Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 41: Adding a Mark to the Map
Xi Wei looked at the little maid whose whole body was glowing, his heart full of surprise. He felt a gentle, vibrant power emanating from the girl.
It seemed this was the hidden ability within Lori’s bloodline.
Xi Wei touched his chin, deep in thought. He felt it was likely a recovery-type ability.
So, he was about to have a personal healer?
Xi Wei imagined himself rampaging through the Player Group, his health bar depleted, and then a charming little maid behind him flicking her wrist, fully restoring his health.
As he thought about it, a cruel smile spread across his face.
Time ticked by, and the glow on Lori’s body gradually weakened and disappeared. Xi Wei knew that this enlightenment was coming to an end.
A moment later, Lori opened her light red eyes. She looked at Xi Wei dazedly, as if at an incomprehensible being.
“Mas… Master… you?”
“Ahem—allow me to reintroduce myself. My full name is Xi-Source of the Wilds-Wei-Golden Lion. And what you just felt was the power of the Breath of the Wilds,” Xi Wei said solemnly and seriously, then winked at the little maid in his arms.
Lori chuckled, her face blushing. She threw herself into Xi Wei’s arms again, burying her face.
She didn’t understand why she could feel the power of nature from her master, nor did she understand what changes were happening to her body. She only knew that Master was Master, and as long as she could stay by her master’s side and hug him so unreservedly, that was enough.
“Mas… Master, Lori feels a little sleepy, suddenly so tired, I want to… *yawn*… *yawn*…”
Before the little maid in his arms could finish speaking, her body went limp, and she drifted off into a dazed sleep.
Xi Wei’s heart tightened, fearing something had happened to Lori.
He quickly and carefully used a thread of Qi to sense the girl’s physical condition. Finding that she was merely a bit fatigued, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He surmised that it was quite mentally taxing for Lori to use her innate skill to comprehend the Breath of the Wilds.
Furthermore, his Breath of the Wilds was different from ordinary natural landscapes; it was the most fundamental essence, requiring no refinement. This was why Lori felt so tired—because she received too much at once.
Xi Wei gently placed Lori on his bed and covered her with a blanket. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he noticed that the girl’s hand was still tightly gripping his pants.
The crucial part was, he couldn’t pull it free…
Xi Wei didn’t dare to use too much force, fearing he would wake Lori, so he had to take off his long pants.
“Lord! Lord…”
Gudbad burst noisily to the entrance of Xi Wei’s room.
Then, he looked up and saw Xi Wei wearing only his undies, and then he saw the little maid lying on the bed. In an instant, he was like a duck with its throat squeezed.
“It’s over, I’ll have to wash these underpants and socks for a year!”
“Shhh—!”
Xi Wei shot Gudbad a fierce look, signaling him to be quiet. He then pointed to his office desk and beckoned Gudbad over.
“What is it?”
Xi Wei sat in his chair, staring coldly at Gudbad, who was sweating profusely beside him, giving him a look that said he’d better have a good explanation or else.
“Lord, a farmer discovered an iron ore deposit!”
Gudbad tried his best to calm himself, but he quickly became excited again.
Ever since he arrived at Winter City, he had completely integrated himself into the role of a servant of the Lord. The Lord’s interests were his interests.
The more he understood, the more anxious he felt for Eagle Territory and worried about the Lord.
Eagle Territory was so poor, not only did it have a small population, but it also lacked any special products. How much gold could they accumulate from just barley and sour beer?
Now, with an iron ore deposit right in front of him, how could he not be excited?
“Iron ore discovered?!”
Xi Wei was pleasantly surprised. Iron ore was a valuable commodity. Many excellent forging materials were made by mixing iron with other metals.
It could be used not only to make armor, weapons, and arrows but also siege engines.
As the most widely used metal on the Cain Continent, possessing sufficient iron ore was equivalent to possessing the potential for war.
Why hadn’t Xi Wei expanded his army? It was because he didn’t have enough equipment.
Most importantly, iron ore was valuable. Even though Xi Wei currently had over ten thousand gold coins, that money could be spent on developing the territory in mere minutes.
“Where is the iron ore located, and how far is it from Winter City?”
This was Xi Wei’s most pressing question at the moment.
However, when Xi Wei asked, Gudbad hesitated, stammering, unsure how to respond.
“Is your tongue burnt? Speak up!”
“This… Alas, my Lord, the iron ore is not far from us. However, it is not within the borders of Eagle Territory. It is located at the border between Eagle Territory and Budun Territory.”
“And…” Gudbad added with difficulty, “it’s closer to Budun Territory, and I heard they already know about the iron ore.”
Xi Wei furrowed his brow upon hearing this. Budun Territory was a viscounty under the Andor Empire. The rules of that empire differed from the Kolon Empire. Budun Territory was protected by its superior county.
The current relationship between the Andor Empire and the Kolon Empire could be described as “no major conflicts, but plenty of minor skirmishes.”
According to the rules, such an iron ore deposit located in a border area should belong to the party closer to it.
But Xi Wei had no intention of adhering to such rules.
He looked for a moment at the border map laid out on the desk, fell silent for a moment, then added a mark to the map. He then grinned at Gudbad and said with a smile:
“This iron ore is now ours. Take this map to Viscount Budun. If he disagrees…”
Xi Wei paused for a moment, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his azure eyes, and then said coldly:
“Then we will go to war!”
