Despite being one of the biggest events for all Rookie Lords, nothing much happened when the protection barrier around Michael’s territory was lifted.
It dispersed and opened the ways for outsiders to intrude on the territory. However, no monster dared to attack the territory right away. Tempered wooden walls and spiked walls had been constructed to protect the territory and the citizens, but that was not all.
The remaining monsters in the territory’s vicinity knew that their kind had been ferociously hunted over the course of the last ten days and had received a painful death. They understood that a new Overlord had emerged in the small area of the clearing and immediate surroundings, so they were wary of Michael’s territory.
That was some great news, which allowed Michael to focus on his territory’s progress and on extracting resources and monster corpses in the following days.
All Tiatcha trees in the range of the territory had been uprooted and planted near each other. A few of his subjects were dedicated to caring for them and ensured that the trees received fertilizer and the best possible treatment to make sure that they would grow fast and prosper.
At the same time, more treehouses had been constructed, the warehouse was expanded, several gardens have been constructed beneath the treehouse complexes, and both smithies and alchemy houses had been constructed as well.
The infrastructure of his territory was finally put in place and meticulously organized. The humongous jungle trees that stunted each other’s growth because they had grown too close to each other, were taken care of. Some of them were removed to provide resources for treehouse complexes and other construction projects, while others had parts of their roots extracted.
Michael did the latter because he wanted to leave the opportunity open to build bigger buildings high up in the trees with the use of several trees that had grown close to each other.
Other than that, Michael also joined Tiara and her combat unit to go out hunting. He had yet to see the combat prowess of the Aero Crossbowmen, the Knights in training, and the Water Elemental Mage. Thus, he joined them one day to see how much their teamwork had improved and how dangerous it was for them to fight Tier-1 Monsters.
At the end of the day, Michael was quite surprised. The Aero Crossbowmen and the Water Elemental Mage easily killed lone Tier-1 Monsters long before the melee fighters reached it. It was not much different in group battles either. The melee fighters would only engage in battle once the group exceeded five monsters since other subjects could easily tackle fewer numbers.
That was exceptional and it was also why Michael was able to extract roundabout 700 Summoning Scroll Fragments, 13 Summoning Scrolls, and 5 blueprints every day for three days in a row!
In fact, on the third day, Michael was even rewarded with a Tierless 2-Star Artifact. Michael felt that it was a bummer because he and his people killed Tier-1 Monsters only to be rewarded with Tierless Artifacts, but the 2-Star Artifact was a Bracelet with the ‘protection shield’ enchantment. It was worth a small fortune in the market, but it could also be very well used by him or Tiara.
However, since Michael was already in possession of multiple Artifacts and eager to hone his archery skills, he gave the 2-Star Bracelet Artifact to her. It allowed Michael to stay worry-free when Tiara and her fighters would leave the territory to go out hunting.
Other than the combatants, Tracer also left the territory. She had recuperated at last and started to work again right away. Blaire Tracer was embarrassed about her foolish mistake. She had indirectly forced Michael to engage in war with the Gogi Lord after stealing three Bilrox eggs.
Michael never said anything about that after the Gogi Lord had been exterminated, but Blaire felt bad and guilty for putting him in such a situation nonetheless. Thus, she began to explore the Untamed Jungle relentlessly. She investigated every nook and cranny and made a detailed map of the Untamed Jungle with precise marks about every unique-looking spot in the surrounding area.
Michael was satisfied with Blaire’s work, but he was more focused on other tasks.
Two 1-Star Summons with strengthened Links of Loyalty emerged from the Summoning Gate every day, and Michael used the gains he made daily to summon new subjects in the morning. Over the course of three days, Michael summoned 126 subjects. On the first day, he summoned 41 subjects, the following day 42, and a day after Michael summoned 43 subjects.
Amongst the 126 Summons, 14 were 1-Star Summons while the rest were Starless Summons.
Just like that the number of Michael’s subjects exceeded 200, but that was not everything.
The refinement degree of his War Rune reached the Late stage, which was fast. His 13th day in the Origin Expanse had yet to pass, but he was already quite powerful.
His subjects had become a lot stronger as well, and their Link of Loyalty had strengthened as their trust in him increased over the course of time.
All of his gains were exceptional, but the cherry on the cake was that the Bilrox were ready to arrive in the world.
It was the evening on the third day after he had returned, and Michael had just received the report that the Bilrox were about to hatch.
He rushed to the other side of the clearing where a small fence attached to a wooden hut came into his sight. Tiara, Blaire, and a few more people were already inside the hut. They looked over to Michael when he barged inside the hut and bowed lightly to him before their attention returned to Heren, the Lesser Tamer, who leaned over the three wiggling eggs.
The atmosphere in the room was filled with excitement and anticipation. All eyes were fixed upon the eggs, nestled in a straw-lined nest.
Subtle cracks had appeared on the little eggshells. Seeing the cracks for the first time, Michael’s heart skipped a beat. A nervous energy buzzed through him, and he rushed forward. Without any care for his image, he squatted down next to Heran Tarn to take a close look at the wondrous scene.
Time seemed to slow down suddenly. The first signs of life emerged – a tiny chip in the shell.
Michael held his breath, and his heart began to beat even wilder than before as the fragile creature within the egg struggled to escape the prison. With each peck, the crack expanded, revealing glimpses of the vivid world beyond.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the shell gave way to a small yet pointy beak, small and black in color. The room was filled with a mixture of awe, joy, and empathy at this miraculous moment. It was the first time life had been given birth in Michael’s territory!
Tired, yet relentless, the hatchlings instinctively kept pecking the eggshells. They scratched against the remaining fragments of the eggs that had been their cocoon for months until they fell onto the straw nest with a soft thud. Exhausted and overwhelmed with the new surroundings, the hatchlings took their first uncertain and wobbly steps. They explored the unfamiliar environment with great curiosity.
Everyone sighed in relief when they watched the three hatchlings look around curiously. They seemed exhausted but healthy.
Various emotions filled the room. Everyone was awestruck while watching the Bilrox hatchlings, but there was more behind the birth of the little hatchlings.
Their birth infused everybody with the hope of a better future. The Bilrox’s existence unraveled countless new paths of development for the territory.
Furthermore, the birth of the vulnerable yet determined creatures reminded everyone of their childhood and their struggles.
At that moment, everyone shared an appreciation for the wonders of nature and the beauty of creation.
It was truly miraculous.
One of the Bilrox hatchlings slowly wobbled and reached Michael’s leg. It chirped shrilly and rubbed its head against his leg.
‘Oh my…’
Michael’s heart melted when he saw that.
He had only been taking lives since he entered the Origin Expanse, so it was an overwhelming experience to witness the birth of life for the first time.
His heart couldn’t take it anymore. Michael’s hand reached down instinctively.
He caressed the hatchling gently while ignoring its damp and matted feathers, which had a distinctive slimy texture.
Michael chuckled when he saw this and he looked over to the Lesser Tamer, who returned his gaze with a smile.
“Take good care of them and use everything you deem necessary to make sure that they are healthy and mature well. Report immediately if they’re injured, or missing nourishment”
At this moment, everyone realized that Michael had fallen victim to the cuteness of the hatchlings.
But…who could hold him accountable for that?
They were just too cute!