed smoothly. After fully recovering, she divided her focus among three pursuits: perfecting her enchanted embroidery, teaching the women, and practicing magic with Dragun. Every morning, she woke up very early to work on the enchanted embroidery of the robes in her possession. Then she left the house to teach the women, returning before afternoon, when she would go to meet Dragun for magic training. The three days after her recovery passed in this manner, but she didn''t get tired, even though she naturally could have. It was as though her awakening had given her some sort of extraordinary endurance that kept her going. The only time she rested was at night after returning from magic training. Luckily, she had Rowan, who prepared dinner before she arrived, so she didn''t have to worry about it. Rowan was really proud and happy that his wife was engaged in the things she loved. Nevertheless, just like her, Rowan had also been very busy in the past three days. The construction of the house waspleted yesterday, thanks to the increased effort of the soldiers, and today the people would be moving back into their homes. Also today, Rowan nned to resume training his men. He intended to distribute thebat skill books he had purchased from D''andre to them so they could begin practice immediately. Today was also the day Dragun and Vishirk would be leaving the vige for the journey they had discussed three days ago. Thus, Rowan would be the sole protector of the vige once again, as he used to be. It was early morning, and Rowan sat on his bed, contemting everything that would be happening in his vige today, and couldn''t help but sigh. He turned to look at Ri, who had just taken her bath and was dressing up to go teach the women as usual. Ri smiled at Rowan as she walked closer. She climbed onto the bed from the other side, crawled towards him, then sat beside him, grabbing his arm tightly and pressing it against her chest. Rowan could feel the two soft and arousing mounds of flesh against his hand. With a cute smile, Ri spoke calmly, "Rowan, about those sewing machines, is there any way I can have them now?" "Hmm, yeah, but why are you asking for them now?" Rowan recalled they had agreed that he would give her and the women the sewing machines when raw materials were avable. He wondered why she was asking now. Could she have gotten her hands on raw materials? he asked himself. If that was the case, he would be really happy, as there would be no need to spend more evolution points purchasing them. Ri exined the situation to him. She told him she wanted the women to start practicing how to use the sewing machines now so they would be very efficient when raw materials finally arrived. She also informed him that the women had passed all her tests and were fully ready for sewing. As she exined, Rowan realized his mistake: he had intended to give out the sewing machines when materials were on hand but failed to consider that the women would need to master how to use the sewing machines first. "Ri, thank you for exining all this to me," Rowan said sincerely. "Tell me how many there are so I can start working on the sewing machines. They will be ready tomorrow," he continued. Ri gave him the information he needed. She then kissed him and left the room. After she left, Rowan locked the door, then opened his system and essed the sewing machine blueprint. --- [ Simple Blueprint: Sewing Machine ] Type: Tool Function: Converts simple mechanical energy into stitching power for fabric and garment construction. Could also be used for shoemaking. Required Resources: 1 Log of wood, 20 chunks of crude iron Activation Cost: 10,000 evolution points Build Time: 10 Minutes Automation Feature: Automatically integrates with avable resources upon activation. No manual assembly required. NOTE: This blueprint has 10 avable activations --- Rowan studied the blueprint and was very happy with the build time, which was twelve times less than that of the windmill. He was a bit excited with the addition that the machine could be used for shoemaking but he didn''t think about it too much. Without hesitating, he activated the blueprint. After the required evolution points for activation were deducted, Rowan was sent into the crafting space. He didn''t waste time and began making the sewing machines. "Begin the material identification and umtion phase," hemanded. The exact amount of material listed on the blueprint floated up and began swirling around, just like during the crafting of windmill. Luckily, this one wasn''t as big as the windmill, so the wind didn''t threaten to send Rowan flying as it had with the windmill. Ten minutes went by swiftly, and a sewing machine appeared in the air. Rowan stepped closer to examine it. The machine had a sturdy, beautifully intricate wooden frame with an iron foot pedal at the base. The pedal was connected to a series of gears that powered the needle mechanism when pressed by foot. On top, there was a hand-operated wheel for precise control, allowing the user to guide the fabric smoothly. Thebination of foot and hand operation made it both efficient and easy to use. The sewing machine looked simple yet practical. Rowan could already picture Ri and the women creating beautiful garments with it. Although it wasn''t as sophisticated as the electrical sewing machines used on Earth, it was still more than enough for this world. It would make the women''s work easier and more efficient. "Welp, I am sure Ri would be able to use it perfectly after just a few hours or maybe a day thanks to her improved knowledge of tailoring from the skill book I first gave her," Rowan thought to himself. He stored the sewing machine he had just made inside his inventory and proceeded to make more of them. It took him more than seven hours toplete the exact amount he needed. He wasn''t bothered by the fast-passing time, as it wasn''t the same as in the real world. By now, only a few seconds would have passed outside. After Rowan was done making all of them, he stored them in his inventory and exited the crafting space. He took his bath and left to begin his tasks for the day. Chapter 133: Awakening [ XIII ] It was morning, and the sun was already blossoming over Winterseed. At the southern border of the vige, Rowan and Brandon could be seen bidding farewell to Dragun and Vishirk. "How long do you guys n to spend on your journey?" Rowan asked curiously. "Three days at least," Dragun replied with a calm smile. He told Rowan why they would be spending so much time on their journey, exining that it would take a normal person one month toplete it at normal speed, not including the time needed for rest. "However, it wouldn''t take us that much time since we have certain transportation magic artifacts to make our journey faster. Nevertheless, at our current stage, we can only travel a pretty short distance with them per usage, and it requires a lot of mana," Dragun continued exining until Rowan understood. Brandon stood by, watching with a calm expression as Rowan conversed with Dragun. His hatred and disappointment for Dragun still hadn''t abated, so he found it pretty difficult to utter a word to his old friend. He was quite surprised that Rowan had begun speaking with Dragun; he wondered what might have ignited the connection between them. Thest time he saw them interacting, Rowan had almost shed his sword at Dragun, so the light mood between them made him wonder. Rowan also spoke to Vishirk. Vishirk promised he would keep an eye out for the ingredients they had discussed. He even promised to inquire about the price for the ones he couldn''t find. Rowan thanked him before wishing both of them journey mercies. Dragun and Vishirk nodded before Dragun brought out a magic slip and tore it. Silver light enveloped both of them, and then they disappeared. Brandon was quite shocked by the magical scene, but he kept hisposure and began walking beside Rowan as they made their way to the vige square, where the soldiers were already waiting for them. "Lord Rowan, it seems you have forgiven Dragun," Brandon started as both of them strolled down thene. "Notpletely," Rowan replied. "I am still very disgusted with him for leaving, but right now I need him in the vige, as he is the only one who can help Ri realize and develop her magical potential." Brandon nodded upon hearing Rowan''s exnation. They continued discussing as they strolled to the vige square¡ªBrandon expressed his shock and delight at the changes taking ce in the vige; he also gave some suggestions about certain issues, which Rowan appreciated. Both of them arrived at the vige square after some time. The vige square was almost filled to the brim with soldiers. Some of them even had to stay outside. Rowan stared at therge number of soldiers under hismand, and a smile appeared on his face. He asked the system to do a quick headcount and report the number of soldiers at the vige square. Rowan stared at the number with a smile before strolling to the front with Brandon. The soldiers were already aware of his presence, so they began to gather themselves properly. Rowan climbed on the raised tform and stared at the soldiers for a few seconds before speaking to them. He did not forget to thank them for their efforts in therge construction project they had justpleted. Then he proceeded to drop the reality bomb. "I have a feeling a storm is brewing somewhere and headed towards Winterseed, and the only defense we have against that storm is you," Rowan began. He exined the magnitude of the storm approaching the vige byparing it to the hordes of goblins they hadst defeated. His exnation stirred different emotions among the crowd; each soldier turned to another with confused and horrified expressions etched on their faces. "Did Lord Rowan just say the danger level is more than ten times higher than thest horde attack?" "That can''t be true. If it is, then we are doomed!" "It took two of us to fight a single goblin, and they still posed a significant threat to us. Now Lord Rowan is saying we will be facing monsters ten times stronger than them?" "If Lord Rowan and ze weren''t super strong and awesome that day, all of us would''ve lost our lives!" "One hundred of us can''t even bring down a single hobgoblin!" The soldiersined one after the other. Captain Rnd and the other captains were as horrified by the details as the soldiers. Even Brandon was terrified and confused. A question formed in his mind that he couldn''t help but ask. Since he was standing in the front row, he was able to get Rowan''s attention and ask, "If I may ask, how did you know about this? Have there been signstely that all of us failed to notice?" Rowan looked at Brandon and shook his head. "I had a vision a few nights ago, a very vivid one, and I heard the voice of the ancestor warning me not to let the dark future they showed me happen in reality. They are trying to warn everyone through me," Rowan told the most tant lie with the most serious expression on his face. Everyone believed his lies instantly without a single doubt in their hearts. They had seen Rowan make things appear out of nowhere. They had seen him move and wield strength at an unimaginable level, and on top of all that, he has a powerful divine beast! They believed Rowan was blessed and sent by their ancestors to help them; thus, when he told his lie invoking the ancestors, they believed immediately! The crowd of soldiers was immediately filled with chatter of worries. "This is very serious. We are very weak, how can we protect the vige?" "I will do anything to be powerful to save this vige from destruction!" They voiced out their worries. Rowan smiled as he witnessed his lies sink deep into the hearts of his people, triggering the right emotions and reactions ¡ª Just what he needed to motivate them to train harder and faster. "At this rate, they will learn the skills as though their lives depend on it." Rowan muttered with a smirk. Chapter 134: Awakening [ XVI ] Rowan allowed the news to settle among the soldiers for a few minutes before addressing them once again. He encouraged them to ovee their fears and urged them to stand with him, embarking on a new journey toward power to protect their loved ones. Rowan was highly skilled in oratory, and with thebination of [Super Voice], he could evoke the emotions he desired from people, as he had just demonstrated. Just moments ago, the soldiers had been filled with fear and uncertainty after hearing Rowan''s vision of destruction, but now they looked at him with determination and power-hungry eyes. "Lord Rowan, we are ready to do anything to be stronger!" "Yes! Give us whatever challenge you have for us, and we will go through it withoutining, as long as strength is guaranteed in the end¡ªnot just strength, but the power to save our people and prevent our vige from falling!" "I would stay up all night from now on to train if it would guarantee me more strength!" The soldiers responded one after another. Even the calmest among them were now fervently and actively pleading for power. Soldiers who had been with Rowan from day one, as well as those from Winterseed II, were all motivated to be powerful, ready to go through hell for it. ''This is very good,'' Rowan thought to himself, gazing at the crowd with a smile. He lifted his hand, and the crowd fell silent immediately. "You all know me. Once I discover a problem, I immediately seek solutions, and luckily, this time we have one," he revealed, causing the soldiers to look at him with curiosity, eager to see what he had in store for them. Rowan quickly concocted an interesting story about how he had obtained some special books that would grant them unique skills. He told them that the ancestors had sent D''andre to meet him a few nights back, and D''andre had delivered the skill books to him. Since Rowan had already established D''andre''s image as an angel among the soldiers, they immediately believed his tale, and their curiosity and eagerness to discover the skill books grew. Rowan didn''t waste time and brought out thebat skill books he possessed. The books were neither too big nor too small; they had thick red and ck covers with glowing text that immediately drew the soldiers'' attention. The soldiers gazed at the books, their eyes full of amazement. "Each of these skill books possesses special abilities for a particr form of martial arts or weapons. Therefore, I''ll be dividing everyone into groups right away before distributing them," Rowan announced. He divided the soldiers into three groups: archers, swordsmen, and pure martial artists. The archers were all trained soldiers from Winterseed II who had already mastered long-range attacks. Most soldiers from the original Winterseed naturally chose the swordsmen group since they had trained with swords and saw them as their innate weapons. Many soldiers from Winterseed II joined as well. Thest group was for those who volunteered to learn pure martial arts¡ªthe art of attack and defense relying solely on the body, without the need for weapons. However, the number of people in this group was much smallerpared to the others. Out of more than one thousand four hundred soldiers, only ny joined the martial arts group, including Captain Bryce. The swordsmen group had over eight hundred soldiers, while the remaining soldiers were in the archers group. The entire vige square was divided into three sections after the grouping. Rowan gazed at them and shook his head before moving on to the next stage. Captain Bruce, Captain Josh, and Captain Rnd remained the leaders of the swordsmen group. Since Captain Bryce was the only captain in the martial arts group and considering it didn''t have many members, he became the sole captain. As for the archers group, Rowan observed them and selected three who had impressive stats, making them captains: Logan, Frank, and Jason. The first two were middle-aged, while Jason was in his early twenties. Now, Rowan had seven captains. He called them forward and spoke to them in front of the group, solidifying their positions in his army. These captains would be in charge of training and supervising their various groups while Rowan took care of other important tasks in the vige. Nevertheless, a few envious eyes stared at the new captains, especially from the soldiers who had been with Rowan from the beginning. They felt left out because Rowan had given promotions to new soldiers and not to them. Rowan could tell their thoughts from their faces and fully understood; he would naturally feel bad and jealous if a newer person got a position he had been seeking for a long time. Rowan didn''t want any internal conflict among the soldiers, so he immediately sought to clear the atmosphere by exining why he had given them the positions. He knew his words wouldn''t fully wash their negative thoughts away, but it would calm their raging hearts a little, which was more than enough. After he was done clearing the air, he proceeded to distribute skill books to each of the captains. [Divine Kangaroo Fist: Grants a 100% boost in attack power behind punches and a 50% boost in agility. Duringbat, the chances ofnding a fatal hit increase.] [Eagle Eyes: Grants a 100% boost in perception.] [One Punch: When the skill is equipped, there is a 50% chance of ying your opponent with the first punch!] Rowan studied all the skills as he distributed them to the captains. Some of the skills were easy to teach others, while most were personal and hard to pass on to another. "Hmm." Rowan hadn''t really thought about this issue before, as he had been busy with other tasks. ''It would be great if everyone had their own skill books. Everything would be faster and more efficient,'' Rowan thought to himself. Sadly, there was no way he could actually duplicate the skill books. There was no such skill in his possession, which made him feel a bit down. [ One time opportunity has been granted by the CREATOR! ] Rowan was greeted by a sudden notification from the system, causing his face to light up immediately. The captains were currently observing the skill books in their hands while the other soldiers watched and discussed. Rowan excused himself for a moment, went to a corner away from the soldiers, and opened the notification without wasting time. [ The creator is amazed and proud of your journey so far. Your current predicament has caused him to react and give a reward. ] ''A reward from the creator of the system itself? Why is that?'' Rowan was puzzled. Somehow, hearing about the creator made him recall the connection between the goddess of creativity and Ri. He wondered if he had the same connection with the system creator. But he didn''t dwell on this thought too long, as he currently had a reward to im. He already knew the reward was rted to the current issue, so he was expecting something that would multiply the skill books in his possession. He naturally expected it to be free, since it was a reward. [ Reward: Multiply items, multiply each item as much as you want ] DING [ 100x reward failed to activate ] Rowan''s mouth was wide open when he saw the reward. He wasn''t even bothered about the one hundred times reward not working; the reward on its own was already too good to be true! "I can multiply any item I want???" he asked the system, finding the reward hard to believe. [YES] When Rowan saw this, his eyes widened immediately. Without wasting time, he went back to the captains and asked for the skill books. "I need them for something important right away. I think the ancestors are about to bless us with more, but I need these to ess the others," Rowan lied. The captains did not bother to doubt him and let him have the books. Rowan rushed back to the corner without wasting time. "I want to multiply all my skill books by one thousand times!" Rowan requested right away. [ Multiplying 25 F/FF-rank Skill books by 1000 - Cost: 250 million evolution points ] ''Fuck, I need money for this? I thought it was a reward!'' Rowan cussed inwardly. DING [ The creator is dismayed by yourint, threatens to take back his reward ] Rowan read the next notification with a frown. He wanted to multiply all the skill books by one thousand at first, but now, hearing how much it cost, he decided to only multiply by the amount he needed. He multiplied the five archer skills by five hundred each, making it a total of 2,500. This cost him only 10 million evolution points. For the swordsmen and martial arts ones, he multiplied them by one thousand, since he would also have to take care of the soldiers at Winterseed II. He ended up spending fifty million evolution points, but it was worth it in his opinion. If he had purchased this exact amount from D''andre, it would have cost way more than it did now. Rowan did not let this go to waste. Since the multiplication was not limited to just skill books, he decided to multiply the other items in his inventory. He started by multiplying food supplies, raw materials, and weapons, which took another 50 million from him. ''This is enough,'' he thought inwardly, staring at his inventory revealing a lot of items inrge amounts. Everything he had gotten using the opportunity given by the creator would have cost at least 500 million if he had gotten them from D''andre. [ The CREATOR smiles and says "Nice doing business with you, see you next time" ] The system shed a notification before disappearing. Chapter 135: Awakening [ XV ] Rowan was still puzzled about the identity and motivation of the creator who had just given him the reward he required at the right time. But he didn''t dwell on the thought too much. After obtaining what he needed, he went back to meet the soldiers who were already deep in discussion. Rowan spoke to them again, telling them the ancestors had rewarded all of them with a special skill book and obliged them to train in it and be stronger in order to protect the vige. Rowan then instructed the archers'' team to step out first as he distributed their skill books to them. Each of them got a special skill that boosted their attributes significantly. About 50% of them got the [Eagle Eyes], while others received different skills. Rowan called the other groups and did the same thing. The soldiers, having received their skill books, began to study them immediately. The skill books had finely written texts and illustrations that appeared to integrate with their system as they read them. Rowan watched as theirprehension of the skills went from 0% to 50% in less than an hour. All of them were busy reading their skill books, and the vige square became eerily silent for the first time today. Only after the first hour passed did they start conversing among themselves. Some of them, especially those in the pure martial arts team, began to demonstrate their skills right away. The archers held their bows and arrows, practicing their aim without shooting. The swordsmen swung their swords and felt a new form of energy being channeled through their hands. They even felt as though the sword had suddenly be an extension of their own hands, enabling them to maneuver several moves that were impossible in the past. "This is amazing!" "Look, my punches are so powerful. I think I''ll be able to bring down a tree with just my fist!" "My sword feels so light and powerful when I swing it." Their excited chatter suddenly filled the air. Rowan listened to their words and studied their expressions. His eyes fell on Brandon, who was standing among the martial arts team, staring at his own fist, finding it difficult to believe he could wield such power simply with his hands. He wasn''t the only one; many other men in the vige square felt the same way right now. "Lord Rowan is truly an angel sent by the ancestors," one of them suddenly chanted, lifting his sword. His chant triggered the others, who joined in chanting Rowan''s name and praising their ancestors for sending him. Rowan didn''t mind them giving credit and praises to their non-existent ancestors since he had been using it to deceive them all this while. He even joined them to praise and thank the imaginary helpers. "You have all received the blessing of the ancestors and experienced just how marvelous and strong it is. But this is just the beginning!" Rowan announced. "We will go out hunting in the south forest in the next few days. Once you y monsters, you will grow stronger. After you y a certain number of monsters, you''ll ascend the mortal limit and be really powerful! You will run at a speed unbeatable by the fastest cat, and your punches will be able to shatter mountains!" This new piece of information both shocked and intrigued everyone. "Monsters?" they asked at once. Although they had gained newfound powerful skills, the mention of monsters still triggered fear in them. Rowan nodded his head and exined. He lied to them, saying that the reason he had be as strong as he was right now was because he had in so many monsters in the past. They immediately believed him, but they still had one question. "Are you saying we will be as strong as you, Lord Rowan?" one of them asked. Rowan looked at the soldier named Winston who had asked and nodded his head. "Yes, you will be as strong as I am currently. Your speed, strength, endurance, and other physical attributes of your body will improve!" When they heard this, their eyes widened, and they were left speechless. "Are you ready to take the step toward power? Will you seize this chance to be strong enough to protect your loved ones, or let fear hold you back? Will you prove to me how useful and fearless you are?" Rowan raised his hands, stirring the crowd with his challenge and motivation. "If you''re ready, raise your hands and voice your readiness! Let the heavens be aware of your boldness and let hell cower!" He looked at everyone, his gaze fierce and encouraging. For a moment, the crowd was silent. Then, one by one, hands shot up into the air. "I''m ready!" Brandon shouted, his voice filled with determination. "Me too!" "We are all ready!" the soldiers began to chant, their voices growing louder with each word. "Ready to be stronger!" "Ready to protect our vige!" "Ready to face the monsters!" The air was filled with their shouts and the sound of weapons nging as they raised them high. Rowan felt a surge of satisfaction as he watched them. "Good! This is the spirit we need!" he called out. "Thank you, Lord Rowan!" they replied in unison. "Thank the ancestors for their blessings! We shouldn''t disappoint them and the people of Winterseed! We should all grow stronger! " The soldiers nodded. Rowan spoke with them for a few minutes, discussing the new schedule. He assigned time for them to train together and introduced a new formation to guard the borders at night. He provided the captains with additional skills they could easily teach others, so everyone wouldn''t be limited to a single skill. Additionally, since they each had their own personal skills, they would be able to train independently at home and grow stronger at their own pace. For those who wouldn''t train at home, the daily training sessions would ensure their skills remained sharp. Rowan also announced their first hunting trip would be in three days, motivating them to train even harder. In two days, Rowan also nned to undergo his power evolution. --- Two days passed swiftly after the announcement. The soldiers were training intensely. Ri had made some minor progress in her magic training. Rowan was on the verge of beginning his evolution. At the same time, Dragun and Vishirk had arrived at a new destination! Chapter 136: Awakening [ XVI ] Yellow River City, Wishiros Yellow River City is one of the most popr cities in the country of Wishiros. This is due to the presence of thergest artifact market, which has boosted its poprity and economy by arge margin, giving it a significant edge over other cities. Aside from the market, Yellow River City is also known for its beautifulndscape and stunning architectural structures, most of which were constructed by ancient mages centuries ago. Yellow River City also houses Wishiros'' 7th School of Magic, one of the top ten magic schools in the country. The school has been trendingtely for its reputation of breeding genius mages and its peaceful educational environment. But this changed three weeks ago after a disastrous ident urred! In a lonely, bushy alleyway in the vast city, two figures suddenly appeared out of thin air: none other than Dragun and Vishirk. Dragun was dressed in a long brown robe with a hood that covered his head. Vishirk wore the same attire but also donned a mask to cover his face. Immediately after arriving, Dragun observed the area to see if anyone had seen them appear. "Do not worry, Senior. This alley is always deserted," Vishirk said. Being originally from Yellow River City, he knew a lot about the ce. He had suggested they appear in this location, iming it was the safest. Despite his words, Dragun didn''t let his guard down and only stopped observing after confirming no one had seen them. It was afternoon, and the sun hung in the sky, casting its glow over the lonely alleyway. The wind blew, making the bushes dance, creating the only noise that disrupted the deafening silence. "We are finally in Yellow River City. Are you sure the mask will fully hide your presence from the school''s authorities?" Dragun asked worryingly. On their way here, Dragun and Vishirk had discussed the tragic ident in the forest. Dragun told Vishirk to report to the school''s authorities and see if they had any clue about the dark mages that had attacked him on his way back. But Vishirk refused, saying he would do that after he was done helping Rowan awaken his mana core. ording to him, he was a low-ranking student at the school and wasn''t allowed out of the premises except during importantpetitions. He wanted to enjoy the freedom for a while and experiment with some of his potion-making skills before going back. He also imed that the school''s authorities wouldn''t believe he escaped when even the powerful magic instructors couldn''t. He feared he would be taken as a spy and dreaded the torture he might undergo to prove his innocence. Dragun proceeded to ask him about his family, but Vishirk imed they lived¡ª Dragun believed him because of these exnations, but he also decided to ask around about the school and the tragic incident when they arrived in Yellow River City. "You do not have to worry, Senior. This mask belonged to myte father, who was a secret guard for the past king. It gives a different presence each time it''s worn, making it difficult for others to detect and know your identity. Also, masks are somewhatpulsory in some parts of the market, so it''s not really a big deal," Vishirk exined, easing Dragun''s worries. Dragun nodded and didn''t bother to ask any more. "Evening is the best time to visit the Yellow River Market. The finest artifacts at the best prices are sold then. We should get going immediately; we might even get to purchase some cheap and high-quality mana crystals," Vishirk spoke with such enthusiasm, as though he couldn''t wait to see the market. Dragun had heard many interesting tales about the Yellow River Market, which is why he chose this ce. All kinds of magic artifacts of various grades were sold there. If one was lucky, they might even get to see and buy some divine beast eggs! Both of them began strolling out of the bushy alleyway. "I heard there is a ck market in Yellow River City. Is that true?" Dragun asked. "Yes, but the ck market is very difficult to ess," Vishirk replied. He was walking really fast beside Dragun, looking eager to reach the marketce. After strolling for a few minutes, they walked out of the valley. They arrived at a busy street with a lot of activities going on. A group of teenagers could be seen ying with simple magic not too far away, and a burly-built mage was carrying the corpse of a gigantic antelope he had just hunted, with many people gathered around him. Dragun slowed down to take in the view for a few seconds. Although the street was busy and filled with people, there were no conflicts, and everyone seemed to be living peacefully. He enjoyed the scene before hurrying to catch up to Vishirk, who was already ahead. As they strolled through the city, Dragun couldn''t help but admire the lovely views. They walked past a giant bronze statue of an aged mage holding arge orb in his hands. They also passed a few statues of royal figures¡ªVishirk, talkative as usual, didn''t miss the chance to tell the tales of the figures on the statues, and the stories were quite refreshing. After strolling for some time, they reached a ce that looked very different from the busy and peaceful streets. The buildings here were either copsed or unfinished. There was no greenery in sight as well. It was as though some disaster had urred in this ce. A group of hot-blooded-looking men and women were standing and sitting around the area. They all looked aggressive and dangerous. Most of them had their eyes fixed on the duo, and their gazes weren''t friendly at all. Dragun observed them keenly without taking his eyes off, as though he was trying to assert his dominance with his gaze. "Senior, don''t look at them too much, or they''ll make you a target for trouble. You don''t want these people seeking you out," Vishirk quickly cautioned. "They are bandits, right?" Dragun asked after averting his eyes. "Not just simple bandits¡ªthey are backed by a powerful underworld organization," Vishirk exined. "Underworld organization?" Dragun muttered quietly. He recalled the cult and how they had minions like these stationed at busy ces to beat and extort weak mages of their resources and gather information about certain important figures. Dragun couldn''t help but wonder if the cult was the underground organization involved. He even started regretting looking at the bandits. If they recognized his face and reported to the cult, then he wouldn''t live to see the next twenty-four hours. After realizing this, he walked faster, and both of them disappeared from the bandits'' sight. However... Sitting on the windowsill of one of the unfinished houses, a group of bandits looked at each other and nodded, conversing voicelessly. They were five in number, three men and two women, all dressed in ragged attire. Their clothing style,bined with the aggressive looks on their faces, made them intimidating to approach. The five of them rose from their seated positions, took the route opposite the one Dragun and Vishirk had taken, and began walking briskly. Chapter 137: Awakening [ XVII ] Dragun and Vishirk strolled for a while before evening finally arrived. The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a warm glow over thend. A gentle breeze rustled through the trees, and the air grew calm and refreshing, carrying the quiet promise of a blissful night. They were walking through a wide avenue bustling with people moving to and fro from a certain direction. All of them were mages, as Dragun could sense the mana radiating from their bodies. Only about one percent of the people Dragun had seen in this location weren''t mages. "We are almost there, Senior," Vishirk said to Dragun, his face lit with excitement. Dragun nodded, he could already tell they were getting close due to therge number of people walking the samene and the sounds emanating from the marketce. After taking a sharp turn, they arrived at a bustling area. The area was vast and filled to the brim with people either buying or selling magic artifacts. Some sellers operated from stores, while others carried their wares and approached promising customers to advertise them. "Mana orbs sold here with a twenty percent discount! Come and get yours!" "I just hunted down an E-rank Raging Kangaroo with a fire magic attribute! The flesh will boost your fire magic, and the skin can be forged into top-quality material with built-in heat and cold resistance!" "Come and get your quality healing potions!" The scene was lively and bustling, everyone looked busy. Dragun couldn''t help but stand for a moment and observe the market, taking in the harmonious yet rowdy scene. Although he had been to many markets in the past, none couldpare to the Yellow River Market. "This is great!" Dragun muttered to himself with a smile. Beside him, Vishirk was also observing the scene with a bit of nostalgia in his gaze. "Let us go and get what we want before it gets sold out," Dragun said to Vishirk after taking in the scene for a few seconds. "Haha, we do not have to worry. Aether Crystals are mostly rented out instead of sold, so there are always arge amount avable when you go to buy them. The only people who actually purchase Aether Crystals are the heads of big families and leaders of magic institutions. Only a wealthy man with enough coin to spare would purchase an Aether Crystal he would only use once," Vishirk exined as they walked further into the market. Two middle-aged women rushed towards them. One held a stack of ck magic robes, and the other was holding several wooden magic wands. "Come and patronize us, handsome man. We have top-quality attire!" one of them said to Dragun. "Come, patronize me! My prices are cheap, and I treat my customers very, very well," the other one said, her hot, sexy figure entuated as she wrapped her hands around Dragun''s arm and flirted openly. "I will make sure to patronize you two when I am in need of your wares. Hope you give me discounts and treat me well," Dragun said to them calmly, a smile on his face that made the women feel charmed. They happily left, telling him toe to them when he was ready. Vishirk was pretty amazed by how Dragun was able to draw them in less than two minutes after he had stepped into the market. "I am handsome, and none of thedies have treated me like this before," Vishirk thought inwardly. "Maybe they like older men!" he concluded. As they strolled through the market, searching for merchants with Aether Crystals, many people approached them¡ªmostly women who tried to advertise and sell their wares to Dragun. Vishirk was not ignored, but only the male vendors advertised to him. About thirty minutes passed, and they finally found a stall with Aether Crystals. An aged man with grey hair sat idly inside the small building. When he noticed both of them, he stood up and rushed towards them with a smile. "I am the only one you can find who sells Arcane Crystals in the entire Yellow River Market tonight. But do not be afraid, I am an honest man, and I won''t inte the price because of that," the old man said. Dragun didn''t really listen to his exnation as he began observing the Aether Crystals. Only Vishirk spoke with the man and asked him to describe his products. The old man grabbed three Aether Crystals and ced them on the table. "This one is the basic Arcane Crystal, sold for one thousand gold coins. It can only check for the basic four elements, and it only detects the strongest element affinity in the body while neglecting the others. Let''s say a mage has a strong fire magic affinity and weak water and earth magic affinities, this crystal will only detect the fire one. I would advise you not to get this one," the old man exined. He moved on to the other Aether Crystal. "This is the intermediate Aether Crystal. It can test for only basic elements like the basic one, but it detects all four at once if you possess them. It is the most urate one for testing for basic element affinities. It costs five thousand gold coins." The prices the man called out caused Dragun to suck in a deep breath as he understood the value of the sums being mentioned. The old man turned to thest one, and his face lit up as he began to exin, "This is the superior Aether Crystal. It can detect up to twenty elements, including advanced elements like blood magic and spirit magic. It goes for ten thousand gold coins, but since it''s your first time doing business with me, I''ll sell it to you for nine thousand five hundred gold coins." Vishirk and Dragun listened to his words. Vishirk''s expression was hidden by the mask he wore, but Dragun had a rather troubled look on his face. "Can we get it for five thousand gold?" Dragun asked. The old man looked at him with the nastiest gaze, as though he was about toe out and throw punches. "I will only take five hundred gold off, you can get it for nine thousand now," he replied. "We do not have that much. Let us do it for six thousand gold," Dragun responded immediately. Soon both of them got into heated bargaining that shocked even Vishirk. The old man was sweating buckets as he and Dragun bargained with each other. After several minutes of back and forth, they finally agreed to do it for seven thousand five hundred gold coins. Dragun brought out a money pouch containing seven thousand five hundred gold coins and handed it over to the old man, who now had a depressed expression on his face. He received the money pouch, counted the coins, before handing the Aether Crystal to Dragun. Dragun and Vishirk waved at him and left the store. "You fucking bastards!" the old man muttered hateful curses inaudibly as he watched them leave. Dragun and Vishirk strolled around the market for a few minutes more to get what they could. They purchased potions, ingredients for potions, and some special stones. They spent up to twenty thousand gold coins altogether. Both of them were strolling down ane when Vishirk spotted a special ingredient for the awakening potion. He told Dragun, and both of them rushed towards it. "I will sell the Quad-colored Eagle Flower for four hundred thousand gold, no bargaining. This is the cheapest you''ll find in the whole world right now." However, when he heard the price, his expression crumbled. The seller noticed the change in his expression and tried to console him. "I have the inferior quality one, the Tri-colored Raven Flower, and it goes for two hundred and fifty thousand gold. It''s two days old, hence the low price. If you want the new one, you''ll get it for three hundred or three hundred and fifty thousand gold coins," the seller exined. The more he exined, the more depressed Vishirk became. Even Dragun didn''t bother to bargain with the seller since the total amount of gold in their possession wasn''t even up to fifty thousand after everything they''d purchased so far. Vishirk went to other stands to look for the ingredients for the awakening potion, but he could only inquire about the prices as they were too high. Now he understood why most nobles go broke just to awaken. He knew the ingredients were expensive, but he never expected them to be this expensive. After they were done strolling through the vast market, they prepared to retire and look for an inn to rest their heads for the night when they began hearing troubling rumors. "Have you heard? The Seventh School of Magic has found a suspect for the killings a few weeks back. They will soon start executing him," one buyer said to the person he was purchasing potions from. "What? They found him?" "Yes, apparently he was near the school, looking for teenage magic schrs to ughter once again when his mana trace was detected, and he was quickly apprehended!" the buyer replied with much enthusiasm. "I have to witness this! That bastard has to pay. My neighbor''s only son was among the people he ughtered. She took her own life when she heard the bad news!" Discussions like these spread across the marketce like wildfire. Vishirk turned to look at Dragun with widened eyes and yelled with much emotion in his voice, "We have to witness this!" Chapter 138: Awakening [ XVIII ] Wishiros 7th School of Magic is the biggest magic institution in Yellow River City. Every young magic schr hoped to be epted into the prestigious institution, and many parents wished the same for their children. This was mainly because the school had been able to produce high-ranking mages in the past. Even the current mayor of the city was a genius mage who graduated from the school. Another reason it was loved was because of its peaceful educational environment, which turned chaotic a few weeks back following the mass ughter of several hundred magic schrs in the Dark Forest. Everyone in the city wanted nothing more than to find and kill the bastards who tarnished the graceful image of the school and took the lives of innocent schrs. Thus, when rumors that the killer had been caught spread across the city, everyone left their tasks and rushed down to the school to see what was happening. It was nighttime already, but the city was still very bright as many houses and stalls put up glowing crystals to illuminate the area. The streets remained lively despite thete hour. At this moment, citizens of Yellow River City from all parts rushed towards the school as fast as they could. "I hope this is not just a rumor!" "My son was killed! I hope the school burns that bastard¡ªI want to witness it myself!" "This monster is so evil; he killed everyone and left no survivors. I hope he receives the worst torture ever invented!" The people voiced their anger and grief as they rushed towards the school. Each street was filled with crowds heading to the same location. Dragun and Vishirk were among them. Vishirk ran ahead of Dragun, suddenly serious and quiet after hearing the rumors¡ªquite the opposite of his usual talkative self. Dragun understood these changes; he knew how Vishirk felt at this moment. He himself felt emotional, but unlike Vishirk''s anger and desire for revenge, what he felt could be described as fear. ording to Vishirk''s story the day he found him in the forest, the description of the dark mages who killed his schoolmates matched closely with Xandros and Alister. Heck, even the elements they used were the same. Dragun naturally felt scared for his life. At the same time, he was confused¡ªhow did the school manage to get their hands on any of them? Alister was a cold and calcting mage. He was cunning like a snake and could easily escape any situation. Xandros was a ruthless and aggressive hothead¡ªhe would rather die than let anyone capture him. "Is it really one of them? I understand the school has a lot of powerful magic instructors, but those two are leagues ahead!" Dragun thought to himself. He didn''t really understand his situation right now. He was only going to the school to see the culprit. Both of them mixed with the crowd and got closer to the school premises. After some time, they finally arrived at Wishiros 7th School of Magic. It was a vast and excellent structure. The buildings inside were like castles for high-ranking royal families. It was guarded with strong and heavy walls, and arge sturdy gate, which was currently open, stood at the entrance of the grand school structure. A lot of people were standing outside, muttering amongst themselves. The streets were filled to the brim. Some mages who had learned floating magic couldn''t help but float into the air in order to witness everything. Dragun and Vishirk made their way to the front of the crowd for a clearer view. Not too far away from them, standing in front of the sturdy gate, were seven powerful-looking mages dressed in the same uniforms with the insignia of the school. Two of them could be seen dragging the disfigured suspect closer to the crowd. The suspect was dressed in a dark cloak; he had ck hair and possessed a huge, muscr physique. Dragun and Vishirk observed his appearance, but it was nothing like the culprits in their minds. "He is not the one, Senior," Vishirk whispered to Dragun. Dragun only nodded. "What is this? He''s suspected of a crime he didn''tmit? This can only be the handiwork of one person¡ªAlister!" Dragun''s mind wandered. While he was deep in thought, the rioting voices of the crowd behind him erupted, demanding the torture and death of the suspect. "Torture him and kill him without mercy! He doesn''t deserve to live anymore!" "Chop off his limbs and make him beg for his life, then let the beasts have him!" "Kill him!" "Torture him!" Their voices thundered across the area. Vishirk could not tell how to react at this moment¡ªthe person they captured was nowhere rted to the killers he saw. He had ck hair and a huge muscr physique, which were the exact opposite of those two. Vishirk was confused. He wanted to watch the killer of his schoolmates die, but the killer in question this time was not rted to their deaths. He was being falsely used of a crime he didn''tmit! "Senior, what should we do? He''s going to die for a sin he didn''tmit," he turned and whispered to Dragun. Dragun was deep in thought, watching and analyzing the scene, and didn''t reply. The magic instructors holding the suspect made him float into the air. "Confess your sins!" one of them barked at him, sending a spark of electricity through his body, causing him to groan in pain midair. The huge figure floating in the air looked at the crowd for a few seconds before opening his mouth to confess. He told everyone he killed them because he was in dire need of money and wanted to steal the resources with them and exchange them for gold. His confession was so genuine that Vishirk and Dragun would have believed it if they weren''t aware of the real culprits. Vishirk was perplexed why this person would confess to something he didn''t do, knowing full well he would be executed for it. Dragun, on the other hand, wondered what kind of game Alister was ying¡ªhe believed only Alister could pull such a thing off. He could not only manipte situations but also the minds of others; this man could be one of his numerous victims. While both of them wondered how to react, the floating suspect suddenly halted in his speech and scanned the crowd slowly, his gazended on Dragun. "But I nevermitted the crime alone. I had an aplice, and he is here right now," he said, his eyes still fixed on Dragun. "Show us that worthless aplice! Both of you will face the wrath of your bloody crimes together!" someone in the crowd shouted. "He''s in the crowd? Good! We''ll kill both of you today!" "Point him out right now!" "Both of you deserve to go through a painful death for killing my innocent genius. He was only 17!" The crowd rioted, this time with even more rage in their voices. Dragun''s eyes widened as he saw the suspect''s gaze fixed on him. "Damn!" he cursed inwardly. "This is definitely the handiwork of that devil¡ªAlister! He already knows of my presence!" Chapter 139: Awakening [ XIX ] The crowd outside the school kept shouting for the culprit to reveal his aplice. Their voices were filled with anger and a thirst for revenge. The seven instructors standing beside the floating culprit gazed at the crowd silently, trying to detect anyone attempting to leave the area after the culprit confessed. Their gazes were sharp and filled with power, almost as though nothing could be hidden from them. Vishirk was still confused about why the man was confessing to crimes he didn''tmit and why he was trying to drag another innocent soul from the crowd to die with him. ''This bastard is clearly lying; the dark mages I saw that day are very powerful. Just their aura would be able to ughter everyone standing here right now. If one of them was here in the crowd, everyone would''ve noticed,'' Vishirk pondered. ''Why is he doing this? Did those dark mages pay him to lie, or is he being controlled with forbidden mind control spells? This is not good at all!'' Vishirk turned to look at Dragun, who was standing beside him. He saw that Dragun was focused on the culprit, with many unexinable emotions on his face. Vishirk returned his gaze to the culprit and saw that his eyes were fixed on Dragun, as though he was trying to fish him out. ''What is happening?'' Vishirk became even more confused with the situation. While he was alone in his own mental world, the rioting crowd did not stop demanding the capture and death of the second killer. One of the seven instructors moved forward, sending a bolt of electricity at the floating culprit, forcing him to bring out his aplice. The instructor who had cast the floating spell made the culprit float closer to the crowd to get a better look and fish out his aplice. As the culprit got closer, the angry crowd picked up stones and threw them at him furiously. Dragun held Vishirk''s hands and led him deeper into the crowd, quietly leaving the front row. The instructors were focused on the culprit, and the crowd was busy stoning him, so no one noticed them sinking into the crowd. Also, because Dragun had moved away, the culprit couldn''t find him when he got to the location he had spotted him earlier, and a frown suddenly appeared on his face. Dragun was hiding in the middle of the angry crowd. He noticed the frown appear on the culprit''s face when he didn''t see him and immediately knew it was the handiwork of the cult. Without wasting time, Dragun began dragging Vishirk as they made their way to the back, away from prying eyes. "Senior, why are we leaving?" Vishirk asked. "It is not a good choice to remain here anymore. As you can already see, those dark mages you saw that day are ying some kind of drama with the people of Yellow River City. Their goal is unknown," Dragun exined hurriedly, making his points difficult for Vishirk to understand. Vishirk trusted the judgment of Dragun, so he didn''t question him too much and just went along with him. Both of them journeyed to the nearest inn. The riot continued. The body of the floating culprit had been injured so much by the stones thrown at him. His figure became even more disfigured than it was a few minutes ago. "Show us the aplice!" the crowd kept demanding angrily, unaware of the torment going on inside his head. ''He was here just now; where did he go?'' he thought. ''This is bad! I am going to fail the mission of the dark-robed angel!'' his mind raced as his heartbeat increased. The crowd and the instructors grew more impatient as time went by. Their aggressiveness towards him doubled, and he couldn''t help but wish for a quick death. One of the seven instructors turned to the others and said, "I don''t think his aplice is here anymore. Let us take him in and investigate; we must milk the truth out of him!" The other instructors agreed. One of them proceeded to address the crowd and told them of their n to torture him for information about his aplice. The crowd protested against it and demanded quick death, but the instructors promised them that they would give him a public and humiliating execution. Only then did the crowd keep calm. "We trust you guys will do the right thing!" "Make him speak!" "The peace of Yellow River City cannot be trampled on." "Revenge my son!" The crowd voiced out one after the other before leaving the scene gradually. After about an hour, more than 80% of the crowd gathered outside the school premises had already left for their various homes. The instructors also went back into the school premises with the confused culprit, who kept thinking about how he had failed the dark-robed angel. He still wondered how his target was able to escape¡ªhe was floating in the sky above the crowd and should''ve noticed him moving away, but he didn''t. --- Dragun and Vishirk were lucky to find a good inn after leaving the crowd. The inn had a special mana pool that cost 100 gold per hour, which was worth it, as it would boost their mana absorption by arge margin, thus reducing the time it would take to refill their mana reserve and begin their journey to Winterseed. After checking in, they ate to their fill and began a long night of meditation in the mana pool. The mana pool was simr to the luxurious swimming pools on Earth. It wasn''t too wide nor too small either, just the perfect size to contain twenty people. The liquid in it was clear and radiated pure and dense mana. Dragun and Vishirk could be seen sitting topless in the pool, in meditative positions. While Dragun absorbed the mana, his mind couldn''t stop thinking about what he had noticed today. He had so many questions in his mind¡ªhow did they find him? What was Alister going to do? Would they go after the people of Winterseed? ''I hope they don''t set their eyes on Ri and Rowan. Both of them are too special, and they''ll definitely try to find them!'' Chapter 140: Awakening [ XX ] Winterseed It was still the early hours of the afternoon, and the rays of the sun beat down harshly on the south forest, filling it with scorching heat. The air shimmered with warmth, and the distant chirping of insects seemed muffled by the oppressive atmosphere. Rowan stood alone in the middle of the south forest, staring into midair with a calm expression on his face. His eyes reflected a deep focus, as if he was lost in thought. Thanks to the huge, tall canopy trees around him, the intense glow and heat of the sun didn''t really affect him. --- Confirm to proceed with evolution... COST: 10,000,000 evolution points WARNING: This evolution would be extremely painful and might result in a fatal wound to the body and soul; death is also not impossible. --- Rowan read the system''s text calmly, his heart steady despite the ominous warning. Thankfully, no one was here to witness this evolution, unlike thest time on the battlefield, which had caused all his men to be extremely worried. Rowan had finished his task supervising the vige and then left for the south forest when no one was watching, in order to prevent being followed by anyone. Now that he was finally alone, he called up his system and proceeded with his evolution. "What is the current danger rate of the evolution, System?" Rowan asked. [ Current danger rate: 99.5% ] Seeing the danger rate, Rowan couldn''t help but shiver; with this rate, dying was certainly possible. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was toe. Without wasting time, he asked the system to evolve [F-rank Resistance] to a higher rank. After evolving, he inquired about the danger rate once again. [ Current danger rate: 89% ] Seeing this, Rowan smiled and muttered to himself, "I knew evolving Resistance would help. Thank God I copied this skill from the Ratax general that day. System, evolve Resistance again and gimme the new danger rate." DING [ Resistance E-rank -----> Resistance D-rank ] DING [ Danger rate has been updated, new danger rate: 77% ] "Continue," Rowanmanded again. DING [ Resistance D-rank -----> Resistance C-rank ] DING [ Danger rate has been updated, new danger rate: 67% ] Rowan repeated the process until he reached the highest rank of the skill. DING [ Resistance C-rank -----> Resistance B-rank ] [ Skill (Resistance) has reached its peak, cannot be upgraded further ] [ New danger rate: 40% ] Rowan was quite surprised that Resistance couldn''t be upgraded further than B-rank. Nevertheless, he didn''tin, as the new effect of the skill was really good. [ Resistance: Passive skill, grants user extraordinary ability to resist 70% physical attacks, resist 50% magical attacks, and resist 20% soul attacks ] The new stats were impressive, far surpassing his previous capabilities. Before, the skill could only resist twenty percent magic and physical attacks. But now, not only had the percentage of attacks he could resist increased, but there was even an addition of soul attacks. Although Rowan didn''t really understand what soul attacks were, he was still quite appreciative that he would be able to resist 20% of them. "But System, is there a way to break the limit of these skills? Like a special item or special level?" Rowan asked. [ Positive. You will get the reward to break limits of skills and power when your territory enters Top 100, intermediate territory ranking. ] "Advanced territory? What is that?" [ Ranking for territories above E-rank and under B-rank ] Hearing this information, Rowan''s zeal to evolve himself and his territory became even greater. "System, begin the evolution!" hemanded. DING [ Beginning evolution ] [ Deducting cost of evolution... Sessful ] [ Good luck ] Following the series of prompts, Rowan''s body was invaded by a ghastly sensation of pain, as though he had just swallowed fiery hotva. Rowan fell to his knees on the ground as the unexinable pain grew more intense by the second. His vision blurred, and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. [ Evolving... 0% ] [ Boosting physical strength... 3% ] [ Boosting physical defense... 8% ] A series of notifications popped up as the pain kept growing worse every second. Just as the system had exined, this evolution was so much more painful than the first. Even with the evolved Resistance skill, which should reduce his pain by arge margin, the pain he was feeling right now was almost as painful, if not more so, than the first time. [ Boosting vitality... 20% ] Time went by slowly as Rowan was engulfed in hellish anguish. If Ri or any of his men were here right now witnessing this, they would definitely think that Rowan was dying. [ Improving evolution core... 57% ] [ Improving corepatibility... 