Exactly nine days ago, I triumphed over the Minotaur Lord and established a new council.
As a result, I ascended to the position of Great Lord of the north-eastern region, and I held an incredible 20,000 mana points, which I planned to use to better our community.
The Minotaur race and their new leader, Skarz, all took on my family name, Del Silva, and underwent an impressive transformation.
Thanks to their efforts and my guidance, they evolved into high minotaurs, and Skarz, in particular, underwent a double evolution, becoming a great minotaur.
I was pleased with the changes as Skarz's looks changed from a large and muscular build to a more refined and slender appearance. He now appeared almost human, aside from his horns—the only remaining trait of his minotaur heritage.
However, the evolution came at a cost.
Both Serena and I lost 10,000 mana points each due to the [Skill Benefaction] procedures that were required.
I had to trade off some of my mana points, skills, and affinities for their skills and affinities in return. Regardless, these sacrifices were necessary to ensure the success of our mission.
On a side note, the revelation of Skarz's parentage was of great interest to me. It turned out that his mother was a human who fell victim to Fenghis's brutality. It was a tragic story, but it provided me with some insight into Skarz's character.
Finally, we upgraded our wardrobe!
Bazirta shared some insider tips on how to get our hands on high-quality silk, and it did not disappoint.
It turned out that we had to go on a hunt for the magical silk worms known as Aurorasilkas.
「A magical silk worm or Aurorasilka is a brightly colored and iridescent creature with shimmering wings. It has the ability to spin silk that never runs out, no matter how much is used. The silk produced by this worm is incredibly strong and durable, with the ability to withstand any tearing. It also has the power to enchant fabrics, giving them magical properties and abilities.」
We ventured to the deeper ends of the Andarbani territory to find them, but it was worth it. The silk obtained was of premium quality, and it undoubtedly helped us produce clothes.
I had to be meticulous with the way I handled the magical Aurorasilkas to produce the fabrics for the new wardrobe.
The first thing I did was to create a comfortable environment for them in a shelter and provide them with a regular supply of mulberry trees and necessary leaves for nourishment.
To obtain the fibers, I used my [Plant Magic] skills to extract the cocoons without causing them any harm.
Once I had unraveled the cocoons, I was able to retrieve long silk fibers – strong and durable – without causing any pain or discomfort to the Aurorasilkas.
By using my [Water Magic], I was then able to clean the silk, removing any impurities and leaving it in its immaculate condition.
To spin the silk into thread and yarn, I utilized my [Wind Magic], my mastery of which allowed me to gently twist the fibers together to create a string and smooth thread that was both strong and durable.
Using this process, I had spun enough thread to create numerous yards of beautiful cloth.
Finally, with the assistance of Fasit and Serena, we used [Wind Magic] to weave the silk into the desired patterns and designs.
The result was nothing short of incredible.
The fabrics I had produced were of the highest quality and surpassed everyone's expectations, making for outfits that would be the envy of all in the region.
...
As I sat in my office, dressed in my usual simple attire of a loose white shirt and trousers, I was proud of the adjustments I had made to the building using my [Earth Magic].
It was now a refined space, fit for even a king.
I had an actual desk and chairs, and my windows may not have had panes, but at least they were covered by curtains made from the silk I had produced. The room felt warm and cozy as I looked up to see Old man Martini enter, dressed in his new attire of a brown tunic and trousers.
"Good day, Lord Lumiere, I hope I'm not disturbing you," he greeted.
"Not at all, Old man," I said with a smile. "What brings you here today?"
"I just wanted to give you an update on the construction work," he replied. "It's going fast, but I'm not too happy about the grygans having to manage in crude shelters."
I nodded in agreement. "I understand. It's important to make sure everyone has their basic needs met."
Old man Martini looked relieved. "I knew you'd be considerate about this. But I think you don't have to worry because the grygans were really happy when you provided them with proper clothes."
"That's good to hear," I said, my smile widening. "However, if they do complain about not having basic needs, it may be a cause for concern."
"Don't worry, Lumiere. I'll make sure that doesn't happen," he assured me.
We fell into a comfortable silence before Old man Martini spoke up again. "With your domain getting bigger by the day, Lumiere, we may need to start establishing trading posts for bricks, iron, and your well-processed silk,"
I nodded, listening attentively. "That's a good idea. And I agree that we also need to make transportation networks and clear some of the dense forests in the area to make distribution of our materials easier."
Old man Martini smiled, his eyes shining with excitement. "Exactly. We may also need to create water channels and wells for agricultural purposes. And with your mastery of [Water Magic], it should be easy to accomplish."
I nodded again, feeling a sense of responsibility for the entire minotaur population of about three thousand.
With each passing day, my support for them increased, and so did their need for basic necessities of food, water and clothing.
"Old man, I need to finish everything on my schedule before I can return to the royal capital," I said, sighing as I thought over the number of things I had to do. "I'm just too packed."
Old man Martini nodded in agreement. "That's true, Lord Lumiere. However, Fasit did say that she could help make your schedule a little less packed."
"Really?!" I exclaimed, feeling relieved. "That would be amazing. I'm just so stretched at the moment."
Old man Martini nodded and began talking about some other things we needed to develop, including diplomatic steps to form an alliance with the Merfolk. But I interrupted, reminding him that Fasit had told me to wait on approaching them for now.
"I agree with Fasit's plan," Old man Martini said with a nod. "But we still need to figure out how to make weapons. No one among us, not even the minotaurs, has any high level blacksmithing skills."
"I noticed that during the battle more than a week ago," I said, remembering the crude weapons I had seen. "We'll have to find a solution soon."
Suddenly, Mojito barged into the office, shouting my name. "Lord Lumiere, I've found it!" he exclaimed.
I frowned, thinking it might be an attack. "What's going on, Mojito?"
"No, no! It's not an attack," he said, shaking his head. "I found the ore we need to make weapons. It's deep in the uncharted forests some miles from here, and it's abundant."
I jumped up from my chair, feeling excited. "That's amazing news! Let's go check it out right now."
Old man Martini and I rushed after Mojito, eager to see the discovery for ourselves.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Nearby [Uncharted Forest]
Traveling through the uncharted territory that connected to the grygan territory, our group consisted of Mojito, Fasit, Serena and me. The place was a dense forest with towering trees and vines so thick that it blocked out the sunlight.
Serena broke the silence, "Why haven't we come here before?"
Fasit, being the female great grygan, replied, "Due to the curse placed on our heads, we weren't much concerned with expanding our village or venturing out much."
"I see," Serena nodded her head in understanding. "But, this place is incredible. I'm surprised it even exists?"
Mojito chimed in, "I found a cluster of the special ore over there," pointing to the thickest part of the forest.
"That's!" I exclaimed the moment I saw it, pausing for a microsecond, "That's Xeranium.."
"What's Xeranium?" Mojito's confusion was apparent.
"It's a special corundum that's used to produce magic swords and powerful magic crystals," I replied.
Fasit and Serena were equally amazed.
"But, we should proceed with caution," Serena's eyes narrowed with seriousness. "I sense a dense amount of mana just beyond where we are."
"I can sense it too," I nodded my head.
My [Magic Detect] was Rank A, as such, sensing something like this was an effortless feat.
"We should mark a checkpoint near the cluster and rest." (Lumiere)
This was so we could easily identify it later on. Because so far, this forest was, well, a forest. Almost everything looked the same.
Serena proposed, "Before we proceed further, we should scout ahead and explore the dense area."
I agreed, "Great idea, let's do it."
And we began our exploration of the uncharted territory, the land enveloped with a mystical atmosphere filled with uncanny magical energies, and danger lurking around every corner.