Chapter Twelve: Purification

The 30 magic-burning kilns were still in operation, and the workers at Outposts 1 and 2 continued to work hard. However, Neo, along with Star 745, had already begun to distance themselves from it all. The remaining tasks fell to Spencer and the Temple Administrator, as those were part of their profits—things like the transfer or utilization of the magic-burning kilns, hiring skilled workers—all of which brought in money. Moreover, merchants were waiting for the second batch of Black Nails to be produced.

Eleven vehicles came when they left, but 20 returned. That didn’t include the 50 sets of Black Nail kits, which were transported by a separate convoy. Each of those shiny, obsidian-like, hard pyramids weighed over a hundred pounds. With 300 of them plus 50 shock plates, such a large quantity couldn’t be carried by Star 745’s small convoy.

After deducting costs and daily expenses, Star 745’s earnings, aside from the 50 sets of equipment, didn’t increase significantly in terms of money. If everything settled, Neo’s personal assets could reach 3 million, meaning a net profit of 1 million. Yet this money was still spread across various places and would take time to be gathered.

The most notable aspects were first, 60 households, roughly 300 people, who voluntarily became subjects of Simon Windrunner, the quasi-knight ruling the Clover Domain. 60 households made up a small village—a foundation for minor nobles to establish themselves. But for Neo, it was just a starting point. Rather than signifying the beginning of a noble’s upward journey, it meant Neo now had a legitimate “front” as the Lord of the Clover Domain—a title derived from the Clover Domain… Such statements turned certain shady, hidden matters into gray areas, playing with people’s intelligence and provoking their nerves.

Second were two documents signed by Bishop Ambentus. One recognized Neo as an autonomous land noble. The term “autonomous” meant his relationship with Bishop Ambentus as lord and vassal was much weaker, mainly reflected in obligations like paying taxes or providing troops. Autonomous land nobles weren’t unique; usually, those like the Chosen Ones of the Sky Temple became such nobles in the later stages, as they were part of the Temple and it wasn’t appropriate for them to be too closely tied to the kingdom. Neo had simply taken many steps ahead, obtaining what Maxim and the others had only begun to consider and implement.

The other document was an agreement allowing Neo to select an area of 20 square kilometers on the land belonging to the Ambentus family in Hylfanis as his domain.

Hilfanis covers a vast area, with its land size roughly estimated at 1.4 million square kilometers. Due to its ancient history, it has retained its old characteristics, with a relatively concentrated population. There are three large towns—Asia, Plavang, and Refuge Valley—seven smaller towns, and over 300 villages with more than a hundred households each. Given such a large area, there isn’t much open space, but Bishop doesn’t mind having a Temple member who seems capable of generating wealth in his territory. After all, the benefits from Nio’s two operations alone are equivalent to a century’s worth of taxes from a wealthy barony, not to mention the positive impact of Nio’s business activities on the region’s industrial chain.

Nio hasn’t decided yet where to establish this territory; it certainly won’t be Four-Leaf Castle, which is merely the base for Star 745. Although it is nominally leased by the lord of Hilfanis to the Celestial Temple, in reality, it will remain in his use unless he commits a serious mistake or dies, similar to long-term leased lands.

Moreover, everyone knows that Spider Jungle, the predecessor of Four-Leaf Castle, is a corrupt land. Despite covering over 7 square kilometers, it’s completely uninhabitable—people there only exist in name. The Aragonians simply shake their heads at the thought of settling there; they would rather stay at the temporary camp outside Refuge Valley Town with their subordinates, waiting for a promising future, than establish their base in such a place.

Another significant gain is magical soil. Hiding information isn’t a new tactic. Not only does Nio think he needs to keep some for his own use, but reporting the actual yield would be a huge problem. Nio is well aware that his rapid progress has drawn attention and jealousy from many. If he were to report the true yield, even if he weren’t attacked, he would surely be seen as a money-making source and controlled, which is definitely not what he wants.

With the clatter of carriages, the group arrived at Four-Leaf Castle smoothly, leaving many warriors somewhat unaccustomed. These days, they, who were responsible for security, had been involved in numerous battles, with no rest even for a single day. Various monsters and demons, perhaps disturbed by the hustle and bustle at the construction site, came looking for an easy target day and night. There were even night attacks by over 20 monstrous creatures. Over the past few days, the warriors had killed more than 150 of them, perfectly fulfilling the purpose of practical combat training.

