Elven cultivators

After advancing to the Golden Core stage, Anton has been researching the crafting of mystical artifacts.

It's not the unorthodox method like the sword pellet, but the orthodox refining method.

However, the difficulty was higher than he had anticipated.

He originally thought that with his foundation in crafting magical artifacts, mastering profound artifacts shouldn't be too difficult.

However, after actually starting to try it, they discovered that the crafting of mystical artifacts requires extremely high levels of cultivation, spiritual sense, and understanding of the laws of the craftsman.

After several failures and wasting a lot of good materials, Anton simply put aside the crafting of mystic weapons for the time being and instead began to craft a large number of magical artifacts, intending to accumulate enough experience first.

Some of these crafted magical artifacts were given to the gold-ranked warriors in the clan.

For example, the flying feather that Roman used to fly was made by him.

It is a flying artifact that does not require spiritual energy or true essence; it can be used with just a breath of vital energy.

Another portion of the magical artifacts are stored in the Taichu City warehouse, for disciples to exchange for with their contribution points in the future.

The three chatted along the way and soon arrived at the Thousand Rock Hills.

From the air, the once rugged gray rock formations have now changed.

Countless vines peek out from the cracks in the rocks, their emerald green leaves swaying in the wind, adding a touch of vitality to the gray-brown stones.

The once barren hills are now covered with low shrubs and wildflowers, looking like a green ocean from afar.

"The changes in the Thousand Rocks Hills are truly remarkable," Roman exclaimed.

"It's all due to the influence of the Great Evolution Azure Profound Array," Eleanor said with a smile. "In another hundred years, the Thousand Rock Hills and the Northern Wasteland may be completely incorporated into the Silver Moon Forest."

"That's great!"

Roman's eyes sparkled as if he were thinking of that scene.

Anton nodded secretly.

The effect of the Great Evolution Azure Profound Array is directly proportional to the area of ​​the Silver Moon Forest.

The more expansive the forest, the richer the wood-elemental spiritual energy, and the stronger the array's functions of gathering, nurturing, and defending against spiritual energy.

If we could truly "swallow" the Thousand Rock Hills and the Northern Wasteland, the effectiveness of the Great Evolution Azure Profound Array would at least double.

By then, the spiritual energy concentration in Silver Moon Forest will increase significantly, and it is estimated that it will become a cave dwelling of the Xuanlu level.

However, the higher Qi Palace and True Palace cannot be reached simply by relying on formations.

There must be a spiritual vein.

Silvermoon Forest is inherently deficient, lacking spiritual veins beneath it and relying solely on the Eternal Tree and the Fountain of Life for energy. It is virtually impossible for it to grow into a Qi Palace or even a True Palace-level cave dwelling on its own.

Unless a spiritual vein is introduced.

The Great Dao Jade Slip does indeed record methods for moving spiritual veins.

However, to achieve this, at least a Dao Integration stage expert would need to intervene.

Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Void Refinement, Dao Integration...

The Dao Integration Realm is the state where a cultivator is completely integrated with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. The cultivator can manipulate the laws of Heaven and Earth, and with every move, can draw upon the power of Heaven and Earth for their own use, becoming a ruler of a region.

Only by reaching this level can one move a spiritual vein from one place to another intact without damaging its origin, and without it collapsing along the way.

Anton is still far from that level, so there's no need to consider such methods for now.

He prefers a different, more convenient approach.

Since we can't bring in spiritual veins, we might as well take the initiative to get closer to them.

The Great Evolution Azure Profound Array actively guides the expansion of the Silver Moon Forest, causing it to grow and expand towards the Primordial City.

Once the merger with Primordial City is successful, Silver Moon Forest will naturally become part of the cave dwelling. It can rely on the regulating ability of Primordial City's array cluster to introduce spiritual vein energy into the settlement, greatly increasing the energy concentration of Silver Moon Forest.

This approach is undoubtedly faster and easier than introducing new spiritual veins.

Not only in Primordial City, but also in the expansion of Silvermoon Forest toward Thousand Rock Hills, there is a consideration of connecting to the entrance to the Underdark.

This eliminates the physical distance between the three strongholds, enabling deep integration in terms of strategy, resources, and talent, reducing the efficiency losses of the three-line layout, and achieving efficient allocation and recycling of strategic resources.

In Anton's vision, the Silvermoon Forest would serve as the clan's ecological foundation and population hinterland.

This area features the continuously expanding forestland created by the Great Evolution Azure Mystic Array, and is rich in Life Spring Water, Eternal Tree Branches, and various forest specialties produced by the Eternal Tree and the Spring of Life. These are important sources of raw materials for clan potion making and rune equipment manufacturing.

At the same time, forests were also the main settlements of clan populations, bearing the important responsibility of raising offspring and maintaining bloodlines.

Taichu City, relying on its spiritual veins and array formations, became the core of the clan and a sacred place for cultivation.

Meanwhile, as the number of disciples in Taichu City increases in the future, gradually surpassing the clan's enchanters and alchemists, and becoming the main force in drawing talismans, refining pills, making puppets, and crafting weapons, Taichu City will become the core production base of the clan's high-end resources.

As for Nine Nether City, it will become an outpost and resource supply base for clans exploring the Dark Realm.

The depths of the Darklands are home to countless rare mineral veins, magical plants, and exotic beasts, representing vital resource reserves for the clan's future development.

At the same time, Jiuyou City will also constitute the clan's strategic depth.

Once the surface strongholds encounter a major crisis, the clansmen can evacuate to Jiuyou City through underground passages, using the terrain to their advantage to defend themselves and preserve their strength.

