The next day, shortly after breakfast, Feicui Long is counting all the resources looted from the 7 forces. There are around 300 spears and halberds, most varying between mortal quality grade 1 and grade 2, with some at grade 3. There are another 200 different swords and sabers with the same quality range as the spears and halberds. As for their part, there are 70 battle axes and 100 maces and hammers with exactly the same quality. Regarding ranged weapons, there are 150 bows and 150 energy rifles.
Meanwhile, there are 400 shields in total. There are few armor-type artifacts. Among the equipment of the 670 out of the 700 troops that died, there are really only 100 complete pieces, while the others have only some pieces. It's understandable, since many of those sent were just low-level troops. Of this type, there are about 400.
In addition, all the collected money and energy stones amount to about 5 thousand energy stones. As for the money, just by counting Silberthal's centurion, he had 15 platinum coins. The others don't have as much. Kaltstein, for example, barely carries 3 platinum, while all the others barely reach 25 platinum coins and 50 gold ones. With this, his 67 platinum coins become 92 coins.
Among the loot there is a huge number of spatial bags, a total of 663, with only the centurions possessing other more advanced equipment like spatial rings or spatial bracelets. Perhaps the most surprising thing is the incredible amount of energy beast corpses. From those Irina kills, there are 50 of them, but from the troops, the number easily rises to around 500-750 corpses, with some notable individuals like a mystic realm grade 9 fire wolf.
Lastly, perhaps the most valuable items are the artifacts and mounts carried by the ascending realms and the centurions. Silberthal's one directly possesses a palace-terrestrial quality grade 2 sword. It's obvious he holds an important position, especially because his armor, even if a lower grade, is still something quite valuable. They all have their mounts stored in a spatial medallion. Feicui Long realizes how lucky Irina is that none of them, not even Silberthal's one, have mounts specialized in speed but rather in long distances, and on top of that, the highest level is peak ascending realm.
Feicui Long remains impressed by what this girl Irina has done. Even if she doesn't collect everything directly, she does so when she kills them and pretends another force is the attacker. This helps gather materials but also gives more realism to the attacks. After all, no one would waste battle loot. When the beasts kill them, she simply retreats and returns for them. The only time she doesn't collect them is when she has to pretend it's the result of a beast attack, but then, when the companions recover the things, she can take them.
After that, he looks at Arianne and Elise and says: "You already know what to do. The marked artifacts will stay to recover the materials, while the others will be sold by Elise. Finish counting and classifying. I have to work on something else."
After that, Feicui Long goes with Mariane and the twins, Callista and Melina. He starts saying to them: "Alright, what we're going to do is the following. You will make aura amplifiers. I will make the central fragmented amplification and modulation formations. I need you to use the refining and blacksmithing furnace, because we need many. Understood."
The three nod and Feicui Long caresses all their heads, including Mariane's. It doesn't matter what age she has, she will always be his little disciple. With this said, he leaves with them to the triple workshop to prepare everything for the second step after the hawk arrives.
...
Feicui Long spends hours focused on preparing the fragmented formations and finally finishes them. These fragmented formations have the purpose of capturing the aura of the aura projection formation and modifying the purpose. Since even if he can do all this and even extend it to the Leechwald forest, which, although very large, is approximately 50176 km² (19373.0619 mi²), the problem is that doing so would attract too much attention and he cannot modify the "intention" or "will" in parts currently, only the full formation, because he hasn't installed a neural matrix in the formation.
Currently, the "will" is suppression of everything that is not a common animal, a common or energetic plant with dormant spirit, common or energetic mushrooms with dormant spirits, and common microorganisms. So if he doesn't want to risk the town by letting energy beasts in the elemental realm enter, nor does he want to risk drawing attention, then this is the only way left. Because a neural matrix or formation is extremely costly. In the triple workshop, the great cost of making one can be seen.
This is an infinitely cheaper method, and although a bit riskier, it is tremendously useful, especially once the hawk arrives with the message. They will be able to take the first step by activating the beacon stones and then spreading out through the forest, establishing this and effectively gaining ground.
