Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Empty your mind, think of nothing..."

Mornings were for basic courses, while afternoons focused on meditation and swordsmanship. After these sessions, regardless of the students' progress, practical training began.

All the students were brought to a room filled with boxes. Phyllos, accustomed to gaming pods, designed the assistive link devices in their likeness, although these alchemy connectors differed little from the pods.

Though their principles differed, the effects were quite similar.

"It's so dark..." Alice, who feared the dark, reminded herself that a poor child like her had no right to fear, and tried to remain calm. Without thinking or worrying, it wasn’t long before her world brightened again.

"It's so beautiful!"

Before her lay a vast, dreamlike "garden," vibrant in color and sweet in fragrance, coming from all directions.

But upon closer inspection, the grass and flowers were colorful candies, the stream was chocolate, the cottages were made of biscuits, and the sky was cotton candy...

Alice had never seen these things before, but somehow, she knew what they were.

"So, so sweet..." Wrapped in the sugary scent, Alice felt like she was floating.

As she was dazed, a beautiful and gentle woman approached from deep within the garden, her smile softer than the first moonlight: "You're the little sprite from Lansville, what’s your name?"

Sprites are a beautiful and proud magical race, long-lived and highly gifted. How could a lowly slave like her be a sprite?

"No, not me..." Alice blushed, stumbling over her words, "Alice... My name is Alice..."

"Names hold magic, 'Alice' in ancient Elvish means a brave and kind mage. You'll be a great being."

Alice’s eyes widened, torn between ecstasy and fear, unsure how to react.

The woman smiled and introduced herself, "I am the guardian elf of this Flower Valley, responsible for the newborn candy sprites. You can call me Chloris."

Alice timidly called out, "Lady Chloris..."

Gently patting her head and taking her hand, Chloris led her towards the cottage: "Your lord has told me about you, a meticulous child. I feel at ease entrusting this garden to you."

The woman was very gentle, her voice carrying the scent of breezy flowers. She first took Alice around the garden and then offered her some rose “petals” to taste.

The fragrant petals, as aromatic as real flowers, were actually hard candies. Crunching in her mouth, the pure sweetness instantly enveloped her brain in bliss.

Chloris then plucked a rose for her, with a hard candy shell that crisped apart, revealing a rich rose jam that spread luxuriously on her tongue, as if diving into a sea of roses.

"Do you like it?"

Alice nodded vigorously, but a trace of fear lingered in her eyes, perhaps feeling undeserving of such delights.

Chloris said, "This is the cradle of the sugar sprites, but often disturbed by pests and magical plants. Dear Alice, can you help me drive those nuisances away? As a reward, I'll give you some sugar sprite petals."

These "nuisances" were actually low-level magical bugs from Devil's Vine and Devil's Ridge.

Though essentially monster hunting, there is a difference between one form of grinding and another.

These “employees” were just kids, and using the dark, foggy setting of Devil’s Ridge might have posed psychological risks, something Phyllos wanted to avoid.

As a severe internet addict and gaming fanatic, Phyllos naturally leaned towards a gaming approach.

Fun and engaging, complete work with the best attitude! Earning money and learning simultaneously - the best of both worlds.

The Candy Garden game was simple: players were “little gardeners from Lansville,” starting with an acre of land. The sugar-made flowers could birth sugar sprites, and the players’ task was to care for them, ensuring they grew undisturbed in their slumber, accumulating sweetness.

Under Chloris's guidance, the morning’s lessons in herbalism were revisited and practically applied.

Tasks like watering, weeding, and loosening the soil, though awarding experience points, only gave a small amount.

"Oh no, it's the life-draining Devil’s Vine! Alice, bravely take up arms and fight it!"

Dark green vines burst fiercely from the ground, scattering black soil everywhere. The surprise and visual impact were astounding.

Yet Alice showed no fear, charging with giant scissors, snapping off several vines with a snip.

Although unclear why she was here when just moments ago she was in the training room, her years as a slave taught her not to overindulge her curiosity.

Alice interpreted the situation through her lens – she was rented to the garden's owner, Chloris, and her job was to tend to the flowers.

If it’s a job, then it deserves her utmost dedication and effort.

Level one Devil's Vines weren’t much different from ordinary plants, just with tougher vines, sharper thorns, and a blood-sucking feature.

"Snip, snip-snip-snip!" Alice fiercely wielded the large scissors, persistently cutting through the tough vines of the Devil's Vine that dared to ravage the garden.

