"Rayleigh," Rhett called out, waving to his second son.


    As Rayleigh approached, Rhett said, "Take a few people and release the aquatic magical beasts into Cold Crystal Lake."


    "No problem," Rayleigh nodded in agreement.


    Then, Rhett assigned housing to his attendants and servants, and he himself ventured alone into the forest.


    Under the dim moonlight, Rhett''s feet were surrounded by faint blue wind elements, making him as light as a snake as he moved swiftly through the dark woods.


    He muttered to himself, "Burrowing Bears’ dens? Usually located on rocky hillsides with exposed rock, I should be able to find one by following this habit."


    Soon after, he stood on the branch of a tall tree, spotting a steep area in the distance. Although it was far, he immediately headed in that direction.


    A cool night breeze swept by, causing Rhett''s hair to flutter gently.


    The blue light beneath his feet gradually faded, and his vision locked onto arge, dark cave about a hundred meters away. The cave stood over four meters high and three meters wide, shaped like a half-oval.A faint stench, carried by the wind, reached Rhett''s nose, causing him to frown. The distinct odor suggested it had been a long time since anyone—or anything—had washed there.


    Yes, this should be the ce.


    Moving forward, Rhett sensed the presence of a slumbering Level 1 Burrowing Bear within, snoring deeply.


    Without hesitation, Rhett boldly walked into the cave.


    His unrestrained movements quickly alerted the Burrowing Bear.


    A furious roar echoed from within the cave, soon turning into a terrified, panicked bellow!


    Roar, roar, roar!


    Whimper, whimper, whimper!


    Thud, thud, thud!


    Apanied by the roars were heavy footsteps, like drumbeats, as a yellow figure clumsily burst from the cave. The bear had tworge lumps on its head, a bleeding wound on its arm where muscle had been pierced, and fear filled its eyes.


    It hurriedly fled deeper into the Anwen Eagle Subrange.


    Inside the cave, Rhett was left alone, shaking his head with a smile. After some thought, he decided to let the Burrowing Bear go.


    Since he had alreadymitted to sustainable hunting, killing low-level creatures like this within the Anwen Eagle Subrange held no value for Rhett.


    Perhaps by letting it escape, it might eventually mate with another Burrowing Bear and produce offspring.


    Pushing aside irrelevant thoughts, Rhett turned and began searching the cave. Using his exceptional elemental sensing abilities, he detected a faint fire element fluctuation deep within the stone walls of the cave—clearly an anomaly within the rock.


    Rhett conjured a pointed stone spike andmanded, "Go!"


    A stream of yellow light shot from the air, piercing the rock wall with a series of loud cracks.


    He was careful not to use too much force, wary of damaging whatever was hidden inside or destroying the structure entirely.


    As chunks of stone fell away, a deep recess appeared in the wall.


    "Hmm?" Rhett’s eyes gleamed with interest.


    With his sharp eyes, he spotted a dark red metal box embedded in the yellowish stone.


    Under the illumination of light elements, Rhett saw a faint reflection from the box’s surface, confirming it was made of metal.


    He increased the force of the spike, the sounds of impact growing louder as stone fragments scattered like water droplets.


    Before long, the recess became deeper and wider.


    Finally, Rhett reached in and smoothly extracted the metal box.


    As he held it, he felt a trace of warmth.


    "This is... Fire Vein Ore?" Rhett was slightly surprised, recognizing the familiar sensation as soon as he touched the box.


    The heat was significantly higher than that of raw ore, indicating it had undergone refining to achieve this quality.


    Unrefined Fire Vein Ore was only suitable as fuel; only after refining could it be used to craft items.


    The box wasn''t locked, so Rhett easily opened it.


    With a creak, the lid lifted, revealing two bottles of red and blue potions inside.


    Peeking through the gap between the vials, he noticed a yellowed envelope pressed underneath.@@novelbin@@


    A smile tugged at Rhett''s lips as he identified the potions—the Fire Bath Potion and the Starlight Potion.


    The former was an excellent healing potion, while thetter was an effective antidote, both ssified as mid-level potions.


    "Not bad," Rhett said with a pleased expression, storing the potions and carefully retrieving the letter.


    He skimmed it briefly, noting the five lines matched the simtion’s description regarding the pursuit of a traitor and the delivery to the Ring Tower.