Four-Leaf Castle looks like a mountain pass, facing south with its long axis running east-west—300 meters long and 150 meters wide. Excluding the walls and facilities, there’s barely enough space for a few people to live. Nio doesn’t intend to let civilians reside here; it’s a military fortress belonging to the Temple’s military units, and a certain level of seriousness is necessary.

However, Nio isn’t unprepared. By the time he returned with his team, Four-Leaf Castle had been improved upon, and new residential areas were also nearly complete. Construction began the day after Star 745 left, on May 11th, and over 70% of it has been finished. In another 4 days, it will be ready for use.

The armed village, covering 100,000 square meters, was built so quickly thanks entirely to the power of money. Stones were purchased, bricks were baked on the spot, timber was brought in, and workers were hired; there were specialized magic artisans for construction, skilled builders, machinery, and strong alien laborers… With enough money, not only could such an armed village be built, but even a large town like Shelter Valley would not be a problem.

Like most armed villages in this region, its main feature was the combination of houses and fortifications. The outer houses were standalone structures with thick foundations, extremely sturdy and tall, two stories high with towers, and crenellations on the upper floors. Internal staircases led directly to the rooftops at regular intervals, turning the entire building into a wall.

The perimeter of the village was fortified in the same way as a small castle’s walls—with ditches, wooden stakes, and a drawbridge near the gates. The gates themselves were not very tall, about four to five meters high, with covered walkways above them that included shooting windows.

The surrounding two-story buildings were sufficient to house 60 families, each with two floors, complete with bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and storage rooms. Although the rooms further inside, closer to the outer walls, had less light, these sturdy stone houses were considered excellent for people who previously lived in shacks, wooden huts, or tents.

Inside the village were various public facilities, all low single-story buildings including grocery stores, inns, public toilets, blacksmith shops, and livestock pens. There was even space reserved for small temporary markets or performance groups.

The most prominent structure in the village was the central administrative building. As per Nio’s instructions, it was a three-story square building with interconnected interiors. In the center of the square was a delicate small garden, with a seven-story bell tower at its core, serving both as a timekeeper and a watchtower.

The most expensive facility was undoubtedly the water well. This region suffered from water scarcity, but fortunately, magic was abundant, and magic wells solved the problem. Connected directly to the water element plane, they were automatically refilled every three hours, ensuring high water quality. However, they constantly consumed energy. Even with accompanying energy supply magic arrays, parts needed to be replaced and regular maintenance was required. Hiring a low-level mage to maintain such a specialized magic facility was somewhat redundant, but lacking one was troublesome. Usually, a magic artisan was hired, which naturally came at a high cost.

The village was located south of Four-Leaf Castle. More than half of its east and west sides were valleys, with a ridge road to the south and the Four-Leaf Castle just under a hundred meters to the north, giving it a high level of security. However, there was no land for farming or hunting, so Nio could only arrange for them to tend to the thriving alfalfa, watering and loosening the soil. Additionally, some people were tasked with maintaining the Black Nail kits, requiring certain expertise, so they needed additional training. Thus, Nio essentially paid to support them, effectively working for this new lord.

The next morning after returning, Nio received the latest update from the Temple: a new stronghold of the dark forces had been located, and the Temple ordered Star 745 to be ready to strike at any time.

He read the notice carefully again and casually placed it in a vertical flat box beside the desk. It was a paper eraser device that, when used with specific paper, could erase writing and completely flatten it—a fascinating little gadget. Since arriving in Shelter Valley Town,Neo had seen many such gadgets. For example, the window he was walking toward now: while people in rural places like Tures were still delighted to have a few pieces of transparent glass in their homes, a mage named Edward invented water-screen glass, using water instead of glass. The water screen could stay still or flow, meaning it had both the transparency of ordinary glass and the privacy of frosted glass. If desired, scents could also be added to freshen the air.

Looking out through the large floor-to-ceiling window, vast fields of alfalfa with fresh green leaves stretched as far as the eye could see—full of vitality. This wasNeo’s room, not inside Four-Leaf Castle, but about 200 meters north of it, along the road leading to Spider Valley. It was a two-story building made of earth and wood, rectangular in shape, with high spans, arches, silver bricks, and black tiles—very fitting for its owner’s style: straightforward yet smooth, clean and simple.

