Chapter 175 - 138: The Sacred Land of the Gnolls_1

Chapter 175: Chapter 138: The Sacred Land of the Gnolls_1"That’s correct," Gaven nodded and then shook his head, "This is also a temporary measure. The food gathered from the Spring Bud Forest is also limited. To fundamentally solve this issue, self-sufficiency is necessary. However, the Rocklands have relatively few lands suitable for cultivation due to the terrain, which are scattered; but through intensive farming, most needs can still be met. The issue is that Gnolls excel in mining and truly lack talent in farming." Toward the end, Gaven showed a wry smile, "The first batch of grains we planted was simply by digging a hole and burying the seeds. They grew wildly on their own, and I have no idea how much we will actually harvest." Lord Virginia appeared pensive upon hearing this, and she followed Gaven’s train of thought. It seemed that he was eyeing the Fae Race in the Spring Bud Forest, especially the Pikespirit, a natural-born Druidic race. No one could be more suitable for farming than them. As expected, Gaven changed the topic and said, "Therefore, I’ve thought of a mutually beneficial cooperation approach. I would like to ask Lordship’s permission to recruit tribes of the Fae Race in the Spring Bud Forest, to aid us in developing agriculture in Rocklands. In exchange, I’m willing to deploy a Gnoll construction team to serve at Spring Bud Fortress. Whether the task is to build a castle in the valley outside of the palisade or to establish an underground defense outpost at the Ancient Dragon Nest, it will be at Lordship’s command." Lord Virginia’s gaze flickered slightly, and her flawless face revealed a thoughtful expression as she replied word by word, "This cooperation model you propose is quite original, something I’ve never heard before, and it truly leverages strengths to mitigate weaknesses. If handled appropriately, both sides stand to benefit. But the situations in our two territories are different. You have absolute control over the Gnoll Tribe. Yet, I do not have such authority over the Spring Bud Forest. The Fae Race in the forest are loyal to me solely out of respect. I can summon them during wartime, to fight for Spring Bud Fortress, for Spring Bud Forest. During peacetime, however, I cannot force them to leave their familiar homes to serve a foreign lord in a strange environment out of loyalty." Gaven understood that her words were utterly truthful, a consequence of the Elves’ notoriously loose political structure. He nodded in agreement and replied, "That’s why I am not asking Lordship to assign someone to me; instead, grant me the recruitment rights. I will go to their tribes myself to recruit volunteers. I’m confident there will be those willing to seek a change and start a new life." In this matter, Gaven felt quite confident. The Milestone of Destiny, the Fairy Wilderness pact, had greatly enhanced his favor with the Fae Race, which was the best starting point. At the very least, there was Nectar Village. Relying on the compulsory respect and favor, he should be able to recruit a hundred or so Pikespirits. "You may have the right to recruit, but there is one condition," she said. "Please state it," he replied. "The premise of recruitment is freedom of movement. Those Fae Race may follow you voluntarily, but once they no longer wish to, they must be allowed to return to the Spring Bud Forest." "Even if Lordship didn’t mention it, that would still be a premise I must adhere to. There will absolutely be no enslavement; if there is ever a single case, you can hold me accountable," Gaven reasoned. Motioning to the outdoors, Gaven presented another request, "You’ve seen the situation outside. The Dragon Scale Oak holds special significance for both Aivensa and the Gnolls, especially for the Gnolls. If they can gain recognition from the Dragon Scale Oak and obtain the Dragonized Template, their strength would significantly increase. I would like to turn this place into a sacred site for our tribe." "Turn it into a sacred site for the Gnolls?" Lord Virginia’s brow furrowed, realizing that doing so would inevitably draw Gnolls on pilgrimages to the site. And not just a few. If hundreds of Gnolls were to bustle through the palisade, through the Spring Bud Forest every day. Just the thought gave the tranquility-loving Lord Virginia a headache. The forest would be reduced to a marketplace, void of any peace. Nevertheless, understanding the special significance of the Dragon Scale Oak to Dragonkin, Lord Virginia was acutely aware that an outright refusal might cast a shadow on the newly formed alliance. Moreover, designating the Dragon Scale Oak as a sacred site for the Gnolls wasn’t without benefit to Spring Bud Forest—they would zealously defend the Dragon Scale Oak, including clearing the other area of corruption affecting it. Especially considering the newly discovered Dark Domain beneath the Dragon Scale Oak. The two fronts above ground already strained Spring Bud Fortress’s forces. Adding the line under the Dragon Scale Oak, it would be difficult to ensure thorough defense. Could this be an opportunity to hand over the defense of the Dragon Scale Oak directly to the Gnolls led by Gaven, while Spring Bud Fortress only needed to station a small number of Yaling Warriors for support? Gaven’s heart fluctuated with the shifts in Lord Virginia’s expressions. It was quite strange. Lord Virginia was not