Chapter 310 - 308: News from the Silver Jade Territory

Chapter 310: Chapter 308: News from the Silver Jade Territory

In the study of Forest Castle, Duane looked over a newly deciphered letter.

This was the third letter Natalia had sent in the past month; the first two pages shared details of her daily life.

For example, she had already mastered the Warhorse Summoning Spell, the Star Sleep Flower in the apothecary had been harvested, and the Magic Research Institute had begun integrating the Wind-Held Spell into Magic Array Maps.

Natalia hadn’t written a single word about missing him, yet her feelings shone through between the lines.

’If this world had video calls, we’d probably be online together for an hour or two every day,’ he thought.

Though Duane had long grown accustomed to his role as a Lord, falling in love was a new experience, and he found this feeling of longing to be quite pleasant.

However, starting from the third page, the contents of the letter displeased him.

This was intelligence that Count Kais had asked Natalia to pass along—

A few days ago, three ships filled with Slaves at Lintao Port were about to set sail. For some unknown reason, however, they lowered their sails and marched all the Slaves back to Lintao City.

Lintao was the territory of the Smith Clan, and Marquis Sean’s castle was located within Lintao City.

This piece of intelligence made it clear: the Marquis had no intention of sending the remaining four thousand-plus Slaves to Duane on Black Forest Island.

The Count speculated that Sean’s actions were undoubtedly influenced by the Kennedy Clan forming marriage alliances with both Duane and the Royal Family.

The Marquis now saw Duane as a potential enemy, so naturally, he would no longer help him as readily as before.

After all, every slave he sent over could one day become logistical support for Duane’s conquest of the Lintao Territory.

’Sean is very perceptive. He must have known how desperately I need population and labor. That’s why he promised me five thousand Slaves all at once during the tournament, making it an offer I couldn’t refuse.’

’Now that he’s backed out, it has, to a certain degree, disrupted my development plans for Black Forest Island.’

Duane finished the letter, which concluded with Count Kais’s advice—

The Count advised Duane not to complain about this matter to His Majesty the King or anyone else, because the situation had changed.

Before, while the world was shocked by Duane’s formidable power, they still saw him as just a Little Baron with great personal strength but a weak territory.

Now, Duane not only had the full support of the Kennedy Clan but had also become one of the most powerful figures in the Kingdom, and the Grand Lords had completely changed their attitudes toward him.

Previously, if Duane had protested to the King about the Marquis failing to fulfill his promise, the King might have intervened on Duane’s behalf, simply as a way to suppress the Marquis.

But now, if Duane were to protest, not only would the King refuse to help, he would likely use it as a chance to bring up the fixed match between Duane and Marquis Sean, seizing the opportunity to reclaim the Silver Jade Territory and Pigeon Tail Town.

’He’s not wrong. That’s a real possibility.’

Duane sighed, venting his frustration. ’Fine, if he won’t give them, he won’t. At least I got everything else besides the remaining four thousand three hundred Slaves.’

He had received three thousand Gold Coins, ten thousand pounds of Black Iron Ore, five hundred Basic Water Soul Ores, and nearly eight hundred Slaves from Marquis Sean.

These items were still quite valuable, enough to guarantee he’d made a handsome profit from crippling Tara and allowing Keldert to take third place.

Duane picked up his pen and began to write a reply.

The days passed in a seemingly calm yet busy rhythm, and soon, the end of October arrived.

After two straight months of this regimen, Fur Ball had completely adapted to the stimulation from the Dragon Spine Grass Spores.

While its size hadn’t changed much, it was significantly heavier, and its power was likely approaching that of a Level 2 Demon Beast.

Duane then began using Starlight Grass, brewing it into a concoction that he mixed with milk to enhance Fur Ball’s night vision.

During this process, his Nebula Dog Skill Level broke through to the Skilled Level.

To accelerate his Skill Level progression, Duane made a special trip to the Heavenly Mountain Range, hoping to catch a few more Silver-Maned Wolves to raise.

However, he didn’t know if the wolves had been wiped out by that Lynx or had simply fled to the other side of the mountain range. In any case, he searched the area thoroughly and found no trace of them.

He found no sign of the Giant Lynx, either.

Unwilling to return empty-handed, he resigned himself to knocking out two Demon-Horned Goats and bringing them back to his Territory to be farmed.

Speaking of which, in addition to improving his Nebula Dog Skill, Duane had also raised the Skill Level of six Level 1 Spells—including Flame Technique and Water Gathering Technique—from Skilled to Perfection. He had also brought his Basic Solidification Technique up to the Mastery Level.

Now, any Spell Scroll he created with the Solidification Technique would be effective for at least two years.

Within those two years, the solidified Magic Power inside the Scroll would not dissipate.

After allocating all 5.7 of his newly acquired attribute points into Spirit, Duane’s Spirit Attribute rose to 53.8, making him a Level 6 Grand Mage.

Now, in Thorn Valley, he successfully cast the Arcane Resonance Spell. His entire being resonated with the world’s invisible Magic Net, and faint purple Arcane Energy flowed around his body.

In this state, his casting speed was incredibly fast; he could cast a Perfection Level, Level 1 Spell almost instantaneously.

Even Frost Imprisonment, a Level 3 Magic for which he had very low affinity, could be cast within five seconds.

Furthermore, when Duane summoned his warhorse while in his Arcane Resonance state, the steed entered a Phase Dash state. It not only reached twice its normal speed but could even briefly gallop through the air.

Unfortunately, the resonance didn’t last long—a mere thirty seconds.

But Duane was confident that as the spell’s Skill Level increased, the duration of the resonance would definitely grow longer.

He estimated that once it reached the Perfection Level, he could probably instant-cast any spell.