[Ding, you have killed Devil’s Vine [1] and gained 10 experience points and 1 copper coin.]

[Ding, you have killed Devil’s Vine…]

Alice, absorbed in her task, didn't notice the system notifications, focusing solely on her earnest work.

Quickly, an hour passed. The first class (or game) had a tutorial for beginners, which took up some time.

Nevertheless, the valiant Alice, through focused efficiency, successfully subdued 6 Devil's Vines and harvested 136 vines.

"Brave Alice, these spoils are the fruits of your hard battle. Take them to the shop, where Josse is buying these branches."

Alice paused, stunned: "This... can I keep it?!" She asked in disbelief.

Slaves don't possess personal property; no one allows slaves to own anything of their own.

Chloris winked at her: "It's an order from your lord. Remember, it's a secret~"

Alice was shocked. She instinctively felt it was wrong, but how could an order from the lord be mistaken?

After much hesitation, Alice took the bundle of Devil's Vine to Josse's cottage next door to exchange for money.

The shop owner, Josse, was a young man with disheveled hair and droopy eyelids, looking rather lethargic.

In the game setting, Chloris was responsible for magic and combat training, while Josse, the alchemist, needed materials for brewing various magical potions. He acquired raw materials by purchasing magical plants and beasts from players, offering money or potion recipes as rewards. His cottage served as a system shop, selling various items.

Alice nervously exchanged the Devil's Vine branches for 35 copper coins.

Clutching the coins, she pondered how to prove she hadn't stolen the money before handing it over to the manager.

However, Josse said, "I need some Wind Whisper Grass. Could you grow some for me? Of course, I'll pay you for it."

Alice hesitated.

The initial area of the garden was 2 acres, but besides the one acre dedicated to the sugar sprites' candy flower field and some land occupied by the house, Chloris had also given her a plot of vacant land, promising that whatever crops grew there would be hers.

With Josse's task now in mind, Alice’s belief that "slaves can't own personal property" was severely shaken.

"But I..."

"A Whispersilk Grass can fetch you between 1 to 5 copper coins based on its quality."

Alice: "!!!"

Whispersilk Grass, a primary magical plant, has tender leaves. It is favored by wind elements that like to gather around it. It's a preferred grass for wind elemental beasts and can also be used as a scroll material to seal wind-related skills.

This was content Alice had just learned in this afternoon's basic botany class. Besides these simple introductions, the steward also shared many planting techniques.

This, this can be applied right away!

Alice couldn't hold back any longer, her voice trembling: "Please, how much for the Whispersilk Grass seeds?"

Joseph accurately poured out seven packets of seeds from his bag: "Five copper coins per packet, one hundred seeds per packet. How many would you like?"

Alice, holding the copper coins, felt something was odd but couldn't pinpoint what it was.

Eventually, she handed back all 35 lukewarm copper coins to Joseph: "Please give me seven packets of seeds, thank you."

With seven packets of seeds in hand, she was left with only six copper coins from the loot of the Devil Vine.

Six copper coins, though not much, could still buy quite a few things.

After a longing glance at the array of goods on the shelves, Alice, like a thief, hurried away with the seeds of the Whispersilk Grass.

Pulling weeds, tilling the soil, digging holes, sowing seeds, watering, and finally, attempting to gather wind elements.

Wind elements are fond of Whispersilk Grass, and the grass in turn enhances the power of the wind elements. This symbiotic relationship is fascinating; the best way to make Whispersilk Grass grow quickly is to enrich the surrounding wind elements.

Alice calculated that with seven hundred seeds today, seven hundred tomorrow, and seven hundred the day after, it wouldn't be long before this land was filled with Whispersilk Grass.

The low-grade magical plant Whispersilk Grass isn't difficult to cultivate, with a growth cycle of only 30 days, and with proper care, it can even be reduced to 15 days.

Even if a Whispersilk Grass sold for just one copper coin, in three months, she could earn... Alice couldn't figure out the exact amount, but she knew it would be a substantial sum!

"Grow well, my little ones," Alice whispered her expectations to the seeds in the gentlest voice, before busily tending to the Sugar Cradle flowers in the field.

The minds of children aren't yet deeply entrenched with servitude; it's still possible to subtly influence and change them from now.

