Chapter 94: What Happened Might… Not Be So Bad?

Hearing the continuous chime of system notifications, Kaiden paused his Earth Sight skill and looked at the chain of alerts in disbelief.

He hadn't expected that finding resources would trigger an achievement and earn him a new title.

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Title: Baron of Resources

Description: Through your efforts, and using various methods and techniques, you discovered three natural resource points within 24 hours.

Effects:

+5% Resource gathering speed.

+1% Resource reserve increase.

Note: This effect applies to all types of resource points under the host's control.

---

Kaiden was pleased with the title. Its effects were simple and clear, especially the first one — highly useful and practical.

After reading the title's description, Kaiden reactivated his trusty skill and looked down at the water source below. It was a winding artery, like a densely concentrated Water-element eastern dragon. Kaiden traced the artery to the edge of his skill's current range and guessed, based on its general direction, that it originated from a tall mountain near his lands.

Either way, he wasn't concerned with the source itself. All he needed to do was build a traditional well, craft a gear mechanism similar to the ones used to raise the gates, and attach it to a bucket to draw water.

Traditional as this method was, in truth, he didn't know of a better one. A single well wouldn't be enough to cover the Territory's current needs. Tomorrow, Kaiden would conduct a full survey of his lands, hoping to find more sources. He'd turn every water artery into several wells — then water wouldn't be a problem for a long while.

As the sun disappeared, Asra arrived, landing smoothly on Kaiden's shoulder.

"I think I found a ruins site, sir!"

Seeing Asra return safely and hearing her excited announcement, Kaiden felt a surge of joy too, and they headed to the Lord's Hall with quick steps.

Kaiden pulled out the map again, but didn't open it right away — instead, he first asked Asra to describe the ruins. He was curious.

"Master, I searched for a long time and nearly gave up, but as the first thread of darkness fell, I spotted something in the distance. At first I thought I was imagining things, but once I got closer, I was sure."

Asra took a deep breath to organize her thoughts, then continued:

"There were semi-transparent ripples, similar to the protective barrier that used to surround the Master's lands before. I watched for a while — it rippled and revealed, for a fraction of a second, the scene hidden behind those ripples. I couldn't see clearly, but I saw endless earthen walls connected to each other in a complex pattern."

"...Walls?" Kaiden asked, his interest piqued.

Asra hesitated briefly, then nodded.

"Yes, sir, but I'm not entirely certain, since the scene vanished in the blink of an eye. When I got closer, I couldn't enter, and this matches quite closely with the information the Master gave me about ruins."

"You've done great work as always, Asra." Kaiden rubbed his beloved pet's head, and once his curiosity was satisfied, he opened the map and asked her to mark the ruins' location.

Kaiden drew a small circle where Asra's claw pointed, and a system notification appeared as expected.

[Quest "Adventure Lover" completed. Reward sent to the Lord's inventory: ×1 Ruins Information Booklet]

Kaiden pulled the booklet from his storage. It was blue, with no title on its cover, and true to its name, it was indeed a booklet — thin, without many pages.

He resisted his curiosity and put it back in storage. Dinner time had arrived, and he still had work waiting after that.

"Just one task left..." Kaiden murmured, rising from his designated chair in the Lord's Hall. He'd already sent word to Sidra not to bring his dinner to the Lord's Hall.

He picked up Asra, who showed no sign of objecting, set her on his shoulder, and they headed out together. Despite nightfall having set in, the dirt streets, whose shape had begun forming spontaneously from countless footsteps, were all lit up with torches to keep the darkness at bay.

Upon reaching Sidra's large restaurant, they found a big crowd of people gathered. Kaiden scanned the area and soon his eyes settled on a group standing apart from everyone else. Unlike his Territory's residents, who chatted with smiles on their faces, this group stayed mostly silent, many of them gripping the hems of their clothes, their faces flushed with visible embarrassment.

Leading this group was Patrick, who was trying to appear calm but failing miserably — his chubby face had turned as red as a ripe tomato ready for picking under the torchlight.

Seeing this sight, Kaiden nearly burst out laughing, but held it back. He understood that Patrick and his people felt embarrassed. Their situation was different from everyone else's, this wasn't their environment, and it was mealtime — so their embarrassment was only natural.

Kaiden stepped forward several paces. The chatter stopped immediately, and everyone greeted Kaiden respectfully.

"Good evening, my lord!"

Patrick and his people also tried to imitate the others' greeting, but unlike the loud, clear voices of the Territory's original residents, coming straight from the heart, their voices came out weak and somewhat broken.

"...Good evening... my lord..."

Kaiden didn't mind, understanding they were trying. He returned the greeting with a smile to everyone without distinction, then stepped toward Patrick.

"Hey, how's it going? Did Casper show you around my Territory? What did you think of it?" Kaiden asked a string of questions with a humble smile on his face, a stark contrast to the arrogance he'd shown while invading... no, rescuing the chubby man and his people.

"..."

This stark contrast left Patrick stunned, and he was slow to respond.

"Ah... boss, Casper treated us well and showed us around your Territory... I have to say, you've done something amazing, boss!" Patrick stammered at first, but by the time he got to those last words, his stammering vanished, his eyes brimming with admiration.

Kaiden noticed the title the chubby man had used to address him and didn't mind it. He chatted with him a bit more, and once dinner was ready and the tables filled with delicious dishes, everyone sat down, including Patrick and his people. Then Kaiden clapped his hands firmly, drawing everyone's attention.

"Today was another day everyone worked hard. Especially the mining team — you endured the suffocating, dark environment, and the ache in your backs and hands. I appreciate your work, everyone." Kaiden opened his speech with these words, looking at the mining team, noticing their limbs trembling involuntarily, a clear sign of how exhausted they were after their very first day of continuous mining. He then turned to another group, distinguished by their sun-tanned skin.

"I also appreciate and thank the farming team. You endured standing under the blazing sun most of the day to secure our food supply."

"And I know, logging team, about the quiet effort you put in, and I know that hauling tree trunks over long distances is an incredibly difficult task... genuinely, thank you."

"I also thank everyone working in the workshops, and I thank our soldiers, the watchful eyes that stay awake to protect us while we sleep... everyone, thank you."

Patrick listened to Kaiden's calm speech, one that had managed to win over the hearts of every one of his Territory's residents with just a few words, then looked at the delicious food before him, and for the first time since his defeat, felt that what had happened might... not have been so bad after all.

End of Chapter 94.