77% ] As time went by, the evolution got closer to its conclusion. Rowan was still kneeling on the ground, clutching his stomach with a pained expression on his face. But something truly spectacr was taking ce in his body at that moment. A dark, misty aura could be seen escaping vigorously from his body, swirling around him like a living shadow. A sizzling sound could also be heard from his body, coupled with the sound of bones cracking and rearranging themselves magically. The pain Rowan was feeling at this moment, as his evolution got closer to finalizing, was so much greater than at the beginning. The harsh burning sensation was still there, along with a new feeling as though his body was being torn from within. It was almost as though he was experiencing an extraordinary growth, which was naturally intense and painful. Rowan''s knees grew weaker, and his body copsed onto the ground, head kissing the green grass. His hands were still clutching his stomach, fingers digging into the soil as he fought against the overwhelming agony. Unfortunately, while he was busy getting stronger, not too far away from him, a pack of powerful wolf-type monsters, about the height of a full-grown bull, could be seen. They were about fifty in number. They all had jet-ck fur and purple eyes. Among the pack, there was one that was the size of two bullsbined. It was the leader. It let out a loud and sharp howl, echoing through the forest, and the other wolf monsters obediently gathered around it, their eyes glowing with uncontroble rage and bloodthirst. The leader let out bestial growls as ifmunicating with its pack. Reacting to the words of their lead, they all gritted their teeths hungrily and furiously and began matching towards Rowan. .... Do not unlock next chapter now... Chapter 141: Awakening [ XXI ] Rowan''s agony intensified beyond anything he''d ever felt. His body was on the verge of breaking through, the evolution nearing itspletion. The dark mist swirling around him grew denser, wrapping him in a shroud of shadow. Anyone who saw the dark mist would definitely suspect that he was getting possessed by some demon or evil dark creature. [ Improving corepatibility... 88% ] Each percentage felt like an eternity. The searing pain coursed through his veins, and his bones felt as if they were being reshaped by an unseen force. Rowan gritted his teeth to manage the pain. If he had an option, he would''ve given up at this point, given how painful the whole process was. Sadly, he couldn''t. As the pain intensified, Rowan couldn''t help but wonder what his future evolutions would be like. Would the pain increase? Without a skill like [Resistance] to evolve, wouldn''t he die from the pain? GROWL Rowan was still questioning himself when a terrifying bestial growl sted across the area. The sound of birds flying away and smaller animals escaping could be heard, making the situation more horrifying. "Monsters?" Rowan pondered, surprised. He managed to lift his head off the ground to observe his surroundings, even though his vision was blurry thanks to the anguish conquering his body from within. Behold, even with blurry vision, Rowan was greeted with the scene of gigantic demonic wolves approaching. "This is bad..." Rowan thought. With the pain he was going through right now, he wouldn''t be able to defend himself against these powerful demonic wolves! Thankfully, he had a divine beastpanion. But calling it out was really difficult since he couldn''t speak properly and even his mind was fuzzy. But the feeling of death drawing closer boosted his strength, and he managed to call ze out of the divine beast in. ze stood in front of Rowan defensively, staring at the group of demonic wolves drawing closer. ze had grown so much in the short time it had been in the divine beast in, it was now almost the size of a full-grown lion. Its fur was much longer now, and its greyness shone brilliantly. ze let out a furious growl as its eyes zed with anger. Although they were of the same monster species, he couldn''t and wouldn''t forgive them for even harboring the intention to hurt Rowan. Rowan kept his hand down, as holding it up became difficult, painful, and almost impossible. Nevertheless, he could hear the bloodthirsty growls from ze and the demonic werewolves. Soon the sound of their shes reached Rowan. Sounds of sharp ws swishing through the air. Sounds of fireballs sting and the growls of the wolves as they engaged inbat spread across the area. [ Finalizing evolution... 97% ] While the battle took ce, the evolution got even closer topletion. But it became really slow following the 97% mark. Fortunately, the pain did not increase. It reduced slowly. [ Your pet has suffered a ghastly wound ] Another set of notifications began to reach him. "Fuck, why is the evolution taking so much time!" Rowan cussed when he received the notification that his pet was in trouble. What he felt at this moment was akin to a father stepping up to protect his child. ze''s pained growl could be heard as the group of demonic wolves ganged up on it and tried their hardest to kill him. The demonic wolves were really fast, and their ws contained poisonous substances that made the wounds they left on ze more painful. Fortunately, ze was also pretty fast and also possessed fire magic as his trump card, which gave him a little advantage. The demonic wolves were fearless, but they tried their hardest to prevent their fur from catching on fire. ze surrounded itself with a wall of fire using [me Synchronization] and prevented the wolves from getting too close to it. Unfortunately, it still had to protect Rowan, and thus, each time one of the demonic wolves moved closer to Rowan, it would call off the wall of fire and go to defend him. "Master, be fast... They are so many in number, I can''t hold up for too long," ze said to Rowan telepathically. Rowan heard it but couldn''t reply. Minutes passed as ze continued defending and Rowan continued experiencing the pain of evolution. [ Finalizing evolution... 99% ] "Just one percent remaining!" Rowan thought. He had received a lot of notifications about ze getting more wounds inflicted by the demonic wolves. He couldn''t wait for everything to end so he could help ze, y the wolves, and earn back the evolution points he had spent evolving. Not too far away from Rowan, ze was standing in the midst of fire and bleeding profusely from all parts of its body. ze managed to kill seven out of the group of fifty demonic wolves, plus their leader who hadn''t attacked since the brawl began. The pack leader sat down several meters away, observing the battle without reacting. The other demonic wolves formed circles around him, ready to attack and devour him anytime soon. The pack leader observed its minions struggling with ze for a few minutes. It let out a disappointed growl before standing up from its previous sitting position. Its huge figure,bined with the feisty look in its glowing, cold red eyes, made it a menacing and terrifying sight to behold. Without wasting time, it began strolling towards the others, its huge figure making loud thump sounds as it approached. ze turned to look at the approaching pack leader and gritted his teeth. [ Your pet is under danger... Death is 200% possible! ] Rowan received a notification. Almost at the same time, the pack leader let out a terrifying howl that caused the area to go eerily silent for a few seconds. "Fuck!" Rowan cussed. The evolution was taking too much time! "This is bad!" Even ze became extremely terrified¡ªthe demonic pack leader was not only stronger, but it was about three times bigger in size. It would end ze without expending too much energy. The odds at this moment were pretty bad. But just then. DING! [ EVOLUTION SUCCESSFUL ] [ YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY EVOLVED ] [ NEW SKILL HAS BEEN ADDED ] Chapter 142: Awakening [ XXII ] It was still midday, and the sun highlighted the chaos taking ce in the dark forest. ze was still surrounded by the wall of me, bleeding profusely, praying fervently that Rowan would act in time. The forty-plus wolves gathered around the wall of me, ready to tear ze apart. The pack leader could be seen approaching ze coldly, a strong killing intent radiating from its glowing red eyes. ze shivered uncontrobly; he hadn''t felt this fearful since the Ratax attack. At this moment, ze felt that death was closer to him than survival. ze braced himself to engage even though he knew it was futile. *GROWL* The pack leader let out a cold growl as it drew closer, its eyes fixed on ze and the wall of me, failing to notice the phenomenon taking ce behind. The other wolves stepped aside obediently as their leader drew closer. ze used [ me Synchronization ] to boost the intensity of the me wall to try and fend off the pack leader and stop it from getting closer. But it failed miserably; the pack leader kept moving closer without halting. It was as though it was set on intimidating ze before finally killing him. ze tossed fireballs and me disks at it, but it evaded them without much effort. After closing the distance between them, the pack leader finallyunched into the air in a powerful leap as it prepared to pounce on ze. Time seemed to slow down at that moment; ze''s eyes were fixated on the huge figure of the demonic wolf pack leader. The other demonic wolves looked at their leader with pride¡ªthey all knew it was over for ze. The demonic wolf pack leader was descending when suddenly a figure shot out from behind ze, disrupting the chaotic scene at once¡ªit was none other than Rowan! Rowan was covered in dark mist that spewed out vigorously. In his hands was a ck dagger that glowed menacingly. The gigantic demonic wolf pack leader was stunned when it saw Rowan''s dark figure darting towards it at an impossible pace. "You bastard wolf!" Rowan shouted as he thrust his dagger forward and stabbed its eye. It let out a loud painful cry as itnded back on the ground a few meters away from ze. Rowan alsonded on the ground and stared at the pack leader with hatred. The other demonic wolves stepped aside as though they were giving both of them the tform to fight it out. ze canceled the me wall and stepped beside Rowan. "You did a good job, ze. You can rest now; I''ll take care of these bastards for you," Rowan said to ze without looking at him, his eyes fixed on the pack leader. ze nodded and stepped away from the brewing battlefield. The demonic wolf pack leader was furious after its eye got stabbed by Rowan. It let out a bestial growl, and suddenly all the demonic wolves that had stepped back earlier started circling Rowan. "What a cowardly leader you are," Rowan scoffed, turning to the group of wolves circling him. The wolves got closer and at once they pounced on him. Rowan was unfazed; he clutched his dagger and muttered slowly, "Activate de Spirit." Immediately, his dark de was engulfed in intense blue energy. Not wasting time, Rowan moved away from his current position at an unmatchable speed and attacked the closest demonic wolf. His dagger pierced through the neck of the demonic wolf, causing it to let out a cry as it began bleeding profusely. It died immediately from the intense blood loss. [ You''ve in x1 Demonic Wolf, Evolution points +300 ] [ 100x reward activated | 30,000 evolution points have been rewarded ] Two demonic wolves nearby pounced at him from opposite directions, filled with hatred after witnessing the murder of their colleague. Rowan sprinted away from his position, causing the two demonic wolves to sh against each other, injuring themselves with their own ws. Rowan smirked and quickly slew both of them as the nearby demonic wolves became even more serious with their attacks. Rowan danced through the battlefield like the proverbial reaper. His dagger, akin to the scythe of the reaper, snatched the souls of every foe he came in contact with. His movement across the battlefield was effortless. It was almost as though he was having a field day battling with them. He wasn''t taking the fight seriously at all. ze watched from the sideline and was pretty surprised. ze was very confused. ''How did Master grow this strong?''he wondered. About a week ago, ze had witnessed the power of Rowan. But at this moment, the power Rowan showcased was so much more than what he had shownst time. Such power growth was difficult to understand! If any of Rowan''s men were here, they would be pretty surprised at how fast and strong he had suddenly be. Meanwhile, the demonic wolf pack leader, standing a few meters away from the heated battle, couldn''t help but observe its minions getting ughtered ruthlessly by Rowan. It didn''t even know how to react properly to the current situation. Its pack had always been the apex in this part of the dark forest. They had been able to defeat their foes easily, be it fellow demonic beasts, monsters, or even humans! Never had they engaged in battle with someone so powerful. Rowan, on the other hand, basked in his newfound powers. "I feel so much stronger and faster. My speed right now could rival that of the fastest car on earth; this is very refreshing and rewarding considering the insane pain I experienced just a few minutes ago!" Rowan thought to himself with a smirk on his face as he stabbed the heart of one demonic wolf and sent another one flying into the air like a ragdoll. Thanks to [ de Spirit ] he received after evolving, the attack power of his dagger had increased by arge margin, making it really enjoyable and effortless to y the demonic wolves. With his dagger and his fist, he was able to defeat the pack of demonic wolves easily. Only the leader remained standing a few meters away, staring at Rowan with pure hatred. But Rowan wasn''t bothered as he proceeded to use [ Eyes of Revtion ] to check its status. [ Boss Monster - Demonic Wolf Pack Leader ] [ Mid Rank-E monster ] [ Health: 89% ] [ Special skill: Revenge (D) ] [ Status: Revengeful ] "Nice skill," Rowan smirked. Chapter 143: Awakening [ XXIII ] [ Revenge (D): The loss of your loved ones boosts your attack power by 200% for 60 seconds. Can only be activated once a day. ] Rowan studied the special skill of the demonic wolf pack leader and was quite shocked by what he saw. "What an odd skill to have," he thought. "But it''s understandable¡ªalmost the same as Rage for other monsters." Sadly, this skill wouldn''t help him for the time being, but he still copied it anyway. His future was unpredictable, he might lose someone one day, and this skill woulde in handy then. He didn''t n to lose anyone anytime soon, but he couldn''t ignore the possibility that it might ur in the future. While he copied and merged with the skill, the demonic wolf pack leader activated the Revenge skill. --- Demonic Wolf Pack Leader has activated (Revenge) Attack power will be boosted by 200% for the next sixty seconds. --- Rowan received a notification immediately. The demonic wolf pack leader, which had been staring at the corpses of its dead minions with a mix of sorrow and fury, suddenly let out a blood-curdling howl. Its eyes burned with intense hatred as it fixed its gaze on Rowan. Without warning, it lunged at him with unpredictable speed, closing the distance between them in an instant. Its massive form pounced toward Rowan, but he merely smirked and sidestepped slightly, causing it to crash into the ground. However, it didn''t give up after missing and went after Rowan once again, swinging its ws at him. Rowan evaded all its attacks effortlessly. Fortunately, the demonic wolf pack leader only got a boost in attack power, not agility. All Rowan had to do for the next sixty seconds was evade until the effect of the skill wore off. Rowan continued evading each of its attacks. "Come on, don''t tell me you''ve grown weak so soon," Rowan taunted. GROWL As if understanding his words, the pack leader became even more furious, and its attacks became more erratic. Rowan continued evading and taunting the wolf until the effect of Revenge wore off. "Heh, your trump card has been yed. Time to join your minions in hell, buddy," Rowan grinned, clutching his dagger and darting towards it. After the Revenge skill''s effect wore off, the demonic wolf became even weaker than before it had activated the skill. Its mind was disoriented, and its limbs were weakened beyondprehension. Using this slight advantage, Rowan was able to finish it in less than thirty seconds. He started by wounding its other eye before finding its heart area and stabbing it, causing it to fall to the ground with a loud thud, lifeless. [ You''ve in Boss Monster: Demonic Wolf Pack Leader, Evolution points +3000 ] [ 100x rewards | 300,000 evolution points have been rewarded ] Rowan smiled, observing the gigantic corpse of the wolf lying in front of him. "Haha, time to harvest some monster cores!" Rowan muttered happily. He looked at the other corpses beside him, and a sharp smile appeared on his face. He started harvesting the cores immediately, beginning with the other demonic wolves, who dropped one F-rank monster core each, totaling fifty. Afterwards, he climbed onto the huge demonic wolf pack leader''s body and stabbed his sword through its skull several times until he felt the presence of a hard object inside. Due to the gigantic body frame, Rowan had to dig for some minutes before his hands finally came in contact with the monster core. [You''ve obtained E-rank monster core] He analyzed the rank of the monster core with his inspection skill. "This is very good," Rowan muttered to himself, turning the E-rank monster core over in his hands. Its surface glowed faintly, pulsating with condensed mana. "I wonder how much it''ll boost ze''s cultivation. Maybe this will push him to a new level," he spected, feeling a surge of excitement. "ze,e over here, here is your reward," he called. ze strolled toward him with eyes shining with interest as theynded on the monster core in Rowan''s hands. ze could perceive the strong manaing from it and knew it was several times stronger than the ones he had absorbed in the past. Rowan first observed ze''s status. --- [BLAZE] Race: Ashfire Wolf Advanced Realm (Low-stage - 66%) Unlocked skills: Fireball (Lv 4), me Synchronization (Lv 2), Fire Disk (Lv 1) --- ze was halfway towards a minor breakthrough in his new realm, which was already great considering that not much time had passed. "This monster core is much stronger than the one you absorbedst time. Are you sure you''ll be able to absorb it?" Rowan asked. ze responded immediately, assuring Rowan not to worry. Without hesitation, Rowan fed him the E-rank monster core. The same process as usual urred, and after almost a minute, ze was done absorbing the mana in it. [Your pet has had a minor breakthrough] Rowan observed his new status afterwards. --- [BLAZE] Race: Ashfire Wolf Advanced Realm (Mid-stage - 53%) Unlocked skills: Fireball (Lv 4), me Synchronization (Lv 2), Fire Disk (Lv 1) --- Rowan nodded after observing it. ze was a whole realm stronger than before, so it would require more monster cores to level up. Although he was expecting some miraculous major breakthrough, the result now was still amazing. "I will give you some monster cores to take with you into your home world. But don''t absorb all of them at once, alright?" ze agreed. Rowan gave him thirty F-rank monster cores afterwards. ze helped Rowan burn up the corpses of the demonic wolves before going back into the Divine Beast in. The corpses were burned in an open space, so there weren''t any worries of forest fire. Rowan even waited for the fire to go out before returning to the vige. It was evening now, and the sun had already retired for the day. Rowan returned home with a smile, unaware of the news awaiting him. --- _Wishiros 7th School of Magic, Yellow River City_ Inside a fairly dark room in the vast school, the culprit from earlier could be seen sitting, bound to a wooden chair with chains. His body had been bloodied beyond description, and he was bleeding profusely from all parts. Three instructors in the school stood around him with hateful gazes on their faces. "You still don''t want to speak, huh?" one of them asked angrily. "We should have killed this bastard long ago. Keeping him alive is useless!" another reacted. "Calm down, Lawrence. Even if you beat this bastard to death, it won''t bring your star apprentice back to life," the third one said, tapping the second speaker on the shoulder. The culprit watched the interaction while his mind wandered. "What should I do now? I have failed the dark-robed angel!" he thought. He looked around the room. All the magic instructors here were stronger than him. Even the weakest of the three was twice as strong as he was. Fighting his way out was out of the question. Also, even if he managed to beat these three and burst out of here, he wouldn''t be able to escape the extraordinary defenses of the school! "I never expected that bastard to escape," he thought bitterly, clenching his fists despite the chains that bound him. "If only I had caught him, I wouldn''t be in this mess. He was supposed to be the scapegoat, taking the fall while I reaped the rewards. Now everything''s gone wrong!" His mind wandered. He recalled the scene where he spoke with the dark-robed angel¡ªa powerful dark magic entity he found in the Dark Forest one day while hunting. The dark-robed angel promised him amazing mary rewards if he seeded in capturing Dragun and pinning the crime on him. He promised he woulde save him the moment Dragun was captured. However, the deal also had a penalty for failure¡ªdeath! Not just death, but one in the most horrible manner! "I just have to keep stalling for time here. The dark-robed angel wouldn''t dare step into the school to kill me if I''m under their care," he thought, letting out a sigh. He nced up at the instructors, who were still arguing, and his gaze settled on one of them. The instructor smirked at him. Suddenly, his eyes widened in terror as he witnessed a startling transformation. For a brief moment, the instructor''s face contorted and shifted, morphing into the sinister visage of the dark-robed angel¡ªcold, piercing eyes and a wicked grin that sent chills down his spine. "No! He''s here!" he shouted. "Please, kill me at once!" Chapter 144: Awakening [ XXIV ] The three instructors were busy arguing among themselves when the culprit suddenly began screaming in fear, trying to break free from the chains that bound him. They all turned to look at him simultaneously, confusion evident on their faces. What''s wrong with him? "Please, kill me immediately! I don''t want him to kill me!" the culprit cried out loud. His eyes had turned red, and his face was pale with fear. The instructors would have dismissed his reactions as an act, but judging by everything they''d witnessed¡ªit wasn''t an act! "Who are you talking about?" "Tell us, immediately!" They asked him seriously. But he didn''t respond and kept screaming for them to kill him. At this point, even the instructor who had urged the others to kill him earlier didn''t know what to do. What could be so scary for one to seek his own death? These questions appeared in their minds. One of them went closer to the screaming culprit and held his neck, halting his frantic movements for a few seconds. "Answer us correctly: Who is this person you''re talking about? Did he send you to kill our students?" he asked. However, even with his serious question, the culprit still didn''t respond and kept crying and pleading for death. "Okay, let us make a deal here. Tell us who this person is and your rtionship with him, and we will let you go without any sort of punishment. Is that okay?" the instructor asked. The other instructors stood beside him and observed the reaction of the culprit silently. With such a deal, they were certain he would speak up. "No, do not let me leave this ce alive. Kill me already, please. I killed your students, I ended the future of those innocent students because of my ignorance. I deserve to die for it, do not show me any sort of mercy, please!" This time, the instructors were even more confused about the matter. They tried to speak with him for a few minutes. The three of them left the room after he didn''t reply. "No, please don''t leave me here! Don''t, please don''t!" As they stepped out, the cries of the culprit became more frantic. But none of them returned, at this point, they had taken his excessive drama as some sort of mental issue and nothing to be taken seriously. Now left alone in the room, the culprit suddenly quieted down and began looking around from time to time with fear in his eyes, while his heart kept praying for some supernatural intervention to end his misery. Just then, the air in the room suddenly became erratic. The wooden door started shaking vigorously as though something was trying to break in. The dim glowing crystal in the room started flickering as well, adding more mystery to the scene. The culprit''s eyes were wide open as he watched all this take ce, he knew just what was happening. Before he could even cry out for help, he felt a touch on his shoulder, and his body froze at once. He tilted his head back slowly, and itnded on the jet-ck robe of the mysterious figure behind him. "Remember our deal?" the cold voice of the figure standing beside him reached his ear. "Please, please, it wasn''t my fault. He was gone before I could even point him out. Just give me another chance, and I''ll make everything right. If you don''t, you can kill me and my entire family!" At this moment, he was so scared that he unknowingly offered his family. "Your family? Who told you they are still alive?" the mysterious figure chuckled menacingly. Hearing that, the eyes of the culprit widened even more. "When I said you''d have the most horrifying death, I wasn''t speaking of your death alone, stupid. The moment you struck a deal with me, the life of your family always goes with it. They either blossom or perish. It''s thetter in your case." The culprit was frozen in ce as he heard everything. At this point, he felt like life was no longer worth it. The only people he had been living for were now dead. He imagined the faces of his family in his head. The mysterious figure behind him chuckled and strolled in front of him. The dim glowing crystal in the room illuminated his handsome visage and luscious, long white hair that fluttered vibrantly in the air¡ªit was none other than Alister! Alister observed the traumatized expression of the culprit in front of him with a calm and evil smile on his face. "To be honest, I already knew you would fail from the very beginning," Alisterughed. The culprit looked up with a shocked and questioning expression on his face, as if asking, "What?" "My main purpose in using you was to act as a scapegoat so the school would stop their search for the real killers. The mission of capturing that other fellow was simply to send a message to him that he is not safe, and you did a good job sending that message. Haha," Alister continued,ughing sinisterly. He went on about how everything unfolded ording to the scenes he had predicted in his head. The culprit became even more traumatized the more he listened. "You nned on killing me right from the beginning?" the culprit asked with a horrified expression on his face. He still recalled the promise of this dark fellow standing in front of him. He had promised he woulde save him right before execution, but now it seemed all of it was a lie. "Yes, I nned on letting you die even if youpleted the mission sessfully. I would''ve spared the life of your family if you had seeded and made them stinking rich in your absence to fulfill my part of the bargain." Every word Alister said afterward tormented the culprit even more. In the beginning, he thought his meeting with this person would bring sess and joy to his family. He never got his name, but he called him the dark-robed angel because he took him for an angel. But now he realized his fate¡ªhe had made a deal with the devil! All deals with the devil are always fated to cause destruction and death. Alister observed the pale expression of the culprit for a few seconds before bringing out a scorpion-like insect from his spatial ring. The insect was jet ck in color, but it had red stripes that made it threatening. Seeing the evil-looking insect, the culprit''s eyes widened even more, and he began screaming for help once again. Alister wasn''t bothered with the screams. He wasn''t foolish at all, the moment he stepped into this room, he had cast a noise-canceling spell in it, making it impossible for those outside to hear the screams of his target. "Please... don''t kill me with that!" the culprit pleaded. He had heard of the soul-flesh-eating insect¡ªa devilish creature that eats out a cultivator from the inside. Death by it is one of the most painful and traumatizing in the world. Alister wasn''t bothered by his frantic pleading. He got closer, grabbed his neck, and dropped the insect into his mouth. The insect began moving immediately and crawled through his throat into his body. Following that, sounds of flesh getting torn apart echoed in the room. The cries of the culprit followed. Alister enjoyed the scene for a few seconds before disappearing. Instantly, the noise-canceling spell wore off, and the instructors nearby heard themotion. They all rushed into the room at once but were greeted with the most horrifying scene. --- Rowan returned to the vige. On his way back, he found and quickly hunted down two robust antelopes, carrying them on his shoulder back to the vige. As he reached the border, the soldiers rushed toward him, amazed by the huge antelopes on his shoulder but more concerned about how he had left the vige without them noticing. "How did you get out without us seeing?" one of the soldiers asked, eyes wide with surprise. Rowan quickly concocted a believable lie to exin his situation before handing the massive antelopes to them to take care of. Afterward, he walked into the vige. He passed through the farms, and the farmers greeted him. There weren''t as many people on the farm as there usually were, probably because there was not much work to do. "Not much work today," he thought. Liara and two of the farm heads were there. Liara approached Rowan and gave some reports before reminding him of his promise to bring livestock to the vige. "Don''t forget about the livestock you promised," she said with a gentle smile. "I haven''t forgotten," Rowan assured her. He then left and went to the vige square, where the soldiers could be seen training their various techniques. The pure martial group had boxing matches to test their new skills. The archers fired arrows at targets, enhancing their aim. Most swordsmen continued swinging their swords in patterns of their individual skills, while others shed against one another. The scene was sharp and productive; Rowan couldn''t help but enjoy it for a few minutes before leaving to meet Ri, who should be teaching her apprentice by this time. Today was the day Rowan would distribute the sewing machines to them. He could''ve done it earlier but he had to wait since Ri was mostly busy with magic than teaching in thest few days. However, when he got there, he was greeted with an entirely different scene that made his eyes and mouth open wide in shock. ... Check Author Note Chapter 145: Awakening [ XXV ] Not too far from the vige square stood arge building, mostly used for get-togethers by the vigers since it had no actual owner. It had been in the vige for ages, and to date, no one knew the true owner. The building was quite big with a wide structure, it had a very broad opening that was currently open. Rowan could see the women from the entrance. Its weathered walls bore the marks of time. They were all standing, facing the room, which was fairly dark considering it was evening. They looked amazed as they gazed ahead. Their eyes were wide with wonder. "T-This!" "This is amazing!" "Lady Ri has done it again!" The women let out amazed gasps. Since their backs were turned to Rowan and they were many in number, standing at the entrance, Rowan couldn''t see what had amazed them. Curious, he rushed towards them. His heart quickened with anticipation. He made his way through their midst. They didn''t seem to notice him. The women were so amazed that they even failed to notice his presence and greet him. After pushing through, Rowan''s eyes took in the scene, and they widened. He was astonished by what he saw. "Magic!" Rowan eximed, truly surprised. Not far from him, Ri stood, eyes focused on her outstretched hands. Hovering above them was a small ball of warm and pure white glow. The ball of light wasn''t stable, it seemed to be flickering, probably because Ri hadn''t mastered it yet. Ri heard Rowan''s voice and quickly turned to him with a smile on her face. "Rowan... look, I activated my first spell alone!" Ri said, smiling. She sounded really proud as she showed Rowan her magic power. Rowan was still stunned and couldn''t reply immediately. He struggled to find words. Although Rowan was not a mage, he was aware of how rare and powerful light magic is. It is one of the divine elements! Also, the fact that Ri was able to form a spell without the help of a tutor could only mean that she was truly blessed with magic. Or did she really do it herself? What if the goddess of creativity helped her? Rowan wondered. But this made Rowan somewhat confused¡ªeverything about Ri had been taking the right turn in thest few months. She had be the disciple of a god, awakened a powerful skill, and now she was a mage with a rare and almost impossible level of talent. Rowan had thought of himself as the protagonist in the beginning, but now he was having a little bit of doubt. Thedies around were still looking at the light ball in Ri''s hands while voicing their astonishment. "Ri, this is amazing!" Rowan finally spoke up with a sincere, proud smile on his face. Ri''s smile widened. She couldn''t focus on the spell anymore, and it went out. The light faded gently. She immediately ran to meet Rowan and hugged him happily. She told him about how she was able to activate the spell. Just as Rowan had predicted, she had a special discussion with the goddess of creativity, Laverena, who exined the basics of spell manifestation to her. ording to her, Laverena only exined the concepts and basics of spell manifestation. She was able to use what she had learned to activate her first spell. Rowan was surprised and envious at the same time. If only he had some goddess beside him, he would have achieved faster progress towards his goals. "Ri, you are really talented and precious. I am sure Dragun would be shocked beyond imagination when he returns and finds out about your amazing achievement," Rowan praised and patted her hair. Their short disy of affection made the women in the room somewhat jealous and happy for Ri at the same time. While Rowan spoke with his wife, he checked her character status. --- [ Ri ] [ upation: Arcane Threadmaster ] [ Special Skill: Enchanted Embroidery, Magic ] [ Magic Cultivation: 1st Level, Apprentice Stage ] [ Spells: Tier-1 Light Ball ] [ Status: Sleeping ] [ Light Ball: Materializes a small, glowing orb that illuminates the surrounding area, providing gentle, steady light. Requires minimum amount of mana to activate and steady mana supply to stabilize ] This spell requires skill: Magic & Light Magic to copy. --- A new section had been included in the character status, containing the spells she had mastered. A brief description of the spell was also revealed with a brief message at the end. "I can copy spells too, this is awesome!" Rowan thought. He wasn''t aware of this, but seeing this made him happy. He wouldn''t have to waste time in the future learning spells if he could copy them. Sadly, he could only see the spells of the characters he was linked with, and among them, only Ri possessed magic. At that moment, a n appeared in his head, but he didn''t think about it too much. "Ri, I have acquired the sewing machines you requested," he said to Ri afterwards. Ri''s eyes lit up immediately, as did the otherdies in the room. "Can we see it?" thedies requested curiously. Ri had already informed them of the machines that could make their sewing more than ten times faster. Thus, they were naturally curious to see this miraculous machine. Rowan observed their reactions for a few seconds before bringing out the sewing machines from his inventory. The sewing machines appeared out of thin air andnded softly in the free spaces in the room. The eyes of everyone widened immediately as they witnessed this. Their amazement was not from the sewing machines appearing out of nowhere but from the sight of them. The sewing machines were unlike anything the women had ever seen. Each machine had a smooth wooden frame with delicate carvings along the edges. The iron parts gleamed, reflecting the soft light in the room. The pedal at the base looked sturdy yet easy to press, and the needle mechanism was intricate but approachable. "It''s so beautiful." "It looks like a work of art." Ri stepped forward, her eyes wide with amazement. She ran her fingers gently over the machine''s surface, feeling the fine craftsmanship. "Rowan, this is incredible," she said softly. "I''ve never imagined a tool like this." Rowan smiled and told Ri to try it out first. He taught her how to use the sewing machine to avoid any sort of ident. After receiving Rowan''s short lesson, she took a seat in front of one of the machines. The other women gathered around her, their faces full of anticipation. She ced a piece of fabric under the needle and pressed the pedal cautiously. The machine hummed softly as the needle began to move up and down, stitching the fabric smoothly. Gasps filled the room immediately. "It''s so fast!" one woman eximed. "And the stitches are so even," another noted. "This will change everything, we can create so much more in less time," Ri said with so much joy in her voice. She continued to guide the fabric, bing morefortable with each passing moment. The other women watched closely, excitement building among them. "Can I try next?" a young woman asked eagerly. "Of course we''ll all have a turn. Soon, we''ll be making the finest garments anyone has ever seen," Ri replied with a smile. Rowan felt a swell of pride as he observed them. The sewing machines were already bringing happiness and hope to the vige. He knew they were taking a big step forward, considering the cold and rainy season was fast approaching. "Thank you, Rowan, this means so much to all of us." Rowan nodded and smiled, "I''m d you like them. I can''t wait to see what you''ll create with it." The women spent the rest of the afternoon experimenting with the machines. Laughter and chatter filled the room as they discovered new techniques and shared ideas. Rowan stayed with them and observed them getting used to the machines in a short amount of time. Ri discussed with the women their schedule for tomorrow before meeting Rowan as they returned to their home. Rowan wasn''t bothered about someoneing to steal the sewing machines since the vige was almost in the middle of nowhere. Even if they did try to steal them, how would they move them or even know how to use them? However, even though he wasn''t scared of someone stealing them, he still asked some soldiers to guard the ce. On their way home, Rowan received an unexpected notification. DING! [ Linked character (Ren) has awakened.! ] Chapter 146: Awakening [ XXVI ] Yellow River City Two dayster The people of Yellow River City still haven''t forgotten about the bastard who ended the lives of their loved ones. Each day they awoke, they spent an unhealthy amount of time praying for the downfall of the evil monster whomitted such blunders. Some of them even became impatient, seeing that the officials of the school hadn''t said anything about the matter. They went to the school to protest for some time but were driven out when a magic formation was set up, forming a magical barrier that stopped them from getting close. This made the people wonder what the school was doing. However, while all this went on, Dragun and Vishirk did not stop cultivating. Morning, noon, and even the dead of night, both of them spent all of it meditating and refilling their mana reserves. Vishirk was able to refill his mana reserve on time with the help of mana stones he had purchased. Dragun spent more time filling his up because his mana reserve was much bigger than that of Vishirk. Also, Dragun refused to utilize his mana stones. He kept paying and using the refreshing mana pool at the inn. He would only use his mana stones when he got to Winterseed, where there wasn''t much mana to cultivate. While Dragun was busy meditating, Vishirk excused himself and left the inn to observe the city a little bit. Since he was from the city, the feeling to go to ces he loved when he lived here kicked in, and he didn''t try to fight back those feelings. Thankfully, Dragun wasn''t against this as long as he had his mask on at all times and prevented drawing unwanted attention to himself. Vishirk left the inn happily and went to visit the ces he liked while Dragun remained in the room, absorbing mana as fast as he could. At the moment, Dragun could be seen sitting topless in the pool, rxing. "This pool is so refreshing and useful for magic cultivation. If only I had something like this in Winterseed, it would''ve been very useful for Ri in her magic cultivation," Dragun sighed. The cost of building even the smallest mana pool was around one hundred thousand gold coins. Such wealth was impossible for a small vige like Winterseed. Even if they sold all their farm yields for the next twenty years, they still wouldn''t be able to purchase the smallest mana pool. "Thinking about selling the harvests from farms..." Dragun muttered softly. "It would be nice if the vige had some connections with merchants or other neighboring viges, in order to do business," Dragun continued. He had been to many viges and realized that Winterseedcked a lot of development, especially in the financial and marketing sectors. Having connections with other viges in order to do business would develop Winterseed faster than they knew it. Dragun once dreamed of owning an inn of his own during his six-year journey. But with a ce as small as Winterseed, having an inn would be impossible. Currently, the poption is far bigger than the number of shelters avable. And the vige doesn''t have enough space to build more houses. "The poption would increase drastically in the next twenty years and then the vige would be too tiny to contain everyone. We would have to move out and find a new home, either by clearing vacantnd, conquering some already existing territory, or simply joining another," Dragun was deep in thought at this moment. He was still very concerned about the well-being of everyone in the vige even though he was not their Lord anymore. Even with the cold shoulder everyone gave him, he still wanted to help them. Dragun was ready to do anything for them as long as they continued living peacefully. He also wanted a nice and peaceful ce to develop in his magic cultivation. "There is onend I know about, though," Dragun muttered to himself, recalling a very vast territory he came across while traveling. The territory was very big, at least twenty times bigger than Winterseed. It also housed really big and nice houses and a magnificent pce. However, weirdly, when he passed through thend, there was no one living in it. He did some research and discovered everyone in the vige had suddenly disappeared. "As long as I can break the mystery about the disappearance of the people and solve it, Winterseed would have a new beautifulnd to live in," Dragun smiled. "And then I''ll be able to build the inn I have always dreamed about, haha," heughed heartily. Nevertheless, hisugh came to a quick halt when a loud explosion followed by a noisymotion sted across the inn. Dragun stood up abruptly, water dripping from his body. He grabbed a towel and dried off hastily. The noise outside grew louder, filled with shouts and crashing sounds. Dressing quickly before stepping out. As he made his way downstairs, the innkeeper and a few guests peered nervously out the windows. "What''s happening?" Dragun asked one of them. "A group of thugs are causing trouble at the restaurant next door," the innkeeper replied with a worried expression. Dragun moved towards the entrance and pushed the door open. Outside, the usually peaceful street was in chaos. The small restaurant adjacent to the inn was in disarray. Tables and chairs were overturned, and frightened patrons were scrambling to get away. Five rugged-looking men were at the center of the turmoil. Theyughed loudly as they flipped tables, sending dishes and food flying. One of them grabbed a customer''s purse, while another snatched a merchant''s coin pouch. Thergest of the group kicked over a disy stand, scattering goods across the ground. Dragun stared at them with a frown on his face as he found their faces a little bit familiar. ''Where have I seen these faces before?'' Dragun frowned. He didn''t engage immediately as he tried to analyze the situation first. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "They are the same bandits we saw two days ago on our way to the market!" Dragun recalled what Vishirk warned him about when they saw the bandits, and his eyes widened. "Could this be another trick from Alister?" Chapter 147: Awakening [ XXVII ] Dragun quickly recognized them as the same bandits he had seen two days prior. ording to Vishirk, the bandits in Yellow River City were backed by a powerful underworld organization that primarily utilized their services for its own benefit. Dragun knew of only one powerful underground organization, and that was the cult¡ªthe Cult of Ember Justice! Thus, he immediately suspected that it was the scheme of Alister. "What is he nning this time?" Dragun thought, a deep frown forming on his face. As Dragun was analyzing the situation, the manager of the inn quickly ran to close the door out of fear of being attacked by the bandits. He tried to usher Dragun inside with him, but Dragun refused. As soon as the manager shut the door, two of the bandits who were destroying the nearby restaurant suddenly tilted their heads in his direction and spotted Dragun. The two smirked before alerting their colleagues, and soon all five bandits began strolling toward the inn. Dragun gritted his teeth and braced himself. "Dragun Winterseed," one of the bandits called out his full name as they approached. This made Dragun realize that the incident was no simple coincidence. "How do you know my name? Who sent you after me?" Dragun asked through gritted teeth. The banditsughed loudly at his reaction. They stopped a few meters from him and stared at him with grins on their faces. "We have received a mission to kill you. So please, kneel down, let us get it over with," said one of the bandits. "Better do what he says, this way your death will be fast and painless. Fighting for your life is useless because you will die either way," another added, mocking Dragun. Dragun didn''t reply to any of their words, finding them ridiculous. What kind of fool wouldy down his life to be killed easily? "If you five think you can kill me, then you are truly dumb and delusional. Whoever sent you to meet me doesn''t want you to kill me because he knows you can''t, he''s simply using you to cause amotion and reveal my identity and presence," Dragun said through gritted teeth. He knew all too well about Alister. **Back when he had newly joined the cult, Alister had been his mentor, guiding him through the dark alleys of the underworld. Alister often arranged missions for wanderers like Dragun, sometimes even using them to assassinate others under false pretenses. But after most missions werepleted, the true purposes Alister had for them were always revealed shortly afterward, leaving chaos in their wake. Having witnessed this pattern repeatedly during his three years under Alister''s wing, Dragun naturally learned not to trust his decisions immediately.** However, the bandits startedughing at him. "You are truly delusional. You think you, a mere Tier-1 mage, can take on five Tier-1 knights? The mission was urate about your character when it called you a dreamer and told us not to believe any of your words," the bandits replied,ughing at him. Dragun shook his head. Everything they had just described was exactly what Alister would do. If he really wanted to kill him, he would have sent Tier-3 or Tier-4 knights. But instead, he sent weak Tier-1 knights and lied to them about Dragun''s power to give them false hope that they could defeat him. "There is no need to have mercy on you anymore," Dragun snorted. He stretched out his hands toward them, signaling them toe closer. "Come at me with all you''ve got. I want you all to go out fighting at your peak," he challenged. The bandits looked at each other and smiled. One of them, holding a sharp throwing axe, sent it flying toward Dragun with insane precision and tremendous strength. The other four kicked into action as well. Three of them were close-range fighters with daggers clutched in their hands, while thest one wielded a sharp katana. As they attacked, time seemed to slow down in Dragun''s perception. **He could feel his heartbeat steadying, his senses sharpening. The axe was still hurtling toward him, spinning menacingly through the air. The metallic glint of the des in the hands of the close-range attackers caught the sunlight, creating a blinding sh. The ground beneath his feet seemed to pulse as the bandits charged, their footsteps echoing like distant thunder.** Dragun moved to the side and evaded the axe before chanting a quick wind magic spell. Immediately, the wind around them became powerful, pushing the close-range fighters back before they could even get closer. All five of them were blown back several meters away. They were disoriented by the fall, but it only made them more furious and ready to ughter Dragun. However, Dragun didn''t hold back after the first attack, he conjured several ice spears in the air, ready to strike. The bandits had just gotten up and were ready to attack again when they saw several sharp ice spears floating in the air behind Dragun. Their eyes widened immediately, but it was toote as Dragun sent the ice spears darting toward them without mercy. "Fuck! The mission only told us about his weak magic element affinity and nothing else!" "This is bad!" "This... we are dead!" They all cursed desperately as death approached them in the form of the sharp ice spears. They even tried to run away from the spears darting toward them. But even with their enhanced speed as Tier-1 knights, they couldn''t escape the ice spears. The area was soon filled with the gruesome sounds of flesh being pierced and feeble cries of pain as the bandits met their unnned deaths. Dragun watched everything with a cold expression on his face. He already knew at this point that Alister wasn''t really trying to kill him. But he wondered what dark reason Alister had for the events he had stirred so far. First, he tried to get him arrested, and now he tried to cause amotion with Dragun at the center by sending weak knights to kill him openly! While Dragun was busy pondering his situation, the people who had been hiding from the bandits emerged from their hiding ces and stared at the corpses of the bandits, then at Dragun. **Their eyes were filled with a mix of awe and gratitude. Whispers spread among them as they cautiously approached, their steps hesitant yet hopeful. Mothers clutched their children tightly, while shopkeepers and artisans looked at the fallen bandits with relief etched on their faces.** "The bandits have been defeated by this powerful, good man!" the owner of the restaurant eximed joyfully. The others joined in and began praising Dragun. They went to the corpses of the bandits and took back their belongings that had been stolen. The inn also opened up, and the people inside joined in thanking Dragun for saving them. Dragun didn''t stay outside to bask in the praises. If he did, he would only be helping Alister draw attention to him. He went back into the inn after making sure everything was over. The inn manager gave him five free hours to use the mana pool to show his appreciation for ying the troublesome bandits. Dragun naturally didn''t reject the offer. He returned to meditating. After about two hours, Vishirk returned and was quite surprised by what he saw outside. Dragun told him what had happened and also told him to prepare himself as both of them were set to return to Winterseed. Chapter 148: Awakening [ XXVIII ] Thest two days in Winterseed have been highly productive, with many interesting developments in important sectors of the vige. Most of the soldiers who received the skill books from Rowan have reached peakprehension of their various skills. The swordsmanship of the swordsmen has be more refined, the aim and precision of the archers have improved significantly, and the bodily strength of the martial artists has increased. Those who have finished mastering their skills have voiced their readiness to hunt and grow stronger. Sadly, Rowan had to dy the hunting a little bit. The work at the farnds has beenpleted already. The farmers only go to the farm in the morning to water the crops. Currently, only some grapes and mango trees have harvestable fruits. In the past, Winterseed''s practice was that anyone could pluck as much fruit as they liked since it was mostly seasonal and in small amounts. However, for other crops, they would harvest them in bulk and distribute them among every household in the vige. This practice came to a quick halt after Glenwood took over their vige and seized most of their harvests. Now that everything has returned to normal, the bulk harvesting and distribution practice will soon resume. Aside from the farms, the tailors have made major advancements in their craft thanks to the sewing machines that have slowly be popr among the vigers. In thest two days, everyone¡ªeven the men and little children¡ªrushed to the Tailor Home to look at the item that works magically. They were all dazed by the design and function of the machine. Sadly, Rowan didn''t earn any evolution points from them. The tailors have mastered the basic usage of the machines and are advancing rapidly daily. Ri was able to learn everything twice as fast as the others thanks to her Arcane Threadmaster upation. While learning how to use the sewing machine, she didn''t stop working on her enchanted embroidery mastery. The rainy and cold season is less than a month away. She had to improve as fast as she could. Ri also did not stop practicing the Light Ball spell. She noticed that she could only activate the spell two times a day because of the low amount of mana she possessed. --- It was a new morning, and Rowan had just woken up beside Ri, who was deep asleep. Thest two days have been very hectic for her as she had to juggle three tasks at the same time. "Hmm, if this was Earth, we would have gone on a vacation already. She stressed herself too much," Rowan smiled as he looked at her. Rowan rose and went to the kitchen to prepare something for both of them to eat. He had just finished preparing the meal and was about to wake up Ri when loud knocks came at the door. Rowan frowned; these kinds of frantic knocks don''t always end well. "What is it this time?" he sighed disappointedly as he went to open the door. He was quickly greeted by the faces of ra and Brandon. Rowan hadn''t seen both of them together before and thus found it a little bit odd. "Lord Rowan, Liara is missing!" ra reported. "What?" Rowan wasn''t expecting such news this morning. "Yes, Lord Rowan. ra came to me and the soldiers this morning and told us she couldn''t find Liara in her room. We went around the vige searching for her, but she wasn''t around, and none of the soldiers saw her leaving at night," Brandon reported. Brandon was still speaking when Bruce and his wife rushed onto the scene. They are the closest family of Liara and are really worried about the news circting. Both of them voiced their concerns. Rowan listened attentively and fell into deep thought, pondering the issue at hand. ''Liara has a strong curiosity for herbalism; she is either resting or picking and mixing herbs. Could it be that she has left the vige to go look for herbs alone?'' Rowan wondered. "You all shouldn''t worry; she might be out looking for herbs as usual. I''ll go look for her myself," Rowan assured them. He was certain she was very much alive since there hadn''t been any reduction in the poption disyed in his status window. "Liara would''ve told me if she was going out to look for herbs, but she didn''t. She only told me she was going to rx for the day," ra replied, sounding really worried. "Hmm," Rowan nodded. Suddenly, the urge to ask a question appeared in his mind, and he asked without hesitation. "Did she inform you about anything before leaving? Aside from going to rest, of course." Brandon, as well as Bruce and his wife, looked at ra. ra paused for a second before replying, "She did mention something about testing a new concoction she had prepared." "A new concoction? Was she ill when she visited?" "Not really. She was really healthyst night. She even mentioned that the concoction wasn''t for treatment. I tried asking what it was for, but she told me she would reveal it in the future," ra replied. "Could this be rted to her missing?" ra looked at Rowan and asked. The others also looked at him. "I am not sure yet," Rowan replied. "But I assure you guys that she is alive and okay, and nothing will happen to her," he assured them. "You can go back home and continue with your day. Liara will be back before you know it," Rowan concluded. They nodded and left. Rowan went back inside. Ri was already awake. She had heard all the discussion earlier and was pretty worried as well; Liara is her friend, so she naturally became concerned. "Are you sure she is okay?" she asked worriedly. "One hundred percent," Rowan replied while picking which robe to wear for the day. He picked the one with boosted luck and got dressed. "I will be back very soon," Rowan bade her farewell. He called out ze, and both of them set out for their first destination of the day. Chapter 149: Awakening [ XXIX ] Rowan and ze departed from the house, heading straight to Liara''s ce. Upon entering, they conducted a quick search. ra had mentioned a concoction, and Rowan was quite curious to see it¡ªif his assumptions were correct, the mixture might provide a clue as to why Liara had left. While searching the room, Rowan came across a wooden bowl containing a pink liquid. "System, analyze this," he muttered. DING! [ Analyzing... ] [ Analysispleted. ] [ Dreamer Mixture: An ancient concoction first discovered three years ago. When ingested, it induces strange realistic dreams. These dreams can either cause the death of or improve the physical or magical abilities of the user. ] [ Note: The Dreamer Mixture is sometimes poisonous to men. ] [ Note: The effect weakens the user soul and spirit temporarily ] Reading the details, a frown crept onto Rowan''s face. "I knew my intuition wasn''t wrong. She might have taken this, and the concoction made her start sleepwalking or something simr. We have to find her before she ends up in the den of some ravaging demonic beasts or monsters!" Rowan thought, his concern growing. "Come on, ze, let''s go," he said, tapping ze. Together, they left the house without wasting any time. Rowan and ze set out for the north side of the vige, where Liara was often seen picking herbs. They ran past the soldiers guarding that area, greeting them as they went. Some of the soldiers volunteered to apany Rowan, but he declined their offer, knowing they wouldn''t be able to keep up with his speed. With the soldiers out of their way, both of them began sprinting towards the areas beyond the northern border. ze''s sniffing abilities had grown stronger as it ascended in cultivation ranks. Even while running at peak speed, ze could sniff out anything out of ce¡ªa significant advantage since they wouldn''t have to slow down. They made it past the small bushes in less than thirty seconds, a distance that would take an average man about ten minutes to walk and over three minutes to run. They crossed the small bush that Liara loved to explore, but there was no sign of her. "Master, there is a trail of footsteps here," zemunicated. Rowan halted and approached ze. On the ground were footprints leading into the forest beyond the bushes, about the same size as Liara''s foot. "This is definitely hers," Rowan noted aloud. "ze, try to follow the foot trails. Let''s see where they lead us." ze nodded and immediately began sprinting, following the foot trails it had sniffed out. Rowan sprinted beside it. After about three minutes, ze stopped in front of a huge tree in the middle of the forest. "Look up," ze said to Rowan. Rowan looked up, his mouth and eyes widening in surprise. There, on one of the branches of the tree, was Liara, lying down without any reaction. "How did she even get up there? This tree is too huge to climb, especially for someone her size!" Rowan was utterly confused. "Could it be that some flying demonic beast found her and took her up the tree to save her for its mealter? Or did she fly up there? What am I even thinking? She can''t fly!" The more Rowan tried to make sense of the situation, the harder and weirder it became in his head. If this were on Earth, he would have sworn that she had taken some highly alcoholic drink that suddenly gave her unimaginable superpowers to do the impossible for a brief moment. Rowan had once slept in his dog''s cage after taking alcohol, so he didn''t underestimate its powers. He couldn''t help but wonder if the Dreamer Mixture had alcohol in it. "We need to take her down and ask her everything that happened, but how?" Rowan pondered. "I can help with my me synchronization, but she will suffer from burns," ze suggested. "Hmm, how about you use your me synchronization on me?" Rowan asked. "But you will sustain ghastly burns," ze replied. "Don''t worry about that. My body is far superior to hers, and I have a pretty strong resistance against magic," Rowan