Elven cultivators

As the outline of Silvermoon Forest emerged on the horizon, twilight had already bathed the entire forest in a serene dark gold.

Anton did not linger; the sword light swept across the sky above the forest and flew straight toward the No. 1 mine in the northeast.

From a high altitude, the hilly area where the No. 1 mine is located looks like a giant rock that has been split open, with gray-white rock layers exposed and crisscrossing mine tunnels extending deep underground like blood vessels.

The Silver Moon Legion's camps were stationed around the mine, with neat rows of gray-green tents and wisps of smoke rising from the camps, blending into the twilight.

The patrolling elven guards stopped and looked up at the golden sword light, then respectfully saluted the figure in the air.

All the elves knew that the dark gold sword light was almost synonymous with the symbol of their chieftain.

Without stopping, Anton plunged directly into the depths of the mine.

After navigating through layers of tunnels, he stopped in a natural cave deep within the mine.

This is the core of the No. 1 mine, and also the location of the array eye he chose when setting up the Qiankun Transformation Array.

The cave is not large, about a hundred square meters. The four walls have been artificially repaired, making them smooth and flat, and are covered with dense array patterns.

In the very center of the cave, on a three-legged stone platform, there is an empty recess.

That was the core of the array he had left behind when he set up the array. It had been left empty, waiting for the spirit seed to be embedded in it.

Anton walked to the stone platform, took out the earth element crystal, and gently pressed it into the groove at the top of the stone platform.

Clatter.

The groove automatically deforms to fit the shape of the earth element's original crystallization, combining perfectly.

The next moment, the array patterns on the stone platform suddenly lit up.

Milky white light spread outwards from the core of the array, flowing down along the patterns on the stone platform and seeping into the ground.

boom!

A deep rumble came from the depths of the underground, and the entire cave trembled slightly.

Anton remained expressionless, his divine sense already probing into the ground, clearly "seeing" the changes taking place.

Those magic stone veins that were originally dormant deep in the earth began to transform in a slow but irreversible way under the energy radiation of the earth element's original crystallization.

Impurities in the ore are gradually stripped away, and the energy structure is rearranged.

The originally murky grayish-white ore is gradually transforming into a warm, milky white color, starting from its core.

Anton estimated that at this rate, it would take about a hundred years for the entire vein to be completely transformed into a spirit stone vein.

Much faster than expected.

The spirit seed did not disappoint him.

The key is that the original crystals of the earth element can be reused.

Once this spirit stone vein is successfully transformed, the earth elemental crystal can be extracted and used as a transformation seed for another magic stone vein.

If I have the opportunity to acquire more spirit seeds in the future, I can convert multiple magic stone veins at the same time.

If that were the case, the Silvermoon Clan would basically no longer have to worry about a shortage of spirit stones.

"Once my cultivation level improves, I'll still need to make a trip to the Elemental Origin Plane to collect a few Elemental Origin Crystals."

Anton took one last look at the slowly operating Qiankun Transformation Array, then turned and left the cave.

By the time we left the mine, it was completely dark.

Anton did not linger any longer. His body was enveloped in sword light, and he transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the direction of Taichu City.

……

Upon returning to the Primordial City, Anton's divine sense detected that Eleanor was inside the Nine Heavens Tower.

As the clan chief's assistant and the clan's second cleric, Eleanor also has her own private meditation room in the Nine Heavens Tower.

At this moment, she was concentrating on cultivating her true energy in the quiet room.

The next moment, as if she had sensed something, she suddenly opened her eyes and saw Anton standing in front of her, smiling at her.

"You're back."

Eleanor immediately smiled and stood up to greet him.

"How was the trip?"

"Everything went smoothly." Anton smiled slightly. "During my absence, did anything happen to the clan?"

Eleanor nodded slightly: "There is something I need to tell you."

"You asked me to find someone to manage the animal park, and I've actually found a suitable candidate these past few days."

Anton immediately became interested: "Who is it?"

Eleanor said, "A bunch of barbarians."

Wilderness?

Anton raised an eyebrow.

The Wildlings, also known as the Orcs, are a race resulting from the interbreeding of orcs and humans.

However, due to their mixed bloodlines, they lack both the explosive strength and stamina of orcs, as well as their innate fighting instincts. In the eyes of orcs, who measure individual value by combat prowess, they are practically no different from trash.

In human society, the appearance of the Wildlings is also unpopular.

Their skin and rugged features instinctively evoke images of orcs' savagery and brutality, leading them to be regarded as "semi-civilized beasts."

Unable to integrate into any mainstream society, the Wildlings can only live on the fringes of the civilized world.

The northern wilderness, the edge of the Thousand Rock Hills, abandoned mines, the outskirts of forests... these places, despised by most races, are their dwelling places.

They made a living by hunting, gathering, and scavenging, and occasionally bartered with passing caravans to exchange for necessities such as salt and ironware.

Their settlements are typically temporary and semi-nomadic, migrating with the seasons and changing resources.

Life was tough, and we lived hand to mouth.

The only advantage of the Wildlings is their natural affinity with magical beasts, making them very suitable as helpers in taming spirit beasts.

"How many Wildlings are there in total?" Anton asked.

"Three hundred and twenty-seven people." Eleanor had obviously already investigated the details. "They live in an abandoned mining area on the southeastern edge of the Thousand Rock Hills. Their leader is a Silver-rank warrior named Varo, who is forty-seven years old and considered to be in his prime among the Wildlings."

"According to our intelligence, Varo is calm and composed, acts with discretion, and enjoys high prestige among the Wildlings."