    Losing interest, he sealed the letter back in the envelope and tucked it into his pocket.


    Afterward, Rhett left the cave, stood at the entrance for a moment, then changed direction, heading deeper into the forest instead of returning to the outskirts.


    Now familiar with the route, Rhett reached the heart of the Anwen Eagle Subrange in just three hours.


    In the distant, dark night sky, a solitary peak pierced the heavens.


    Chirp! Chirp!


    Eerie cries asionally echoed through the air.


    Rhett looked up and saw a few ck Anwen Eagles flying to and fro under the moonlight, though their numbers were far fewer than before.


    Last time, he had concluded the battle in a single day, wiping out all the Anwen Eagles on the lone peak, but there were always stragglers in other parts of the mountain range.


    Sure enough, he now counted over ten Anwen Eagles circling the mountain.


    Fortunately, Rhett had arrived early, taking out a Level 3 White-headed Eagle along the way.


    If he had waited another ten days or so, the Anwen Eagle poption would have dwindled further.


    "White-headed Eagles, magical beasts with high-tier bloodline potential. Once they mature, they can easily reach high levels!" Rhett muttered softly. Even an Anwen Eagle of the same tier might not be able to defeat one.


    The White-headed Eagle he had encountered on this trip was different from the one that had ambushed him during his retreat from the canyon defense line. This one had long since reached the peak of Level 3.


    "But… why do these White-headed Eagles always appear between the canyon defense line and Eagletown?" A trace of doubt shed in Rhett''s eyes.


    Low-level White-headed Eagles, given their high-tier bloodline potential, should still be in their juvenile stage. While their presence in the Southwestern Frontier wasn’t impossible, it should be very rare…


    Shaking his head, Rhett pushed the thoughts aside for now and continued observing the area around the lone peak. He noticed one of the Level 3 Anwen Eagles, the one he had rescued from the White-headed Eagle a few days ago, seemed to recognize him. It chirped as it circled above him, but it remained cautious, not daring toe any closer.


    Rhett chuckled softly and pulled out a handful of ck leaves, tossing them into the air.


    Chirp!


    The Level 3 Anwen Eagle’s eyes gleamed as it dove down at lightning speed, snatching the leaves from the air.


    Pleased, it flew off into the distance, heading toward the lone peak!


    As he watched the Anwen Eagle disappear into the distance, Rhett sighed quietly as he gazed at the distant peak. These Anwen Eagles likely had no idea that the cause of their n''s near extinction stood right here.


    Unaware of the buried truth, they were grateful for the small favors and viewed him as a benefactor—such irony.


    However, Rhett didn’t feel guilty. It was merely a matter of conflicting interests, with each side fighting for its own survival.


    Thew of the jungle—survival of the fittest—was a universal truth.


    In his previous world, it was known as "nuclear peace." Here, the concept was just as relevant.


    Rhett believed that no matter where one found themselves, taking care of oneself and those around them was already a significant achievement.


    If there was strength left, one could try to influence a wider area…


    Bringing his drifting thoughts back to the present, Rhett turned and left the area.


    By the time he returned to camp, the sky in the east was beginning to lighten, with the first hints of dawn peeking through the mountains. The stars dimmed and slowly receded.


    The subjects were all asleep in therge stone houses Rhett had built earlier, while the training ground members patrolled in several teams under the leadership of Tadel, Kurs, and Shirin.


    "Father, you''re back." Rayleigh, who had been meditating, sensed his father''s return and rose to greet him.


    "Yes," Rhett nodded. "I just went to the mountains to take a look and found that the Anwen Eagle''s nest has gathered over a dozen more Anwen Eagles."


    "Oh? Are you nning to eliminate them all?"


    Eliminate them? Then what would I keep them for… Rhett shook his head. "No, not only will we not harm them, but we will also raise them carefully."


    Raise them? Rayleigh thought for a moment, then asked, "Are you nning to use Tucker''s Anwen Eagle to control the entire flock?"


    Rhett smiled at his perceptive son. "Exactly. It would be a shame not to seize such an opportunity.


    Moreover, I’ve heard that in Ice City, there’s an alchemy master who makes a species-ending poison for dragonkin, and he might use materials from Anwen Eagles for it.