Catherine had witnessed the construction of this house from scratch, but this was her first time inside after it was fully renovated and furnished. In Catherine’s eyes, Simon Windwalker was a man full of mystery. She had researched his background and found that before joining the Sky Temple, his resume was rather unimpressive. The only thing that stood out to her was that he lost his mother in childhood and his father as a teenager. If it weren’t for his colleagues in the temple, those relatives would likely have spent all his assets and compensation long ago. Neighbors said he was a good person, just a bit introverted. Ever since his childhood sweetheart moved to Asia with her family, no one had known him or tried to understand him—until…

Like an eagle that has fallen from a cliff and then taken to the skies. Yes, Catherine thought this description suited Simon Windwalker well. Although his rise seemed that of a nouveau riche and he appeared inexperienced, upon closer observation, one could see his domineering aura.

He was a true businessman!

In Frey, such words were a compliment, usually used to praise or occasionally to affirm. In Catherine’s eyes, Simon belonged to the latter category. Merely amassing so much wealth in less than two months without getting into any major trouble deserved such an evaluation. Catherine had calculated that the wealth he distributed was nearly three times, or even more, than what he owned himself. She wasn’t surprised by Simon’s generosity—there were many examples of people spending lavishly in Frey. What surprised her was his skillful tactics; he didn’t resemble a rookie from a single-parent professional family at all, but rather a young master from a wealthy family with a strong heritage.

Yet the house before her dispelled Catherine’s assumptions. Simple, even crude, Neio’s dwelling lacked any elegance in its details; it resembled a combination of a greenhouse and a residence. Most of the wooden items in the room were left in their raw state—unpainted and without even nails or other metal fasteners. The only decorations were plants—potted, planted in grooves, or grown in nutrient trays—all thriving exceptionally well, as if they were part of the vegetation found at the edge of a forest during early summer rains.

Catherine had previously learned through inquiries that Simon’s secondary profession was potion-making and runes, but it was only by coming here today that she realized this young man must be quite skilled in potion-making, at least in terms of cultivating plants. After all, to maintain such lush vegetation without compromising the comfort of the room—such as preventing excessive dampness or strong plant odors—was something she had only seen in the home of a master apothecary before.

“Miss Müller, Boyer asks you to come upstairs,” said the girl, about fourteen or fifteen years old. Despite youth bestowing its full charm on her, she lacked the beauty commonly recognized in this world—her skin was a bit darker, her hair a bit dry, her eyes a bit narrow, her lips a bit thick, and her overall appearance carried a more earthy vibe than youth itself. As soon as the girl spoke, Catherine knew her background—she was from the fringes; only those from the fringes would use a term like “Boyer,” which sounded lazy. Terms like “sir,” “my lord,” “master,” or “lord” were all forms of respect.

Smiling kindly at the girl, Catherine quickly checked herself from head to toe, then used as graceful an motion as possible to climb the stairs with the handrail’s help. She wasn’t wearing armor today but a long dress. Though the corset and the dragon straps on her back—semi-rigid straps used to keep her spine straight—made her extremely uncomfortable and unaccustomed, Catherine endured the discomfort without complaint. In Frey, it was considered a sign of respect for women to dress beautifully.

Of course, praising a well-dressed lady was also a basic courtesy for men. So Neio’s first words to Catherine were, “Miss Müller, you look beautiful today.”

On the surface, Catherine had come today to settle her employment fees.

With Star 745 back home, there was no need for the Fire Rose Mercenaries to guard the place for now. Catherine had also paid close attention to Star 745’s warriors and the people from the fringes they brought along. It was clear that the warriors had improved significantly, while among those from the fringes, there were many strong individuals. It seemed the young lord didn’t mind having his warriors train those people and provide them with weapons. Though they might not be suitable for combat, they could certainly serve as guards.

If that was the case, Catherine predicted that the Fire Rose Mercenaries and Star 745 would likely not have many more business dealings. This was not what Catherine wanted to see. She had come to discuss the possibility of deeper cooperation with Star 745.

“Deep cooperation?” Catherine’s meaning wasn’t hard to understand; it’s just that Neo hadn’t expected such quick recognition of his abilities. He instinctively wanted to confirm whether Catherine meant what he thought she did.
“The inn, tailor shop, grocery store, blacksmith shop in Four-Leaf Village—could these businesses be managed by the members of our Fire Rose Mercenary Group? As for whether to rent or sell the premises, that can be discussed.”
Neo smiled. A set of clothes clearly couldn’t change a person’s nature. Catherine didn’t possess the gentle and delicate traits of an ordinary woman; instead, like most male mercenaries, she got straight to the point, straightforward and direct.