Chapter 361 - 359: Black Soil
Thorn Valley was once a wilderness, without so much as a single walkable path.
Since Duane eradicated the Mutated Demon Beasts in the Secret Realm and decided to develop it, the number of patrolling Guards and laborers passing through has increased, and a small path has gradually formed in the woods.
Duane and Natalia galloped through the forest on their Arcane Warhorses, while the man-sized Fur Ball sprinted alongside them, occasionally stopping to mark its territory.
The past two days of shameless intimacy had made them inseparable.
Although it was easy to get lost in each other, they remained quite restrained, busying themselves with their own tasks during the day.
"I learned about the current personnel expenses for the Territory from Ralph yesterday. I had no idea they were so high!"
Natalia said, taking in the scenery of Thorn Valley as she recounted what she had learned over the past couple of days.
"If you include Trent, Eleanor, and the others, you have a thousand people under you now. Their salaries alone cost over a thousand Gold Coins a year!"
Duane was taken aback. "I have that many people working for me?" he asked, surprised.
But after a moment’s thought, he realized she must have included the Guards and the Militia.
Sure enough, Natalia continued, "The Guards and the Militia make up the bulk of it—a full eight hundred people! While the cost per person isn’t high, the sheer numbers add up to a lot."
In reality, this was only part of the expenditure.
Because Duane had reduced the number of mandatory labor days and even offered a symbolic reward of one pound of dried rice, there were also expenses for road-building, construction, and manufacturing.
Natalia didn’t know the total sum, but it was definitely not a small amount.
She sighed as she spoke. "Looking at the entire Kingdom, you’re probably the Baron with the most warriors and soldiers under his command!"
Never mind Barons; even many Viscounts didn’t have the resources Duane commanded.
Duane said helplessly, "I have no choice. Black Forest Island is isolated at sea. If I want to protect myself, let alone expand beyond it, I have to cultivate enough manpower."
Natalia nodded. She didn’t find the expenses unreasonable, but was simply marveling at how high they were.
However, when she thought about Black Forest Island’s current industries, she wasn’t worried that Duane would suddenly be unable to afford it.
Setting aside everything else, just from their share of the Time Closet’s annual profits, she and Duane would receive at least two thousand Gold Coins. If the Time Closet’s business expanded further, their income would only grow.
Adding the considerable income from the Warm Sun Soup and the war reparations from Viscount Ugo, Duane was more than capable of multiplying the number of his followers several times over.
Before long, the two arrived outside the Secret Realm.
Over the past year, a cluster of wooden houses and warehouses had been built around the Secret Realm Teleportation Gate.
Aside from housing the workers who came to extract resources, the Guard Team led by Clint was also stationed here to ensure everyone’s safety.
"My Lord, My Lady!" Clint came forward to greet them.
He had previously been stationed in the Southen Plain for a while, but once the situation there stabilized, he handed things over to Gaius.
As one of the few Human Tier individuals in the Territory, he was now responsible for guarding this place.
"Good work. How have things been here lately?"
"Aside from a couple of witless Demon Beasts trespassing occasionally, everything has been smooth. Please rest assured, My Lord. Also, the resource gatherers have been taking their scheduled seven-day breaks as you instructed. No one has shown any abnormal symptoms."
Duane nodded. After a brief conversation, he led Natalia into the Secret Realm.
"This is my first time going through a Secret Realm Teleportation Gate. It’s truly magical!"
Natalia’s eyes were wide with wonder as she examined the Teleportation Gate and the environment within the Secret Realm.
Although there was no sun here, the place wasn’t gloomy.
"Secret Realms are very dangerous. If an ordinary person doesn’t take Qingming Medicine Wine, they’ll lose their mind and transform into something else within three to five days. It’s better for an Extraordinary, but it’s still just a matter of time."
Duane found a spot with soft soil and began to dig.
The Secret Realm was filled with Black Soil tainted by the Blood of an Ancient God. The supply of Black Soil here was practically inexhaustible.
"So if you’re going to come in, remember to grab some Qingming Medicine Wine from the warehouse. I’d rather not come back from the outside to find my wife has gone mad and is biting people."
"Why do you make it sound like I’d be a Mad Dog?"
Natalia smiled and stepped forward to help, but seeing no spare hoe, she could only stand to the side.
Fur Ball seemed to understand their conversation. "WOOF WOOF," it barked, as if declaring that *it* wouldn’t bite people.
"How much Qingming Medicine Wine do we have in stock?" she asked. "If we’re running low, could I help you brew it?"
