CH58: Changes in the {Fool’s Sanctuary}
***
CH58: Changes in the {Fool's Sanctuary}
Before Navia arrived at the Guild, I woke up to some notifications that gladdened the day for me.
**
[Notice: Sacrificed Energy Environment has made significant changes to {Fool's Sanctuary} without improving its Tier.]
[Notice: Due to being born from a higher Energy form, {Fool's Sanctuary}'s Guardian budding Energy Soul, the Great Tree, has absorbed the immature Energy Soul of sacrificed Energy Environment.]
[Notice: Great Tree has grown to become a Grand Tree.]
[Notice: Ambient Astra Energy of {Fool's Sanctuary} has increased significantly.]
[Notice: Statistics of {Fool's Sanctuary} has improved.]
[Notice: Please visit Control Room for summary.]
*
[Notice: Growth of Great Tree to Grand Tree and improvement of Ambient Astra has increased the potential of unknown creature.]
[Notice: Evolution of unknown creature is complete. Egg is now ready for Hatching.]
[Notice: Host's blood is required for hatching.]
*
[Notice: {Instrument of Destruction} has completed its upgrade and is ready to be awoken from its slumber.]
[Notice: Host's blood is required to awaken {Instrument of Destruction} from its slumber.]
*
[Notice: Host's attention is required in the {Fool's Sanctuary}.]
**
I excitedly summoned Gandr.
The Serpent rose out of my shadow.
'Open Private Realm'
It opened the entrance to the private realm and I found myself in the study/control room of the cottage in the sealed space.
I quickly sat down on the study's main seat.
*
[Notice: Does Host want to open {Territory Information}?]
[Yes/No]
I clicked on yes.
*
{Private Realm}
[The Fool's Sanctuary.]
-Bio-
Tier: Tier II (Basic Territory)
Territory Type: Farmland.
Territory Size: 30 Acres ➡️ 50 Acres
Farm Size: 27 acres ➡️ 45 Acres
Land for other use: 3 Acres ➡️ 5 Acres
-Census-
Territory Inhabitants: Forest Elves.
Territory Profession: Farm hands.
Population: 1 Forest Elf Elder and 100 Forest Elves
Spawn Rate 1: 5 Forest Elves every 1 month. ➡️ 10 Forest Elves every 1 month.
Spawn Rate 2: 1 Forest Elf Elder every 50 Forest Elves (⬇️ from 100).
Spawn Rate 3: 1 Forest Elf Chieftain for every 20 Forest Chieftain Elder (New)
Spawn Rate 4: 1 Forest Elf Priestess for every 10 Forest Elf Chieftain (New)
-Advantages.-
-Influence of Great Tree: x10 ➡️ x20 growth rate of all herbs planted on territory.
-Soil Fertility: Reduces the growth time of herbs planted in soil by 25% (⬆️ from 20%)
-Ambient Astra Environment: Energy content of herbs increases by 75% (⬆️ from 50%)
-Nature Elves Skills: Yield and Vigour of harvest increases by 75% (⬆️from 50% )
-Nature Elves Elder Skills: Fruit Wine Production (New)
-Nature Elves Chieftain Skills: Medicine Concoction (New)
-Nature Elves Priestess Skill: Blessings (New)
**
The changes in the Territory stats were very much welcomed as it meant the {Fool's Sanctuary} was becoming more suited for the purpose I wanted to use it for.
I moved around the cottage and checked if there was anything new but I didn't find any.
I walked out of the house to meet the Elves who were now citizens of my Territory.
-
I stepped out to one hundred and one pair of beautiful eyes staring at me. All the Forest Elves half-knelt before me.
A few things that caught my eyes were that the Elves came in all shapes and sizes. Their skin, eyes and hair colour were all different. Their dressing was all over the place as well, but they did maintain a more modest and conservative theme.
If it wasn't for their characteristic Elven long ears, they were no different from humans.
They only shared two things in common.
One was that they were all beautiful women. Every man would surely find his choice amongst the women here, except he has... strong tastes.
The other is that they weren't taller than 165cm.
'So, there are dark-skinned Forest Elves. I wonder if Dark Elves exists. If they do, what makes an Elf, a Dark Elf.' I mused.
"We, the forest Elves, greet the Great One." The leading Elf said.
She looked different from the rest of the Elves.
The hundred elves behind her were all beautiful ladies in their late teens to twenties at most. On the other hand, she looked a little older. She was a beautiful mature woman in her early thirties.
