"My Lord, what is this?"

Cao Xing explained: "This is a soul that can enhance your potential and enable you to reach an elite level."

Although Juliette is unemployed, she is just an ordinary person.

Even if you upgrade to the elite level, your potential and attributes will only increase, but you will not gain new skills.

Obviously, this kind of soul would bring greater benefits if given to soldiers or wild boars.

But Cao Xing didn't care about these at all, as he still had more than 40 elite souls in his backpack.

He is rich and powerful, so he doesn't need one or two souls at all.

Moreover, as Juliet is an important figure in his territory, it is also necessary to improve her physical fitness.

As for little Neve, she already has elite potential, so there is no need to upgrade her.

Juliette held the soul in her hand and looked at Cao Xing with gratitude.

She did not refuse, but said softly: "Thank you for your respect, respected lord."

"Juliette will use the knowledge in my head to serve our territory to the fullest..."

[Due to your generosity, the loyalty of territory member Juliette has increased. Current loyalty: 100]

(Loyalty is full. Now the other party will unconditionally execute any of your orders.)

…

Hearing the system prompt, Cao Xing felt happy.

He noticed that there were some subtle changes in the way Juliet looked at him.

If before it was respect and gratitude.

Now, it contains a different emotion...

At this time, Cao Xing took out two purple seeds from his backpack.

The two seeds emitted a faint black aura, and there seemed to be some tiny tentacles wriggling on the surface.

It was the [Tengshou Fort Seed (Gold)] that Cao Xing obtained through the transaction.

"Juliette, can these two seeds be planted in our territory?"

Hearing this question, Juliette's beautiful eyes showed a thoughtful look.

She whispered, "My Lord, these appear to be Mordrem seeds."

"This is an evil plant, and it's also very domineering. It will devour all other plants within its root range, dissolving them and turning them into nutrients."

"This kind of Mordrem can only grow in some plague zones. I'm not sure if it can be planted in our territory..."

Hearing this, Cao Xing's eyes showed a look of realization.

Similar to what the system introduced, this [Vine Head Turret] is an evil plant that cannot coexist with other plants.

Juliette continued, "However, I can try to plant it and see if the power of the White Tree can suppress the characteristics of this evil plant and change its biological habits."

"If that's not possible, then I'd like to ask the Lord to remove these two plants."

Cao Xing looked happy when he heard this.

He was ready to give up these two golden seeds, but unexpectedly, hope appeared again.

After all, a level 25 boss is still a defensive plant turret, which can be of great help to the territory.

"Okay, go ahead and plant them. If these two plants don't obey and tend to attack other plants, just get rid of them."

"Yes, your Excellency."

After Juliet finished speaking, she took the two seeds from Cao Xing.

At the same time, the three heard heavy footsteps coming from a distance.

“Boom! Boom!”

It is the ancient war tree that has transformed into a [war form].

The three big trees moved forward and slowly came to the side of the [Pale Holy Tree].

They looked at the holy tree in front of them with emotion in their eyes.

Gunata sighed: "The pale tree has grown again..."

"We have never seen such a sacred tree in our southern continent."

The ancient war tree next to it also echoed: "Even the ancient knowledge tree of our tribe cannot compare with this sacred tree."

"With the power of this sacred tree, our Ancient Tree Clan's already strong recovery ability and vitality will undergo a qualitative change."

"If we can find another ancient tree of life in our tribe, I'm afraid the vitality of all the ancient trees will reach an astonishing level..."

Hearing this, Cao Xing was thoughtful.

Last time, these ancient war trees said that in the area where the ancient battlefield was located, there was the scent of other ancient tree seeds.

But Cao Xing has no past.

Because before that, he had many more important things to do.

For example, let Asam complete the Knight Trial and get the [Sword of the Lady of the Lake]

Another thing is to go to the [Witch Castle], complete the task of the old witch, and get clues about the legendary shield [Shield of Origin - Annodite].