The game 'Candy Garden' was designed by Phyllis in single-player mode. The advantage of single-player mode is that as long as you don't tell, no one else would know what happens in the game.

Joseph's shop sells everything – candies, cakes, skills... People are self-serving; why snitch and lose all these?

Later in the game, a networking feature will be introduced, allowing teams of students to challenge bosses five levels higher, but that's for after an average level of 15, at least a year or two away at the current pace.

One or two years, enough time for change.

Eliminating pests and driving away invasive Devil's Vines yields plenty of experience and money.

Experience points determine leveling up, while money can be exchanged for "petals," or candies.

Of course, the game's experience points aren't given for nothing; they essentially represent the children's effort in focused meditation and training. Philos just found a way to make them realize their own strength.

One class credit is worth 1 point, and leveling up grants points equal to the level x 10.

These credits can be used in the school store and exchanged for more functions and skills.

Listening to Philos, it seems like a significant investment, but Philos stands to gain even more.

As the students' levels increase, the money invested becomes a daunting figure, but for now, the profits from the sugar factory are more than enough to cover the school's operations.

For children leveling from 0 to 1, the investment is merely 1 gold coin, but this stage yields about 1000 liters of Devil's Vine juice. Even the simplest purification process produces 100 kilograms of icing sugar, which can be sold for 100 gold coins at current market rates.

"Selling as candy in candy stores could fetch a high price of 500-1000 gold coins."

A massive influx of icing sugar into the market will surely reduce its price, but as more students join and level up, the initial costs will be diluted and spread, still ensuring profitable returns!

In this game, the highest cost is the students' physical presence within it.

Sending children into Devil's Ridge in reality would incur significant medical costs, but using alchemical puppets as "game accounts" negates this issue.

"The alchemical golems, of low rank, were primarily constructed using devil's vine as the main material, supplemented by similar level components scavenged from the Toniel bandit group's stash."

The materials are not of high grade, and since they are mass-produced on an assembly line in the alchemy workshop, their level can't be very high.

To complete the uniform level 20 Devil's Vine golems, the final step is sealing.

Philos initially developed two approaches: one, like game characters, involves gradual leveling up.

The other involves creating a complete form first and then applying seals, which are gradually unlocked as the operator meets specific conditions.

The latter sounds more complicated, but in practice, it's actually the cheaper option.

Material limitations mean these puppets can only reach level 20 at most. With such a low ceiling, there's no need for excessive concern.

Of course, the key benefit of the latter strategy is its potential for repeated use.

Once a batch of students "graduates" from level 20, these puppets are reassigned to the new level 0 entrants. Assigning level 0 newbies to operate level 20 machinery is asking for trouble, but using such mismatched equipment for students over level 20 hampers their progress.

The use of sealing techniques is inevitable. It's best to establish this from the start, designing the layered seals for efficient, reusable, and eco-friendly use.

Devil's Vine collected by students is efficiently transported directly to the refinery via pre-built pipelines, where real workers handle the refining, shaping, and transportation.

Students, not yet stepping into the extraordinary realm, currently work at a lower efficiency, but Phyllis is in no rush, instead accelerating the construction of the workshop.

Under a well-coordinated, efficient cycle, production is exponential. It might seem modest now, but waiting until efficiency improves to expand production would be a waste of time!

Phyllis, looking at the development plan, frowned and muttered, “We still need more people…”

The assets acquired from raiding were plentiful—gold, food, fabric, mid-level combat power—all greatly contributing to the city's development. But according to the barrel principle, the shortest stave determines the rate of progress.

Population, population, population—that’s undoubtedly the limiting plank in Lansville's rapid development!

Bok's recent days have been rough. Ever since the bandits realized Phyllis was indifferent to their bullying, they became more brazen, not just with physical assaults and verbal abuse, but also burdening him with tasks.

It's true that the undead don't tire, but Bok's spirit was overwhelmed.

Desperate for a change, Bok racked his brains. Hearing Phyllis's concerns, he eagerly volunteered, “Master, I know many slave owners. Winter is coming, and slave prices drop after the Harvest Festival. Just grant me a barely adequate body, and I’ll definitely—”

“Thud.”

Phyllis, seemingly absorbed in his own world, didn’t notice the obstacle underfoot and stepped right over it.

Though just a wooden doll, Bok still emitted a pained howl when stepped on.

“Owww, Master, did you not notice your loyal servant Bok, crawling at your feet?”