one to wear her emotions on her sleeve; at least previously, Gaven had difficulty discerning the emotional changes on her face, in her eyes. Having experienced the previous soul fusion, the two seemed to have established some kind of mysterious connection, highly sensitive to her emotional changes, and even her thoughts could be felt vaguely, albeit to various degrees. His mind could figure out most of it, especially when the micro-expressions unintentionally appeared on her face. As for whether this was bidirectional, Gaven wasn’t too worried. The other party was an expert in the field of prophecy, and his thoughts were easily grasped tightly by her. Now that he wasn’t so passive, any way he looked at it, he was gaining more. While Gaven was engrossed in speculating about Virginia’s thoughts, she suddenly raised her head as if she had made a decision and said, "I don’t oppose the idea of transforming Dragon Scale Oak into a sacred land for the Dragonkin, but we cannot do so by such a circuitous method. Not only is it time-consuming and laborious, but it would also disturb the tranquility of Spring Bud Forest. There’s no guarantee that the Gnolls on their pilgrimage won’t harm the forest or conflict with the local Fae residents." "I share the same concerns," Gaven nodded, then looked hopefully at Virginia and asked, "Perhaps Lord Virginia has a suitable solution?" Compared to that, the Fairy Wilderness had a clearly higher level of magic application. Oftentimes, their first thought was magic. By comparison, the Gnoll Tribe that he was developing was still far behind. Gaven was just giving it a try, but to his surprise, Lord Virginia actually nodded and said, "I have a Dragon Scale Oak seed that can be planted in the Material Plane, establishing a connection with the existing Dragon Scale Oak, and opening a permanent two-way teleportation gate directly to it." "A permanent two-way teleportation gate? Ha!" Gaven’s eyes brightened. That was a valuable asset. How much trouble would it save coming and going from Dragon Scale Oak? The most important thing was that in Gaven’s Milestone of Destiny, there was the Flawless Teleportation to Dragon Scale Oak. Previously, he had thought this ability could only be used in critical moments to save his life, as detouring through Spring Bud Fortress every time was too much of a hassle. If there was a two-way teleportation gate that could directly connect Dragon Scale Oak with his territory. seaʀᴄh thё NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The Flawless Teleportation to Dragon Scale Oak would gain a new use—returning to base. "Don’t get too excited. I have my conditions." "Please speak," Gaven responded with an air of expectation. If there were no conditions, he’d actually be worried. In this world, free lunches are the most expensive. "I don’t care where the other side of the portal is set, but in Spring Bud Forest, it can only be here, within this Dragon’s Nest. Unless there are special circumstances, the Gnolls are only allowed to move around here, and strictly forbidden from going to the surface." Hearing Lord Virginia’s condition, Gaven couldn’t help but shiver, secretly admiring her cunning. She had essentially handed him and the Gnoll Tribe a hot potato. Let’s not forget the earlier Dark Domain and the fleeing Foul Giants. The Foul Giants definitely wouldn’t let it go and might regroup and come back at any time. Demolishing the entire Dark Domain and sealing this place off would be the obvious step. If there were no other source of contamination, Gaven would certainly do so. Now, he could only leave it be, reserving its use for a counter-attack. Once a two-way teleportation gate was established here, he’d essentially be pushing them to the front line of a war against the Foul Giants. However, the importance of Dragon Scale Oak to the Gnolls, and its convenience for himself, were immense. Weighing the pros and cons in his mind, Gaven eventually nodded and said, "I agree to the condition, but the Lord must grant me the rights for construction and renovation here. This place is likely to become the front line against the Foul Giants, and I must station a large number of troops. I guarantee not to expand the caverns to the surface." "That’s acceptable, as long as you have the capability. Any territory you expand underground is yours to rule," Lord Virginia knew this right had to be granted, as it was the cost of handing over this defensive line to them. In this way, they would not only be protecting Dragon Scale Oak but also their own homes, naturally exerting their utmost effort. Gaven posed another question he was concerned about, "When can we start building the teleportation gate? How long will it take?" "It can be done anytime. As soon as you choose the location for the other side of the gate, let me know, and I will go there," Lord Virginia said somewhat uncertainly. "This is my first time constructing such a gate, but if everything goes well, it should be quite quick." "Alright, I’ll inform you once I’ve chosen a location," Gaven glanced outside at the situation and said, "If there are no other issues, I think we should go out now." The Young Red Copper Dragon’s elemental absorption was clearly nearing its end, and she seemed about to awaken. Her introspection was similar to a Dragon Seeking State, but not quite the same, and her absorption rate was far faster than any Gnoll, not requiring as long as ten days.