164: Creating a legend

Time flowed quietly amidst intense construction, secret operations, and continuous border friction. In the blink of an eye, it was already the year 31627 of the dawn calendar, and the 26th year of the star sea calendar.

Ten years of time were enough to change many things.

In the vast and dangerous lands of the eastern Great Wilderness Forest, the Werewolf King Jokic, relying on his absolute strength as a Legendary Expert and his iron-fisted methods, continued his conquests and annexations. The once-scattered Orcs tribes either surrendered or perished. The strength of the Werewolf Clan itself expanded rapidly, with over a hundred thousand core warriors and increasingly sophisticated equipment and training.

Furthermore, various Orcs vassals attached to the Werewolf Royal Court, driven as vanguards and cannon fodder, reached a staggering four hundred thousand. Although this allied army was complex in composition and lacked discipline, its sheer numbers were a formidable torrent. Now, in the vast eastern region of the Great Wilderness Forest, only two behemoths remained on the surface—the ever-expanding Werewolf Tribe Alliance and the Star Sea Territory, which held the eastern corridor.

The Werewolf Alliance's harassment of the Aolai Kingdom's Brussels Province had become routine and gradually spread to the borders of the neighboring Laixi Deep Province. Their movements were elusive, raiding villages and towns, and plundering people and resources. Once they encountered a large-scale mobilization of the kingdom's border guards or noble private armies, they would immediately disperse and vanish into the vast sea of trees, leaving the kingdom's troops exhausted and miserable. This "border-raiding" tactic dragged the eastern border of the Aolai Kingdom into a long war of attrition.

During this period, King Alaric of Aolai repeatedly ordered the Duke of Star Sea, Linn, to dispatch troops to assist the kingdom in suppressing the "werewolf menace." Each time, Linn "respectfully" complied, sending a massive army of a hundred thousand, primarily composed of the Po Jun and Star-Moon Legions, marching grandly to the border. Thus, a series of "tacit" offensive and defensive plays were staged at the border: the Star Sea Legion "valiantly" attacked, routing groups of "Orcs rebels," claiming countless "low-level Orcs" heads, and "rescuing" a large number of captured kingdom civilians. Victory reports frequently reached the royal capital, and Linn's "loyalty and bravery" seemed beyond reproach.

However, very few of those "rescued" people ever returned to their original homes. Linn always had sufficient reasons: the army's long expedition incurred huge losses, and they urgently needed soldiers and labor; the newly developed provinces were starting from scratch, and resettling refugees was a humanitarian act; the journey was long, banditry was not yet suppressed, and escorting them was difficult... In short, a massive population was continuously funneled into the vast lands of Rhine Province and East Sea Province under the guise of "resettlement," "reorganization," and "restoring production."

At the same time, Linn cleverly exploited the issues of economic desolation and population loss in the kingdom's northern regions caused by long-term resistance to Orcs raids. Through secret channels, he spread the "gospel" among the common folk that the Rhine and East Sea Provinces had fertile land, low taxes (even tax-free initially), and peaceful lives. For the northern commoners struggling to survive amidst war and heavy taxation, this was undoubtedly a dawn in the midst of despair. Thus, outside the official gaze of the kingdom, a silent undercurrent of spontaneous migration formed, with countless families crossing the border to throw themselves into the embrace of the Star Sea Territory.

Ten years of management had yielded remarkable results. The five counties planned for Rhine Province and East Sea Province had all completed their basic development and administrative structures. As a hub for river and sea, Rhine City was no smaller than any major city in the kingdom. The second port city of East Sea Province had also risen. The population of both provinces grew steadily, and farmland, workshops, roads, and water conservancy facilities were increasingly perfected, showing a scene of flourishing vitality.

Breath of Life Demi-plane.

The flow of time here was completely different from the outside world. Rich life energy and various elemental forces flowed joyfully, making this world like a Legendary cultivation Holy Land.