Phyllis, riding the Cloud Shuttle Devil Fish, surveyed his territory once more and then had an inspiration.

Autumn is a season of harvest, but also one of danger.

Winters on the Tantalus continent are harsh, not just for humans but for other races as well.

Aquatic races lose contact with the outside world due to frozen rivers and lakes, and while the sea doesn't freeze, sea folk become sluggish. To avoid starvation due to lethargy in winter, during the resource-rich autumn, higher-level aquatic and sea beings engage in extensive hunting.

The beasts of the Demon Beast Mountains exhibit similar behaviors.

Autumn, though a time of abundant resources, is also a frenzy of slaughter.

Humans, without hard shells, sharp claws, or flying feathers, and with tender flesh, are universally recognized as "easy to bully" delicacies.

Therefore, as autumn ends and winter approaches, the magical beasts will unite to launch a total assault on human cities.

Humans, livestock, and stored grains... all are their targets for plunder.

If winter food reserves are critically low, a second beast tide may occur at the end of autumn.

Their targets are cities with ample populations, livestock, and food reserves. Lansville, protected by its barrenness and endless plains, has remained safe for many years.

However, according to Bok's information since his defection, Lansville will face a beast tide this year.

For others, this might seem like a sky-falling calamity, but for Phyllis, it's an opportunity.

An excellent opportunity to attract more population.

Faced with the beast tide, humans don’t just passively await death; major forces dispatch a large number of people to deplete some of the beasts before the tide.

The number is immense, and attracting even just one percent of them could greatly boost Lansville's development.

There's half a month left until the end of the autumn harvest. In half a month, hundreds of thousands of extraordinaries will hunt and weaken the beasts.

Phyllis is convinced that now is the perfect time!

Ransville, located by the Daylight Mountains and Chaotic Seas, is abundant in magical beasts and sea races - a wealth of resources!

"Tourism" resources, isn't that it?!

Just ensure the proper arrangement of clothing, food, shelter, and transportation, and it's bound to attract those wandering nomads and bounty hunters to stay!

Clothing, food, shelter, and transportation - Phyllis can't believe that perfecting these wouldn't make Lansville a place where people want to stay!

In terms of city image, the broad and clean roads, public restrooms as pristine as a noble's master bedroom, and the hundreds of "luxury hotels" make Lansville unmatched by any other city!

There's no need to worry about equipment either. The goods confiscated from raids can be turned into cash! Open a weapons and equipment store, use these supplies for a while, and once the first semester of alchemy classes is over, a batch of apprentices can be trained.

While we can't produce mid-to-high-end equipment, we can mass-produce some basic yet convenient low-end gear.

As for the mid-to-high-end equipment, it's a typical case of 'open once every three years, but when you do, you're set for three years'. This gives Felos the perfect opportunity to tidy up his inventory, getting rid of outdated equipment ranging from levels 50 to 200.

The training of scarce talents is also being rushed, with all the life-skills professionals trained by Qiti now under Felos's command.

Felos organized some basic teaching material and crammed it into their heads with force-feeding methods.

After mastering it, they can go to school to teach, studying while working.

As for food, there's even less to worry about! Pastry shops, candy stores, fast food outlets, snack streets...

Each one, to those living in a world of dark (unpalatable) cuisine, is a dimensional strike!

All in all, the current limitation to Lansville's development is transportation.

Without safe and convenient transportation, it's useless even if many people are willing to come!

"Blaise, I'm going out for a couple of days, about two or three. I'll leave the order of Lansville to you in the meantime," Felos didn't expect him to achieve much. "Just maintain the status quo."

The drawback of not having available skilled personnel is evident, but the current population of Ransville is manageable due to its size.

"Lord..." Tonyil, jumping around, wanted to show off his abilities. As a level 73 archmage and former leader of a bandit group, he should be stronger than Blaise in every aspect!

Let him do it! He's sure to do a much better job than Blaise!

However, Felos didn't even glance at him and disappeared after leaving the cloud shuttle devilfish to guard the house.

The transportation issue is urgent, and that's exactly what Felos is going to solve!

The plan is all set, tackling the problem by land, sea, and air!

The sea will be handled by the devilfish buses. Although the cloud shuttle devilfish is a flying beast, its true form is a giant devilfish, making the ocean its real domain.

Felos himself will take charge of the land, ensuring every road leading to his territory is free from bandit robberies, monster attacks, undead armies passing through, and the possibility of relics dragging people into becoming sacrifices.

