With only 300 kilograms of ore left, it should be enough. I'll buy materials from animal parts to make armor for the beast guardians first, Brian thought.
He headed straight to the market, purchasing giant snails, scorpions, and the blood of various beasts—lion, leopard, eagle, elephant, and even whale.
After finishing his purchases, Brian returned home and happened to run into Lylia.
"Ah, perfect timing, Lylia. Call your brother and meet me in the library. I'm going to teach you something," Brian said.
"Yes, Young Master," Lylia replied. Brian didn't like being called "Sir," so he had told her to address him as "Young Master" instead.
...
In the Library
"Lylia, Key, I'm going to teach you both a divine technique—but you must never pass it on to anyone else," Brian warned the siblings.
"Yes, Young Master," Key replied enthusiastically at the mention of the word divine, while Lylia remained skeptical. Is there really such a thing as a divine technique? she wondered.
"Step forward."When they did, Brian placed his hand on their heads.
System:Do you wish to teach?
"Yes."
System:Please select the technique to teach.
"The Divine Technique—Blue Lotus Body," Brian answered.
System:Teaching Blue Lotus Body… Teaching complete.
Lylia and Key were left stunned—an immensely powerful technique had just been planted into their minds.
"Alright, you two will focus on mastering this first. Once you reach the Spirit stage, I'll grant you the Armor of the Seven Beast Guardians."
"Yes, Young Master!" they replied, hurrying back to their rooms, eager to start cultivating.
I need to find a location to build my own castle, Brian thought. Staying at home made it difficult to command, so he decided to establish his own castle and village.
Brian entered his father's office."Father, there's something I want to do… and I'd like to take 100 guards with me."
"What for, son?" Caspian asked curiously. His child had only recently recovered, and now he wanted to leave with a hundred men.
Brian pulled out a map, pointing to a spot deep in the Sue Forest—the same place where he had once eaten roasted black wolf meat."I want to build a village here, Father. I'll govern it and develop it from scratch."
"If you want to rule, why not take over my position instead?" Caspian asked.
"No, Father. I want to build the village in secret. One day, it could serve as a refuge if the Alge Kingdom ever falls."
In truth, Brian's real plan was to secretly raise his own army and lay the foundation for his future kingdom. If the Alge Kingdom discovered that a Marquis possessed a large, powerful private army, they would likely destroy it for fear of rebellion.
"Very well. Take your hundred men—and here, twenty diamonds for your expenses," Caspian said. Though unaware of his son's true intentions, he still supported him wholeheartedly.
"Thank you, Father," Brian replied warmly. His father's trust moved him deeply.
After leaving, Brian went to the military training grounds and handpicked a hundred soldiers. Once that was done, he returned to his room to meditate.
The next morning, Brian awoke and began forging the armor for the Seven Beast Guardians.
"Yesterday, I already soaked the ore in the blood of ferocious beasts, so now it's just a matter of forging," he said to himself.
System:Congratulations! You have forged the High-Grade Lion Armor (Evolvable).
Lion Armor: Grants the wearer the techniques and inheritance of the lion.
"Wow, this is amazing! Even though I made it myself, I didn't expect it to come out high-grade right away. Could it be because of the beast's blood?"
"Alright, let's continue."
System:Congratulations! You have forged the High-Grade Leopard Armor (Evolvable).Leopard Armor: Grants the wearer the techniques and inheritance of the leopard.
System:Congratulations! You have forged the High-Grade Eagle Armor (Evolvable).Eagle Armor: Grants the wearer the techniques and inheritance of the eagle.
System:Congratulations! You have forged the High-Grade Scorpion Armor (Evolvable).Scorpion Armor: Grants the wearer the techniques and inheritance of the scorpion.
System:Congratulations! You have forged the High-Grade Whale Armor (Evolvable).Whale Armor: Grants the wearer the techniques and inheritance of the whale.
System:Congratulations! You have forged the High-Grade Snail Armor (Evolvable).Snail Armor: Grants the wearer the techniques and inheritance of the snail.
System:Congratulations! You have forged the High-Grade Elephant Armor (Evolvable).Elephant Armor: Grants the wearer the techniques and inheritance of the elephant.
"Finally… it's done." Brian's face was pale—creating all seven sets had drained him completely. "I'll get some rest."
Unbeknownst to him, the city outside was in chaos. The sky had echoed with the roars and cries of seven different beasts, as if a pack of monsters were about to attack. Moments later, the sounds faded, but the townsfolk remained on high alert.
...
The next morning,
Brian woke up and headed straight to the Marquis's training grounds, where he saw that the soldiers he had selected were already assembled.
"Young Master," Lylia greeted him with a sweet smile that made Brian momentarily taken aback.
"Oh, it's you, Lylia. Are you ready?" Brian asked, quickly shifting his gaze toward the soldiers.
"My brother and I are ready, Young Master."
"In that case, we'll set out as soon as the soldiers are finished."
Once the troops were fully prepared, Brian stepped forward to address them.
"You're probably wondering why we're heading out with such a large group," Brian said, his voice carrying across the field. "You don't need to know the reason—just follow me. I promise that in the future, I will make you all powerful and respected."
"Yes, Young Master!" the soldiers shouted in unison, their morale soaring. They trusted the genius heir of the Scoot family without question.
"If any of your family members don't want to be separated from you, bring them along," Brian added.
"Yes, Young Master!"
After some arrangements, it turned out that twenty of the soldiers brought their families along.
"Alright, then we set out now," Brian announced.
—In the Sue Forest—
"Hey, Sis… we've been training in this forest for a week now. When are we going back?" a young girl, around sixteen years old, asked.
"One more day," her older sister replied. "I still want to find the Sallelcrown herb."
"But Sis, isn't that plant guarded by a White Snake at Stage Seven of the Basic Realm? If we fight it, we'll lose."
"You know how important this herb is to me, Bel. The Sallelcrown can help me break through to Stage Eight of the Basic Realm. With that level of cultivation, I can at least secure a spot in the top five at the Sky Blue Academy tournament," explained Angel, the daughter of a Duke from the Ruth Kingdom, which bordered the Sue Forest.
"Yeah… I know," Bel replied quietly.