The Elven Cultivator

Besides the subterranean monsters and various intelligent races, the intricate terrain of the Dark Nether Realm itself also posed a significant obstacle to the exploration teams.

This subterranean world had no road signs, no landmarks—only endless rock, fissures, and underground rivers.

Some areas were vast enough to contain the entire Taichu City, while others were so narrow that a person could only squeeze through sideways, their walls covered in sharp-angled rock.

The exploration teams had to advance with extreme care and caution every step of the way.

Fortunately, these years of hard work had not been in vain.

Three years of exploration yielded quite a bountiful harvest.

Veins of ore were the biggest prize.

The four squads had discovered a cumulative total of twenty-seven metallic ore veins, nearly half of which were rare.

In addition, they had also found numerous locations where various rare plants grew.

Eleanor had specially dispatched a group of experienced Elves from the Taichu City Spirit Plant Garden to establish small gardens at each of these locations, cultivating the rare plants more professionally to improve their quantity and quality.

”I’ve designated the surrounding areas that have been explored and brought under our control or influence, with Nine Nether City as the origin point, as the ’Nine Nether City Domain.’”

”Currently, the Nine Nether City Domain’s radius of control has exceeded ten kilometers and is still expanding.”

”Within the domain, infrastructure projects for lighting, ventilation, roads, and navigation are being carried out successively. As of now, the area within a seven-kilometer radius has been mostly renovated, and work on the remaining three kilometers is being expedited.”

Eleanor methodically recounted the summarized information. Her report was clear, the data was detailed, and it was obvious she had a firm grasp on the affairs of Nine Nether City.

After that, she paused, her tone suddenly turning a bit more solemn.

”However, the northern exploration team has recently run into a situation.”

Anton’s gaze flickered. ”What happened?”

”About fifteen kilometers from Nine Nether City, the northern exploration squad discovered signs of a large number of subterranean creatures from various races. Judging by their tracks and signs of activity, their numbers are not small. Romance has already personally led a team to investigate deeper in that direction, but we haven’t received any word back yet.”

Anton was thoughtful. ”Are there any signs of subterranean races living there in settlements?”

Eleanor shook her head. ”Almost none.”

Anton understood at once. ”Then it’s likely some valuable resource has appeared, attracting numerous subterranean groups to fight over it.”

Such things were not uncommon in the Dark Nether Realm.

The sudden exposure of a rare ore vein, the ripening fruit of a rare Magic Plant, or even the fall of a Legendary Giant Beast... any of these could be the spark that ignited a scramble among various factions, plunging an entire area into a chaotic melee.

”Tell Romance to act with caution and not be reckless,” Anton said. ”If things get too difficult, have them retreat first and regroup with the other three squads before taking further action.”

”I’ve already sent someone to relay the message.”

Eleanor was as reliable as ever, setting one’s mind at ease.

Anton nodded in satisfaction and asked, ”How are the Taichu City disciples participating in the exploration performing?”

A smile appeared on Eleanor’s face. ”Very well. They’ve been very proactive in the exploration teams and never complain about hardship or fatigue.”

”I heard that over the past few years, they’ve learned many new Techniques suitable for exploring the Dark Nether Realm, which have been a great help during the process.”

When he first recruited the initial batch of disciples, Anton had intentionally transcribed the legacies from the Taoist Jade Scroll and compiled them into books.

They covered everything from the most basic theories of cultivation to Cultivation Techniques, martial skills, Techniques, and the hundred arts of cultivation, such as Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Arrays, and Talismans.

After Taichu City was built, these books were all placed in the library pavilion.

Most of these books were available to all disciples for free, while a small portion required Contribution Points to be exchanged.

Over the years, the number of books in the library pavilion had reached a staggering scale. The collection of Techniques alone was all-encompassing, with countless varieties covering every category, including the Five Elements, yin, and yang.

The disciples of Taichu City could freely choose suitable Cultivation Techniques and Techniques from this vast, ocean-like library based on their own Spirit Root attributes, combat styles, and practical needs. This truly allowed for teaching according to aptitude, letting each person develop their strengths.

Under such conditions, finding some Techniques suitable for use in the Dark Nether Realm was almost laughably simple.

”And what about the Ghost Scale Race and the Catmen?” Anton asked.

Eleanor’s smile deepened. ”The Ghost Scale Race has been a great help with underground water source exploration and directional positioning. They discovered several ore veins by tracking the flow of groundwater.”

”The Catmen have also played a significant role in reconnaissance and tracking. On several occasions, they detected enemy ambushes in advance, preventing unnecessary casualties.”

”The merit system has had a clear motivational effect on them. In order to accumulate merits, they are exceptionally diligent when carrying out tasks, never slacking off or cutting corners. I’d say their enthusiasm for work is even higher now than when they first arrived.”

Anton gave a faint smile. ”When there’s something to hope for, there’s naturally motivation.”

The core of the merit system was never punishment, but motivation.