said with an assuring smile. ze looked at Rowan, hesitant to believe his words. "Also, if I do sustain burns, I can easily cure them with my knowledge of herbalism," Rowan added. ze finally agreed and used its fire magic to propel Rowan towards Liara. Rowan grabbed the heavily sleeping Liara, and ze helped him descend slowly towards the ground. Theynded safely, but Rowan''s clothes had been burnt beyond recognition. "Ah, this is the robe Ri enchanted for me; she will be very angry if she finds out," Rowan sighed. He gently ced Liara on the ground and asked the system to analyze her condition immediately. [ Condition: Subject is currently trapped in a long sleep-like state. There are also traces of cold and fever, but they are insignificant. ] Rowan sighed. "When is she going to wake up?" [ Unknown. This state is quite strange and heavily unnatural. ] Rowan frowned a little. "That Dreamer Mixture is really as dangerous as the system described," he thought. "Maybe Dragun will be able to help her, though." Dragun had a strong healing magic spell that had been able to wake Ri from her unconscious state. His healing magic might do the same for Liara. Rowan carried her in his arms and took her back to the vige. The soldiers were quite surprised when they saw them returning with Liara. "We were up all night, and we didn''t see her leave the vige," the soldiers voiced their shock. They even began to apologize to Rowan, fearing he would be disappointed in them, but Rowan understood. He took her back to Bruce''s ce. Bruce and his wife were very worried when they tried waking her up, and she didn''t respond. ra also wondered why she was in such a strange state. Rowan had to assure them that she was okay. "Dragun is an expert in stuff like this. When he returns, he might be able to exin her condition and heal her¡ªthat is, if she doesn''t wake up on her own," Rowan added before leaving. ze walked beside him. At that moment, a system notification appeared. [ Your Deputy Lord (Ren) is undergoing... ] Chapter 150: Awakening [ XXX ] (End of Vol. 3) Winterseed II Over two weeks have passed since thest monster attack, and exactly two weeks since Dragun Winterseed¡ªtheir savior¡ªleft the vige. During these weeks, the vigers have undergone significant developments, especially in the military sector¡ªthe soldiers became highly motivated to grow stronger. They were ready to break past their natural strength limits by any means possible, as long as they could protect their loved ones from the lurking dangers around them. Even the young children who witnessed Dragun Winterseed''s heroism became highly motivated and began training earnestly, inspired by his example. The number of children running around the vige and ying decreased noticeably, as they focused on training. Ren noticed this change because the number of injured kidsing to him daily had drastically decreased. This was advantageous to Ren, as it gave him ample alone time to practice his herbalist skills and experiments. He had made major advancements in his skills, identifying more herb mixtures and their reactions to certain ailments and injuries. Ren was very pleased with his progress. If he could continue further, he might be able toplete the quest his forefathers had pursued for ages: to develop the perfect herbal medicine to cure all conditions! Ren had never believed he would achieve this in the past due to slow advancements during Fagin''s oppressive reign, but now it seemed truly possible. Yesterday, he finally managed to create the potion he had long desired¡ªthe dream mixture. It was nighttime in Winterseed II, the stars twinkling above. Standing in his room, Ren stared at the wooden bowl containing the dream mixture, a bright expression on his face. "ording to my grandfather, his great-grandfather and his herbalist friends developed the recipe for this concoction after living in the forest for several years, searching for rare herbs," Ren muttered to himself as he gazed at the mixture. "They said the dream mixture could grant enough physical strength to take on a demonic beast alone and win! The effect of the newfound power might even be permanent if the purity of the concoction is above 90%!" "I followed every procedure correctly and used the right herbs in the right amounts. I''m sure this is above 90% purity at least, so I should be getting some good andsting positive boosts!" Ren muttered to himself for a few moments before picking up the bowl and gulping down a mouthful of the dream mixture. It tasted somewhat bitter and sweet at the same time, a peculiarbination. The liquid slid down his throat and into his stomach. Three minutes passed in silence. "I don''t feel any reaction yet. Could I have created another concoction instead of the dream..." Ren couldn''t finish his sentence as a splitting headache struck him, causing him to fall to the ground. He quickly fell into unconsciousness. In the depths of his slumber, a faint whisper echoed in his mind. "Ren... Ren...e to the forest..." the voice called softly, almost melodically. His brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of the voice. "Who''s there?" he mumbled in his sleep. "Come to us, Ren... your destiny awaits..." the voice continued, growing clearer and more insistent. The voice was alluring, tugging at something deep within him. He felt an inexplicable urge to follow it. After about thirty minutes, he suddenly stood up in a strange manner, almost like a corpse resurrecting in a movie. He stood and stared at his room''s door for a few seconds with pure white eyes. There was no sign of his irises, it was as though they had magically disappeared. If anyone were here right now, they would definitely be frightened by his new visage¡ªit was terrifying. "Come... the forest calls..." the voice echoed in his mind. Ren began to stroll toward the door like a zombie. He opened it and walked outside. It was nighttime, and naturally, there was no one outside near the dark houses. Ren began walking briskly toward the southern area of the vige. He took a quick shortcut,pletely avoiding the soldiers guarding the vige entrance. Ren found the tallest tree closest to the huge wall. He climbed it with surprising agility. The tree was about the same height as the wall. Ren suddenly leapt off the tree and flew over the wall,nding on the ground outside with a loud thud. "Did you hear that just now?" one of the soldiers suddenly asked with a frown. "No, what did you hear?" another asked. "Nothing..." the soldier shook his head, it must have been some random noise and not what he thought. Meanwhile, afternding outside, Ren suddenly started sprinting toward the forest like a madman. It was the very forest that linked Winterseed and Winterseed II together. Ren was moving at twice his usual peak speed, one could say the dream mixture gave an unnatural boost while still in effect. "Faster, Ren... we await you..." the voice urged. Ren began to run faster as the voice''s frequency in his head increased. Out of nowhere, a goblin holding a rabbit it had just hunted down strolled across the clear path running through the forest. When the goblin spotted Ren, it dropped the rabbit and clutched the wooden club in its hands before running toward Ren to attack him. It could see that Ren appeared old and extremely weak. But it was quickly proven wrong when Ren madly grabbed its neck and continued running like a madman toward his destination. Ren subconsciously strangled the life out of the goblin without stopping. The goblin cried out for help, but it was toote. After killing it subconsciously, Ren tossed it aside. After running for a few hours, Ren stopped in front of a huge tree¡ªthe same one where Liara was found! It was still the dark of the moonless night. The forest was eerily dark and quiet. Almost at the same time Ren arrived. Subconscious Liara also arrived. "Both of you are here.. haha." An eerily alluring voice sounded out of nowhere. .... END OF VOLUME 3! Chapter 151: Migration ( 1 ) It was the dead of night along the forest path between Winterseed and Winterseed II. With no moon in the sky, the forest was eerily enveloped in darkness. In the middle of this path, close to a very huge tree, two people could be seen¡ªboth of them were unconscious, their eyes white, and their pupils nowhere to be found. They looked as if they were dreaming! As they stood there, a strange figure suddenly shot out of the darkness. It was the embodiment of darkness itself. It was almost like the shadows. Its movements were so erratic that even seeing how it looked in the dark was impossible. Ren and Liara tilted their heads toward the shadowy figure the moment it emerged from the darkness. It was as though a voice had called out to them. In their unconscious state, both of them stared at the shadowy figure. The shadowy figure approached them. It moved around them in circles for a few seconds, muttering strange words whileughing menacingly. It continued this for about ten minutes before suddenly vanishing into thin air. Ten seconds after it left, Ren tilted his body toward his vige and began sprinting like a madman once again. His speed was more than double his peak speed this time, and his movements were even more erratic. On the way, he spotted three other goblins who hade to retrieve the corpse of their brethren, recently killed by some unknown entity. Upon seeing Ren sprinting toward them, they felt an overwhelming urge to vent their anger on him. They grabbed their weapons and charged at him, screeching. But Ren took care of all three of them in a matter of minutes, without sustaining a single injury. If anyone were present, they would have been shocked at how their usually weak deputy lord was able to kill three goblins twice his strength. It was simply unbelievable. Ren reached the tall walls that guarded Winterseed II. The soldiers were still guarding the gate, and Ren''s subconscious state immediately directed his body toward another direction where the soldiers wouldn''t see him. Ren''s body suddenlyunched into the air, and hended back inside the vige. He immediately sprinted for his home. Inside one of the houses, a young boy sat by the window, watching the night sky because he was finding it difficult to sleep at this hour. Just then, a figure shed past his window, causing him to cry out in fear and jump back. "Yumi, you''re not the only one in the vige!" his father, who was sleeping in another room, yelled at him, one could easily perceive the annoyance in his voice. Yumi stood back up and approached the window. "Was I dreaming just now?" "I think my body and mind are punishing me for not sleeping!" "I have to go to sleep immediately!" Yumi immediately went to bed and curled up, forcing himself to fall asleep. Meanwhile, Ren returned to his ce and went straight to bed. If one looked at him now, they wouldn''t suspect that he had just journeyed to a ce far beyond the vige in an impossibly short amount of time. Meanwhile, as he slept, the torch lighting the room suddenly began flickering vigorously before going out. Then, a dark, misty figure began to infiltrate his room through the window. On the other hand, at the huge tree where they had just met, Liara suddenly ced her hands on the tree and began climbing at an impossible pace. She climbed up to a certain height and fell asleep. --- Present day. Rowan had just finished speaking with Liara''s friends and family when he received a notification. [ Your deputy (Ren) is undergoing the same condition as subject: Liara ] "Huh?" Rowan was confused. "What is happening? Did Ren also take the dream mixture?" Rowan was truly perplexed. It was more than a coincidence that the only two herbalists he knew were undergoing the same condition at the same time. It could only mean that they had both drunk the dream mixture, or something very powerful was currently controlling both of them simultaneously. "I need to finish up here quickly and go to Winterseed II as soon as possible!" Rowan thought to himself, a deep frown forming on his face. ze was walking beside him, looking really calm. Rowan had been so busy that he hadn''t even noticed his divine beastpanion had undergone a series of maturations. Some of the women even tried to y with it as usual, but ze only allowed them to pat his fur a little. Rowan went immediately to the vige square, where the soldiers were still training, and told them the news. "We are going hunting today!" The soldiers were a little surprised because they hadn''t been informed about this beforehand. At the same time, they were ready to take this dangerous step to get stronger. "We will go hunt with you, Lord Rowan!" "I have been looking for the opportunity to use my new skill without holding back. I guess I''ll be experimenting with that today." "My precision has gotten better, it would improve even more if I test it against moving foes." They all reacted. Rowan nodded his head. "Great, assemble yourselves based on your groups and ready your weapons. Those without weapons,e and meet me for a new one," he announced. The soldiers immediately got in line. About half of the soldiers did not have weapons. Thankfully, Rowan had already used the reward a few days ago to multiply the weapons in his inventory, so he didn''t have any problem giving the weapons out. "Lord Rowan, we need armor," the captains approached Rowan. Rowan didn''t hesitate and immediately distributed the leather armor among everyone. The leather armor was stillmon grade, but it was better than nothing. After this was over, Rowan and the soldiers began marching toward the Dark Forest, which has the highest poption of monsters and demonic beasts. ze went with them, walking beside Rowan. Most of the vigers were surprised to see therge group of soldiers marching through the vige. They couldn''t help but think that the soldiers were going to war. They even began to ask questions anxiously. .... AUTHOR NOTE: Wee to the new volume and thanks for staying with me. I would like if you guys could review thest volume... Thanks Chapter 152: Migration ( 2 ) Rowan and his soldiers set out for their first hunt in a very long time. In the past, the men of the vige used to venture into the dark forest to hunt animals for meat. But over the years, the dark forest had be so dangerous that the number of demonic beasts and monsters far surpassed that of ordinary animals. Having Rowan apany them gave them a significant boost in confidence. They believed nothing could harm them as long as he was nearby. Together, they marched through the vige and headed toward the dark forest. Rowan called them to a halt, gazing at the vast forest with a calm expression on his face. "Simply going into the forest to look for monsters and demonic beasts to kill would be unfruitful. We need a method to draw them out so we can hunt them," Rowan mused aloud. Rnd and Bryce overheard him. "Actually, there is a way to draw out a lot of monsters at the same time," they both said simultaneously. Rowan turned to them. He already had an idea in mind but was curious to know what they were suggesting. Rnd and Bryce quickly exined their n. "Arge amount of meat, huh?" Rowan asked. "Yes, Lord Rowan. If we ce arge amount of meat in the open, the monsters would be drawn toward it. We can also set the meat on fire a little to give off a sweeter scent to the hungry carnivorous monsters around," Rnd exined. "That''s great, but I would have to sacrifice a lot of meat from my inventory," Rowan sighed inwardly. His original n was to set and control a small forest fire to draw out the monsters that weren''t afraid of it. But that would''ve been really difficult to control, considering none of them had water magic to stop the fire. "Alright then," Rowan agreed, nodding. He brought out arge amount of meat from his inventory and instructed the soldiers on what to do with it. They immediately spread the meat over the ground. Most of them felt it was wasteful, considering how scarce meat was in the vige. But they wanted to get stronger, so they didn''t voice theirints. Thirty minutester, they were done spreading the meat. Rowan looked at the vast amount of meat on the ground and sighed. He turned to look at ze. Not too far away, ze could be seen devouringrge chunks of meat without mercy. He was able to swallow a big piece of meat that would feed a family of six easily and in a matter of seconds. "What the hell are you doing, ze?" Rowan barked. ["Eating."] ze replied telepathically and continued devouringrge amounts of meat at a pace that made the soldiers stare with wide eyes. Rowan felt like punishing his pet at that moment. He quickly stopped ze from eating all the meat and tossed ten food pills at him. DING [ Your pet (ze) is overfed ] [ It won''t be able to swallow anything for the next seven days, monster cores included ] Rowan received a quick notification. ''Is this some sort of punishment or reward? ze not being able to eat would be advantageous since I won''t have to feed it. But on the other hand, not being able to swallow even monster cores would slow down its cultivation pace,'' Rowan thought, sighing. He quickly snapped back to the task at hand. "ze, burn this part of the meat," he instructed. "You guys, step on the meat on this side to spill the blood out and make the effect stronger." ze and the soldiers immediately carried out their tasks. On one side, the ground was soaked with blood pressed out of the meat. On the other side, smoke billowed into the sky, carrying the sweet scent of roasted meat. DING [ You''ve sessfully created a bait ] [ You unlocked an achievement: Trap Master ] [ Title: Trap Master Lv1 has been added ] [ Trap Master Lv1: Effect of traps set and baits used is increased by 30% ] ''This is good,'' Rowan thought upon seeing the effect of the new title. "It usually takes up to thirty minutes before the monsterse out of the forest," Rnd reminded Rowan. Rowan nodded. "Everyone, brace yourselves. Archers, you are our first line of attackers, so prepare your arrows and ensure you target their vital areas to end them quickly and easily." The soldiers nodded and readied themselves. It was still morning, and the gentle sun was already up, bathing the earth with its glorious glow. The soldiers were lined up far away from the entrance of the forest, providing a healthy distance to prevent getting caught unawares by the monsters and demonic beasts. The archers had their arrows ready in their bows, prepared to attack. The swordsmen clutched their swords, while the martial artists had their fists clenched. Rowan stood at the front with a calm expression. Overfed ze stood beside him, eyes keenly focused on the forest. The area around them was eerily quiet for some time. ["They areing already,"] ze alerted Rowan. Rowan nodded and alerted the rest. The soldiers gulped mouthfuls of saliva. A few seconds after the alert, numerous footsteps began echoing in the area, growing louder and louder every second. ''It''s about time,'' Rowan thought, summoning his ck dagger. ze''s body was engulfed in mes, and his eyes shone menacingly. Suddenly, the ground began to tremble beneath their feet. An ominous wind swept through the area, carrying with it the foul stench of decay. The eerie silence was broken by distant roars, growls, and unearthly screeches echoing from deep within the dark forest. Birds took to the sky in panic, fleeing from the impending threat. The soldiers felt chills run down their spines as shadows shifted among the trees. From the depths of the forest, countless monstrous figures began to emerge, eyes glowing with malevolence piercing through the darkness. The monsters and demonic beasts poured out like a relentless tide. Their cries grew louder, bing a cacophony of terror that filled the air. Goblins, demonic wolves, ming arrow-tailed lions, emberws, and other monsters of varying races stormed out of the forest. --- Almost at the same time, Dragun and Vishirk appeared in the vige. Chapter 153: Migration ( 3 ) It was morning, and a few of the farmers were tending to the crops, watering them with the aid of the windmill. ra wasn''t at the farm at that moment, as she stayed with her unconscious friend to find out what was wrong with her. Nevertheless, the other representatives and supervisors were present, tending to the farnds. They were working when, all of a sudden, the air around them became extremely imbnced, causing them to worry if the dry season was over and the dreaded rainy and cold season was about to begin. Some of them stopped working and stared at the sky, but the sky was as calm and stable as it had ever been. Those looking at the sky were still gazing upward when two of the farmers suddenly drew their attention to Dragun and Vishirk, who appeared out of nowhere. They all looked in the direction of the two neers with amazement. Dragun felt the gazes of the farmers on him and immediately waved at them with a smile on his face. However, only a few of them waved back. "This much is better than getting zero response," Dragun muttered. He turned to Vishirk, who was observing the gigantic windmill in amazement. He had seen it before, but even now, the windmill was still as amazing as the first time he set his eyes on it. "Let''s go into the vige," Dragun said, tapping him on the back. "Okay, senior," Vishirk replied and strolled with Dragun as they went into the habitable area. As they strolled through the vige, Dragun couldn''t help but notice the chaotic footprint trails on the ground. "What happened?" he asked himself. "Could there have been some sort of war in the vige while I was away?" Dragun wondered, the footprints were just too many to be ignored. "Did the soldiers go for some routine marching exercise?" he continued while observing the foot trails. He looked around and saw the vigers going on with their lives as though nothing extra had happened, so he calmed his mind and assumed that the soldiers went out on a routine marching exercise. Apart from the footprints, Dragun noticed that most of the vigers had started treating him with less hate and anger than usual. Although none of them approached him to greet or speak with him, a few nodded their heads when they saw him, and about ten vigers waved at him. Dragun couldn''t help but wonder why the people had suddenly started treating him better. "Senior, what element do you think Rowan''s wife would awaken?" Vishirk asked, dragging Dragun out of his deep thoughts. "Her name is Ri. Also, do not disrespect the name of my son, and add ''Lord'' every time you address him, alright?" Vishirk nodded and quickly apologized. Then he repeated the same question. Dragun sighed and thought to himself for a few seconds. "Judging by her personality and talent, she might awaken either the wind or water element. If she is blessed by heaven, she might awaken the light element, and based on her caring personality, she might even be a beast tamer," Dragun replied. He had been around so many mages in the past, and this was his method of determining their element affinity before even confirming with the Aether crystals. At least 80% of his predictions had been right, and another fifteen percent were close, so he believed his analysis was correct. "Light element affinity? Are you really certain about that, senior? The light element is one of the divine elements, and only one out of ten million people can awaken it," Vishirk reacted immediately. "And beast taming is really difficult and rare to awaken. It is one of theplex affinities. I only have three superior instructors in my school who actually possess beast-taming ability," Vishirk continued. Dragun nodded, he knew just how rare those elements were and how difficult they were to awaken. But he had high hopes for Ri, he had been with her and observed her mana so much to understand that she was really talented and blessed. After thirty minutes of strolling, they finally made it to Rowan''s ce and knocked on the door, but there was no response. "It seems both of them have left already," Dragun muttered. Just then, two youngdies began rushing towards a certain destination while discussing. "I thought you said you don''t want to be a tailor?" one of them asked the other. "Who said I don''t want to be a tailor? I love sewing, but using a needle and thread is very slow and annoying. We now have sewing machines that make it fast and enjoyable, so I want to start. Also, I will get to experience Ri performing her wonderful magic spells! I heard she is getting better at maintaining it now, I want to experience it for myself," the other replied with a pretty excited voice. Dragun and Vishirk had improved hearing, thus, even when thedies were too far away to be heard, they were able to hear their discussion clearly. Both of them turned to each other at once when they heard that. "Senior, did you teach Lady Ri any spell before leaving the vige?" Vishirk asked, pretty confused. "I don''t recall doing anything of the sort. If what those youngdies are saying is true, then we need to hurry! Performing spells without proper practice might cause her head to explode!" Dragun said worriedly. Both of them began following the two youngdies carefully. They followed them past the vige square and saw them approaching one of the big houses close to it. They saw a lot of women gathered and immediately knew they were in the right location. "Wow, Lady Ri! This is amazing!" "Look, the light ball is floating higher above her hands and looks more stable than before. She is indeed improving!" "This is so excellent and majestic. Lady Ri looks like a goddess on earth!" They could hear the voices of the women praising Ri. When they heard a few of them talk about a light ball, their eyes widened immediately. They immediately ran towards the ce. "Please excuse us," they said. Dragun and Vishirk pushed their way through the crowd of women gathered outside. Most of them weren''t tailors like the ones inside, they only came to witness Ri use her magical powers¡ªshe had be a celebrity across the vige after her awakening! When both of them arrived in front, they were first greeted by the small light ball floating above Ri''s hands, and then by the sewing machines. Both sights drew their attention so much that they found it difficult to decide which to focus on. When Ri saw Dragun, she called off her magic and strolled towards him to greet. She also greeted Vishirk. "Ri, who taught you the spell you are using? How were you able to even activate it?" Dragun asked, bombarding her with questions. "It is a long story, but it is nothing to be worried about. How was your journey, Sir Dragun?" Ri smiled and responded to his numerous questions. She could not tell him about Laverena. Only Rowan was trusted enough to know about the existence of Laverena, and even Rowan had warned her beforehand not to reveal it to anyone. Her simple response made it even more difficult for Dragun and Vishirk to think straight. "Ri, this is a serious matter. You are lucky you are still alive now. Most people who tried such in the past have either died of a head explosion or severe headache," Dragun reprimanded. Ri couldn''t help but smile as she could tell he was really worried about her. She thanked him for it and once again told him not to worry. "Were you able to get the Aether crystal you talked about?" Ri asked. Dragun nodded. Vishirk was standing beside him, observing the sewing machines and the youngdies in the room with extreme fascination. "Can we wait till Rowan is present before testing it?" she asked. "We can wait. But even without the Aether crystal, we are already aware that you''ve awakened one of the divine elements¡ªthe light element. Simply having this element affinity, even if it is the tiniestpatibility, you will be able to enter any magic academy of your choice!" Dragun began. He exined just how precious her newly awakened element was. The more he narrated and exined, the more fascinated Ri became. Hearing this made her recall when Laverena told her she was special after her awakening. Back then, she thought Laverena was only being nice to her as usual, but now she realized she actually meant those words. Dragun finished exining to her and told her a few extra details about the element. He then left with Vishirk. While both of them walked down thene, Dragun had a deep frown on his face. Possessing one of the divine elements makes her a special target for the cult, he thought. If any of them discovers her, they will try to take her away from me, and I won''t let that happen! I will protect her with my life! Chapter 154: Migration [ 4 ] When the eerie silence finally ended, arge horde of monsters and demonic beasts of varying races, drawn by the overwhelming scent of blood and the tantalizing aroma of sweet-smelling flesh, stormed out of the dense forest chaotically. Their actions were akin to a mad, hungry beast being fed its favorite meal, eyes gleaming with savage anticipation. After the first row of monsters and demonic beasts emerged from the shadowy forest, they spotted therge group of live meat standing far away and, without hesitation, immediately stormed towards them, letting out ear-piercing screeches and terrifying bestial cries. Rowan and the soldiers were standing far away from the forest entrance, their eyes fixed on the approaching horde, giving them the chance to observe what they would be fighting. Rowan quickly observed the stats of the monsters and demonic beasts with his [Eyes of Revtion], his gaze narrowing as the information unfolded before him. [ Emberw | FF-rank ] [ Special skill: Monster Cry ] [ Health: 100% ] [ Status: Hungry ] [ Demonic Chicken | FF-rank ] [ Special skill: Crow of Fear ] [ Health: 100% ] [ Status: Enraged ] [ Goblin | FF-rank ] [ Special skill: Night Vision ] [ Health: 100% ] [ Status: Ecstatic ] Luckily, most of them were FF-rank beasts, posing less of a threat than higher-ranked creatures. ''This is great!'' Rowan noted with a smirk on his face. As the monsters drew closer, he immediately sprang into action. The soldiers behind him were already prepared to attack the monsters in front of them. They had grown used to seeing these monsters. Now they didn''t get scared and felt the need to run away. Instead, they felt the strong urge to fight and emerge victorious. "Archers! Aim!" Rowan lifted his right hand and announced in a loud voice. The archers let out loud hums of acknowledgment and aimed their arrows at the emerging monsters. Rowan paused for a few seconds, allowing the monsters and demonic beasts to draw closer, before yelling, "Fire!" Following hismands, arrows darted through the air, their sharp tips glinting in the sunlight. Very soon, the air was filled with arrows darting towards the monsters. The first set of arrows shed with the monsters, piercing flesh and bone, inflicting really serious injuries that caused most of the monsters to fall to the ground at once. Some of them, however, were strong and continued charging hungrily, their eyes filled with rage, despite the injuries they had just incurred. "Swordsmen, martial artists! Now it is your turn to show these monsters what you are made of!" Rowan yelled again. The close-ranged fighters immediately stormed the monsters. The swordsmen ran in front, wielding their swords with all seriousness and readiness to cut through the group of monsters. The martial artists clenched their fists and ran beside the swordsmen. The swordsmen were the first to sh against the horde. The des of their swords darted through the air with precision and grace, inflicting injury after injury on the monsters. Rowan did not stay back. "ze, do not directly attack any of the monsters unless any of the soldiers are in danger," Rowan instructed ze. He and ze could wipe out all these monsters in a matter of minutes. But today, they weren''t trying to wipe them out but to utilize them to make the soldiers grow stronger. At the front line, Rnd attacked an Emberw. The Emberw had a huge resemnce to wild wolves. However, unlike wild wolves who came in white, grey, and ck, these ones were extremely red, like they had been dyed in blood! Their eyes were blue, unlike the red ones of the other demonic wolves present on the battlefield at the moment. The Emberw also had sharp and long ws that glistened menacingly as the sun shone on them. Rnd''s eyes were extremely cold as he lifted his sword and blocked against the dangerously darting ws of the Emberw. He felt a strong vibration in his arm after the short collision. It was as though the ws were made of strong metal! GROWL! The Emberw growled angrily and shed its ws at Rnd once again. This time Rnd did not bother to block and quickly evaded by moving to the side. As he moved to the side, one of the goblins, with a malicious grin, sneaked a quick attack on his back with its crude wooden w. The sneaky hit made Rnd lose his footing and fall to the ground, the rough earth scraping against his skin. The Emberw, who was already enraged at Rnd, immediately took the opportunity to attack. Both the goblin and the Emberw focused on him. "Captain! Let me assist you!" Two young soldiers who had just concluded dealing with a ming arrow-tailed lion nearby came to assist Rnd. They immediately pushed the goblin back and stabbed it with their swords. The Emberw''s paws were already up, ready to swipe down and kill Rnd with its sharp ws before devouring him. Rnd quickly rolled over to where the goblin had been standing a few seconds ago, barely evading the w attack. The two soldiers quickly assisted and fought off the Emberw. Rnd stood up and went toplete the kill. Around these three, several bloody brawls were taking ce, more brutal than theirs. Fortunately, the losses were mostly on the monsters'' and demonic beasts'' side. Unfortunately too, more demonic beasts and monsters were still pouring out of the forest, as the meat still attracted them. Each of them left the might just like the others and attacked the soldiers. "Test my fist, you ugly goblin!" Bryce yelled out angrily as he sent his clenched fist flying towards the face of a nearby goblin. PUSHI! The head exploded from his punch, brain fluid and blood gushed as the goblin fell to the ground. "This is so good! I''ll name this technique Exploding Head Raging Fist! Hahaha!" Bryceughed out menacingly as he did the same to another nearby goblin. GROWL One of the demonic wolves growled and charged towards Bryce. Bryce stood his ground and focused on the beast. He was standing in a pose mostly seen in professional wrestling. "Come to me, idiot!" Bryce called out, enraging the wolf even more. When the wolf was close enough, Bryce''s hands shot forward in a rapid motion and quickly wrapped around the wolf''s neck. Without wasting time, he lifted the wolf''s body and mmed it hard on the ground, causing it to cry out in deep anguish, alerting its nearby brothers. Bryce stood up immediately and used his feet to stomp the head of the wolf till it died. Heughed menacingly while doing so. The demonic wolves and goblins nearby couldn''t help but see him as a fellow monster at this moment. --- --- [ Captain Bryce has in 1 goblin, gained 50 evolution points ] [ 10% of the soldier''s earned evolution points have been transferred to you ] [ Captain Bryce has in 1 Grey Fur Demonic Wolf, gained 65 evolution points ] [ 10% of the soldier''s earned evolution points have been transferred to you ] Rowan and ze were strolling through the battlefield, and they couldn''t help but notice this peculiar moment. "I wasn''t wrong at all choosing him as my captain," Rowan smiled when he saw Bryce''s battle prowess. Aside from the frequent notifications of the soldiers ying the enemies around them, umting evolution points and getting closer to their first power evolution, seeing their exceptional performance made Rowan happy. It gave him the impression that his investments in them weren''t futile. "You are doing a good job, everyone! Continue ying these evil beasts!" Rowan dered in a loud voice, motivating his soldiers. Chapter 155: Migration [ 5 ] Rowan''s words acted as a trigger in the hearts of the soldiers, and they began to fight even more seriously. Their movements became even faster, their coordination improving as they fought side by side. The frequency of notifications increased. A few soldiers made wrong moves and were about to be ended by the monsters they were facing. Rowan and ze were there to help and prevent their deaths. ze moved like a shadow, intercepting attacks before they could reach their targets, while Rowan provided strategic support. Rowan didn''t even bother to join the battle since most of the monsters here were FF-rank. There were only a few F-rank goblins and wolves, but they were no big deal as the soldiers easily took care of them. Out of everyone, Bryce slew the most monsters. Bryce''s character and personality were mostly battle-oriented, and thus he was able to shine. His erratic and hot-headed self gave him a special boost of confidence that caused him to challenge monsters without any sort of fear. He punched, kicked, and mmed the monsters to the ground as though he was in a wrestling tournament. His erratic personality made him stand out on the battlefield. Some of the monsters even had to stay away from him. As Rowan observed Bryce, he couldn''t help but imagine a scene with himself sitting on a golden throne and Bryce standing beside him, d in dark armor with a smirk on his face. The vision was vivid, almost prophetic, and it brought a slight smile to his lips. "After this battle, I will distribute the other martial arts skills with me to him," Rowan noted. He recognized the potential in Bryce and wanted to nurture it. He even proceeded to check his character status. [ Captain Bryce ] [ upation: Captain ] [ Power: N/A (4905/100000) ] [ Special skill: Sword Master ] [ Status: Furious ] ''He might be the first to evolve at this rate!'' Rowan noted to himself with a smile. The other captains had around 3500¨C4000 evolution points. A few of the soldiers had already reached the 2000 mark. Winston was the only soldier who had 3000 evolution points. The steady progress of his men filled Rowan with a sense of pride. The battle continued, bing even more chaotic every second. The advantages were greatly twisted in the direction of the Winterseed men. Their advantage was so significant that some of the intelligent monsters and demonic beasts became frustrated. They came out of the forest to eat but were greeted with a battle. The tables had turned, and now they were the ones being hunted. In the beginning, they all thought they would be able to easily devour the soldiers, but now they realized they couldn''t have been more wrong. The moment any of them gained a big advantage over a soldier, they were either stabbed with arrows or in by Rowan or ze. Some of the monsters tried to attack Rowan and ze but were ughtered in a matter of seconds. Minutes passed and turned into hours, and gradually the hours went by. Now it was almost noon, and the battle was getting close to ending. The rate of monsters pouring out of the forest had reduced to about three to five monsters and demonic beasts per ten minutes. As the rate reduced, the soldiers were able to focus more on the current horde at hand without fearing that another monster woulde attack from behind! ording to Rowan''s estimation, at least two thousand monsters and demonic beasts had poured out of the forest so far! It was nothingpared to thest goblin and hobgoblin horde though, considering those goblins were far stronger than most of the strongest monsters here. Rowan didn''t even have to interfere too much as the soldiers got better the more the battle continued. Their skills were sharpening, and their teamwork was improving noticeably. --- [ Captain Bryce ] [ upation: Captain ] [ Power: N/A (8775/100000) ] [ Special skill: Sword Master ] [ Status: Furious ] [ Captain Rnd ] [ upation: Captain ] [ Power: N/A (7070/100000) ] [ Special skill: Sword Master ] [ Status: Tired ] [ Captain Josh ] [ upation: Captain ] [ Power: N/A (5500/100000) ] [ Special skill: Sword Master ] [ Status: Furious ] --- The stats of the captains had greatly improved, especially that of Bryce and Rnd. The stats of the soldiers had also improved. Even the archers who were only supporting from the sidelines had crossed the 3000 mark! It was a really fruitful hunt! ''At this rate, the captains might be able to evolve after ten hunts if the monsters and demonic beasts are slightly stronger than the current ones. It will take twenty more hunts for the soldiers to evolve,'' Rowan analyzed with a calm expression on his face. He began to n future training sessions to elerate their growth. ze was standing beside Rowan, his eyes scanning the battlefield keenly. His eyes had a slight hint of sadness though, considering he wouldn''t be able to devour monster cores after he had swallowed so many food pills at the same time. He evenined to Rowan telepathically several times. Another hour passed, the sun had begun to punish the earth with its scorching heat and light. At this moment, only a few monsters were still alive. Some of the smart monsters tried to escape when they discovered their odds of winning and surviving were low, but the soldiers quickly caught up to them and slew them. The really fast monsters were chased down and ughtered by Rowan and ze. The archers stood at the sidelines and fired thest set of arrows to take down thest standing monsters. Thest two wolves trying to escape fell to their deaths. "We won!" The soldiers celebrated immediately. They lifted their weapons and celebrated as usual. Rowan observed their enthusiasm with a calm smile on his face. "This is just the beginning of the many journeys to power we will be taking to protect our people," Rowan began with a loud voice. His words resonated with the soldiers, filling them with determination. The soldiers reacted to his words by lifting their weapons as usual and chanting his name. Rowan used his hands to make them stop before asking them to help harvest the monster cores from the monsters. They did not waste time and immediately went on with it. The process was swift and efficient, a testament to their training. After they were done, they left and went back to the vige, unaware of the news awaiting them. Chapter 156: Migration ( 6 ) Rowan managed to harvest only a small number of monster cores from the in monsters. He collected fewer than one hundred cores, which was significantly less than 10% of the total monsters they had defeated. However, Rowan didn''t feel discouraged by the low yield of monster cores. He had taken the soldiers out to hunt today not to farm monster cores, but to make them stronger, and in that, he had seeded. As they strolled back to the vige, Rowan couldn''t stop thinking about how they would be able to hunt more effectively in the future. "Even if we use the same bait we used today on another day, I''m not sure we''ll be able to draw out as many monsters as we did today. We''ll have to go deeper into the forest to hunt in the future," Rowan muttered to himself. "Most of the soldiers earned only a small amount of evolution points today. Some even had to fight and kill the same monsters repeatedly to earn points," Rowan continued. "I hope next time we''ll be able to get our hands on a lot of low rank monsters," he prayed inwardly. ze was walking beside Rowan, the look of regret still hadn''t left his eyes. Because of his greed, he had missed the opportunity to collect monster cores from Rowan. This made ze really moody and silent, a side of him that Rowan hadn''t seen before. The soldiers behind Rowan were chattering happily, discussing how they had been able to y the monsters and demonic beasts with their new skills. They also voiced their readiness to partake in more challenges like this. As they walked past the farms, the few farmers currently working informed them about the arrival of Dragun and Vishirk. Rowan was ecstatic upon receiving the news of their arrival. Now he would be able to know his wife''s affinity and also be able to leave the vige for Winterseed II to see what exactly was wrong with Ren. He also needed Dragun''s help to heal Liara. He had been trying to contact Ren telepathically, but Ren seemed to be in a deep sleep-like state and couldn''t receive his messages. Rowan left the soldiers and rushed towards the Tailor''s Home near the vige square. However, when he arrived, he was told that Dragun and Vishirk had already left. Ri informed him that she had dyed checking her elemental affinity until he was present, which ddened Rowan''s heart. "Did they tell you where they were going?" Rowan asked the women. "No, they just left after speaking with Lady Ri," they replied. "Hmm," Rowan hummed as he pondered where they could be at this moment. He bade Ri farewell and left, still pondering to himself. ze strolled beside him. "Liara..." He quickly recalled that name. If Dragun was in the vige and had heard the story about what happened to Liara, he would naturally go to see her. Hemunicated with ze telepathically, and both of them began heading towards her ce. They first arrived at her house, which was closest to them. It was empty. Then they quickly headed towards Bruce''s ce. Thankfully, Dragun and Vishirk were there. Vishirk was standing outside the house, so he was able to spot Rowan and ze approaching. A sweet and friendly smile crept onto his face as he went to greet them. "Hope you guys had a safe and interesting journey," Rowan said with a smile. "The journey was far from safe, but it sure was interesting," Vishirk replied enthusiastically. Being talkative, Vishirk was about to narrate the whole event to Rowan, so Rowan immediately shushed him by asking other questions. "Rowan, I don''t think you will actually be able to awaken anytime soon," Vishirk suddenly let out with a sigh. "Why?" Rowan asked with a frown. "The ingredients are too expensive! They''re even more expensive than I expected, and we could not find some of them as well," Vishirk continued. Rowan frowned as he heard all this. Vishirk saw his expression and immediately spoke up, "But do not lose hope. If you have at least one million gold coins, we might be able to purchase an awakening potion from the ck market, but its quality might be really poor. But that''s better than nothing, right?" Rowan thought about it for a few seconds. "I can check the quality of the potion with my system and purchase one of better quality. As for the one million gold coins, it''s not that big of a deal, one hundred million evolution points easily covers it," Rowan thought. "That''s great then," Rowan said. Vishirk quickly looked at him with a frown. "You heard the price, right?" "Yeah, don''t worry about the price, I''ll deal with it when the timees," Rowan replied. Vishirk looked at him for a few seconds before nodding. "If you can, then be fast about it. There will be a big event at the ck market around three to four weeks from now. There will be a lot of awakening potions for sale at a cheap price there." Rowan nodded his head. "I will make sure to get the money prepared before then," Rowan said with a smile on his face. Vishirk smiled and nodded. "By the way, Senior is inside with Liara. I think something strange is wrong with her, you should go in and see for yourself," Vishirk told Rowan. Rowan nodded and went inside the house. Inside, Liara could be seen lying gently on the bed while Bruce, his wife, ra, and Dragun stood around her. The first three had worried expressions on their faces while Dragun observed her with a frown. Rowan approached them. "Will you be able to cure her with healing magic?" Rowan asked. ra, as well as Bruce and his wife, greeted Rowan when they saw him to which Rowan responded with a nod. Dragun turned to him with the same frown on his face and said in a really worried voice, "Something is not right here, Rowan." Chapter 157: Migration ( 7 ) "Something''s not right here," Dragun said, frowning as he looked at Rowan. "You can''t heal her?" Rowan asked. He had already ced all his hopes on Dragun to heal Liara. "I can heal her, but the thing is, there''s actually nothing wrong with her. I tried using my healing magic on her earlier, but the reaction was neutral, she''s in perfect condition," Dragun replied. Everyone in the room looked confused. "What do you mean she''s in perfect condition? My sister isn''t responding to anything¡ªnot even my touch or the noise around her!" Liara''s older sister, Bruce''s wife,ined. Even Rowan felt like saying the same thing. "I don''t know how to exin this so you''ll understand," Dragun sighed. "Let me demonstrate." He asked Bruce to stretch out his hand, and when Bruceplied, Dragun drew a small knife and made a cut, causing it to bleed. "What did you do that for?" everyone in the room eximed at once. Dragun did not reply. He stretched his hand over Bruce''s injured hand and began chanting a healing spell. A dull glow first appeared in his hand. When the glow came in contact with the injured spot, it became brighter, and a low sizzling sound reverberated across the room. After about thirty seconds, the injury on Bruce''s hand disappeared, as did the pain. Bruce was so surprised by what had just happened that he could only stare at his healed hand, flexing his hand in disbelief. He turned his hand over, examining it from every angle, as if searching for any trace of the wound that had been there moments before. "You saw that just now?" Dragun asked. Everyone in the room nodded. Dragun nodded as well. He moved closer to Liara and activated the same spell, the same dull glow shrouded his hand as it had moments before. However, when he ced his hand over her body, there was no reaction. The glow remained the same, and there was no sizzling sound. Seeing this, everyone in the room understood what he was trying to exin. Apparently, the spell would only activate if there was an ailment or injury to heal. Otherwise, it remained inactive and unchanged. "But why isn''t she responding to anything around her?" ra asked, worry evident in her voice. "That''s the part I don''t understand," Dragun sighed. "Could you exin how it all happened? Maybe there might be a clue to exin her current condition." He had experienced cases like this before, but they were really rare, and those cases had unnatural causes. He wondered what Liara was. Rowan exined everything to Dragun, since he was the only one who knew about the dream mixture. Dragun and Vishirk''s eyes widened simultaneously. The others in the room looked at them, wondering why they reacted that way. Dragun quickly turned to Bruce, his wife, and ra and said with a forced smile, "Liara will be alright very soon." Then he turned to Rowan and Vishirk and signaled for them toe with him. Rowan quickly tapped ze, who was already feeling at home, and they went with Dragun and Vishirk. ra and the others watched as the four of them left the house. Once outside, Dragun hurried Rowan to take him to the ce where he found the dream mixture. "You know about the dream mixture?" Rowan asked as he led them towards Liara''s ce. "Yes, of course! Everyone who has been to a ce with mages naturally knows about the dream mixture," Dragun replied without even looking at Rowan. His mind was filled with many thoughts at that moment¡ªthoughts revolving around the special milk he had gone to obtain. Questions about Liara''s condition and the mysterious circumstances began to flood his mind. He couldn''t shake the feeling that there was more to this situation than met the eye. "The dream mixture is very special among mages!" Vishirk added. "What is so special about the dream mixture?" Rowan asked. He already knew about some effects of the concoction¡ªhow it could either cause the death of the user or help them improve their physical and magical abilities. Dragun was walking ahead, his mind upied with many thoughts. Vishirk always loved to talk, so he didn''t mind exining to Rowan. "The dream mixture is a special ingredient for many high-grade potions. It can also be taken individually sometimes by mages with soul and spirit magic affinity. I heard it''s also useful for necromancers to give their undead some sort of artificial intelligence..." Vishirk began to borate. "Based on what you''ve said so far, the dream mixture shouldn''t have any negative effect. Or does it have a negative effect only on those without mana cores?" Rowan asked, a slight frown on his face. "Yeah, it mostly has negative effects on those without mana cores, especially when the quality is too high," Vishirk replied. "If the quality was at least 40%, they might get a few gains in strength, but nothing more. Otherwise, they might be stuck in a drastic dream loop." After hearing Vishirk''s detailed exnation, Rowan couldn''t help but wonder how someone like Liara was able to get her hands on something so special. He couldn''t hold back the question and asked Vishirk. "Only less than one hundred ancient herbalist families in this world possess the recipe for the dream mixture. That''s why it''s so special and rare..." However, hearing Vishirk''s words, the only person who came to his mind was Ren. At that moment, he realized that the notification he had received about Ren a few days ago wasn''t a coincidence. ''But how and why did both of them happen to make and take the same concoction on the same night?'' Rowan was even more confused. He was about to ask another question when Vishirk said something that shocked him. "However, it is rumored that some evil night creatures are able to manipte the mind and heart of certain herbalists to make the dream potion and then try to control them with it. This is mostly rumors, though, I don''t believe it can happen." Chapter 158: Migration ( 8 ) Rowan was shocked beyondprehension after hearing Vishirk''s words. He had been certain that Ren might have gotten the recipe for the dream mixture from his father and then passed it to Liara. He thought both of them had coincidentally made and drank the dream mixture on the same night. But after hearing Vishirk''s words, he changed his mind. "What sort of night creature exactly, and what is their purpose in doing so?" Rowan asked. "Not much is known about this part. Remember I said it''s a rumor, there is no proven theory about it," Vishirk replied. Experience the best from m|v|l|e|mp|y|r Rowan nodded and kept silent as his mind wandered. Dragun was strolling in front, deep in thought, just like his son. ze was walking beside him. Vishirk and Rowan were walking behind the group. They strolled for another twenty minutes before they got to Liara''s ce. They went inside, and Rowan showed them the dream mixture in the wooden bowl. Dragun observed the pink liquid in the bowl with a calm expression on his face. He brought his finger close to it to feel its texture and temperature. He did all this while Vishirk and Rowan observed from behind. "Is it really the dream mixture, Senior?" Vishirk asked curiously. Dragun didn''t respond and kept performing series of preliminary tests on the liquid, as if to confirm if it was the real deal. He performed around ten more tests, even using fire magic to torch the liquid on his finger and see what color of smoke it gave out. After these tests were concluded, he looked at the dream mixture with a profound expression on his face. "It is the real dream mixture! Not just the real one, but the quality of this one is way above 75%!" Dragun yelled out. Vishirk''s eyes widened after hearing this. Rowan and ze could only observe the two of them. Both of them stared at the dream mixture for minutes as though they were observing a chest of precious crystals. ''If I can mix this dream mixture with that milk and drink it, I might be able to achieve my lifelong goal!'' Dragun muttered to himself. ''But before I can even attempt it, I need to get my cultivation to the peak of Tier-3,'' he continued while pondering. Vishirk approached Rowan after observing the dream mixture. "Lord Rowan, if we can make ten liters of this dream mixture, we might be able to sell it and use the profit to get your awakening potion!" Rowan looked at Vishirk, pretty confused. "I haven''t purchased the dream mixture personally, but one of my instructors in school who is a soul magic practitioner usually discusses its mary value. Apparently, one liter is sold for fifty thousand gold coins to two hundred thousand gold coins depending on its quality. If you can get Liara to make more, your vige will prosper beyond recognition!" Vishirk dered in a really excited voice. "Really?" Rowan instantly became interested. He needed money more than evolution points at this moment in order to get the awakening potion. Sadly, his vige hadn''t formed any contact with other territories to do business, and they were naturally short on coins. This was his perfect chance to set that part of his territory right again. His joy did notst when he recalled the words of Vishirk earlier about the night creature possession and maniption. "Do not be happy so quickly, Vishirk, we do not know if she actually made this or was controlled," Dragun reprimanded. "You actually believe in those rumors, Senior? My instructors said they are all lies," Vishirk defended. "Just because you haven''t seen or experienced something doesn''t mean it''s fake," Dragun corrected with a frown. "What? You have seen it before?" Vishirk''s eyes widened. Dragun nodded. "Do not make me recall any of that, it is not something to remember or even tell others." "We need to watch Liara for a week or two. If her condition doesn''t get better after two weeks, then we can conclude that it''s the handiwork of night creatures," he concluded. "If she was actually controlled by the so-called night creature, what would be her fate?" Rowan asked. "Let us just pray it is not the night creature for now," Dragun closed the topic immediately. Vishirk''s mouth was already open and ready to spew out the answers when Dragun shushed him. Fortunately, Rowan noticed his mouth movement. ''I will have to question him when Dragun is not around, knowing him, he would most likely reveal it if I asked,'' Rowan smirked. After ensuring no one discussed the topic further, Dragun brought out a clean ember-colored bottle from his spatial pouch and poured the entire dream mixture into it before storing it back. Rowan had no use for the dream mixture, so he didn''t really bother asking why Dragun took all of it. To be honest, he really thought Dragun keeping it was the best choice after what had happened to Liara. ''I am not sure what the condition of Ren is, but I am certain it is simr to Liara''s,'' Rowan thought. His initial n was to get Liara to Ren so he could train her herbalist skills for her. However, due to the current events, going alone with ze would be the only right choice. After Dragun was done collecting what he wanted, they left the house. "Rowan, have you seen Ri using magic?" Dragun asked as they strolled down to Bruce''s ce. "Yeah, Rowan, I forgot to mention it, she was using one of the celestial magic elements¡ªlight magic!" Vishirk overacted as usual. "Yeah, I saw her conjuring a light ball. Apparently, she has awakened light magic," Rowan replied. Both Dragun and Rowan ignored the overreacting Vishirk. "This is a great blessing, Rowan. But her talent would be wasted in a ce like this. She might be able to be a Tier-1 mage here in Winterseed thanks to her talent, but after that, she would not be able to improve," Dragun began discussing with Rowan. "I know about that, and I am working towards it. You do not expect the vige to continue living here forever, right? We would have to leave one day," Rowan said with a calm expression on his face. "About migrating, I have a ce in mind," Dragun let out, immediately grabbing the interest of Rowan. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 159: Migration ( 9 ) Rowan and hispanions went to check on Liara onest time. Sadly and expectedly, there was no improvement or deterioration in her condition. They stayed and gave some tips to Bruce, his wife and ra before separating. Rowan sent ze back into the Divine Beast in and went to meet Ri. He waited for her to finish her ss for the day before walking home with her. On their way, Ri couldn''t stop talking about everything she had done that day. Her voice was filled with excitement as she conversed with him. She was also quite ecstatic about discovering which elemental affinity she had awakened. Dragun and Vishirk were already waiting at their home to test her affinity before retiring for the night. Rowan had asked them to wait after they had parted ways two hours earlier. --- At Rowan''s ce, Dragun held out the Aether Crystal as Ri brought her right hand closer, a happy smile on her face. Rowan and Vishirk stood aside, waiting to see which element she would awaken. Of course, aside the light element they were already aware of. As soon as her hand touched the Aether Crystal, a brilliant light burst forth, filling the room with a blinding glow. Everyone shielded their eyes as the orb in Dragun''s hand pulsed with intense energy. Then the light began to separate, dividing into three distinct colors: white, silver, and pale blue. The three colors shone brightly, signifying that her affinity with the elements was very high. "Three elements?" Vishirk eximed, his eyes widening in surprise. "Light magic, spirit magic, and water magic!" he eximed again. Everyone in the room, including Rowan, was shocked at the results. Ri''s smile grew even brighter as she witnessed their amazement. She was also curious. Water and light magic were understandable, but what about spirit magic? she wondered. She couldn''t contain her curiosity and immediately asked the question that was bothering her. Dragun exined excitedly, "Spirit magic is a very advanced elemental affinity to awaken. At its peak, other rare affinities like void and dream magic might also be awakened. Unfortunately, you can only start cultivating spirit magic after bing a Tier-1 mage." Vishirk was beyond shocked as he gazed at Ri. In his mind, he thought, "If she were in Yellow River City, all the great magic institutions would approach her. An archmage might even recruit her because of her elemental affinities! I''m so jealous!" Rowan listened to the discussion, gaining a better understanding of spirit magic. He was genuinely happy that Ri had been able to awaken it. He thought to himself, "When I finally get my mana core, I''ll make sure to copy everything!" Dragun and Vishirk stayed a few more minutes. Before leaving with Vishirk, Dragun handed Ri two basic water magic spell scrolls: Water Ssh and Bubble Shield. After they left, Rowan examined the scrolls, but he couldn''t understand what was written. It was as though he was looking at an ancient script written in an undecipherablenguage. He asked, "System, can you interpret this?" [Negative!] The system responded with a blunt answer. Rowan cursed, "Fucking useless system!" "Let me take a look, darling," Ri said as she gently took the scrolls from him. She unwrapped them and began reading; there was no change in her expression, and Rowan instantly realized that she could actually read and understand what was written. He asked her, and she confirmed his thoughts with a nod. He mused, "Strange, it seems only those with a mana core or affinity for the spell''s specific element can read the spells. The magic system in this world is soplicated and unique; I love it." Ri finished reading, her eyes shining with profound understanding. She stretched out her hands and began to chant. "Water Ssh!" she eximed. A small magic circle appeared around her hands, and magically, water materialized out of nowhere, sshing onto Rowan. About a liter of water sshed onto him. It didn''t have much effect on Rowan, except for the natural shock one feels when something of a different temperature contacts the body. Rowan was too shocked to even notice that his robe was soaked. "What! You read, understood, and materialized the spell in less than five minutes!" he eximed. Dragun had made it clear before he left that it would take Ri about seven days to understand the spell and another seven to activate it for the first time. Thus, Rowan was beyond perplexed by her performance. "How did you pull it off so quickly?" he asked. Ri smiled sweetly at him. "It was just too simple. I think I can master and wield the other spell right away as well." She didn''t hesitate after saying this. She opened the other scroll, read everything in a matter of two minutes, stretched out her hands again, and began to chant while Rowan watched in deep shock. "Bubble Shield!" she dered. As soon as Ri finished chanting, a thinyer of shimmering water formed around her. It expanded quickly, creating a translucent dome that enveloped herpletely. The bubble shield glowed softly under the room''s light. Rowan''s eyes widened in disbelief. "T-this is impossible!" At that moment, Rowan suddenly felt like he was the side character to Ri''s main character. Ri smiled proudly. "It feels so natural and easy to learn and activate." Rowan couldn''t reply and just stared at her for a few seconds. Ri continued to smile merrily at him. He gritted his teeth as he felt a surge of desire rising. He pounced on Ri, and they bothnded softly on the bed. "Rowan~" Ri gasped, her cheeks flushing a delicate pink. Rowan didn''t let her finish and immediately covered her lips with a kiss. The simple, romantic kiss soon turned into two hours of passionate lovemaking before the couple finally rxed. Before going to sleep, Rowan checked his novice ranking and other stats. Tomorrow was going to be hectic as he would be traveling to Winterseed II; he needed to rest. Chapter 160: Migration [ 10 ] The next day arrived swiftly, and Rowan was already prepared to depart from the vige. He discussed his departure and the duration of his stay at Winterseed II with the captains. The captains volunteered to apany him, even though they knew he was more than capable of taking care of himself. Rowan politely declined and thanked them for their kind offers before meeting with Vishirk and Dragun. With both of them present, Rowan wasn''t worried about any danger befalling the vige during his absence. Before leaving, he made sure all the necessary arrangements were in ce, giving final instructions to ensure everything would run smoothly while he was gone. Afterwards, Rowan and ze left the vige. They sprinted down thene that ran through the forest on the north side of the vige¡ªthe one that bordered Winterseed II. The forest was dense and full of life, with tall trees casting shadows over the path and the sounds of wildlife echoing around them. Since they were alone, Rowan and ze had no reason to slow down, they raced through, covering a long distance in a short time. ze''s magical aura drew out some demonic beasts from the forest that tried to challenge him, but he easily sted them away with Fireballs and me Disks. Rowan also took the opportunity to earn some evolution points by ying some of the demonic beasts. At their pace, they reached the gate of Winterseed II in just three hours. Rowan and ze were instantly recognized by the soldiers guarding the gate, who hurried to open it. "Wee back, Lord Rowan." The soldiers greeted him while opening the gate. He nodded at them in response. "You came at the right time, Lord Rowan. Something strange is happening to Ren!" the soldiers reported, hints of sadness and worry in their voices. Rowan couldn''t admit that Ren was actually the reason he came, so he pretended he had just learned of his condition. "What is happening to him? Is he alright?" he asked with genuine concern. The soldiers shook their heads. "We don''t even know if he''s okay or not. He''s been asleep for more than twenty-four hours without any signs of waking up," the soldiers exined to Rowan. They even mentioned how the elders in the vige presumed he was unconscious and tried to wake him with traditional methods but failed. "His family has been really down, they''re scared he won''t make it," the soldiers continued. Rowan listened attentively and told them to take him to Ren. They led him to Ren''s ce, where a small crowd was gathered outside. As soon as they saw him, the crowd greeted Rowan. Rowan waved at them and went to check on his deputy. Inside, Ren was lying on the bed, surrounded by his family¡ªhis beautiful middle-aged wives and his two lovely, really pretty daughters. The room was filled with a tense silence, broken only by the soft sounds of their worried breathing. Rowan was quite surprised to see Ren''s good-looking family, but he was too concerned about Ren''s condition to dwell on it. He immediately looked around the room and telepathically asked ze to sniff out any traces of dream mixture. ze confirmed his suspicions¡ªthere were traces of dream mixture in the room. "This is not a simple coincidence at all," Rowan thought. Ren''s family immediately realized who Rowan was upon seeing the huge and powerful me monster walking closely beside him. After they returned from the other vige where Ren had hidden them before the war, they heard stories of the young and handsome Lord of Winterseed, who had defeated and taken over Glenwood with the help of his soldiers and his magical pet. Thus, upon seeing the handsome Rowan with his powerful magical pet, they knew who he was and stood up to greet him with a bow. "Lord Rowan, thank you foring," Maryanne said softly. Rowan nodded at their greetings and inquired about Ren''s condition. "My father went to sleep perfectly fine the night before all this. He was with us outside, taking in fresh air before retiring to his room to rest..." Ren''s youngest daughter began exining, a worried expression on her face. While she was exining, Rowan checked her stats and those of her mother and sister. --- [ Maryanne ] [ upation: Midwife ] [ Special Skills: Midwifery (C) ] [ Status: Worried ] [ Ophelia ] [ upation: Cook ] [ Special Skills: Cooking (C) ] [ Status: Worried ] [ Shelia ] [ upation: Cook ] [ Special Skills: Cooking (C) ] [ Status: Worried ] --- Maryanne is Ren''s wife, Ophelia is his oldest daughter, and Shelia is the youngest. "Impressive stats," Rowan muttered after observing them. "Can you help my father? I don''t want to lose him," Shelia said worriedly. "He will be okay," Rowan replied reassuringly. He did a quick analysis on Ren, and it was exactly the same as Liara''s. They were perfectly fine health-wise, their state was as though they were asleep, but the downside was that none of them seemed to be waking up anytime soon. At this point, Rowan was forced to trust his initial intuition that their condition was not a minor coincidence. If both of them were from advanced Earth, where they could easilymunicate with phones, Rowan might have believed they had called each other and agreed to make and drink the dream mixture at the same time. Sadly, this world wasn''t Earth, andmunication wasn''t that advanced. Rowan consoled the family once more before leaving the room with ze. The first thing he did was to go check on the soldiers. He inspected the soldiers and noticed that most of them had improvements in their skills. Their Swordmaster skills, which were usually rank F, had advanced to E and D ranks for most of them. It was a great improvement. A few elders took it upon themselves to exin to Rowan what had been happening in the vige, since Ren wasn''t in a state to do so. They even told him about the savior who came to the vige, how valiant and strong he was. They thanked Rowan for sending him to save them. "His bravery inspired all of us," one elder remarked. "He fought off bandits and protected our homes." After speaking with the elders, Rowan went to inspect the farms and was greeted with a pleasant surprise. The farnd in Winterseed II was about twice as big as that of Winterseed. However, not all the farnd was used for growing crops, about a quarter of thend was used for rearing livestock. Chickens, sheep, cows¡ªall kinds of livestock were present on the farm. Veryrge wooden enclosures were built around the livestock. Currently, many farmers wearingrge robes and makeshift gloves could be seen feeding the cattle withrge amounts of fresh grass. Rowan was quite surprised to see how well-maintained the livestock farm was. Livestock was quite popr back when he yed Emperor''s Domain, but only a few yers with special skills could actually rear them. Those who didn''t possess the special skills could still rear livestock, but there was always a 99% chance the livestock would develop deadly symptoms and die afterward. Rowan was one of those yers without the special skill. "Looks like things are different here," he thought, observing the healthy animals. Thankfully, this was the real world of Emperor''s Domain, and skills were not necessarily needed to keep the livestock alive. Also, it''s not like Rowan would be the one taking care of the livestock personally, so it wouldn''t be much trouble. The farmers working noticed him and immediately came to greet him. "Good day, Lord Rowan!" they called out, smiling warmly. Rowan responded, and without hesitation, he proceeded to the important matter, inquiring about the livestock. They discussed with Rowan, and he learned that most of the animals on the farm had given birth. "Lord Rowan, are you interested? If you are, we can give you all the young ones, especially the chickens and cattle. The young ones of the sheep are about two months old, so they are not advisable," they offered. Rowan nodded and inquired about the numbers. "We have about three thousand chicks and up to one hundred calves avable," they reported. Rowan''s eyes widened¡ªthe amount avable was already more than enough. "I am sure this will make the farmers very delighted. I might even earn some evolution points," he smirked. "I will take all of them when leaving," Rowan told the farmers. The problem he had right now was mobility. How would he be able to move so many animals at the same time? Even the carriage D''andre left wouldn''t be able to carry so many animals at once. Rowan pondered the issue for a few seconds before an idea appeared in his mind. "If only I had a way to transport them all efficiently," he mused. ..... Ri was up, carrying out her usual tasks when suddenly a voice appeared in her head. "Ri?" The voice was so gentle and serene. She didn''t even feel any sort of fear when she first heard it, she even replied, "Yes, darlin''," in a calm voice, thinking Rowan was beside her. But the realization quickly dawned on her a few secondster. "Rowan is not at home, how am I hearing his voice? Am I thinking of his voice because I miss him already?" she asked herself inwardly. But then the same voice sounded in her head once again. "Ri, it''s me, Rowan. I''mmunicating with you telepathically," he exined. Rowan spoke to her gently and exined everything before she finally rxed and listened to his words. "I want you to tell Dragun toe meet me at Winterseed II... also inform him that there is a dream mixture here," Rowan''s voice said to her. "Dream mixture?" She questioned mentally, she hadn''t heard that name before. "I will exin when I get back, Dragun would understand if you tell him that." She nodded to herself, realizing the urgency. "I''ll let him know right away," she replied mentally. Chapter 161: Migration ( 11 ) ( Sorry for the dummy and repeat chapter yesterday ) Rowan and ze spent the night in Winterseed II. The people of Winterseed were very happy that their strong Lord was present. They felt a lot safer with him around. Rowan went to check on Ren several times while in the vige. His family became increasingly worried as time went by. They were scared they were going to lose their husband and father. While Rowan tried his best to console them, he couldn''t really stop them from worrying about Ren. To be honest, if anyone was experiencing this, one wouldn''t be able topletely stop them from worrying¡ªunless they hated the person in question or they were the cause of his condition. It was nighttime, and Rowan was currently sitting in a beautiful room with a look of contemtion on his face. He recalled the words of Dragun a few days ago. "There is and rich with everything you''d ever imagine¡ªbeautiful and big houses, blossoming farnds, mana, and everything you ever desire, even a mighty pce for the leader. Thisnd is at least twenty times bigger than this vige, including the farnds, so just imagine how big and spacious it is?" The words of Dragun still yed in his head. The description of the ce was like a dreand for every Lord since they wouldn''t have to build anything. And in such a ce, organizing and maintaining the territory would be really simple. However, sadly, ording to Dragun, there was a lot of mystery surrounding thend. ''He said everyone in the ce suddenly disappeared and the cause is unknown,'' Rowan pondered. ''He mentioned that it might be that the people had migrated just like we''re nning now or some mysterious creature took or chased all of them away.'' Rowan recalled all the topics of the discussion with Dragun. No matter what it takes, Rowan wants to move his people to that ce, and he needs the help of Dragun for it. ''I just hope it is migration and nothing else,'' Rowan thought with a sigh before opening his system and entering the novice ranking. ----[ NOVICE RANKING ]---- Total positions - 9028 Your position - 7808 (¡ø277) --> Current reurring rewards: NONE (Enter top 1000 to obtain your first reaction reward) Do you want to view the top 10? Cost: 100,000 evolution points --- "Hmm, my rank has been shooting up pretty fast since the first hunt. It seems improving the soldiers contributes more to the novice ranking than anything. My power evolution was only able to increase my rank by 60, but the growth of soldiers is pushing the ranks pretty good. Who knows, maybe I''ll finally enter top three thousand when the soldiers are done with their first evolution," Rowan noted with a hopeful smile. He checked his other stats. --- RANK: FF-rank TITLE: Fief Chief TERRITORIES: Winterseed, Winterseed II AREA: 60 square kilometers POPULATION: 5,000+ RESOURCES: (Click to view all) Rowan Winterseed AGE: 18 HEALTH: 100% POWER: E-rank Titles: Merciless Killer Lv1, Trap master Lv1, Conqueror EVOLUTION POINT: 925,500,000 SKILLS: SS-rank 100x reward, SS-rank copy, SS-rank eyes of revtion, SS-rank merge, SS-rank beast taming, S-rank Super Voice, A-rank Resistance, C-rank Sword Grandmaster, B-rank night vision, D-rank Herbal Knowledge, F-rank muscle strengthening. LINKED CHARACTERS Ri Vincred: Wife (View stat?) Ren Jora: Deputy lord (View stat?) WHEEL INVENTORY QUEST CRITERIA(s) --- Rowan studied his stats for a few seconds. He didn''t have enough free time in the past few days to analyze his character status. "I don''t have much use for evolution points currently, let me evolve my skills," Rowan noted. He immediately began improving the skills lower than A-rank. [ Skill: Sword Grandmaster has reached its peak ----- de Saint (A) ] [ Sword Saint: You be one with all ded weapons, chances of creating a new skill with ded weapons is 90% ] [ Skill: Night Vision has reached its peak ----- Eclipse Sight (A) ] [ Eclipse Eyes: Grants perfect vision in total darkness, uncovering hidden objects and invisible foes. ] [ Skill: Herbal Knowledge has reached its peak ---- Herbal Sage (B) ] [ Herbal Sage: Your understanding of herbs and their uses far transcend that of any herbalist. ] [ Skill: Muscle strengthening has reached its peak ----- Muscle Man (B) ] [ Muscle Man: Your body bes hard enough to resist simple physical attacks and exert more physical strength ] Rowan went through a lot of improvements in a matter of minutes after improving all his skills. His vision became so bright and clear in the room¡ªhe could spot the lines of ants moving in a corner of the room, he could even see the tiniest particles of sand. He also felt that his knowledge of swords had improved greatly even without holding one. In his brain, it was as though a series of interesting and powerful sword moves had been installed. Rowan took off his shirt and stared at his body, which had be so refined and muscr. His muscles weren''t extremely big and bulky like professional bodybuilders on Earth, but just one look would inform onlookers that he was not someone to be messed with. If he shouldpete in the highest level of boxing and wrestling, he would knock out ten opponents at once with just his physique. As for his improved herbal knowledge, he didn''t have the chance to test that out tonight. With nothing to do, Rowan spoke to Ri telepathically and ensured she was alright before going to sleep. ze had already returned to the divine beast in. --- Time flew by, and the next morning quickly arrived. Rowan was awoken by themotion outside. He could hear the voices of the people screaming "Savior" and immediately knew who it was. Rowan went to have his bath quickly before going outside to wee Dragun. "Ri told me about the dream mixture. Where is it? Did someone in this vige take the concoction? Who is it?" Dragun shot Rowan with a series of questions the moment he spotted him. Rowan did not bother speaking and led him to Ren. Dragun first greeted Maryanne and her daughters before going to Ren. Dragun inspected his body and even tried to use healing magic, but just like Liara, it failed to activate. A frown stered on his face, he turned to Rowan and signaled they should go out of the room. "This is not a coincidence anymore. The creature is involved!" Chapter 162: Migration ( 12 ) Rowan wasn''t a bit surprised when he heard those words from Dragun. He already suspected and epted that everything happening with Ren and Liara was anything but coincidence. "Can you tell me more about this night creature? Its name, appearance, powers?" he inquired. He thought that if he could get the name, he might be able to use the system to analyze his current situation more effectively. Dragun sighed deeply and looked at Rowan with concern. "Do you really want to know about this creature?" "Of course, why not?" "Hmm," Dragun nodded briefly and began. "The creature is known as the Dream Weaver. It has existed in this world since its creation, ording to legends. It''s neither a monster nor a demonic beast, nor human either." "Although the Dream Weaver has been existing for millennia, not much is known about it, not even its appearance is clear. Nothing about it is clear except its existence." Dragun continued¡ªhe told Rowan that many mages believe the Dream Weaver was part of the ancient soul mages who ascended and became a lifeform of their own. He also told Rowan so many mysterious stories about it. But the more Dragun narrated, the more confused Rowan became. The stories were filled with contradictions and enigmas, making it hard for him to grasp the true nature of the Dream Weaver. "How are you sure it''s the Dream Weaver''s handiwork if no one has seen it and no one truly understands it?" "The Dream Weaver is the only existence that pulls stunts like these," Dragun began and exined everything to Rowan. Only after hearing his exnation did Rowan believe. But this made him even more worried about what would be the fate of Liara and Ren. They are both people he is pretty close with and people that held much importance in his territory. "If the Dream Weaver wanted those two dead, they would''ve been dead the moment it set its eyes on them. Since they are alive, it means it has other tasks for them, and we have to watch out keenly." "Do not even think of killing it. It''s immortal and unkible, and the simple thought of killing it might set a death target on your head," Dragun warned. Rowan nodded his head. He didn''t have anything against the Dream Weaver as long as it didn''t mess with the life and health of his people. After both of them were done discussing, Dragun went back inside and requested to see Ren''s workce. Maryanne stood up and took them to the room Ren utilized in carrying out his herbal practice. Dragun and Rowan did not have to search the room as the wooden bowl containing the dream mixture was still on the work table. Dragun did the same test he did at Winterseed. "These ones also have high purity," Dragun muttered to himself as he stored the dream mixture. Rowan was curious and couldn''t help but ask, "I am curious, what use do you have for the dream liquid? You seem so interested in obtaining it." "I need more of these for the brewing of one of the greatest potions! It will aid not just me but the vige and the magic world together!" Dragun exined with so much determination and excitement in his voice. "Hmm." Rowan nodded. After they were done at Ren''s ce. Rowan took Dragun to the farms and showed him the livestock. "Wow, they are taking extremely good care of the livestock for a ce this little and underdeveloped," Dragun noted while observing the farm. Rowan proceeded to tell him of his n to take arge number of young animals home for rearing. "That is not a problem. I need twenty-four hours to set the formation and make other preparations," Dragun excused himself. Rowan was not in a hurry to leave, so it wasn''t that much of a problem to him. In fact, he looked forward to spending the extra time exploring the vige further and perhaps deepening his understanding of the local customs and people. For now, he decided to rx and wait for Dragun to conclude his preparation. --- Wishiros Country Aurorhaven Kingdom Aurorhaven is the name of the central kingdom of Wishiros country, known for its impressive military might. The Lord of Aurorhaven is mostly addressed as the top powerhouse of Wishiros due to his strength and power to dominate his foes. About ny percent of the top organizations, except the underground ones, in Wishiros are under his control. In the middle of Aurorhaven Kingdom exists the CASTLE OF MIGHT, the home of the great leader of Wishiros. It''s the safest and most feared ce in the country and part of the top ten in the continent. Inside a big and beautiful hall in the Castle of Might, two figures could be seen sitting and discussing with each other. One was sitting on a golden and red throne, he was a very handsome middle-aged man with short and bright red hair with blue eyes, adorned in a beautiful robe that revealed his high nobility. Sitting casually not too far away from him was D''andre. His long white hair was tied in a ponytail as usual and his face shone gorgeously. Some of the maids standing in the hall could not take their eyes off him. A few of the guards also found him interesting. "I still won''t believe your crap, D''andre," the one on the throne let out with a frown. "Haha, Mario, my friend, even in the real world of Emperor''s Domain, your superiorityplex as Venerable Mario still hasn''t changed. You always find it difficult to believe others might be better than you," D''andreughed heartily. Mario snorted, "Superiorityplex, my foot. Every other transmigrator in this world right now would find your words unbelievable just like me. How can you im that the lord of a mere FF-rank territory has more wealth than lords of E and even D-rank territories?" "Why would I lie about something like that? I am telling you the truth. This guy is stinking rich in evolution points, you should be there to see the way he spent millions of evolution points without a single change of expression," D''andre responded to Mario. Mario still refused to believe and both of them had a little back and forth argument beforeing to a conclusion. "The Novice Territory Lord event woulde up very soon. He will surely be invited. Since you and I are special guests, we will be able to see him and you''ll get to see I am telling the truth. We can bet on it." D''andre smirked. "Aiit," Mario snorted and agreed. "I am going to visit his territory very soon. I will make sure to share the shocking amount he spends this time, haha," D''andre let out jokingly. Both of them had a little discussion for a few minutes before D''andre left. Mario sat down in his throne and stared at his character status featuring billions of evolution points and pretty special skills. "How can anyone be better and richer than I? The venerable Mario, greatest yer of Emperor''s Domain, ten times E-sport award winner¡ªthat is just unbelievable." He snorted and closed his window. He turned to one of the maids in the room. "Call my seventh wife... I need her divine mouth and hands to calm my raging heart right now." Chapter 163 : Migration ( 13 ) Dragun managed toplete the teleportation formation in less than twenty-four hours and promptly informed Rowan about it. Before preparing to leave, Rowan went to visit Ren and his family once again. Last night, while sleeping, he rethought Dragun''s words and made a firm decision to take Ren with him to Winterseed so he could observe him keenly. His family were not against the idea, they believed in and trusted Rowan to take care of their husband and father wholeheartedly. After settling this, Rowan went to meet with the soldiers near the north walls of the vige. Since the vige square was upied by Dragun''s teleportation formation, Rowan could only speak with them there. He spoke to them for several minutes and carefully chose the best among them to act as a leader in the vige while he and Ren were away. The man he picked was called Captain Michael¡ªhe was one of the best captains aside from Stanis. However, during thest war, he had been very sick and didn''t apany the other captains who lost their lives. Michael was middle-aged with a refined build, exuding both strength and a sense of calm leadership. He was currently bowing before Rowan, his head touching the ground in a gesture of deep respect andmitment. "I will ensure the vige remains safe and peaceful," Michael vowed wholeheartedly, his voice steady and sincere. "I know you will," Rowan smiled briefly. "If you find any decision hard to make, you can inform me, and I''ll help you with it, alright?" "How?" Michael wondered aloud, contemting how he would be able tomunicate with Rowan effectively. Would he have to undertake the over twenty-hour journey to Winterseed each time he needed Rowan''s help? "You will discover it very soon," Rowan replied with a reassuring tone. Michael had no choice but to trust his words. Michael had already been registered as a linked character by the system, somunicating with him would be easy and efficient. After he was done speaking with the soldiers, Rowan left and met with Dragun. Dragun stood before therge vige square, where a massive magic formation capable of holding over five hundred people was clearly visible. A group of Winterseed II vigers were also moving the chicks and calves into the vige square, working diligently to ensure everything was in ce. Rowan approached Dragun. "The people in this vige are really supportive. I managed to finish everything faster than I expected, thanks to their help. They''ll have all the animals moved in within the hour," Dragun said with a proud smile while observing the intricate details of the formation. All he needed to do afterward was tear the high-grade teleportation magic slip in his possession, no chanting was required. However, using a high-grade teleportation magic slip at his current level would significantly drain his mana reserves, a risk he was willing to take. About an hour passed, and thest viger brought the final calf into the formation. The area was filled with the lively noises of the animals as they moved around, getting used to their new environment. Almost at the same time, Michael helped bring the unconscious body of Ren to Rowan. Rowan gave him a nod of appreciation and took Ren''s body from him gently. Maryanne and her two daughters stood afar with sad expressions worn on their faces. Rowan also gave them a nod, and they waved at him tearfully. "Are you set?" Dragun asked, his voice calm and authoritative. Rowan nodded and stepped into the formation, feeling the warmth of the little chicks pecking at his legs. Dragun smiled and drew a golden slip from his spatial pouch with practiced ease. He tore the slip and immediately threw it into the center of the formation. Instantly, the drawn formation began lighting up, covering the area in a blinding glow and a soft, gradually intensifying humming sound. Rowan observed everything with a calm expression, watching the glow spread across the formation methodically. A few secondster, the glow intensified, and that was thest thing Rowan saw before he felt a gentle wind blow against his face. He opened his eyes and looked around. "So fast," he muttered in amazement. They were now standing in the vige square of Winterseed. Fortunately, no one was present at the vige square at that exact moment. But there were vigers nearby, going about their daily activities. At that moment, they all stood still, looking at them with widened eyes in astonishment. The sudden appearance of Rowan and Dragun shocked them the most, but they were even more surprised by the sight of the chicks and calves surrounding them. They stood at a distance, staring at the vige square, some even wondering if they were dreaming. "Is this real?" "Lord Rowan and Dragun just appeared out of nowhere, and they''re surrounded by thousands of little animals! I think I''m dreaming, someone please wake me up!" "This can''t be real!" Rowan received certain notifications about their current confusion, their reactions were as natural as could be, reflecting genuine surprise and awe. Some of the soldiers nearby approached to greet Rowan after recovering from their initial shock. They took Ren from him and carried him to the ce Rowan had instructed with efficiency. For now, Rowan decided to remain and take care of the animals at the vige square while constructing shelters for them. He didn''t bother exining the situation to the people, right now, he wanted to harvest as many evolution points from the farmers as possible. He sent some of the vigers to inform the farmers, and within minutes, they were all present at the vige square, staring at therge number of livestock moving around. ra was the most excited, her eyes were fixated on them as though she had just found a chest full of precious gold. Rowan smiled upon seeing the nine hundred thousand evolution points he had gained just from ra. The other farmers were still processing the scene before them, and it took another five minutes before they epted reality and began thanking and praising Rowan enthusiastically. "We swear to take care of these livestock and make them flourish beyondprehension!" "Look at those cute little chicks! I can''t wait to take care of them and raise them into big, fat cocks... and hens!" The farmers expressed their joy with genuine smiles and heartfelt enthusiasm. Rowan earned up to twenty million from all of them, which was a significant profit considering he hadn''t actually spent anything to obtain the livestock. "With my current strength and speed, and the materials avable, I''ll be able to build the shelter for all the animals in less than twenty-four hours!" Rowan thought to himself optimistically. "Before that, I need to find a spot not too far from the farms. That way, moving feed to the animals and transporting their waste, which would be used as manure for the crops, would be easier," Rowan continued nning meticulously. If he kept the shelter too close to the farm, the farmers would spend most of their work time inhaling the stench, which might result in disease. Rowan wanted to prevent that by all means, ensuring the health and productivity of the farmers. He summarized his ns clearly and told the farmers about them, outlining each step with precision. The farmers happily left after hearing his ns, their faces alight with hope, but their representatives remained to hold a brief meeting with Rowan. "Lord Rowan, there is a good spot not far from the farm. While you were away, I had the supportive soldiers help clear away the grass," ra said to Rowan, her voice filled with pride. A smile quickly shed across Rowan''s face, he hadn''t expected that ra would actually take care of clearing thend for him so efficiently. "I believed your words that you would bring livestock soon. Knowing how it goes, I decided to clear thend and make the task easier for you. I could have built the shelter myself if only I knew how," ra continued with a self-disappointed smile, showing her dedication. "You already did a great job clearing thend. I was nning to do that when I arrived, but you''ve saved me that effort. Thank you very much, ra," Rowan thanked her sincerely, appreciating her initiative. ra felt truly ttered by his words, her eyes shining with gratitude. She discussed matters with Rowan for a few minutes, ensuring all details were covered before he left to meet Ri. --- Meanwhile, at the hideout of the Cult of Ember Justice, Alister gazed intently into a magical mirror that revealed the scenes unfolding in Winterseed. A sharp smirk crossed his face as he observed the progress with keen interest. Two figures dressed in dark robes, wearing red masks that emitted a red misty aura, stood beside him and let out menacing chuckles. "Your n is going smoothly, the cult would be very proud," one of them remarked, his voice filled with dark satisfaction. Chapter 164 : Migration ( 14 ) The next day quickly arrived¡ªRowan set out very early in the morning for the farms to start constructing the shelter for the animals. This time, unlike before, Rowan was going to work on the project alone without the assistance of any of his soldiers, as he wanted them to focus their time and effort on perfecting their skills since they would soon be going out for a series of long and tedious hunts. The soldiers took his words seriously, and they spent their time practicing and perfecting their skills. Most of them even spent their free time practicing nonstop. Some even had sleepless nights just to perfect their skills. A great chaos wasing, and they were the only defense against it, so they refused toze around. Vishirk and Dragun went to meet Ri to assist her with her magic cultivation. They were surprised to see that she had mastered the spells they had given her in a very short amount of time. Both of them even began to wonder what sort of powerful god had blessed her with such insane talent. Since she had mastered the basic spells, Dragun decided to focus on improving her magic cultivation instead. He wanted to be a mage as soon as she could in order to start practicing more light and spirit magic. Ri was really lucky¡ªsince she could learn skills faster than normal, she had more time on her hands to use enchanted embroidery. After she awakened her magic, she even began to think about imbuing special spells into the robes¡ªlike healing spells so no one would be sick anymore. As for sewing new clothes, the vige was currently short on raw materials for that. The women had already mastered how to use the sewing machine forplex sewing tasks. All that was left now were raw materials to put their newly acquired skills to the test. Aside from all these, Liara and Ren were still unconscious. Dragun had tried all he could, even using specific healing potions on them, but they had no effect. Their families became even more worried as time flew by quickly. They were really worried that both of them might die of starvation. ¡­ At the farm, Rowan could be seen building the shelter at an incredibly fast speed. He was able to carry three big logs of wood at the same time. Only three hours had passed, and Rowan had alreadypleted digging and setting up the foundation for the shelter. He was already done with at least 30% of the task in a very short amount of time, something that would have taken the soldiers at least 30 hours toplete. In fact, his speed was so insane that some farmers found it difficult to focus on their tasks and could only watch him. Sometimes, they couldn''t see Rowan clearly as his movement became a blur in their perspective. They could only be amazed by his speed. ¡­ Not so far away from the vige, D''andre could be seen strolling through the dark forest with a casual smile on his face. He took long, confident strides through the grassyne, his body emitting a strong magical aura that drew the monsters around him closer. Some of the monsters and demonic beasts fled, while others tried to send him out of their territory. However, those monsters were wiped out with a simple flip of D''andre''s fingers as though they were nothing. A C-rank Earth Elephant with the ability to manipte the earth around it attacked him. A monster of this rank would be able to ughter a group of ten thousand F-rank soldiers in a matter of minutes. However, this insane monster was taken down with a simple flick of his finger, disying how insanely strong D''andre was. At the moment, D''andre could be seen stepping on the corpses of demonic wolves he had just in with the same smile on his face. "It''s been a very long time since I actually yed monsters. I have gotten way stronger than I was back then. I can take down stronger monsters that would''ve taken me minutes or even hours back then, in a matter of seconds," D''andre muttered to himself proudly. Even with the demonic beasts and monstersing to challenge him from time to time, his mind did not drift away from the thought of meeting ra. He could still recall how cold she treated him even after all the help he had offered, and it made him more determined to break her cold demeanor and make her fall in love with him. "As long as I keep my rizz up, her cold walls will shatter and she will love me," D''andre said with a smirk. Aside from the thoughts of getting ra, D''andre did not stop wondering if Rowan had evolved his territory. "Rowan is a genius and should''ve won the war with that vige already. I am sure his territory might have evolved after the war if he actually yed his cards right," he continued. If Rowan''s territory actually evolved, then D''andre would be able to sell more expensive items to him, which would give him more profit. "I wonder when the novice territory lord tournament would begin. I can''t wait to see how strong Rowan really is," he muttered and increased his walking pace. D''andre decided to stretch his body a little bit by hunting monsters and demonic beasts before going to Winterseed. He brought a small red whistle from his inventory and blew on it. A faint sound drifted across his area, reaching the ears of every demonic beast and monster around him. Like a miraculous bait, all the monsters and demonic beasts who heard the sound, both weak and strong, began sprinting towards his location. Their thumping sounds and cries slowly filled the atmosphere, causing D''andre to smile. "This is what I am talking about." Heughed heartily before drawing out a sword from his inventory. The sword was a magnificent mix of red and gold, giving it a somewhat majestic feel as it began to glow menacingly. The monsters and demonic beasts, numbering in the thousands¡ªmostly E and D-rank and a few C-ranks¡ªformed a circle around him. Their eyes were filled with bloodthirst. Even the weak monsters felt strong at this moment. The effect of the magical sound twisted their mentality and only pushed them to fight and not think, giving them a big boost in hunger that caused them to go super bloodlust in the fight. This number of monsters would definitely tear Rowan to pieces with his current E-rank powers. But D''andre saw it as a yground and began ughtering them by swinging his sword and taking down tens of them with one swing. --- It was evening, and Rowan had concluded constructing the shelter for the animals. He could be seen standing shirtless, staring at the shelter he had just built with a smile on his face. It looked exactly like the shelter on Earth, but way bigger with a pretty outdated structure. Nevertheless, it was more than enough to take care of the animals for the meantime. While Rowan observed the vast structure he had solely constructed, the farmers and some other vigers began moving the animals into the shelter. ra and the other representatives stood behind to give instructions and ensure the work was done orderly to prevent any issues in the future. The ce was filled with the sounds of the animals and the discussions of the people around. Rowan stayed nearby until the farmers were done moving all the animals into the shelter. He was about to step out and thank them for their efforts when he received a notification that made him smile. [ You have obtained LIVESTOCK ] [ AGRICULTURE has improved to E ] Rowan nodded his head with a neutral smile. He expected some sort of rewards, but even without any, he was still satisfied with his achievement. Rowan was about to speak with the farmers when he heard a loud voice scream¡ª"The Angel is back!!" It wasing from the soldiers at the guardhouse close to the farms. Rowan immediately suspected who it was and prayed in his heart that his guess was correct. "The angel?" "Is the angel really back?" Some of the youngdies amongst the farmers became distracted at once after hearing that name. Rowan observed their reactions and shook his head. The youngdies didn''t even wait for him to speak before rushing towards the location of the voice. They all wished to see the gorgeous face of D''andre once again. The older farmers were also curious and determined to meet D''andre. Thest time he was in their vige, he had helped them with a lot of issues, especially providing food for them. So his name and title were etched in their hearts. ra stayed behind while the others rushed out. Her eyes were fixed on Rowan. Rowan immediately knew what was going through her mind, and a n quickly appeared in his head. ''If I help D''andre by wooing ra, I''m sure I would earn some really nice favors from him. Who knows, he might reward me with a billion evolution points, hehe,'' he thought. Without wasting time, he kicked off his n. He took ra with him to meet D''andre. Chapter 165: Migration ( 15 ) When Rowan reached the guardhouse, he saw a group of soldiers gathered around D''andre, who was performing impressive magic tricks to entertain them. The air was filled withughter and amazement as D''andre showcased his abilities, his hands moving gracefully to weave spells. "Look at this," D''andre said with a cheeky smile. He mixed light and wind magic together to create several fast-spinning, small balls of light that danced in the air around him, leaving trails of luminescence. "Wow! So cool!" "Incredible! I''ve never seen anything like it!" "If I could do that, I''d be married by now!" The young soldiers were easily drawn to the awe-inspiring tricks of D''andre, their eyes wide with wonder as they pped and cheered. D''andre was still performing when he spotted Rowan and ra approaching from a distance. His smile brightened immediately; he called off the spell, causing the glowing orbs to vanish into sparks, and rushed to meet them. Rowan also smiled and extended his hand to shake D''andre''s. "Wee back to my¡ª" He halted his greeting when D''andre ignored him and walked past to greet ra first. Rowan''s hand remained hanging mid-air, and a flicker of annoyance crossed his face. "My beautiful ra, the woman who has been ruling my dreams with her lovely face since we met," D''andre dered, his eyes shining with admiration. "I can''t wash the thought of your beautiful face out of my head..." He began spewing all the romantic words he could think of, each one more extravagant than thest. Rowan''s face twitched with anger and disappointment; he could not believe D''andre would actually leave his hand hanging just to speak with a woman who might not even fall for him. A mix of irritation and disbelief surged through him as he clenched his outstretched hand into a fist. ''This ridiculous fool!'' Rowan cursed inwardly and turned toward both of them. D''andre leaned in, arms open wide, attempting to embrace ra while pouring out romantic words, but ra gave him her usual cold reaction, stepping back to maintain her distance. She only responded with a simple and neutral "Wee," her face expressionless as she gracefully sidestepped his attempts at a hug. "Come on, don''t be cold with me; my feeble heart will shatter if you keep being this distant," D''andre pleaded, his smile unwavering. He tried another set of wooing words, each more heartfelt than thest, but none of them worked on ra. ''You deserve it, you fool!'' Rowan grinned. The soldiers behind Rowan at this moment were all surprised that even an angelic figure like D''andre could not win the heart of ra. They exchanged nces, murmuring among themselves. "I used to think she ignored me because I wasn''t handsome and strong enough," one soldier whispered. "But seeing how she treats Mister Angel, maybe I''m not that bad." "Yeah, me too! We weren''t the ugly ones; ra just has expensive tastes!" another replied, chuckling softly. The young soldiers whispered among themselves, a mixture of relief and amusement in their voices. Rowan smirked upon hearing their words, finding some sce in the fact that he wasn''t the only one amused by D''andre''s futile attempts. D''andre''s cheeky smile faded after so much rejection. Clearing his throat, he turned to look at Rowan with an awkward smile, as if hoping to erase the earlier slight. He began approaching him, hand stretched out for a handshake. "Wassup, my good friend Rowan, it''s been a long time." ''You expect me to respond to yours when you ignored mine? You must be out of your mind!'' Rowan thought, a sly grin spreading across his face. He did the same thing D''andre did, walking right past him without acknowledging the outstretched hand, causing D''andre''s confidence to waver slightly. "Hahaha, I see your territory has evolved already!" D''andre eximed, trying to brush off the awkwardness. "I have a lot of items avable now. You will definitely love them. I even have a map of the Southreach continent; it includes some dungeons with unique rewards!" He kept his hand extended, attempting to y it off smoothly by speaking casually with Rowan. ''Dungeons with unique rewards! Those were really rare toe by in Emperor''s Domain,'' Rowan thought excitedly. But he shook his head, reminding himself of the earlier slight, feeling pretty disappointed in D''andre''s behavior. "We can''t discuss all that out here," he said firmly, turning on his heel and starting to walk away. ra fell into step beside him without a word. D''andre sighed, realizing he might have pushed things too far, and followed them toward the meeting hall. --- At the meeting hall, Rowan and D''andre could be seen sitting opposite each other. Rowan had a neutral expression on his face while D''andre wore his usual cheeky smile. "To be able to evolve your territory in less than a month of transmigration, you are really something special, Rowan," said D''andre, leaning back in his chair. "Makes me wonder why you weren''t popr on Earth with this insane prowess," he continued, raising an eyebrow. Rowan only snorted; back then, he didn''t possess as many high-quality skills as he does now. Unlike the lucky and rich yers like Venerable Mario, who had more than enough resources on their hands at any time. "I brought a lot of goodies for you today! Since your territory has reached F-rank, you''ll be able to purchase F-rank and E-rank items. But I''ll warn you not to be surprised at the price of the E-rank ones; they are far more expensive than what you got thest time I was here." Rowan nodded; he was more than prepared already to buy anything. Also, he would love to sell. "You are a merchant; you do not only sell items but you also buy them, right?" he asked. "Of course. Do you have anything you want to sell?" D''andre leaned forward, his interest piqued. "I have a lot of them. Also, I would like to obtain gold coins, and if you can, I want you to connect my vige with other territories around so we could do business and form connections. That''s not too difficult for you, right?" D''andre nodded his head thoughtfully. "I can do all of that, but it''ll cost you a lot. However, I''ll take you as my friend, so I''ll give you a healthy discount." "No problem," Rowan agreed; as long as the cost wasn''t above a billion evolution points, he was more than ready to do it. "You want to sell or buy first? Which one?" Rowan picked sell, and D''andre muttered lowly, "Reveal target inventory." These windows appeared in front of D''andre. At the same time... Rowan was a little confused when he read the texts disyed on the window but revealed it anyway. After all, he had nothing he would like to hide, and even if he revealed the contents to D''andre, he was sure D''andre wouldn''t be able to collect them. After Rowan epted, his inventory was quickly revealed to D''andre. D''andre''s expression crumbled when he saw the items in Rowan''s inventory. "Seven thousand monster cores! Six thousand-plus weapons and many more! What type of monster are you? How were you able to obtain all these in less than two months¡ªheck! I don''t think it''s up to a month!" D''andre yelled out in deep surprise after seeing everything. Rowan already expected this reaction, so he was unfazed. To be honest, he too would be shocked if he saw something like this owned by a mere F-rank territory lord. Holding two thousand monster cores at the same time for an E-rank territory lord is almost impossible. But yet, a mere F-rank territory lord had more! "Are you going to keep staring at them or get on with the reason we are here?" Rowan frowned, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. D''andre looked at him and then at the inventory beforementing loudly, "You are even more insane than Venerable Mario when he was at your level!" Rowan''s interest piqued when he heard the name of the most popr Emperor''s Domain yer. "Venerable Mario also transmigrated?" he asked without wasting time. "Venerable Mario has transmigrated far longer than any other transmigrator I''ve met so far. If he is not the first, then he must be amongst the first ten to transmigrate." D''andre told Rowan so much about Venerable Mario, even sharing how close a friend they were. He recounted tales of their adventures and the challenges they had ovee together. Rowan became curious and wanted to know about the current rank of Venerable Mario, but D''andre quickly shoved his question aside, saying he couldn''t reveal it to him. "He values his privacy, you see." "He will be present at the uing Novice Lord Tournament. I''ve told him about you, and he is pretty eager to meet you as well," said D''andre. "Venerable Mario wants to meet me?" Rowan was pretty surprised. Back on Earth, Venerable Mario was an idol to the gamingmunity, and Rowan was not excluded. Rowan used to watch his gaming streams back then and was able to obtain some important skills that made his gamey better. To think that such a figure was eager to see him made him curious. Unfortunately, D''andre did not clear his curiosity any further. "How much of everything do you want to sell?" D''andre asked, shifting the conversation back to business. "Everything." "What? Are you sure?" D''andre''s eyes widened. "Yes..." "Tell me the price and exchange 50% of them for coins." "Hmm, okay, the system will send you the prices; they are non-negotiable, and do not worry, I have no reason to cheat you." After saying this, D''andre began operating the system in front of him with focused intensity. His fingers moved in the air steadily as he clicked on all the items, navigating through menus only he could see. Each time he clicked on a specific item and amount, a window appeared in front of Rowan. ... ... A series of simr notifications appeared before Rowan. A few minutester, Rowan received a huge amount of evolution points, and severalrge pouches of different coin denominations appeared in his inventory. He nced at the totals, satisfied with the transaction. Chapter 166: Migration ( 16 ) [355 Million Evolution Points have been added] [Coins worth 3.55 Million Gold coins have been added to inventory] Rowan smiled as he read the messages disyed by the system. He had expected his profit to be high, given the recent events, but he never imagined it would be this substantial; the numbers exceeded his wildest expectations. "This is very good! I can finally obtain the awakening potion, awaken my mana core, and finally be able to copy and use magic skills!" he thought, a smile spreading across his face. "You are very rich for an F-rank territory lord; most D-rank territory lords don''t possess this much wealth," D''andremented. "I''m still curious, how did you manage to gain all this in such a short while? What sort of newbie package did you receive after transmigrating? Reward multiplication? 