Chapter 211 (1/2)

Chapter 211: A Thing or Two About the Estate’s Development

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Once he returned to his own estate, Link was welcomed by two familiar figures from the East Cove Magic Academy. The first one was his good friend Eliard who he hadn’t seen for a long while now. The second was Rylai, the lovely girl who was his disciple.

Eliard was about to approach Link the moment he saw him but stopped in his tracks as he was shocked by the sight of the giant tiger. Dorias scowled when he noticed this.

“What a coward,” he scoffed.

Once Link had hopped off his back, Dorias then raised up his head high and proud as he strode haughtily towards his own shed.

Well, there were so many strangers today so he must act his best to impress them!

Meanwhile, Link approached Eliard with a big smile on his face.

“How did you find time to come visit me this time?” asked Link, patting Eliard’s back.

Eliard had been greatly motivated to dive his nose back into studying magic when he heard that Link had defeated the demon Tarviss with a Level-9 spell. Once he got back to the academy, Eliard began to study with the same obsessive single-mindedness that Link had once shown in the past.

Eliard chuckled in reply and pointed at the giant magic puppet next to him and pulled Rylai over.

“I heard you spent 15,000 gold coins ordering this big guy from the academy,” Eliard said, “so I came here to see whether you got your money’s worth or not. Besides, Rylai wanted to see her tutor, so I brought her with me too.”

Rylai stepped forward and respectfully bowed to Link.

Link realized that he’d basically let his disciple study on her own and entrusted her to Herrera all this while. He suddenly felt guilty for neglecting her.

“Why don’t you stay here for a few months?” suggested Link to Rylai as he patted her head gently. “I’m in the process of building my estate now, so there’d be much for you to see and learn.”

“Yes, tutor,” replied Rylai. She had been concerned that her visit would be an intrusion upon her tutor’s time, but now that she’d heard from his lips that her arrival was welcomed, all the anxieties she felt disappeared from her mind and a sweet smile cropped up on her face.

“You may go explore the place now,” said Link, patting the girl’s shoulder. Rylai then began to wander around the Scorched Ridge camp.

There are so many interesting things to see here! Rylai thought with excitement. Like that giant talking cat, for example. What a funny creature!

Eliard looked around Scorched Ridge and turned back to Link.

“You’ve really become a land-owning lord now,” he said earnestly. “And you’re only the same age as I am, yet you seem so much more matured and have so much more charisma than I do.”

“These are just superficial things, though,” replied Link with a smile. “They don’t mean everything. Come on, let’s go see the Plowing Magic Puppet.”

They both then walked up to the magic puppet, and Link circled around it, carefully observing every detail.

The magic puppet was about 15 feet tall and had a humanoid upper body while two huge iron plows made up its lower body. Its whole body was made of anti-magic clay, and it looked as if it were made of ceramic. The whole surface of its skin was covered in magic runes, while a big magic crystal lay in the middle of its chest—this was its Mana core.

Link made sure to examine every detail of the magic puppet. He nodded occasionally and sometimes furrowed his brows slightly as he inspected the magic puppet. It basically met his requirements, but the artistry that went into it wasn’t as delicate as he’d hoped. Because of his perfectionist nature, Link was slightly disappointed by this, but then he knew that this kind of working magic puppet need not be perfect in its structure. He decided not to voice this minor complaint he had.

Meanwhile, the Magician’s Apprentice who was responsible for the delivery of the magic puppet stood by nervously.

“This Plowing Magic Puppet can plow five feet deep into the soil,” he started to explain. “As long as it is continuously supplied with Mana, it will be able to work 24 hours a day non-stop for at least a year.”

“How efficient is it?” Link asked.

“In the case of Ferde Wilderness,” he replied, “if it is working a flattened plain, then it can plow 100 acres of land in 24 hours. If it’s working in a sloped area, then it will manage more than 80 acres a day.”

A hundred acres in 24 hours—that meant 3000 acres a month, and 36,000 acres per year. It sounded good, but it would still be too slow due to the vastness of Ferde Wilderness.

Link decided to keep the magic puppet and see how it worked out. If he were satisfied with its work, then he’d order a few more of these.

“It satisfies my requirements,” he finally said to the apprentice. “Please send my thanks to Master Weissmuller. He’s solved a big problem for me.”

Judging by his Mana and his attire, it seemed that the man was a mid-level apprentice and an insignificant figure in the academy. Once he’d heard Link’s response, the apprentice then gave Link a reverent Magician’s bow.

“We are pleased and honored to help you, Master Magician Link,” he said. “Since you are satisfied with the magic puppet, then I must excuse myself and return to the academy.”

“Wait,” Link hurriedly replied. “I am planning to build a large Mage Tower on my estate. I’ve prepared all the gold coins needed too. Please bring this news back to East Cove Academy.”

Although the old Lich Vance had advised him to get the help from the High Elves to build his Mage Tower, Link must disagree with him in this regard. That’s because Vance had approached the problem purely from a scholar’s perspective, while Link was not merely a Magician now but a liege lord as well.

Because he had been trained in the East Cove Magic Academy and achieved his fame and reputation there and was even considered as a candidate for the future dean, he couldn’t just ask for someone else’s help when he was building his own Mage Tower. If he did that, it would be as if he’d cut his ties with the academy.

Not only that, the relationship between him and the academy would then run a risk of turning sour because of that.

Link couldn’t afford to lose such a powerful ally as the East Cove Magic Academy.

Yet, to be frank, the High Elves did indeed possess a great understanding of magic, and their skills were truly invaluable in building Mage Towers. So what should Link do?

Link thought that the best way for him to go about this was to let the East Cove Magic Academy to help him build the main structure of the large Mage Tower but still leave a lot of room for future expansion and upgrades. Then one day, he’ll find the opportunity to get the help of the High Elves to modify his Mage Tower.

That’s what a wise lord would do.

Meanwhile, as soon as they heard the news that Link was going build a Mage Tower, and a large one at that, the apprentice’s eyes shone with envy and admiration while even Eliard showed deep respect for his friend’s achievement.