Feicui Long then observes the work of Mariane and the twins and feels quite satisfied, since they manage to create the required amount in record time. It is true that the amplifiers are simple, a rectangle of black iron with lines of inscriptions bathed in cyan copper and purple tin, with only one amplification formation and three inscriptions: a resistance rune, an illusion sigil, and a concealment glyph. But even so, the teamwork of the three is incredible for managing to make a thousand in such a short time. It is true that the large refining-forging furnace is made to mass-produce things, but even so, an achievement is an achievement.
Feicui Long looks at the three of them and says: "Well done. Rest. The hawk will return soon today in a few hours, and tomorrow we will depart. Besides that, as a reward you may ask your uncle for something you want, and as for Mariane, you may ask your master for something."
The four leave the triple workshop, but then their path is interrupted by Irina, who says: "Young master, I have been waiting for you."
Feicui Long sighs. He knows it is inevitable, so he signals to his nieces and Mariane to return to the mansion, then says: "Alright, Irina, I have decided... you cannot stay in the guest house. You must choose between having your own house or living with your older brother and his wife and daughter."
Irina is left astonished, but quickly asks, ignoring everything: "B-but... Y-young master, why? Haven't I contributed enough to the town?"
Feicui Long shakes his head and says: "On the contrary, your contributions have been enormous. You have achieved a lot, more than I believed, and even more than I thought you would in such a short time, even managing something like annihilating 670 from 7 different forces, something that honestly I don't even think I could do right now in such little time."
Then he looks at her and says: "I already explained to you that the guest house is exclusively for the troops. It is time for you to follow your own path, Irina, as the first citizen of my new empire. And besides, there is no doubt that I will continue needing your services."
Irina watches Feicui Long as he begins to leave, but then grabs the back of his shirt and, without giving up, asks: "But young master, I don't understand. What am I missing that I have to leave the guest house? Why can the others stay? I am the scout of your army, but... why am I the only one being forced to leave the house?"
Feicui Long turns around and explains to her: "In any place of existence, whether this universe or another or even beyond in the infinite ocean, there are secrets so great that they are not meant to be known by all, knowledge so forbidden that, as a saying from Earth goes, ignorance is a blessing in front of such knowledge."
Irina, confused, says: "But then why can so many people go in and out of there?"
Feicui Long answers her question: "Everyone in the mansion and the guest house has established a contract with me. The 35 troops living there, the emerald-golden dragon army, made a pact. The maids have a servitude contract. Even the girls living there have a learning pact to protect them. My advisors have the same pact as the troops. In the entire mansion, only 3 people have none of that: me, my disciple Mariane, and my beloved Isabella. But that is because their lives depend on mine, because they understand everything, and because we share the same enemies and I trust them absolutely."
Feicui Long then adds: "Yesterday I made an exception with you. I only let you enter the secret meeting room because of the importance of your report and because I wanted to free you as a reward, as a show of my respect and recognition."
Feicui Long then prepares again to leave. Irina then knows she has to make a drastic decision and, drawing her twin swords, the bloody queens, she tries to stab herself in the abdomen.
Feicui Long, who notices this from the corner of his eye, quickly draws his halberd and slams it down in front of Irina, blocking the attack, and asks her angrily: "Why would you do something like that!? What's wrong with you, Irina!?"
Irina replies: "Young master, I... I have already lost two homes, my home the viscounty of the frozen golden eagle and the blood ice mercenary group. I don't want to lose this house. I know my brother is here and I love him very much, but I can always visit him. But if I leave the guest house... won't I be like the other slaves who aren't allowed to enter the mansion?... also I... I..."
Irina cannot finish her sentence. Feicui Long looks at her, lost in her own words, and says: "Irina, you regained your freedom yesterday. Enjoy it. Live it. Savor it. I haven't offered you the servitude contract because although it does not completely restrict your freedom like the slavery one, it still does. And I precisely want you to be free and live like that. For me and my clan, for my people, freedom is the most important thing. And neither the learning one, because that's only to protect the girls from themselves."
Irina replies: "But young master, then what about that pact... why can't I take it?"