At this moment, somewhere in the Demiplane, elements fluctuated violently, and a majestic Legendary pressure suddenly condensed like a descending storm. A low roar, mixed with the release of power and incomparable pleasure, echoed in the air, the sound waves sweeping across the surroundings and causing the flowers and trees to sway.

Batu, the commander of the Orc Legion, had broken through!

His magnificent body, over three meters tall, floated in mid-air. His knotted green muscles bulged like granite, filled with explosive power. The huge tusks on both sides of his mouth flickered with cold light under the radiance of energy, appearing even more ferocious and majestic. He held the heavy battle axe that had accompanied him through years of battle, swinging it casually in the air, creating bursts of air-tearing whistles as he felt the Legendary power within him, which was completely different from before, surging like a rushing river.

Not far away, Linn and Aivi stood side by side, watching this scene with interest. Aivi was still surrounded by a holy light-blue halo, her aura even deeper than ten years ago. Linn appeared increasingly steady and restrained, with only his eyes, which occasionally flashed with starlight, revealing his unfathomable strength.

On the branches of the ancient tree of life, Daisy lay lazily, her huge dragon eyes half-open and half-closed, showing little interest in Batu's Breakthrough. Instead, the little elf Dolia sat on her head, swinging her fair little legs while munching on the sweet fruit produced by the ancient tree of life, pointing at Batu in the sky as if evaluating whether the commotion of his Breakthrough was majestic enough.

Batu restrained his aura and crashed to the ground, kicking up a circle of air waves. He strode to Linn and Aivi, knelt on one knee, and struck his solid chest heavily with his right fist. His voice was slightly hoarse with excitement: "Batu thanks the Lord and Madam for the grace of making me!"

Linn smiled and raised his hand: "Congratulations, Batu. The path of a Legend begins here."

Batu looked up, his eyes filled with gratitude: "If the Lord had not opened this breath of life Holy Land for me to Cultivate here for what amounts to fifty years in the outside world, and bestowed Epic-grade potions to assist me, it would have been impossible for me to step into this realm so quickly!"

Indeed, Linn's own strength had not stagnated during these ten years. With the help of the special environment of the breath of life and his own unremitting exploration, he had steadily stepped into the Legendary Intermediate stage. Moreover, because of his Soul power, which far exceeded his peers (already reaching the Epic threshold), he had successfully refined Epic-grade potions that were of great benefit even to Legendary Experts! At this moment, he was only one step away from the Legendary Peak.

The existence of the Breath of Life Demi-plane was no longer an absolute secret among a very few high-level members of Linn's inner circle. The first to be allowed in and use it to break through to Legendary was the naval commander, Ocean Jack. Years ago, Linn had him temporarily transfer command of the fleet to his deputy, Hogan, and took him to "disappear" for a few years. When Ocean Jack reappeared, the aura of a Legendary Expert on him shocked everyone. Facing the suspicion and questioning of his colleagues, Ocean Jack always remained tight-lipped, attributing everything to Linn's mysterious arrangements. And Batu was the second core general after Ocean Jack to enjoy such an Opportunity and successfully break through.

"Get up." Linn signaled Batu to rise. "Your Breakthrough is just in time. Now the Orc Legion has five thousand warriors, all of whom are elites of my clan, with the lowest being Bronze High Rank experts. Since you have been promoted to Legendary, go back and train them well, and truly polish this legion into another sharp blade for my Star Sea Territory."

Battle Intent rose in Batu's eyes, and he nodded vigorously: "Rest assured, Lord! Batu will not let you down!"

Linn waved his hand, and a gentle spatial fluctuation enveloped Batu. The next moment, he was sent out of the breath of life.

Standing in the once-again quiet Demiplane, Linn looked into the distance, his gaze seemingly piercing through the barriers of space to land on that vast territory that was increasingly prosperous yet filled with undercurrents.

After ten years of accumulation, the Foundation of the Star Sea Territory was already solid. With his wings fully grown, it was time for the outside world to re-recognize the true weight of this "Duke of Star Sea." The successive emergence of Legendary Experts was undoubtedly the loudest calling card. Beneath the calm surface, even greater power was gathering momentum.