"Under his leadership, that barbarian tribe lived a self-reliant life, never committed any wrongdoing, and their character was trustworthy."

A thoughtful look appeared in Anton's eyes.

Although the clan population is growing rapidly, it still cannot keep up with the pace of development.

As trade expands and mining deepens, the need for manpower will only increase.

The population of this ethnic group alone is no longer sufficient to support them.

Recruiting other races is imperative.

But the method must be carefully considered; we can't simply turn them all into slaves.

Those backbreaking jobs in the mines were better suited for slaves.

For some of the more critical tasks, it is essential to cultivate vassal races with sufficient loyalty to be responsible for them; this is the only long-term solution.

Starting with the Wildlands might be a good starting point.

Anton quickly made a decision, nodding and saying, "Then let them manage and breed the beasts in the zoo. If they do a good job, let them become a vassal race of the clan."

"Okay," Eleanor replied solemnly.

Given the plight of those barbarian tribes, if they learned they could become vassals of a clan, they would be overjoyed and agree immediately, without even considering a reason to refuse.

Before they knew it, the clans had also gained the right to recruit vassal races.

Having finalized the matter, Anton took out paper and pen and began to write.

After a moment, he put down his pen and handed the parchment to Eleanor.

The paper contained a martial arts manual titled "The Subduing Beast Diagram".

While it's called a cultivation method, it's actually closer to an auxiliary technique.

It does not involve the refining of spiritual energy; its core effect is only one: to enhance the cultivator's affinity with and ability to perceive and communicate with spirit beasts.

Cultivators can use this technique to better understand the emotions and needs of spirit beasts, establish a deeper connection with them, and better tame and raise them.

Although they were determined to take the Wildlings as a vassal race, they couldn't treat them too well from the start.

Once they have proven their loyalty and ability, then gradually give them more.

After all, Anton was not a philanthropist and could not accept a foreigner unconditionally.

If a member of the Wilderness wants to gain the trust and protection of a clan, they must offer sufficient ability and sincerity in exchange.

Equivalent exchange is a matter of course.

Eleanor took the parchment, carefully glanced through it, and her eyes lit up slightly.

Although she doesn't cultivate physical strength, with her current eyesight, she can naturally see the special features of this technique.

In terms of sophistication, the "Taming Beasts Diagram" is actually no more advanced than the beast-taming methods that the elves used to tame the Rock Lizard Beast and the Ridge Dragon Beast.

But she inexplicably felt that this technique was very suitable for the Wildlings who had half-orc blood.

If she hadn't seen Anton just write out this technique, she would have almost thought it was tailor-made for the Wilderness Clan.

Seeing the change in Eleanor's expression, Anton could roughly guess what she was thinking.

In fact, the "Subduing Beasts Diagram" is not a traditional human cultivation method, but a demon cultivation method.

His reason for choosing this method from countless animal taming techniques was also to verify the differences between the bloodlines of beastmen in this world and the bloodlines of demons in the cultivation world.

Unlike the elves and dwarves, who are more human-like, the orcs and sea creatures of this world may have a bloodline more inclined towards the demon race.

More research can be done later to verify this.

Watching Eleanor carefully put away her cultivation technique, Anton then inquired about the progress of the Spirit Plant Garden.

Eleanor replied, "The first batch of plants in the Spirit Plant Garden has just been transplanted and is growing well. The elves in charge of managing it are all experts in plants and are quick to get started. Targeted cultivation experiments have also begun, but progress is slow and we don't expect to see results in the short term."

Anton nodded, not surprised.

He still has to lead the targeted cultivation experiments of spiritual plants.

It's normal that other elves are completely clueless about this and their progress is slow.

"What about the animal enclosure?"

"We have collected hundreds of magical creatures and beasts, and they have all been moved to the Beast Garden. For now, the tribe's beast tamers are watching over them. Once the Wildlings arrive, the Beast Garden will be able to get on track."

"We will continue to collect more plants and magical creatures in the future."

Anton nodded in satisfaction.

The Spirit Plant Garden and the Animal Garden are crucial to the clan's future development and cannot be taken lightly.

However, everything is still in its early stages and needs time to develop and improve.

"What about the relocation?" Anton asked again.

"It's already underway. We're currently counting the number of people to be relocated, and it will begin in a few days."

Anton suddenly remembered something and asked, "There's still no news from the Jade Court?"

"I was just about to tell you this," Eleanor said with a smile. "The Emerald Court has accepted our proposal, and the delegation is on its way. They will discuss the specific details of the supply of materials with us then."

"It seems they're also short of supplies." Anton smiled slightly. "I'll leave this matter to you; you'll handle the arrangements."

Eleanor agreed, then hurriedly left to get busy.

Watching her departing figure, Anton suddenly felt that he might have put too much pressure on the elfin girl, to the point that she was now showing signs of transforming into a career-oriented strong woman.

"It's a pity that it's hard to find someone with the ability to follow the path of cultivation, otherwise I could find a helper for Eleanor."

Anton turned to look out the window at the deep night, his mind once again pondering the matter of the Wilderness.

The continent of Dawn is home to a diverse array of races, and there are quite a few races like the Wildlings who find themselves in an awkward position, struggling to survive.

They are not accepted by mainstream society and struggle to survive. If given the opportunity to gain the protection of a powerful force, they would probably not refuse it.

Among these races, there are many individuals with special talents in certain areas.

If these races could be incorporated into the clan as vassals, it would not only increase the population but also fill the clan's talent gaps in certain areas.

Kill two birds with one stone.