Qin Muye continued to refine the further plans for the magical creatures while the sky gradually darkened unnoticed.
The harvest was considerable, but creating championship-level magical creatures or advancing them further with this data was simply impossible. This was not a short-term task; it was long-term. It required not only developing stable artificial champions but also elevating the creature types from Tier 1 to Tier 2, which was no small challenge.
"Master, I'm back. Many wild monsters, all undead, have migrated around. I suspect there is an undead graveyard nearby," said Blood Magic upon returning, his tone carrying a sense of gravity.
This made Qin Muye furrow his brows. "Undead, it seems we need to pay attention in advance. If that's the case, the skeleton warriors attacking the city today weren't randomly spawned but dispatched by the local undead residents."
"Let's take another look tomorrow. If it's still undead, focus on finding their traces after the monster attack on the city tomorrow."
Qin Muye wasn't a fool. He keenly sensed that this monster attack was not as simple as he imagined. There was a high probability that it was an action by the indigenous creatures of the Magic Continent, especially after the rules of "Lord Era" began to relax gradually.
This was also a test from the indigenous inhabitants of the Magic Continent to the bestowed lords. Those who failed the test were annihilated, while those who succeeded naturally survived.
Checking the leaderboard, there were 561 people before, and now it had dropped to 497. Most of the deceased lords had territories in ruins, with only a few, like him, being 1st-tier lords.
Analyzing the situation at hand, if they truly perished, the reason was simple: insufficient external combat power.
'Survival of the fittest!' Qin Muye couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
But now, a more pressing matter was in front of him. There might be an undead force nearby, explaining why Molok Bronzebeard was so impatient when he stopped him earlier. After all, undead were enemies of all living beings. Encountering undead over a trivial matter, even if the opponent's caravan was powerful, would bring bad luck.
Not to mention, even Blood Magic wanted a peaceful life. Unfortunately, it was impossible because he went out to sweep every day.
The gains this time were not significant. Due to the absence of scattered resources along the way, treasure chests had also disappeared. This made most of Blood Magic's gains come from killing monsters.
Fortunately, this time was mainly about clearing and leveling up, not primarily searching for resources.
However, he fell a bit short of leveling up. Unlike Qin Muye, Blood Magic couldn't gain an additional 65% experience from skills and talents. Therefore, his leveling efficiency was much lower.
"Understood, Master," Blood Magic responded, then hesitated a bit before speaking again, "Master, I want to mobilize 100 magical creatures to enter the training ground and quickly upgrade them into an elite force."
Qin Muye agreed with Blood Magic's idea, but he had to consider the practical development. Other than that, magical creatures had mostly experienced a day of labor, and they wouldn't have the energy to train.
Moreover, there was no time for training now.
"Your idea is good, but can the other magical creatures handle it? It's not that I don't want to, but the workload is heavy," Qin Muye replied. He also wanted to exploit to the fullest, but magical creatures were not mechanical creatures. Even if they had no complaints, he didn't want to overexploit them.
"Master, I know your kindness, but mercy cannot defend our territory. Tomorrow's monster attack will be even more intense, and there seems to be an undead force watching us. If we don't quickly build a powerful elite force, the consequences will be unimaginable!" Blood Magic emphasized.
Qin Muye hesitated at these words. The importance of orders was undeniable, but continuous work without rest could lead to trouble. Once or twice might not show it, but doing it for seven days straight would definitely have consequences. Moreover, training to the point of becoming an elite force required a full seven days; it was not a simple matter. It was the kind of training where you worked during the day and trained at night.
If it was really trained to the end, even if they were trained, they might not have enough vitality to cope with it.
"Please rest assured, Master. With the healing magic, there won't be any major problems. I can also treat any issues promptly. Besides, with the training method you taught me, I only need three hours a day. There's no need for eight hours of training," Blood Magic said confidently, seizing the opportunity when he saw Qin Muye hesitating.
In the end, Qin Muye agreed with Blood Magic's three-hour training plan, along with the healing magic provided by him. "Alright, they should be resting by now. Go and recruit a hundred magical creatures to the training ground. I'll take care of the healing. Save your magic power for tomorrow. I don't have much use for my current magic power anyway."
Qin Muye's agreement relieved Blood Magic. "Yes, Master. Rest assured, in three days, I'll be able to train these 100 magical creatures into an elite force."
"Three days? One day for three hours? Isn't that a bit too fast? Won't there be any side effects?" Qin Muye expressed his concern.
"This is thanks to the 'Berserker Training Manual' you taught me, combined with the training ground. Otherwise, I wouldn't dare to boast about it," Blood Magic said with confidence.
Since Blood Magic was confident, Qin Muye could only let him go. At most, he would help with casting the healing magic. Additionally, he might observe how Blood Magic trained; he might gain some experience. He wasn't good at practice, but in theory, he had no issues.
After all, Blood Magic's "Berserker Training Manual" was something he taught him.
"Then do as you said. Should we start now?" Qin Muye asked.
"We start now. Time waits for no one. I'll immediately go downstairs to recruit magical creatures," Blood Magic said, acting promptly. After speaking, he went down the stairs to the first floor of the Mage Tower.
Currently, the first and second floors of the Mage Tower served as the residence for magical creatures and Blood Magic, while the third floor was Qin Muye's personal residence. This could be considered a small privilege.
"Regarding the points for the last day, should I change the residence?" Qin Muye considered, as letting magical creatures sleep together might not be ideal.
"Never mind, I'll see later."
Originally, he favored the marketplace. The building could trade and attract caravans, and he needed some commerce to complete a sound territorial system.
(end of chapter 23)