The Elven Cultivator

Ninefold Celestial Tower, the study.

Light from the Light Source Stone on the ceiling cascaded down, bathing the entire study in a bright yet gentle glow.

Anton sat behind a long table, reviewing the documents Eleanor had just brought him.

The Elf Maiden sat across from him. A thick stack of sheepskin paper was spread out before her as she methodically reported on recent affairs.

”I’ve assigned a banner team to guard the Blood Soul Cave. For now, everything is running smoothly.”

”We’ve also begun harvesting Blood Soul Crystals. The first batch was transported back to Nine Nether City and distributed to the Warriors practicing the Eight Desolates Prison-Suppression Scripture. The feedback has been excellent.”

”Our tests confirm that Blood Soul Crystals can grow continuously, but they require a constant supply of flesh and blood. Our current plan is to ’feed’ them with Firemane Beasts. From now on, all Firemane Beasts from the Beast Arena will be sent to the Blood Soul Cave.”

The Beast Arena Eleanor mentioned was the very ranch Kresol Dragon City had once used to raise Firemane Beasts.

The site was also an Earth Vein Node, though it was smaller than the ones at Taichu City and Nine Nether City.

To maximize the energy from the Earth Vein Node, the Silver Moon Race had expanded the ranch into a large-scale Beast Arena.

All Spirit Beasts that were improved and bred in the Taichu City Beast Garden and were suitable for large-scale domestication would be transferred to the Beast Arena for the next phase of mass breeding.

This included the Firemane Beasts and Scale Rock Lizards.

Anton kept his eyes on the document, asking casually, ”How’s the efficiency compared to using Firemane Beast meat to aid cultivation?”

”Quite good.” A slight smile touched Eleanor’s lips. ”A single Firemane Beast fed to a Blood Soul Crystal cluster yields crystals with far more energy than the beast’s flesh and blood could provide on its own. The return on investment is very high.”

Anton nodded slightly.

The fundamental purpose of a Blood Soul Crystal cluster was to convert flesh and blood into more efficient Energy Crystals, thereby reducing the energy lost during absorption by a living being.

Furthermore, under the influence of the Array, the crystals also absorbed ambient elemental energy during their formation, resulting in a net energy gain.

If that weren’t the case, the ancient civilization that built the underground base wouldn’t have gone to such great lengths to create the cave.

”What about the yield?” Anton asked next.

Eleanor smiled. ”We’ve made some rough calculations. If we provide enough nutrients to max out the growth rate of the Blood Soul Crystal clusters, we estimate the annual yield could support the cultivation needs of up to ten thousand Warriors practicing the Eight Desolates Prison-Suppression Scripture.”

Anton’s eyes lit up. ”Excellent.”

The Silver Moon Legion’s current numbers had only just surpassed seven thousand, and a significant portion of them were Casters.

This yield was more than enough to meet the Silver Moon Legion’s needs, with plenty to spare.

With the Blood Soul Crystals, they wouldn’t have to worry about Cultivation Resources for strength-based techniques for decades to come.

Besides, it was also possible to expand the clusters to increase their yield.

”Have the clan’s Casters begin researching ways to expand the Blood Soul Crystal clusters. Also, push the development of the Nine Nether City Domain out to the Blood Soul Cave as quickly as possible and formally incorporate it into our territory.”

”We’re already on it.” Eleanor made a note on her document. ”We’ll prioritize developing the area toward the Blood Soul Cave. We expect to extend the light paths, ventilation systems, and network of watchtowers there within six months.”

Seeing Anton nod, Eleanor moved on to another matter.

”There’s also the matter of the Catman girl, Ye Tong.”

”Her contribution was indispensable in helping the Dark Banner Team see through the ambush and avoid heavy casualties. Romance feels that simply awarding her merit points isn’t enough for what she did and has requested a better reward.”

’A Catman, huh...’

Anton mulled it over for a moment before saying slowly, ”First, test her for a Spirit Root.”

Eleanor froze for a second, looking at Anton in surprise.

He continued, ”If she doesn’t have a Spirit Root, have her practice the Eight Desolates Prison-Suppression Scripture. If she does, give her a Dao Cultivation Technique.”

Eleanor stared at Anton, astonished. ”If she has a Spirit Root...” she hesitated, ”does that mean we’re recruiting her as a disciple of Taichu City?”

”Not yet.” Anton shook his head. ”Let’s wait until she has something to show for her cultivation.”

”I understand.”

Eleanor agreed, understanding his reasoning.

’After all, Ye Tong is a member of a Vassal Race, not the Silver Moon Race proper.’

’Granting her the status of a Taichu City disciple outright would be too sudden, and it would be difficult to get others to accept it.’

’It was better to let her cultivate first. If she could produce results, the facts would speak for themselves.’

’At that point, even if some people had objections, they wouldn’t have a leg to stand on.’

But regardless of whether Ye Tong ultimately became a disciple of Taichu City, she had certainly struck gold this time.

’Neither the Eight Desolates Prison-Suppression Scripture nor a Dao Cultivation Technique was something an outsider could easily gain access to.’

’Especially the latter. On the entire Dawn Continent, there was no one else besides the Silver Moon Race who could impart such power.’

’The Catman girl herself probably didn’t even realize that her destiny had been irrevocably altered in that moment.’

Anton paid no mind to Eleanor’s thoughts.

Giving Ye Tong this opportunity wasn’t just a reward for her service; it was also a chance to test an idea he’d had for some time.

’What were the differences between the bloodlines of this world’s races and the Demon Race of the Cultivation Realm?’

