Chapter 003: Greenland

The silver light whistled past, and with a resounding "clang," it struck the orchid leaves that ensnared Gaia. A flash of golden starlight flickered across the leaves. Old Anderson, with all his strength, brought down his blade upon the orchid leaves, but it could only penetrate halfway before becoming firmly lodged.

The Grim Reaper's scythe once again brushed past Gaia's nose.

"Young master, let us go," old Anderson sighed inwardly. He realized he was already old, yet the young master, at only fourteen years of age, was destined to spend his life in such a place. It truly seemed that heaven was exceedingly unfair.

As Gaia passed by the Adventurer's Tavern and the pawn shop, he did not linger. Indeed, openly selling this armor at the Adventurer's Tavern would surely fetch a good price, but it would also attract the attention of those with ulterior motives. Gaia currently lacked the strength to protect himself, and he did not wish for this breastplate to bring trouble to Greenland.

Generally speaking, skeleton soldiers are merely a framework of bones; however, these two magical armored skeleton soldiers are different. Their bodies are entirely encased in steel, which explains why Old Anderson felt them to be so heavy when he loaded them onto the cart. On the chest of the skeleton soldiers, which is seamlessly covered in steel, there is a hidden compartment the size of a bowl.

Ah! Gaia exclaimed in surprise, struggling to retreat. However, his strength was truly no match for that orchid. The seemingly fragile leaves of the orchid were, in fact, incredibly resilient, pulling Gaia's body little by little towards the dark compartment

This bloodthirsty nightmare orchid is not yet mature, but it has already exhausted the full strength of old Anderson, a novice silver warrior, to the point where he cannot sever even a single leaf. One can only imagine how terrifying this plant is.

The municipal official of Gaia is dressed slightly more neatly than his subjects, yet his long robe has already faded from washing, clearly indicating that in Greenland, everyone's situation is not good, including that of Lord Gaia

... ...

Gaia could no longer concern herself with so much; suddenly, her fighting spirit erupted, a flash of golden light appeared, and she clenched her fist, striking forcefully against the back of the blade

Gaia was confident: "Have you forgotten about those two magic-armored skeleton soldiers?"

Hogenberg's servant is certainly extraordinary. Although Gaia does not understand magic, she can tell that the materials used for these two magical skeleton soldiers are undoubtedly of the highest quality. Each one is worth a fortune, and even the armor they wear is far from ordinary.

"Today is a fortunate day for us, master and servant," Gaia said. "It is not yet mature, and it is evident that the enchanted skeletal soldier has limited its performance, allowing it to only shoot out a single leaf; otherwise..." The two dared not think further.

Without the explanation from Old Anderson, the Bloodthirsty Nightmare Orchid is a terrifying plant that is well-known throughout the Abyss. Gaia shuddered: "Is that dark red liquid human blood?" Old Anderson nodded. The combat power of a mature Bloodthirsty Nightmare Orchid is equivalent to that of a mid-level Tier 7 magical beast. The classification of magical beasts in the Abyss is also divided into seven tiers, with each tier having three sub-levels. The highest tier of magical beasts is the high-level Tier 7, while more powerful divine beasts and sacred beasts exist only in legends. Apart from the bards' tales, the number of people who have truly seen them in the Abyss is very few.

These two items remained unchanged, yet the final column of energy—numbers continuously flipping upwards—ultimately emitted a long beep, with the energy value settling at 9256

This is also because adventurers occasionally pass through the territory, and the taxes they pay are somewhat higher, which is why there are five gold coins. If we were to rely entirely on the taxes from the citizens, we would probably not be able to gather even a single gold coin said the municipal officer honestly

Is this really just a small town? Gaia could hardly believe her eyes. In the northern part of Martinique Province, just two hundred miles apart from each other, the two towns were worlds apart. Modo Town had five-meter-high giant stone walls, and the massive city gates were bustling with people coming and going.

