Lord: I have built a witch's sanctuary.

Chapter 18 The Bountiful Earth Mother

The biting wind of White Wolf Territory still carried the lingering smell of rust.

But at this moment, the eerie blue light emanating from the mountain of magic crystals piled on the table was enough to mask all the nauseating stench in the world.

Lorraine sat behind the table, his fingertips gliding over the sharply defined crystals. The cool, hard touch finally eased the tension that had gripped him all night.

Three hundred magic crystals—these were spoils of war dug from the wolf pack's carcasses in last night's battle.

Adding to the 150 coins he had looted from the various baronies in the snowfields before the moment of the strange change, he now had an unprecedented 450 coins at his disposal.

This is a huge sum of money.

In Frostwolf City, an ordinary family of three spends no more than a dozen magic crystals a year.

"Young Master, the inventory is complete."

Anna walked over with a cup of hot water. Her face was still a little pale, a consequence of overusing her magic last night.

Lorraine nodded, her gaze sweeping over the other people in the room.

Victor was leaning against the door, wiping his longsword, the blade of which was full of nicks;

The two rescued carpenters huddled in a corner, their eyes filled with fear; while Leila busied herself at the stove, trying to cook a pot of hot soup with the limited ingredients available.

"Some things still need to be sent out first."

With a flick of his wrist, Lorraine tossed several alchemical crossbows he had looted from Olivia onto the table.

These crossbows are ingeniously designed and engraved with simple wind-elemental runes, allowing even ordinary people to easily pull the trigger and shoot through the skull of a low-level magical beast.

"Take it." Lorraine pushed the crossbow toward the two carpenters and Lyra.

"In this godforsaken place, you can't survive if you only know carpentry and cooking. Next time monsters break in, I hope you're holding this instead of a wooden fork and a ladle."

The two carpenters tremblingly accepted the crossbow, as if holding a hot potato.

Leila shrank back in fright: "M-My lord, I...I dare not..."

"You dare not?"

Lorraine's voice turned cold. He could guess that the girl in front of him probably felt that her bad luck would cause the bowstring to break or go off accidentally again.

"When those wolves broke through the defenses last night, they didn't ask you if you dared. You either learn how to pull the trigger, or you learn how to be digested inside a wolf's belly. The choice is yours."

Laila bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes, but in the end, she reached out with trembling hands and grabbed the cold crossbow.

Lorraine turned to look at Victor, and just as she picked up a slightly larger heavy crossbow, Victor waved her hand.

"Thank you, sir."

The old knight grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow by tobacco, and patted the longsword at his waist. "This thing is too light, it has no feel in the hand."

"I still prefer using a sword; it's the vibration from cutting into my bones that makes me feel alive."

Lorraine didn't force him; Victor, an old knight who had crawled out of piles of dead bodies, was indeed qualified to choose his own weapon.

After dealing with the trivial matters, Lorraine's attention returned to "The Witch's Codex".

Following last night's devastating victory, the pages of the secret manual seemed to have become clearer, with lines of pale gold text emerging—the latest projections of the current state of the territory.

[The territory's defense system has been severely damaged, but resource reserves are sufficient. The following construction is recommended:]

1. Ring-shaped defensive barrier (city wall): Reconstruct frozen soil using alchemy to form a permanent defensive fortification.

[2. More Witch Towers: The current magic node is activated, Anna's spirit origin is perfect, and it can support the load of up to six second-tier witch towers.]

[3. Knight's Monastery: Provides customized knight training for melee classes within the territory.]

Seeing this, Lorraine raised an eyebrow slightly.

A second-tier witch can typically only support four second-tier witch towers at a time.

But Anna can support even more Witch Towers, which was within his expectations. As a perfect Spirit Origin user, Anna's potential is far from exhausted.

But what he heard next stunned him.

[Special Advancement Hint: An unawakened high-potential individual named "Olivia" has been detected within the territory, and she possesses a large number of magical plant seeds and magical energy farmland.]

[It is recommended to unlock the special advancement path: Abundant Earth Mother.]

[Characteristics: This type of witch is not known for direct destructive power, but can greatly enhance the sturdiness of the territory's defensive structures and possesses the ability to manipulate enchanted plants for area control.]

Fertile Earth Mother?

She doesn't sound like a combat-type witch; she seems more like someone born to farm.

However, this feature that strengthens the city walls is exactly what I urgently need now that I am in a hurry to build them.

only……

His expression instantly turned strange when his gaze fell on the so-called "promotion ceremony".

This ceremony is somewhat outrageous.

He rubbed his temples and waved to the figure staring blankly at the edge of the field in the distance.

"Olivia, come here."

Olivia brushed the dirt off her skirt and trotted over: "My lord, you wanted to see me?"

Lorraine looked at her and went straight to the point: "Get ready, I'm going to make you a witch too."

Olivia's eyes widened suddenly, and she froze on the spot.

witch.

In this world, it is a synonym for both curse and power.

It is something many people dream of, yet many die on the path to awakening.

He actually called me over and then, without saying a word, offered to grant me this power?

Olivia felt an indescribable sense of relief.

Who would have thought that the batch of worthless seeds and food she sent to this man with the mindset of not wasting anything would turn out to be the best investment she ever made in her life?

"What do you need me to do?" Olivia gritted her teeth, a resolute glint in her eyes.

"Should we jump into the fire like Anna did, or cut open our hearts? Or should we drink some kind of poison?"

"I'm not afraid of death, as long as I can..."

"stop."

Lorraine raised her hand to interrupt her poignant declaration.

He coughed, his expression growing increasingly strange.

"It's not that complicated."

"It's not dangerous either."

"It's even a little... comical."

Olivia: "?"

Lorraine pointed to the soft, magical farmland next to her.

"Go dig a hole over there and bury yourself in it."

"Leave only the head outside."

"Then, I'll scatter a few seeds on your head."