Feicui Long smiles bitterly and explains: "The emerald-golden dragon pact is even more restrictive. At first glance, it gives you more freedom than even the servitude one, allowing you to live your life, get married, have children, whatever you want. But in reality, your whole life would belong to me. You would live, fight, and die for me. My glory would be yours and your glory mine. That goes against what I want for you."
Irina kneels and angrily says for the first time: "Then let me choose, young master, if you care so much about my freedom, let me choose what I desire. I desire to serve this village, I desire to serve these people, to make this place a new home that cannot be lost or ruined. I desire to serve you!"
Feicui Long remains silent, astonished. He knows part of what Irina is hiding. That golden ice eagle queen bloodline is unmistakable to him ever since he absorbed a drop of her blood and integrated it into his spine... even more so since his special soul as the supreme emerald-gold dragon sovereign of space and time awakened. He can see Irina's special soul, so he knows what has been happening to her. It's the same as what happened with Isabella, where Irina's bloodline feels attracted to his soul and his own bloodline.
The beast clan is like that. When a bloodline of equal level senses another equal one, or when a lower one senses a superior one, many things can happen. In the first case, they might repel or hate each other. In the second, the lower one may be suppressed or voluntarily submit. But something else may also occur, both with equal and lower bloodlines: they can feel an instinctive attraction, the desire to be taken by the other or to take each other. Especially in inferior bloodlines, this effect is stronger.
Irina's bloodline, like Isabella's, belongs to a beast species equal to the weakest dragons. That is, they are born in the epic realm, and when they grow, they reach the peak of that realm. But just like the dragons of normal colors, elemental dragons, or dragons of other mystical energies, three of the weakest dragon species, they have the potential to reach the astral soul realm. In contrast, Feicui Long's...
His is one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful that exists in this universe. His species is born in the earthly immortal realm, which is the limit where a living being can be born in any universe. When they reach adulthood, they reach the peak of the heavenly divine real, again, the cultivation and realm limit a being can reach by simply becoming an adult in any universe or place. And the potential of his race is the peak of the absolute palace realm, once again the maximum limit a species can have in any universe. Beyond that, it all depends on individual talent.
To summarize, almost all bloodlines are inferior to his. Even the celestial planetary tiger bloodline of Fernando, his brother and the Supreme God of beasts, is slightly inferior, sharing all the same limits except the potential limit, which only reached the absolute palace realm grade 7. So the power he attained was a mix of his talent and the teachings of Feicui Long and his master. That's why it's normal for Irina to feel attachment to him.
Even so, he can only sigh heavily, because beasts and other superior race clans are used to this and are capable of ignoring the call... especially for bloodlines like Irina's level. But Irina is a mortal... a common human, and they don't have these kinds of instincts, so the call manifests more strongly. Yet, even so, it shouldn't be this strong at this level...
Feicui Long, who had gotten lost in his thoughts, is brought back by Irina, who shakes him and says with great concern: "Young master, is something wrong?"
Feicui Long shakes his head and says: "No, it's nothing. Very well, I'll let you sign the pact, but you'll have to move to the mansion." Feicui Long generates the pact in front of her and hands it over.
Irina grabs the pact and lets her blood fall on it as if someone were about to take it from her. Feicui Long only shakes his head and then notices something strange. He feels Irina take his hand and, confused, watches as she leans in to kiss it. At first, he thinks she'll kiss his ring... but she kisses the top of his hand and makes a rather odd face...
Feicui Long thinks to himself what the hell it is that always attracts the weirdest women to him. He's starting to believe this is his curse... but that thought is interrupted by Isabella, who comes running at full speed.
Isabella sees a rather strange scene: a woman kneeling with a questionable expression in front of Feicui Long while holding his hand. She wants to say something about that, but this is more important, so she speaks: "Darling, my hawk has returned. The family is preparing to take the forest. They'll send 2500 troops. We can activate the beacon stones."
Feicui Long then smiles and manages to free his hand, now covered in saliva, and says: "Alright, let's activate them. Today the plan to take the forest from those greedy idiots begins."
Isabella nods and follows him... as does Irina, who regains her mind and composure, following them in deep embarrassment, not even knowing what had just happened...