"Let us go, young master. The steel on this skeleton soldier has a restraining effect on the Bloodthirsty Nightmare Orchid; it cannot escape," Old Anderson paused to catch his breath, regaining some strength as he pulled Gaia to leave the basement. Gaia ascended the stairs but felt a stir in her heart and turned back to glance at the patch of Bloodthirsty Nightmare Orchid leaves on the ground.

So beautiful! Gaia couldn't help but lean in, and just as his head was close to that hidden compartment, an unexpected turn of events occurred. The orchid's leaves suddenly elongated infinitely, wrapping around Gaia's neck like a fierce green snake!

The entire territory has a tax of only five gold coins each year? Gaia couldn't help but furrow his brow; what he needed most to reform the territory was money

Gaia nodded: "You should immediately send someone to Modo to announce that Greenland Town will abolish the adventurer entry tax in three months."

Hogenberg's two servants, the magical skeletal soldiers, Gaia and Old Anderson, have worked hard to transport them to Greenland Town, where they are now hidden in the basement of the "Lord's Manor." The reason for the quotation marks around the Lord's Manor is that, although it is the best house in all of Greenland Town, it consists of only three wooden cabins and a cellar that the Greenlanders use to store food for the winter. The reason for the quotation marks around the Lord's Manor is that, although it is the best house in all of Greenland Town, it consists of only three wooden cabins and a cellar that the Greenlanders use to store food for the winter.

The Shenglong Dynasty has ruled over the Abyss for several thousand years. The imperial capital, Longnu City, is located in the central province of Alsace within the Shenglong Dynasty. Traveling from Alsace to Greenland, situated in the Martinique province, requires crossing through the provinces of Bourgogne and Picardie, covering a distance of several thousand miles. Gaia and his old servant took a full three months to reach Greenland.

"My lord, why are you covering your face?" For a child like him, who grew up in a remote area, his thoughts were much simpler, completely unaware of why Gaia had deliberately entered the alley and covered his face. Looking at Roy, who wore a bewildered expression, Gaia couldn't help but sigh, abandoning the impulse to have him join in a charade; everything would have to rely on himself.

Gaia's cellar is significantly larger than those of other residents, thus it can be referred to as a basement. Two skeletal soldiers clad in magical armor stand quietly on either side of the basement entrance, resembling two sentinels

A soft sound echoed, and a series of data appeared on the magic gauge.

Without old Anderson's reminder, Gaia also understands this principle. His current body is like a crowbar; if the force applied is too great, the crowbar will not only fail to lift the heavy object but will also break itself.

Warriors and knights have three indicators on the magical gauge: Bone Quality, Muscle Strength, and Fighting Spirit. Each must increase by 500 points in order to advance to the next level of profession. In contrast, wizards have only two indicators: Magic Sensitivity and Magic Control Index

The severed half of the orchid leaf lost its vitality, fell to the ground and twitched a couple of times before becoming still, yet it continued to emit that alluring starlight.

Young Master! Anderson exclaimed in surprise, and Gaia could not help but open his eyes. He still remembered the last measurement results: Bone Quality 20, Muscle Quality 26, Fighting Spirit 0, Magic Sensitivity 11, Magic Control Index 7

Therefore, he chose another place: the auction house

What! The municipal officer was taken aback, and Anderson beside him was also surprised: "Young Master, our taxes rely entirely on the entrance tax from adventurers. If you abolish the entrance tax, how are we supposed to live from now on?"

The Magic Degree Meter is a tool used by professional guilds to assess the strength level of practitioners. The difference between each level measured by the Magic Degree Meter is 500 indices

Bone Quality: 20, Muscle Texture: 26

... ...

Gaia's burden is also carried by Lloyd, containing the breastplate inscribed from the skeletal soldier.

