Aksai had made the Foundation Establishment pills by himself in Haan Di when he was about to initiate a breakthrough into the 2nd Spirit cultivation realm.
Several pills from that time were unused and sealed safely by him.
The Spirit farmer decided to reveal his wealth a bit at this point after considering the pros and cons of the situation.
He couldn’t be there to help his subordinates all the time. His projects demanded more attention from him. As such, he decided to strengthen them by supporting them with the right resources at the right time.
Foundation Building Pill! The same pill would fetch enormous amounts of profits in Haan Di’s auction events. This pill was famous for attracting calamities to those who had them.
“Mas… Master Aksai… you.”
Shuan’s eyes filled with tears of gratitude. He looked at Aksai, overwhelmed by the gift.
He had been prepared to leave Emerald Cove and journey to Haan Di in search of a Foundation Building item. Something that would allow him to balance his Foundation Building Trifecta. Possessing a Foundation Building Pill was never on his agenda because he had deemed it impossible with his current cultivation level and status.
Receiving this pill from Aksai was beyond his expectations.
Aksai frowned slightly as he saw Shuan’s emotional reaction. As Shuan started to move towards him, intending to place his head at Aksai’s feet in gratitude, Aksai quickly waved his hands. Two wood vines emerged from the ground, gently but firmly stopping Shuan from approaching.
“Compose yourself, Shuan,” Aksai said with a sigh. “If you are truly grateful, then focus on becoming a Foundation Building Expert as soon as possible. Emerald Cove needs you to help maintain its peace.”
Shuan nodded vigorously, wiping his eyes. “I…. I will, Master Aksai. I promise I won’t let you down.”
Aksai’s gaze swept over the rest of his subordinates. Jasmine– Violet’s mother, gave a nod of understanding, while Violet looked eager to prove himself. She was on the cusp of breaking into the 9th stage of the Spirit Refining realm as well.
‘Jasmine… she is getting old now,’ Aksai sighed as he looked at Jasmine’s current figure. The woman had gotten a bit plumper and gave off the aura of a retired Spirit cultivator. It was obvious that she had stopped cultivating and instead focused on making her position in the Emerald Cove stronger.
If Aksai wanted, he could have helped her become a Spirit Refining Perfectionist with the kind of cultivation resources he had at his disposal. However, he didn’t like setting wrong examples for his subordinates.
Only those who needed, deserved, and worked hard for his blessings would get them. Aksai had already helped Jasmine enough by accepting her on his island and giving her work. He had also accepted her daughter as his personal maid and was providing her with enough economic aid. He didn’t think he needed to invest in Jasmine’s family any more than he had to.
***
‘Oh! There are some new faces, right? No… a few of them seem familiar.’
Aksai then looked at the subordinates that his direct subordinates had. They stood a bit further from him, looking a bit overwhelmed after seeing Aksai– the Foundation Building Expert and an island owner of the Emerald Cove.
Aksai recognized these subordinates quickly. These were the same subordinates who had been picked by Ivy and others during the annual talent hunt competition on the island a few years ago.
At that time, these seedlings were around 16 years old. Aksai had asked his direct subordinates to select the top seedlings in order to establish a hierarchy.
It seemed that Aksai’s direct subordinates had kept the tradition going in the following years even during his absence from such events. They had started to pick promising seedlings for themselves in order to strengthen their factions.
Aksai then gestured to these indirect subordinates to greet him, which made them very happy. The girl and the boy who had performed right in front of Aksai a few years ago were especially happy when Aksai recognized them by their names.
***
After greeting the new faces and assigning them some tasks, Aksai decided to sort out his internal affairs on the island. He was one of the island owners after all.
Even though he had tasked his direct subordinates to handle most of the affairs on the island, he needed to stay updated with the recent developments on the island in terms of crop production and business ventures.
Aksai leaned back in his throne-like chair, his eyes resting on Ivy.
He knew that she had been overseeing his vineyard and the production of the Spirit berries during his seclusion. With a relaxed smile, he asked, “Ivy, how’s the vineyard doing? And what about the production of Bacchus’ Blessings wine?”
Ivy stepped forward, her posture confident but respectful. “The vineyard is flourishing, Master Aksai,” she began. “The Spirit berries are being harvested at a higher yield this season. We’ve employed some new methods that have improved the quality and quantity significantly.”
Aksai raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Tell me more about these methods.”
Ivy nodded, her face lighting up as she explained. “We’ve been using the elemental Array Formations you taught me. By aligning the arrays with the natural elements of the vineyard, we’ve enhanced the growth rate and potency of the Spirit berries. The water and earth arrays have been particularly effective, ensuring the soil remains rich and the berries receive the right amount of nourishment.”
Aksai had been experimenting with his druid powers during the last few years. He had decided to use scrolls and Array Disks to store these powers, which would then enable his subordinates to unleash them in a form of some special Spirit spells.
After ensuring that these Array Disks were safe to use, Aksai gave them to Ivy and his other subordinates. The idea was to make use of these Array Disks to have better yields of all kinds of crops.
After all, with better crops came better harvests. And with better harvest came bigger profits.
The capitalist Spirit farmer in Aksai allowed him to make profits from his druid powers at the grassroots level, literally and figuratively speaking.
===
AN: Aksai establishes a hierarchy of subordinates in chapter 218. Two of the young seedlings who Aksai recognizes with their names were mentioned in the same chapter as well.