These methods of death, currently known to have the highest probability, are unavoidable. If there are still casualties, we can only temporarily replace the buses with the main pets of the main pets.

The sky routes are the focus of the next phase of the project. Nobles have teleportation arrays for long journeys, but can't bring guards. Hence, magical airships that both flaunt status and carry many people came into being.

The Unalia Empire has complete airship manufacturers, but the cost is exorbitant. Lansville's finances couldn't even afford a toilet!

Felos quickly abandoned this idea, turning his attention instead to the wonders of magical plants.

Wind Whisper Grass.

The first lesson in herbology and magical botany detailed Wind Whisper Grass, and Joseph was assigned to cultivate it, not just as fodder for the livestock industry.

Wind Whisper Grass, also interpreted as "where the wind resides", may look unimpressive with its thin, soft leaves, but what about thousands of them?

The amount of Wind Whisper Grass required for a wind-suspended train is a frightening number, but creating a simple version of a "tourist cable car" is much easier.

This tourist cable car is just longer and a bit more complex in route.

The “ropes” made of Wind Whisper Grass require ten thousand blades per meter, so 3,600 students planting ten thousand each can lay 3,600 meters of cable.

It takes 30 days for Wind Whisper Grass to mature if left alone, but with the students using the cultivation techniques Felos summarized, it can mature in 10 days.

700 blades on the first day, 700 + 1,400 on the second, 700 + 1,400 + 2,800 on the third... Given the students' current level, managing ten thousand each is the limit. Ten days for 3,600 meters, a hundred days for 360 kilometers.

The children, becoming more proficient in spawning and planting, will quickly grow countless Wind Whisper Grass.

As for the option of purchasing Wind Whisper Grass from outside, Felos never considered it.

External farms would also grow Wind Whisper Grass for gold, as its tender taste is popular as fodder for many magical beasts.

But their cultivation methods are too crude. They focus on increasing the magic density in the soil instead of gathering wind elements, using the magical fine sand purified from the hard-earned wheat, potatoes, and sweet potatoes of slaves as “fertilizer”.

A hundred tons of crops yield only a small crystal bottle of this, barely visible when scattered in the soil.

Wind Whisper Grass not treated correctly takes 30 days to grow, wasting resources and incurring huge costs!

A bundle of a hundred or so Wind Whisper Grass in the market sells for 1 gold coin!

But according to Felos's teachings, the biggest expense is only the cost of seeds. After the students grow mature Wind Whisper Grass and save seeds, they can even offset the seed cost.

As for the task of “procuring” Wind Whisper Grass — building high-speed rail comes with costs!

The "tourist cable car" with a cost of less than 1 gold coin per kilometer is incredibly affordable! Even though subsequent maintenance costs may raise the overall expenses, Felos never intended to profit from it in the first place.

The tourist cable car is priced very low, and even after upgrading to a wind-suspended train, there are no plans to change the fare. It charges only 1 copper coin for every hundred kilometers, without any consideration for profit. However, its existence will revitalize Lansville.

"The Unalia Empire is vast, yet when compared to the route map of the sightseeing cable car, it seems so insignificant."

In Felos's vision, there will come a day when the tourist cable car evolves into a wind-suspended high-speed train, with stations spread across every inhabitable spot on the continent, frequented by countless races and creatures to explore the world!

—Of course, this vision is currently just that—a vision. To expand the wind-suspended train, the first step is to grow enough Wind Whisper Grass!

And to have a large and affordable supply of Wind Whisper Grass, a sufficient number of extraordinary beings is needed.

Ordinary people won't do; they can't "summon" enough wind elements with their mental power.

Children with the highest growth potential are the best candidates for cultivating Wind Whisper Grass!

Population, population, and more population!

The wind-suspended train is a long-term development plan, whereas the short-term plan is—

The white bones underfoot twitched slightly.

"Crack, crackle—"

Then, the bones stretching for hundreds of miles all began to move.

Felos is no longer in mere grey gear with base attributes.

Dressed in 72 pieces of golden legendary equipment, even the seemingly ordinary cuffs are of legendary quality, with attributes stacked to an immensely terrifying level.

Character: I See, I Know (Felos)

Class: Thief & Mage (???)

Level: 300 (Legendary)

Attributes (-)

Strength 3300 (+999999)

Constitution 3000 (+999999)

……

Health Points: ?????/?????

