Wizard: Starting from the Skill Tree-Chapter 516: Making a Name for Himself

Over the past few weeks, the Duke has traversed nearly every province of the Vera Kingdom.

His name has already spread to every corner of the kingdom, and even surrounding kingdoms have heard of him.

In Jade Province, Maple Hill County has undoubtedly become the leading territory, with no one daring to challenge its might.

Of the fifty thousand slave creatures originally purchased, over thirty-five thousand remain, a considerable loss.

Yet, even with these thirty-five thousand slave creatures, it was enough to sweep through ten or a hundred Vera Kingdoms.

If the Duke wished, the king of Vera Kingdom would have to hand over the throne willingly.

However, such secular thrones mean nothing to him. After witnessing a broader world, few would covet such worldly thrones.

With the nest destroyed, the insect swarm was eradicated.

As the Duke’s Slave Creature Legion swept across the entire Vera Kingdom with crushing force, eliminating the lingering threats, the face of Maple Hill County and its surrounding areas underwent earth-shattering changes within just a few weeks.

The fear and despair that once permeated the air have now been replaced by a sense of post-disaster relief and unprecedented security.

This sense of security comes precisely from the once feared and silent Slave Creature Legion.

Initially, when the people saw the two-and-a-half-meter-tall Rock Armor Heavy Army, or the crystal-backed, cold-eyed Laser Lizards, they would instinctively hold their breath and stay far away.

But soon, they discovered that these terrifying war beasts displayed an astonishing docility and usefulness during peacetime.

The Duke was clearly not someone to let resources go idle. Once there was confirmation that no large-scale threats remained, he immediately reorganized those over thirty-five thousand slave creatures.

Aside from retaining the necessary combat-ready forces, most of the slave creatures were employed in the restoration and construction of Maple Hill County and even the surrounding friendly territories.

The Rock Armor Heavy Army became the best builders and road makers, possessing immense strength, tirelessness, and the ability to easily move boulders weighing several tons to reinforce riverbanks, build reservoirs, and lay wide, solid roads.

Their heavy steps could even compact foundations directly, achieving efficiency far surpassing any human engineering team.

The Blade-winged Demons formed an efficient aerial transport and messenger network, capable of carrying heavy loads swiftly across the territory.

Other slave creatures of various shapes and functions also showcased their abilities, with some responsible for digging canals, others for leveling the land, and some even secreting special adhesives to reinforce earth walls.

These powerful and free laborers were transforming the face of Maple Hill County at an unprecedented speed.

Roads were widened and fortified, water conservancy facilities were improved, new public structures rose from the ground, and villages once destroyed by the Insect Race or bandit threats were rebuilt at an astonishing pace.

In this process, the attitude of the people was quietly shifting.

Fear was gradually being replaced by curiosity, evolving into a mixed emotion of dependence and pride.

Children would excitedly gesture from afar at the Rock Armor Heavy Army moving boulders, no longer reduced to tears by fright.

Farmers would gaze gratefully at the irrigation canals dug by the slave creatures, assuring themselves of this year’s harvest. Merchants rejoiced at the convenience brought by the smooth, broad roads.

"Look! It’s the Duke’s Rock Guards! With them around, nothing bad dares to come!"

"Thanks to these big guys, the road to the mines was completed so quickly!"

...

Similar sentiments began to spread in taverns, markets, and the fields. This legion was no longer merely a symbol of war but also a living emblem of Maple Hill County’s strength, prosperity, and security.

With such a formidable force that could both repel invaders and benefit the territory, the people of Maple Hill County were filled with unprecedented cohesion and a sense of pride.

This change also radiated to surrounding territories. Those lords and people who had received help from the Duke’s legion in clearing the Insect Race, and perhaps even some construction aid with his consent, held more complex views toward Maple Hill County.

There were feelings of awe, gratitude, and an indescribable yearning.

The Duke, with his past life experiences, naturally understood the importance of infrastructure construction.

Since the surrounding insect threats were mostly eradicated, and patrols were arranged throughout the Vera Kingdom to detect any signs immediately, most of the military was idle. The Duke thus allocated these slave creatures to participate in the construction of these territories, making a contribution to ordinary people.

Slave creatures would not complain, and besides, doing such work was much easier than fighting, at least ensuring survival.

After arranging these tasks, the Duke finally had time to focus on himself.

He was living at Habs Manor outside of Fengqiu City, which had now become the main base of the Slave Creature Legion.

Inside his room, with many slave creatures on guard outside, he entered the Light God Court. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The Light God Court had developed rapidly during this time, expanding over a thousand square kilometers, becoming almost like a primordial forest, with dense vegetation and towering trees.

This was due to the combined effects of the World Tree Seed and the Spring of Life, significantly accelerating the growth of vegetation here.

Occasionally, roars of beasts could be heard from these primordial forests, the sounds of newly born creatures.

The entire Light God Court continued to grow, centered around the Spring of Life where the World Tree Seed was located, with animals instinctively wary of approaching this area.

The Duke then brought out the Heart of the Insect Race, which was the size of a room and contained an enormous amount of Life Energy.

Additionally, there were four smaller Hearts of the Insect Race, about the size of a fist, obtained from Level 1 Nests during recent purges.

Although the Level 2 Nest and Level 1 Nest differ by only one level, the size difference of their Hearts of the Insect Race is quite apparent.

The Duke considered how to feed this Life Energy to the World Tree Seed to awaken it from its dormant state.

Despite the massive amount of Life Energy within these Hearts of the Insect Race, he was not entirely confident in awakening the World Tree Seed, so he could only give it a try.

As a force capable of evolving a Plane from a small plane to a High Plane or even a top-tier Plane, the World Tree, even in seed form, requires an immense amount of energy and resources to cultivate.

This is an extremely "costly" endeavor, something that regular Wizard Organizations cannot afford, let alone an individual.

The Duke was not anxious. Even urgency would not help with this matter; he could only proceed slowly.