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Chapter 187: Dark Eagle City Layout
🕑 Added 2024-09-14 05:35:00 +0000 UTCRhett then inquired:
"Relay, give me a detailed report on the current number of magical plants in our territory."
As the lord, he couldn’t keep track of every detail daily, and it had been a while since he last checked the magical plant count.
"No problem." Relay nodded, taking a deep breath to calm his excitement before continuing:
"Father, currently, in our magical plant cultivation fields, aside from water-element plants, the other elements haven't seen much change in numbers since they haven't been blessed. We only have a few hundred plants, none of which are high-grade, so their overall value isn't very high.
As for water-element plants, I’ll give a detailed report. First, there are 32 Frost Sunflowers, harvested just recently. The Frost Pine Trees, planted two and a half years ago, are now over five years old.
Other water-element plants include over 2,000 Blueleaf Grass, more than 500 Ice Crystal Lilies, over 600 Water Moon Grass, more than 700 Mist Lotuses, and over 100 Snow Vine roots."
Relay paused, then confirmed, "That's roughly the situation."
"Not bad." Rhett nodded approvingly. After a moment of thought, he added, "From now on, we'll focus on a dual cultivation strategy—water and earth-element plants."
"Understood. This will diversify our magical plant types, making it easier to trade for other elements. In the past, we only had water-element plants, and even with slight concessions, sometimes we couldn't trade for the other elements we needed. But going forward, this should improve significantly!" Relay said, his face lighting up with excitement.
Seeing Relay’s joy, Rhett added, "Don’t neglect dark-element plants either. Besides planting them near the solitary peak, we need to regularly purchase enough leaves to feed the flock of Dark-patterned Eagles there."
"No problem. While you were away, I already planted the few hundred dark-element plants we had there."
Rhett glanced at the magical plant cultivation area a hundred meters away, where various magical plants created a colorful display, though lacking in dark hues.
"Good work!"
The construction of the castle progressed faster than expected.
This was partly because Rhett believed that as a lord, he needed a residence befitting his status—living in a small house felt too undignified.
So, upon returning, he used his earth magic to assist the architects, speeding up the construction and refinement of rooms, staircases, and corridors.
Thanks to the help of a powerful mage, the entire Dark Rock Castle was completed within a week. The secondary buildings, being less complex, had already been finished during the main castle’s construction.
There was no elaborate moving-in ceremony.
At sunset, with the sky bathed in a golden-red hue, Rhett stood on the estate’s lawn, his face glowing in the light, and announced, "Our new home is complete!"
"Yay!"
"Wow!"
The maids and servants, overcome with excitement, hugged each other, their eyes shining as they gazed at the majestic Dark Rock Castle!
"What a grand castle—it has its own unique charm compared to Deep Rock Castle!" Relay marveled at the dark, imposing structure, topped with a colorful eagle carving.
"I can’t wait to move in!" Taylors said, his eyes sparkling.
"Haha, me too," Tuck replied, ruffling Taylors' hair with one hand.
Taylors pushed Tuck's hand away, rolling his eyes. Despite his annoyance, he knew now wasn't the time for bickering.
After spending half an hour inside the castle, Sveta approached Rhett and said:
"Master, I’ve checked the layout inside—it’s almost identical to the previous design."
He glanced at the team of architects heading to the Cold Crystal Lake area to prepare the alchemy lab, as instructed by Rhett, and couldn’t help but remark:
"They’re truly remarkable architects, Master. Have you considered keeping them here?"
Rhett raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly. "There’s no need for that. We don’t need to invest heavily in training architects."
"Understood, Master." Sveta seemed thoughtful as he turned to organize the servants and assign rooms in the castle.
Rhett looked at the setting sun, his hands behind his back, and murmured, "As an earth mage, when I reach the level of a Grand Magus or even a Saint, my control over earth elements will be so refined that I’ll be the world’s greatest architect myself…"
"Why bother training others?"
