NABC Chapter 96: Exploration
Chapter 96: Exploration
After an unknown amount of time, the surging magic power gradually stabilized.
Ron slowly opened his eyes. The world in his vision was much clearer than before his breakthrough. He could see the fine texture of every blue brick on the opposite wall, hear the sound of Mrs. Moriel turning the pages of her account book at the end of the corridor, and even sense the metallic aura slowly emanating from the iron ingots in the second basement warehouse.
This is another talent that a builder mage gains after being promoted to a full mage—material perception.
It can sense various building materials around it, and as its mental strength increases, its sensing range will become farther and farther. When a high-level building mage moves, it is equivalent to a survey team.
Old Hall chose to build the city here because he sensed an underground river.
He subconsciously extended his senses underground. Thirty meters below the surface, an underground river was flowing, with several fist-sized pieces of ore scattered on both sides of the riverbed, emitting a faint magical reaction.
It's not iron ore, but a lower-grade copper ore, but it's still worth noting.
Having completed the exploration, he slowly raised his hand, and a magical aura of civil engineering condensed at his fingertips.
The halo was no longer the pale white of the apprentice's stage, but had a faint greenish glow.
There was a knock on the door.
Old Hall's voice came from outside the door, carrying a rare hint of urgency.
"Young Master, there is a strong magical fluctuation in your room."
"Come in."
Old Hall pushed open the door and came in to see Ron sitting cross-legged on the bed, the green magical aura at his fingertips still glowing faintly.
His gaze lingered on the halo for a moment, then moved to Ron's face, before returning to the halo.
"Young Master, you have broken through."
"Hmm!" Ron dissipated the glow, picked up a towel from the bedside, and wiped the sweat from his face. "Former Construction Mage. Construction speed has increased again, and mana recovery has multiplied several times."
In reality, his construction speed was twenty times that of an ordinary construction mage. He didn't know if this speed was normal, so he dared not reveal the correct value.
Old Hall was silent for a few moments, then placed the ledger in his hand on the table and sat down.
He moved slowly, as if he were slowly digesting a message he had been waiting for a long time, and then he said something that was completely different from his usual tone of voice.
"The last Ashwood family member to break through to become a formal architectural mage before the age of twenty was your great-grandfather." Old Holmes paused. "He lived to be one hundred and twenty-seven years old, and it was from him that the Ashwood family rose to the ranks of the kingdom's top noble families."
Ron put the towel down without answering the question.
"Starting tomorrow, the construction of the territory will be accelerated, and the expansion project of the West District will be launched simultaneously. We plan to renovate the hill at the end of the West City Wall and build a castle there."
When Old Hall heard "renovation" instead of "rest," he knew that his young master was about to undertake another major project.
"Yes, young master!" Old Hall said. "Young master, the caravan of refugees that Doron sent should arrive tomorrow. Would you like to make preparations?"
Ron scoffed.
"Only a few hundred people." Ron waved his hand. "The first batch is just to scout ahead. The main force will come later once the news spreads. They'll all be housed in the newly built earthen buildings outside the city. Mrs. Moriel will take care of that."
Old Hall smiled and shook his head.
Ron looked down at the attribute panel.
Ron Ashwood
Class: Formal Architect Mage, Mid-stage Knight Apprentice, Mid-stage Professional Mage Apprentice
Physical condition: 15
Power: 12
Spirit: 15
Mana: 3564
Random attribute points: 11
Complete template building 321
Mastery of the Architect Mage's Exclusive Meditation Technique: 1/1000
Professional Mage's Meditation Skill Proficiency (Beginner): 145/200
Knight's Basic Breathing Technique Proficiency (Beginner): 54/200
Examine the characteristics of the three systems of cultivation techniques.
An exclusive meditation technique for Architects. Once mastered, a full cycle of meditation restores 20 mana, which is four times the original amount.
Meditation for one week increases proficiency by one point, while meditation for 24 hours increases magic power by 20 points, which is a fourfold increase.
What surprised Ron the most was that after breaking through to become a formal mage, he gained five points of mental strength in one go.
When Old Hall became a formal architectural mage, his magic power only increased by one or two points, while Ron's increased by five points. This shows how effective the exclusive meditation method is.
As for the latter two, the effects of the meditation method exclusive to professional mages remain unchanged. Obviously, to improve the effects of meditation, one must increase proficiency.
As for advancement, it only increases the overall quantity, without any qualitative change.
It is estimated that his strength will only increase significantly after reaching the mentor level.
Early the next morning, Ron took Leonardo da Vinci to the hill at the end of the western city wall.
Thun led the heavily armored guards to help manage the arriving refugees.
Several hundred refugees, mainly men, naturally required a strong army to deter them.
Within the territory, the army with the strongest deterrent power is undoubtedly the heavily armored guards.
With a strong physique and full-body heavy armor, he is extremely intimidating.
Dozens of kilometers away from Ashwood Territory, a complex group of people is slowly making its way towards Ashwood Territory.
Gavin stared in disbelief at the distant city and the endless city walls on the other side.
He had been to the Blackthorn Wasteland before and knew very well how barren it was and how difficult it was to build a city there.
Many of the newly established territories were built with wooden fortifications, so how could he not be shocked by the fact that stone walls had been built so early on?
Compared to Gavin's shock, the refugees breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the thick city walls.
With the city walls protecting it, the safety is much better than the territories with wooden fortifications that we've seen along the way.
Along the way, to ensure the safety of the team, Gavin dared not take the route of the powerful lords, and could only detour around, passing by the gates of the territories of the lesser lords.
Seeing that the group numbered in the hundreds, the minor lords naturally dared not make any rash moves and even closed the city gates, fearing that Gavin and his men might suddenly turn into a band of thieves and break into their territories.
Reynolds, a twelve-year-old boy in the group of refugees, stared blankly at the distant city walls and instinctively said, "Father, I'm thirsty!"
Rem, Reynolds' father, felt a pang of heartache seeing his youngest son's chapped lips and pale face.
He gently stroked his youngest son's head: "Hang in there a little longer, we'll be there soon, and then we can have some water."
Reynolds nodded with difficulty.
Rem didn't want to leave his homeland to come here; he simply couldn't survive here anymore. He came from the central part of the kingdom, and his noble family had lost a war and had to cede a large amount of land as compensation. The farmland his family rented was among the compensation. When the new lord arrived, not only did he stop renting land to them, but he even took away the house they lived in.
According to the laws of the kingdom, everything within the territory of a nobleman belongs to the lord, including the houses they build themselves.
Without fields and houses, they naturally left the territory.
In the kingdom, any refugee who is not taken in by a noble territory within three months will be sent to the border.