100% loot rate?" he asked. Rowan merely shook his head and told him that he was simply lucky. D''andre was pretty urate in his guesses, but Rowan would be foolish to reveal his skills. Without wasting any time, Rowan proceeded to purchase what he wanted. D''andre opened his store, and all the avable items were revealed to Rowan, causing his eyes to narrow as they focused on the items. As usual, he began by exploring the weapon section. This time, he was able to obtain umon-grade items, which were much more superior and effectivepared to themon-grade ones currently in the possession of his soldiers, promising a significant boost in theirbat abilities. Rowan picked the number of weapons he needed, and a new window opened before him. --- [Purchase WEAPONS] Cost: 67,000,000 PURCHASE? YES/NO --- D''andre''s eyes widened a little as he saw the amount of weapons Rowan was going to purchase at once. Although surprised, he didn''t overreact like thest time. After obtaining the weapons, Rowan moved on to the skill page, which featured a lot of skill books as well as spell books. They were all F & E-rank skills and spells, offering a range of basic to slightly advanced abilities suitable for his current needs. Rowan analyzed all the skill books avable before purchasing the ones he needed. It cost him around twenty million evolution points. In the food supply section, Rowan was lucky to find arge supply of way more food items than thest time, as well as seeds. Luckily, there were food pills and feeds for different livestock avable. "I knew hising to the vige would be a major advantage to me!" Rowan smirked as he confirmed the purchase. Rowan checked all the sections in the store before reaching a section that piqued his interest. --- [MAPS] [Wishiros Detailed Map - 2,000,000 E.P] [Wishiros Treasure Map - 5,000,000 E.P] [Wishiros Dungeon Map - 10,000,000 E.P] --- Rowan clicked on the description of the maps and was pretty excited about their features. The detailed map showcased all the locations in the country, as well as inhabited and unexplorednds. The treasure and dungeon maps pointed out the locations of unexplored treasure caves and dungeons. Rowan had used these two maps while ying the game, so he knew just how important they were. Obtaining one was like obtaining a cheat card to maneuver the game to your advantage. Without wasting any time, Rowan purchased all of them and stored them securely in his inventory, feeling a sense of satisfaction as he did so. He purchased every other thing he needed. "You spent more than 400 million evolution points! You are really insane! If you are looking for someone to be kind to, please do so with me. Gift me one hundred million evolution points, and I''ll see you as my brother!" D''andre let out with an amused smile. Rowan could only snort. Right now, he needed a little bit of information about Wishiros, and he didn''t mind getting it from D''andre. D''andre was willing to engage in conversation as long as he had the free will to run his mouth however he liked. Rowan listened carefully to his yapping, drawing out the useful information. He got to learn important details from him: how the country is currently under the control of a transmigrator. He didn''t mention the name of the transmigrator, but Rowan suspected it was Venerable Mario. Rowan got to learn of some big institutions like magic schools, tournament grounds, and some recurring inheritance contests that take ce every year. ording to him, one wasing up very soon. Aside from those, Rowan learned of a pretty dark secret. "Currently, there is a really powerful dark organization trying to take over Wishiros. I think their name is the Cult of Ember Justice; they''ve destroyed so many territories in thest few months, leaving devastation in their wake," D''andre began with a frown. "Somehow, all these territories they brought to the ground belong to transmigrators, which makes it feel like they are specifically going for such territories," he continued, turning to Rowan with a concerned expression. "I am telling you this because I want you to be extra careful and prepared for the worst." Rowan digested the information with a frown. "A dark organization targeting only transmigrated lords? This is really bad," he pondered. While Rowan was pondering, D''andre gave him a word of advice that made him frown even more, adding to his growing concerns. "Few of the lords who survived the destruction of their very own territories had one thing in particr¡ªthe destruction was brought to them by someone within. So do not fully trust your followers. Also, it''s best if you don''t allow any intruders in; they might just be one of the cultists in disguise," he continued. Only one name came to Rowan''s mind after hearing all this¡ªVishirk! "Vishirk doesn''t look like he could hurt a fly. Could it be him? And if he is really the one, why would he be trying to help me get stronger, knowing I would have to challenge him someday?" Rowan thought about the matter for a moment. "What if Dragun is the one?" His mind wandered even more, considering every possible candidate. Seeing the contemtive expression on Rowan''s face, D''andre could not help but ask, "Is there someone like that in your vige?" "Nah," Rowan denied. "That''s great, keep it that way," D''andre smiled and concluded the topic. Rowan nodded and rxed in his seat. "Is ra taken?" D''andre suddenly asked. "No," Rowan replied casually. "Then let''s make a deal: help me woo her, and I''ll reward you with something useful and expensive." "And what''s that?" "It''s a secret for now," D''andre smirked with a smug expression. "Wait... If you manage to woo her, are you going to take her away from my vige?" Rowan asked the needed question. ra is an important character in terms of agriculture. She is the only one in the vige currently with the ability to take care of the livestock. Without her, the livestock might end up dying from preventable diseases. "Huh? I am a merchant who moves from territory to territory on an hourly basis with less free time for myself. How do you expect me to keep or even take a woman with me?" D''andreughed heartily. "Alright then, I''ll give you tips on how to woo her, but I won''t woo her for you or force her to like you; it goes against my principles," Rowan epted after hearing he wouldn''t be taking her away. "Sure, I''ll appreciate some tips. But what if it fails?" "I assure you it won''t fail; I am an expert in the art of wooing women," Rowan bragged with a proud smirk. D''andre was happy to receive all the help he could get to woo ra. Rowan, on the other hand, did not waste time and shared the tips. He told D''andre about everything he understood about her character, like what she hated and what she loved the most. Rowan ensured to emphasize the fact that she loves rearing animals. He spoke more about how providing her with a mountain of animal feed would help win her heart the easiest. This way, if D''andre provided them, it would help his territory and not just ra, benefiting everyone involved and strengthening their resources. D''andre was so deep in love and lust for ra that he failed to realize he was being yed. "Damn! I know what to do now!" he eximed happily after hearing everything Rowan said. "Yeah, do all that, and just maybe, you might be able to break the cold wall in her heart. Also, don''t be smug and overconfident around her; it''d just reduce your chances," Rowan concluded. D''andre nodded; in his mind, he was already imagining romantic scenes with her. "Least I forget, where is her beautiful sister? I think Liara was her name..." D''andre suddenly asked. --- Almost at the same time. In Bruce''s house. His wife and two other women were currently watching Liara and Ren, who were still deep asleep from consuming the dream potion. Suddenly, both of their mouths opened at the same time as they began speaking in strange, undecipherable tongues. The women stood up quickly and rushed to them. Chapter 167: Migration ( 17 ) The three women observing Liara and Ren suddenly noticed their mouths moving and quickly rushed toward them. However, they halted midway upon witnessing the strange actions urring between the two simultaneously. Their eyes were shut, their bodies immobile, yet their mouths moved in unison, spouting the exact same words over and over again. "B... lurabira... shibira..." Both of them repeated the same strange, undecipherablenguage at the same time. "What is happening?" The women were beyond confused at this point. Bruce''s wife, Melissa, summoned the courage to step closer to her sister. "Liara, wake up! What are you saying?" She tried to wake her but failed. The other women beside her found the situation too strange to even step in. "We should go report this to Lord Rowan. Maybe Dragun could help too," one of them suggested. "I heard the angel has returned to the vige. He could use his angelic power to heal her," the other added. They did not receive a reply from Melissa, so one of them volunteered and left the house to go invite Rowan. While she was away, the other two stayed behind. Melissa looked really worried and tense at the moment. The otherdy tried to warn her to stay away from the two, scared that it was some sort of possession that could affect her. --- Meanwhile, at the meeting hall, Rowan had just finished exining the situation with Ren and Liara to D''andre. "That is strange," D''andre remarked. "Both of them made and drank the same concoction on the same night and fell unconscious at the same time?" He repeated Rowan''s words while pondering. "I think you have some really dark supernatural creature on your tail right now. Given your current power, surviving against one would be akin to challenging a level 99 boss at level 1," he continued. Given D''andre''s talkative nature, it didn''t take him even a minute before he started recounting a series of grim tales¡ªstories of lords he knew who fell to some pretty nasty dark creatures, their fates sealed by forces beyond theirprehension. "One of my friends lost all the young ones to a vitality-sucking dark creature rumored to be a shtriga. "Another was suddenly possessed by a lustful one; it made him go around the vige, forcefully taking the virginity of innocent women. His actions spread across other territories like wildfire, and he was stoned to death even though he tried exining that it wasn''t his intention. "You are my friend, Rowan. I will give you this advice: don''t fuck with dark creatures! They are evil and mostly unkible." D''andre''s stories only made matters worse in Rowan''s mind. Rowan''s eyes furrowed as he began to wonder how to protect himself and his territory from these dark creatures. He inquired from D''andre, and his answer was the same as Dragun''s: "They can''t be caught and they mostly can''t be killed. Just pray none of ''em set their eyes on your territory." "Fucking hell!" Rowan cussed inwardly. His mind ran through every possible solution, including the dark and bloody ones. He was about to ask a certain question when knocks came from the door. "Lord Rowan, someone wants to speak with you¡ªit''s urgent!" It was the voice of the soldiers guarding the perimeter of the meeting hall. "You better go check this out," D''andre warned Rowan. Rowan nodded. Both of them stood up and strolled to the door. Rowan saw the soldiers standing outside, as well as a woman who had a pretty worried expression on her face. She reported what she came here for, her report causing the eyes of D''andre and Rowan to shrink a little bit. "They are speaking but still not awake?" Rowan found it a little bit strange. "Yes, Lord Rowan." Rowan turned to look at D''andre. "I want to see this for myself; who knows, maybe I can be of help." Rowan nodded, and both of them followed the woman who took them to Bruce''s ce. When they got there, it was just as she had described. Ren and Liara were lying immobile on the beds as usual, their eyes tightly shut but their mouths moving, letting out anguage that even Rowan could not understand. Melissa and the other woman in the room rushed to meet Rowan and D''andre and exined the situation to them. Melissa was in tears, fearing she would lose her sister. D''andre frowned upon witnessing the scene. "The ancient Titannguage..." he muttered. "What did you say?" Rowan questioned curiously. "Thenguage they are speaking¡ªit is simr to the ancient Titannguage. Thisnguage is very old and almost extinct. I never tried learning it because there is no one alive who knows and speaks thenguage due to how long it has been extinct," D''andre quickly exined. Rowan listened carefully, and his eyes widened a little bit. "Does that mean...?" "These two are certainly under the control of some pretty fucked-up bastards. A vengeful one at that. The ancient Titan n were ughtered by humans centuries ago because of their evil mind control and soul maniption techniques," D''andre exined. He is a merchant, and his reserve of information was very vast, containing histories, stories, and facts from ces he has been to. Also, thanks to the connections he makes as a merchant, obtaining these sorts of information was as easy as stealing candy from a baby. Rowan became even more worried the more he learned about thenguage Ren and Liara were currently speaking. Each new piece of information added to the weight on his shoulders, making him question how he could possibly protect his people from such ancient and malevolent forces. "Do you by any chance know about the dream mixture?" Rowan suddenly asked. When he shared the story of Liara and Ren with D''andre earlier, he didn''t mention the dream mixture. But now, he had to ask. However, his question piqued the interest of D''andre immediately. He turned to look at him with eyes wild with excitement and greed. If this was aic, then there would be dor signs in his eyes at this moment. "Dream mixture? You have one? If you have the recipe, it would make it even better. Your vige would be the richest even amongst C-rank territories with it." Rowan hummed disappointedly. Sadly, the dream mixture wasn''t in his possession, and he didn''t have the recipe. "I am not asking because I have to sell. Didn''t you see my inventory earlier? There is no such thing as a recipe in it." His answer killed the happiness in D''andre at once. "I only mentioned it because it was the concoction they took that left them in this state," he continued. "Oh..." D''andre eximed. "Sadly, I don''t know too much about the dream mixture except the fact it is very important to mages and how expensive and rare its recipe is," he answered. While both of them discussed, Liara and Ren continued speaking in the ancient Titannguage. They said the same words at the same time without a single pause, their voices echoing eerily in the room. Their bodies remained unmoving and their eyes shut, giving the impression of statues brought to life only through speech. Both of them were still in the room when Dragun and Vishirk rushed inside. Nevertheless, they both halted after crossing the door as they felt the strong magical aura radiating from D''andre. A sudden grip of fear washed over them at once. It was as though they were standing in the presence of a godly mountain. "This power..." Dragun muttered while observing the white hair of D''andre. The only time he had ever felt this scared was while standing in front of high heads of the Cult of Ember Justice. As for Vishirk, it was as though his body stopped responding to his will. He could only stand and stare at the figure of D''andre, his body sweating profusely. D''andre was so focused on Liara and Ren that he failed to notice the arrival of Dragun and Vishirk. Only Rowan spotted them. He noticed their expressions and understood immediately what was happening. He turned to D''andre. "Madafaka, reduce your mana aura or whatever you guys call it." "Huh?" D''andre was confused. Only then did he tilt his head backward and notice Dragun and Vishirk. "Oh, you have mages in your territory now?" He was pretty surprised. Mages present in an F-rank territory is pretty rare, especially in a ce like Winterseed with little to no mana avable in the atmosphere. If he knew that Ri was able to awaken in the vige, he would be more than surprised. "I am sorry, you two. I never expected mages to be present in this vige," he smiled at both of them. He called off his mana aura before Dragun and Vishirk were finally able to move. Both of them heaved loud sighs of relief. Dragun was able to move; he shook hands with D''andre, and both of them introduced themselves. On the other hand, Vishirk found it difficult to move as his mind was in deep shock. ''How did Rowan manage to befriend someone so strong?'' Chapter 168: Migration ( 18 ) After greeting and introducing himself to D''andre, Dragun rushed to check on the two. He listened to the wordsing out of their mouths, even though they were undecipherable. While understanding their words was impossible, their actions served as clear evidence that they were being controlled by dark creatures. Dragun turned to Rowan and nodded at him, as if confirming something. Rowan nodded back. Dragun didn''t want to share the dark fate of these two with the people in the room. If the women, especially Melissa, learned about it, she might have the sudden urge to end it all. To prevent this, Dragun and Rowan decided to keep their discussions among themselves. "What is wrong with her? Is she going to be okay?" Melissa asked Dragun. The other women looked at him with eager eyes, waiting for his next words, which would decide their reaction. ''If only I could tell you all the truth,'' Dragun sighed inwardly before lying to the women that they would be alright. "Do not worry, they will be okay very soon. Keep taking care of them, and one day they might fully awaken," he lied. The women heaved sighs of relief. Dragun shook his head pitifully while none of them were watching. He strolled and stood beside Rowan and D''andre; the three of them watched Ren and Liara with neutral expressions on their faces. Vishirk was still behind, wondering about the connection between such a powerful mage and Rowan, who was the lord of a very tiny vige. About an hour passed. Liara and Ren''s speech started slowing down as though they were losing energy. A few secondster, both of them stopped speaking. Their mouths shut abruptly, and their bodies returned to an unconscious state. Rowan analyzed their condition, and it was the same as usual. The system confirmed they were alright, without a single unhealthy condition or deformities in them. Even Dragun tried using his healing magic, but just like before, it failed to activate, revealing there was no sort of illness in them. The women, who were desperate to see the two moving okay, pleaded for the assistance of D''andre, whom they saw as a messenger from the divines. D''andre couldn''t reduce his reputation in front of the women, so he immediately brought out two bottles containing glowing white potion from his inventory. When he brought them out, Rowan, Vishirk, and Dragun stared at them with wide-open eyes. [High-grade healing potion] [Heals every natural and magically inflicted illness and injuries in less than 10 seconds.] Vishirk and Dragun knew how expensive and rare it was in the magic world. On the other hand, Rowan recalled obtaining one of these once after clearing a B-rank dungeon in the game. ''To think this guy would actually use such an expensive potion,'' Rowan heaved a sigh. "Ladies, this is a high-grade healing potion; it can cure literally everything," he bragged before strolling towards Ren and Liara. He opened their mouths slightly and poured the contents inside. The liquid slid down their throats, flowing into their stomachs gradually. However, even after one minute, nothing happened. D''andre had already expected this and wasn''t unfazed. He used Dragun''s healing magic failing as an example to exin to the women that both of them were perfectly alright. "They will recover naturally; you all don''t need to panic, alright?" D''andre gave them a reassuring smile. Readtest stories on m_v-l''e|-NovelBin The women nodded their heads; their hopes were lifted once again, but the worries remained. Rowan spoke to them before leaving with the three of them. They all strolled to the meeting hall. On their way, Dragun and Vishirk discussed with D''andre. They conversed with him as though they were fans meeting with their favorite idol. "Are you an archmage yet?" "What are your elemental affinities? Do you have any special affinity?" "How many spells have you mastered?" "Can you hand over spells you consider inferior? They will go a long way for me, senior." Both of them kept asking questions and requesting spells. Rowan could only walk behind alone and observe the actions of the three. In his heart, he thanked his good luck that he wouldn''t have to beg for spells like this one day. All he needed was his mana core, and he would be able to copy any magic skills or spells of his liking. While he was happy about this, the issue of the dark creatures invading his territory kept making his heartbeat increase. "System, can you give tips about hunting down and ying dark creatures?" [Tips to hunt down dark creatures are avable for specific ones. However, there is no information about killing them. Would you like to download information concerning these dark creatures?] Rowan wasn''t that surprised that even the systemcked the ways to kill them. ''Information about tracking them down woulde in handy, to be honest,'' he made up his mind. ''Download the information, system.'' DING [Downloading resources...] [Resources will be avable in 168 hours] "Ahh, one week?" Rowan couldn''t help but exim. Fortunately, Dragun and Vishirk were currently busy discussing with D''andre, so none of them heard him. ''One week is pretty far, but I have no choice but to wait for it,'' Rowan sighed. After strolling for some time, they arrived at the meeting hall. Dragun and Vishirk bade D''andre farewell excitedly. For mages, discussing with a higher-ranked mage was akin to discussing with a teacher or idol. Thus, both of them were naturally excited. Rowan and D''andre returned to the meeting hall. They didn''t discuss important matters this time. D''andre told his story as usual, while Rowan spent his time cross-checking his inventory to see if he had anything important to add before D''andre left the vige. After checking, he decided to add a few more food supplies and weapons. The skill books, food pills, monster cores, and raw materials for construction in his possession were already more than enough, so he didn''t bother. "Here, the gift I promised," said D''andre as he handed over an item to Rowan. Rowan checked the description immediately, and his eyes widened. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 169: Migration ( 19 ) Without hesitation, Rowan grabbed the silver-coloured card from D''andre and rushed through its description. --- Divine Beast Summoning Card ( Mid-grade ) - Once activated, a divine beast is summoned. The summoned beast can be used forbat temporarily or tamed to be used permanently. Requirements: - Magic - Beast-taming --- ''A chance toy my hands on my second divine beastpanion!'' Rowan thought, an excited look on his face. D''andre observed his excitement with a calm smile. "Thest person I gave this to was able to summon a phoenix! I wonder what you''ll be able to summon. The card won''t be of much use to you, though, considering you''re not a mage yet and I haven''t seen you using any sort of beast-taming skills before." "It would be best if you give it to that Dragun or Vishirk guy," he concluded, offering a suggestion. Rowan nodded his head; he had already made ns to awaken his mana core very soon. All he needed right now was to give Vishirk and Dragun the money for the awakening potion and hope they found one of good quality. ''This geezer would definitely run mad if he knew I have an SS-rank beast-taming skill,'' Rowan smirked. "I will keep this till I acquire those," Rowan replied. "Hmm, I am not sure that is a good n considering the situation in your vige right now." "Do not worry; I know how to handle my territory." Rowan could not tell him about his secret ns, which would definitely do a lot of good work for his territory. D''andre was talkative; he might go around sharing his ns with everyone, which would leave Rowan at a major disadvantage. Rowan enjoyed when D''andre was talkative about others with him but hated when D''andre was talkative about him to others. Rowan stored the Divine Beast Summoning Card in his inventory. Both of them talked about unnecessary topics for a few minutes before the meeting ended. D''andre told Rowan of his intention to stay in the vige for two days. Rowan had no problem with that, so he let him stay. After the meeting ended, Rowan left to meet Ri at her usual spot¡ªhis n was to deliver the clothing fabric materials he purchased from D''andre! ''I can''t wait to see the expression on Ri''s face when she sees this!'' he thought. With the avability of the fabric materials and the sewing machine, the issue of clothing would be solved in a very short time. While Rowan left peacefully to meet his beloved wife, D''andre was dragged away by a group of youngdies waiting to see his shy magic tricks. They dragged him to the vige square, where a few other idle youngdies were already awaiting his arrival. ''Ahhh, I wish ra would seek my attention like these beautifuldies!'' D''andre sighed inwardly as he began performing shy spells, triggeringughter and awe from thedies. --- _TAILORS'' HOME_ It was already evening, and the women were busy as usual, patching old robes with the sewing machine when Rowan walked in. His presence drew the attention of everyone in the room in a matter of seconds. "Wee, Lord Rowan." They all greeted him with smiles of admiration and appreciation. Ri had been busy in a corner of the home using enchanted embroidery when she heard the greetings. She dropped the robe she was working on, stood up, and rushed to hug Rowan. They exchanged a brief kiss while hugging before separating. "You''re done with the shelter construction already?" she asked, quite surprised. "Yeah, I came to see you all and to deliver something you guys have been asking for a very long time," Rowan said in a loud voice, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. The women wondered what it was. They looked at him with eager eyes. Ri was also curious. Rowan observed their curious faces with a smile before opening his inventory, taking out arge amount of fabric materials. The amount Rowan took out was very littlepared to therge stock in his inventory, but it was still capable of triggering deep surprise from the women. The sleek white cotton fabric, as well as the wool and linen materials, deeply shocked thedies. They all looked at him with surprised expressions. "This..." Ri was at a loss for words, same as the other women around her. [Your tailors are extremely surprised and excited] [Your wife loves you even more] [Motivation of the tailors has been boosted by your actions] A series of notifications popped up, sadly with no evolution point reward. But Rowan had already gotten himself enough evolution points to not be dismayed. "This is just a little of the fabrics avable! Whenever you are done working with these, you cane meet me for more," Rowan said to them with a smile, while caressing the cheek of Ri who stood beside him. "Thank you, Lord Rowan!" "With these, I''ll finally be able to materialize the styles in my head." "Those materials look really good for the uing cold and rainy season. We will have something to protect ourselves from the menacing cold." "Finally, I will stop wearing the same set of clothes every week!" The women expressed their emotions one after the other, causing Rowan to smile and nod his head. Some of the women could not hold themselves; they went to the fabrics on the ground and felt them with their hands. Ri stood with Rowan, watching everything. Her goal for the meantime, aside from mastering enchanted embroidery and magic, was making enough clothes to keep the people warm during the cold season. Although Rowan had always promised he would get them the fabrics to do so, she didn''t expect he would do so this early. She couldn''t hold the excitement in her heart any longer. She turned towards Rowan and hugged him tightly. "Thank you very much, Rowan, I love you so much." Rowan patted her head with a smile and responded with a calm, "I love you too." "This will go a long way to help everyone, Rowan. I am d I''ll be of great assistance," Ri said as she separated from the hug and gave Rowan a loving look. Afterwards, she turned to the women and discussed their schedule for tomorrow. Your adventure continues at mvl After sharing this, she ended the session for the day, and everyone retired to their homes. Ri and Rowan left as well. They met D''andre, who was caught in the midst of thedies who refused to let him go. Ri wasn''t aware of his arrival and only knew about it now. She immediately became curious and asked, "He brought the fabrics to the vige?" Rowan nodded. He was pretty impressed that she was able to figure out that much. D''andre had already been established as a messenger. Thest time he was at the vige, the problem of food shortage was solved, as well as other problems. Chapter 170: Migration ( 20 ) The next day arrived swiftly, and Rowan was the first to awaken. However, he didn''t leave his bed; instead, he kept staring at his dimly lit room with a deep frown on his face. ''Why do I feel like something is extremely wrong somewhere?'' he thought to himself. He had been awake for the past two hours. Going back to sleep had be pretty difficult as his heart kept screaming, nagging at him that something was wrong. Rowan didn''t even understand if he was having a restless night or if his intuition was just picking up on some sort of impending chaos. The unease gnawed at him, making him question every shadow and sound in the quiet room. He stared at Ri, who was sleeping peacefully beside him with a gentle expression stered on her beautiful face. Rowan shook his head disappointedly and stood up from the bed. He put on his clothes and walked out of the room gently. It was still the very early hours of the morning; everywhere was fairly dark, and the sun hadn''t risen yet. The cool air brushed against his skin, bringing a slight chill that matched the unsettling feeling in his heart. ''ze,e out,'' he summoned. ze appeared beside Rowan and gave him a questioning look, as if asking why he was summoned at this time. ''Is anything wrong?'' ze asked. Rowan shook his head in response. He decided to stroll around the vige with ze. This way, ze would be able to detect what he couldn''t. Without hesitating, both of them set out on their early morning stroll. They went to the farms to take a look at the livestock. Most of the animals were rxing, while a few of them were awake, devouring the feed. Not so far from the shelter, two young farmers could be seen resting their heads on the walls. ''Hmm,'' Rowan frowned a little bit. ''I don''t recall asking any of them to guard the animals at this time. What if they get ill from inadequate rest?'' Without wasting time, Rowan and ze strolled to meet the two resting farmers. Nevertheless, before they got there, ze alerted Rowan. [''They are dead!''] ze eximed telepathically. ''What?!'' Rowan''s eyes widened immediately. He sprinted towards the two farmers. When he got there, he shook their bodies to get a response but failed. ''They are really dead? But how?'' Rowan''s eyes widened. He looked across the area, and his eyesnded on two other farmers lying on the ground. They appeared to be resting from his perspective. He sprinted towards them once again and was greeted with the same realization¡ªthey were dead! ''What the heck is happening?'' Rowan failed to understand his current situation. ze strolled to meet him and observed the corpses as well. Even with his powerful sniffing ability, he couldn''t find a trace of attack or poison on their bodies. In fact, there was no amount of blood on them, not even a trace of struggling or tension prior to their deaths. The only exnation was that they died while sleeping. ''But how is that even possible?'' Rowan didn''t even know how to react at this moment. ''System, can you analyze how long they have been dead for?'' he asked. [Targets have been dead for more than four hours,]the system replied. ''Hmm.'' Rowan''s frown deepened even more. No wonder his mind was restless since he woke up. ''I knew my intuition couldn''t be wrong!'' Rowan was still analyzing the corpses of the four farmers when a scream came from the soldiers at the guardhouse close to the farms. ''''B and Simon are dead!" Rowan recognized the names as those of his soldiers. His eyes widened, and he immediately set out to meet them. ze rushed after him. They arrived at the guardhouse and were greeted with the scene of the soldiers gathered around two of their colleagues lying on the ground. "Both of them said they were going to take a brief nap two hours ago. They were perfectly alright; how are they dead now?" one soldier eximed. ''''This is not good! What the heck!'''' ''''B! Wake up! You''re still a virgin!'''' "Don''t die a virgin, B!'''' The soldiers cried out with so much pain in their voices. Hearing their sad and miserable voices triggered a series of emotions in the heart of Rowan. ''What the heck is happening now? Is this the handiwork of a dark creature?'' Rowan''s mind wandered as he strolled to meet the soldiers, who were overly focused on their dead colleagues at this moment. Captain Rnd was the one in charge of this guardhouse for the night. He was the first to notice Rowan approaching, and he rushed to meet him. ''What is happening?" Rowan asked. Rnd told him everything that happened, and there was nothing unnatural. The two soldiers died while resting. ording to Rnd, there was no sign of struggling from them. "We wanted to wake them up and let another set rx when we discovered they were dead. I don''t understand what is happening, Lord Rowan," Rnd concluded. Discover exclusive tales on mvl Rowan tried to find words to reply with at this moment but none came out of his mouth. He could only stare at his soldiers crying for their dead colleagues. He asked the soldiers if any of them had noticed anything strange at night, and they all gave negative answers. Rowan checked the bodies of the two soldiers, and just like the four farmers, there was no blood or sign of struggling. Even the system and ze couldn''t detect any sort of poison or illness in them. All this made Rowan realize his situation¡ªhe was truly up against a dark creature! ''Come to think of it, all this took ce after Ren and Liara miraculously started speaking without waking up. There is a strong connection between these two incidents,'' he pondered. ''I will get to the root of this, even if it''s with myst breath,'' he swore. He turned to the soldiers and ordered, "Take their bodies to the vige square. We''ll perform their burial once everyone is awake. You will find some other corpses at the farm; take them there as well." Chapter 171: Migration ( 21 ) Morning finally arrived, the gentle sun resuming its ce in the sky. Sadly, its brilliant glow couldn''t wash away the gloomy mood shrouding Winterseed. Even the soft wind couldn''t lessen the sadness. The vige square was filled to the brim with vigers, most of whom were shedding tears, while a few tried to maintain calmness¡ªbut even theirposure couldn''t hide their worries. The square was so crowded and busy that some vigers had to stand outside to witness everything. In the middle of the vige square, six corpsesy immobile on the ground. The vigers flocked around the corpses. "Noooo! Why did they have to die? They were good people!" "Mommy, is Big Brother going to wake up again? He promised to y with me today." "My son,e back!" Loud cries of extreme sorrow sted across the area. The scenes at the vige square were of vigers crying and others trying their hardest to console them. Rowan and the captains stood in a corner of the vige square where no one could see them. The captains all looked down with worried expressions. Rnd had a very sad look on his face; he felt really down as the two dead soldiers were under his watch, and he had let them die. He felt as though he was responsible for their deaths. "This is bad!" Bryce eximed with a deep frown. "What is happening? How did six people die at the same time?" the archers'' captain added. No one really knew what was happening at this moment except Rowan. Sadly, he could not share this detail with the soldiers, as it would only make matters worse by invoking unnecessary fear in them. It seems whatever bastard did this only struck the southern area of the vige, Rowan pondered. No one in the other areas was attacked; all of them are okay, he continued. Maybe tonight I''ll stay with the soldiers to see if I can find traces, he concluded. But how would I exin this to the people? There is already the strange condition of Ren and Liara worrying them, and now six people died on the same night! Rowan looked at the captains, who were discussing among themselves, trying to find out what was really happening. He noticed the calmness of Rnd and immediately understood how he felt. "Rowan..." Dragun and Vishirk arrived and quickly approached Rowan. Dragun met Rowan and dragged him to a corner; Vishirk apanied them. "You know what this is, right?" Dragun asked. Rowan nodded. "There is no way to fight against or defeat something of that level. About that deserted kingdom I told you about¡ªI will go explore it very soon. Then we can move everyone there; it''s the only way we can escape the clutches of those evil bastards!" Dragun suggested. Rowan could only nod his head. He could not fully ce his hope on the desertednd for now. The stories about thatnd weren''t even clear; why should he put his hope in it? "The people are confused and sorrowful right now, Rowan. Only your speech can calm them again," Dragun said, cing his hand on Rowan''s shoulder with a smile. Rowan nodded solemnly; he hadn''t felt this stressed since he transmigrated. He walked up to the grieving crowd and climbed onto the raised tform in the middle, close to the six corpses lying on the ground. He looked at the crowd in front of him. He could see ra and the other farmers'' representatives looking at the corpses of the farmers. ra had tears in her eyes, while the others could only observe the bodies of their dead colleagues with sadness. Ri was standing in the front row, looking up at Rowan with a rather downcast expression on her face. Explore more stories with mvl Rowan hadn''t seen his people this sad and worried since he transmigrated. Rowan took a deep breath and faced the crowd. The vigers looked up at him with tear-streaked faces, their eyes filled with fear and confusion. "Rowan, please tell us what''s happening!" "Why did they have to die?" "Are we in danger?" Rowan raised his hands gently. "I understand how you all feel. I''m already looking into what happened. I promise you, I''ll find answers soon." The crowd murmured among themselves, but they grew quieter, waiting for him to speak. He gazed at the six still bodies before him, his heart heavy. Gathering his thoughts, he began his speech. "Today, we gather not just in mourning, but in remembrance of our dear friends and family. They were more than just neighbors¡ªthey were the heart of Winterseed." He paused, his eyes scanning the faces before him. "They worked beside us in the fields, shared meals at our tables, and brought joy into our lives with their smiles andughter." The silence in the crowd deepened before more vigers began to cry once again, making the scene even more emotional. Rowan spoke to them for a few more minutes before concluding and calling the soldiers to carry out the usual burial rite of burning the corpses. The soldiers brought the wood for the ritual and ced the bodies atop. Their expressions were extremely sad. Rowan climbed down from the tform and summoned ze. He gave a quick speech once again. The vigers gazed at the corpses ready to be burned, and their heartache increased¡ªthey found it difficult to believe they would never be able to see these people again. The parents and families of the dead cried even louder, while a few of them fainted, emotionally incapable of witnessing their loved ones''st moments. Rowan turned to ze and nodded slowly. ze responded and did the needful. He summoned a big fireball that floated above the corpses like a sun brightening a dark world. ze made the fireball engulf the corpses; he controlled the mes to make the process gentler. "Nooo!!" "B!!!" The cries increased. The soldiers who had been holding it in couldn''t do so anymore and cried their eyes out. Chapter 172: Migration ( 22 ) Today, the people of Winterseed experienced the saddest morning ever, the adult remained gloomy after the burial while the young ones who didn''t understand the concept of death could only wonder why the adults were sad. After the burial, everyone returned to their various homes, but their mood was never the same. Some of them couldn''t even find the strength to work. The soldiers went to guard the borders, but with moody expressions. On the other hand, Rowan went to meet D''andre. D''andre wasn''t aware of the whole ordeal as he was asleep in his tenth. "ra baby... Don''t run away from me! Don''t you like handsome men? I have a big...* Rowan was greeted with D''andre sleepy voice when he got to the tent. ''You can''t even woo her in your own dream? What a loser.'' Rowan snorted before waking D''andre up with a loud p. D''andre jotted awake immediately and immediately opened the tent. "AHH! It''s you Rowan. Why did you wake me up from my sweet dreams? I almost bagged ra!" He yelled while standing up,zily wiping the salivas escaping from the side of his mouth. Rowan didn''t reply and only gave him a disappointed look. "Why did you wake me up so early huh? If it''s not something interesting, I''ll be very pissed at you," D''andre grumbled. "The dark creature attacked and killed six of my people, if that is not interesting to you then what else could be?" Rowan snorted. "What??" D''andreposure crumbled immediately. "Six people? How did they die? Tell me everything," he continued, demanding for answers. Rowan told him everything and he couldn''t help but frown after hearing all of it. "No blood? No illness, no struggle or anything as such. Rowan, you''re up against a sneaky bastard," D''andre shook his head pitifully. Rowan wasn''t baffled as this much was already clear. "Do you have any idea what kind of dark creature this one is? Has any of your friend ever faced it before, did they survive? If they did, how did they survive.." He sted D''andre with a series of question. D''andre shook his head pitifully once again, "Just like what I told you yesterday. Those of my friends who managed to survive the evil hands of those bastards, lost their territory and people. You can''t save your people but saving yourself is not impossible." ''Why would I save myself and leave my territory and the people in it to rot? They are my main objective in this world, the moment I lost them, I lost the will to continue living.'' Thought Rowan. If Rowan wasn''t the lord of the vige, he could''ve escaped if that was the only way to save himself. However, as a lord and someone who really cares about his people, escaping alone was simply impossible. He couldn''t even bare the thoughts of losing everything. "Is there no other way to survive this bastard? at least a method or spell to lessen the casualty?" He asked. D''andre fell in deep thought after the question asked. "There are purification spell formations to ward off demons and dark creatures. But it needs arge amount of mana to keep it going," D''andre began. He proceeded to tell Rowan more about the formation, especially its ws. ording to him, the purification spell formation is not so good, considering the moment the mana supply halts, the demons and dark creatures it has been warding off would attack more violently as a revenge. Stay tuned with §Þ?? When Rowan heard this, the hope he got at the beginning, shattered immediately. D''andre noticed this and continued. "Actually, there are ways to hurt these dark creatures." He began. Rowan interest piqued immediately as he turned turned to look at him curiously. "A mage with powerful soul or spirit attribute would be able to detect the location and influence of the dark creature easily. If their magic power is strong enough, they might be able to hurt it and send it away from their territory for a short time, at least a month," "I never bothered to share this with you cause no transmigrated lord has ever awakened soul or spirit magic affinity." D''andre concluded with a short sigh. Hearing this, Rowan got a little bit of hope ¡ª Ri has Spirit magic affinity, all he needs at this point is awaken his mana core, obtain the magic skill and then he will be able to copy her spirit magic! "Are you for real?" He asked, his eyes brighter than they ever were this morning. D''andre looked at him, wondering why he was hopeful when awakening the affinity was almost impossible. "Yeah, I have heard about soul mages who were able to trap the dark creature tormenting theirnd and send them faraway. There was even a rumor one time, that one of them was able to kill a dark creature by trapping its soul in a living body and killing it afterwards," Rowan listened to everything D''andre said and drew out every possible methods he could from them. D''andre spoke for five minutes and these five minutes immediately became the best time Rowan had ever spent with him. "Just pray to awaken soul or spirit affinity and you''ll be a bit safe. Otherwise, evacuating the territory is your only choice for now," he concluded. Rowan nodded and thanked him before leaving. D''andre stood and watched as Rowan walked away wearing a bright expression on his face. "I hope he doesn''t ce his hope on bing a soul or spirit mage. He should just run away, im another territory and start evolving again. It''s better than losing his life," he muttered to himself with a sigh. "If only I had those magic affinities, I could''ve helped for the sake of ra." --- Dragun and Vishirk could be seen tutoring Ri, giving tips on how to hasten her mana cultivation. "You are blessed with a speedy mana umtion rate. When next I leave the vige, I''ll get you a cultivation technique and some mana stones so you can improve faster," Dragun said with a smile. "What is mana stone?" Ri asked curiously. "Mana stones are precious stones with manas stored in them. You can absorb those mana with special techniques, you can also use the mana stones to power up magic formations. Incase you wonder what a magic formation is, its thatplex circle with lots of shapes and symbols in it, like the one I drew before your awakening," D''andre exined patiently. Ri was excited with the new information she had just acquired. She didn''t know about these terms earlier, if she did, she could''ve contacted Laverena for exnations. About Laverena, their bond had grew tighter over the past few weeks. Laverena no longer exact her authority when speaking with her, she nowmunicated with her like a friend. Also Laverena promised to gift Ri her first ever spirit magic spell after she bes a True mage! "How many mana stones would I have to consume in other to break through?" She asked. "The amount of mana store required to breakthrough is different for everyone, Lady Ri and it all depends on their talents. Some low-stage apprentice stage mage require hundreds of mana stones to enter mid-stage, another low-stage apprentice stage mage might require at least a hundred while a few blessed need at most 50 mana stones to do so." Vishirk was the one to exin this time. Ri could only nod. She didn''t really know much about the topic but she couldn''t wait to get her hands on them. "Hmm, how expensive are they?" She suddenly asked. Vishirk and Dragun looked at each other briefly. If they should tell her the truth that the lowest quality mana stone would be able to feed a family of four for a whole year, she would definitely stop them from getting it. "It''s really expensive but you do not have to worry about the price." Dragun smiled at her. At that moment, Rowan who had just left D''andre arrived, he heard thest statement of Dragun. "I will take care of it." He said, drawing their attention at once. "Oh, Rowan, you are back." Dragun and Vishirk turned to him. Dragun tried to observe the expression of his son. He knew everything that had taken ce in the vige this morning would definitely take a toll on him. However, unexpectedly, Rowan looked really calm. Ri rushed to meet Rowan and wrapped her hands around his. Rowan gave her a small smile before turning to Dragun and Vishirk. "How much do you think it will take to obtain the best quality awakening potion?" He asked. Vishirk and Dragun were confused, wondering why Rowan was asking. They are aware the vigeck all sort of money. "The mid quality one should cost about 1.3 million gold coin while the high quality one should be around two million." Vishirk responded. Rowan nodded, spending this much wasn''t a problem to him considering it was the only way to save his territory and people. He asked about the price to get Ri Mana stones as well as more spells for her magic affinities. Rowan got the final price of everything including the mana stone. Without hesitation, he broughtrge bags of gold coins from his inventory. "What the heck!!" Chapter 173: Migration ( 23 ) Ri, along with Dragun and Vishirk, were beyond dumbfounded when the big bag of gold coinsnded on the ground, forming a small hill. "What the heck!" Vishirk was the first to react. "Rowan, where did you get all these?" he asked. "Where I got them doesn''t matter now," Rowan replied casually. "But..." Vishirk stuttered. Even as a mage from a wealthy city, he hadn''t seen such arge amount of money in one ce before! He couldn''t help but wonder how Rowan had managed to get his hands on them. Seeing that Rowan refused to reply, he decided to leave the topic for now and focus on the necessary. Nevertheless, his eyes did not leave the money bags. "Get me the best awakening potion you can find, as well as spirit and soul magic spell scrolls," Rowan requested without hesitation. "Soul and spirit magic spells?" Dragun and Vishirk reacted in unison. Why was Rowan asking for soul and spirit magic spells? Did he think he would awaken any of those elements? "Just get the spells I asked for," Rowan replied casually. He had already set his mind to do everything possible to use spirit and soul magic, and nothing could change his decision. ''It was already good luck that Lady Ri awakened spirit magic, but why is Rowan expecting the same?'' Vishirk wondered. ''His chances of awakening those affinities are very low. I hope he doesn''t feel disappointed when he doesn''t awaken them,'' he concluded. "Rowan, you''re really lucky. This is the period when awakening potions are avable in the ck market in high qualities, so they would be unbelievably cheap, we might not spend the whole of it in the end." he said to Rowan afterwards. At this point, Rowan didn''t really mind if it was cheap or expensive; all he wanted was to awaken his mana core and begin his n. Dragun and Vishirk discussed with him and told him they would leave in the evening after preparing everything they needed. Rowan agreed without hesitation and begged them to return as fast as they could. Both of them agreed and left, while Rowan and Ri went inside their house. Ri noticed the unusually gloomy behavior of Rowan¡ªhe didn''t speak to her much after Dragun and Vishirk left. The usual confident, determined, and excited expression on his face had washed off, reced by a cold one to hide his negative emotions. She felt really sad at once. "Rowan, it wasn''t your fault." She walked in front of him, grabbed his hands, looked up, and ensured their eyes were locked on each other''s before whispering in a calm voice. "I''m very sure if you were aware such dark fate was going to befall those people, you would do everything in your power to prevent it," she continued. Explore stories at §Þ?? Rowan''s eyes were locked in hers as she spoke. "I''ve seen your expression at the vige square, and even your behavior now proves that you feel a deep sense of guilt for what happened. I''m here to remind you that it wasn''t your fault at all. Do not think about it too much." Rowan was quite surprised to hear Ri speak so seriously and emotionally. Ever since they got together, they had never gotten the chance to speak so deeply with each other, except the few love confessions during moments of heated, lustful activities. Her words were right and motivating. For unknown reasons, he felt as though the burden in his head was disappearing bit by bit. "If you ever feel the need to discuss anything bothering you, do not forget I am here for you. We''re a couple after all; you can share your problems with me, and we can sort them out together," she concluded with a sweet smile on her face. Rowan found himself smiling subconsciously. He let go of her hands and hugged her. Although Ri was shocked by the sudden hug, she didn''t fail to reciprocate it. "Thank you, Ri, I really needed those words," Rowan whispered in her ear while hugging. Ri smiled happily and proudly. Both of them exchanged a warm hug thatsted for about a minute before separating. Rowan''s gloomy expression disappeared and was reced with a smile. Although his inner emotions weren''t settled, he decided to go about his day with a smile as usual to save Ri from worrying about him. "We nned to start making the clothes today," Ri said with a smile. "That''s good to hear. I know you''ll do a really good job," Rowanplimented. "I certainly will," she smiled, then continued, "I thought about the processst night, and apparently, we will be needing tools for measurement; else we''ll be making random sizes, which might end up fitting nobody in the vige, thereby wasting the materials." She told Rowan how she hadn''t thought about this specific matter, considering all they had been doing in the vige in terms of tailoring was patching old clothes. The old clothes were mostly passed down from generations, hence their low qualities. The people of Winterseed never had a chance to try on expensive and quality clothes made from good materials. Rowan understood her reasons. He even med himself for not asking about these from D''andre. "Luckily, that madafaka is still around," he sighed. "I will try my best to get them today and bring them to you," he promised. "Really..." Ri''s eyes widened at once. "Of course, anything for my beautiful queen." Rowan caressed her cheeks. Both of them enjoyed a brief intimate moment before she left for work. After she left, Rowan opened his inventory and scrolled through the skill books avable. Most of the skills werebat ones, while a few of them were nonbat like the [Animal Physician] and [Touch of a Farmer], which he had specially purchased for ra. He was looking through the skill books when he received a sudden notification. [ FRIEND REQUEST (1) ] [ D''andre sent a friend request ACCEPT/REJECT? ] [ D''andre sent a message ] [ I just received a good item, wondering if you''re interested ] Chapter 174: Migration ( 24 ) D''andre sent a friend request. [ D''andre: I just received a really good item, wondering if you''re interested. ] Rowan was quite surprised by the notification and the message. "We can send friend requests?" he muttered. He hadn''t been aware of this until now. In the game, the option to add friends wasn''t even avable. The only connections yers could make were going on the same raids together as parties. Aside from that, everyone was basically on their own. So he felt really strange seeing a friend request in the actual world. [ You epted the friend request. ] [ You can now message D''andre. ] [ A new tab: FRIEND has been added. ] Rowan epted the friend request and received three notifications. The message window was already open, so he clicked on it. A virtual keyboard appeared midair, which surprised him, but he didn''t dwell on it and quickly typed his reply. [ Rowan: Aight, where are you, so I cane take a look at it? ] [ D''andre: At the vige square, these beautiful women don''t want to leave me alone... ] Rowan read his reply and frowned. [ Rowan: How are you able to type when thedies are there with you? ] [ D''andre: I''m currently hiding from them. I excused myself after I received the item. Since you''re nearby, I decided to contact you first. Also, I''m not really typing; you can unlock the option to use voice typing when you reach a certain power level. Pleasee quickly. ] Rowan felt a tinge of annoyance reading the e quickly" part. He replied with a simple "Gay madafaka" and closed the message window. Without wasting time, he walked out the door and began strolling towards the vige square. Walking through the vige, he was greeted with the gloomy and worried faces of his people. Some of the families who had lost their loved ones were still weeping, and quite a crowd was gathered outside. A few other vigers were sitting outside their homes with worried expressions, some deep in contemtion. Discover more stories at §Þ?? Seeing all this, Rowan''s mood dampened once again. "Whosoever did this, count your days!" he swore inwardly and continued walking, only waving at the people he made eye contact with. On his way, he found Rnd and Bruce with a few soldiers strolling towards the farms. They greeted him, and he responded with a smile. "Lord Rowan, are you alright?" Rnd asked with concern. He knew just how much it felt to lose the people under your leadership. "I am alright; I hope it''s the same for you all," Rowan responded positively. The soldiers nodded with smiles, some faking it. "Their deaths were more than a mere coincidence, and I''ve already made my promise to you guys that I''ll get to the root of it by any means possible. So just keep doing your good work and pray the ancestors smile upon us," Rowan gave a short speech utilizing [ Super Voice ]. The effect was immediate as the soldiers became more motivated. However, the effect only motivated them but did not wash away the sadness. Rowan bade them farewell and continued to the vige square. When he arrived there, he saw a small group of youngdies gathered around D''andre, who performed his cheap magic tricks as usual. D''andre spotted him and called off his spell. "Beautifuldies, I''ll be gone for now to do important business with your lord. See y''all beautiful facester," he said. He winked at them, blew them a kiss, and rushed to meet Rowan. Thedies, who just noticed the presence of Rowan, greeted him and rushed out of the vige square one after the other. "Surrounding yourself with beautifuldies every day is not a good message to your crush, you know that, right?" Rowan snorted. "I never asked to be surrounded. My handsome face just maizes the beauties easily, and I have to face this everywhere I go. You can''t even begin to imagine how much I am loved by thedies," D''andre bragged with a proud smile. "Sure, and you can''t win the heart of the one you truly desire," Rowan snorted once again. D''andre felt a little bit hurt by his words but covered it up with a smile. "Thedies who y hard to get are usually the ones deeply in love with you. They just don''t want to appear weak, hence the cold walls against love proposals," he tried to defend himself. "This is not Earth, madafaka," Rowan felt like pping D''andre across the face for his foolishness. Sadly, D''andre was way stronger than he was. "Haha, let''s forget about that and move straight to the reason we are here," said D''andre as he called open his inventory and summoned an item. [ upation assignment card (Mid-grade) ] Rowan saw the name of the item, and his expression brightened. "The previous owner of the card found it unimportant and sold it to me at a really cheap price. He is a rank B lord, so it''s pretty understandable that he doesn''t take such an item seriously," D''andre exined. However, Rowan paid less attention to his words and more attention to the details of the item. [ upation Assignment Card: Assigns a random upation to user. Current grade can assign upation with special skill quality of up to B-grade! ] "Damn!" Rowan remarked audibly. "Crazy, right?" D''andre replied. He thought Rowan was responding to his words. "How much are you selling it?" Rowan inquired immediately. "You''re interested in it?" D''andre asked. "Why wouldn''t I be interested?" Rowan felt like cussing the shit out of D''andre at this moment. There were so many opportunities he could get from this card. He could finally obtain the Crafter-type upation and be able to use [ Merge ] anytime he liked. Also, if he could awaken other types like Assassin, Knight, Summoner, etc., he would be really excited. "I will sell it for 10 million evolution points," D''andre decided. "However, if you can''t pay fully now, you can drop half the price and payter. Now that we are friends ording to the system, you''ll be able to get stuff on credit and pay backter," he continued. [ A trade has been triggered. ] [ upation assignment card (Mid-grade) for ten million evolution points. ACCEPT/REJECT? ] Rowan clicked ept without wasting time. [ Do you want to pay partially or fully? ] Rowan didn''t have a reason to buy on credit for now. So he paid fully, and the card appeared in his inventory. Without wasting time, he activated it... Chapter 175: Migration ( 25 ) [ Activating upation assignment card... ] [ Assigning new upation.... 1% ] A notification shed across his retina as he activated the card. The card appeared in midair; it was about the size of an A4 notebook and had a bright silver color. Once activated, a bright glow engulfed it as it began spinning rapidly. Rowan watched with anticipation in his eyes, wondering what upation he would be assigned. There were many upations he would like at this point; therefore, whatever one he got, as long as it wasn''t entirely useless, he would appreciate it. D''andre could only watch Rowan''s facial reactions, as he couldn''t see the card activating. He only knew it was being activated at this moment because of Rowan''s expression. [ Assigning new upation.... 99% ] [ Assigning new upation.... 100% ] [ New upation assigned: Hunter ] [ Revealing skills.... ] "Hunter..." Rowan''s eyes widened. He wasn''t expecting this upation at all. "It should be good. Let me take a look at the special skills thate with it before deciding," he thought to himself as he began reading the skills unfolding in midair. [ Special skills: Hunter''s Call (C), Hunter''s Strength (C), Hunter''s Reward (D) ] [ Hunter''s Call: Lure monsters/demonic beasts under D rank towards your location for hunting, with your voice. Chances of luring boss monsters/demonic beasts under D-rank increase by 100%. ] [ Hunter''s Strength: Chances ofnding a critical hit on monsters/demonic beasts with first attack increase by 50%. ] [ Hunter''s Reward: You get 20% more evolution points from ying monsters/demonic beasts. ] Seeing the skills, Rowan''s initial contemtion about the usefulness of the new upation disappeared immediately. "With Hunter''s Call, I won''t need to waste supplies making baits to draw out monsters when hunting with my men," Rowan muttered with a smile. "Apart from Hunter''s Call, the other skills are also really interesting. The high chances ofnding a critical hit and the 20% extra evolution points at every kill are definitely worth it," he continued. D''andre was pretty curious after observing Rowan for a while. He couldn''t hold it in anymore and asked Rowan what upation he had unlocked. "Hunter," Rowan replied. Having no reason to hide his new upation, he told him the truth. "That is really nice! What about the skills? What did you get?" D''andre inquired, his voiceced with curiosity. Although Rowan was naturally against sharing his skills with others, he didn''t mind telling D''andre about the three Hunter upation skills. "Those are nice too. When you get to a certain level, your upation will upgrade, and you''ll definitely awaken more amazing skills. You can use special items to upgrade your upations too. Sadly, I have none of them with me at the moment," D''andre replied. "I will definitely have more with me the next time I visit," he concluded. Rowan already knew about these details, so he didn''t dwell on it too much. He did not forget that he had a few items to purchase from D''andre. He immediately told him about them. Fortunately, D''andre had them. He purchased the amounts he needed before leaving to meet Ri and the other women who were probably awaiting him at this moment. Before he left, he learned that D''andre would be leaving Winterseed in the evening, almost at the same time as Dragun and Vishirk, who would be leaving for Yellow River City to get the awakening potion. For now, Rowan had many tasks in his hand and the most important was finding the dark creature that killed six of his vigers this morning. Training the soldiers and taking them to hunt daily is also part of his n for now, to prepare against the trials, as mentioned by the system. ----- Evening time quickly arrived. Rowan had already given the tapes and a few other tailoring equipment like chalk, pins, and a few others he was able to purchase from D''andre, to Ri and the women. After that, he went to supervise the farm and gave ra the two skill books he bought for her: [Animal Physician] and [Touch of a Farmer]. The skills would be a really important asset in taking care of the animals after sheprehends them. Aside from ra''s, there were other farming-rted skills but these ones were mostly nt-based. He gave them to the other representatives. Thankfully, these could be learned and taught to the others. Rowan also had a brief meeting with the soldiers and discussed their next hunting trip with them. Aside from those, he also had to check up on Ren and Liara, as well as personally console those families who lost their loved ones. The day became mentally hectic for Rowan, but he pushed through with a smile on his face, determined not to break his promise to Ri. It was evening, and at the moment, he was standing in front of Dragun and Vishirk who were getting ready to leave. "Rowan, rest assured, I will get you the best quality awakening potion and the best basic spells for soul and spirit magic. I know of so many good ces to get them!" Vishirk said with a smile, assuring Rowan. Rowan nodded and turned to Dragun. "When should I expect you guys?" he asked. Thest time, both of them spent about a week before returning. Sadly, Rowan did not have that much time left at this point. "We''ll be back in five days," Dragun replied. Dragun was pretty certain about his answer, considering he had already brewed some potions to hasten their mana recovery, hence reducing the time of their journey. ''Five days is too long...'' ''What if the bastard appears before then?'' Rowan pondered. But he nodded. "Pleasee back as fast as you can and try to avoid trouble as much as you can," he replied. "Sure..." Vishirk was the one to reply; Dragun only nodded. Both of them were about to bid Rowan farewell when all of a sudden, a loud swooshing sound of something shooting through the air at an insane pace sted across, drawing not only their attention but that of the vigers nearby. Some of the vigers even fell to the ground in fear after hearing the sound. Rowan too was pretty disoriented after hearing it; he thought he was under attack. He quickly looked up and was greeted with a scene that made him frown. D''andre sat atop a luminous white disk that hovered effortlessly in the air, emitting a soft hum and an otherworldly glow. The disk was sleek and circr, its surface engraved with intricate symbols that pulsed with light. "Wassup y''all!!" D''andre waved down at them with a smile. The flying disk began to descend steadily toward the ground. The vigers around watched with widened eyes and open mouths; the scene was astonishing. Even Dragun and Vishirk were amazed. On the other hand, Rowan remained unfazed. He came from a world where flying nes and jets were as normal as walking, so seeing the flying disk didn''t faze him, although he found its design really interesting. "You know you could''ve caused some of my people to have a heart attack, right?" Rowan asked when D''andre and his flying disk reached ground level. "Oh, my bad, my bad," D''andre apologized while scratching his head, letting out an embarrassed chuckle. "So cool... what is the name of your flying artifact, senior?" Vishirk asked as he strolled towards the disk, feeling the sleek design with his hands while circling it. The expression on his face was akin to a kid checking out a cool toy. "It is cool, right? Haha, exactly what you should expect from my customized Super Nut Breaker 999," D''andre boasted. ''What sort of stupid name is that?'' Rowan could not help but wonder. "The name is cool, right Rowan?" D''andre turned to him and asked, as if seeking validation. Rowan only shook his head and refused to reply. D''andreughed at his refusal. "You two look like you are preparing to go on a long journey. How about youe with me on my Super Nut Breaker 999? I promise you are going to enjoy the ride," D''andre suggested. "How fast can it go? We n toplete the journey as soon as we can," Dragun replied. "It is really fast. Where are you going, by the way?" "Yellow River City." "Oh, that ce? It will only take less than three hours to get there on my Super Nut Breaker 999. I''ll drop you off there and leave to my destination. How does that sound?" "That''s great," Dragun replied immediately. If they could get to Yellow River City this night without having to expend their mana reserves using teleportation magic slips, after they get what they want, they will be able to return tomorrow evening. Dragun and Vishirk climbed on the disk and took their seats. Vishirk looked really excited as he would be getting the chance to ride on the cool artifact. "Till we meet again, Rowan. Good luck and goodbye." D''andre waved at Rowan as he activated the Super Nut Breaker 999 and began levitating into the air. The vigers around gazed at the grand structure as it levitated, their mouths wide open as usual. The Super Nut Breaker 999 reached a certain height, and with a loud sound and chaotic uneasiness of the wind, it sted away at an insane speed, vanishing from sight in a matter of seconds. Chapter 176: Migration ( 26 ) Rowan got home pretty early after D''andre, Dragun, and Vishirk left the vige. As soon as he arrived, the first thing he did was hand Ri the spell scrolls he had purchased for her. Ri''s eyes widened when she saw the spell scrolls appear out of thin air¡ªshe had been dreaming of getting and learning a new spell but didn''t expect to get one so soon. "Rowan~" she eximed excitedly as she took the two scrolls from him. She took a look at the title slips of both scrolls. Water Walk Dew Gather She quickly unfolded the spells without wasting time and went on to read their descriptions, her eyes widening even more the more she read. "You like them?" Rowan asked with a smile. She didn''t reply and hugged him instead. "I love them. Especially the Dew Gather one. With this, during the rainy season, we won''t have to worry about visiting the river or water supply to get drinking water. We can just use the Dew Gather to make pure, drinkable water out of the rain..." Ri exined with a really excited voice. She went on to exin how cool Water Walk would be when she used it. One could really tell how genuinely excited she was from her voice. Rowan was also pretty excited¡ªthe more spells Ri had in her possession, the more spells avable for him to copy when he finally awakens his mana core. Ri kissed Rowan on the cheek and left to the kitchen to bring their dinner. Rowan sat down. He could not help but pray inwardly that Dragun and Vishirk would be able toy their hands on good awakening potion. Also, Rowan had a little bit of worries. "System, after awakening my mana core, would it be possible to copy spells of all elements? Or would it be just the element affinities I awaken?" he asked. He didn''t bother to ask this question in the past because he was not expecting to get gold coins to purchase awakening potion and awaken his mana core so soon. Also, he was really busy with other important stuff. [Positive!] Seeing the quick reply, Rowan was excited but his excitement washed off almost immediately. **[WARNING: Copying and merging with spells of superior affinities might result in pain simr to evolving. The pain depends on the quality of the spell and the superiority of the spell''s affinity. Also, after copying and merging with the spell of a new affinity, it immediately bes an awakened affinity. Copying and merging spells of the same affinity bes painless.]