Mana: ?????/?????

……

At his core, Felos is a king of arrogance and pride, yet he is not conceited.

Underestimating any being was a crucial reason he could survive amidst the hunt of billions of players and NPCs in the game.

Caution, then more caution.

Even with a 99.99% chance of victory, he prepares for the 0.01% chance of being defeated.

Tactically scorning the enemy, overpowering them in combat, Felos never engages in a battle he's not sure of winning!

Therefore—

"Divine Judgment."

"Thunder Prison Summoning."

"Fate's Seal."

With one move, he unleashes three level-300 area attack skills, each maximized in destructive power.

“——”

Following a deathlike silence, comes the turmoil of an apocalypse.

"Boom—Boom—Boom—"

The entire continent shakes, countless legendary warriors cast their terrified gaze towards the depths of the Endless Plains, yet nothing can be discerned.

An epic warrior?!

No, this commotion...

Felos negotiates in a calm and composed manner, leaving face for the Endless Plains and protecting his people by separating the plains and other areas with a barrier.

But the overpowering lethality of a skill capable of instantly annihilating gods was too great, shattering the 999 layers of the barrier into pieces.

Being level 300, it's only natural that the barrier is weaker than the attacking skills without such high damage bonuses, right?

The victory in the clash of the mightiest spear versus the mightiest shield, narrowly won by the spear.

—Although it was indeed by the narrowest margin.

Deep beneath the earth, a thousand meters down, Antonio's peaceful moment was shattered by a massive tremor. Angrily grabbing his staff, the soul fire flickered as if to set the endless plains ablaze: "Damn it, my experiment was almost complete, who dares to disturb me at this time—"

"Boom—" The laboratory, adorned with countless precious materials and inscribed with many magical runes, was annihilated in a massive explosion.

Antonio was no exception to this.

But soon, hundreds of kilometers away, in a bone cave, Antonio's figure reformed, eyes still filled with shock: "Damn! What happened?!"

The "undying" lich Antonio prepared to go out and investigate, but as he lifted his right foot, a familiar surge of magic overwhelmed him.

The third phylactery, hidden high in the sky, lit up. After three incidents, it was no longer curious; couldn't it just leave?!

But it was quickly obliterated as it took out its staff with its left hand.

Antonio: "..."

The phylacteries were destroyed so swiftly that there was no time to adjust the "golden escape time" mechanism, leaving Antonio in a dire state as he fled toward the 110th location after 113 phylacteries were brutally destroyed.

"Damn it, what exactly happened?! Why couldn't any of my first 113 phylacteries clarify the situation?!" The 114th phylactery fled frantically. A cunning, immortal legend like Antonio wouldn't have just 113 phylacteries!

This ancient monster, having lived for countless years, possessed immense wealth, but the thought of the difficulties in creating a life casket made his long-gone heart seem to beat again.

It hurts, it really hurts!

But as long as I survive, the sacrifice of the previous 113 phylacteries is—

"Hello, may we talk?" Philos asked politely. "I am the lord of Ransville. Oh, you might not be familiar with this name. Dayak, however, you might have heard of, right?"

"Crack, crackle..." The lich, after all, is not a skeleton. Its neck bones weren't rusty; the cracking sound came because its neck bones were gently crushed.

"Could it be, it's not a divine punishment?!"

Antonio believed such grand disturbance must be the work of gods, perhaps a conflict between two slumbering deities, and he was just inadvertently caught in the crossfire.

But now, hearing the other's tone, it seemed... not to be a divine punishment.

"Excuse me, who are you?" He still harbored a slim hope that the other might be a "descendant of gods".

"Humans are capable of such terrifying deeds—this fear makes even my bone spurs stand on end."

But the reality before him was undeniable, whether he wanted to believe it or not.

Phelos frowned, unsure whether this lich was hard of hearing or had rendered himself foolish in the process of soul division when creating his life casket.

The pragmatic Phelos decided to find another with a sharper mind.

"Wait, wait a moment, great and wise Lord of Ransville!!!" Antonio's voice was so shrill it seemed to pierce the air, and though slightly impatient, his survival instinct made him incredibly sharp.

"Please, listen to me! A hundred years ago, a mermaid priestess foretold my future. She gave me a prophecy, saying that today, a century later, I would meet my destined master. Oh great master! Please accept the reverence of your most loyal servant, Antonio!"

