Fairy Tale Survival with Ability Copying

"However, there is indeed one problem I still haven't been able to solve," Levi said to everyone.

Everyone was surprised. There was actually a problem even Levi couldn't solve?

They all looked at him.

In a calm tone, Levi said, "I can bring in soil, turn the land into fertile fields, and obtain seeds. But I don't have any trustworthy people to do the planting."

"It wouldn't be appropriate for me to recruit workers from the territory, because once they come up to this Cloud Territory, they can never go back down."

"Otherwise, the secret would be exposed."

"The scenery here is beautiful, but after staying here long enough, anyone would get tired of it."

What worried Levi even more was attracting the Church's attention.

"Then I can stay here and farm," Little Red Riding Hood said after a moment of hesitation.

She always felt that she was the least useful member of Levi's little team, so she often felt uneasy and wanted to prove her value.

Levi glanced at her and immediately saw through her thoughts. Shaking his head, he said, "You wouldn't be able to handle it alone."

"Then how about bringing those prisoners up here and never letting them leave again?" Miss Nightingale Odelle suggested.

So you're treating my Cloud Territory like some kind of penal colony?

Levi considered it for a moment, then shook his head again.

Everyone fell back into deep thought.

In truth, Levi still had one last option: using Synthesis to create a batch of special lifeforms.

But the cost to him would be considerable.

Levi felt it simply wasn't worth it.

If possible, he would rather find a group of people in this fairy tale world who were genuinely skilled at farming.

A vague idea lingered in the back of his mind, but he just couldn't grasp that flash of inspiration.

After thinking for a long time without success, he temporarily gave up and said to everyone, "Keep thinking about it. If any of you come up with an idea, let me know."

He was preparing to bring everyone back down to the ground.

At that moment, Rapunzel spoke.

"Lord Levi, I think training doctors has become a necessity."

"Your territory keeps expanding, your subjects keep increasing, and your reputation is known across the entire continent. Yet your territory doesn't even have a single doctor. I alone can't possibly meet everyone's needs," Rapunzel said.

Only then did Levi notice that her eyes were red and bloodshot, looking as though she was on the verge of going blind.

That was when he finally realized he might have been working her a little too hard.

Levi gave an embarrassed smile and raised his hand, casting a Third-Ring Healing spell on Rapunzel.

Instantly, all her accumulated ailments vanished, and her eyes returned to normal.

But there were some things that Healing could not restore.

Rapunzel shook her head.

"Lord Levi—"

Levi nodded slightly.

"I know. I've already commissioned two merchant guilds to help me find doctors, and I plan to establish a professional medical clinic within the territory to train professional physicians."

"Rapunzel, if you have any useful formulas or medical knowledge, you can write them down and teach them to apprentices who wish to become doctors."

"I won't make you work for free."

"Among wizards, equivalent exchange is an important principle."

As he spoke, Levi used Synthesis to create a catalog, which floated into Rapunzel's hands.

"It contains all the apprentice-level spells to Third-Ring spells that I currently possess, along with various magical materials and magical creatures I can offer in exchange—including things like Cloud Spirits."

"If there's anything you want, we can trade according to the principle of equivalent value," Levi said.

Rapunzel's eyes lit up at first, but hesitation soon appeared on her face.

"All of this knowledge was taught to me by my godmother. I need to hear her opinion first."

"I understand." Levi nodded.

He didn't intend to pressure her. As long as Rapunzel was willing to stay in the territory and continue serving as a doctor, that was enough.

Yalina watched the scene with envy.

She had always longed to become a wizard.

But she lacked the talent for it, and the realization caused her gaze to dim.

...

Levi sent everyone back to the ground.

After all, his territory could survive without its lord for a while, but it certainly couldn't function without these workhorses.

Workhorses belonged wherever they could shine and contribute the most.

As for Levi, he remained in the Cloud Territory, watching groups of Cloud Spirits busily ferry soil up from the ground like diligent bees and spread it across the designated farmland.

Yet he still had no idea how to solve the manpower problem.

Fortunately, he had Detection.

When in doubt, investigate.

A blue glow flickered in Levi's eyes as his Magic Power rapidly drained away. One piece of intelligence after another appeared before him:

[Intelligence No. 1: Following the Pope's holy decree, Archbishop Cologne of the Bayeux Ecclesiastical Province will take his seat on the Silverclaw Peninsula three months from now. The relevant personnel are already on their way. Archbishop Cologne's ultimate objective is to verify your identity. If it is confirmed that you are a wizard—or that you are colluding with wizards—he will initiate a Holy Judgment without hesitation!]

[Intelligence No. 2: Your Origin Energy can conceal your Sea of Souls. Anyone below the Pope is incapable of seeing through your true nature. However, your companions have nowhere to hide under the gaze of an Archbishop.]

[Intelligence No. 3: Creatures in the sea are watching you. Their level of interest in you has increased, and they seem to be hiding an unspeakable secret.]