** "Fuck!" Rowan cussed, but he calmed down immediately and analyzed his situation. "But it''s all good, though. Most mages would definitely go through all means in order to get a chance like mine! It''s like having the cheat code to use all the affinities in the world!" For most mages, being able to use all the four elemental magic is already beyond blessed. But Rowan would not only be able to wield the four elemental magic but also be able to wield all, including theplex celestial magic like light and dark magic! With these thoughts, Rowan didn''t mind going through the pain. Ri arrived with food and both of them ate together. After eating, they discussed about their day. Ri informed Rowan of how far their tailoring journey was going, how creative the women had be, and how the sewing machine was making everything easier and faster for them. "With our current pace, we will be able to sew everyone in the vige at least one robe before the rainy season!" she revealed. Rowan apuded her hard work and dedication. He also had a strange idea¡ªrecreating the modern-day clothing style from Earth! Rowan wasn''t really a fan of wearing long robes all the time. He would love some coat and pant, or maybe hoodie too, as they are also very cool and morefortable for him considering his world of origin. "Ri, in the future, when our vige has developed enough, there are some interesting clothing styles I would introduce. I am sure you''ll be able to make wonderful art pieces from them." Ri looked at Rowan, "Why wait? I can start working on them now." Rowan only chuckled. He quickly imagined a scene of his low-level vige and vigers wearing modern-day branded designer hoodies. Rowan found it pretty difficult to hold backughter after imagining this scene. "The materials to sew those kinds of clothes would only be avable when our vige is well developed and established," he lied. Luckily, Ri believed and didn''t ask any further. But a smile immediately appeared on her face and she became active again. "Darling, what affinities do you think you can awaken?" she asked. "Probably beast taming and some elements simr to yours," Rowan replied. He already had beast taming without a mana core. He believed, naturally, it would be included in his list of awakened affinities while testing with the Aether Crystal. Rowan also believed in this because he wasn''t able to use the Divine Beast Summoning Card even with his SS-rank beast taming skill. "You will be able to tame more cute beasts like ze, right?" Ri asked. "Hopefully..." Rowan nodded. Really strong beasts would not be cute looking like ze; they will be scarier and probably ugly but I don''t mind, Rowan thought. Rowan continued to discuss with Ri before both of them went out for what they prepared for the night. Ri was going to practice magic while Rowan went to join the soldiers. He summoned ze while leaving the house. [''Master, you heard that right? Cute! Even your wife believes I am cute!''] ze boasted to Rowan immediately after stepping out of the Divine Beast in. "What do you want me to do about that? Cry? Laugh?" Rowan replied without even looking at ze who was walking behind him. ze looked at Rowan and immediately knew that Rowan was still pondering about this morning''s incident. ze naturally understood even though he didn''t grow around his own race to understand true closeness. He hastened his pace and walked beside Rowan but Rowan''s eyes were fixed ahead, observing everywhere keenly as though he was expecting an ambush. Rowan first went to the south border. "Lord Rowan..." The soldiers rushed to meet him. "How are you guys doing?..." Rowan inquired about their condition, asking if they felt any sort of pain or strange urrence in the atmosphere. The soldiers answered seriously. While Rowan was inquiring, ze walked around the guardhouse, trying to sniff out the trace of any sort of threat to the soldiers'' lives. Sadly and luckily, there were none. He walked back to meet Rowan. "Good, good... Keep on guarding, I wille back in a few hours to check up on you guys after checking on the others," Rowan said. "Lord Rowan, you should rest, you''ve already had a stressful day," Rnd suggested. "I am full of energy. Going sleepless for two nights has no effect on me," Rowan smiled at him. "Hmm." Rnd nodded solemnly. This stupid incident is taking a toll on Lord Rowan and it''s all my fault, if only I was a little bit more observant, Rnd med himself secretly. Rowan didn''t wait and went to the other guardhouse to check on their conditions. He also went to check on the farms. There were no farmers watching them tonight as the farmers were still afraid and grieving the death of their colleague. This night was about to be the most stressful Rowan had ever had since reincarnating but he was ready. --- Yellow River City In the busy area of the city, not too far from the market, arge group of people were gathered around a big field. They were gathered in circles around a small group of people sitting down. A long queue of teenagers were lined up before them with nervous expressions on their faces. Some adults in the crowd also had nervous and anticipating expressions as they observed the scene. "Lucas Smoldic, Test Score¡ª20%, Low-level water affinity. Admission Declined." Chapter Enjoy: "Killian Mulubalu, Test Score¡ª89%, Mid-level Wind affinity... epted." The men seated announced, their announcements determining the reactions of the young ones standing in front of them. Some fainted after hearing their results, others gave minimal reactions while a few jumped up in joy. This scene continued until all of a sudden, a fast-moving flying artifact darted through the sky and hovered across the field. Everyone on the field immediately transferred their attention to the cool-looking flying artifact, giving different reactions. D''andre, Dragun, and Vishirk were on the Super Nut Breaker 999, looking down. Before reaching Yellow River City, D''andre gifted both of them mask that alters their identity when equipped. Vishirk recognized the activities going on. It''s the annual recruitment for Wishiros 7th School of Magic He wondered why D''andre suddenly halted in such a busy ce. If it wasn''t for the mask, he would''ve left the flying artifact already, to prevent getting caught by his school. "Wassup, suckers! Say wee to Daddy!" Chapter 177: Migration ( 27 ) "Wassup, suckers! Say ''wee'' to Daddy?" D''andre greeted from atop the Super Nut Breaker 999. Both Dragun and Vishirk couldn''t help but gasp for breath when they heard his greeting. ''Is he aware of the might of Wishiro''s 7th School of Magic?'' Vishirk couldn''t help but wonder. Even Dragun questioned why any sane human being would greet arge gathering of people in such an impolite manner. He couldn''t help but wonder how the people below would retaliate. But he was surprised by their reactions. "Look, it''s the White-haired Tiger!" "The White-haired Tiger hase to grace our recruitment exercise with his presence. I am honored!" "Look how cool his flying artifact is! I heard he personally handed over the blueprint for the artifact''s creation!" "Wow! Look how gorgeous he is!" The people reacted positively, contradicting the expectations of Dragun and Vishirk. ''The White-haired Tiger?'' Vishirk''s eyes widened. ''I''ve heard that name before! He''s one of the strongest and richest sponsors of the seven different Wishiro''s Schools of Magic. There are even rumors that he and the Lord of the Castle of Might are best of friends!'' Vishirk recalled all the rumors he had heard about the White-haired Tiger and became extremely surprised. ''I can''t believe I flew and spoke with one of the legends of Wishiro and didn''t even realize it!'' On the other hand, Dragun was quite surprised, not because of the title but because of the people''s reaction. Even the senior mages carrying out the recruitment stood up from their chairs and stared at D''andre with respect and admiration in their eyes. D''andre waved at the people as hended his Super Nut Breaker 999 on the ground. The people quickly surrounded him like ants around sugar. "I believe both of you can leave from here," D''andre whispered to Dragun, to which Dragun nodded. "I have some business to take care of in this city. Good luck and goodbye." D''andre bade them farewell before mixing with the crowd, which quickly dragged him away. Dragun and Vishirk stood and watched the scene for a few seconds before turning their backs and leaving the location. "You are from Wishiro''s School of Magic? Howe you didn''t recognize someone so influential in your school?" Dragun asked as they strolled toward their destination. "Only senior students and instructors have been able to set their eyes on the White-haired Tiger; hence, I failed to recognize him," Vishirk exined. He also expressed how cool it would''ve been if he could share this story with his schoolmates¡ªthat he actually rode with one of the school''s legends. Dragun didn''t pay too much attention to Vishirk''s words, even though his story was kind of interesting. At this moment, he recalled the incident thest time they were in Yellow River City. ''I wonder if Alister has any tricks up his sleeves this time,'' he thought. ''Well, we have this mask on that alters our identity. I hope it helps to hide me from that bastard! If it doesn''t, who knows what that bastard might do to me?'' His mind continued wandering. With the new identity granted by the mask, Dragun nned to go around and acquire as much information as he could about thest school killings and the culprit. If possible, Dragun would also like to gather as much information as he could about the movement of the Cult of Ember Justice in Yellow River City. With all these ns in mind, Dragun urged Vishirk and hastened his footsteps. Both of them found and paid for an inn to rest and wait for midnight. The ck market is only opened from that time onwards. At the inn, they ensured to keep their mana reserves full by renting the mana pool as usual. However, while Vishirk stayed in the pool to recuperate his mana reserve, Dragun went to meet the Inn Manager. "Dear customer, how can I help you?" the Inn Manager, a middle-aged man with messy beards and potbelly, asked with a smile. Dragun didn''t waste time and began his inquiries. The Inn Manager responded to the questions about Wishiro''s School of Magic incident and the culprit without requesting any sort of settlement. He told Dragun how the reputation of the school had been declining, which equally affected the economy of Yellow River City. He also told him how the school suddenly announced that the culprit had been dealt with. "They didn''t execute the culprit in public as promised?" Dragun asked with a frown. "Yes, my friend, those sly people hid the culprit away from the raging masses for three days before revealing to the public that they had executed him secretly. The people even requested his corpse as proof that he was really dealt with, but the school failed to provide it. This made a lot of people question the integrity of the school. There are even rumors that the school might have used the innocent students as sacrifice to some evil magic god..." the Innkeeper revealed. Hearing his narration, the frown on Dragun''s face deepened. He was just as suspicious as the people, especially since he knew who was behind everything. Dragun found it hard to believe that the instructors would really execute the culprit in secret after promising the people. Considering that their reputation was already down for losing their students, they would''ve tried to keep their promise to show the people that they are still capable. Killing him in secret would only reduce their already declining reputation. ''The school can''t be so dumb to make such a silly mistake,'' Dragunmented inwardly. ''If the culprit is really dead, then his death is definitely the handiwork of Alister,'' he concluded. The Inn Manager observed the changes in Dragun''s expression and became pretty curious. "What''s bothering you?" he asked. Dragun woke up from his wandering thoughts, gave a smile, waved his hand, and answered, "Nothing." Afterwards, he proceeded to inquire about the cult. The Inn Manager''s eyes immediately shot open. He stood up from his seat and looked around to see if anyone was nearby. "Don''t mention that name so openly! Do you have a death wish?!" he reprimanded with a frown. His reaction made Dragun happy inwardly. "So you know about them." "Of course, everyone with a bit of connection to the underworld knows about the Cult of Ember Justice!" he replied. "If you need information about them, I can rmend a good source, but it''s pretty expensive and you have to be careful." Dragun nodded. "I''ll be very grateful for that." The Inn Manager nodded; he then pleaded with him not to mention the name of the cult inside the inn. "They are the vilest group to ever exist. Please mind the way you call their name; I don''t want to lose my life and my inn." "No worries." After he finished speaking with the Inn Manager, Dragun went to join Vishirk in the pool. Two hours passed, and midnight arrived. Dragun and Vishirk had already left the inn and arrived at Yellow River City Market, which was bustling with activities as usual. "Come and get your shadow cloak for one thousand gold!" "Magic weapons avable!" The cries of the sellers announcing their wares spread across the market as usual. Some of them even approached both of them to advertise their wares. Dragun was pretty confused about the market as a whole. He had visited several ck markets himself, and each of them had a different secret method of essing them. He wondered what that of Yellow River City was. Since Vishirk knew more about the ck market, he was the one walking in front. A beautiful seller approached him to advertise her magic items. Vishirk and Dragun followed her to her stall. There, they inquired about the ck market. At first, she refused to divulge the information. Dragun and Vishirk had to purchase some wares from her without bargaining the price before she finally gave them the information they wanted. "Yellow River City ck market is in its river?" Dragun was pretty surprised. "I am surprised as well. I have been living in this city since I was an infant, and I never even imagined that the ck market would be located in the river!" Vishirk replied. "The secrecy of it must be top-notch," Dragun remarked. Both of them made their way to the river. It was dark at night, and there were few people sitting on the rocks and grass by the river. The sound of water flowing filled the air with eerie calmness. No matter how one looked at this ce, they would never imagine that a ce as vast and busy as the ck market was located in it. Dragun even tried sensing any strange magical presence, but there were none avable. Thankfully, they got the secret magic phrase of entrance from thedy at the market. ording to her, the phrases were only handed to agents of the ck market. The phrase changes every single market day to prevent intruders. Both of them found the spot she described, and when they got there, they stepped into the water. Since it was dark, the others at the river wouldn''t be able to see them. Dragun gave Vishirk a nod, and they began reciting the phrase together. "Mali... Liva..." As they began reciting it, it was as though the shallow water they were standing on suddenly became deep. It started sucking them down. They continued reciting, and in a matter of seconds, they disappeared. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 178: Migration ( 28 ) After disappearing from the surface of the river, Dragun and Vishirk''s vision ckened. When their sight returned, they found themselves standing in the midst of a very busy hall. The hall was enormous and almost as wide as Yellow River City''s market as a whole. In fact, the only reason Dragun and Vishirk knew they were in a building was because of the roof above their heads and the magic crystal bulbs lighting up the ce. If it wasn''t for the roof, they would have thought they were in the middle of another market like the city''s. Unlike the market where sellers went around announcing their wares, in this ce, each seller had their own stand withrge signboards depicting what they sold. The only people walking around this vast hall were buyers looking for stores selling the specific items they wanted. The ce was orderly. Dragun and Vishirk also noticed that more than ny percent of the people in this ce were wearing masks to hide their identities. Fortunately, both of them already had their identity-altering masks on and were not afraid of revealing their true identities to anyone. "You two are neers?" A gentle female voice came from behind as both of them observed the ginormous hall. They turned around and spotted a young girl around the age of twelve, smiling at them patiently. She was dressed in a white dress, her long blonde hair framing sharp blue eyes that fluttered innocently. Dragun was surprised to feel the strong mana presence radiating from her. ''She is not a mage, but she has a strong magical item equipped that''s radiating such strong mana. She is no ordinary person,'' Dragun noted. Vishirk, on the other hand, wondered what a young girl was doing in such a ce. "You are neers?" she asked again, snapping them out of their wandering thoughts. Both of them quickly nodded and replied to her with smiles. "My name is Melissa. My uncle owns this ce. I can show you around if you''d be kind enough to buy me sweet candies." Hearing her introduction, Dragun and Vishirk exchanged surprised expressions. "Alright, Melissa, you can show us around, and we promise to get you delicious candy," Vishirk replied. Melissa''s eyes brightened excitedly at the promise. She hurried between them and held their hands, a bright smile spreading across her innocent face. Dragun and Vishirk felt pretty ufortable with the looks a few passersby gave them. There were looks of disgust, surprise, and a little bit of admiration. The facial reactions of the passersby were so different and random that they found it difficult to interpret. "Uncles, what item do you want to buy? I can take you there immediately," Melissa asked. Dragun and Vishirk immediately told her the major item that brought them here¡ªAwakening potions. "You are very lucky, uncles. Yesterday, a lot of high-quality Awakening potions were supplied to the market," she replied. "Is that true?" both of them said in unison. "Mm-hmm," Melissa nodded. "I''ll take you there right away," she added. They were about to reply when they felt the world around them spin for a split second. Before they could understand what was happening, they found themselves standing in an entirely different location¡ªshe had teleported them! "A twelve-year-old using a teleportation item?!" Dragun muttered. The situation was just too surprising. Even as a senior mage, usingmon teleportation magic slips always drained more than half of his mana reserve, and yet a twelve-year-old without a mana core was able to activate one. Dragun turned to look at her¡ªher face was still as lively and excited as before, as though she hadn''t done anything unusual. At this point, Dragun began to wonder if she was actually human. Taking his eyes away from her, Dragun observed the signboards of the stores around them, which all sold Potions and Herbal Concoctions. Vishirk was still in shock, looking around. Melissa was still holding their hands. "Uncles, here is the spot; you can find what you want here," Melissa spoke up. Dragun turned to her with a gentle smile. "Thank you very much, Melissa. Do you know anywhere we can get you candies?" Melissa nodded. "Melissa knows a lot of ces to get delicious candies, but Melissa doesn''t want to disturb uncles and would get the candy herself." Dragun sighed upon hearing this. He dipped his hand inside his spatial pouch, brought out a silver coin, and handed it to her with a smile. However, the moment Melissa spotted the silver coin, her mood turned sour, and she gave him a disgusted look. "Not enough," she said coldly. ''Not enough? What kind of candy are you getting?'' Dragun wondered inwardly. He kept the silver coin and brought out a gold coin, trying to hand it to her. But she rejected it once again. Vishirk, who had recovered from his stunned state, observed their interaction. "One gold coin is not enough for your candy?" Dragun asked Melissa. She shook her head. Dragun didn''t know whether tough or cry at this moment. He dipped his hand into his pouch and tried handing her five gold coins, which she refused again. He tried with ten, fifteen, twenty, and kept increasing the number by five coins each time. Some of the passersby even stopped to watch the interaction with interested expressions. Some chuckled from time to time, confusing Dragun. After several attempts, Dragun reached one hundred gold coins. Before he could hand it over, Melissa grabbed it from his hand. The previous disgusted and angry expression on her face was nowhere to be found as her usual innocent and pretty smile appeared. "Thank you very much, uncle," she thanked him cheerfully. Dragun didn''t know how to react and just looked at her with a nk expression. Some of the people who had watched their interaction startedughing heartily.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Dragun was still wondering why they wereughing when Melissa teleported away. After she disappeared, some of them approached him. "Do not worry; we all have had to experience this at least once." "When I first came here, I only wanted a small potion worth less than two hundred gold. She helped me find it and ended up demanding two hundred gold coins for candy!" "You all are very lucky; she took me to three different ces and requested five hundred gold coins!" They began consoling him and sharing their stories. Dragun smiled casually and couldn''t help but ask, "Who is she actually? How can she teleport so freely without a mana core?" However, his question triggered another round ofughter. "No offense. I thought I was the only one foolish enough to think she was human; turns out I''m not alone. Hahaha!" "You thought she is human?" "Hahaha!" Theyughed at Dragun. One of them, a middle-aged man wearing a mask like the others, took time to give a serious reply afterughing. "She is an Automata owned by the founder of this dark market. Basically, she''s just there to rip neers and earn extra ie for the ck market," he exined. Dragun was not new to the existence of Automata¡ªthey are simply magic artifacts made to act like and interact with humans. He had even worked with some Automata during his missions with the cult. But he had never met one so perfect. To be able to deceive many mages into thinking it''s an actual human just shows how perfect it is. "Just try not to fall for her traps again in the future." Theyughed and patted him on the shoulder before moving on with their business. Vishirk, who had been standing behind during themotion, joined Dragun, and both of them entered the nearest potion shop. After greeting the owner, a youngdy wearing a mask, they told her what they came for. "You''re in the right ce, gentlemen. A lot of Awakening potions came into the market yesterday, and luckily I was able to get my hands on some pretty high-quality ones. In fact, I have the purest Awakening potion. I''m sure you already know, the purest ones are always the most expensive," she revealed with a smile. She brought out a set of Awakening potions. The potions all had glowing golden colors, but the brightness of each differed. Some had duller glows while others were brighter. It is poprly known that the brightness of an awakening potion is directly proportional to its purity. Thus, it wasn''t difficult for Dragun and Vishirk to figure out which was the right one to purchase. Dragun picked the brightest one. "Judging from its brightness, it should be at least 90% Pure. We''ll take this one." Thedy smiled at them. "That one in particr goes for One point one million, since its your first time buying from me, I''ll sell it for One million." She said with a smile. The price was good, but Dragun still bargained with her and took it down to nine hundred and fifty thousand before paying. Afterwards, he purchased a few other potions and left the store. Both of them were about to go find the spell section when Melissa appeared once again. . "Uncles, would you like me to show you the way?" She said with a smile. Sadly, this time, her innocent charm failed to have an effect on them as they rejected her immediately. Chapter 179: Migration ( 29 ) Dragun and Vishirk strolled around the well-organized dark market for another five hours. They visited the spell section and purchased all the necessary spells, as well as the Soul and Spirit magic spells that Rowan had requested. Both of them knew the chances of Rowan awakening any of those affinities were really low. However, given Rowan''s seriousness about obtaining them, they had to go ahead and get them. They also bought a lot of mana stones. Dragun decided to buy a magic staff for Ri to make her spellcasting even easier. After they finished obtaining everything they wanted, they realized they had already spent seven hours in the market. As they strolled around, searching for what they wanted, they came to understand just how massive the ce really was. It was almost as big, if not bigger, than Yellow River City. This made both of them wonder who really had such power to build such a mighty ce. They even tried asking some of the sellers, but they received negative answers, as none of them knew about the founder''s identity. Dragun and Vishirk didn''t dwell on their curiosity, though. After getting what they wanted, they left the ck market and appeared at the river once again. Surprisingly, it was still nighttime. It was almost as though time had never passed outside the ck market. Dragun frowned upon discovering this but didn''t ponder it too much. Right now, he wanted to visit the guy who had information about the cult as soon as he could before they left for Winterseed. Vishirk wasn''t aware of this n, and Dragun wasn''t nning on letting him in on it, so he sent him back to the inn alone and left for the ce the inn manager had told him about.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om He arrived at a big open bar. It was pretty lively; a lot of men and a few women were seated, eating skewered meat and drinking wines while discussing happily amongst themselves. The bar was so big that it even had its own waiters who went around attending to the customers, as the owner wouldn''t be able to take care of so many people at the same time. "Good-looking sir, what would you like to drink? We have all types of wines, and our meats are fresh and well-prepared," a beautiful waitress approached Dragun. "Nice, but I would love to speak with Yizen Cole, your boss," Dragun responded with a smile. "My boss is currently busy; you''ll have toe backter," she replied. Dragun was already made aware by the inn manager that Yizen Cole didn''t appreciate visitors, so he wasn''t shaken by her answer. Thankfully, the inn manager had handed him a visitation card. He showed the card to the beautiful waitress. "I''ll take you to him immediately," she said and started walking him toward the back of the open bar, where a small building was located. They arrived, and she knocked at the door in a strange manner before a hoarse voice inside answered and asked her to send the visitor in. Dragun gave her a nod of appreciation before strolling into the room. Entering the room, he was greeted with the strong stench of alcohol and the sound of bottles rolling on the ground. The sight in the room wasn''t pleasant at all; there was only a big bed and a small table, while the remaining space was consumed with bottles of beer. There was even a barrel of beer at the back. Atop the bed sat a potbellied middle-aged man holding a big mug of wine that spilled on the bed from time to time due to his weak, unsteady grip on it. Dragun had a frown on his face. ''Would someone this drunk be able to provide useful information about the cult?'' he pondered. "You, I have never seen you before. How did you get my visitation card?" was the first thing Yizen Cole asked Dragun after obtaining the strength to speak. Dragun forced a smile and replied, "I got your card from Blessed Inn''s manager. He meant no harm." "Oh, that bastard is still alive and kicking? Well, good for him. So, what brought you to me? What information do you seek?" Yizen asked. Dragun quickly asked about the cult of Ember Justice. The moment he mentioned the name, Yizen tossed the mug of beer in his hands to the ground and sobered up in a matter of seconds. His previous unsteady and drunk behavior disappeared and was reced with a serious demeanor. "Why do you want to know about the cult of Ember Justice? How did you even know about them? Identify yourself." Dragun remained unfazed by his sudden seriousness and the questions he threw at him. He lied about his identity and also made up stories about how he knew about them. "I had a cousin who was part of the cult, but he was killed recently. I''m investigating the matter myself and would like to know more about the cult he was in, their activities in the past, and especially their movement in Yellow River City at the moment," Dragun lied. Yizen looked at Dragun with a frown on his face, trying his hardest to believe his made-up stories. "Your cousin had a death wish?" he suddenly asked. "Why do you ask?" "Because if your cousin didn''t have a death wish, he wouldn''t have joined the cult in the first ce. Those who know about the danger of the cult never dream or even think of associating with them." Yizen''s response was cold, and he didn''t hold back from insulting Dragun''s ''deceased cousin.'' Dragun didn''t mind the insults, considering the cousin was non-existent. However, he felt a little insulted himself, considering he was one who actually joined the cult. Yizen spent two extra minutes insulting the so-called cousin before rxing. "To obtain the information you want about the cult, you must pay a sum of one hundred gold coins," Yizen requested. Dragun didn''t mind and handed him the amount he requested. "Tell me everything you know, especially about the Dark Brothers," he said as he handed him the gold. Yizen counted the coins and kept them in his spatial pouch. He sat upright and began pouring out everything he knew. Dragun discovered he was hiding some bits of the information and decided to double his pay. After doubling it, Yizen''s response became more fluid, with little to no part of it hidden. --- Dragun left Yizen''s ce after obtaining all the information he wanted from him. At this moment, it was almost dawn, and the streets were bing busy once again. Dragun rushed to the inn. He didn''t bother to cultivate as his mana reserves were already filled up. He had purchased some high-quality, purified demonic beast meat from Yizen''s bar before returning. The mana stored up in the meat''s fibers quickly nourished his mana reserves. After returning, Vishirk became extra curious, inquiring about his business, but Dragun didn''t share the information. Although he trusted Vishirk to some extent, he didn''t dare share information about the cult with him, as that would only put him in danger. --- Winterseed II The people of the vige had been well-coordinated after Rowan''s visit, and the productivity of the vige was also boosted by a lot. Michael, the new leader, had actually taken his position pretty seriously. Since he was a military person, his new position as the acting vige head made his captain position in the army higher than it usually was. With his newfound position, he made the soldiers go through rigorous exercises they would usually not want to go through. Early in the morning, he gathered the soldiers and made them undergo his personal daily routine. They started with jumping jacks, which went on for minutes before switching to push-ups, sit-ups, and jogging around the vige. Afterwards, they practiced their various weapon techniques for another two hours before beginning their usual tasks for the day. For the first two days, most of the soldiersined and cussed him for using his position recklessly. However, after about three days, they realized their bodies were getting stronger and their endurance was building up gradually thanks to the rigorous exercise he made them go through, and then they stoppedining. Michael wasn''t good at the other sections of territory management, but he tried his best. Aside from Michael''s new leadership, the people of the vige were still worried about the health state of their beloved Ren, his family especially. Day after day, they woke up worrying about the condition of Ren. Some of the vigers who''ve seen him before he left the vige even lost hope that he would actually survive. Chapter 180 Migration ( 30 ) Chapter 180 Migration ( 30 ) It was still midnight, and Winterseed was as quiet as usual; the vigers were asleep. The soldiers were stationed in the guardhouses as usual, scouting the surroundings for danger. After what had transpired the previous night, none of the soldiers dared to fall asleep on duty. They kept their eyes wide open, extremely vignt to prevent any further casualties. Those who found it difficult to stay awake were asked to retire for the day to their homes. Rnd especially did not allow any of his soldiers to take even the slightest nap. He could still recall the deceased soldiers asking him to let them rest, which ended up being theirst. He could not repeat the same mistake. Rowan and ze were also active throughout the night. Both of them spent the night walking up and down the vige, moving from one guardhouse to another to ensure the soldiers were safe. After a few hours of nonstop patrolling around the vige, Rowan felt tired and sleepy, but he didn''t sumb. At the moment, Rowan and ze were strolling through the vige, heading to the eastern guardhouse. ze''s eyes were glowing brightly as he scanned the area. Rowan walked beside him, his eyes scanning the surroundings with his [Eclipse Vision] skill that granted perfect sight even in the moonless night. While his eyes were fixed on his surroundings, his mind slowly wandered, wondering if Dragun and Vishirk had been able to obtain the awakening potion. His heartbeat fluttered as he couldn''t help but wonder what affinity he would awaken. Apart from awakening and affinity, Rowan also made ns in his head for the hunt scheduled for tomorrow. He was nning on moving away from the vige for a whole week, leaving its security under the control of Dragun. A week''s worth of hunting might guarantee the evolution of his soldiers. Also, with his new Hunter upation skills, baiting monsters and demonic beasts out of the forest would be much easier and faster. Not to mention, Rowan had an almost unlimited food and water supply, so he had no fear of his soldiers starving during that period. Rowan''s mind was upied with so many thoughts as he strolled with ze. They were just a few minutes away from their destination when, all of a sudden, the loud voice of a woman rang out. "My baby!" Rowan and ze heard the cry at almost the same time. Their heads darted towards each other at once before they began sprinting towards the location of the voice. "My baby! No!!" The same voice cried out once again. Hearing this, Rowan and ze added more strength to their feet and bolted forward without a single thought. A few soldiers on their way to or from the guardhouse heard the voice as well and ran toward the location to see what was happening. Rowan and ze were the first to arrive at the location despite being the farthest away. "My baby!!" The woman was still crying. Rowan pushed the door open and barged into the house. The house consisted of a singlerge room, which served as both a bedroom and a sitting room, so Rowan and ze were able to spot the woman immediately upon entering. She was holding her baby, who was wrapped in neat clothes; her eyes and face were covered with tears. When both of them entered, her eyes darted towards them. Rowan saw her eyes and could swear they were the saddest eyes he had ever seen. "My baby is not responding to me anymore," she said in a low, sad voice, looking at Rowan. Rowan rushed towards her and gently took the baby from her. n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "What happened?" he asked while analyzing the physical condition of the baby. He looked fine from the outside; his face was clear and smooth. But the baby wasn''t breathing anymore, which confused Rowan. As he held the tiny, lifeless body in his arms, a surge of despair washed over him. The weight of the baby was almost nothing, yet it felt as heavy as a mountain pressing down on his soul. His hands trembled slightly, and a knot formed in his throat, making it hard to breathe. The innocence of the child, now gone, tore at his heart more than any battle ever had. "What happened?" he asked while analyzing the physical condition of the baby. He looked fine from the outside; his face was clear and smooth. But the baby wasn''t breathing anymore, which confused Rowan. He even made the system analyze the condition of the baby. [DEAD!] The system reported back, confirming the thoughts Rowan refused to ept. "No!" Rowan muttered lowly while looking at the little, innocent-looking infant in his hands. "This can''t be..." he continued muttering, with a deep revtion of self-guilt and anguish in his voice. The mother of the baby was already on the ground, crying her heart out and wishing for her baby toe back. ze had a dark expression on his face as he looked around, trying his hardest to sniff out any sort of abnormality in the area. Just like the other day, there were none. He smelled nothing strange, not even the scent of another human in the room. "We heard a loud cry; what happened?" The group of soldiers who had been sprinting finally arrived and asked with worry when they saw Rowan and ze had already arrived. They observed the room, saw thedy crying, ze observing, and Rowan holding a baby with a dark expression on his face. "Don''t tell me..." Their eyes and mouths widened at once as they realized. They were five of them. They all rushed to meet Rowan. "Lord Rowan, what is happening?" they asked. Even though they already suspected what had happened, they didn''t want to ept it¡ªjust like Rowan when he got here. "The baby''s dead," Rowan let out in a cold voice. The soldiers all gasped for breath at once. The cries of the woman became even louder after hearing the confirmation from Rowan. "Why my baby? My baby was healthy just this evening! It ate and yed without any sign of unhealthiness," she cried out. "Is it my fault? Did I not take care of my baby as well as I should''ve?" She even med herself. Rowan heard her cries, and his heart ached even more¡ªit wasn''t her fault. An overwhelming sense of responsibility gripped Rowan. He felt a deep-seated guilt gnawing at him, questioning his ability to protect the people under his care. ''Am I failing them?'' he thought. ''I vowed to keep everyone safe, yet this darkness continues to im lives. I must find a way to stop it before more innocent souls are lost.'' "It is not your fault." "Please calm down." The soldiers went to console her at once. "Tell me how it''s not my fault? Tell me!" she cried out even louder. The soldiers tried their hardest to console her. At the moment, a few houses nearby started opening up, and the vigers began gathering. They were all beyond shocked and turned sad when they heard about the death of the baby. None of them med the mother. Those close to her had seen her take care of her baby, and they knew she did it really well. Some of the vigers began to suspect that something dark and evil was in the vige. "First, six people died in the morning, and now a baby is dead? All of them were perfectly healthy, and there were no signs of injuries on them. How could they die like that?" "This is not natural." "I am scared for my life now. Who knows if I may be the one to die tomorrow?" They reacted. Rowan didn''t me them for feeling as such. He didn''t me himself either. He med whatsoever dark creature is causing all these. At this point, Rowan even wondered if it was the Dream Weaver, the dark creature Dragun told him about. Dragun mentioned that the Dream Weaver is definitely involved with Ren and Liara. He mentioned that the Dream Weaver would use Ren and Liara when a certain time reaches. ''But Ren and Liara are being watched in their room all night. How could the killing involve them?'' Rowan wondered. ''Also, if it was really Ren and Liara, how would they be able to kill these people without inflicting injuries?'' his mind wandered. Rowan didn''t even want to believe both of them were involved. The noises in the room¡ªwith the woman crying, vigers petting her, and also worrying for their lives¡ªcontinued. Rowan was still holding the deceased baby in his hands. ze strolled towards him. [''There is no trace of anything anywhere, just like this morning,''] ze reported. ''I know,'' Rowan replied telepathically. [''This is getting serious,''] zemented. Rowan could only nod his head. Determination ignited within him like a burning me. ''This has to end,'' he resolved silently. ''I can''t stand by while my people suffer. Whatever this darkness is, I''ll uncover it and put an end to its terror.'' He clenched his fists, his gaze steeling as he prepared himself for the challenges ahead. He heaved out a long sigh. Burying adults was painful, but burying an infant is a next level of sorrow. Rowan walked up to the mother with the baby and consoled her with nice and gentle words. He told her not to worry and made her realize nothing was her fault. He was still consoling her when, all of a sudden, Two loud cries of women rang out from another location. Chapter 181: Migration ( 31 ) Rowan was already devastated by the death of one infant and was trying his best to calm his nerves, to think rationally, so as not to act recklessly in front of his people. He was beyond furious and deeply saddened inside. He bottled this up behind a calm expression. However, just when his heart was about to settle on the thought of losing one baby, two new sorrowful screams from other women reached his ears. Rowan had been squatting as he consoled the mother. When he heard the two screams, his eyes widened, and he stood up. "What is happening again?" the soldiersined; they were just as tired as Rowan. Rowan looked around and ced the infant gently on the bed, close to the grieving mother. "I''ll be back," he said to her in a gentle voice. He turned to ze; ze knew what to do immediately. Both of them zoomed out of the room, heading in the direction of the voices. Fortunately, the cries wereing from the same area, making their journey easier. Sprinting at their peak speed, they reached the location in a matter of one minute. There were two houses closely beside each other. The cries came from the two houses. Rowan moved into the closest house, opened the door, and was greeted with a scene simr to the first, with the addition of a father beside the mother, both looking really worried and dejected. "Lord Rowan," they both greeted him with shaky voices. "I don''t know what is happening; my baby is not responding anymore," the woman tried to speak calmly, but her voice was shaky, revealing her nervousness and worries. Rowan didn''t even have to look at the child this time to tell it was dead. "My condolences," he told the two parents with a pained expression on his face. His words were like a bomb of reality; they dropped into the ears of the parents and exploded, igniting all their sorrowful emotions. The mother knelt on the ground and began crying, while the man stood with wide-open eyes. "My baby can''t be dead. Just a few hours ago, he called me ''Dada'' for the first time andughed with me," said the father. Rowan looked at him and shook his head. "I''m sorry, but you have to realize and ept your loss. There is nothing you and I can do," he replied. "But..." The father tried to speak; tears were beginning to gather in his eyes. The death of the baby he had been working hard on the farms to care for was not a reality he could ept easily. Rowan understood just how he felt. Unfortunately, he couldn''t stay with him much longer. Thankfully, the neighbors of the couple arrived one after another, giving Rowan the chance to leave. He left the house and went to the one beside it, where another mother and father duo were grieving the death of their baby. Rowan was beyond angry seeing the dead babies and the grieving parents. He wanted tosh out and unleash all his anger so badly. But he had nothing to release it on. He had to bottle it up. The vige would be plunged into another sad day at dawn. He had to be prepared to console his people. "My baby is not dead!" The new couple were just like thest, refusing to ept their fate. Rowan didn''t even have the time or mindset to console them at this point. He only dropped the harsh bomb of reality on them and left the job of consoling to the neighbors who arrived soon after. He left the vicinity at once, with ze. ze noticed the unnatural calmness of his master. As a pet, he could feel a little bit of his master''s emotions, so he knew just how angry and sad he was. At this point, in Rowan''s mind, the only scene reying was one of him torturing the bastard plunging his vige into this sort of chaos. The scene in his mind was chaotic and bloody, a deep contrast to the calmness on his face. After leaving the vicinity of the two new deceased babies, Rowan didn''t even bother strolling around the vige anymore. He went straight to his home. He walked past a few soldiers on the road; they triedmunicating with him, but Rowan didn''t reply. Rowan even sent ze back into the Divine Beast in; he gave him some E-rank monster cores before sending him away. "Darling," Ri was awoken by Rowan''s entrance. She was very far away from themotion, so she wasn''t aware of it. Rowan gave her a gentle smile andy beside her. "Go back to bed." Ri nodded gently; she adjusted her body and rested her head on his chest. She could not detect any changes or negativity in his emotions. She fell asleep a few minutester. Rowan remained awake, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. His fists were clenched. ''When I get my hands on that bastard, even God won''t be able to save him from the torment I will make him go through!'' Rowan swore. ''When I am done awakening, I don''t mind the pain thates with quick leveling! I''ll undergo it and endure it with all I''ve got in order to get stronger and capture the bastard doing this!'' Rowan made cold derations to himself inwardly. --- The next morning quickly arrived in Winterseed. The gloomy news about the death of three infants during the night had already reached every ear in the vige, plunging it into more sorrow. The vigers rushed to the vige square, hoping for some words from their beloved Lord Rowan. It was only a few minutes after dawn, and the vige square was already filled to the brim with worried vigers. Gloomy looks were stered on everyone''s faces. Even the little children wore gloomy expressions. Topics about the deaths and the mystery surrounding them were being discussed by the vigers. The soldiers who had been actively guarding the border at night were present; they all appeared worried. Especially Captain Rnd. He could be seen standing with his wife. Rnd had a worried expression on his face. The death of the babies made him more worried and concerned about his own baby. Everything wasn''t natural! Even if his baby was perfectly healthy, given the mysterious events of unnned deaths, dying was not impossible. ''Where is Lord Rowan?'' he thought. Even though Rnd was older and naturally more emotionally mature than Rowan, he still felt the strong need for Rowan at a crucial point like this. rissa, his wife, was also worried, just like every other viger. "My baby... no!!" "Why did this have to happen?" "I returned home from guarding the vige, only to be greeted with the corpse of my own baby! What am I living for in this world now?" The parents of the dead infants were in the middle of the crowd, crying their hearts out. Many vigers gathered around them, consoling them. Some extremely emotional vigers could not help themselves and also joined the couple, beginning to cry. The entirety of the vige square was gloomy and scared. At the entrance of the vige square, Ri, unaware of the events, was shocked to see the crowd gathered there. "What''s happening?" she asked herself. She wondered why there was no one at home on her way down here; only now did she understand the reason.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om But she was curious as to why they were gathered. She walked into the vige square; she was immediately affected by the gloomy atmosphere, causing her curiosity to pique. She seeded in walking through the crowd and made her way to the front, where she was greeted with the corpses of three babiesid on a clean cloth on the ground, as well as the grieving parents gathered around them, weeping. Her expression crumbled immediately as she witnessed this. What happened? she thought. How did the babies die? So many questions were in her mind. She noticed one of the youngdies consoling the crying mother; she was one of her apprentices. She approached her and inquired about the situation and was greeted with the news that they all died during the night. "Lord Rowan was at the scene? Didn''t he inform you?" the youngdy asked. Ri shook her head solemnly; only now did she understand why Rowan was unnaturally gentlest night. Just like the other vigers, she became extremely gloomy. While everyone was gathered at the vige square, grieving and awaiting the arrival of Rowan. Chapter 182: Migration ( 32 ) Rowan''s House Rowan sat inside his room with a contemtive expression, deep in thought. He was aware that the people had already gathered at the vige square, awaiting him. However, at this moment, he needed to pull himself together before going to help fix the crumbling emotional state of the others. Usually, he arrived at the vige square and made up his speech on the spot with no difficulty. However, that was only possible because his mind was in the right state, unlike now. Rowan heaved a sigh, stood up, had a quick bath, changed into new robes, and then strolled out of the house. The streets were deserted as the people were at the vige square. Rowan walked down the street. He was heading towards the vige square when he spotted Brandon approaching from the opposite direction. "Lord Rowan," Brandon greeted. Rowan nodded in response. Brandon observed Rowan''s calmness; he could tell it was just a fa?ade to cover his true emotions. He had been with Rowan for a long time and knew when he was actually calm and when he was pretending. "The deaths are getting serious and bing more than mere coincidences. What do you think is happening?" Brandon opened a conversation to lighten the awkward silence. "We are being attacked by extraordinary bastards," Rowan replied. "We are being attacked? Extraordinary bastards? Are you talking about evil spirits?" Brandon found this pretty strange.n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om "Yeah, something simr." While Rowan replied coldly and tried to end the conversation as soon as he could, Brandon ensured to keep it going. They continued in this pattern for a few minutes before arriving at the vige square. Rowan was greeted by therge number of people and the murmurs going around. The vigers at the back noticed him first; they greeted him, and he replied casually while making his way to the front. Walking through the crowd, the sad, devastated, and worried faces of the vigers were revealed to Rowan. "Lord Rowan, the people are really worried and scared. What should be done about this?" "Lord Rowan, are we going to die?" "What is happening?" "I am worried I will be next. Please do something about this, please." Some of the vigers rushed to Rowan, leavingments and remarks. Rowan ignored them and continued making his way forward. Some of the soldiers noticed this and rushed to control the crowd. The captains left their previous positions and strolled towards him. Rnd left his wife and kid and rushed to meet him as well. They could tell Rowan was not in the mood to speak, so they prevented the people from speaking with him. Even with the soldiers helping, the people still voiced their worries, creating quite a bit of noise. However, since they didn''t approach him, he made it to his destination without stress. He was greeted by the corpses of the babies and their crying parents. Even though Rowan tried to stay calm, his heart ached. "Rowan~" Ri''s gentle voice came from beside him. She had spotted him and walked up to check on him. Rowan turned to her. "Are you okay?" she asked gently. Her eyes contained her deep feeling of empathy for Rowan. "I am okay, just a bit tired of the shit going on right now," Rowan smiled at her. Ri nodded and told him to calm down, that it would be alright very soon, to which he nodded. The murmur of the crowd continued as Rowan climbed onto the tform. He observed the faces of everyone once again before coughing. His cough drew the attention of everyone towards him. "Lord Rowan, what is actually happening?" Before he could even begin, someone in the crowd voiced the question everyone had in their minds. Everyone looked at Rowan, waiting for an answer. Rowan looked at them¡ªusually, he would cover up such an important issue by lying to the crowd, but he decided against that this time. He would tell them the truth; how they handled it depended on them. "We are under attack by dark creatures or supernatural beings, whatever they''re called. They are almost impossible to capture or even defeat," Rowan revealed. The crowd fell silent for a second before erupting as they began voicing their confusions. "Supernatural beings? Dark creatures?" "Why are they attacking us? What did we do to them?" "We can''t defeat them? Does that mean all of us are going to die one by one until the vige is deserted?" They asked lots of questions at the same time, making the area extremely noisy. Rowan lifted his hands, and the crowd fell silent once again. "I will answer every question, but when you scream out your questions so noisily, I''m not sure I''ll be able to answer. So pick one amongst yourselves toe up and ask the questions." The people agreed with his words and selected a speaker¡ªBrandon. Brandon stepped forward, standing a few meters in front of Rowan, facing him. "Lord Rowan, what are these dark creatures, and how did you know it''s them?" "I am sure all of you know about evil spirits. The dark creatures are way more evil and powerful, and just like spirits, capturing and getting rid of them through physical means is almost impossible," Rowan answered the first question. He also went ahead to exin how he knew and was sure it was them. Brandon nodded slowly. "Why are they attacking us? What have we done to deserve this?" "They don''t need a reason like we do," Rowan replied casually. "They feed on fear and despair. Our vige is just theirtest target." The crowd murmured in fear. Mothers held their children close, and fathers clenched their fists. "How can we stop them?" Brandon asked, his voice steady but concerned. "We can''t stop them; they are powerful spiritual and magical creatures, and we are nothing but mere mortals. However, I will soon awaken my mana core and be a mage. Once I am able to awaken a specific affinity, I might be able to stop them." The crowd had hopeful eyes after hisst sentence. "What can we do to help?" Brandon asked. "Nothing, to be honest. All I need are your cooperation and prayers," Rowan replied. Brandon asked many other questions, and Rowan did not hesitate to answer. He did not hide the truth from the people this time. Now that the people were aware of the cause of the deaths, he wouldn''t have to waste extra time giving speeches, exining the situation when the same incident urred again. After answering all the questions, Rowan looked at the crowd with a cold face. "The evil monster has crossed a line by targeting innocent children. I will stop at nothing until I bring it down. To all those who lost their loved ones, rest assured that justice will be served on their behalf, as I, Rowan Winterseed, will avenge them." After Rowan''s speech, the crowd thundered his name and prayed for divine strength on his behalf. The chanting went on for a minute before Rowan silenced it. He gave a short speech that made the crowd emotional¡ªit was thest speech before the deceased babies were buried. He summoned ze, his faithfulpanion, and he did the needful¡ªconsuming the corpses of the babies in gentle mes that danced softly around them. The solemn sound as flesh and bone burned filled the area. The smoke floated and drifted towards the sky. The crowd watched with silent eyes, sadness evident on their faces. The cries of the babies'' rtives increased as they knew they would never be able to see their little ones again, forever. It was a pretty devastating scene. After two hours, the vigers began leaving the vige square one after the other. The soldiers waited behind; they were aware today was the day of their second hunt. After the two sad incidents, their will to step into the Dark Forest to y monsters and be powerful intensified. While they waited, Rowan had a pretty calm talk with Ri, who was extremely worried about how Rowan was faring with the whole situation. She knew how hard it was for him. The first time it happened, Rowan was asleep, and he still med himself for failing to prevent it. However, this time, he was awake, and he even made it his job to patrol the vige, and yet it urred again. She knew he would definitely feel guilty. She didn''t leave Rowan''s side until she was assured he was okay, offering words offort and support. After she left, Rowan gathered the soldiers and discussed their hunting schedule for the day. Rowan had made up his mind that the hunt would be daily. He couldn''t stay away from the vige for more than that, as he was afraid something devastating might ur again. After he was done speaking with the soldiers, they gathered themselves and marched towards the Dark Forest, ready for whatsoever. ... While this was ongoing in Winterseed, Alister and a group of fellow cultist could be seen in the deepest part of the dark forest, holding a meeting. Chapter 183: Migration ( 33 ) Cult of Ember Justice Hideout It was morning, and the sun had already climbed into the sky, casting its radiant light over the dark forest. Deep within the forest, in a clearing hidden by towering ancient trees, a group of five men in ck robes strolled together, engaged in conversation. Among them was Alister, who wore his usual cold expression. "Master Alister, how is your mission going?" one of them asked. "Good," Alister answered casually. The men weren''t fazed by his curt reply; they were already ustomed to his demeanor.