Indeed, once an earth mage reaches a certain level of mastery, their control over earth elements becomes so precise that they dominate the field of architecture.
Rhett glanced at the newly completed Dark Rock Castle. The dark structure, with hints of yellowish particles, reflected tiny golden lights in the sunlight. The 30-meter-tall spire pierced the sky, topped with a three-meter wingspan eagle, wings spread and head held high.
As he walked into the castle, Rhett noticed that the layout on the first floor mirrored that of Deep Rock Castle, but with more space.
A crystal-blue chandelier above his head cast a shimmering light, illuminating Rhett’s face. Smiling, he made his way to his room on the fifth floor.
The basic furniture had already been arranged by the servants.
However, the more personal touches would need Rhett’s attention.
He opened a crate wrapped in linen, taking out various bottles, jars, and important items.
These included a portrait of Nicole, fire essence, Three-leaf Spark leaves, books, notebooks, and more.
After carefully placing everything in order throughout the hall and his room, Rhett lay down on his bed, closing his eyes to relax for a while.
The next morning.
While meditating in his room, Rhett suddenly opened his eyes and rushed out.
He hurried to the third floor, sensing a dense and intense burst of fire aura emanating from one of the rooms.
Even through the azure iron door, Rhett could feel the rising temperature.
Suddenly.
A muffled explosion echoed from within.
Rhett’s expression shifted as he tried the door, but it wouldn’t budge.
Soon, Vanessa, dressed in pink pajamas, opened the door from inside, her face showing signs of anxiety. "Father, Tuck woke up this morning and suddenly said he was about to break through. He didn’t have time to leave before it all started."
"Don’t worry. Everything will be fine!" Rhett reassured her calmly as he quickly entered the room.
He saw Tuck struggling, contorted in a challenging posture on the floor, with fire-red breath puffing from his nostrils. His skin glowed slightly red as if he were being burned by flames.
Thud, thud
Tack, tack
Suddenly, Tuck started moving within the room, throwing punches and stomping across the floor, causing the ground to shake violently.
I shouldn’t have let him move into the new house… He would’ve been better off staying in the mountains… Rhett’s mouth twitched as he looked at the freshly finished floor, now covered in dents from Tuck’s movements.
Tuck could vaguely sense his father’s presence, but in this critical moment of his breakthrough, he couldn’t afford to be distracted.
"Hah!"
After an unknown amount of time, Tuck’s raging aura finally subsided. He let out a powerful shout, the force of his aura resonating with the air and causing a nearby bookshelf to collapse.
Fortunately, Tuck wasn’t much of a reader, so the shelves were nearly empty…
Moments later, Tuck stood, barely clothed, only to be scolded:
"When you’re done, put some clothes on! You’re a grown man!"
Rhett frowned, shaking his head at Tuck, whose clothes had been burned away by his fiery aura, revealing his bronze skin. Then, Rhett turned and left the room.
As Rhett walked out, Tuck chuckled sheepishly. "Thanks for the concern, Father!"
Without pausing, Rhett exited the room, where a screen appeared before him:
【Family member’s strength increased by one level. Fate Points +5】
Only then did Rhett smile faintly. "Finally, some Fate Points… I had less than five points left, not even enough for a single simulation. It was really unsettling."
"Now I have 8 points—enough to handle unexpected situations."
As Rhett pondered this, he left Tuck's room and headed to the fourth floor, arriving at Relay’s room.
He wanted to discuss the details of Dark Eagle City’s construction. Before leaving, he had only outlined the city’s general layout and zoning plan. The detailed planning couldn’t be completed in a short time, so he needed to consult with Relay further.
After spending a few moments playing with Karese and Kazena, Relay led his father to the study. He went to a corner drawer, pulled out a folded blueprint, and spread it out on the desk.
"In the three months you were away, and in the past few days, I’ve been refining the details of the Dark Eagle City plan. Please take a look."
