Chapter 917 - 536: Elf Key and Eternal Well

"Hahaha, I didn’t know you were so afraid of me, Marie!"

Zong Shen stood by the shore, letting out a hearty laugh.

It was only at this moment that Marie dared to part her fingers slightly, sneaking a peek.

With that glance, she finally understood what was going on.

Actually, while in the water, he only took off his upper garment.

His hemp woven trousers were still on him.

As he came ashore, both legs of the trousers were filled with water.

Inflated like they were filled with air.

Zong Shen played around a bit, feeling much refreshed.

Men remain boys until the end.

Now, the territory’s development is on the right track.

His own strength is ample enough for him to stand firm on the Endless Continent.

The pressure regarding survival and development has been lifted from his shoulders.

"Master..."

"You’re truly such a rascal..."

Marie stood up indignantly, speaking with both shame and anger.

She almost blurted out the word ’rogue’.

Thankfully, she stopped herself just in time.

Zong Shen’s face bore a cheeky, defiant grin.

"Well, got guts now."

"Actually called this lord a rogue!"

"Since that’s the case, I’ll act like a rogue then!"

As he spoke, he grabbed at his waistband as if he might drop his pants at any moment.

Faced with such shameless rogue behavior.

Marie quickly turned around, running without looking back.

There is a circle of woods around this lake.

Though many trees have been chopped down, plenty still remain.

Marie walked to the other side of the woods.

To avoid further teasing.

After all, a young girl is still a young girl.

Zong Shen watched her reaction, suppressing a smile.

He glanced around, coming to the back of a large rock.

Changed into a set of new hemp woven underwear.

Truth be told, Zong Shen treats these cheap, rough undergarments as disposable items.

The coarse hemp fibers are uncomfortable, poor at both warmth and moisture-wicking.

Their biggest use is probably just for modesty.

Thankfully, they’re very cheap.

Buy a sackful from the indigenous people in one go.

The manufacturing process isn’t complicated, belonging to low-level white-grade manufacturing blueprints.

The raw materials are entirely hemp.

After changing into new hemp woven underwear.

Zong Shen again cleaned his battle armor and protective equipment in the lake.

Then placed them on the rock to dry.

Because of the challenge, the sun overhead was especially scorching.

There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.

A temperature of 35°C comparable to midsummer.

The rock’s top was very hot from the sun.

Even spitting on it would quickly evaporate.

Thus, the battle armor and protective gear dried within minutes.

Zong Shen began to slowly put them on.

It’s now around four in the afternoon.

Less than an hour has passed since he took down the Flame Demon.

Since taming Eagle, obtaining the Teleportation Gate.

The time he spent on travel has increasingly decreased.

This is also an indirect efficiency improvement.

Once fully dressed, Eagle flapped back, landing by the lake.

It seemed thirsty too, stretching its neck and opening its huge beak like a ladle to scoop the water.

Zong Shen didn’t mind Eagle, instead heading towards the woods at the lake’s edge.

Behind a large tree, he found Marie.

The embarrassment had mostly subsided in the young girl.

She was squatting under the tree, dazedly gazing at the dark soil.

"Marie."

Zong Shen softly called, standing a short distance away.

After hearing Zong Shen’s voice, the young girl immediately stood up.

Her eyes somewhat evasive, yet still as clear as before.

"Master, you finished washing?"

Zong Shen nodded, restraining his urge to further tease Marie.

"Let’s go, let’s head back to the territory."

"In a bit, let Korby take Wolf Rider Squad One to escort you to Sitanos Village."

"Those metal cages for housing scorpion-tailed tigers, and the grounds need Master Mars to arrange."

This was something he had planned earlier.

In a bit, he’ll have Eagle take Griffin Squad back to Griffin’s Nest.

He’s not planning to leave a beacon there.

Anyway, there’s a Crossbowman Squad stationed, they have Communication Crystals on them.

If necessary, they can quickly contact them.

With the griffin’s speed, an hour is enough for a round trip.

Today’s Flame Demon Boss raid he brought Griffin Squad.

Eagle has stayed in the territory for several days.

It should return to its nest for a few days now.

One reason is to maintain control over Griffin’s Nest.

The other reason is to ensure everything is fairly shared.

Although Flying Tiger can’t defeat Eagle, it’s still an overlord-level raptor.

In the past few days, Flying Tiger’s loyalty hasn’t increased at all.

It also needs some good nurturing of bonds.

Additionally, those scorpion-tailed tigers are not to be underestimated in strength.

The sooner they integrate, the sooner they can become an asset to the territory.

Considering all factors, starting tomorrow it’s Flying Tiger and the scorpion-tailed tigers’ turn to stay in the territory.

Take advantage of these few days of rotation to solve the scorpion-tailed tiger placement issue at Sitanos Village.

Who would’ve guessed Zong Shen had even left a surprise force in the nearby indigenous people’s village.

"Oh..."

"Alright, Master."

"I’ll go oversee this with my father."

Marie nodded obediently, her beautiful large eyes blinked adorably.

With a unique girlish daze.

She’s not only the territory’s logistics officer but also Zong Shen’s little fan.

After a brief exchange, Zong Shen brought Marie back to the lakeside.

The two mounted Eagle’s back.

Zong Shen had Marie sit by Eagle’s neck.

He himself sat at the back.

Once Eagle flapped into the air steadily, Zong Shen pushed the lever of the [Magic Jet Propulsion Armor].

"Hold tight!"

The twin turbine ducts pivoted to the rear, starting to revolve ’rumble’ sounds.

Two streams of air jets propelled, boosting Eagle’s speed by a notch.

With previous experience, Zong Shen increased the jet armor’s power to its maximum within ten seconds.

It took just over two minutes to fly from Lake Heart Island to the southern edge of the territory.

Zong Shen shut off the armor, ceasing the acceleration.

Eagle trembled slightly, pinpointing a spot to descend towards the central district.