These two tasks are linked.

Because according to Cao Xing's speculation, there is a high probability that there is a level 40 leader-level creature in the castle.

As long as Assam defeats the level 40 boss in a single fight, he can complete the Heroic Trial.

Moreover, he now needs more [Hearts of Advanced Strength] and [Hearts of Intermediate Strength].

These items can only be obtained in high-level maps such as the Witch Forest.

Cao Xing thought to himself, "Let's see what happens tonight, and then we'll go to the Witch Forest and explore the castle."

"If everything goes well, we can return from the Witch Forest tomorrow and explore the ancient battlefield."

Thinking of this, Cao Xing took out three [Intermediate Power Hearts] from his backpack and gave them directly to the three ancient war trees.

"Gunata, I see that you have all reached level 20. Now use these Hearts of Power to break through."

The three ancient war trees looked at each other, with some surprise and hesitation on their wrinkled faces.

"This...won't you give it to those soldiers first?"

They also knew that the soldiers in the territory had reached a bottleneck and urgently needed the Heart of Power to break through.

Moreover, they have only just joined the territory not long ago and are considered newcomers.

Cao Xing chuckled and said, "Don't worry, it won't be long before everyone will break through."

Hearing this, a smile appeared on the face of the people fighting the ancient tree.

They stretched out a branch and took the Heart of Intermediate Power from Cao Xing's hand.

"The spirit of the ancient tree will protect you, my dear lord!"

[Due to your generosity, the loyalty of territory member Gunata has increased. Current loyalty: 86]

[Because of you...]

…

After the three loyalty levels, their loyalty levels all reached above 85.

Under the gaze of the tree spirit sisters and the three ancient war trees, he left.

After surviving the disaster, Cao Xing was in a good mood.

He hummed a little tune all the way and patrolled his territory.

The workers have already begun repairing the collapsed buildings.

Including two hundred soldiers, they were also working hard to shovel the snow.

"Very good. At this rate, my territory will be able to resume operations soon."

"Next, we need to deal with the materials in the backpack!"

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Cao Xing's lips.

After all, this time, he obtained a large amount of crafting materials in the Witch Forest.

Including tens of thousands of Nightmare Piranha Plant thorns, golden bark and more!

This is an astonishing fortune!

Cao Xing planned to make arrows from the thorns of the carnivorous plants and take them to the trading market to exchange for other resources.

Its powerful [Life Loss] attribute will definitely attract a large number of survivors.

And Cao Xing can also gain a lot of benefits from it!

Thinking of this, he became even more excited.

Then, we went straight to the Blacksmith Shop.

As soon as I entered, I heard the sound of hammers hitting each other.

“Dang! Ding-dong!”

You can tell without even looking that Harold has been working here for a long time today.

Ever since Cao Xing asked his wife Putana to take charge of the territory's defense, Harold has been working particularly hard.

I sweat profusely in the Blacksmith Shop every day.

Cao Xing advised him several times to take more rest, but Harold would smile and say he was not tired.

This dwarf fully demonstrates the responsibility and tenacity of a man.

After Cao Xing came in, he asked with a smile, "Mr. Harold, what are you busy with?"

Hearing the sound, Harold put down the hammer in his hand.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied respectfully, "My Lord, I am making the wild boar bones you brought last time into light armor."

"These materials are of good quality and very strong. I think we can make some Tier 3 armor out of them."

After hearing this, Cao Xing also smiled.

He also knew that the dwarf in front of him would not rest, so he did not try to persuade him much.

So he continued to ask, "Harold, how long do you think it will take for you to break through and become an expert forger?"

Hearing this question, the rough-faced dwarf in front of him looked thoughtful.

Then, he said slowly: "My Lord, the next level above the senior forger is the expert forger."

"According to my current speed, and with the various high-level materials provided by the Lord, I will be able to break through to the expert level in about one or two months."

Cao Xing nodded suddenly.

Two months sounds like a long time.