On the road, they endured the harsh winter, and by the time they arrived in Greenland, located in the province of Martinique, it was already the spring of the second year. Although it was spring, the small town of Greenland in the far north was still covered in a silver cloak of ice and snow. Standing on their own territory and looking north, one could even see the endless mountains known as the "unbridgeable" Gangdise.

Young Master

Gaia originally intended to send someone casually to Modo to deliver the message, and the honest municipal officer Strong appointed Roy, who was familiar with the route. However, since Gaia intended to sell armor, it was only natural for him to visit Modo in person, thus Roy became Gaia's guide

However, looking at the over 9,000 battle energy index, Gaia felt an immense sense of anticipation in his heart. He secretly resolved that once he entered the territory, he would ensure that his subjects hunted powerful magical beasts, using the magical energy to enhance their bodies, and then gradually cultivate the battle energy inheritance, striving to fully utilize this battle energy with an index of over 9,000 as soon as possible

And his "father," the foremost expert of the family, has practiced for decades, yet he is likely only a mid-tier Golden Battle God. In terms of fighting spirit, he is even inferior to the current Gaia.

"Bloodthirsty Nightmare Orchid," Old Anderson said, "Fortunately, it is still in its juvenile stage and has not matured; otherwise, the two of us would likely not escape death today"

Old Anderson was taken aback, and Gaia was also stunned

When Gaia saw his subjects welcoming him at the town entrance, he completely abandoned the hope that these subjects would assist him in capturing a magical beast for physical enhancement. Sending these poorly clothed individuals to hunt powerful magical beasts, without even basic protective gear, was essentially sending them to their deaths

Gaia sighed: under such natural conditions, it is already commendable if crops can mature once a year

With a loud bang, the air pressure surged wildly, causing the items in the basement to be blown around chaotically.

Yes, my lord

"What is this thing?" Gaia asked, still shaken.

My lord, less than 200 miles to the west of our Greenland lies the most renowned supply point in the tundra wasteland, the town of Modo. It is well-equipped, featuring an office of the Adventurers' Guild and numerous supply shops. Adventurers truly have no need to enter the tundra wasteland from our location; only those who are lost within the tundra may leave it from our town. This is how our taxes are collected.

"As you command." After the municipal officer left, Anderson anxiously said, "Young master, we only have fifty gold coins left, and we still need seventy more. Where are you going to find a solution?"

The hidden compartment is too small; the Bloodthirsty Nightmare Orchid cannot shoot out two leaves simultaneously

In the Abyss, there are a total of three main professions: Warrior, Knight, and Mage. Other professions, such as Thief, Alchemist, and Priest, can all be categorized under these three main professions

The municipal official immediately picked up a quill and calculated: "My lord, if we send someone, the round-trip fare will require one silver coin, and the cost to publish the message will be ten silver coins, totaling eleven silver coins"

The hard ice shell left behind by the harsh winter is slowly melting under the early spring sunlight, with a similarly hard frozen ground beneath it, and the air remains painfully cold.

Hey! Old Anderson, with renewed vigor, seemed to suddenly regain vitality in his aged body. He radiated silver light all over, fully unleashing the fighting spirit of a novice Silver Warrior. Gripping his waist knife tightly with both hands, he let out a loud roar and slashed towards the terrifying orchid's leaves with a single stroke.

Gaia was filled with an inexplicable horror, deeply feeling that her survival just now was purely a matter of luck

Gaia curiously opened the hidden compartment, and a cascade of sparkling starlight spilled out from within.

