27: Multitasking resulted in rapid progress.

It was already late by the time he returned from the fields. After a simple dinner, Renn went to the room where Kapdo and Cecilia had been settled.

Knock, knock, knock!

Renn knocked three times on the wooden door. A moment later, the solid wood door was gently opened.

“Lord Renn, you've come!”

“Cecilia, I've come to see you and Master Capdo.”

“These are Northern Sunflowers. I heard they have a calming effect. Placing them by Master Capdo's bedside might be of some help.”

As Renn spoke, he handed Cecilia a bouquet of sunflowers he had picked earlier that afternoon by the Red River fields.

“Thank you for your concern, Lord Renn.”

Looking at the bright bouquet in her hands and smelling the faint fragrance, Cecilia's melancholy mood improved significantly.

Placing the flowers by her grandfather's bedside, Cecilia poured a glass of water for Renn.

Looking at the still-unconscious Kapdo, Renn asked, “Is there still no sign of Master Capdo waking up?”

“Not yet, Lord Renn. Grandfather's condition is still not good; it might be far more serious than I previously anticipated.”

Cecilia looked at her unconscious grandfather lying on the bed with deep worry.

“The power of an evil god is truly terrifying,” Renn lamented.

Just a leak of a sliver of power had left a Silver Peak high-level mage unconscious, his life hanging in the balance, and even healing magic was ineffective.

If he had been the one to attack the Fel Orcs camp back then, he might have been the one struck by the evil god's power.

He didn't have the strength of the Silver Peak; Renn felt he wouldn't even have lasted a single moment against such a powerful impact of divine evil.

“Must we just wait for Master Capdo to wake up on his own? Is there no other method of treatment?” Renn asked curiously.

“There are, Lord Renn. The evil god's power can be dispelled with Legendary Purification Magic, or a Legendary Purification Potion would also work.”

Cecilia's words rendered Renn speechless.

Only a Legendary Mage would know how to use Legendary Purification Magic, and it would have to be a Legendary Mage specializing in purification and healing.

As for a Legendary Purification Potion, those were Legendary existences that surpassed high-level potions. Renn had never even seen a Legendary-grade potion.

Legendary... there were only a few Legends in the entire North.

In the territory of the Grand Duke of the Raging Bear, there was only one Legend. That was the Grand Duke's strongest trump card, the cornerstone upon which the Grand Duke's territory was successfully established, and the absolute foundation of the Raging Bear Family.

The Legendary Magic Bear, Wrath of the Earth, the Ancient Violent Bear Volrigard.

“A Legend...!”

“It seems for now we can only rely on Master Capdo's own strength to resist the evil god's power.”

“If there's anything you need help with, Cecilia, please don't hesitate to ask. I won't be stingy with anything I can provide.”

“Thank you so much, Lord Renn!”

“You truly are a good person!”

Cecilia's eyes reddened slightly.

“It's nothing. I hope Master Kapdo recovers soon.”

Amidst Cecilia's 'good person' labels and constant words of thanks, Renn left the room.

Renn had visited Kapdo hoping to see if he had improved, and then to exchange magical knowledge and spell insights with Cecilia.

As a novice mage who had never studied any formal mage knowledge, Renn was in dire need of an orthodox mage to teach him some experience.

However, seeing that Kapdo hadn't improved at all and that Cecilia was in no mood to discuss other matters, Renn tactfully left after offering a few more words of concern.

“It seems I can only rely on myself for now.”

Back in his room, Renn activated his Meditation Technique. The mana core inside him rotated gently as strands of mana flooded into his body from the surroundings, and his internal mana began to slowly increase.

Feeling the movement of the mana core, Renn had a sudden whim to multi-task, shifting part of his attention to his dou qi core.

With a slight shift of Renn's will, the dou qi core, which had been operating automatically, suddenly accelerated, and Renn's combat qi began to strengthen continuously.

“Multi-tasking?”

Renn originally had the talent for dual cultivation of magic and martial arts, but a person's energy is limited. Trying to cultivate both combat qi and mana usually results in being a master of neither.

Renn's previous plan was to focus on combat qi with mana as a supplement; after all, his talent for combat qi was higher, and being a mage was his hidden trump card.