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "We heard the bigger mission would resume soon. Is that true?" they pressed. "Xandros is undercover, preparing for it. In a month or two, it will begin," Alister replied. He recalled his arrangement with Xandros before the mission began. If everything went perfectly as they had nned¡ªnot only would they secure a few new candidates for the dark seed ritual, but they would also reap other benefits that would interest the higher-ups of the cult. Alister had only one concern about the sess of his n: Xandros''s hot temperament. Thankfully, before sending Xandros away on his undercover mission, he had taken precautions by casting a spell that calmed negative emotions and reactions, instilling only positive ones. With this in ce, the chance of Xandros ruining the n was slim to none. The men kept trying to converse with Alister as they made their way¡ªmost of their discussion revolved around Xandros, his whereabouts, and the dark seed ritual. Though they knew he was on a secret mission, they couldn''t help but wonder what it entailed and where it would take ce. Aside from Xandros and the dark seed ritual, they also tried to inquire about the weapons Alister was going to give them for their mission. "Can''t you all keep silent and just walk?" Alister asked with a frown as their questions became annoying. His reprimand was enough to keep the men quiet until they arrived at their destination¡ªa cave. Alister muttered in a foreignnguage, and a small portal appeared at the entrance of the cave. He stepped in with the others. Passing through the portal, they found themselves in a vast storage room filled with spell scrolls, dried-up body parts of monsters and humans, magical artifacts, weapons, and other mystical items. "Wow!" "This is fantastic! Are we going to get our weapons from here? I''ve already found one I love," the men eximed with pure admiration. But Alister ignored them. The items were meticulously arranged on shelves, with ample space in the middle for easy movement. Alister strolled down the pathway and arrived at its end, where a small door was located. The others gulped nervously as they anticipated entering the room. "I can''t believe I get to enter the secret chamber in the storeroom after so many years in the cult. I can''t wait to see what''s behind this legendary door," they all thought at that moment. Alister, on the other hand, maintained a calm expression as he opened the door using a magic phrase. The door creaked open. A strong metallic stench of blood drifted out of the room, making the men wrinkle their noses. Then, thick smoke began to pour from the doorway, filling the entrance with a gray haze. The smoke curled around their feet, making it hard to see clearly. Alister took a step forward, the smoke parting before him as if pushed by an unseen force. The others followed hesitantly, their footsteps echoing softly in the smoky air. Inside, the chamber was dimly lit by glowing crystals embedded in the walls. The illumination from the crystals soon revealed the shocking scene within the room. The initial smoke had cleared, and with the help of the glowing crystals, everything in the chamber was unveiled. It was a vast chamber. Inside, there were numerous wide tables; on these tablesy dissected corpses of monsters and humans, as well asrge and small bottles of concoctions. At the far back of the chamber, sevenrge ss cylinders filled with glowing green liquid stood ominously. The men could make out shadowy humanoid figures within these cylinders. They needed no further exnation to understand they were in ab¡ªnot just anyboratory, but Alister''s own. "It was rumored among the older cult members that Alister ran some truly dark experiments. I never knew they were true. Thest time I heard, he was trying to create the perfect loyal dark battle mages to assist the cult inpleting missions and settling scores. Has he seeded? I''ve been a member of the cult for ages, and I''ve never felt this unsettled. Alister is next-level evil!" the men thought as they stared around the room, absorbing the abominable scene. Alister observed their expressions for a few seconds before speaking. "We didn''te here for sightseeing, did we?" he asked with a frown. "No, sir." The men returned their attention to him immediately. Alister scoffed. "Your mission is invading Cufflor Dukedown and abducting the duke''s wife and first daughter. I am sure the mission board ordered you to only invade and abduct, but I want something more," he began. The men gulped¡ªwhat did Alister want? they wondered. "I need to test the soldiers I''ve created. Cufflor Dukedown is a perfect field for that. They have a strong army of battle mages and knights. I want you to take my soldiers with you and challenge their army. While the battle is ongoing, you canplete your missions." The men looked at each other with confused expressions. Invading Cufflor Dukedown and capturing the duke''s wife and daughter was already a difficult mission. With the addition of kick-starting a war, the difficulty increased even more. "But sir..." They tried to make excuses, but Alister didn''t spare them a listening ear. "Do not worry. I am aware you guys are daft and wouldn''t be able to kick-start a battle without getting caught and killed. That''s why I prepared this..." Alister made a sheet of paper appear and passed it to them. "Contained in it are everyyer of action you should take." The men read his n and sighed. With his n, the difficulty of their mission reduced beyond their expectations. They were prepared for the mission. "Where are the soldiers?" they asked. Alister did not reply verbally; he simply pointed behind them. The men gulped and slowly turned back. Behold, before them were dark grey-skinned humans with huge builds, lifeless and bloodthirsty red eyes that seemed to pierce into the soul. Their bodies radiated a powerful dark aura that made the men cower backward, some even toppling over. The dark soldiers barely moved; they simply stood there, staring at empty air with bloodthirsty eyes. The men became scared beyondprehension. They turned to look at Alister with eyes that appeared to be pleading for help. On the other hand, Alister had a smirk as he stared at his creation. In his mind, he imagined several dark, abominable scenes of himself dominating the magic world with his dark soldiers. He admired the dark soldiers for a few seconds before handing the men rings that help store them. He briefed them about the mission once again before dismissing them. After they left, Alister brought out a magic item resembling a mirror. After muttering a few magic phrases, a scene appeared on the screen. It was Yellow River City. The scene seemed to be focused on a certain figure going about his day¡ªa figure that Rowan and the people of Winterseed would easily recognize. "You''re doing a good job, Xandros," Alister smiled before deactivating the magic item. Chapter 184: Migration ( 34 ) Rowan and his soldiers marched through the vige and arrived at the dark forest. The vigers weren''t worried about the marching anymore. Usually, they would feel a bit scared and worried, thinking a war was ongoing. But after learning that the soldiers were going to hunt, their worries reduced, and they only wished them a safe and sessful hunting journey. When they arrived at the entrance of the forest, some of the soldiers halted, thinking they would be hunting at the same spot as thest time¡ªa few of them were slightly afraid of stepping inside the dark forest, especially those from Winterseed II. Rowan noticed this and quickly announced that their hunt was going to be within the forest. Most of them would have liked to disagree, but they ended up agreeing anyway¡ªthe road to bing unnaturally stronger was never meant to be easy. However, before entering the forest, Rowan decided to give tips and discuss new strategies in order to keep them safe. While he was giving advice, some of the soldiers became a little bit worried that Rowan hadn''t summoned ze yet. Most of them could still remember how ze had saved them from dying during thest hunt, so they naturally missed his presence. "ze is resting and will join the battle veryte. So your survival is all in your hands," Rowan warned. "You either go all out against your opponent and win, or hold back and get hurt¡ªor even die if care isn''t taken." Depending on himself and ze for survival when they made ws during battles was not a good way to train them. He had to make them realize this now. The soldiers gulped upon hearing his reply. "What about bait? Are we going to burn meat like thest time?" Rnd asked. Rowan shook his head. "How then are we going to draw out the monsters?" he asked further. "I have been gifted a special skill to draw them out. You''ll witness it when I activate it," Rowan replied. Most of the soldiers could not help but wonder what the skill was. "This is going to be one of the most serious fights you all have ever had. So go all out. On the battlefield, holding back is as dumb as signing your own death note," Rowan warned for thest time. The soldiers nodded their heads in agreement. Rowan nodded as well. "Let us proceed," he said. With hismand, the one thousand plus soldiers apanied him and walked into the forest. Their eyes moved around rapidly, observing their surroundings for any threat. Their weapons were clenched in their hands, ready to engage at the spotting of any danger. Rowan led the soldiers deeper into the forest. The trees grew taller and thicker, blocking out most of the sunlight. The air felt colder, and the sound of leaves pping became frequent. The noise of smaller animals escaping upon their arrival also drifted across the group. The group progressed noiselessly. As they moved forward, Rowan spotted a few lone monsters lurking around and did not hesitate to y them in just one move. The soldiers watched him y these monsters, and their confidence grew. They were reminded once again of the strength of their Lord. At this moment, Rowan was in search of a perfect hunting spot¡ªa clear opening deep inside the forest. So when he activates [Hunter Call] and the monsters or demonic beasts start attacking, it would be easier for the soldiers to engage. It would be more difficult, though, considering the monsters would be pouring out from all around them. But Rowan wasn''t bothered. If he kept training the soldiers under good conditions, they would not be as tough as he wanted them to be. Thankfully, after walking for about three hours, Rowan found the perfect spot. The opening was carpeted with grass, and the trees around this ce had huge spaces within them, making the sight clearer. "We''ll hunt here," he announced, and the soldiers halted. Without wasting time, they began warming up, readying their weapons and minds to engage. Rowan observed everyone and noticed a bit of a w in the setting and the formation¡ªthe archers would be at a major disadvantage. ''I need to make a quick change,'' he thought. "Gather up, everyone. Some changes have to be made." After getting their attention, he announced the new strategy. However, the soldiers were a little confused.N?v(el)B\\jnn "If the monsters are pouring in inrge numbers, wouldn''t it be pretty disadvantageous to have the archers at the frontline?" Bryceined. "Naturally," Rowan replied. "Unfortunately, this hunt is all about kills. If we go the usual route, the archers would have little to no kills, and this would only mean their evolution would be dyed. I need the archers to be very strong; they would be our trump card in the impending doom," Rowan exined. "Also, the archers at the frontline don''t necessarily put them in danger. It only gives them the advantage of initial kills. Once they are done emptying their rounds, they would move back, and the close-ranged fighters would engage," Rowan briefed them about his strategy as simply as he could. Once the monsters start pouring out, Rowan would have to make switches in the strategy and formation from time to time. Many might consider his strategy wed, but it isn''t¡ªRowan wants every soldier to evolve before the trial begins. Hiding and shielding the archers with the close-ranged fighters would only hinder their evolution, leading to uneven power in his army. He doesn''t want that. "Is that clear?" he inquired after he was done announcing. The soldiers nodded. "Good... prepare yourselves. I am about to call the monsters." The soldiers took their positions, forming a simple formation with the archers standing at the front, forming a small wall around the close-ranged fighters who braced themselves. Rowan was standing in the middle of this formation. ''Time to test my hunter skills!'' he thought. Rowan took in a deep breath and prepared to activate his skill. [ Activating HUNTER''S VOICE... Activated! Your shout can now draw out monsters ] Seeing the confirmation, Rowan smirked and then¡ª"COME OUT, YOU FUCKERS!" Chapter 185: Migration ( 35 ) "COME OUT, YOU FUCKERS!" Rowan yelled. The soldiers turned to look at him with confused expressions on their faces. ''Why is Lord Rowan screaming like that?'' ''Is this how Lord Rowan ns to draw out monsters? How did he even think this would work?'' ''Who is Lord Rowan talking to?'' They were all confused, but they only voiced their questions inwardly. To them, Rowan''s scream was just like any other scream, with no sort of supernatural effects whatsoever. If they could use one word to describe his scream, they would even call it annoying. It was definitely loud but not loud enough to reach a considerable distance to draw out the monsters lurking¡ªat least, this was what they thought. On the other hand, far away from Rowan and his soldiers, a pack of demonic wolves could be seen sitting quietly around a small cave. The other wolves were resting around the cave, while the leader sat atop it, scanning the area with bloodthirsty eyes, waiting for prey. All of a sudden, a piercing sound resembling that of a makeshift whistle reached their ears. The sound was neither loud nor silent, but somehow it magically gave them a clue of where it wasing from. The pack of more than twenty demonic wolves, previously sitting quietly, stood up abruptly. The bloodlust in their eyes became more visible. The pack leader jumped down from the cave and let out a little howl. Then it started charging towards the direction the strange sound hinted at. The other wolves followed. Not so far away from these demonic wolves, other groups of monsters and demonic beasts, even the solitary ones, heard the sound and began charging towards the same location. Most of the groups collided on the way. Naturally, they would engage inbat to assert dominance¡ªbut they didn''t and kept charging. If a camera could zoom from the sky at this moment, it would capture a shocking scene of monsters and demonic beasts charging savagely in the same direction from various points. Meanwhile, the soldiers with Rowan kept looking amongst themselves, still confused about Rowan''s bizarre scream. "Lord Rowan, are you okay?" Some gathered the courage to ask the question running through their minds. "More than okay," Rowan replied simply and continued, "keep silent and brace yourselves; they areing." The soldiers had the urge to speak more, but then they were greeted with the familiar sound of monsters charging towards them. Their eyes widened at once as they realized Rowan''s scream actually worked. ''But how?'' Sadly, there was no time to satisfy this curious part of them. The archers braced themselves and took aim at the bush in front of them. The martial artists and swordsmen braced themselves for closebat. Rowan stood in the middle, calmly. "Look over there!" From the left nk of the formation, the first monster appeared¡ªan elephant with red eyes and sharp tusks. The demonic elephant, despite its size, charged at the group of humans without a single restriction. The archers around gulped nervously. "Leave this to me!" one of the captains of the archers shouted and readied his arrow. PHEW! PHEW!! PHEW!!! Three arrows shot out from his bow, heading at the demonic elephant, leaving a sharp sound as they tore through the tense air. Time seemed to slow down as the three arrows darted toward their target. THUMP THUMP! The demonic elephant was drawing closer, savagely. STAB STAB The first two arrows precisely stabbed its eyes. Before it could even let out a scream of pain, thest arrow found its way into the middle of its head. The gigantic body of the elephant fell on its side, and it began convulsing. The captain took out one more arrow without wasting time and aimed at the chest area, which fortunately was facing his direction. [ Captain XXX has in 1 Demonic Elephant, gained 97 evolution points. ] [ 10% of the soldier''s earned evolution points have been transferred to you. ] Rowan received the first-ever notification in the battle that had just begun. The arrival and death of the first demonic elephant was akin to the beginning of a storm. From all areas, monsters and demonic beasts started pouring out inrge numbers. "This is it, everyone¡ªthe battle to decide if you''re weak and useless and die, or if you''re useful and blessed and grow stronger!" Rowan announced in a loud voice. "Fight with all you''ve got for your life and your loved ones!" he continued. "YESSS!!" the soldiers cried out in loud voices. [ SUPER VOICE has taken effect! Your soldiers'' motivation and attack power have increased. ] The effect of this cheat skill took ce immediately¡ªthose soldiers formerly afraid lost their fear temporarily as motivation overwhelmed them. The archers at the forefront of the battlefield took their positions properly, some kneeling. With arrows aimed at vital points of the charging monsters, they fired! The sharp sound of arrows darting through the air reverberated across the area,bined with the screams, growls, groans, and cries of the monsters. Most of the FF-rank monsters that got hit by the arrows copsed and died after the first round of arrows. A few F-rank beasts were injured badly, which weakened them and reduced their charging speed. As for the E-rank monsters, the arrows were almost ineffective. They only caused minor injuries and bleeding but didn''t really slow them down.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Keep firing!" Rowan announced. The archers nocked new arrows and emptied them at the monsters and demonic beasts. [ Your soldier has in 1 me Spitting Cow, gained 40 evolution points. ] [ 10% of the soldier''s earned evolution points have been transferred to you. ] [ Your soldier has in 1 Low-rank Demonic Wolf, gained 40 evolution points. ] [ 10% of the soldier''s earned evolution points have been transferred to you. ] Notifications about the few victories began pouring in one after the other. Rowan mostly ignored these notifications. His main focus at this point was supervising the soldiers and ensuring the formation and strategy were followed ordingly. The archers had fired several arrows. With the skills they possessed, all the arrows hit their targets precisely, some even dealing critical damage. The lowest among the archers was able to earn around 500 evolution points, which was pretty lowpared to the captains who earned around 5,000. But Rowan wasn''t bothered. "Switch now! Close-ranged fighters, attack! Shield the archers while they get ready for their next round!" "YEAHHHH!" Chapter 186 Migration ( 36 ) Following Rowan''s announcement, the archers and the close-range fighters immediately switched. They did so quite fluidly, and in a matter of seconds, the archers were behind, and the close-range fighters were already charging at the monsters from different positions. Most of the monsters were a little bit stunned as the soldiers charged at them. They were used to being the ones charging, especially after engaging with the soldiers one-on-one. Thus, when the soldiers switched rapidly and others began charging at them, they were initially surprised.N?v(el)B\\jnn Nevertheless, as monsters and demonic beasts, their motive in battle was asserting dominance and devouring their prey. Thus, they didn''t back down and charged even more ferociously. "Time for you ugly monsters to eat my sweet fist!" Bryceughed menacingly, as though he had been anticipating this moment. Rnd, Bruce, and Josh did not stand back either. Stay tuned with empire Swords in hand and minds set on nothing other than growing stronger, they attacked. They were the first to collide with the monsters. Their swords and bodies danced in graceful patterns; shes and stab wounds were inflicted on the monsters who witnessed their movements closely. As for Bryce, he fought like a madman. When engaging with the monsters in front of him, he fought as though he was battling a fellow human. At the moment, he was engaged with two demonic wolves who attacked together after he had killed one of them. "Standing up for your brother? I see! Come at me!" he taunted them. The two demonic wolves appeared to understand his provocation. They bared their teeth and growled with malice before charging at him. Bryce was between them as they attacked from his left and right sides. As they closed in, a quick but dangerous strategy formed in his mind, causing him to smirk. "Come on!" he urged them even more. The demonic wolves were intent on devouring him and simply attacked. They both lunged at him at the same time. Bryce observed their movements before taking a huge step back, causing the two wolves to collide with one another. Before they couldnd properly and regain theirposure, Bryce wrapped his hand around the neck of the closest one. He applied strength in his hands and lifted it above the ground before mming it onto the second demonic wolf. The two monsters let out loud cries of pain. Bryce grinned and went in again, grabbing the closest one and mming it onto the ground once more. The sound of its bones breaking and stabbing torturously into its inner organs reverberated, apanied by sharp cries of pain. It cried and struggled uncontrobly to escape his grasp. Bryce continued mming it onto the ground ferociously until it lost its fighting strength and sumbed to death. The other demonic wolf was still trying to regain its bnce after Bryce mmed its colleague on it. When it saw how Bryce brutally ended the life of itspanion, the only thought in its head at that moment became running away from him¡ªit saw Bryce as a wild beast. Unfortunately, Bryce had already set his eyes on it and wasn''t willing to let it go. GROWL GROWL The wolf dragged its limp body away, but Bryce kept getting closer. Two small goblins tried to sneak up on him while he focused on the bigger demonic wolf. But Bryce only needed two punches to shatter the fragile heads of those two, and then returned his attention to the limping demonic wolf. Bryce caught the wolf, wrapped his hands around its neck, and choked it to death. [Your soldier has in 1 Mid-rank demonic wolf gained 80 evolution points] [Your soldier has in 1 Mid-rank demonic wolf gained 80 evolution points] [Your soldier has in 2 goblins gained 55 evolution points] Rowan''s eyes were mostly fixed on Bryce. ''If only the other soldiers were this ferocious, I wouldn''t have to worry about their survival!'' While the other captains were exceptional fighters, Rowan felt like they could all be better if they had the temperament of Bryce. Rowan took his eyes away from Bryce and focused on the other soldiers. They all fought with all their might. Swords shed and stabbed at the monsters. Fists flew and kicks shattered the bones of their opponents. The monsters were fighting back even harder. Luckily, only the F and FF-rank monsters were attacking at this moment. The very few E-rank monsters were at the back, strolling to and fro. More than a few times, Rowan spotted some of the E-rank monsters and demonic beasts staring at him maliciously. When their eyes met, they gritted their teeth and their eyes shone with hatred and bloodlust. Somehow, and fortunately, the insanely powerful monsters and demonic beasts only seemed to have their eyes on Rowan¡ªwhich served as a major advantage to him. The soldiers would be safer if the E-rank beasts didn''t attack. ying F monsters was already difficult for them. It took two or more soldiers to take down one F-rank monster. If an E-rank should appear, they would all be obliterated in a matter of seconds. The battle continued for about two hours. At this point, all the monsters and demonic beasts drawn by Rowan''s Hunter Call had already arrived. No more monsters nor demonic beasts were pouring out anymore as the effect of the call had already ended. At this moment, the soldiers were engaged with thest wave of FF and F-rank monsters and demonic beasts. The very few E-rank monsters were still at the back. "Why aren''t those monsters attacking?" One of the Archer Captains, Gregor, approached Rowan and asked. "They''re looking for a strong opponent¡ªme," he replied casually. "Oh..." Gregor realized and continued, "Do you need any help taking care of them? They look extremely dangerous. I can assist you." Rowan gave Gregor a smile and told him not to worry. "They''re light work, they look extremely easy to kill." "Hmm," Gregor nodded, but there was a bit of worry in his eyes. "Oh well, if you really want to help, lend me your bow and arrow," Rowan requested, surprising Gregor. He hadn''t seen Rowan using any long-range weapons before. Chapter 187 Migration ( 37 ) Gregor could swear that Rowan was the strongest person he had ever met. However, he couldn''t trust Rowan with a bow and arrow. He believed that archers only became skilled after years of practice. Unfortunately, Rowan didn''t have any of that. Gregor had spoken with some of the soldiers who had known Rowan since he was little. ording to them, Rowan had never even touched a bow and arrow in his life, let alone used them. There were even tales that Rowan had learned how to use swords just by watching his father. Unfortunately, his father wasn''t an archer, so Rowan possibly wouldn''t possess any archery skills. While his mind was wandering with these thoughts, he did not turn down Rowan¡ªhe handed him his bow and arrow. "Thank you," Rowan said with a smile. He could tell what his soldier was feeling and thinking at that moment, and Rowan wanted to enjoy changing those perceptions. While Gregor was handing him the weapon, Rowan checked his character status and copied the following skills: EAGLE EYES, CRITICAL SHOT, and TRIPLE SHOT. Rowan was confident that these skills,bined with his super strength, would deal significant damage. The battle between the soldiers and the smaller monsters was almosting to an end. Meanwhile, the E-rank monsters were preparing to engage Rowan. Rowan took three arrows and nocked them on the bow. He took aim at the monsters standing far away. Under Gregor''s watch, Rowan fired the arrows. The arrows darted with a sharp sound. They were so fast that Gregor could not follow them with his eyes. "What!" Gregor eximed. "How could the arrows be so fast?" he muttered to himself, eyes fixed on the E-rank monsters. "It definitely won''t hit..." he thought out loud, but he was proved wrong immediately. Two gigantic High-rank wolves fell to the ground, apanied by a hobgoblin. The other E-rank monsters were puzzled by the sudden death of theirrades. The deaths made the beasts be erratic; they began circling around the corpses as if trying to analyze the situation. A few of the smarter ones, like thest High-rank demonic wolf standing, immediately understood who was responsible. Its eyes turned red with anger, focused on Rowan.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om It bared its teeth. [ yed x2 high-rank demonic wolf, +720 evolution points (144 bonus) ] [ 100x rewards activated | 86,400 evolution points has been rewarded ] [ yed x1 hobgoblin, +300 Evolution points (60 Bonus) ] [ 100x rewards activated | 36,000 evolution points has been rewarded ] Rowan observed the monsters'' reactions and then checked his rewards for ying them. He noticed the extra 20% evolution points added due to [Hunter Rewards] and couldn''t help but smile happily. For some reason, he was extremely calm. But it wasn''t the same for the soldiers behind him. "How!!" Gregor and the others who saw him release the shot looked at him with confusion and admiration. "Impressive, right?" Rowan boasted. "It''s more than impressive, Lord Rowan!" they reacted immediately. Rowan smirked. He began evolving the skills immediately to their peak form. F-rank Triple Shot ¡ª C-rank Octuple Shot F-rank Eagle Eyes ¡ª C-rank Super Eagle Eyes F-rank Critical Shot ¡ª C-rank Dead Shot ''If F-rank skills could blow their minds, what about C-ranks? Let''s see what they can do,'' he thought. Rowan took a steady breath, feeling the surge of his newly evolved skills coursing through him. He ced eight arrows onto the bowstring¡ªa casual action that left Gregor and the nearby soldiers staring in disbelief. "Is he really going to shoot all those at once?" "How is he going to manage it? Even shooting two at once is almost impossible for me," they whispered amongst themselves. Rowan heard their conversation and smiled a bit. He pulled the bowstring back with ease, his muscles barely straining. With Super Eagle Eyes, the E-rank monsters in the distance appeared vividly clear; it was as though he could even predict their next movements, making it extremely easy to aim. "Unbelievable..." Gregor muttered, his eyes fixed on Rowan. He still found it difficult to believe the sight before him. He had been an archer for more than 20 years. Using three arrows at once was already considered a significant achievement for him. But Rowan, who had just ced his hand on a bow and arrow for the first time, was aiming eight arrows at the same time. It was just too unbelievable. While he pondered, Rowan released the arrows. They streaked through the air like bolts of lightning, giving off a sharp whistling sound. The arrows were so fast that the darting sound onlysted for a split second. The soldiers squinted their eyes, trying to see the trajectory of the arrows, but it was as though Rowan never fired. In fact, if they hadn''t seen the arrows leaving the bow, they would''ve believed nothing was fired. The next second¡ªeight different E-rank monsters let out loud cries of pain and fear and copsed on the ground. A hushed silence fell over the battlefield. "No way..." a soldier gasped. "He took down half of them with a single shot!" another eximed, his voice tinged with awe. "This is beyond anything I''ve ever seen," Gregor thought, his heart pounding. Meanwhile, the close-range fighters had just finished off the remaining low-rank monsters. Turning around, they caught sight of Rowan''s astounding feat. "Did Lord Rowan do that?" Bryce asked, a bit confused. After ying hisst monster, he had been nning to attack the E-rank monsters, even though he knew they were at least ten times stronger than any monster he had ever fought. He was shocked to see eight of them suddenly falling to their deaths. The archers replied to Bryce. Captain Rnd and the other close-range fighters looked at Rowan with surprise. "But Lord Rowan had never used a bow and arrow before..." they thought. Meanwhile, the surviving E-rank monsters roared in fury, their eyes zing with anger. Their enraged behavior did not escape the soldiers'' notice. "They''re enraged! What should we do now?" the soldiers turned to look at Rowan. Rowan did not bother to reply; he handed the bow and arrow back to Gregor and drew out his favorite weapon¡ªa dagger. The dark de of the dagger glinted coldly, just like Rowan''s eyes. The E-rank monsters found his cold gaze provoking. With that, they charged at him. ''Yes! Come at me!'' Rowan did not wait for the monsters to reach him. If they did, some of his soldiers might get badly injured, so he charged toward them. He sprinted forward, his dagger glinting ominously in the fading light. The ground seemed to blur beneath his feet as he closed the distance between him and the raging monsters. The E-rank beasts lunged at him with ws extended and fangs bared, but Rowan moved like a shadow. After shing with the monsters, in a matter of seconds, one of them received a fatal stab to the skull and copsed. The movement was so fast that the soldiers failed to see him attacking. A minute passed, and the raging sounds of the E-rank monsterspletely silenced as their corpsesy on the ground. The soldiers looked at Rowan with extreme admiration. They had seen Rowan showcase incredible speed and strength on the battlefield before, but not on this level. ''It is as though Lord Rowan is growing stronger every day without a single limit!'' they thought. On the other hand, Rowan cleaned his dagger and kept it back in his inventory. ''It is still afternoon; we can go on one more hunt before retiring for the day,'' he thought. He turned to look at his soldiers. Most of them were sitting on the ground. Some leaned against trees while othersy t on the ground¡ªthey were tired. Seeing this, Rowan asked the archers to help harvest the monster cores since they were still full of energypared to the others. While the archers harvested the monster cores, the close-range soldiers rxed. The monster core harvest was pretty good¡ªbetter than thest hunt. Rowan was able to get his hands on more than eight hundred monster cores, most of which were F-rank. Fortunately, all the E-rank monsters dropped monster cores, so he made a great harvest of E-rank monster cores. Enjoy more content from empire After they were done harvesting monster cores, Rowan distributed food supplies to them and gave them a chance to rx before proceeding with the next hunt. An hour passed slowly, and Rowan moved his soldiers to another area. It took them another hour to find a good hunting spot. Rowan activated Hunter Call once again, and monsters poured out. This time, all the monsters were low-rank ones, so Rowan didn''t bother participating; he left them to his soldiers. The soldiers fought with all their might. The battlested until the early hours of evening before thest monster fell to its death. Rowan checked the stats of his soldiers. The average archer had reached 5,000/100,000 evolution points. The average close-range fighter was around 8,000/100,000, while the captains were around 10,000/100,000. As for Bryce, he was already at 16,500/100,000. Rowan noted in his mind that Bryce would be the first to evolve if he continued with his current battle ferocity. After analyzing his soldiers, he made them collect the monster cores before they made their journey back home. Meanwhile, in Yellow River City, Dragun and Vishirk also prepared to return home. Chapter 188 Migration ( 38 ) Rowan and his soldiers did not return to the vige on time. At this moment, if there were a clock, it would show around 9 PM or eventer. By now, most people might have already retired to their homes. But they hadn''t. The vigers stayed outside, waiting for the return of their beloved Lord and his soldiers. The shadows grew longer as the night deepened, and the cold wind rustled through the trees, but still, the vigers remained steadfast, eyes fixed on the path leading into the vige. After what had happened in the vige over the past two days, the vigers had naturally be more reliant on Rowan''s presence. His absence made them extremely worried, while his presence gave them hope of survival. Meanwhile, at Rowan''s ce, Ri and ra sat on a bench outside with a group of other young women, discussing anxiously under the dim glow ofnterns. ra and the other women were quite worried. "My boyfriend is among them. Do you think he''ll survive? He told me they''d be back early, but it''s already veryte, and they''re still not back," one of the women said anxiously. ra was also concerned. Although she had no rtives who went to hunt, she was still worried about the overall condition of the other men. On the other hand, Ri wasn''t worried at all. "I''m sure they''ll be back very soon. I know my husband; I trust in his strength and ability to protect his men," Ri consoled them with a smile. For as long as she had known Rowan, he had never let her down. The women nodded, but they were still quite worried. They did not have as much faith as Ri. "We should discuss other interesting matters to make you guys less worried," she suggested with a smile. Since no one brought up a topic, Ri introduced hers. She told them about her tailoring dreams¡ªhow she nned to make new and exotic designs. Women are naturally interested in fashion, so they joined the discussion pretty soon. One of the women eximed, "I would love to wear something colorful for the uing festival¡ªif we ever have one again." Very soon, they became lively, and everyone shared what they wanted to. ra spoke about how she had been rearing the livestock. "The skills Lord Rowan gave me are magical. With them, I can tell if any of the animals are sick, what type of sickness they have, and what to do to make them recover," ra boasted. "That is super cool! I''ll be doing something simr in the future, but on humans," Ri replied cheerfully. "You mean you''ll be able to heal like Dragun?" the women asked, bing interested. "Exactly," Ri replied happily. The women became really curious. "How can we awaken magic like you, Ri?" one of them asked. The others nodded, gazing at Ri, awaiting her response. "Honestly, I don''t know," Ri replied with an embarrassed smile. She told them the few theories she had heard from Dragun, exining why she was able to awaken magic in a ce like this. She even told them that they would be able to use magic with the use of magical medicine¡ªpotions. "Rowan is going to awaken his mana core using the magic medicine I talked about and use magic like me very soon," she revealed. Her revtion was quite shocking. "Lord Rowan is super strong even without magic. How powerful would he be if he finally starts using magic?" the women couldn''t help but imagine. Ri and the women continued their discussion. The women who had been really worried about Rowan and the soldiers forgot their worries and became invested in the conversation. Other young women around also came to join them, and soon, a group of more than thirty women had gathered, discussing happily. Laughter echoed through the night as they shared stories and dreams, momentarily pushing aside their anxieties. While Ri was able to lighten the mood among her friends, it wasn''t the same in other households. rissa, Rnd''s wife, sat outside, holding her peacefully sleeping baby. "Why isn''t he back yet?" she thought aloud. "He should''ve been back by now," she continued. She needed her husband beside her. She didn''t want to experience the disastrous events that took ce this morning. She would not be able to bear the loss of her darling husband. "Waaa..." While she was pondering, her baby woke up and started crying, startling her. rissa immediately focused her attention on her baby with all seriousness. She only calmed down when she realized he was crying because of hunger. She brought out her breast and breastfed him. Another hour passed, and the vigers were still worried. Nevertheless, at that moment, the sound of soldiers marching spread across the silent vige. At first, they were worried, thinking an invasion was taking ce. "Who could it be at this hour?" some whispered, fear creeping into their voices. "Lord Rowan has returned!"N?v(el)B\\jnn The worries quickly disappeared when one of the vigers who spotted them alerted in a loud voice. A collective sigh of relief could be heard in the area. "Finally!" Ri and the other women eximed and went to wee the men, like the other vigers. Rowan''s mood became quite excited seeing the vigers happily weing them. "Can''t believe some sort of bastard is trying hard to ruin this mood," he thought. The matter of the dark creature was still on his mind. But he still greeted his people with a smile. He knew his smile would definitely bring hope to his people. Ri arrived and went to hug Rowan, excited. Both of them shared a passionate embrace. "Darling..." rissa rushed to embrace her husband with a relieved expression on her face. Rnd epted her embrace before holding his baby. The baby was still awake; his crystal clear and cutely big blue eyes were observing the area with a hint of curiosity. Rnd smiled, seeing his wife and child. They are one of the reasons he fought his hardest. The other soldiers were also approached by their loved ones¡ªtheir arrival made them excited as well. Sadly, a few families couldn''t enjoy this luxury of weing their loved ones. The families of the soldiers who lost their lives yesterday could only watch with saddened smiles, happy for the other soldiers but sad theirs weren''t among them. Rowan received notifications about their emotions and couldn''t help but heave a loud sigh. [ Seven of your vigers are sad. ] [ Few of your vigers wish to revive the dead. ] He looked at the grieving families, feeling a heavy weight on his shoulders. "I will get you very soon," he looked at the sky and swore to himself. The weing partysted for a few minutes before everyone began departing to their homes. While everyone returned home, Rowan escorted Ri back home. "I will be patrolling the vige with ze tonight," he told her. Ri nodded and nted a kiss on his cheek. "Be careful, alright?" "I will." After informing her, he called out ze, and both of them began their patrol. The soldiers were extremely exhausted, so none of the guardhouses would be manned tonight. Rowan nned to dual-wield the tasks of manning the guardhouse and patrolling. Around midnight, Rowan and ze were strolling away from the east guardhouse when ze alerted Rowan. Almost at the same time, Rowan heard the thumping of horses, as well as their neighs. He frowned and began sprinting back to the guardhouse. "Who might these people be?" he wondered. Chapter 189 Migration ( 39 ) Not far from the eastern border of Winterseed, a group of men could be seen approaching the vige on horseback and in horse-drawn carriages. There were eleven horses in total¡ªfive ridden individually, while the other six pulled along three carriages, each drawn by two horses. The five men at the front held ming torches that lit the path ahead. Each was armed with a sword; they seemed to be guarding those in the carriages. "Are we there yet?" one of the men lounging in the rearmost carriage askedzily, his voice tinged with impatience. "Almost there," one of the riders called back over his shoulder. Meanwhile, within Winterseed, Rowan and ze were sprinting toward the border, their expressions serious and alert. ''Who could these people be? Why are they approaching the vige?'' These urgent questions echoed in Rowan''s mind. Thest time men arrived at their vige on horseback, it was to start a war. Rowan was not prepared for another war right now; the vige needed peace to rebuild. The two of them reached the guardhouse, hearts pounding. The group was still some distance away, but thanks to Rowan''s eclipse vision, he could see them clearly without relying on their torches. He could make out every detail¡ªfrom the color of their hair and the tension on their faces to their attire and the swords strapped at their waists. Rowan quickly counted their numbers. "Those carriages aren''t heavily manned¡ªprobably three men each at most. They don''t seem very threatening. I could take them all down single-handedly, even if I were half-asleep," he assessed confidently, a hint of a smirk on his face. "However, they don''t look like they''re here for war," he continued thoughtfully.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om He could tell they weren''t soldiers just from their attire; their clothescked the uniformity and insignia of an army. But why were they here? Winterseed hadn''t had contact with other viges for at least five years, except for Glenwood¡ªnow Winterseed II¡ªwhich Rowan had battled and conquered. At this moment, the only exnation Rowan could think of was D''andre. ''But there''s no way he could convince another vige so quickly. And even if he seeded, they shouldn''t be contacting us this soon. It hasn''t even been twenty-four hours since he left,'' Rowan mused, his brow furrowing. A few minutes passed, and the men rode closer. They hadn''t spotted Rowan and ze yet; the night was still dark, and their torches illuminated only a short distance ahead. The men came to a halt. Two of the riders dismounted, cautiously drawing their swords as they approached the guardhouse. "Don''t cause any trouble with them. We''re here for business only. I''ve heard the Lord is very powerful; we shouldn''t provoke them," a voice warned from inside the carriage. This finally confirmed Rowan''s suspicion that they were sent by D''andre. Although he was surprised by how quickly they arrived, he didn''t waste time revealing himself. He and ze stepped out from their spot into the open. ze emitted a low, menacing growl that echoed through the still night air. "Ahhhh!" The two approaching men, who still hadn''t spotted them, dropped their swords and stumbled backward at the sound, fear shing in their eyes. They scanned the darkness and finally saw the gigantic, shadowy figure of ze. His glowing red eyes locked onto theirs, causing them to shiver uncontrobly. "A monster!" they cried out in unison. Their cries startled the others behind them, who drew their swords and prepared to engage with the unseen enemy. "Rx, it''s just my pet," Rowan said with a chuckle, his eyes gleaming with amusement. He''d actually forgotten that outsiders weren''t ustomed to ze''s appearance; it was amon sight for him but a terrifying one for strangers. Knowing they couldn''t see him due to the darkness¡ªthough he could see them clearly¡ªhe brought out one of the glowing crystals he''d received from D''andre. The glowing crystal shone brighter than fluorescent bulbs on Earth, illuminating the area with a soft, radiant light. It emitted a bright light that made everything visible to the men. Thanks to the crystal, the men could now make out their surroundings. The first thing they noticed was ze¡ªhis bright fur and towering height, along with his cold, intensely powerful eyes, made the men shiver anew. ''So big...'' they thought in unison, their jaws dropping slightly. They also noticed Rowan, who appeared to be around neen. Despite his youth, they could tell from the sharp look in his eyes that he was anything but ordinary. After all, how could someone who called a terrifying beast like ze his pet be ordinary? The men knew better than to mess with him. While they were observing him, Rowan checked the character status of the nearby men. --- [Name: Victor] [upation: Mercenary] [Special Skill: Sword Master (D)] [Status: Shaken] [Name: Lucas] [upation: Mercenary] [Special Skill: Sword Master (D)] [Status: Scared] --- Rowan noticed there was nothing extraordinary about them. The skills they possessed were ones he already had¡ªin fact, his were much stronger and more refined. Only their upation was new; it was the first time Rowan had encountered it in this world¡ªbut unfortunately, he couldn''t copy upations. Stay updated through empire ''Well, it''s not like there''s anything special about being a mercenary,'' he thought dismissively. An awkward silence ensued as the men struggled to speak upon seeing the frightening sight of ze. Rowan decided to break the silence by asking a question. By this time, the two men on the ground had gotten up and were brushing dirt off their clothes, trying to regain theirposure. One of them, Lucas¡ªthe taller of the two¡ªfinished dusting himself off. He gave a slight bow and introduced himself to Rowan. "We are merchants from Cold-gin Vige; we''vee in peace. We heard your vige is ready to engage in inter-territory trade," Lucas exined, his voice steadying. As Lucas spoke, the men in the carriages and those on horseback dismounted and greeted him. They were a total of eleven men. All of them were older than Rowan. The youngest among them was at least ten years his senior, but none dared to show the slightest bit of disrespect. Rowan weed them into the vige, gesturing for them to follow. Chapter 190 : Migration ( 40 ) Everyone in the vige had already retired to bed, including the soldiers. Thus, no one except Rowan and ze was aware of the arrival of merchants from Cold-gin Vige. It was past midnight, and the half-moon hung in the sky. A calm breeze drifted across the vige, softening the deafening silence that enveloped it. At that moment, Rowan and the group of men could be seen strolling toward the meeting hall.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Rowan and ze walked in front while the men followed quietly behind them, whispering among themselves, afraid to let a word slip out in fear that it might annoy ze. Rowan noticed this but didn''t bother to lighten the mood; he wanted them to remain as quiet as possible to avoid waking the sleeping vigers. After a few minutes, they arrived at the meeting hall. Rowan set down the glowing crystal, which quickly enveloped the room with its light. He then took a seat. The Cold-gin men were still looking at him, fear evident in their eyes. "ze, these people won''t stop shitting their pants if you''re around. Go help me patrol the vige. When I''m done here, I''lle find you," Rowan suggested. ze agreed immediately and left the room. Only then did the men heave a sigh of relief. "Have a seat," Rowan offered. "Thank you," they replied. They bowed slightly before taking their seats directly opposite Rowan. "Once again, wee to Winterseed," Rowan smiled. "Thank you for trusting us and letting us in," one of them replied. He was the fattest in the room and appeared to be the leader of the group. Among everyone, he also had the highest-grade merchant skill, which naturally made him the best in the group. His name was Obi. Rowan and Obi had a brief discussion. Rowan asked a lot of questions like who told them about his vige, how far their vige was from his, and also made inquiries about their vige. Obi proved Rowan''s intuition correct when he answered that D''Andre connected them. ording to Obi, their vige was as far from Winterseed as Winterseed II, but in the eastern direction. Also, from Obi''s replies, Cold-gin Vige was more developed and advanced than Winterseed and Winterseed IIbined. Even their poption was much more than both of Rowan''s territoriesbined. "That''s great," Rowan replied. He asked other questions and got pretty reasonable answers. When he was done questioning, he moved on to the main reason for the meeting¡ªbusiness. "We heard you have some pretty interesting inventions that would benefit our viges, and we''d love to see them," Obi revealed. Rowan nodded. "It''s true, I have many inventions that none of your people have ever set their eyes on," he boasted. The men became quite excited and curious to see these inventions. While they requested to see them, Rowan analyzed the current situation and realized how it could benefit him, not just financially. "We brought a lot of money along with us. We are ready to buy as many of these items as you can offer, as long as the prices are affordable," Obi smiled at Rowan. "The prices are affordable, but I don''t think you guys would be able to afford them," Rowan replied shortly. The men frowned. Is he underestimating the wealth of Cold-gin Vige? they thought. Of course, Rowan was able to read their expressions and knew exactly what they were thinking. "Your vige has tailors, right?" Rowan asked. "Of course, we have lots of them, and they are pretty talented. The clothes we''re wearing were made by them. Aren''t they good-looking?" another merchant answered. "Of course, of course, they look good," Rowan replied. The merchants felt better with those words. "However, what I''m concerned about is how long it takes your tailors to make these clothes. How stressful is it for them?" Rowan asked with a smile. Obi was the one who answered this time. Apparently, his wife was a tailor, so he knew about the process. "Simple robes without designs would take them one day at most. The ones with designs would take two to four days, depending on theplexity of the design. However, robes for nobles and royals usually take more than a week," he replied. Rowan listened to this reply, and a smile crept onto his face. ''This is going to be very good,'' he thought. "Those are pretty high numbers, don''t you think? Spending more than a week on one robe is not a good thing at all," he replied. Obi tried to defend this and stated that his wife and other tailors are skilled. "You do not expect them to finish sewing the clothes of important figures in a short time. What if they make mistakes and ruin the fabric? Just recing the fabric would send them into poverty. It''s not a matter of speed; it''s a matter of caution," he defended. "I agree. But the time is still insane. What if they have a hundred important figures to make clothes for? Wouldn''t it take them more than a year? Is that good?" Rowan ensured they saw just how insanely slow their sewing was. After he was done convincing them about that, he introduced his sewing machine. "What! A device to make sewing more than a hundred times faster? Are you serious?" they asked. Rowan nodded his head. "With this machine, making clothes for nobles would take nothing more than ten hours once they''ve mastered how to use it," Rowan smiled. The men became extremely curious and interested. After piquing their interest, Rowan opened his inventory and brought out the sewing machine. The men were dumbfounded when they saw him make the sewing machine appear out of thin air. Some of them were so shocked that they even stood up, staring at him with eyes almost popping out and mouths so wide an apple could fit in easily. "How did you do that?" "This... this is impossible! First, having a powerful beast as your pet, and now making an item appear out of nowhere. Who are you really?" They voiced their shock. Rowan was pretty confused by their reaction. If they had met and done business with D''Andre, surely they must have seen him make things appear out of thin air. But their reaction proved otherwise. Rowan quickly noted to himself not to take items out of his inventory in the presence of strangers. On the other hand, the shock of the soldiers was quickly transferred to the sewing machine''s intricate appearance and design. Chapter 191 : Migration ( 41 ) "What is that?" one of them eximed. "It looks so cool!" another added, eyes wide with wonder. They reacted almost simultaneously, staring intently at the strange device before them. "This is a sewing machine," Rowan announced with a proud smile. "A sewing machine? Is this what you im can make sewing more than a hundred times faster?" one asked skeptically. "Yes," Rowan affirmed confidently. "How is that even possible?" another questioned, disbelief evident in his tone. Rowan had anticipated their skepticism, even after unveiling the sewing machine. Fortunately, he had prepared a brief exnation detailing its mechanism. His exnation sounded both simple and sophisticated at the same time.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Who wants to try it out first?" Rowan asked, ncing around the room. Everyone immediately raised their hands. Rowan selected Obi. Obi beamed happily as he approached the sewing machine. Rowan walked him through its operation once more before handing him a piece of fabric he had kept in his inventory. His actions puzzled the men again, but their reactions were minimal this time, unlike before. Obi ced the fabric as instructed and spun the handwheel. Instantly, the needles in the sewing machine began stitching the fabric seamlessly. "This..." Obi whispered, his eyes widening in amazement. Everyone in the room shared the same reaction¡ªdumbfounded, amazed! Obi stopped turning the handwheel and stared at the stitches he had created effortlessly, in a matter of seconds¡ªsomething that would take his wife at least two minutes. "How much!" Obi stood up and asked loudly, his voice filled with eager interest. Rowan smiled, pleased by their reactions. "You have seen for yourself the power this machine holds. You haven''t even mastered it, and you were able to do something so incredible. Now imagine if your tailor masters it¡ªhow fast do you think she would be?" Rowan continued to hype the sewing machine, each word making the men more eager to purchase it from him. While Rowan marketed the sewing machine to Obi and hispanions, they were already devising marketing schemes in their minds to make insane profits off the machine. ''Duke Mno of Lupin Dukedom is very interested in fashion, and his wife is a skilled tailor. He would definitely pay a huge sum of money to buy this machine for her,'' Obi thought. He looked at Rowan with a smile and asked once again, "Please name your price and how many of these machines you have." Rowan did not evade the question this time and gave them his answer. "I will sell five of these machines to you since it''s the first time. You will go back to your vige, and when you return, I might have others for sale. As for the price, seven thousand gold coins is okay," he replied with a smile. Selling the machine for seven thousand gold coins would amass him more than five hundred times the amount he spent to create it. Even if they ended up getting it for one thousand gold coins, Rowan would still make a heck of a profit from the trade. "Seven thousand gold coins? That is too much!" Obi eximed. "You think so?" Rowan replied immediately. Although he mentioned seven thousand, it wasn''t the actual price he nned to sell it for¡ªit was natural to bargain. "That amount is too much. Please, can you reduce it for us? It is our first time, after all. You should show somepassion so we wouldn''t be scared to return next time for more," they argued back. "That is natural, but selling it for seven thousand gold coins is just me being considerate. Do you know how much hard work and intellect it took to build something that works so perfectly? The materials too," Rowan countered with a slight exaggeration. He had only spent less than a minute creating them, and the cost of the materials he used was less than five hundred gold. Fortunately, his words sank into the minds of the men. ''It is really not easy to build something so marvelous, but still, the price is too much,'' they thought. "We understand and appreciate the amount of work you put in, but the price is still too high. We are but merchants from a small vige; such an amount is just so-so," they pleaded. Rowan listened to their bargains. Though they were persistent, he did not back down and followed up with more arguments. He told them how they would be able to make immense profit from selling them to top-ss nobles. He also gave them other ways to maximize their profit, some of which they already knew. They discussed the price for about thirty minutes before settling at six thousand gold coins each. Obi and hispanions happily agreed. Rowan wasn''t bothered about the one thousand coin cut. After they had agreed on the price, Rowan brought out the other sewing machines. The men could not stop admiring them, especially Obi. He imagined all the clothes his wife would be able to sew. ''She usually sews robes with little designs for me because she has to attend to noble customers, but now she would be able to sew mine. I''ll be able to dress richly from now on!'' he rejoiced inwardly. As the merchants admired the sewing machines, Rowan couldn''t help but contemte, ''If they bought the sewing machine for such an amount, then how much would they pay for the windmill?'' He imagined the price to be around two hundred thousand gold coins. ''Their territory would not be able to afford the windmill,'' he thought. ''I will wait for merchants from richer territories to arrive before introducing the windmill. However, I would have to visit their viges in order to install it since it''s too big and can''t be moved,'' he considered. ''I will inform D''Andre about this,'' he concluded. After Rowan was done gathering his thoughts, he offered the merchants the meeting hall to rest for the night. They thanked him, and he left to resume his patrol. ze was already patrolling in his stead, and so far, ze hadn''t noticed anything extraordinary, so Rowan felt at ease. He met with ze, who was just returning from the eastern border, and together they resumed their patrol. They moved swiftly and vigntly, exerting more energy than they could have imagined. But they weren''t bothered by the stress, as long as the people were safe. Hours passed, and the next morning arrived. Fortunately, there wasn''t a single death. Also, after the first light of morning, Dragun and Vishirk finally returned to the vige. Chapter 192 : Migration ( 42 ) Morning arrived swiftly, and the gentle sun resumed its position in the sky as usual, casting a serene glow over Winterseed. The vige was tranquil. Calmer than it had been yesterday and the day before. There were no midnight cries, no signs of death, and therefore no need for the vigers to gather at the vige square to bury any loved ones. One after another, the vigers stepped out of their houses, exchanging cautious nces with their neighbors, trying to discern if any tragedy had urred overnight. They couldn''t ask such a question directly, so they studied the expressions of those around them. After some time, they discovered the good news and couldn''t help but recite appreciative prayers to their ancestors. It was a few minutes past dawn. ze and Rowan strolled along the southern border, where they had gone to check on the livestock. They walked through the streets, observing every action of the people. "No deaths?" Rowan murmured, a bit bewildered. Death among his vigers had almost be a norm in the past two days. "Has the dark creature finally decided to leave the vige?" he wondered aloud, even more perplexed. Some of the vigers greeted him with warm smiles. A few young women even approached ze, giving him affectionate pats. No one wore an expression of sadness, confirming Rowan and ze''s spection that no deaths had urred in the vige. Rowan shut his eyes briefly and heaved a sigh of relief. ''I wish the vige continues to be this peaceful henceforth,'' Today, he wouldn''t have to wrack his brain giving emotional speeches, and the weight lifted from his shoulders made him feel genuinely happy. He began strolling back home. zeined he was tired, so Rowan sent him back into the Divine Beast in. "Very soon, I''ll have another divine beast in the Divine in," he said to himself, "and ze won''t have to be lonely in there." --- Back at home, Rowan met with Ri and shared his experience with her. He was about to head out to meet with the merchants from Cold-gin Vige when the air outside suddenly became tense. In the next moment, Dragun and Vishirk appeared. "Rowan, we''re back," Dragun announced with a smile. Vishirk nodded beside him, his eyes gleaming. "Were you able to obtain the potion?" Rowan asked after greeting them.