Allen, accompanied by his sister and Ella, toured the New Quent Territory.
They mapped the area along the way, highlighting potential natural resources.
The largest freshwater lake in the territory, shaped like a saddle, was known locally as "Saddle Lake."
The North Lake was said to be the territory of the Water Nagas, and was also home to tamed Hydras.
Allen marked the North Lake area as "Highly Dangerous" on the map, prohibiting civilians from approaching.
The South Lake area was relatively safe.
While there were still herds of wild beasts, they were not as ferocious as the Nagas and Hydras.
The area was home to large flocks of beautiful swans, and the legend of the "Swan Lady" was widespread.
The South Lake area was suitable for the construction of reservoirs and canals to provide clean drinking water for the town.
While constructing the water conservancy project, Allen would do his utmost to protect the local ecology; otherwise, it would be a shame if the swans flew away.
Shark Fin Mountain is the largest mountain range near New Gwent.
The main peak rises over 3,000 meters above sea level and resembles a shark's dorsal fin, hence the name "Shark Fin Peak."
The foothills are dotted with woodlands and meadows, perfect for logging camps and pastures, providing timber, meat, eggs, and milk to the town.
The area is infested with magical beasts, and development and utilization are impossible without clearing them out.
The deep jungle valleys to the north of the territory are home to numerous fairies and living plants. The most dangerous of these is Elona, known as the "Flower Fairy Queen."
The place is named "Flower Fairy Valley" for Elona.
Flower Fairy Valley is a heavily monitored area of the Silver Moon Monastery, and no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter.
Alan speculates that some precious medicinal herbs may grow in Flower Fairy Valley, which are of value to the cultivation of Silver Moon sorcerers. Therefore, they controlled the area and used it as a resource base.
This way, Allen couldn't get his hands on it.
Having already offended the Beast Cult, they couldn't afford to offend the Silvermoon Monastery again.
...
On their way to inspect the territory, Allen asked Ella about other major forces near New Gwent, besides the Case family and the Silvermoon Monastery.
Ella, born and raised in the area, was familiar with the surroundings. After a brief reflection, she identified four major forces.
First, the dwarves who occupied the northern iron mines. The local iron ore was essentially monopolized by the dwarves.
The new town was in its infancy and needed a large amount of steel products. Opening a mine and smelting iron temporarily was unrealistic.
For now, they could mobilize iron products from the Case family's territory for emergency use, but in the long run, they still needed to control their own iron mines. They would have to deal with the dwarves sooner or later.
"I've heard that most dwarves have hot tempers and are stubborn, so I'm afraid they'll be difficult to deal with," Kelly said, a little worried.
"Sister Kelly, it's just as you said. Our Case family has suffered a lot doing business with the dwarves."
Ella smiled helplessly.
"For example, in a contract signed ten years ago, the price was no longer appropriate. We proposed changes, but the dwarves refused and accused us of trying to break the contract."
"Dwarves are a race with a very long lifespan. Living to three or four hundred years is not uncommon."
"So they don't understand why a contract needs to be revised so soon after signing it."
"In the dwarfs' mindset, change is their biggest aversion. They wish everything in this world would remain unchanged forever."
"Sign a contract and it'll last for hundreds of years!" "As for the changes in the outside world, the rise and fall of prices, they're not unaware of them."
"But they'd rather pretend they don't know, deceiving themselves that nothing has changed!"
"So, dealing with dwarves has its pros and cons."
"The con is that they're so stubborn and inflexible."
"The pro is that once the dwarves make a promise, they'll stick to it."
Alan nodded and decided to find time to visit the mining area and negotiate with the dwarves, hoping to reach a long-term partnership.
The second force near the territory is the ogre "Big Stick" clan, entrenched in the western forests and vast fertile plains.
The clan leader, calling himself "Chief Big Stick," is a giant of immense strength!
New Gwent Town needs to develop fertile farmland and mine timber, which will inevitably necessitate expansion into the western plains. Sooner or later, a conflict with the ogre clan will inevitably arise.
Alan seemed unfazed by this question.
It was mainly because he was so good at dealing with ogres.
"Big Stick Clan," right?
As the co-chief of the Iron Stomach Clan and the Snow Mountain Tribe, "Green Dragon Slayer," is it a problem for me to unify a mere Big Stick Clan?
If Chief Big Stick is willing to cooperate, then we'll cooperate.
If he refuses, we'll replace him with a more understanding chief.
Alan had done this countless times in the Meditation World.
Because ogres are so stupid, they're actually easy to deal with.
"Big stick" plus "candy"—they're enough to get the job done.
In the eastern harbor of New Gwent, there's a pirate gang known as the "Crabbe Gang" that controls the coastal docks.
These pirates have established a camp in the harbor called "The Cozy Nest."
As the name suggests, this is a place that specializes in alcohol, gambling, and erotic services.
Pirates and smugglers all like to gather there.