I guessed she was the sole Forest Elf Elder in my Territory and the de facto leader of these beautiful elves.
"What is your name?"
"I am Elvanna Killetylar, Great One."
"I take it you're the Elder of this tribe."
"Yes, Great One." Elvanna replied. "This tribe is grateful to have the support of the Grand Tree. From today onwards, this tribe will work for you to repay you for watching over the Grand Tree. And it will be my duty to make sure your will is done."
I nodded.
"Okay. You should all get up. You don't need to kneel before me from now on. Just greeting is enough."
"We can't do that, Great One. That is-"
"You said you'll follow my wishes, right? I dislike formality, so dispense with it. Call me, Sire, from now on."
"As you wish, Sire."
The Elves rose back to their feet.
"You can all go back to what you were doing before." I said. "Elvanna, walk with me. Some changes have occurred recently. Tell me about them."
Elvanna was essentially the manager of my farmlands so she was the only one I was interested in knowing her name for now.
I decided it would be best for me not to interfere too much in the lives of the elves. They were too dangerously beautiful. The last thing I need was to fall to the temptation of beauty and flesh. I already had enough mess to deal with.
Starting something with the Elves now was even more dangerous because they were in another dimension and it was impossible for Navia to find out about them if I don't mention it. I'll fully indulge myself knowing I can't get caught.
-
Elvanna gave me a tour of the territory.
The Elves had built a large, dormitory-like, three-storey building to house all of them together. The building was built from wood and it showcase their tasteful architecture as well as skill in carpentry and woodwork.
The building was also built in a way that it could easily be increased when new members of the tribe arrive.
I guess the Forest Elves value communal living since they went through the effort of doing this.
I turned down the offer to see the interior and we moved on to other places in the territory.
The territory had a lake which provided it water. The water body was like an oasis as more water replaced whatever was used from underground, thereby keeping the water level constant.
Then, we moved to the farmland itself.
45 Acres sounded large, but I know it was on the small size for a commercial farm in my previous life. However, I felt it should be sufficient for my needs at the moment.
"There isn't much to do now, so I want you to divide the land into farm plots. There should be two and half farm plots on each acre. And then, as population increases, I want at least two Elves working permanently on one plot."
"As you wish, sire."
Usually, you'd have four humans working on one plot, but since they were elves and we had a population constraint, I decided to have two elves per plot. It would take some time before we can achieve that though.
Even now, we won't have enough hands if we had one elf working on a plot.
[A.N: Total Plot will be 112 plots while there are only 101 Elves.]
Moving away from the farm, we moved to the centre of the territory where the Grand Tree stood gallantly.
I felt a stronger consciousness from the tree than before.
I could feel it welcoming me and beckoning on me to enter.
The Grand Tree's height didn't change from before, however, it was now wider... much wider. I suspect it was wider than the floor space of my cottage.
"The Grand Tree asks for you to enter." Elvanna said.
"You can understand it?" I asked just to confirm.
"Yes. We, Nature Elves, can understand the language of Living Trees like the Grand Tree."
"I see."
That was good. It meant I didn't have to stress my brain trying to understand the vague signals it was sending me.
The tree had a large cavity, which we entered. It was like walking into a corridor as it had a doorless room on both sides.
"This is the Energy Conversion Room." Elvanna gestured to the room on the left. "Any condensed energy you put here will be converted to Astra Energy. Beast Cores, Energy Stones, even corpses will be converted to Astra energy by the Grand Tree."
The room was barely as long as my wingspan. It was an empty room except for its floor which was black, marshland soil.
I got the vague feeling that anything put on the soil would decompose rapidly.
Elvanna pointed to the room on the right.
This room was half the size of the previous room, however, its ceiling was twice as high. The inner wall was divided into four layers. There was a woody offshoot from each layer which formed into a bowl shape. The size of the bowl decreased as you went up the layers.
There was a ladder like indentation to the side to access each layer.
"This is the Astra Stone Room. This is where the Grand Tree converts excess ambient energy into Astra Stones. Currently, the Grand Tree can produce 10 low-grade Astra Stones per month, 1 mid-grade Stone every three months, 1 High-grade Stone every half year and 1 top-grade stone every year. The production rate will increase if Sire can provide energy sources to the Conversion Room."
I was stunned.