But for the people in this world, it is already a very short time.

After all, which expert forger is not cultivated through spending a lot of time and investing a lot of resources?

Even in the main cities, an expert forger already holds a very high status.

The nobles and knights would all scramble to ask him to help them forge equipment.

The reason why Harold was able to be promoted from an "intermediate forger" to an "advanced forger" in a short period of time.

Now he is starting to advance to become an "expert forger".

Of course, it was because Cao Xing often brought back various high-level materials and allowed Harold to use them freely.

That’s why his proficiency has skyrocketed!

After knowing the approximate time, Cao Xing stopped asking this question.

Instead, he took out a large number of [Nightmare Piranha Plant Spikes] from his backpack.

There are grades ranging from green to purple.

Looking at the black aura emanating from these spikes, Harold's eyes fixed.

Then he picked up one and examined it in his hand.

"What sharp spikes!

Harold exclaimed, "My Lord, this kind of spike can easily penetrate the skin of a fourth-level creature, and I also sensed a trace amount of toxins and a strange aura on it."

I have to say, Harold really has good vision.

Just one glance tells you the properties and grades of these materials.

Cao Xing said, "Look, can these spikes be used to make arrows?"

Harold took a closer look, then nodded solemnly and said, "Of course, Lord."

"However, there is not much toxin left in these stingers. They should lose their toxicity after one or two uses."

"But despite this, the sharpness of these stingers alone makes them an excellent arrow."

"In order to increase its durability, I suggest making it into an all-iron arrow directly, how about that?"

Cao Xing was puzzled, "All-iron arrows?"

"Yes."

Harold nodded. "Although the iron arrows are very heavy, their durability is completely different from that of wooden arrows. They won't break easily. At critical moments, they can even be used as short spears."

"Of course, to unleash the power of this arrow, you need a good bow and a strong archer."

After Cao Xing heard this, a look of realization appeared on his face.

Apparently, according to Harold, this would greatly increase the usefulness of the arrow.

The disadvantage is that it is too heavy and its range is greatly reduced.

"Very good, then I will make it according to your instructions."

After getting Cao Xing's approval, Harold also smiled.

Then, something new appeared in Cao Xing's hand.

It was a piece of black and purple tentacles about one or two meters long and as thick as a little finger.

It is the [Tentacle of the Nightmare Piranha Plant].

"Mr. Harold, these are the tentacles of a plant with sharp barbs on the surface. My idea is to make them into a long whip. Do you have any better suggestions?"

Although Cao Xing already had an idea, he still wanted to ask Harold.

After all, when it comes to crafting equipment, he is a professional.

Harold looked at the materials in Cao Xing's hand, his eyes once again filled with thought.

After a moment, he nodded and said, "Lord, according to your idea, making it into a long whip is indeed a good choice."

"But whip-like weapons are not very practical, and there are hardly any beings who would use whip-like weapons."

"My suggestion is to combine them with the vines of the man-faced tree to make a net for catching animals."

Cao Xing looked puzzled, "A hunting net?"

Harold nodded and said, "Yes, these tentacles are not very strong, far less than vines, but their advantage is that they have a lot of barbs on them, and these barbs also contain toxins."

"We can wrap these tentacles around the vines, which gives us the toughness but also allows us to take advantage of the large number of barbs on the tentacles."

"After making a large net, the barbs on it will hook onto large animals. The more the animals struggle, the deeper they will be hooked."

Cao Xing also seemed to associate the relevant scenes.

Then he exclaimed: "Yes, Harold, you are really a knowledgeable dwarf."

"I feel that in the near future, you will definitely be able to become a master blacksmith!"

It has to be said that Harold has a wealth of experience and can bring out greater value from some special materials.

There are better ways to use both of my materials.

Hearing Cao Xing's praise, the dwarf showed a humble smile on his face.

"By the way, Harold, I have some new materials here, I'll give them to you to make as well."