Looking around, the hilltops and the land are equally barren. On the desolate plains, a few scattered houses are enclosed by a wooden fence; this is the entirety of the small town of Greenland

However, this time, the three profiles on the magic gauge displayed a set of numbers, and the two numbers for the knight and the warrior were the same

Old Anderson moved one of the enchanted skeleton soldiers to the center of the basement, waiting for Gaia's judgment

The three main professions are divided into seven levels each: for the magician, they are Magic Apprentice, Apprentice Magician, Magician, Magus, Archmage, Grand Magus, and Title Magus; for the warrior, they are Bronze Warrior, Silver Warrior, Gold Warrior, Bronze War God, Silver War God, Gold War God, and Title War God; for the knight, they are Copper Emblem Knight, Silver Emblem Knight, Gold Emblem Knight, Copper Emblem Knight Commander, Silver Emblem Knight Commander, Gold Emblem Knight Commander, and Title Knight Commander

My lord, Greenland is your territory. If you wish to establish a supply store and a tavern, the costs for houses and land are minimal; you only need to have your subjects build them for you, and the cost in this regard is almost negligible. However, the expenses for inventory are considerable. I roughly calculated that for just the most basic items—adventurers' armor, weapons, food, low-grade magic crystals, as well as drinks and food for the tavern—you will need at least 120 gold coins.

What other resources does Greenland have? Aside from this geographical advantage, it is truly difficult to identify anything else that can be developed. With five gold coins waiting each year for starvation, it is better to take a risk. We have a three-month buffer period to open the supply store and the adventurers' tavern. Municipal officer

The orchid's leaves seem to be completely indifferent to this minor injury, still pulling Gaia back slowly.

Gaia understood that Greenland was in ruins, and there wasn't even a bar in the town, let alone a supply store selling adventure consumables. No wonder those adventurers were unwilling to come.

Old Anderson was searching for something beside the piece of chest armor, and Gaia inadvertently noticed that there was a hidden compartment on the chest of the skeleton soldier

He said, still shaken: "It seems that one really cannot casually use the super and * graphic * books that exceed the body's capacity for fighting spirit. If it happens again, my life will be over..."

A fighting spirit index exceeding 9,000 indicates that, in terms of fighting spirit alone, Gaia has already reached the high-level Golden War God status, just one step away from the highest profession in the Abyss, the titled profession

Is this my territory? Although Gaia did not have high hopes for what kind of territory that father could provide for him, he was still taken aback by the dilapidated state of it.

Each level is divided into three tiers: low, medium, and high, resulting in a total of twenty-one levels

Old Anderson nearly exhausted all his strength, plopping down onto the ground and gasping for breath

As you command

There was a small screw on the hidden compartment. Gaia turned it a few times, and with a click, the compartment surprisingly opened

Regardless of kindness or enmity, all must be repaid. Gaia silently vowed in her heart, Sean Gangro, everything you have given me, I will surely return the favor to you

Gaia sighed: "These two magical armored skeleton soldiers might prove to be quite useful in the future, so we certainly cannot sell them off just like that." He began to remove the armor from the skeleton soldiers, reluctantly taking off the breastplate and examining it: "Such fine armor would not fetch its true value if we were to sell it, but there is no other choice."

His reminder made Gaia realize: "To the north lies the frozen tundra, and further north is the endless Gangdise mountain range. This area is a hunting ground for magical beasts. Why are there still so few adventurers passing through the town?"

Gaia looked at her hands in disbelief. Hoganberg's group energy was so powerful; if all the other group energies were released...! ... What kind of existence is this Hoganberg!

Entering Modoc allows one to truly perceive the vast disparity: here, shops are abundant, featuring not only numerous supply stores for adventurers but also a range of facilities including auction houses, bars, blacksmiths, restaurants, inns, and brothels

That number, combined with his body so poor that he could not cultivate any fighting energy or martial skills, destined him to be forever estranged from the strong. This also directly led to his father and grandfather, two heads of families who were almost equally obstinate, abandoning him.

He handed the breastplate to Old Anderson: "Find something to wrap it in; let's go sell it in Modo. Seventy gold coins should be no problem."

It would be best if I could completely assimilate the remaining eight battalions of combat energy! By that time, standing before my father Sean, how splendid his expression would be!