He hadn't expected to discover a new skill: Multi-tasking. He could cultivate combat qi and mana simultaneously, allowing both to progress side-by-side without either being neglected.

“Good! Good! Good!”

“I was previously bound by the memories of the original host. His memories don't entirely apply to the current me.”

This new discovery also allowed Renn's state of mind to achieve a breakthrough.

Feeling the two great cores within him growing stronger, Renn became immersed in the process, unable to pull himself away.

Time flew by as he cultivated... “Put it here, put it here!”

Several workers arrived at a pre-designated construction site carrying a pile of wooden planks and stone materials.

“Let's get started, everyone!”

“Lord Fornal said this Latrine must be finished within three days. If we finish on time, everyone gets a meat reward. If we don't, everyone will be punished.”

“Did you hear me clearly?” the man in charge shouted.

“Loud and clear, Captain!”

One worker said to his captain with a smile:

“Captain, this Latrine is too simple compared to the arrow towers and city walls we built at the Iron Wall Fortress.”

“I heard Team One started building a few days ago. They say they can finish in just over two days. Our Team Three is much better than Team One; we'll definitely finish in two days. That meat is as good as eaten.”

“That's right, Captain. You just wait to eat meat.”

The workers of Team Three were full of confidence.

The squad leader was equally confident. As an experienced veteran craftsman, he hadn't worried about failing once he saw the blueprints; the warning earlier was just a matter of routine.

“Alright, alright, less talk from everyone. Get to work!”

Under the squad leader's command, the dozen or so workers began to work with great fervor.

Five days ago, Fornal had pulled two thousand laborers from the fields back to the town for construction. Half of these people were formed into engineering teams to build the Schools and Latrines Renn had arranged.

After five days of construction, the School had already taken shape, and seven or eight Latrines were nearing completion.

“Captain, I heard that thing being built on the east side of town called a 'School' is a place where everyone's children can learn to read and write in the future?”

“Is that true or false?”

A worker suddenly asked while working. Others nearby pricked up their ears to listen; they had all heard such rumors.

The captain, Hopt, also stopped what he was doing.

“What you heard is correct. Lord Fornal personally told me that the School will be a place for all children under sixteen in the territory to learn knowledge. This was personally decreed by the Lord.”

As he spoke, Hopt himself felt excited. In the future, his children would also be able to read and learn the knowledge that only nobles could previously access.

“It's actually true!”

“The Lord is truly a living saint. Our children will actually be able to learn knowledge in the future.”

Upon receiving Hopt's personal confirmation, the surrounding workers were extraordinarily excited. Everyone understood the value of knowledge.

If they could learn knowledge, then in the future, their children might become Administrators, scholars, or attendants to noble lords. They would be people of higher standing; it was impossible not to be excited.

“Captain, then we should go build the School! Why are we building Latrines here? I heard a Latrine is just a place for everyone to shit. What's the point of building that? We should go build the School.”

“Exactly, exactly.” The other workers couldn't contain themselves.

“Whether it's building a School or a Latrine, these are all orders personally given by the Lord. We only follow the Lord's orders. Are you going to disobey the Lord's command?”

Hopt looked at the slightly agitated crowd and sternly put a stop to it. The squad immediately fell silent.

“Everyone, get back to work. Whether it's a School or a Latrine, it's all work for the Lord. Don't think so much, just do your jobs well.”

“Do it well and the Lord will reward you. Do it poorly, and forget the Lord—even I won't let you off.”

“The Lord first let us eat our fill, and now he's preparing for our children to learn knowledge. Shouldn't we work hard to repay the Lord?”

Hopt's words made everyone flush with shame.

“Captain, you're right. Building Latrines is also the Lord's order. We are also contributing for the Lord. We'll work hard.”

“That's more like it. Everyone, give it your all. Try to finish in two days. Latrines are easy to build; there are only eight in total, and other squads are building them too.”

“If we finish our task quickly, we can still catch up with the School construction. That's a big project; it won't be over anytime soon.”

Hopt's explanation made everyone in the squad put in their utmost effort, and the construction progress was lightning fast.

Similar scenes were playing out at several other construction sites. The progress of the various sites in Red River Town was completing at a pace visible to the naked eye.