Riding at top speed, Duane returned to Forest Castle.

Although Marquis Sean was no longer sending Slaves, over a thousand tea plantation laborers from the Silent Shore, in addition to the three thousand Slaves acquired from last year’s negotiations with the Akutas Kingdom, had all arrived on Black Forest Island.

Julian had assigned them all tasks. Two thousand were sent to the Southern Plain to clear the land, while the remainder were temporarily quartered in Broken Wave City, awaiting transport to the Silver Jade Territory.

"My Lord, welcome back!"

Logan had completely adapted to life on Black Forest Island.

Even when Duane was away and there was no one to wait on, Logan had no shortage of work.

Duane—or rather, Julian, Ralph, and the others—didn’t treat him like a typical Male Servant at all.

When they were short-handed, he was like a spare part, plugged into whatever gap needed filling.

"Owington has been back for a day," Logan said, helping another servant with the unconscious Demon-Horned Goat. "When do you plan to see him?"

"Now is fine. Have him wait for me in the study. I’m going to take a bath."

Duane added, "Right, these are Demon-Horned Goats, Level 2 Demon Beasts. They’re incredibly strong. Have the Guards chain them up and see if we can farm them."

Everyone was startled. They had assumed the animals were just large goats, not Level 2 Demon Beasts.

The butcher, who’d been readying his knife for the slaughter, felt a shudder of fear. Thank goodness the Lord had warned them. A moment of carelessness, and he could have been impaled on those horns.

"Logan, speak with Raymond and the others later. See if there’s a way to domesticate the Demon-Horned Goats on Heavenly Mountain."

"Yes, my Lord, I will remember."

Duane took a bath, and by the time he returned to his study, Owington was already waiting.

The moment he saw Duane, he trotted over to greet him.

"My Lord! It’s so good to finally see you! It hasn’t been that long, and you’ve already done something earth-shattering again!"

"You’ve matured, Owington!" Duane praised.

This wasn’t just empty praise. The Owington before him looked much more rugged; his face and arms were a shade darker from the sun.

Duane sat and gestured for Owington to do the same before asking, "How are things in the Silver Jade Territory?"

"Everything is going smoothly, my Lord!"

Owington began his report. "Under Commander Kaelon’s lead, we passed through Baron Uriel’s lands and entered the mountain forests. We encountered a few Demon Beasts, but they were easily dispatched. It took us half a month, but we finally reached the foot of the Jade Mountain Range."

"We delivered the Gold Coins as agreed, and the Territory Disposal Officer, Sir Trenton, began the survey with his men. Just as you predicted, they tried to ask for more, but Kaelon and I gave them a taste of our steel, and they didn’t dare press the issue."

’At the time, they didn’t know I had defeated Thomsen. That’s why Trenton was so arrogant.’

’If it happened now, he certainly wouldn’t have any funny ideas.’

’Then again, with His Majesty wary of me now, if he were sent to survey again, Trenton would probably just stick to the rules and not risk his life trying to extort money.’

"What was the final result of the survey?" Duane asked.

At this, Owington couldn’t help but smile. "Rest assured, my Lord. It’s definitely larger than nine hundred square kilometers, not smaller."

He added, "And what’s more, Sir Trenton has already come up with plenty of justifications to prove his survey results are reasonable. There won’t be any problems."

"Excellent!"

A smile played on Duane’s lips. The two thousand-odd Gold Coins he’d spent had been well worth it.

"How are the settlement efforts coming along over there?"

He asked, "I’m planning to go take a look for myself soon."

Owington’s expression immediately turned serious as he began his report. This was the main focus of his work.

"I found a relatively flat area to set up a temporary camp and built a number of wooden cabins around it. The conditions are crude, but it can temporarily house several hundred people."

"In addition, Heck and his men have found a suitable location for a harbor and built a simple pier for ships to dock. Commander Kaelon is staying behind to stand guard, while Captain Heck and I have returned to transport tools like machetes to officially begin clearing the land."

"The Silver Jade Territory is a bit warmer than here, and there are a great many mosquitoes and other insects. I also plan to bring some mint, mugwort, and wild chrysanthemums back with me for pest control."

Although Duane had yet to visit the Silver Jade Territory, he could well imagine how difficult it was to carve a town out of a deep, remote mountain forest.

Complex terrain, rampant insects, the threat of Demon Beasts, harsh living conditions—the challenges were endless.

"Any casualties?" Duane asked.

Owington hesitated before nodding, his voice full of self-blame. "Two laborers died. One was bitten by a venomous snake while working, and the other was bitten by a tick. We didn’t discover it in time, and he died of a high fever and vomiting."

Duane grunted. Pioneering new land always came at a cost.

"Have the dead been identified?"

Owington nodded. "Yes. They were from two serf families in Broken Wave City."

Duane ordered, "Strip those two families of their serf status. Also, have Ralph provide them with some grain."

"You are truly merciful!"

Duane took a deep breath. "Despite the casualties, you’ve done a good job. I recognize your ability."

He said, "I now officially declare that you are no longer my personal Male Servant."

Owington’s face flushed with excitement. He immediately stood, awaiting his lord’s declaration.

"From this day forward, you are the chief steward of the Silver Jade Territory!"

Duane continued, "A thousand Slaves have been prepared for you in Broken Wave City. Gather your supplies and return as soon as you can."

Overcome with emotion, Owington dropped to one knee. "Thank you for your trust! I will give my all to manage the affairs of the Silver Jade Territory!"

The new Male Servant watched with a face full of envy, his eyes shining with ambition. He could almost see a similar moment in his own future.

Duane smiled faintly. "Then work hard. Have Heck come back for me at the end of November. I’m coming for an inspection."