Letting the Vassal Races see the rewards of their efforts and understand that they could receive better treatment as long as they made contributions would naturally make them give their all.

This was a more effective driving force than swords and whips.

”There’s one matter I’m undecided on, and I’d like to hear your opinion.” Eleanor’s tone shifted, her expression turning serious. ”As the exploration distance increases, the teams’ round-trip travel time to Nine Nether City is getting longer and longer. The underground isn’t like the surface, after all. There are no mounts, and using Flying Magical Artifacts is inconvenient. Most of the time, they can only rely on their own two feet.”

”Furthermore, as the domain’s radius continues to expand, this problem will only become more severe. The travel time alone consumes a huge amount of time, drastically reducing exploration efficiency. I was wondering if there’s a good way to solve this.”

This was indeed a problem that needed solving.

Anton pondered for a moment and quickly came to a decision.

”Arrange for manpower to establish outposts at set intervals along the main exploration routes, with Nine Nether City as the core. These will serve as rest stops and supply points for the exploration teams.”

”Afterward, I will also set up Teleportation Arrays in each outpost, connecting them to the outskirts of Nine Nether City. This way, the teams can travel quickly between the outposts and Nine Nether City via the arrays, saving a great deal of travel time.”

Eleanor thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

The fundamental principles of a Teleportation Array in a Magic system and one in a cultivation system were more or less the same.

The only difference was that a Teleportation Array in a Magic system required a Legend-rank Caster to guide the spatial coordinates for it to function properly.

The cultivation system’s Teleportation Array, however, did not.

As long as it was built, regularly maintained, and supplied with sufficient Spirit Stones, it could continue to operate on its own indefinitely.

But there was one aspect where both were the same.

The construction cost was extremely high, requiring a large quantity of rare, space-attributed materials.

Space-attributed materials were already rare and precious. Using them to build Teleportation Arrays was tantamount to burying piles of Gold Coins directly in the ground.

Right now, the Nine Nether City Domain wasn’t that large. A single-digit number of Teleportation Arrays would be enough to provide full coverage, so the investment wasn’t yet outrageous.

But in the future, as the Nine Nether City Domain grew larger, the investment in Teleportation Arrays would also skyrocket to a painful degree.

Anton was naturally aware of this.

But even so, it was still a necessary investment.

It wasn’t just Nine Nether City; the Silver Moon Forest and Taichu City would also need Teleportation Arrays.

Only then could the Clan’s sphere of influence be truly woven into an airtight net.

The allocation of manpower and resources would also become unprecedentedly efficient.

From a long-term perspective, this was not only to increase the efficiency of exploration in the Dark Nether Realm but also to maintain the Clan’s rule.

It was a long-term investment, and one that absolutely had to be made.

Eleanor noted down Anton’s instructions one by one.

Looking at the young woman’s serious face, Anton suddenly said, ”The Clan’s affairs will only increase in the future. Sooner or later, you won’t be able to handle it all by yourself. It’s time to find some suitable assistants.”

Eleanor was slightly taken aback. ”The Document Hall has been expanding and recruiting more staff.”

Anton shook his head. ”The Document Hall can only help you with miscellaneous tasks. They can’t get involved in the truly core matters. What you need are real assistants, people who can share the burden of affairs that the Document Hall can’t handle.”

Anton’s words were not born from any consideration for the balance of power.

Though he didn’t usually concern himself with day-to-day affairs, leaving them entirely to his subordinates, the core of the Clan’s development still rested on him alone.

If he wished, he could reclaim that authority at any time without any obstruction.

He was saying this now purely out of concern for Eleanor.

After all, the staff of the Document Hall were just ordinary Elves, not Cultivators.

As they did not walk the path of the Dao, there were many core affairs they couldn’t even begin to comprehend, let alone handle.

For instance, the management and operation of Taichu City constantly required Eleanor’s oversight.

Taichu City had only just gotten started, so Eleanor could still manage on her own for now.

But as the number of disciples grew in the future, the workload would only become more demanding.

When that time came, it would be impossible for Eleanor to handle everything by herself.

”After this year’s aptitude test, the number of disciples in Taichu City has surpassed one hundred,” Anton said. ”You can scout for a few suitable prospects from among them to assist you with your duties.”

Eleanor naturally knew that Anton was concerned for her. Her heart warmed, and she readily agreed.

”Alright, I’ll do as you say.”

After a pause, she suddenly remembered something and said, ”I think Furlo would be quite suitable.”

Upon hearing this, the image of a gentle and graceful figure flashed through Anton’s mind. He agreed, ”Furlo is indeed a good choice.”

The first batch of disciples recruited back then had all mostly matured and were gradually becoming capable of handling things on their own.

And among those twelve disciples, Furlo’s personality was the most steady and mature. She was meticulous and methodical, making her indeed the best candidate to assist Eleanor with her duties.

”I’ll find some time to talk to Furlo about it later,” Eleanor said.