Fairy Tale Survival with Ability Copying

The entire cave formed a gigantic domed chamber. Countless fire crystals glowing with a dark crimson light were embedded into the inner walls of the dome, illuminating the entire underground cavern while keeping the temperature at a constant scorching heat.

"Hm? Fire crystals? Good stuff. And very high-grade too." Levi's eyes lit up. "I'm taking them."

With a wave of his hand, he used Gathering Technique to collect most of the fire crystals, then used Synthesis to create dozens of Fire Crystal Barrels.

These Fire Crystal Barrels could absolutely withstand the corrosive nature of dragon blood.

At long last, all that dragon blood finally had somewhere to go.

So Levi used Wizard's Hand to transport the dragon blood stored outside into the cavern. He removed the original iron barrels and transferred all the blood into the Fire Crystal Barrels instead.

These fire crystals had coexisted alongside the dragon for thousands of years. They had long since been infused with the dragon's aura, making their quality exceptionally high. Enduring dragon blood was no problem for them.

Only then did Levi finally relax before continuing to sweep his gaze across the dragon's nest.

Very quickly, Levi's attention was drawn to an enormous resting platform in the center of the cavern. It had been carved from a single massive piece of pitch-black obsidian. Its surface was smooth as a mirror and radiated intense magical fluctuations.

When dragonfire-heated lava cools rapidly, it forms obsidian.

This gigantic piece of obsidian had formed exactly that way.

And over the countless years that followed, the dragon had imbued it with additional properties, turning it into an extremely high-quality magical material.

"Yep. Taking this too."

Levi had no intention of leaving it behind.

The only problem was that the thing was simply too massive.

Just think about how enormous the Seven-Headed Dragon was. Its resting platform naturally matched its size.

Levi suddenly found himself trapped in a blissful dilemma.

'If only I had a spatial storage item... or some kind of dimensional spell,' he thought helplessly.

That way, he could pack everything up and carry it all away in one trip instead of having to make countless journeys back and forth to Coldwind Keep.

Levi let out a sigh before continuing his search through the dragon's lair for anything useful.

"Hm? What's this? Dragon Moss born from the dragon's breathing and magical power? It survives by feeding on sulfur and magic contained within dragon breath? Yeah, I'm taking this too."

"And this? Molted dragon scales left behind after shedding? They actually got buried in the corner. The dragon must've casually pushed them aside while leaving the cavern. No wonder I didn't notice them immediately."

The mountain-sized pile of dragon hide and scales was naturally priceless.

Even though their quality couldn't compare to the newly grown scales of the Seven-Headed Dragon—the tougher ones Levi had just collected earlier—the sheer quantity alone made them extraordinarily valuable.

They were perfect materials for crafting alchemical equipment.

Dragonhide Armor?

Dragonscale Armor?

Dragonfire Guns?

Countless ideas flashed through Levi's mind before he forcibly suppressed them.

He steadied himself and continued looting treasures throughout the dragon's nest.

"Hm? The sulfur on these walls seems a little unusual..."

After examining it more carefully, Levi discovered that it was actually condensed dragon saliva secreted over thousands of years.

"This stuff can be used to make extremely powerful flame potions. Or it can serve as gunpowder for Dragonfire Guns and greatly increase their power."

"Mhm. Don't be polite. Take it all. Leaving it behind would only bring disaster. Better that it harms me alone."

With the great compassion of someone embodying the spirit of 'If I do not descend into hell, who will?', Levi used Gathering Technique to collect every last Sulfur Dragon Saliva Pearl in the entire dragon nest without leaving behind a single one.

He simply couldn't bear to watch future adventurers slaughter one another over something like this.

That would be too cruel.

"Hm? This plant can move... and it even grew teeth... Another mutation caused by exposure to the dragon's magical aura."

Levi waved his hand and collected it as well.

This thing was far too dangerous. It posed a threat to adventurers and absolutely couldn't be left behind.

"And this..."

Levi stopped in front of a dried mud wall, a puzzled look appearing on his face.

He activated Detection and looked toward the mud wall.

His expression instantly changed.

"This is dragon shit... Taking it too..."

"This stuff is top-grade fertilizer. Mixed with fermented human waste and spread across farmland, it can massively increase crop yields while also granting a slight special effect..."

"Of course, it can also be used to formulate certain magical fertilizers for cultivating magical plants..."

All of that information came directly from Detection.

As disgusting as it sounded, the stuff was genuinely valuable.

Especially now, when Levi's territory was in the middle of rapid development and its demand for food continued to skyrocket.

At first glance, this month's production of one hundred and fifty thousand pounds of starch sounded impressive.

In reality, it was nowhere near enough.

After all, Levi's goal was to establish a coastal city capable of housing hundreds of thousands of people.

Right now, the population was only twenty thousand, and even then, one hundred and fifty thousand pounds of grain was already starting to feel insufficient.

Once the population grew even larger in the future, the pressure on food supplies would only become more severe.

So this dragon dung was actually incredibly useful.

"Mhm. I'm taking it. Let's see how much there is."

Levi used Detection to examine the mud-wall-like pile of dragon dung.

The total amount was shockingly over ten thousand tons.

Levi involuntarily swallowed.