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Dragun''s smile widened as he produced a bottle containing the awakening potion. As the potion was revealed, a system tab quickly opened, providing a brief description: [Awakening Potion (87.8% Pure): A special potion utilized for the unnatural awakening of the mana core. The chances of awakening interesting affinity and core quality depend on the purity of the potion.] Rowan read the description while gazing at the shimmering liquid. "You are very lucky; we managed to purchase the potion at a price far cheaper than we budgeted," Vishirk revealed with a grin. "I used part of the money to acquire everything else required for your awakening. It will take me about four hours to set it up, so be prepared to undergo your awakening this afternoon," Dragun added. Rowan listened attentively and nodded. Dragun and Vishirk then brought out the spells they had purchased for Ri and handed them over to her. They also distributed the mana stones they had purchased to Rowan, who stored them in his inventory. Vishirk, ever the talkative one, seized the opportunity to recount their adventures at the ck market and in Yellow River City. He didn''t miss the chance to embarrass Dragun by sharing how an automaton had scammed him. Rowan, eager to prepare for his awakening, found it hard to focus on Vishirk''s tales. He politely excused himself and headed to the meeting house. On his way, he encountered Rnd and two other captains, who offered to escort him to meet Obi and hispany. As they walked, Rnd and the others expressed their relief that none of the vigers had lost their livesst night. From their voices and words, Rowan could tell that the hope of survival in their hearts had grown stronger. Rowan hoped the same¡ªhe didn''t want to expend all his resources searching and trying to capture the evil being wreaking havoc on his territory and people. He informed the captains about the arrival of visitors from another vige. Though he didn''t disclose the purpose of their visit, he assured them that these neers weren''t enemies, hoping to prevent any unnecessary hostility. They agreed and continued walking with Rowan. After a few minutes, they arrived at the meeting hall. However, upon arrival, they saw several men standing at the entrance of the meeting hall, while more than seven soldiers pointed their swords at them with hostile expressions. Obi tried to exin to the soldiers that they weren''t spies, but his words fell on deaf ears. Rowan couldn''t help but smile at the sight¡ªit showcased how much his soldiers had improved, not just in strength and skill but also in vignce. "Oh look, he''s here already," Obi''s mood lifted when he saw Rowan and the captains approaching. The soldiers holding them hostage turned to Rowan and saluted. "Lord Rowan, we found these peopleing out of the meeting hall. They im they have met you already and are here on good terms," they exined. "Let them go; they are not spies," Rowan instructed firmly. Only with Rowan''s assurance did the soldiers lower their weapons. They were still curious about the strangers'' business in the vige. Winterseed hadn''t had any visitors in the past few years who weren''t hostile, so it was difficult to trust anyone iming to be peaceful. Unable to contain their curiosity, they asked Rowan what the men hade for. Rowan exined the situation, and their eyes widened in surprise. "That''s great!" "We''ll be able to interact and meet new people who aren''t hostile towards us from now on." "Our vige is definitely going to be really rich under Lord Rowan''s supervision. He will make us great again." The soldiers reacted enthusiastically, excited about the development. They apologized to the men from Cold-gin Vige and departed. Only Rnd and George remained with Rowan. Together, they settled the trade. Rowan helped move the sewing machines to the carriage parked at the eastern border. Upon reaching the border, the men handed over the gold coins to Rowan, finalizing the trade. "We would have purchased more, but sadly, the sewing machines took up all the money we budgeted," Obi said to Rowan with a wry smile. They shared a brief discussion before the men set off on their way. After they were gone, Rowan heaved a sigh and made his way to the vige square, where his awakening would take ce. Chapter 193 : Migration ( 43 ) Although Winterseed wasn''t a magic-oriented vige, the sessful awakening of Ri and the appearance of Dragun and Vishirk¡ªwho could use magic¡ªmade the people understand its power and importance. Therefore, when news spread that Rowan was going to attempt his own awakening, just like Ri, most of the vigers rushed to the vige square to witness it. It was already afternoon, but the sun''s glow and heat were gentle, making the environmentfortable and rxed for everyone. In the vige square, many vigers had already gathered, discussing among themselves. In the middle stood Dragun, who had just finished drawing the magic formation to aid Rowan''s awakening and ward off demons from exploiting his vulnerability during that moment to possess him. While Dragun worked on the magic formation, Vishirk didn''t stay idle; he began drawing arge box on the ground around the formation to prevent the vigers from stepping closer. The vigers stood outside the box, not daring to step in. They continued discussing among themselves. A few moments after Dragunpleted the magic formation and other preparations, Rowan and Ri arrived. "Good luck, Lord Rowan!" "Lord Rowan, we believe your awakening will be sessful!" "Awaken and grow stronger for us, Lord Rowan!" The people cheered as Rowan strolled toward Dragun. Rowan responded to their cheers with a smile on his face. Ri kissed him and wished him good luck before he crossed the line and stepped into the box with Dragun. Dragun weed him and spoke to him for a few minutes before Rowan sat down in the middle of the magic formation, assuming a meditative position. He then brought out the awakening potion from his inventory and stared at the bottle of glowing liquid for a few seconds, as if contemting. After a few moments, he heaved a sigh, uncorked the bottle, and downed the contents in one gulp. The liquid slid down his throat; its taste was difficult to describe¡ªit was sweet, bitter, sour, and somewhat hot all at the same time. While Rowan was trying to decipher the potion''s taste, Dragun began chanting. The magic formation around Rowan lit up immediately. Small pirs of light appeared at different nodes of the formation. The pirs grew taller by the second, and after a few minutes, a glowing cage entrapped Rowan. Almost simultaneously, Rowan felt a burning sensation in his stomach, as though all his internal organs were being fried. Rowan''s eyes were shut; the movement of his eyelids revealed to the people the pain he was enduring. A few seconds after the burning sensation appeared, the pain intensified rapidly. Not only did it intensify, but it also spread across his body, first invading his stomach before traveling down to the tip of every limb. The pain was indescribable; it was as though he was experiencing every form of torture simultaneously. Mostly, he felt as if his body were being cooked in a pot of boilingva¡ªit was hell! His body began to tremble, his muscles tightening uncontrobly. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, trickling down his face. The vigers noticed the change, and murmurs spread through the crowd. "Is he alright?" someone whispered. "He looks like he''s in so much pain," another replied, concern evident in their voice. Dragun and Vishirk were the only calm ones at this moment; they knew what was happening within Rowan. They could only pray that he wouldn''t sumb to the pain. The captains and soldiers were worried and scared for Rowan as well. As for Ri, she appeared visibly worried; her hands clutched the hem of her dress tightly, and her mouth moved rapidly, silently, as though she was praying. Meanwhile, Rowan''s trembling escted into violent shivers. His hands gripped his knees tightly, knuckles turning white. The agony was overwhelming, and he could no longer contain it. With a sudden burst, he let out a loud scream¡ªa sound filled with pain, rage, and other dark emotions¡ªthat echoed throughout the vige square.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om The vigers gasped, some taking a step back. Silence fell upon them as they watched him, their hearts pounding. They had witnessed Ri''s awakening, but hers hadn''t appeared this painful. Rowan''s scream of intense emotion continued for two more minutes before, all of a sudden, he fell silent. He remained in his meditative position, eyes closed, face expressionless. The sudden stillness was unsettling. "What''s happening?" a young man asked nervously. "Is it supposed to be like this?" another murmured. The vigers exchanged uneasy nces, troubled by the sight of Rowan''s motionless form. Ri stood at the edge of the box, her hands sped tightly together. Worry flickered in her eyes, but she held her ground, trusting in Rowan''s strength. While the silence was threatening to the vigers, to Dragun and Vishirk it was a sign that the awakening was proceeding sessfully. ''He has entered the phase that determines his magic path!'' Dragun thought as he observed his son. Would he seed in bing a mage like him? Or would he fail? While he hoped for the former, he couldn''t be certain that thetter wouldn''t ur. While everyone gazed upon Rowan, his consciousness snapped out of his body and appeared in a strange dark ce. Rowan calmly observed the dense darkness around him, trying to understand his current location. But then, a sharp and glorious light sted across the space, banishing the darkness at once and almost blinding him, causing him to shield his face with his hands. The intense glow subsided. Rowan lowered his hands from his eyes and observed his now transformed surroundings. "A cave?" he muttered with a frown, observing his new surroundings. Rowan looked around and saw he was in a bright cave-like structure. The walls were covered with various symbols and historical drawings of bloody wars. Each drawing depicted fierce battles and the struggles of the past. The symbols glowed softly, casting light on the ancient scenes. As Rowan continued to study the walls, trying to understand their meaning, a voice suddenly called out to him. It was loud and clear, echoing through the cave¡ªa powerful voice. "I knew you would stubbornly awaken magic, dumbass." Chapter 194 Migration ( 44 ) "I knew you would stubbornly awaken magic, dumbass." Rowan was gazing around, taking in the intricate details of the cave when a voice sounded from behind him, causing him to turn abruptly. He was greeted with the sight of a grand throne made of ded weapons, masterfully twisted into afortable and regal seat. Seated upon the throne was a figure dressed in a modern all-ck suit. The figure was masculine, his face concealed by a ck and white mask. Only his glowing golden eyes were visible through the mask, and those eyes were fixated on Rowan. Rowan stood dumbfounded, about to ask a question. "Wh¡ª" "Let me guess, you were going to ask, ''Who are you?'' right?" the mysterious masked man interjected, his voice tinged with amusement. Rowan could only nod, a frown creasing his forehead. The figure on the throne shook his head, stood up, and began strolling toward Rowan. As he approached, Rowan began to feel an overwhelming presence, as though a powerful and ferocious beast stood before him, ready to devour him¡ªhe felt genuinely afraid. But he maintained a straight face, convincing himself that everything was just an illusion, like the ones that often appear in novels and movies when the main characters are about to make a significant breakthrough. Based on his spection, the mysterious character before him could be some sort of god, a divine messenger, or even the creator. "You''re pretty smart, even though your methods are amusing," the mysterious manughed. "The others never seem to have any idea, even though they have every clue in the world." He stopped just before Rowan. Rowan could only stare, his mouth shut tight. The threatening aura radiating from the figure made every fiber of his being cautious. While silent, Rowan didn''t miss the chance to note a few unnecessary details¡ªthe height and size of the man in front of him. Rowan was at least six foot two, but in the presence of this figure, he felt extremely short and insignificant. He didn''t even know how to describe what was happening. "Why am I here?" he mustered all his willpower to ask the crucial question. "Because I wanted you here," the figure replied almost immediately, as though he anticipated the question. "Normally, you would be sent elsewhere to meet a different being and select your elemental affinity to apany you throughout your magic cultivation journey. However, I figured it would be useless, considering you could easily obtain any affinity you desire¡ªincluding the ability to control time and create your own worlds and reality." "So I summoned you here to have a brief discussion... not about something important though, haha. I''m sure you''re thinking, ''Oh, is he going to give me some badass blessings or skills or weapons or cheats,'' haha." The figure continued speaking casually while Rowan remained silent, observing him intently. From everything that had been said, he finally realized who was standing before him¡ªthe creator! "''The creator'' sounds cool as a title, but I prefer you address me by my real name¡ªAxion Valdrak, Axion for short," he introduced himself. When Rowan heard the name, his eyes widened in realization. It was the exact name of the chief developer of Emperor''s Domain. His name was pretty popr on Earth among the gamingmunity. Most of the popr games were created by him. It was said that otherpanies had to work with him because their games never sold much after he released his. However, although Axion was known worldwide, no one ever saw him or knew what he looked like. Even when his games received awards, he never showed up. There was a time when the gamingmunity began to specte that Axion was not a human being but an artificial intelligence created and programmed to develop games. Some even suspected he was a reclusive introvert with creative ideas who disliked appearing in public. "Exins everything," Rowan thought. "Ugly introvert, really?" Axion said to Rowan with a chuckle. Rowan didn''t reply and only looked at him. Axion shook his head and began strolling back to his throne. He sat back down. With the distance between them, Rowan finally got the chance to breathe freely. However, this was only because Axion needed him to speak. "You''re itching to know why I summoned you here, right?" he asked. Read exclusive content at empire "Yes," Rowan nodded, his expression serious. "Well, it''s because I have a special mission for you, Rowan Winterseed." "A special mission?" Rowan echoed, confused. "Yes, I want you to kill Venerable Mario," Axion dropped the bombshell. Rowan''s face contorted in immediate confusion. "Kill Venerable Mario? Why?" "You wouldn''t understand even if I exined. But know that it''s for the good of the other yers like yourself," Axion answered. Rowan reconsidered his thoughts and became even more perplexed. It was already confirmed that Axion is the creator of the world of Emperor''s Domain. As the creator, wouldn''t he be happy to witness the day-to-day life of his best yer? And also, if Axion wanted Mario dead, why pick him? Rowan didn''t hold back and voiced his questions to Axion.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om "Why am I the one with the mission to kill him? My territory and I are still among the weakest; there are other stronger lords. Why not assign the mission to them?" Rowan had other questions, but this one was the most pressing at the moment. Axionughed for a few moments after hearing his question and replied with his own, "Did you really think you were going to get it easy after receiving so many divine skills at the very beginning of your journey?" "What do you mean?" Rowan asked, even more confused. He had been puzzled when he received five powerful skills from the start but never suspected there was something deeper involved. Axion stoppedughing and looked at Rowan, his golden eyes glowed more seriously. "You are my Codebearer¡ªa yer chosen at random and transmigrated to bear my best skills and be used by me when needed." Chapter 195 Migration ( 45 ) At the Vige Square Rowan remained unmoving in his meditative sitting position. His eyes were shut, and his body was rxed and still. For a moment, some of the vigers became truly scared that they had lost their beloved Lord. They started yelling at Dragun and Vishirk to do something about it. Bryce, who had arrived at the scene a few minutes before Rowan began screaming and fell into the almost subconscious state, became enraged and charged into the box to try and fry Rowan¡ªhe thought Dragun and Vishirk were attempting to kill him. When Bryce stepped into the box, a strong force threatened to toss him out like a rag doll. But Bryce ced one of his feet forward to resist the push. He tried forcing his way in, despite the force pressuring him out. Dragun and Vishirk were shocked¡ªfor a being without any mana core to resist the force released during awakening, it meant they possessed truly impressive physical strength. However, Bryce''s strength could only hold him for about two minutes before the force finally gained the upper hand and tossed him out, causing him tond back first on the ground and lose consciousness. Seeing this, the vigers became even more worried and aggressive¡ªthey began screaming at Dragun and Vishirk to free their beloved Lord. Their screams thundered across the vige. Ri stood at the forefront of the crowd, observing her husband. Sue didn''t suspect that Dragun was trying to kill Rowan since she, too, had gone through the same ritual. --- Meanwhile, Rowan stood and stared at Axion with a dumbfounded expression after hearing Axion''s reasoning for assigning him the mission. Axion gazed at Rowan as well. "In other words, you are just a test subject, my test subject to be exact," Axion added. "A test subject?" Rowan finally replied. What was even going on? "Do not worry, most of this conversation will be forgotten when you return to your world. So I don''t mindying out all the information for you, hehe. I just want to talk¡ªbeing a god is somewhat lonely if you really think about it," Axion continued. He spoke to Rowan for about three minutes¡ªexining the situation to him. Rowan listened and realized his life in the game world would not be as easy as he thought. But he had one question. "Does that mean I would have to remain in Nexteria even afterpleting the main quest of building my territory to the peak?" Axion only smiled and replied, "Maybe, maybe not, but who would want to leave such an interesting world and return tockluster Earth? It''s no fun down there¡ªall you have to do is be born, grow up, and try your hardest not to end it all. I mean, I know what it feels like to be a human on Earth, and I swear, it is not a good thing at all." "You were human?" Rowan''s eyes furrowed a bit. "Of course," Axion replied. He even told Rowan a little bit about his life, or a story he made up about his life. Rowan found it difficult to process the thought that Axion¡ªthe creator of Emperor''s Domain and Nexteria¡ªwas just an average game designer who found a loophole. He didn''t even bother believing it. Axion shook his head. "Well, I will give you thest bits of information that might or might not help you in the future," he continued. "Come closer," he beckoned to Rowan. Rowan listened and began strolling closer. Axion waved his hands, and a scroll appeared out of nowhere¡ªthe scroll was golden, glistening beautifully in the light of the cave. "This scroll contains some of the most vital information about the world of Nexteria and my other projects. I cannot predict when we will meet next, so I''ll just hand it over. When you reach a certain power level and territory level, the scroll will reveal its content to you," Axion exined. Rowan was already close. He stretched out his hands and grabbed the scroll. Immediately, a strong, painful, electrifying sensation shot through his body and into his brain, causing a migraine. The scroll in his hands began to vaporize. The glowing golden vapor floated toward his chest and permeated it as though his chest was nothing but air. While Rowan was going through this pain, Axion opened up and began speaking, releasing certain details. However, Rowan was in too much pain, and his focus was broken; he couldn''t hear any of it. The pain in his body reached a certain point¡ªhis vision darkened, and his body went limp. He also felt a sudden shift, as though his body had been teleported. The ethereal noise around him disappeared, reced by the blissful sound of nature and the rioting voices of humans. "Voices!" Rowan''s mind became active again, and he opened his eyes. He was greeted with the faces of his people, especially his lovely wife, staring at him with worry. A few of them could be seen yelling angrily as well. But suddenly, their voices ceased! Almost at the same time, Dragun''s proud and excited voice announced from beside Rowan. "Lord Rowan has awakened sessfully!" Following his announcement, the crowd erupted into loud, happy cheers and chants. "Yes!" "Lord Rowan has done it!" "I was scared for a second that we had lost Lord Rowan, but he has done it again and made us proud!" The people began chanting happily. Dragun and Vishirk were all smiles. If anything had happened to Rowan, they would have lived the rest of their lives with the scars of that moment.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Dragun saw the bustling crowd and immediately undid the demon-repelling magic formation. The moment he undid the formation, the vigers began flocking toward Rowan. Ri was at the front. She met Rowan first and fell on her knees to hug him. "I knew you would do it!" she said as she cried happily. The other vigers also arrived. They could not hug Rowan. They only gave him light touches on the shoulder while congratting him. From their voices, one could easily tell how proud they were of this moment. However, while all this was happening, Rowan tried his hardest to recall what had happened after he suddenly nked out. Chapter 196 Migration ( 46 ) The jubtion continued around Rowan. The vigers crowded him, congratting him repeatedly on his sessful awakening. Rowan thanked them with a smile, but inwardly he was shaken and confused¡ªso confused and unsettled that he couldn''t feel the happiness he should have after awakening. He didn''t even react to the notification the system sent congratting him on his new upation. "I was somewhere, and I met someone. I can feel it. I can hear these strange voices in my head as well, as though someone was having a conversation with me. But for unknown reasons, this voice is unclear, like listening to a voice message on a phone with a broken speaker," Rowan pondered. Rowan couldn''t help but believe he had somehow experienced scenes simr to anime, where the main character''s soul or mind is suddenly summoned elsewhere, meeting powerful and important characters. "Maybe I am just overthinking," Rowan shook his head. He brought his consciousness back to his current reality. He patted the shoulder of Ri, who was hugging him sideways. He turned to look at Dragun and ze, who were currently gazing at him with smiles. Vishirk muttered an inaudible "Congrattions" to him as Dragun strolled closer, navigating through the small crowd with Rowan. Dragun began by congratting Rowan and then informed him about their next activity¡ªtesting for Rowan''s affinity. He reached into his spatial pouch and brought out the Aether Crystal. "Please, everyone, step away," he announced. The crowd watched as Dragun held the crystal, understanding its importance, and moved away from Rowan. Now, only Rowan, Ri, Dragun, and Vishirk stood in the center. Rowan looked at the crystal, wondering what kind of ability he would awaken. Dragun, equally curious, didn''t prolong the process. He immediately instructed Rowan to ce his hand on the Aether Crystal. Instantly, the Aether Crystal exploded with an intense glow. The crowd around Rowan shielded their eyes with their hands. Even Vishirk and Dragun were slightly disturbed by the blinding light. Only Ri could stare at the glow without major difort, thanks to her light magic affinity. After a few seconds, the intensity of the glow diminished. The crowd unshielded their eyes and stared at the Aether Crystal. Dragun and Vishirk''s eyes were also fixed on the crystal, wide open with shock. The Aether Crystal was transparent! "This..." Vishirk muttered. "What happened?" Rowan asked. Their reactions made him worried and confused, a feeling shared by the other vigers. "You do not have any affinity, and that is unusual. It has never happened before," Dragun revealed, frowning. The vigers didn''t understand what was going on, but they could tell something was wrong from Dragun''s expression. "No affinity," Rowan asked calmly. "Yes... this is so unusual. Everyone with a mana core has at least one affinity, even if thepatibility is low. But you seem to possess none of them, not even 1%," Dragun exined. Rowan nodded casually. "That is bad, but what can we do?" he shrugged. Dragun and Vishirk exchanged looks before returning their gaze to him. Wasn''t Rowan the one interested in magic, even hoping to awaken a soul magic affinity? Why was he acting so nonchnt about the situation? They wondered. Ri was also confused by her husband''s reaction to such serious news. He didn''t appear the least bit shaken, which puzzled the others. If Rowan had awakened naturally, they wouldn''t be so surprised by his demeanor. But it was quite the opposite. Rowan was very determined to awaken his mana core, even willing to endure the worst pain to achieve it. Dragun and Vishirk couldn''t help but wonder if something had gone wrong during Rowan''s awakening. As they pondered, Rowan contemted in his mind. "Should I copy Ri''s water element affinity right now?" he wondered. If he copied and merged with her element affinity, he would experience near-death pain, which wouldn''t go unnoticed. "I think that is the only way to justify the future when I start copying other people''s affinities. Once I am done, I would ask Dragun to test again for affinity, and that will help," he thought. Without hesitation, he opened Ri''s character status and entered her skills section. [SKILLS: FF-rank Magic, FF-rank Water Magic, FF-rank Light Magic, FF-rank Spirit Magic...] Rowan didn''t understand if awakening his mana core allowed him to see her magic affinities as skills. Usually, he only saw Magic and her tailoring skills when viewing her abilities. He shrugged and proceeded to copy her water magic. DING! [Copy and merge with ''Water Magic'' Skill?] [NOTE: Skill contains an element affinity and would cause unimaginable pain while merging. Continue? YES/NO] "Yes," Rowan responded without waiting another second. Dragun and the others were still observing his calmness at such an important moment when they noticed a quick change in Rowan''s expression and body. Rowan''s eyes suddenly twitched. His body began to shiver uncontrobly, and he started perspiring. Before they could fullyprehend, Rowan suddenly began copsing. Dragun and Vishirk''s eyes widened instantly as they rushed to prevent him from falling. Ri and the other vigers reacted as well. "What is happening to Lord Rowan!" someone cried. "Is Lord Rowan okay?" another asked. "Why did he copse?" "This is bad. Nothing bad should happen to Lord Rowan!" They all reacted at once. Dragun pulled out a healing potion from his spatial pouch and tried to administer it to Rowan''s mouth, but Rowan''s teeth were tightly clenched. "This is very bad!" Dragun eximed, stepping back with worry in his eyes. He had witnessed many awakenings but had never seen anything like Rowan''s. As everyone fretted, the pain Rowan felt intensified¡ªit was as though he was drowning in hot liquid while thousands of needles pierced his body. In fact, Rowan couldn''t describe the pain except that it was extreme and unlike anything he had ever felt. Dragun even tried to activate a healing spell to help, but the spell refused to function, just like it had with Liara and Ren. This only added to everyone''s confusion and worry. After a few minutes, Rowan''s shivering stopped. His body began to return to normal rapidly. Within seconds, everything settled, and Rowan stood up. "Lord Rowan, what happened?" someone asked. "How are you feeling now?" "Are you alright?"n/?/vel/b//in dot c//om Everyone expressed their concerns for his condition. Meanwhile, Rowan was greeted with a notification: [Ding! You have merged with skill: Water Magic] [You can now use spells rted to water element affinity] As he studied the notification, Dragun and Vishirk noticed something strange about him. It was as though his aura had suddenly transformed, bing stronger than before. "Did he just awaken an affinity?" Dragun was puzzled. Vishirk felt the same way. The others couldn''t understand what Dragun and Vishirk were sensing, so they continued to check on Rowan. "Rowan, we should check your affinity once again," Dragun whispered in his ear. Rowan nodded, though he wondered how Dragun could tell. "Would he be able to tell when I awaken other elemental affinities in the future?" he thought. Dragun brought out the Aether Crystal. Rowan ced his hand on it, and just like a few minutes earlier, the crystal exploded in a blinding white glow thatsted for a few moments before disappearing. This time, the Aether Crystal revealed a color, unlike the first trial. "Water affinity!" Ri was the first to identify it as she stood close to him. Her face was filled with surprise and shock. "We awakened the same element affinity, Rowan. This is a good sign of our love and connection for each other." She hugged him, her voice dripping with affection. Rowan returned the hug with a smile, d that his love was happy for him. The crowd shared Ri''s excitement and cheered for Rowan. On the other hand, Dragun and Vishirk remained confused about everything. What had just taken ce was strange to them, even though they had been through numerous awakenings. It was already strange that Rowan awakened without a single affinity. But it even stranger that his affinity suddenly arrives a few minutester. It confused them without recognition but they kept these confusions at the back of their mind and celebrated with Rowan. Rowan reciprocated the happiness with his people. He even proceeded to give a speech. Telling the people how the appearance of his new found powers would benefit them. He promised them a safer future and they naturally believed him. This time, luckily, Rowan was able to earn around 40 million evolution points from theirbined reactions. After his speech and some further Jubtions, everyone returned to their homes and Rowan moved on to the next phase of his n. Chapter 197 Migration ( 47 ) Dragun strolled home with Rowan. Ri had to sew with the women today so she went directly. Vishirk excused himself that he was going to meditate, thus only Rowan and Dragun strolled together. On their way, Rowan could not stop thinking about the Divine beast card in his inventory that he hadn''t been able to activate due to unavability of mana core. Now that it was in his possession, he could not wait to activate the card and see what sort of divine beast was in it. He was also excited that he would start using and cultivating magic. Being able to do so has always been one of his dream. His dream getting fulfiled was one of the best feeling in the world. "Your awakening is quite a rare one." While they strolled together, Dragun opened the topic. He told Rowan how his case would have made him really popr if he had grown in a magic oriented territory. ording to him, numerous powerful archmages as well as magic academy woulde searching for him in ordef to understand what happened with him. "This would be a big advantage in your part. While they try their hardest to figure out the mystery in you, they will strive to make you even stronger in the magic field in order to discover what wonders you will disy as you grow stronger. Sadly, this territory doesn''t have such organisation and people." He said. "It doesn''t matter now. In a few years, my people would be able to cultivate magic." Rowan dered. His deration caused Dragun to look at him and ask, "How do you n to make that happen? Are you nning to feed all the vigers mana core awakening potion and then cultivate them with mana stones?" "Of course not, just the cost of doing so is sickening to think about." Rowan responded immediately. "Then how do you n to do so? If you don''t mind sharing with me, that is." "I will share them with you when the timees. Although I already have an idea ¡ª it is rted to thend we talked about, about thatnd, when you are free, can you go explore it and tell how habitable it is?" Dragun nodded. "I and Vishirk would go check it out in a few days. The ce is really really far, it would take years to get there on feet." He revealed. "That is not a problem, we can purchase those teleportation slip or build a big teleportation formation when the timees." Rowan responded "Those magic formation and slip require lot of mana to operate. For one capable of moving all the vigers at once through such a long distance, it will require the mana of more than 20 Tier-3 mages to activate." Rowan thought about the matter. "What about an archmage?" "It is easy job for an archmage." "Then it''s settled." Rowan smiled confidently. Dragun looked at him, was Rowan thinking of bing an archmage in such a short time? He thought.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om Even if Rowan should engage in demonic magic cultivation which is one of the fastest yet riskiest path to grow stronger, he wouldn''t be able to reach such rank in a very short time. Dragun could only shrug his shoulder and conclude that Rowan was only thinking that because he was naive in the field of magic cultivation. When Rowan got home, he baded Dragun farewell and entered his room. He then opened his system inventory and brought out one of the water magic spells he got from Dragun and Vishirk. One of them was BUBBLE POP. --- SPELL: Bubble pop REQUIRES: Water Magic, Magix TIER: 1/3 MP: 10 CAST TIME: 30 seconds COOL DOWN: 1 minutes EFFECT: Creates small, unstable water bubbles that float toward the target. Upon impact, they burst, dealing light water damage and staggering enemies slightly. LEARN SPELL AUTOMATICALLY? YES/NO --- Rowan studied the description of the spell curiously. Without a single bit of hesitation, he replied yes. Just like learning skills from skill books, he felt a splitting headache for a few seconds and afterwards all the information about the spell was downloaded into his brain ¡ªThe incantation and every other requirement to cast the spell. At the moment, Rowan felt like he could activate the spell as he pleased. "Let me try it out." He concluded inwardly before stretching out his hand. "Subaru ighi so..." He began chanting the spell. After chanting for about twenty seconds, a magic circle appeared and glowed brightly. As the magic circle glowed brighter, Rowan felt a surge of energy course through him. The air around his hand shimmered with blue light, and tiny water bubbles began to form within the circle. His heart raced with excitement¡ªthis was it, his first real spell. "Subaru ighi so..." he repeated, focusing his mind on controlling the bubbles. Slowly, he extended his hand forward. The water bubbles floated toward an empty space in front of him, expanding and then popping with a soft ssh. Rowan watched in awe as the bubbles burst, sending ripples through the air. A wide smile spread across his face. "It worked!" he eximed, his eyes shining with joy. The sensation of casting magic was exhrating, fulfilling a dream he had cherished for so long. Determined to master his new ability, Rowan decided to try the spell again. He took a deep breath, steadied his focus, and began the incantation once more. The magic circle reappeared, glowing even more intensely this time. The water bubbles formed swiftly, moving with greater precision. Rowan felt more confident, his movements smoother as he directed the bubbles to dance around him. After a few sessful attempts, Rowan felt ready to learn another spell. He navigated his system inventory to find the next spell: Water Whip. --- SPELL: Water Whip REQUIRES: Water Magic, Magix TIER: 2/3 MP: 20 CAST TIME: 1 minute COOL DOWN: 2 minutes EFFECT: Conjures a flexible whip made of water that cansh out at enemies, dealing moderate water damage and potentially disarming them. LEARN SPELL AUTOMATICALLY? YES/NO --- Rowan read through the description, feeling the thrill of acquiring new abilities Without hesitation, he selected "Yes." His mind buzzed as usual and every information were downloaded in his head. "Time to see what else I can do," Chapter 198 Migration ( 48 ) It has been exactly two days since Rowan awakened his mana core. In these two days, Rowan has made significant improvements in his magic cultivation, as well as in the development of his soldiers. Within the first twenty-four hours after awakening his mana core, Rowan learned and mastered numerous basic Tier-1 water magic spells.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om However, after activating and mastering so many spells, he soon discovered something both strange and exciting¡ªhis mana reserve seemed to be unlimited, or so he initially thought. He could power up additional spells without needing to meditate like other mages to replenish his mana reserve. Rowan could cast spells endlessly, without a single fear of his mana running out. The amount of mana he expended each hour exceeded what an average Apprentice-stage mage could use in 48 hours! Confused, he queried his system and received his answer¡ªhis evolution points converted to mana automatically. The response came as a shock¡ªthis meant he could use the strongest spells and activate the most powerful magic formations, as long as he had enough evolution points. Moreover, with the number of evolution points he possessed, he should have as much mana as an archmage, or perhaps even more! With this realization, Rowan continued practicing his water magic spells, only stopping at night to attend to his duties with Ri and to rx. Currently, Rowan has mastered the following spells¡ª Water Whip, Bubble Pop, Misty Veil, Water Burst, and Bubble Shield. However, his awakening and rapid magical growth weren''t the only events in these two days. Ri and her fellow tailors managed toplete the sewing and designing of clothes for the vigers. On the evening of the second day, Rowan gathered the vigers and distributed the robes among them. Rowan and Ri promised to work diligently to provide more clothing for the people before the rainy season finally begins. This was a major improvement for the vige. Atst, the vigers could dressfortably. With the expertly made clothes, they would be able to endure the harsh cold season predicted to begin in less than a week, based on the recent minor weather and temperature changes. Additionally, yesterday, Dragun revealed his intention to travel to the uninhabited territory he and Rowan had discussed. Naturally, this news made Rowan happy¡ªarger and more established territory for himself and his people was an opportunity he could not afford to miss. On the other hand, Vishirk also announced his n to leave the vige for Yellow River City to acquire new spells for his own use. This was the first time Vishirk nned to leave the vige alone, making Rowan somewhat suspicious. However, he didn''t voice his concerns and agreed without much thought. The changes in the vige over the past days were positive, at least on the first day¡ªthere were no deaths or casualties. However, the same couldn''t be said for the second day. --- A new day dawned. The sun rose as usual, and the vigers went about their duties. It was the third day since Rowan''s mana core awakening, and also the scheduled day for Rowan and his soldiers'' hunting exercise. However, at that moment, Rowan and his vigers had gathered in the vige square once again to mourn the dead! Rowan and the vige''s top echelon stood in the center of the vige square, gazing sorrowfully at the corpse on the ground. The bodies of ten adults and ten children under the age of teny dead and immobile on the ground. Loud cries thundered around them as parents and loved ones gathered to weep their sorrows, sorrow that seemed endless and would leave a deep scar. Rowan, standing amidst Dragun and Vishirk, stared at the bodies with a deep frown on his face as his mind wandered angrily. ''The bastard did not stop¡ªit only paused briefly to give me and my people a false hope of peace and happiness before attacking again, this time more ferociously!'' Rowan''s mind wandered. ''At this point, the activities are more like a psychological game¡ªa form of torture, to be precise,'' he continued, recalling the events of the recent deaths. The first attack was unexpected and focused solely on a specific region of the vige¡ªthis was meant to deceive Rowan and divert his attention to a particr point. The second attack was also unexpected; it urred randomly and targeted only the babies. In this way, it seeded in deceiving him and iming the young and innocent, deepening the sorrow of the casualties. After the first two, it suddenly halted for two days without killing! The vigers regained hope. They felt happy and calm. This allowed calmness and happiness to settle among the vigers before attacking once again. This time, it took more lives than before. It imed five lives from each region, one after the other. At the sound of the first cry, Rowan, ze, and most of his soldiers who were awake at that hour rushed to the region. While processing those deaths, cries erupted from other parts of the vige. Even if they could act, with the random pattern, it became difficult for them to respond effectively. This not only devastated Rowan and his soldiers but also exhausted them. "What is happening again?" "What are we going to do, Lord Rowan?" "Lord Rowan, please do something fast, I don''t want to die!" At that moment, these phrases echoed throughout the vige square. "I don''t think this is the Dream Weaver anymore, Rowan," Dragun said without even looking at him. His eyes were fixed on the corpse on the ground and the grieving people beside him, and a deeply worried expression marked his face. Rowan didn''t respond, too deep in his vengeful thoughts. After a few seconds, he turned to Dragun and asked, "Is there any magic formation to eliminate these dark creatures?" Dragun nodded. "There are many, each designed for different levels of dark creature strength. However, these formations require arge quantity of mana to activate." "How much is required to acquire the strongest one?" Rowan asked seriously. He had arge mana reserve. He could activate any magic formation he desired. He didn''t mind spending money and mana as long as he could trap and eliminate the dark creatures attacking his people. Chapter 199 Migration ( 49 ) The gathering at the vige square concluded after Rowan delivered his usual speech and the corpses of the dead were burned to ash. Rowan''s speech was brief but carried immense emotion. When he spoke, the entire vige square fell eerily silent¡ªso silent that the sound of insects flying could be heard. The vigers gazed at their leader; they could sense his fury and thirst for revenge more than they had ever seen before. They could tell that the death had truly taken a toll on their Lord, but he refused to show it. No one uttered a single word, despite having questions, until Rowan personally ended his speech. On their way home, they couldn''t stop discussing Rowan''s seriousness. Meanwhile, Rowan was making a deal with Dragun and Vishirk. "I will be taking the soldiers on a week-long hunting adventure. I want you two to take care of the vige during that period, but do not worry, you will be paid handsomely¡ªenough to acquire some interesting magic artifacts," Rowan told Dragun and Vishirk. Dragun and Vishirk exchanged nces before looking back at Rowan. "Why do you take the soldiers out to hunt monsters so often?" Dragun couldn''t help but ask. If Rowan and his soldiers were hunting game to feed the vige, it would be more understandable. But they were hunting monsters, which held no value aside from the monster cores, and none of the vigers could actually use the monster cores, making it even more confusing. Even if they were able to y all the monsters near the vige, in a week or two, other monsters would reim the territory and wreak havoc again. Dragun was aware that Rowan knew about this, which made the whole situation more perplexing. Rowan looked at Dragun after the question. Sadly, he couldn''t reveal the main reason. He exined that he wanted his soldiers to test their techniques on real targets, hence the hunting trips. "That is understandable," Dragun nodded. "But do you really have to pay us? We are members of the vige, and protecting the vigers is a task we shouldn''t be paid for," he followed up. "I know. You would do better work if there''s a benefit ahead. I want you to take good care of the people, alright?" Dragun pondered the matter¡ªhe knew he couldn''t change Rowan''s mind, so he agreed. Vishirk agreed too, naturally. Rowan nodded. He brought out ten sewing machines from his inventory and handed them to Dragun, who stored them in his spatial pouch. Rowan then informed him that merchants from other viges would be arriving to patronize them. He gave Dragun a brief on how to encourage the merchants to pay more for the sewing machines. After finishing his exnation, Rowan summoned ze, and both of them strolled down to the southern border where the soldiers were already waiting. On their way, Rowan couldn''t stop thinking about the Divine Beast summoning card he had failed to activate while he was too busy cultivating water magic. "After the hunting trip, I will do that," he thought. Then he turned to ze and said, "Very soon, you will have apanion. If you want to dominate your newpanion, then try your best to grow stronger faster." As he spoke, he observed ze''s cultivation. --- [ BLAZE ] Race: Ashfire Wolf Advanced Realm (Mid-stage - 66%) Unlocked Skills: Fireball (Lv 4), me Synchronization (Lv 2), Fire Disk (Lv 1) --- "He is doing pretty well considering I haven''t fed him any monster cores for a very long time," he noted. "After this hunt, I won''t hold back feeding ze monster cores to make him grow stronger quickly. I hope the new beast also has the ability to rapidly absorb monster cores and grow stronger. I need all the strong soldiers andpanions I can get my hands on before then," Rowan thought. "This week''s hunt will be brutal and more tiring. I n to have the soldiers go through four to five monster raids per day. This way, even the least active soldier would gain at least five thousand evolution points, while the average captain would earn at least three thousand based on my calctions," Rowan calcted inwardly. "On the third day orter, one of the captains would most likely evolve," Rowan predicted. With these analyses and predictions in mind, Rowan did not slow down and sped up to meet his soldiers. He arrived to see them waiting with fierce, battle-ready expressions on their faces. One of Rowan''s most active soldiers¡ªWinston¡ªsat on a small rocky boulder with his head bowed. He wore his sword on his back, the makeshift cloth shaft crafted by his mother. From his posture, it was easy to tell that a lot was weighing on his mind. Rowan felt the same way and, after checking his character status¡­ [ Winston ] upation: Warrior Power: N/A (8950/100000) Special Skill: Sword Master Status: Vengeful, Bloodthirsty His suspicions were confirmed.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om Rowan quickly recalled that Winston was among the people crying over the corpses that early morning. Rowan did not know who he had lost, exactly. But he could tell Winston cherished that person so much that it had made him so vengeful. "At least, he didn''t sumb to depression and bezy and weak," Rowan thought. "With this vengeful and bloodthirsty feeling, he will be able to y more monsters than usual and, in turn, get closer to evolving faster." Rowan walked to the front of the crowd. He didn''t need to discuss a new strategy or formation with them, as they had already mastered his strategies from thest hunt. Without wasting a second, they began their march into the forest to start their week-long adventure. ¡­.. Winterseed. It had been almost three hours since Rowan and his men left for their hunt, and a few minutes before noon. At that moment, more than ten vigers gathered outside Bryce House, whispering among themselves with sadness and confusion. "What is happening now?" one asked her friend. "I don''t know. I don''t. I just pray those two survive. This vige has lost so much in a short time. We do not want any more additions," her friend replied. "They haven''t reacted for a long time, so why are they suddenly responding on the day Lord Rowan and the soldiers are away? This doesn''t feel like a coincidence to me," another added. The two friends turned to the new speaker, nodded, and continued their discussion. At that moment, Dragun and Vishirk arrived. Stay updated through empire The vigers greeted them. Dragun and Vishirk responded before entering the house. Inside, they saw Bryce''s wife, ra, and two other women standing close to Ren and Liara. ra could be heard crying and calling Liara as though her calls would wake her up. Bryce''s wife did the same, while the other two women tried their hardest to calm them. As for Liara and Ren, both remained in their usual sleepy states. "What happened?" Dragun asked, drawing their attention. Bryce''s wife turned to Dragun and reported. ording to her exnation, both of them were sleeping as usual when, all of a sudden, they began shivering uncontrobly. "We rushed and tried our best to understand why and stop them from shivering. But we failed," she continued. She described how both of them suddenly erupted in loud, soulless, and painful screams, as though they were being tortured. She exined their growing worry and what they had tried. "Please, Dragun, do what you can to save them. I do not want to lose my sister again," she concluded, tears in her eyes as she pleaded with Dragun. "I will do my best to save them. I don''t need to be told," Dragun consoled her, though his mind was deep in thought, imagining her stories in his head. "While screaming, did they say anything?" he asked after thirty seconds. "Not really," she replied. Dragun nodded and fell into deep thought once again. He considered the dark creatures he knew that could do such a thing, as well as the symbols that appeared on their victims, trying to match them with the current situation. Each time he recalled any major ones, he proceeded to ask the women in the room, and most answers were negative. For the first time, Dragun felt as though his understanding of dark creatures was useless. ming himself, he suddenly remembered something and walked toward the two. He lifted the clothes covering them, and his eyesnded on something that immediately caught his interest¡ªtattoos! Chapter 200 Migration ( 50 ) On the stomachs of Ren and Liara, intricate magical symbols were embedded as tattoos¡ªthe tattoos still looked fresh and neat, as though not even a minute had passed since they were done. ra and the others also spotted the tattoos and were baffled. "Those weren''t there before. How did they appear?" they asked, equally confused. Dragun did not reply, too focused on trying to decipher the meaning behind the tattoos. The women kept pestering him for answers, so Vishirk had to step up to exin the situation a little bit. "It is a mark. Something or someone is trying to im them." "Who and what would do such a thing? And even if they could, why didn''t we see them? We were here all day and all night, fully vignt. We didn''t notice anything or any movement except the one a few minutes ago," ra retorted. She was really worried about her friend. Her condition kept getting worse and more mysterious by the hour, and it confused her greatly. "The movement you noticed was their reaction to the pain of getting tattooed. Whatever or whosoever did that was here a few minutes ago," Vishirk answered her. This answer left the women even more dumbfounded. Everything happening had no logical exnations. It was too sophisticated and magical for ordinary people like them to understand. "The mark of the damned. It''s a curse mark with an untraceable origin. I can''t decipher the curse ced on these two, but I feel like it is going to be pretty difficult to reverse, if it''s even reversible," Dragun muttered. "The cult might have the resources to reverse the curse, but they are not saints. Their little shows of kindness alwayse with a payment of blood," he continued, muttering to himself. "I can''t help but wonder, are these two rted to the killings?" he wondered inaudibly. After a few minutes of observing the tattoos, he covered them up once again and turned to look at the women. "Be careful around these two from now on. Keep watch over them, but maintain a distance and do not forget to call for help immediately if you notice any movement, whether vocal or physical," he warned them. "Why should I stay away from my blood sister? Is she going to attack me or something?" Dragun shook his head. "What is happening around here is extraordinary and unpredictable, so be very careful, alright?" Bruce''s wife, ra, and the others nodded. Dragun then brought out four objects from his pocket. The objects resembled empty snail shells but were about the size of an adult''s fist. He handed the items over to them. "Whenever you notice anything, speak into these. They will alert me, and I''ll try my best to be here in time." The women took the items from his hands, observing the odd shapes with confusion written on their faces. Dragun could tell exactly what they were thinking from their expressions. "Sadly, I do not have enough time to exin how they work, but believe me, they work. They can save your lives in many ways." He spoke to them for a few more minutes and then left with Vishirk. The people outside tried to inquire about what had transpired indoors, and Dragun smoothly switched topics to avoid answering their questions.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om On their way, Vishirk could not help but ask, "Were you able to find which dark creature those marks belonged to?" "No, but I think I have a clue. I just need a little more research on it," Dragun answered. Vishirk continued with other troubling questions, such as whether the dark creature affecting both Ren and Liara was involved in the deaths around the vige, if they could capture it, what would be able to capture them, and how he could help. From his questions and his manner of asking, one could easily tell he was sincerely concerned about the state of the vige and genuinely wanted to help stop it. But his real intentions were more than the eyes could see and more than the heart and mind could imagine. --- TAILORS'' HOUSE! It was already afternoon. The sun hung in the sky, but its rays weren''t as scorching as they had been the past few days. During these exact times, it was a huge sign in Winterseed that the rainy and cold season was drawing closer. Ri and her colleagues were in their usual positions, carrying out their clothes-making with smiles on their faces. Stay connected with empire They could still recall the happy faces of the people when they received the first batch of clothes, as well as the proud look on Rowan''s face¡ªthese memories pushed them to work even harder and faster. After acquiring the sewing machines and mastering thempletely, Ri and the women created a schedule. Early in the morning, upon arriving, they would discuss any styles and ideas they had with each other. Ri would improve on them and make the styles more approachable for the women. This way, not just Ri had a say, which created a calm harmony among the women, making working together easier and faster. After the sad event that morning, the women returned to work, pretty sad and devastated by the deaths. Seeing how this would affect the day''s work, Ri stepped up and cheered them up with prep talks, closely following in the steps of her beloved Rowan. Her leadership was disyed in full as the women returned to work, more happily and actively. They sewed until the afternoon when Ri called them together. At that moment, they stood and watched Ri, who sat on a stool with a robe resting on herp and her hands holding a threaded needle. On the robe, there was beautiful embroidery. "Lady Ri, is it true what you speak of?" "Is that even possible?" "If it is true what you speak of, our people would benefit a lot." The women conversed with Ri. Ri smiled profusely and nodded her head. "Do you not trust in my skills?" she asked with a hint of pride in her voice. "We do... but what you said is just too difficult to believe." Ri nodded¡ªshe didn''t even believe it herself when she first discovered the skill. "Why don''t you try it on first?" Ri said to thest speaker. "Me?" She asked. "Yes, you, you would understand better if you try it first," Thedy nodded and took the robe. She took off her current one, revealing her undergarment, before putting on the new one. Instantly, her body was invaded with a new sensation that caused to simply stand and stare ahead with an ted expression on her face. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!