Duane thought for a moment and said, "You’d have to wait until you become a Level 5 Mage. Only then will you have the ability to learn Harmony Magic. It’s a difficult spell, but for you, you should be able to learn it."
’What a pity,’ Natalia thought. "I only became a Level 4 Mage a little over a year ago. Even if I train hard, I probably won’t be able to break through until next year at the earliest."
She would be twenty next year. A Level 5 Mage at that age was considered a top-tier genius.
"No rush. You can learn the basics of brewing in the meantime."
Natalia nodded.
She had spent the last two days sorting out her thoughts and had already decided on her focus for her duties on Black Forest Island.
"I brought many Magic Plant seeds with me. I want to take a few plots of land to start a Magic Potion Garden, and then I’ll focus on the Territory’s education."
Cultivating Magic Plants and making Magic Potions were things she was already good at. The reason she chose to devote her remaining energy to education was to help realize Duane’s ideals.
"There should be quite a few literate people among the Slaves from the Fire Source Territory. I plan to select some of them to expand the teaching staff. I also want to start a ’Combat Class’ to teach the students basic physical training and Combat Skills."
Duane stopped digging and straightened up, looking at Natalia who was squatting beside him, earnestly explaining her plan. He hadn’t expected her to adapt to her new role and create a plan so quickly.
He couldn’t help but give her a thumbs-up. "That’s a fantastic idea! Don’t hold back and go for it!"
"If you run into any obstacles, just put on your stern and aloof ’lady of the house’ demeanor. Criticize those who need criticizing and punish those who need punishing."
Duane said with a smile, "I’m lenient with the people of my Territory, but not indulgent."
"I know!"
Natalia huffed. "When have I ever been stern and aloof?"
"Right, right, you’re not stern and aloof," Duane teased with a grin. "You just get all flustered and tell me to love you properly."
"You..."
Mortified, Natalia grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it at him. "You’re infuriating!"
Amidst their playful banter, Duane had already dug up several buckets of Black Soil and tossed them all into his Void Space.
Afterward, he took Natalia to inspect important areas like the Black Demon Vine, the Shadow Thorn Flower, the Wailing Root, the Fel Energy Ore, and the Black Iron Forest.
These were all categorized as Magic Plants, which Natalia could also research.
After the inspection was over, the two left the Secret Realm and returned to the Territory.
Natalia went off to handle her own affairs, while Duane headed straight for the Blacksmith Shop in the Hot Spring Mountain Range to use its high-temperature furnace to craft the Mithril alloy plates.
Mithril was a special metal with natural magic-conducting properties. An ordinary Blacksmith couldn’t even begin to forge it, so Duane had to wield the hammer himself.
Fortunately, his Basic Forging ability had reached the Perfection stage. Furthermore, the refinement from his Blood-Forged Contract and Resonating Vein Forging had elevated his smithing skills to a new level. Crafting the Mithril alloy plates posed no difficulty for him.
The difficult part was carving the Mithril alloy plates at high temperatures, which not only required the carver to withstand the scorching heat but also tested their arm strength and the sharpness of their tools.
Duane’s carving knife was forged from Meteorite Iron and was extremely sharp. Combined with his immense strength and high concentration, the carving process went relatively smoothly.
However, the Array’s pattern involved many Rune Nodes, each composed of a hexagram or various geometric shapes, making the carving process incredibly time-consuming.
Duane worked from the afternoon until late at night to barely finish.
"My Lord, aren’t you going to sleep?" Young Ryo had worked so hard during the day that he was utterly exhausted, and he had already dozed off several times.
"You go on and rest. I just need to finish the last two steps."
As he spoke, Duane took out a tendril made from the Jade Demon Vine and began connecting it to the Rune Nodes in a specific sequence.
Then, he used Mithril dust to fill and cover the pre-carved grooves. Using the Flame Technique, he slowly heated the plate, fusing the tendril with the Mithril alloy plate.
「An hour later.」
As the Mithril alloy plate cooled, the Black Soil Purification Array was finally complete.
Duane’s eyes burned with fervor as he looked at the Magic Array Base before him. He eagerly took out an Ink Stone and embedded it into the Energy Pool at the center of the base.
With a low hum, the Magic Array lit up with a fantastical blue glow.
’I can’t believe it went so smoothly on the first try!’
Duane was overjoyed. He hurriedly placed the Black Soil onto it.
As the Array began to operate, energy was absorbed into the Black Soil, and a reddish-black mist started to rise from it.
The color of the Black Soil gradually changed, eventually turning into a brown, granular solid.
At that moment, a notification appeared before Duane’s eyes—Black Soil Purification Magic Array: Entry.