’What would happen if they practiced a Demon Race Cultivation Technique?’

’A Catman would be an excellent test subject.’

Anton reined in his thoughts and asked about another matter. ”What was the reaction from the Heart of the Mountains after they got the forging techniques for Rune Equipment?”

At the mention of this, a peculiar smile appeared on Eleanor’s face, as if she were trying to suppress a laugh.

”They sent people to purchase Sensing Spirit Stones and Spirit Fire Talismans.”

Hearing this, the corners of Anton’s mouth turned up in a slight smile as well.

He could just imagine the scene.

The Dwarves of the Heart of the Mountains, having gotten the forging techniques, had eagerly tried to replicate the Rune Equipment, only to discover they couldn’t do it at all without Sensing Spirit Stones and Spirit Fire Talismans.

And as luck would have it, the Silver Moon Race was the only one on the entire continent who could provide those two items.

”The procurer from the Heart of the Mountains has complained to me in private several times.” Eleanor chuckled, covering her mouth. ”He said they never should have agreed to the technology exchange. Now, not only did they fail to get the complete technique, they also have to buy the key consumables from us. We’re profiting at every turn.”

Anton gave a wry laugh, completely unconcerned.

The Heart of the Mountains hadn’t been entirely sincere when they’d offered their Demon Crystal technology for his Rune Equipment forging techniques in the first place.

Both sides had their own selfish motives. It was a case of the pot calling the kettle black; there was nothing more to say.

Eleanor continued, ”But for all their complaining, they certainly aren’t skimping on their purchases.”

”In their first order alone, they asked for five thousand Sensing Spirit Stones and ten thousand Spirit Fire Talismans. It looks like they not only want to forge Rune Equipment for the war effort, but also intend to research substitutes for our stones and talismans.”

Anton gave a noncommittal nod.

He had anticipated as much.

Given the Dwarves’ pride in their own forging skills, they would never give up on replicating the technique without even trying.

They wouldn’t admit defeat until they had failed hundreds, if not thousands, of times and had thoroughly hit a dead end.

’This was fine, too.’

The more the Dwarves experimented, the more orders for Spirit Stones and Talismans they would place with his clan.

It was money for the taking.

”Oh, right. Take this list back with you.”

Anton suddenly changed the subject, taking a thick stack of paper from the side of the table and pushing it toward Eleanor.

”Have the clan’s Alchemists and Enchanters master Demon Crystal technology as quickly as possible, then start manufacturing the products on this list.”

Eleanor took the stack of papers and glanced down at them, a look of surprise immediately appearing on her face.

The list was filled with design concepts for products based on Demon Crystal technology.

A Magic Crystal Lamp, powered by a Demon Crystal. It would use a rune circuit to convert the crystal’s energy into stable Light Energy. Its luminous efficiency would far surpass ordinary Light Source Stones, its brightness would be adjustable, and its lifespan would be longer. As long as the Demon Crystal wasn’t depleted, a single lamp could be used continuously for decades without needing replacement.

A Magic Crystal Furnace, replacing traditional firewood and charcoal. It would be powered by Demon Crystals, using built-in heating runes to convert energy into high temperatures for smelting and forging. The temperature would be higher and easier to control, and it wouldn’t produce any smoke or waste gas, making it far less harmful to the environment and the operator.

A Demon Crystal Carriage, propelled by Demon Crystals instead of beasts of burden. A drive rune array installed on the undercarriage would be powered by a Demon Crystal to turn the wheels. It would be fast, have a long range, and be perfect for long-distance transportation. The transport efficiency of a single Demon Crystal carriage would be at least triple that of an ordinary one.

There was also Magic Crystal mining equipment, Magic Crystal smelting furnaces, Magic Crystal Extraction Towers, Magic Crystal arbalests...

Eleanor flipped through the pages one by one, her expression shifting from its initial calm to surprise, and finally, to unconcealable shock.

She looked up at Anton, her voice tinged with disbelief. ”You... designed all of these?”

”They’re just concepts, not complete schematics. The clan’s Alchemists and Enchanters will have to work out the specific product details themselves,” Anton said calmly.

Eleanor was silent for a moment.

She had studied the Dwarves’ Demon Crystal technology. The Heart of the Mountains had come up with very few applications for it, and almost all of them were in the military sphere.

Yet the list Anton provided, from civilian lighting to industrial smelting, from transportation to military armaments, covered nearly every conceivable application of Demon Crystal technology.

Some of these products were things even the Dwarves hadn’t invented yet.

’And how long had Anton even had this technology?’

’Less than two months.’

’In such a short time, he had already distilled so many practical applications from those dry, theoretical principles.’

’It was simply incredible!’

’True, they were just concepts, not complete designs.’

’But everyone knew that the most important part of developing any application was the initial idea, the spark of inspiration. Once that barrier was broken, the rest was just a matter of patient work.’

Even though she had already witnessed many of Anton’s extraordinary feats, Eleanor couldn’t help but marvel at him once again.

”I’ll assign people to handle this as soon as possible,” Eleanor said with a serious expression.

Anton nodded, then asked, ”How is the search for an assistant going?”

”I’ve already spoken with Furlo.” A smile touched Eleanor’s lips. ”She’ll be formally joining the Document Hall.”

Anton nodded slightly.

’With Furlo’s help, things should be a bit easier for Eleanor from now on.’

”Besides Furlo, you can continue to scout for suitable assistants among the Taichu City disciples. Delegate non-essential tasks whenever you can.”

”Yes, I know.” Eleanor beamed.