    So this approach will not only build a connection with that master but also contribute to the fight against the orcs."


    "I see..." Rayleigh’s eyes showed a look of understanding. "That’s your n, Father."


    Rayleigh then looked around, his gaze settling on a marked-off area ofnd. "Father, the architects have already selected the best terrain for the new manor, as well as for the construction of the castle, the outer fortress, and the inner and outer walls."


    Rhett followed his son''s gaze and indeed saw over fifty people gathered around a white-marked perimeter, engaged in quiet discussion. The lead architect, a Level 1 Knight, pointed here and there, giving instructions.


    Rhett approached them with a smile. "You’ve all worked hard."


    "Earl Rhett, you''re too kind. We’re just doing our jobs.


    So far, we’ve followed your instructions and recreated the overall outline of Deep Rock Fortress in our ns," the lead architect replied.


    "Thanks to the design ns left behind from the original construction of Deep Rock Fortress, Master Rayleigh was able to replicate a few copies for us."


    "Excellent. I have a few additional requests."


    "Please, go ahead."


    "Keep theyout and overall height the same, but double the internal space and floor area," Rhett suggested, considering that the family would likely grow in the future, and it was best to n ahead.


    "No problem, Earl Rhett!" The lead architect smiled. "By the way, I wanted to ask, what will the new castle be called?"


    "Hmm, the new castle… Let’s call it Dark Rock Fortress..." Rhett said softly, ncing around at the dim morning light.


    With all the ns set, Rhett didn’t leave immediately.


    Instead, he supervised the start of the new territory’s construction for a day, ensuring everything was progressing smoothly and orderly.


    Since the simtion indicated that all was going well, Rhett felt confident that nothing unexpected would happen during his absence.


    Before leaving, he mulled over one more idea—the necessity of building a city.


    Only by building a city could he attract tradepanies and encourage more poption influx, which would greatly benefit the development of the territory.


    As an Earl, he had the qualification to establish a city.


    If he didn’t finalize the n before leaving, he would be gone for several months, missing the opportunity.


    So, he also outlined theyout for the new city.


    Rhett decided to name this city… Dark Eagle City.


    Finally, he conjured arge quantity of high-strength stone blocks as building materials.


    After giving a few more instructions to his subordinates, he felt at ease and left the Anwen Eagle Subrange.


    By evening...


    Rhett flew through the night sky on Firew, truly experiencing what it meant to travel under the stars.


    Closing his eyes, he felt the early spring breeze, now carrying a hint of warmth.


    The wind gently brushed against his face.


    In a moment of reverie, memories of spring from years past shed in his mind—Nicole’s yful smile, the secret kisses.


    The stirring of his heart from those moments still lingered.


    His eyelids trembled slightly as he whispered silently, "Is it you… Nicole…?"


    The Kingdom of Rem had a history spanning a thousand years, even longer than that of the Kingdom of Giln.


    Located to the northwest of the Kingdom of Giln, it was separated by vast ins and the Beastman Mountain Range.


    Although the two kingdoms didn’t share a border, the distance between them was rtively shortpared to other kingdoms.


    However, since Rhett was departing from the Southwestern Frontier, the journey would take considerable time.


    Along the way, Rhett, drawing on his experience and knowledge of the Kingdom of Giln and its surrounding regions, carefully chose the safest route.


    He avoided the edges of the Thunder Bear branch of the Beastman Mountain Range, sticking to the airspace of the Kingdom of Giln and unimed territories.


    "Chirp!"


    Firew pped its wings as it flew high in the sky, suddenly raising its head and letting out a low cry.


    Hungry already... Rhett chuckled, patting Firew on the head. He pulled out a handful of three-leaf fireflower leaves from his pocket and fed them to hispanion: "Eat up, you''ll need your strength for the journey!"


    Looking ahead, despite flying high, Rhett began to feel a bit bored after so much time in the air.


    His only source of amusement was petting Firew''s warm, fluffy fur—he had lost count of how many times he had done it on this trip.


    The feathers on Firew''s head were almost rubbed bald…


    Over a month had passed since their departure, and Rhett noticed thendscape below had shifted from deste ins to asional viges, even noble territories.


    He knew he had reached the southern border of the Kingdom of Rem…