[Intelligence No. 4: The Magic Mirror Queen has learned of your strength as a Third-Ring Wizard. Mistakenly believing that an even more powerful existence stands behind you, she has fallen into a state of fear and no longer dares to send people after you.]

[Intelligence No. 5: The potion witch of the Rapunzel Garden has revived Snow White and is preparing to return to her tower.]

...

None of the five pieces of intelligence contained the information Levi wanted most.

Even so, they were all important to him.

Especially the first one.

He had always worried about attracting the Church's attention. Ever since his battle with a High Inquisitor of the Church Tribunal, Levi had remained wary of the Church's strength.

It was no wonder that the Queen possessed something as absurdly powerful as the Magic Mirror yet still dared not openly reveal her identity as a witch.

The Church was simply too terrifying.

And now, as expected, he had finally attracted its attention.

Thinking back on everything he had done in Hornreach, he had indeed been rather conspicuous.

After all, the Church was sending an Archbishop.

But just how powerful was an Archbishop?

Levi had no idea.

Fortunately, he had his cheat.

With Origin Energy concealing him, that Archbishop would be unable to see through him.

As long as his identity as a wizard remained undiscovered, the Archbishop would not take action.

Which meant Levi would not have to flee.

And if things really went wrong, he could simply leave and disappear far away. With Detection, he could discover danger the moment it appeared.

But Rapunzel, Miss Nightingale Odelle, Little Red Riding Hood, and the others—witches, future witches, and a half-werewolf—would have to be hidden away.

Coincidentally, Levi had just created the Cloud Territory, giving them a place to stay without forcing them into exile.

After a moment's thought, he let out a bitter laugh.

"Well, that settles it. We can just move them all up to the Cloud Territory and have them farm. No need to rack our brains looking for farmers anymore."

Naturally, Levi was only joking at his own expense.

Not only would he never actually make them do such work, but even if he did, three people could never manage over four hundred acres of farmland.

The issue of finding farmers still needed to be properly resolved.

As for Rapunzel and the others, staying in the Cloud Territory would give them a chance to rest, train, and improve their strength.

Only by becoming stronger could they truly control their own fate.

If Levi possessed the strength of the Seven-Headed Dragon, then who cared about the Church? If he was unhappy, he could simply march to their doorstep and crush them.

But Levi did not possess the strength of the Seven-Headed Dragon.

So when it was time to lie low, he had to lie low.

His attention shifted to the other pieces of intelligence.

The third one.

Creatures in the sea?

This was not the first time Levi had seen such information.

Several months ago, when he had sent Sky Knight Rune out to sea to hunt whales, a similar piece of intelligence had appeared.

At the time, however, Levi had not paid much attention to it.

Later, it appeared again and again.

And now, today's intelligence indicated that the creatures beneath the sea had become even more interested in him.

That made Levi frown.

Creatures in the sea?

Mermaids?

The first thing that came to mind was The Little Mermaid.

Mermaids existed in that fairy tale, and according to its descriptions, they had even established a kingdom beneath the sea similar to those of humans, which implied a highly intelligent civilization.

Besides mermaids, what else could there be?

Several fairy tales flashed through Levi's mind.

Quite a few involved creatures of the sea.

One was the flounder capable of turning a fisherman and his wife into a king and even a pope.

Of course, Levi was skeptical of the flounder's strength.

If it were truly that powerful, how could an old fisherman have managed to catch it in the first place?

Another tale also involved a fish.

It allowed itself to be eaten, after which two golden children were born.

Those two golden children were no ordinary figures, but that was another matter entirely and not relevant here.

There was also a rather unusual fairy tale about a bottle that had sealed away a monster and was eventually thrown back into the sea by a fisherman.

"Is it them, or...?" Levi frowned deeply.

After thinking about it for a long time without reaching any conclusions, he could only set the matter aside for now.

Then there was the fourth piece of intelligence.

The moment he read it, Levi was briefly stunned.

Seriously?

The Magic Mirror Queen was that cowardly?

He found it rather amusing.

This Queen wasn't even as bold as the witch who turned the prince into a frog.

Nor was she as daring as Margaret from the Candy House.

Although the Magic Mirror Queen was still stronger than Levi at present, after seeing this intelligence, he no longer felt the same apprehension toward her as before.

His gaze moved to the final piece of intelligence.

The potion witch had revived Snow White.

That meant the Magic Mirror Queen's attention would soon shift away from him once more.

That was good news.

However, the potion witch was returning to the tower in the Rapunzel garden.

What about Rapunzel?

Should he send her back as well?

Levi pondered for a moment and ultimately decided to respect her wishes.

Returning to the ground, he found Rapunzel, who was busy treating the sick and wounded, and informed her of the situation.

A complicated look appeared in her eyes.

After hesitating for a long time, she ultimately decided to return to that tower where she had no freedom.

"I'm sorry, Lord Levi."