Rhett’s eyes lit up. Relay had kept this well hidden—he hadn’t mentioned it during the first few days after his return. It seemed he wanted to surprise his father.
The desk held a city layout blueprint, about two meters long and one meter wide.
At the top was a small eagle, representing the symbol of Dark Eagle City.
The central part of the map showed four main roads, connecting east, west, north, south, and diagonal directions in an asterisk pattern. At the intersection of these roads was a plaza.
To ensure the city’s compatibility and stability, it was divided into four main districts.
Residential District, Supernatural District, Commercial District, and Leisure District.
The Residential District, as the name suggests, was where ordinary people lived. Although they couldn’t cultivate, they could still engage in various commercial activities, or at the very least, perform service and labor jobs—an essential part of any city’s operation.
The Supernatural District was designed for knights and mages, with shops and activities catering mainly to the supernatural.
As for the Commercial and Leisure Districts, they differed from the first two. Property in these areas could be purchased by both ordinary people and the supernatural.
However, the land itself remained Rhett’s property; what was sold were the rights to buildings and usage, ensuring that Rhett retained ultimate control as the city’s lord.
These four main zones were the framework Rhett had previously established, ensuring harmony among Dark Eagle City’s inhabitants.
But Rhett hadn’t had time to plan out the streets, so Relay had not only mapped out the main roads but also detailed the placement of buildings, street layouts, and city infrastructure, all meticulously organized.
Seeing the well-ordered layout and the clear division of roads, Rhett felt a deep sense of satisfaction and praised:
"Relay, your talent in design is truly remarkable—you’re the greatest in the history of the Green family!"
"Haha, Father, you flatter me!" Relay chuckled modestly. "The city may be planned, but the initial population might not be very large."
"After all, it took Earl Nilo over 20 years to build Twilight City into what it is today. We’re establishing the third Earl's capital in the Southwest Frontier, which means we’re drawing from a fixed pool of people. So…"
"Yes, I understand." Rhett nodded. "You can’t rush things. We need to proceed gradually. We lack experience in city management, so it’s just as well that we start small. Managing a city the size of Twilight City right from the beginning might overwhelm us. This scale suits us just fine for now."
Relay seemed relieved. "Also, the nearby villages haven’t been settled yet. Our population has all been moved here, so we need to determine the locations for the villages and farmlands soon, or the people will be anxious."
"Let me take a closer look." Rhett stroked his chin as Relay pulled out another map of the Southwest Frontier. Rhett found his territory and studied it closely.
Rhett muttered, "With a limited population, we shouldn’t spread them too thin, or it will lower the birth rate."
After a while, he pointed to a spot on the map. "Let’s set up a village to the north of Dark Eagle City—call it Deep Rock Village."
"Deep Rock Village?" Relay repeated, then nodded.
He took out a pen and began making notes at his desk.
As the summer heat intensified, the flowers in the garden bloomed in full splendor, and the cicadas buzzed incessantly.
After leaving Dark Rock Castle, Rhett stood alone on a stone path, admiring the flowers on either side and inhaling their fragrance.
Then, he walked out of the estate and headed to the outer bailey, which served as the training ground.
The training ground was now several times larger than before.
Rhett walked to the farthest end and finally saw Tadel and Kurse training the recruits.
Rhett concealed his aura, observing Lawrence from the doorway. Though only three months had passed, Lawrence, in his growth spurt, had visibly grown taller—his transformation was evident.
"Advancing by one level per year… Lawrence’s talent is remarkable." Rhett thought to himself.
He called Tadel over, and the latter was surprised to see Rhett at the entrance. Tadel immediately straightened and ran over, saluting. "Good morning, my lord. Is there anything you need?"
Rhett pondered for a moment. "No major issues, but I want to revise a rule."
"Please go ahead, my lord."
"From now on, the most outstanding trainee at the training ground will have their resources doubled each month." Rhett said slowly.
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