Crabbe is the leader of the pirate and smuggling gangs.
"This man is quite powerful!"
Ella spoke solemnly of Pirate Captain Crabbe.
"He's said to be a late-stage third-level water mage!"
"Strangely, Crabbe is more skilled in martial arts than water magic."
"His fighting style is more like that of a violent sorcerer."
"Perhaps this is because his awakened bloodline stems from some powerful and violent sea monster!"
Pirate Captain Crabbe commands a large group of minions.
Of particular note are his two trusted followers and a pet.
"Crabbe has a giant octopus as a pet. Doesn't sound like a big deal at first?"
"That octopus, Paul, is huge! Definitely bigger than any octopus you've ever seen!"
"Crabbe also keeps a pair of mistresses, Lulu and Lala, sisters who are both harpies!"
Warlocks have all sorts of strange and bizarre sexual proclivities.
After hearing his junior sister's story, Alan didn't know whether to envy the pirate captain's wealth or admire his unconventional tastes.
The most powerful force near Alan's territory is the "Underground Gate" in the southern interior.
Underground Gate is home to thousands of fierce orcs, tasked with guarding a "Navel of the Earth."
The "Navel of the Earth" is a tunnel leading from the surface to the Underdark.
Thousands of fierce and unruly orcs gathered together just to guard a tunnel leading deep into the earth? What secrets lie at the end of the tunnel?
Alan asked Ella curiously.
"Orc Chieftain 'Fire Axe' Akira is merely the official lord of Undergate. Behind Akira lies a powerful boss."
"This man lives in the Underdark year-round and controls a vast dungeon."
"Dungeon Lord Akuma is said to be a powerful ogre wizard!"
"Many years ago, Orc Chieftain Akira clashed with our Keith family."
"As a result, our family suffered greatly, and since then, we've dared not expand into the southern interior."
"How powerful is Akira?" Alan asked his junior sister.
"They say he's a fourth-tier violent sorcerer! Early or late stage? I'm not sure."
"Fire Axe" Akira's power is likely no less than that of General Eva from the Meditation World, and he commands thousands of Orc bandits.
This force is powerful enough to dominate a region!
However, Akira still has to answer to the dungeon wizard Akuma.
So, the question is, how powerful is Akuma?
"Akuma's strength is comparable to that of a fifth-level sorcerer!" Ella added, "That's just my guess. I can't say for sure."
Alan nodded, lost in thought.
His ogre bloodline once had an evolutionary path that allowed him to directly ascend to an ogre wizard.
He chose that path at the time because the threshold for evolution was too high.
Now, he has embarked on a unique bloodline path.
However, the Poison Demon Leopard Man's bloodline still contains ogre blood.
This means that he can merge with the ogre wizard's bloodline, achieving bloodline evolution in a roundabout way!
Kill the dungeon lord Akuma, plunder his bloodline, and then fuse it with his own poisonous leopard bloodline...
This idea excited Alan!
The resulting bloodline would be incredibly powerful beyond imagination!
Unfortunately, he wasn't yet capable of challenging Akuma. Instead, he worried about him striking first and ruining his fledgling foundation.
Mountains towered in all directions, east, west, south, and north!
None of these factions was formidable.
Alan sighed, feeling the pressure mount.
I couldn't handle it alone. I had to gather more forces quickly!
What other talents were available?
My sister wasn't strong enough, but she was absolutely reliable.
Sora and Ella, mother and daughter, were also close friends of his.
Besides these three women, Alan couldn't find any other trustworthy helpers.
In the short term, we can only focus on them.
Sora's talents are primarily reflected in handling internal affairs.
My sister and Ella still have more room for growth.
Alan felt it necessary to train them to become his right-hand men.
After the inspection, Alan returned to town and, through meditation sessions, helped his sister and teacher Sora overcome their bottlenecks.
Ms. Sora advanced to the late Second Stage. In addition to improvements in agility and spirit, she also mastered two Level 2 spells.
"Glitter Dust" and "Level 2 Summoning Nature's Ally" are both very useful.
Kerry advanced to the early First Stage. Her agility, spirit, and natural armor all increased, and she also awakened her Level 1 Atavistic Form.
In Atavistic Form, Kairi can directly communicate telepathically with felines, making it easier for her to gain the favor of various cats.
Kerry also awakened two Level 1 spells.
"Leave No Trace": After receiving this spell, you will leave no footprints, no sound, and no scent wherever you go, making you untraceable.
"Beast Becomes Friend": Attempt to charm a wild beast or a magical beast of low intelligence. If you prevail in the mental confrontation, you gain its favor.
For ordinary beasts, the charm lasts a full day, but there is one exception.
If Kelly successfully casts "Beast Becomes Friend" on a cat while in her atavistic state, the charm becomes permanent!
Using this spell, Kelly can easily subdue ferocious beasts like lions, tigers, leopards, and lynx!