What was the demerit of the {Fool's Sanctuary} that I complained about. Was it not that it consumed Mana Veins, making me lack key Mana Stones?
And now, the Grand Tree can produce not Mana Stones, but Astra Stones.
Astra Energy was a higher grade energy than Mana.
From the test I've done, it was more efficient than Mana. In that case, I expect Astra Stones to work better than Mana stones.
I was over the moon now that I knew that the Grand Tree could provide me with a constant supply of Astra Stones. I didn't mind the waiting period at all as they were worth the wait.
One year for a Top-grade Stone? That was nothing. I'd wait five... ten years for such a stone if I had to.
The Energy contained in one Top-grade stone could power every mundane activity in Landrose City for a month.
That's the entire capital city of Bayveth Republic... a city with millions of people living in it.
How much energy could I use? I didn't know how long it would take me to consume a Top-grade stone with my current activities.
As if the good news wasn't enough, Elvanna added,
"Currently, the Grand Tree has prepared 1 top-grade stone, 10 high-grade stones, 50 mid-grade stones and 100 low-grade stones for you, Sire."
I had the urge to laugh out loud like a madman but I barely managed to hold it in.
Elvanna didn't show much emotions when she mentioned those numbers so it was possible they were nothing to her. I couldn't lose face by showing too much joy.
I managed to nod calmly.
"Hmmm... I'll see to them when I have use for them. Let's leave them here for now and move on."
"As you wish, Sire."
We moved a few steps to the end of the 'corridor'.
Here, the wall was shaped into a wide seat with a small hand rest.
To the side, I saw the Beast Egg Zora gave me wrapped in green vines.
The surface of the egg shell was now completely purple in the shade of Astra Energy. It had some red and gold markings on it which I couldn't understand.
Beside the egg was a sleeping wolf cub. Its snow white fur was as lustrous as ever.
I walked up to the sleeping wolf and took out a small pocket knife from my... pocket. I cut my thumb and carefully made sure the blood dripped into the cub's mouth.
Soon, blood-red lines travelled from the side of its jaw to its eyes. Then, suddenly, its hairs rose stiff as the wolf cub woke up and jumped to its feet.
It took a moment to take stock of its surrounding before it finally noticed me.
Its tail wagged as it rubbed its head against my hand.
**
[Notice: Contract between Host and incarnation, {Instrument of Destruction}, is set.]
[Notice: Host is required to name the incarnation to seal the contract.]
**
"A name, huh..."
As if understanding me, the wolf cub stopped what it was doing and sat while looking at me expectantly. It was waiting for me to name it.
Since my poor naming sense was well documented, I decided to use a tried and tested method.
"I'll call you, Fen, from now on."
Like Gandr, I named the wolf cub from the name of the Patron Spirit it was related to. 'Fen' from 'Fenrir'.
I'm not sure it's a good name for a wolf, but its the best I've got.
The wolf cub also seemed to like it as it presented its head again for a head rub.
I'm glad it didn't try to lick me though. I didn't want canine saliva on me.
**
[Notice: Contract between Host and [Instrument of Destruction], now named Fen, is sealed.]
*
[Fen]
Type: Incarnation-type Blessing.
Remark: An incarnation shouldering the wishes of Lord Fenrir. The Wolf of Destruction has created this incarnation for the Host to act as your companion through your journey in this life as well as the instrument to rid you of the enemies on your path to the Apex.
Blessing 1: Duplicity granting Fen the ability to grow into various forms and sizes.
Blessing 2: Lord Fenrir has used the sparks of Hati and Skoll to grant the host the ability to summon any weapon of your choosing.
[Notice: Lord Fenrir wishes the Host to find out about Fen's abilities yourself. As such, the interface will not give a comprehensive breakdown.]
**
I nodded to myself.
The little restriction Fenrir imposed wasn't much in the grand scheme of things. After all, even the listed abilities of Gandr weren't complete. I was still finding out new things about the serpent.
My focus turned to the unknown beast egg which I had left for last.
I wanted to do something with the egg. Something which would unlock all my blessings once and for all.
(To be continued...)
AUTHOR'S NOTE
We're close to the end of the first volume. Almost everything I wanted to get over with has been revealed. We'll focus on more assassinations from now on.
Please, take out a contract for more chapters by voting with those power stones. Also, as satisfied clients, I hope you can leave a review to improve my rating so that we can have more clients.
Hope to see you in the next chapter, stay safe.