In summary, the connection of these three elements will upgrade the clan from a single forest stronghold to a three-dimensional power structure of "three-in-one".

It can not only realize the linkage of surface and underground resources and the hierarchical training of talents, but also rely on the three-location formation to form a complete defense system that can be attacked or defended, thus completely establishing the Silvermoon Clan's unshakable hegemonic position in the Eldron Plains.

Get more in one fell swoop.

However, to achieve this goal, given the current rate of expansion of Silvermoon Forest, it would be almost impossible in less than two or three hundred years.

To shorten this time, we must enhance the effect of the Great Evolution Azure Profound Array and accelerate the expansion of the Silver Moon Forest.

"The core of the Great Evolution Azure Profound Array is the Eternal Tree and the Fountain of Life. The simplest way to strengthen the array is to enhance these two."

Anton secretly made his plans.

There are many rare treasures on the Dawn Continent that can achieve this goal; he can think of no fewer than ten.

However, all of these rare treasures are extremely rare and precious.

Or they don't know where to look.

Either you know where it is, but it's difficult to get your hands on it.

For example, the Jadeite Royal Court's Myriad Wood Source Heart.

It is also known as the "World Tree".

Every hundred years or so, a Myriad Wood Source Core is generated from the heart of the tree.

This item is the most prized family heirloom of the Jadeite Royal Court, and is extremely valuable.

It can be used as a core material for crafting fantasy-level magical items that are higher than the legendary level, and it can also be used to comprehend the laws of magic.

It can also be used to cultivate higher-level activated plants.

Because of its wide range of uses but limited production, Jadeite Royal Court never sells Wanmu Yuanxin to the public.

Even if Anton wanted to acquire it, he wouldn't have the means.

"Perhaps we could talk to Alicia?"

After a moment's thought, Anton decided to put the matter aside for the time being.

This matter cannot be rushed; it requires careful consideration.

The three of them crossed the hills and soon arrived at the entrance to the mining area.

The once heavily guarded mining area has now become a bustling hub.

Ore wagons came and went, and slaves, under the supervision of overseers, carried heavy boxes containing various metal ores mined from the Underdark.

Without lingering, Anton and his two companions went straight into the depths of the mine, passing through the tunnel connecting the surface to the dark underworld.

The sight that greeted Anton the moment he emerged from the tunnel startled him slightly.

In the months following the completion of Nine Nether City, he never returned to the Underdark.

But in just a few months, everything has changed quite a bit.

After taking over this area, the clan planted a large number of glowing vines and embedded a large number of light stones to enhance the light.

But now, in addition to these two things, there are countless glowing runes on the ground and rock walls, extending in all directions like blood vessels.

The runes were deeply embedded in the ground and rock walls, their light warm and not dazzling, reflecting the light of the light source stone and the glowing plants, turning the originally pitch-black underground world into a radiant palace.

"A glowing rune." Anton raised an eyebrow.

Eleanor explained, "I had glowing runes engraved on all major transportation routes to create 'paths of light' so that the exploration teams could always see the way."

Anton nodded slightly, then quickly noticed another change.

The air seemed much fresher.

The air in dark places should be cold and damp, carrying the acrid smell of earth and minerals, and staying there for too long will make people feel short of breath and feel tightness in their chest.

But the air he was breathing now, though still carrying the unique coolness of the earth, was much fresher, and the lingering musty smell had faded considerably.

Before he could ask, Eleanor explained, "We also modified the air and ventilation system in this area, setting up small wind magic arrays at the intersection of each cave to drive airflow, and planting air-purifying moss that can absorb stale air and release fresh air."

"The air quality in the Darklands is much better than it used to be."

Eleanor began to recount her story.

"In addition, we widened and renovated all the passageways and caves here, and set up coordinate markers to mark the distance from this place to the surface and various outposts. We also drew layered maps, with each cave level as a separate map, marking all known passages, forks, and dangerous areas."

"These maps will be entered into the locator disk and given to the exploration teams to ensure they don't get lost in complex terrain."

After listening, Anton remained silent for a moment, then let out a long sigh.

"You did a better job than I expected." He looked at Eleanor, his eyes full of admiration.

I never expected the elf girl to have done so much work in secret.

Lighting, ventilation, roads, navigation... she considered every possible difficulty.

These renovations may seem trivial, and each item alone is not difficult, but to plan and coordinate them in a comprehensive manner and take all aspects into account is not something that everyone can do.

The region, which was originally characterized by complex terrain, perpetual darkness, and damp, cold air, has been transformed to the point where it is almost indistinguishable from the surface world.

Nowadays, the environmental impact on the elves living in this area is negligible.

Eleanor smiled slightly, accepting the praise without hesitation.

Anton, however, began to ponder something else.

Eleanor's transformation served as a wake-up call for him.

In the future, any dark regions conquered by the clans can be transformed in this way.

Lay the foundation first, then expand the territory.

When a new area is acquired, the first priority is to build up the infrastructure, such as lighting, ventilation, roads, and navigation, before considering further exploration.

Although this approach consumes a lot of resources and manpower and slows down the exploration progress, it is steady and lays a solid foundation for subsequent exploration work.

In places like the Darklands, safety is more important than anything else.

If casualties occur due to insufficient preparation, the loss is not only of lives, but also of morale and public support.

In comparison, spending more resources and time to gain a higher safety factor and a more stable exploration pace is a worthwhile investment no matter how you look at it.

If it weren't for the fact that the terrain of the Dark Region was unsuitable for large-scale tree planting, Anton would have wanted to turn this area into a forest.

In that case, this area could become the elves' home ground.

They have a significant advantage in both defense and offense.