256: Arrangements before departure

The tree of life located at the center of the Magical Plant Garden suddenly shot up by over ten meters, and its life aura became several times denser than before.

The growth in size was secondary; most importantly, Renn keenly discovered that a newborn consciousness had appeared within the tree of life.

"Has the tree of life's self-awareness awakened?"

The tree of life has its own self-awareness; both the Ancient Tree and Kavadoral possess extremely high intelligence.

Dora excitedly flew to the side of the tree of life, her small hands waving her staff to release a large amount of nature power to aid the tree of life's growth.

"Grow up quickly, little guy, grow tall and strong!"

Little Dora muttered to herself, and her hand movements were not slow at all.

Soon, the tree of life's aura expanded to its critical point, and the newborn consciousness completed its final leap.

Surging life energy poured out from the tree of life like a tide, sweeping through the entire Magical Plant Garden. The Flower Fairies flew up and down around the tree of life, cheering and jumping for joy.

"Who are you?"

A tender voice sounded as the newborn will of the tree of life curiously observed the surrounding world, and its attention soon focused on Dora.

"Hello there, little guy!"

"My name is Dora, you can call me Big Sister Dora!"

"What is your name?"

"My name is Ancient Tree. Hello, Big Sister Dora!"

Little Ancient Tree had a simple exchange with Dora; having just awakened, his speech was somewhat sluggish, but he couldn't resist Dora's enthusiasm.

Watching Dora's lively conversation, Renn, standing aside, fell into deep thought after hearing the name 'Ancient Tree'.

"Ancient Tree... is it another form of rebirth?"

The seed of life originated from the late tree of life, Ancient Tree. It was naturally no coincidence that the consciousness of the newborn tree of life could speak this name.

Regardless, the tree of life becoming stronger was a good thing for Renn.

The surging life force brought by the tree of life provided a more superior growth environment for the magic plants in the Magical Plant Garden, and both the effectiveness and quantity of the Spring of Life at the roots of the tree of life had improved.

The Spring of Life was now the core raw material for the water of life, a specialty healing potion of the Red River Territory. The water of life potion made with the Spring of Life had a healing effect significantly stronger than ordinary recovery potions.

Since the introduction of the water of life potion, the casualty rate of the Red River Territory's army had dropped considerably; the only drawback was the somewhat low production volume.

However, as the tree of life continued to grow and strengthen, the upper limit of the Spring of Life would also continue to rise, something Renn looked forward to immensely.

He had always followed an elite troop policy for the military construction of the Red River Territory. The regular army of the Red River Territory was now composed entirely of Professionals, and the Titled Legion consisted of Professionals who were at least at the Bronze Rank.

The biggest fear for such elite troops, cultivated with significant resources, was excessive attrition. If the casualty rate were too high, it could easily drag down the elite troop strategy Renn had formulated, but the water of life potion filled this gap.

"As expected of an old monster who lived for over a hundred thousand years; even a tiny bit of what it leaks out can benefit people immensely."

Seeing the changes in the tree of life, Renn actually felt a hint of anticipation for the trip to the Verdant Holy Land.

"Dora, you keep chatting with Ancient Tree. I'll go back and arrange the territory's affairs, then the two of us will go to the Verdant Holy Land to find His Highness Kavadoral."

"Okay, Renn, be quick!"

Dora replied and then continued chatting with Ancient Tree.

Seeing Renn state his position, Melissa felt much more at ease and did not speak up to urge him further.

Soon, the high-ranking officials of the Red River Territory gathered at Red River Fortress.

Over a hundred people stood in the spacious hall. These were talents selected and cultivated by Renn, forming the core of the Red River Territory's management. The vast majority of them were Professionals.

Former veterans of the Red River Territory like Fornal and Arnold had now moved to the second line or retired completely from management.

The stewards trained later, such as Bar, Kent, and Hopt, had also successively become Professionals. Their talent might not be high, but Renn didn't care; he didn't expect them to go onto the battlefield to kill enemies.

Becoming a Professional not only significantly improved one's physical constitution and energy but also enhanced mental wisdom; thus, a Professional's qualities in all aspects generally surpassed those of ordinary people.

Whether as an Administrator or in various steward positions, the work intensity and requirements for personal comprehensive qualities were high, especially after the rapid expansion of the Red River Territory.

Therefore, Renn had been continuously optimizing the management of the Red River Territory, turning almost everyone who could be trained into a Professional.

With the rapid growth of the Red River Territory's population base, the number of discovered talents had increased significantly, and the number of Professionals in the management of the Red River Territory also grew rapidly.

Many of the people in the hall were once just ordinary citizens or even Slaves. In their original lives, they would have done nothing but work for nobles every day, wasting their lives away over decades or even less time.

But after arriving in the Red River Territory, their life trajectories underwent an earth-shaking change. Their talents, which they themselves were unaware of, were quickly revealed in the rapidly expanding grassroots management team of the Red River Territory, and they were promptly trained and given important roles.

As the Red River Territory grew rapidly, the demand for grassroots management personnel also increased quickly. Anyone with even a bit of ability would be brought into the management team, and those with talent would be promoted quickly.

This is a major characteristic of a rising power: a large number of leadership positions constantly appear, waiting for talented people to fill them.

In powers like kingdoms and other archduchies that have been stable for hundreds or thousands of years, all positions are already occupied. For newcomers wanting to stand out, let alone ordinary people, even those of noble birth find it difficult.

"Lord, everyone has arrived."

Yiven, who was already a Silver Rank Mage, reported to Renn.

Yiven, in his twenties, had completely taken over from Fornal as the Red River Territory's chief government affairs officer. The Professional path he chose was the Polymath among Spellcasters, a path that suited him perfectly. Currently, it seemed Yiven still had a lot of room for future development.

As the chief government affairs officer, there was much to learn, which aligned with Yiven's Professional path; administrative knowledge is also knowledge.

As a Silver Rank Polymath, Yiven had long since surpassed his grandfather, Fornal, and was already handling the complex administrative affairs of the Red River Territory in an orderly fashion.

"Then let's begin!"

There weren't actually many things Renn needed to arrange. The overall development plan for the Red River Territory had long been set, and major projects were being constructed methodically. His main purpose in gathering everyone was to stabilize people's hearts.

Not long ago, it took Renn and Dora two or three months to purify the evil god statue. This time, to purify the remnant body of the evil god, even with the help of a powerhouse like Kavadoral, Renn estimated it would still take a considerable amount of time.

If Renn did not appear for a long time, as the sole core of the Red River Territory, the territory would inevitably become somewhat unstable. Therefore, arrangements had to be made before leaving to give the management a heads-up.

In the hall, after Renn spoke, everyone else listened quietly.

The meeting lasted the entire morning. Not only did it summarize the work of the previous period, but Renn also rewarded those who had made contributions.

Rewarding merit and punishing faults is an effective means of motivation.

Half a day later, the meeting ended, and everyone returned to their respective posts full of energy.

Renn rewarded many people this time, and it was highly likely that their Professional ranks would increase further in the near future.