Development

"This really was a huge windfall!"

After finishing the section on the Magic Spring Pearl, Kroya was in an excellent mood.

According to the observations of a traveler named Wendy recorded in the book, a Magic Spring Pearl was a special treasure that only a creature called a Sea Moon Clam could produce.

Placed in any spring, a Magic Spring Pearl could infuse the water with the magic power it contained, transforming it into a water vein rich in magic power.

Most importantly, it could even be "recharged"!

Once a Magic Spring Pearl had nearly exhausted its magic power, it only needed to be placed back in the pearl-forming spot inside the clam shell to accumulate more.

In other words, the shell itself was a natural "magic-gathering array" capable of drawing in magic power.

Upon learning this, Kroya considered where best to place the pearl. Naturally, somewhere inside the castle would be ideal, allowing him to use it whenever he wished.

But did the castle have a pure water source that met those requirements?

He returned to the room he had just left and voiced his question. Rob, the butler, immediately answered with a smile, "Of course!"

"While you were meditating, we thoroughly inspected the castle. There's a freshwater spring in the room right next door."

"Oh?"

Kroya's interest was immediately piqued.

"Then let me have a look!"

With that, he headed outside. In the adjoining room, he found a pool built right against the hillside, with spring water trickling down the rock face into it.

The clear water had already filled the pool to the brim.

He narrowed his eyes, immediately remembering that the castle had been built against a small hill. After a moment's thought, he realized this room seemed to be near the foot of the cliff.

In other words, the water flowed out from within the hill.

"Only the lord and his most loyal servants know about this room. Supposedly, it's the final reserve of drinking water for the lord during typhoons."

The capable Rob explained.

"That makes sense. If a castle on an island had no freshwater source, simply being trapped inside could kill you, couldn't it?"

Kroya shook his head and gave it no further thought. Instead, he walked straight up to the spring, curiously cupped a handful of water, and tasted it.

It tasted faintly sweet, wonderfully cool and refreshing.

It was unmistakably spring water, perhaps even rich in minerals.

"Not bad," he praised.

Then he pushed the pearl straight into the spring.

An extraordinary sight immediately unfolded-

Upon touching the water, its surface rapidly grew more translucent. Then it seemed to vanish, concealed beneath the flowing water.

In truth, it was still there. All the water that flowed past it took on a faint blue tint and contained exceptionally pure water magic power.

Not only was this water still drinkable, but its water magic power would also benefit the body. It could even serve as a solvent for certain low-level water-attribute potions.

Kroya nodded. "Since there's water here, I'll use it to prepare your magic power bath."

Well... the truth was that he wanted to use up all the original water and replace it with spring water infused with the Magic Spring Pearl's magic power.

"But you can't bathe here. The castle has a bathing pool, doesn't it?"

"It does!" Joshua said eagerly. "My lord, we'll carry the water over right away!"

"Yes, yes! We'll get right to it!"

Ate, Chris, and Norman promptly nodded as well.

A magic power bath! It could genuinely improve their strength. Forget carrying water-they would have gladly dug a well on the spot if asked.

Naturally, Kroya let them carry the water.

Meanwhile, he followed Rob at an unhurried pace to the castle's bathing pool-

The bathing pool, which resembled something from medieval Europe, was quite luxurious.

But only in relative terms.

While waiting for the four men to bring the water, he ate a little food to fill his stomach.

Once they had brought the water, Kroya dropped a magic crystal into it and silently recited an incantation. Soon, the crystal dissolved.

A faint magical mist rose from the pool.

This was, in fact, the so-called "magic power bath." Put simply, it involved channeling the magic power within a magic crystal into water, then casting a secret spell that allowed knights to use that magic power to open their meridians and the like.

This secret spell was exclusive to the Mage Association. Only knights who had joined the Mage Association and studied the "secret manuals" it provided could enjoy this special treatment.

Ultimately, however, it was still a means for mages to control and restrict knights-unless they obediently followed orders, they had no way to improve their strength.

"All right, get in."

The moment Kroya finished his preparations and said those words, the knights and Rob eagerly stripped naked and jumped into the pool.

Kroya sat beside the pool, channeling his own magic power into the water and guiding the magic power within it into their bodies.

It demanded an enormous amount of focus and effort.

So much so that half an hour later, after completing the spell, he left without a word, utterly exhausted, and returned to his quarters to rest.

By then, the five men in the pool looked like bright red prawns. They lay against the edge, panting heavily, yet their spirits were soaring.

They felt wonderful!

They also praised Kroya's generosity, and their loyalty to him had clearly grown a little stronger.

Kroya had expected this all along. He felt it was high time he became a hands-off boss-I've given you all those benefits, so shouldn't you work hard for me?

After all, wasn't the whole reason he had gone to such trouble to strengthen them so that he could leave more of the work to others?

For now, these five were the only people he could trust. He certainly needed to cultivate their loyalty.

For some time afterward, he stayed holed up in the castle.

In the mornings and at midday, he meditated and trained his mental strength surrounded by Thirsty Sea Glow Algae. In the afternoons, he read magical texts.

He aimed to fully master the two spells suited to Kaba Beasts, Steel Hardening and Magic Power Forging, as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Rob and the knights, invigorated by his magic power bath, had thoroughly investigated the entire island.

First came the coconut trees he had been looking forward to. Their count revealed fifteen in total, all of which had long since been moved near the castle by the previous lord, Batos.

Upon learning this, Kroya instructed the newly recruited servants to water the coconut trees every day with spring water that had passed through the Magic Spring Pearl.

He hoped the pure water magic power within it would make them mutate quickly.

Next came the island's local resources.

It was exactly as Batos had said: there was only one White Ironstone mine, with no other mineral resources or magic plants whatsoever.

This disappointed Kroya a little. After unexpectedly finding the Magic Spring Pearl upon arriving here, he had thought his island might hold some hidden treasure.

Still, it was more or less what he had expected. After a sigh, he put it out of his mind.

Lastly, there were the planting sites for the olives and Sea God Barley.

The former was straightforward: they only needed a flat patch of land. The latter was a little trickier, requiring a gently sloping beach that would not be submerged by seawater.

After several days of searching, they finally found a suitable location.

However, he took no personal part in planting either crop, nor did he even inspect the sites himself. Instead, he placed his full trust in Rob's judgment.

A lord could not concern himself with every little thing. Training capable subordinates was extremely important. He chose to hand over half the seeds and have Rob find people to plant and tend them.

Even if they failed, he still had room for trial and error.

It was only half. If it helped him find a few people skilled at growing crops, it would not be a loss.

And so,

After giving the island's affairs a little attention, he stopped worrying about them.

He devoted more of his energy to studying magic, while also using water from the Magic Spring Pearl's spring to prepare a few potions that accelerated the growth of magic plants.

These were the things he needed to focus on.

Under the effects of the potions and his constant infusions of magic power,

The sunflower grew rapidly.

At last, it matured!