While talking with Ariel, Loren arrived at the city wall.
The first thing that caught his eye was the brand-new Arrow Tower behind the wall.
After its reconstruction, the Arrow Tower had grown from six meters tall to seven. It now had three stories, with densely packed arrow slits on all four sides.
Its outer walls were made of gray timber. The wood was exceptionally sturdy; some orcs even used it to make weapons, and it could withstand shots from weaker siege crossbows.
"Good day, kind Lord."
The three construction supervisors hurried over as soon as they saw Loren, pressing a fist to their chests in greeting. Their voices brimmed with respect.
"The Arrow Tower has been repaired. Please inspect it."
The moment they finished speaking, the system notification arrived right on cue.
"Ding~ Task: Rebuild the Arrow Tower — completed.
Reward: Elemental Tower blueprint. Reward issued. Please claim it yourself."
Loren's most anticipated task had finally been completed.
Unable to hide his delight, he began looking around, waiting for the Elemental Tower blueprint. It was sure to be the first magical item in the City of Brilliant Moon.
Based on the experience of receiving the Papermaking Technique quest reward, he stopped and began looking around.
Five minutes later, everyone was staring at Loren in confusion.
What was the Lord doing just standing there?
Ten minutes later, Loren noticed the odd looks the crowd was giving him, and the corner of his mouth twitched. Where was the Elemental Tower blueprint? Where was his quest reward?
He'd let his guard down. The system had ambushed him, breaking all the usual rules.
After a light cough, he swept his gaze over the crowd, then looked at Kool, the Human Soldier officer who had been waiting for the Arrow Tower to be completed.
His voice was steady.
"Kool, the Arrow Tower will be a vital part of our defenses from now on. It's of the utmost importance.
"I'm putting you in charge of it. You must learn how it operates in battle as quickly as possible.
"The Bloody Day is coming. The danger has never left us."
His words made everyone tense.
No one could afford to ignore the natural disasters that struck at the end of every month. Even young, innocent children were wary and afraid of them.
"Yes, Lord Loren. I will obey your orders."
Kool was excited, too. Ever since the Barbarians had appeared, the Human Soldiers' status had been steadily declining.
Even after becoming Javelinists, they still couldn't compete with the Barbarians. They had to prove their worth and earn Lord Loren's approval!
After redirecting everyone's attention, Loren's expression returned to normal. He opened the territory status panel.
His attention settled on two status fields.
Defense Buildings: 1 Black Iron Grade Arrow Tower (can be upgraded to a Bronze Grade Arrow Tower)
1 Wooden Wall (can be upgraded to a Grey Soil Wall)
Soul Power: 1982
Over the past few days, the Barbarians and Kobolds had explored the territory and hunted many Magic Beasts, bringing his Soul Power up from just over 1,000 to nearly 2,000.
A flicker of excitement crossed Loren's eyes. He finally had enough to upgrade the Arrow Tower.
He was full of anticipation.
Would his dragon-slaying crossbow finally become a reality?
"Ding~ Spend 1,000 Soul Power to upgrade the Arrow Tower?"
"Confirm."
The moment Loren made his choice, a brilliant light suddenly surged from his body before the eyes of the surrounding crowd.
His silvery-white Bloodline Power made him shine like a radiant moon, dazzling and bright.
Even more astonishingly, the brilliant light spread from Loren and enveloped the Arrow Tower more than ten meters away.
Then, under the eyes of the crowd, the power radiating from him began to transform the tower in a way that left everyone stunned.
It was as though the most wondrous magic in the world were unfolding right before their eyes.
Under the influence of the silvery-white power, the tower's irregular structures gradually aligned, and its uneven rivets straightened.
Mysterious patterns began to emerge across the wooden panels of its outer walls, as if someone were carving them with a chisel.
The surrounding magic power seemed to be swallowed by a black hole, clinging to the mysterious patterns.
The Arrow Tower began to radiate a wave of magic power that made everyone's hearts tremble.
