Orchard in the oasis

As the night gave way to day, the sun rose high in the sky, and the temperature of the desert began to climb rapidly. Within a short span, the heat had already become quite oppressive. After a simple breakfast, Haotian opened the "Lord's Quests" panel to check his progress.

The second side quest had been completed. During their night watch, the royal knights had killed a number of sandworms prowling near the oasis. Not only had they met the required kill count for the quest, but they also brought back several gold coins.

Moreover, Haotian had successfully received his quest reward.

[Magical Red Dragon Fruit Seeds]

[Item Information: Plant these in any blank area of your territory to cultivate a small orchard of red dragon fruits.]

A new side quest had also appeared.

[Side Quest II]

[Quest Information: Residences are essential buildings for any territory. They provide a good living environment for your subjects and increase the prosperity of your land.]

[Quest Requirement: Construct at least three residences.]

[Quest Reward: 100 gold coins, one bottle of rapid plant growth potion.]

Seeing this new task, Haotian immediately summoned the royal knights and assigned them the task of cutting down the poplar-like trees in the "forest." He also instructed them to fell any other trees within the oasis that weren't particularly useful. Wood was needed to construct residences and upgrade the village hall.

In the desert, wood was a scarce resource. If any trading caravans passed through the Golden Oasis, Haotian resolved to ensure wood was a key trade item.

"Young master!" Horden approached with a spring in his step, despite spending the night outside. The old mage looked revitalized.

"Last night, the royal knights and I killed several sandworms, and I felt a surge of energy during the battle, just as you said. After all these years, the barrier preventing me from advancing past level seven has finally loosened. Praise the eternal gods!"

This time, Horden didn't just praise the Goddess of Magic, acknowledging that it was Haotian, the gods' emissary, who had given him this power.

"It seems you're not far from reaching level eight," Haotian said with a smile.

"Indeed, young master. I feel I will break through very soon!" Horden said excitedly.

Haotian was pleased. As Horden's strength grew, he could tackle more significant challenges and hunt higher-level beasts, increasing Haotian's benefits as a lord.

In no time, Horden had left the oasis again, eager to continue hunting sandworms. Haotian, meanwhile, walked to an open area near the Royal Knight Training Ground, carrying a small gray cloth bag.

"What are you doing, young master?" Sally, the maid, asked curiously as she followed him.

"I'm planting fruit trees," Haotian replied.

"Really?" The petite maid was astonished. She watched as Haotian took a handful of tiny red seeds from the bag and scattered them over the empty patch of grass.

Normally, growing fruit trees on such a patch seemed impossible. The soil beneath still suffered from desertification and wasn't fertile enough. The date palms in the oasis had survived countless growth cycles to endure. Expecting a handful of seeds to sprout into fruit-bearing trees seemed highly unlikely.

Yet, to Sally's amazement, the seeds took root as soon as they touched the ground, sprouting and growing visibly. Within minutes, a hundred mature red dragon fruit trees stood before them, laden with fragrant fruit.

"This… this is a miracle!" Sally exclaimed.

"It certainly is," Haotian agreed, marveling at the power of the lord system.

The orchard's information appeared before him.

[A Small Orchard]

[Fruit Tree Type: Red Dragon Fruit]

[Quantity: 100]

[Growth State: Mature, ready for harvest]

[Growth Cycle: Half a month]

[Special Note 1: Mature fruits must be harvested within two days, or they will spoil. The orchard can be relocated, but the trees cannot be used as timber.]

[Special Note 2: Fruits can be stored in the territory's warehouse for long-term preservation.]

[Red Dragon Fruit] [A low-grade magical fruit.]

[Effects: Quenches thirst, satisfies hunger, provides nutrients and energy equivalent to one hundred times that of beef. Long-term consumption slightly enhances the physique of professionals.]

Haotian picked two fruits, handed one to Sally, and took a bite of the other. It was sweet with a unique fragrance. As a rare magical fruit, even a low-grade red dragon fruit could fetch a high price in Stanlo Kingdom.

"Half a month until the next harvest!" Haotian said, addressing Sally. "For now, let's harvest all these red dragon fruits."

Harvesting a day earlier meant the trees would enter their growth cycle sooner. Haotian wasn't worried about the fruits spoiling without a warehouse; his territory's food supply was low, and he recruited new royal knights daily, increasing the food demand. Moreover, the magical nature of the red dragon fruits meant they had a longer shelf life than ordinary fruits. If there were leftovers, he could store them in his space pouch, which kept items fresh.

The space pouch, a gift from the countess, had limited capacity but could hold a couple thousand pounds of red dragon fruits.

Haotian and Sally spent the morning harvesting the fruit. By noon, they had gathered about six thousand pounds, enough to feed the territory for a while.

Meanwhile, the royal knights completed their task of cutting down the poplar trees and amassed over six hundred units of wood in the training ground. Combined with Haotian's gold reserves, this was enough to upgrade the village hall.

However, upgrading the hall wouldn't provide any rewards and would consume resources needed for building residences and upgrading the Royal Knight Training Ground. Haotian had held off recruiting new knights today, aiming to save enough gold to upgrade and then recruit a larger batch.

"First, we'll build three residences," Haotian decided. "Let's complete this task and claim the rewards!"