"Liches, too, are undead, and they are spellcasters who have voluntarily sought eternal life."

They are what is known as "sentient undead."

However, not all spellcasters who willingly embrace necromancy succeed.

Therefore, in a sense, liches are exceedingly rare and precious.

Precious, or rather rare, liches are more arrogant than elves and dragons.

"However, at this moment, Antonio was excessively obsequious in flattering Phelos, 'Respected master, please allow me to present the gift I prepared in the hope of meeting you today!'"

True 'immortality' belongs only to gods. Antonio, though a level 169 and a top combatant in this land, is also mortal.

Once the life caskets are exhausted, even the most haughty of liches become mere fodder for the dark abyss.

114, Antonio had only 114 life caskets left.

"If the last Horcrux is destroyed, it faces utter annihilation."

"The prophecy, naturally, was a fabrication of its own, but it was earnest about pledging loyalty to its master!"

"After all, defiance meant certain demise!"

"Antonio, who had lived over three thousand years without truly living, clung to the notion of 'immortality', unwilling to die now."

Antonio, docile as a charming little kitten, murmured, "Master..."

Phelos disdainfully tossed it away.

Then, he released the other three liches.

Four equals, long-standing rivals, locked eyes, their expressions as rigid as gargoyles.

Phelos took out a set of table and chairs from his spatial bag: "Take a seat."

The four liches promptly sat down, not daring to delay a moment.

Phelos, not adept at verbal sparring, believed that men's friendships were forged through combat.

Indeed, a fight had improved their relations!

Phelos, not one for pleasantries, opted for a direct approach: "I've heard that the Endless Plains have been expanding rapidly these years?"

The undead army is not truly chaotic and disordered; in fact, there is a strict hierarchy among the undead.

Low-level skeleton soldiers lack any intelligence, but liches above level 160 are rare.

Phelos wasn't sure about the standing of level 160 in this continent, but it took him considerable effort to find these four liches.

He had to ravage a thousand square kilometers of the Endless Plains to unearth these four.

"Does the Endless Plains deserve its name? A thousand square kilometers of barren land seem like just a 'bald spot'."

The endless expanse of bones seemed infinite, nurturing the land with pain, hatred, and grudges that refused to dissipate, accelerating its erosion.

The liches cared little for the pleas of other lives. To sustain themselves, the vast undead army not only plundered all resources after killing but also turned the unfortunate dead into undead, who then turned their bone blades against their kin and friends.

The four liches were uncertain of the emotion behind Phelos's words - was it praise or disgust?

After becoming a lich, certain emotional instincts of the living were discarded.

"Liches are innately arrogant, and with hardly an encounter with the living for decades or even centuries, their social skills are virtually nonexistent."

"Master, do you mean...?"

Phelos appreciated their work efficiency.

He tossed them a map: "Divide the tasks among yourselves. Every location on this map must remain incident-free, understand?" The past of the Endless Plains was irrelevant to him, but anything obstructing his goals could only face obliteration.

Phelos tapped the table lightly: "I could overlook your encroachments on my territory in the past."

The liches felt wronged; they hadn't known that territory belonged to Phelos! They had simply followed the order to "bring me resources," the overreach was the doing of their subordinates!

But Phelos didn’t care about these excuses. Having delivered a harsh rebuke, he sweetened the deal with his limited managerial skills: "I hope you will fulfill your duties as security chiefs and maintain order in this area."

"It's fine if you don't manage well," he said in the calmest tone, uttering a chilling threat, "I have no use for failures."

The definition of 'good security' was simple: natural ecological survival of the fittest was exempt, but no intelligent species was allowed to be harmed!

Robbery without injury? Unacceptable.

Intimidation, threats, assassination, rape, human trafficking? All strictly forbidden!!!

The four liches were puzzled by these orders, but with their existence in Phelos's hands, they had to strive to understand.

"Yes, Master!"

Having sorted the land transport, Phelos now had to address sea transport. Seeking efficiency, he stood up to leave, unwilling to waste more time.

Just before leaving, as if suddenly remembering something, he stopped, drew his wand, and said, "Pendulum of Time."

The Endless Plains were littered with bones, and foot soldiers were in abundant supply, but the millennia-old assets of the four liches were too valuable to waste.

After collecting the loot, Phelos truly departed.

The liches lamented deeply: "My wand, my materials, my notes..."