After saying that, Cao Xing took out a large amount of human-faced tree bark from his backpack.

From an ordinary human-faced tree to a leader human-faced tree.

Among them, there is even golden quality man-faced tree bark!

Harold naturally saw at a glance the two pieces of ancient bark in Cao Xing's hands.

He exclaimed, "Gods, these two pieces of bark have such a strong breath of life!"

"My Lord, is this the legendary golden material?"

Cao Xing said, "That's right, Harold."

"Let's use this golden bark to make some leather armor."

After hearing this, Harold did not agree immediately, but showed some hesitation.

"What's up?"

He said respectfully, "My Lord, Harold is only a senior forger now, and his success rate in forging gold-quality equipment is not high."

"If I were to build it, a single failure would be a huge loss..."

"You should find a more advanced forger to forge it..."

Hearing this, Cao Xing laughed.

"It's okay, Harold. Just build it."

"It's okay even if you fail. Just consider it as an opportunity to increase your proficiency."

At this moment, Harold looked at Cao Xing, a complex look flashed in his eyes, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

He didn't know what to say.

After all, everyone knows how valuable gold-quality equipment is.

Even if converted into crowns, a level 10 gold equipment is worth at least 500,000.

The barks in Cao Xing's hands are at least fourth-grade materials.

Any one of them is worth a fortune!

But now, Cao Xing waved his hand and told him to use it to improve his proficiency...

Before Harold could say anything, Cao Xing took out another elite soul from his hand.

It was also handed over to Harold.

As mentioned before, the promotion of these staff members to elites may not bring any help to Cao Xing in terms of combat effectiveness.

However, as Harold's physical condition improves, his iron forging will become more powerful.

"My Lord..."

Harold didn't know what to say at this moment, he was deeply moved.

Cao Xing smiled and said, "Okay, Harold, just focus on forging."

"It's what I said before. Remember to balance work and rest. You don't have to worry about other things."

Harold immediately said respectfully, "As you command, Lord, I will do my best to make these equipment as successful as possible!"

The dwarf stood up straight and looked at Cao Xing with excitement!

[Your words and actions have impressed the territory member: Harold Iceberg. His loyalty has been greatly improved. Current loyalty: 95]

…

Seeing the system prompt, a smile appeared on Cao Xing's lips.

He patted Harold on the shoulder and put the rest of the vines, bark, and Piranha plant thorns in his backpack into the storage box in the blacksmith's shop.

Then, he left the Blacksmith Shop.

Not long after he left, the sound of "clang-clang" of iron hammering was heard again from behind him.

…

…

Cao Xing continued to hum his little tune while patrolling the territory.

Along the way, we passed residential areas, machinery factories and training grounds.

Next to these buildings, there are several half-built buildings.

It is the [King's Altar], [Mage's Tower], and [Knight's Hall].

Cao Xing said happily: "Not bad, not bad. After these things are built, I can use the recruitment function of the tavern to see if I can recruit some talents for me."

Since Cao Xing's plan is to repair the territory during the day and take people to the Witch Castle at night, he is quite free now.

Then, he saw Sabina and Mpo who were busy with Dahua.

Cao Xing's eyes showed a thoughtful look.

At this moment, they all seemed to be working honestly in the territory.

After taking a quick look, Cao Xing thought to himself, "This Mpo's loyalty is still below 50. I can't approach her now."

"After what happened the night before, Sabina's loyalty has increased a lot. She probably won't think of running away anymore."

"Also, I remember that this woman seemed to have a skill called [Advanced Poison Mastery]."

"It just so happened that this time, I got a material from those carnivorous plants that can be used to make a certain kind of poison."

So, Cao Xing directly called out, "Sabina."

Hearing Cao Xing calling her, the woman, who looked to be about 30 years old and had a black mole at the corner of her eye, walked over quickly.

At this moment, Sabina knelt on her knees and prostrated herself respectfully in front of Cao Xing.

"Your Excellency, Lord."

…

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