...Not because he wanted to eat it.

But because he suddenly realized just how long it was going to take to move all this stuff.

Levi let out a bitter smile, temporarily set aside the matter of the mountain of dragon dung, and continued searching the dragon's nest for anything valuable or useful.

By the time night arrived, Levi had already transported most of the valuable items back to the castle in Coldwind Keep.

Only some of the fire crystals and the ten-thousand-ton mountain of dragon dung remained unfinished.

But even as a Third-Ring Wizard, Levi was already exhausted to the point of collapse.

He simply didn't want to work anymore.

Standing beside the castle's stone window, he looked toward the distant direction of the Mist Swamp and thought that the remaining materials could just be hauled back later by soldiers entering the swamp.

Only then did he suddenly notice that the mist hanging above the Mist Swamp was gradually thinning. Visibility was becoming clearer and clearer.

It seemed that once the Seven-Headed Dragon had left, the mist had departed along with it.

Which meant the Mist Swamp no longer had any mist.

In the past, the Mist Swamp had always been regarded as an impassable natural barrier. The main reason it remained filled with magical creatures and kobolds was precisely because of this layer of mist.

Because of it, neither the Kingdom of Amtyr nor the Duchy of Silverbrook had ever been able to develop the swamp.

But now the mist was dispersing.

That meant developing the swamp had finally become feasible.

At the very least, reclaiming land around the lake for farmland should no longer be a problem.

Several nations all claimed sovereignty over the Mist Swamp, but in reality, they were all just talking.

Levi, however, had the advantage of proximity.

He could begin developing the now mistless Mist Swamp before anyone else.

If nothing else, expanding his territory and increasing the amount of farmland would bring enormous benefits to Hornreach.

The entire swamp covered thousands upon thousands of square kilometers. Even if he could only swallow a small portion of it, the gains would still be astonishing.

Levi was deeply tempted.

And once Levi made up his mind, he acted immediately.

He summoned several of the territory's core personnel once again.

The first thing he asked was about the condition of the territory. He looked toward Yalina and Rune.

"How are the civilians and soldiers doing? Nobody got scared out of their wits, right?"

"They're fine for now," Yalina replied. "But everyone's talking about the dragon and the angel. Nobody really has the heart to work."

Levi nodded in understanding.

That reaction was perfectly normal.

But then Yalina added another sentence.

"A lot of the civilians believe the angel saved them. They want to build a church in the territory and invite priests to preside over it..."

"That's not happening."

Levi rejected the idea without the slightest hesitation.

Neither Yalina nor the others found his response surprising.

After all, Levi was a wizard, and everyone present had ties to wizards in one way or another.

If the Church discovered that, they'd probably all end up dragged before the Inquisition.

Building a church simply didn't align with their interests at all.

So Yalina immediately said, "Understood. I know what to do."

At that moment, Rune also spoke up.

"The soldiers are doing much better. They've all undergone strict military training, so they're still carrying out guard duty and patrols normally. Of course, a little discussion here and there is unavoidable."

"Oh, right. There's another matter too. Those kobolds have withdrawn again. They seem to have retreated back into the depths of the swamp."

"That means the pressure on our defenses has dropped significantly."

Levi had already known about this situation long ago while searching for treasure deep within the swamp.

Before leaving, he had even used Gathering Technique, Wizard's Hand, and Synthesis to completely seal off the dragon's nest, forming a perfectly natural yet incomparably sturdy stone wall.

The entire purpose was to prevent the returning kobolds from entering the dragon's lair and taking his stuff.

That's right.

Levi now considered everything inside the dragon's nest to belong to him.

And no one was going to object.

As for kobolds?

Nobody gave a damn about kobold opinions.

Least of all Levi.

After hearing Rune's report, Levi nodded.

"That works perfectly."

"If the kobolds have retreated into the depths of the swamp, then the outer regions are now safe. The clay excavation teams can resume work, and the efficiency of brick production needs to increase as well."

"And at the same time..." Levi paused briefly before continuing, "the mist in the Mist Swamp is dispersing. We can also begin developing the swamp little by little and expand the size of our new city."

"Develop the swamp?"

The moment Yalina heard that, a troubled expression immediately appeared on her face.

Levi noticed it at once.

"There's no need to think of it as something impossibly difficult," he said calmly. "We can start by constructing polders and slowly swallow this swamp piece by piece."

"Polders?"

Yalina, Rune, and Miss Odelle all looked curious.

"What's that?"

"A polder is a unique type of farmland created by building embankments to block water and reclaim land."

"The core principle behind it is: 'Enclose the farmland within, and control the water without.'"

"We build sturdy dikes around low-lying regions such as swamps and tidal flats, separating the farmland from the surrounding water. Then we install sluice gates to regulate everything. Those gates are the 'heart' of the entire system."

"During droughts, the gates are opened to channel external water into the enclosed fields and irrigate the crops."

"During floods, the gates are closed to block outside floodwaters, while an internal canal system drains excess water from within the polder."

"Inside the polder itself, crisscrossing canals are dug and connected to the sluice gates, forming a complete irrigation and drainage network."

"And after that, we'll be able to grow wheat, oats, and all sorts of other crops inside them!"

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I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> /TitoVillar

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