Chapter 452: Flourishing Territory And Unexpected Event
Beneath the plateau was the bunker where the gnomesā new homes had been built. Right now, everyone seemed to be resting, as there wasnāt a single gnome in sight.
Leoās gaze naturally shifted outside the inner circle, and the first thing he noticed was the 10 archer towers.
They had been remodelled by the elves and now looked far better. They even had a two-floor system where the lower compartment was used to store arrows, spare bows, and food supplies.
"Oh? Looks like Sylrael chose some gnomes as watchguards," Leo remarked when he saw two gnomes inside one of the towers, nearly falling asleep before jerking awake as their bodies swayed.
Most of them possessed [Burdenbearer Frame] talents, making them physically stronger than the others.
"Sylrael has keen eyes. I didnāt even say who was better suited for defence, and she still chose the perfect candidates."
Seeing this, Sylraelās evaluation in Leoās eyes rose another notch.
Almost 5 out of the 10 watchtowers had gnomes stationed inside them, with towers containing elves placed between their spacing. There was even a bell attached to the top of each tower to be rung in case of an enemy attack.
After that, Leoās attention shifted toward the 500-meter-square wheat field, and his eyes widened.
"They matured so much!" Leo said in shock after seeing how far the wheat plants had grown. Even their stalks had already formed. They only needed to ripen now.
"Boss, the seeds that were brought were extremely extraordinary. I reckon the Gnomes will be able to harvest the wheat within 3 weeks if this pace of growth continues." Brok spoke excitedly. "I asked an experienced Gnome, and he said it was thanks to the Blueleaf planted beside the field. It increased the mana in the surrounding area and accelerated the growth."
Leo was extremely pleased hearing that, but Brokās next words elevated his mood even further.
"Not only that, but the harvest is guaranteed to return more than 200,000 seeds. I guess you can commercialise the wheat business after the Ember Familyās secret realm exploration."
Leo nodded at first, but then he caught what Brok had said.
"What? Which Ember Family, and what secret realm exploration?" Leo asked, clearly not understanding what Brok was talking about.
"Huh? You donāt know?" Brok frowned, just as confused as Leo. "Isnāt this the reason you left your training prematurely and came back to prepare beforehand?"
They were currently hovering above the territory while Leo observed everything below, and Brok still maintained the same height even now.
"What are you talking about?" Leo asked with a frown. "I completed the first phase of my training, which is why I was given leave until I master the technique to a certain degree."
Brok was left dumbfounded.
"B-boss, you are joking, right?" he stammered. "Isnāt your training under a professor? How did you finish their harsh training within 15 days? They are famous for beating their students for the first couple of days under the guise of a durability test, and then even a single technique takes more than 2 months to learn. Even unparalleled geniuses need at least a month."
Leo scratched his head, becoming even more confused by Brokās words.
"Beating? Yes, I was indeed beaten," Leo admitted. "But the first technique is supposed to be hard?"
He couldnāt help but think that if his mind hadnāt wandered to Lily at regular intervals, he might have completed things much earlier.
After that, Leo simply shrugged.
"Maybe the technique was easy compared to others. But yes, I completed it, and I donāt know anything about this Ember Family or secret realm."
"No way any technique is easy. Itās just that you are special..." Brok shook his head, fully convinced that Leoās absurd capability was the reason he had finished training that was supposed to be extremely difficult so quickly.
But Brok wouldāve puked blood and died squirming on the ground if he learned that Leo had actually learned a soul technique within 15 days. Something as simple as [Spiritual Sense] required a minimum of 2 months just to get the hang of. And those 2 months were for geniuses.
"By the way, what exactly is this Ember Familyās Secret Realm Exploration?" Leo asked again.
"Boss, I think you should look into it yourself," Brok replied. "I might give you wrong intel since I never actually paid much attention to it because my student rank was never high enough to participate in outdoor events."
Leo nodded and gave Brok a side-eye. His expression clearly stated that the reason Brok had ended up in this ferryman position today was precisely because of that attitude.
Still, Leoās lecture to Brok could wait. He first needed to assess the other changes in the territory.
The residential area where the territory members lived had become concentrated into one section. A modest-sized extinguished bonfire sat to the side, clearly used for barbecues and warmth during the cold nights. Somehow, the 1-star elves and the others had started living together in a clustered mix of sheds and houses.
Dawn had already broken over the territory, bathing everything in clear golden light.
In the little distance, Veronicaās houseāwhich had now been properly built according to her likingāstill released thin trails of smoke into the air. It was obvious she was still busy making potions. Virat and the 3 girls seemed to have ended their shift and were currently resting with the door closed.
Then there was the Teleportation Array area, which had been perfectly decorated by the elves with all sorts of stalls surrounding it, though they were empty for now.
The Bison remained inside a fenced enclosure spanning nearly 3 hectares, giving them ample room to roam and graze on the grass that grew abnormally fast. If they ate one side clean and moved to another, by the time they finished there, the original patch would already have returned to lush greenery again. Though that was only possible because Howl paid extra attention to that areaās growth, and wood-affinity Elves had been assigned specifically to maintain the vegetation at periodic shifts.
On the opposite side, the Elk-Antler still crackled with lightning energy, faint arcs dancing across its surface. The rest of the surrounding area was covered in dense vegetation, with only a clearing left behind to act as Brokās landing platform, where he slowly descended.
The watchguards had already been aware of Brokās departure earlier, so they werenāt alarmed seeing him return. However, none of them knew Leo had returned as well.
And they wouldnāt find out until after noon, because Leo already planned to sleep like a log.
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A/N: So... I missed the missed Chapter once again. I donāt know if I can do it even today since I have to study for tomorrowās and the day after tomorrowās exam. So I apologise in advanceļ¼ļ¼äŗŗļ¼;ļ¼