Calculate how much these will cost

Old Anderson turned around and his expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to charge forward, he noticed the specks of starlight on the orchid leaves, and he immediately halted his steps. Without hesitation, he drew his waist knife. Old Anderson bit through the tip of his tongue, and a mouthful of fresh blood, infused with a faint silver aura of fighting spirit, sprayed onto the blade with a puff.

Gaia ran back and tucked that leaf into her bosom

Gaia glanced at the other armored skeleton soldier, pondering: this one contains the Bloodthirsty Nightmare Lan, but I wonder what is inside that one? Although his curiosity was strong, he dared not open the chest of the other armored skeleton soldier at this moment.

The hidden compartment, about the size of a bowl, opened to reveal a surprisingly spacious interior. Below lay a pool of dark red, unidentified liquid, with an orchid floating on its surface. The beautiful starlight emanated from the petals of those orchids

The vast majority of cultivators in the Abyss remain at the warrior stage for their entire lives. Without a high-level inheritance, it is exceedingly difficult to cultivate fighting spirit. Crossing from the warrior level to the level of a war god is a significant challenge. However, Gaia, a person who was originally considered a waste, in the blink of an eye, possessed a high-level golden war god's fighting spirit index

Gaia advanced using his fighting spirit, a surge of energy coursing through his body. The sensation of being cut by a blade resurfaced, and blood flowed from his nostrils. He collapsed onto the ground, his face pale, partly from shock and partly because the orchid's leaves were constricting his neck, making it difficult for him to breathe

My lord, although Mo Town is as prosperous as an ordinary small city, it is still classified as a small town within the administrative structure of the Shenglong Dynasty. Roy faithfully answered the questions in Gaia's mind. To him, Gaia was the greatest noble he had ever encountered in his life

In his previous life, Gaia had planned several projects and possessed some management skills. Observing the current situation, Gaia understood that his revenge plan could only be postponed; his immediate priority was to survive. From the distant frozen wasteland came faint, indistinct roars of beasts, indicating that the wooden fence outside this small town was utterly inadequate to defend against the onslaught of magical beasts. He had come to Greenland not to feed the beasts.

Gaia gave a series of instructions, and Roy nodded repeatedly. Once everything was arranged, Gaia took off his warm coat, revealing the only satin robe he had underneath.

"My lord, this is Modo Town." The guiding boy, named Roy, is about the same age as Gaia, but he is much sturdier. The harsh natural environment of the frozen wasteland has instead fostered the development of strong and robust youths.

"Young Master!" Old Anderson said, "Although your fighting spirit is quite powerful, your body is still weak. You must not unleash your fighting spirit with all your might; otherwise, you will surely suffer a fatal rupture!"

The waist knife made a crisp sound as it sliced the orchid leaf into two segments, and with a clatter, it fell to the ground, leaving a thumb-sized gash, with cracks spreading all over, rendering it certainly unusable.

"One hundred and twenty gold coins!" Old Anderson gasped, and the municipal officer honestly added, "This is the most basic requirement; the supply store only offers the most basic consumables, and the bar only sells the cheapest ale and home-brewed whiskey"

Gaia touched his chin, which could never grow a beard, and pondered: "How much does it cost to post a message at the Adventurers' Guild in Modo?"

Gaia once again stroked his chin: "Alright, you send someone to Modo to release the news, and I will find a way regarding the gold coins"

Half an hour later, the honest municipal official provided a rough estimate.

Gaia was initially confident that her new tax reduction policy would naturally attract more adventurers to her territory. However, upon observing the situation, she realized that the gap between Greenland and Modo was not merely a matter of a few shops or an adventurer's office. If she wanted to compete with Modo for business, there was still a long way to go.

Old Anderson rushed forward and quickly closed the hidden compartment, forcefully tightening the screw

Every time Gaia thinks of this scene, he trembles with excitement. It is as if he sees those who plotted against him and those who owe him from his previous life, each one kneeling before him with a face full of regret, just like Sean in this life.