The astonishing transformation continued for dozens of breaths.
When the silvery-white light around Loren faded, a deathly silence fell over the scene.
Everyone stared in shock.
"What did Lord Loren do? Why has the Arrow Tower changed so much?!"
"Goddess above! Is this... a miracle?"
"Incredible! This must be the power of magic. The Lord must be a powerful Spellcaster!"
"I'll bet this is the most insane and awe-inspiring thing I've ever seen."
The Arrow Tower now stood eight meters tall, up from seven. Mysterious patterns on its gray-brown outer walls shimmered with a faint bronze hue, brimming with magic power.
Combined with its imposing appearance, it had an indescribable presence, like an ancient structure that had crossed through time and stood for millions of years.
It inspired awe.
Its arrow slits had been reshaped into smoother openings, and their layout was more efficient. At a glance, it was clear that this was no ordinary structure.
Watching it all unfold, Ariel's mouth fell open. Her cheeks flushed, and she gazed at Loren with unmistakable adoration.
Her voice rang with heartfelt admiration.
"Lord Loren, you're truly incredible."
Kool, the guard officer, was even more overwhelmed. His face was alight with fervent excitement.
Was this what a true Lord was like?
To transform an Arrow Tower with his own power—he was practically a god!
The surrounding craftsmen stared at the shocking sight in disbelief.
Could an Arrow Tower really be repaired like this?
This extraordinary power was completely beyond their understanding. It had reached the level of magic, if not something greater.
It would be no exaggeration to call it a miracle!
As the crowd marveled, Loren finally came back to his senses.
Seeing their fervent expressions, he eagerly opened the status panel.
Gray Eagle Territory
City of Brilliant Moon (Main City)
Level: Village
Lord: Loren Grant (view detailed attributes)
Special Attributes: Upgrade, Moonlight Everlasting
Defense Buildings: Bronze Grade Arrow Tower (1) Activated Trait: Power of the Gale. Inside the Arrow Tower, range is increased by 20%, and the speed of arrows, javelins, crossbow bolts, darts, blow darts, and other projectiles is increased by 30%. Can be upgraded to a Silver Grade Arrow Tower by spending 10,000 Soul Power.
1 Wooden Wall (can be upgraded to a Grey Soil Wall)
Living Buildings: Lord's Manor, Blacksmith Shop
Residents: 177
Army:
Barbarian Berserkers (120): 1 Gold, 15 Silver, 104 Bronze.
Human Javelinists (40): 1 Silver, 39 Bronze.
Kobolds (140): 12 Silver, 128 Bronze.
Spellcaster: Kobold Bloodline Mage, 1 Silver Grade
Soul Power: 972
Evaluation: On the Endless Wasteland, only adventurers dreaming of becoming lords would establish such a crude territory. Perhaps after the next Bloody Day, this territory will be no more.
After reading the territory panel, Loren's lips curled into a delighted smile.
His face lit up.
The Bronze Grade Arrow Tower had gained such a powerful trait.
Power of the Gale—increased range by 20% and projectile speed by 30%.
Those two attributes were perfect for ranged units.
Increased range meant they could attack before enemies reached the wall, giving them the initiative.
Faster projectiles gave enemies less time to react and increased the hit rate.
And once troops entered the Arrow Tower, these traits took effect automatically. They were built-in buffs, even better than spells that Spellcasters had to recast every so often.
Those 1,000 points of Soul Power had been well spent.
More importantly, what would it look like if he built thirty or fifty Arrow Towers behind the wall, then upgraded them from Bronze to Silver, Gold, or even Platinum and Transcendent?
Just imagining the enemy attacking the City of Brilliant Moon, dozens of Arrow Towers firing at once, arrows blotting out the sky, and enemy troops falling like cut wheat made Loren so excited he could barely contain himself.
He immediately raised the Arrow Tower's importance in his mind to the same level as Magic Paper.
The tower-building plan was a go. It was absolutely a go.
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