"My lord, this was all instructed by Alice."
Under Leo's stern questioning, a level-two Gulu Beast gave a timid reply.
"Explain."
Hearing that it was Alice's order, Leo's expression softened slightly, but his eyes remained sharp, like a razor-sharp sword, causing every Gulu Beast that saw Leo's gaze to shrink back in fear.
They first looked to their ancestor for help, but found no trace of protection in his single eye.
They understood at that moment that if they didn't explain things clearly, they would definitely be punished.
Benji knew that their Gulu Beast Clan was related to Lord Leo's future plans and was an important part of Lord Leo's path to becoming a wizard.
The Gulu Beast have risen from a small race in a miniature world to where they are today entirely thanks to Lord Leo's guidance and assistance.
Furthermore, Lord Leo went to great lengths to change their race's weak innate abilities and enhance their life essence.
If there are any problems with the reproduction of the species, he can't help these descendants.
"Lord Leo, Alice said that our resources are currently limited and it is not suitable to allow unrestricted breeding. Therefore, she requires us to stop breeding before the ninth generation and only allow breeding after the tenth generation to achieve the goal of controlling the population."
"Also, Alice left you a message in the Wizard's Tower before she left, saying that you will understand when you return."
After the Gulu Beast quickly finished speaking according to Alice's instructions, Leo's expression improved considerably. A hundred years ago, he and Alice had indeed discussed the issue of the Gulu Beast's reproduction.
Alice also told him that the number of Gulu Beast in the Jeft World was too large, which had affected the profits of the Purple Flame Stigmata Wizard.
If Leo hadn't contributed 1% of his Jeft World's profits, the Purple Flame Wizard Academy would have intervened to reduce the number of those Gulu Beast long ago.
Upon hearing that Alice had left a message, Leo moved swiftly, his Shadow Walking appearing within the wizard's tower.
In the very center of the wizard's tower stood a crystal ball. Leo reached out and touched it, and Alice's voice appeared in his mind.
"This is your thirtieth year of expeditions. An expedition to a mere micro-world shouldn't take this long. I secretly inquired and learned that the world you've been expeditioning to has encountered problems, and the Wizard World has already launched a rescue plan."
"I have faith in you, but I can't predict when you'll be back, so I'll make many decisions for you."
"First, I prohibited the breeding of the Gulu Beast clan before the ninth generation. Their offspring have an average of 50% chance of failing to advance to the next level. They are also the most numerous in the clan. When you are not around, resources are limited, and it is impossible to train all the Gulu Beast."
"Therefore, I controlled the population size of the Gulu Beast, allowing Gulu Beast to reproduce only after the tenth generation. This reduced the population size, extended the resource supply period, and also improved the overall quality of the population."
" The Gulu Beast are currently unable to advance to the next level will all die within thirty years, which will alleviate resource pressure."
"I've introduced some livestock that can reproduce quickly to ensure these Gulu Beast don't starve."
"I've also expanded their hunting area, ensuring they don't enter other wizard territories. They're all at least level one and shouldn't be kept here any longer."
"I know these Gulu Beast are the foundation of your future, and I can't bear to see them suffer any mishaps, but keeping them in captivity will dull their claws. For this kind of race, advancement requires a lot of battles."
"Leave the Gulu Beast from ten generations later as breeding stock, and force the rest to fight. Every one that advances in rank is a gain."
"I'm about to embark on an expedition, and I don't know when you'll be back. I've exchanged all my energy crystals for resources from the Gulu Beast Clan and stored them in those twenty wizard towers."
"To ensure their offspring can safely navigate their infancy."
"If you haven't returned by the time they've exhausted their resources and filled all twenty wizard towers, I'll sell these Gulu Beast to other wizards to make up for my losses."
So... come back soon!
Stroking the crystal ball, I listened quietly to Alice's voice, as if Alice were right beside me.
At this moment, Leo had lost his temper. Regarding the issue of the reproduction of the Gulu Beast race, Alice's decision was undoubtedly the most correct.
When Leo went on his expedition to the Homo Sapiens World, he left behind only a portion of the resources, enough for the entire Gulu Beast tribe to use for twenty-five years.
After all, there were less than 7,000 Gulu Beast at the time, and the population of the species would only double in at least ten years. Considering the time it would take for an expedition to a miniature world, what Leo left behind would be enough for them to use.
As things went wrong, he nearly died in the Homo Sapiens World, and sixty years passed before he returned.
If the Gulu Beast were allowed to reproduce freely, their numbers would reach a terrifying two hundred thousand, far exceeding the resources left behind by Leo.
The area controlled by his Wizard Tower is only one hundred kilometers, and the resources here are far from sufficient to support the rapidly growing Gulu Beast race.
Even with Alice present, and even though she was one of the wealthiest among First-Level Wizard, she still couldn't supply the entire race's needs.
Therefore, Alice's decisive action to control the Gulu Beast clan was the most correct choice.
By abruptly cutting off reproduction before the ninth generation, the quality of the population was improved while the number was strictly controlled.
While controlling the population at its source, the authorities also introduced some domesticated livestock, expanded the hunting area, and sought resources for the Gulu Beast through multiple channels.
They even exchanged all their energy crystals for resources to supply the young Gulu Beast. Even after doing all that, they could barely maintain the entire clan's consumption.
Just think of the tens of millions of slaves under the command of those Stigmata Wizard; they were supported by countless worlds.
It's really too difficult for Leo to raise these Gulu Beast on his own.
"Such a good wife, we can't let her run away. With Alice around, she can help you with so many things!"
Yaoyao appeared with a smile at some point and read through the message Alice had left behind.
What a wonderful woman!
Even when Leo's fate was unknown, he still emptied his own savings to raise these Gulu Beast for Leo.
Other wizards, upon learning of the expedition's failure, would probably have immediately disposed of these Gulu Beast for money.
After all, mission failure means death, and how many people can truly believe they will survive if a mission fails?
Even Leo now believes that his survival is due to sheer luck; out of hundreds of thousands of wizards, only a few hundred survived.
When facing a level seven life form, dying is normal; surviving is abnormal.
"Grown ups..."
Benji stood outside the door, cautiously looking at Leo and Yaoyao inside the wizard tower. He had come to ask for instructions on what to do next.
" Benji, we don't have enough resources to raise so many Gulu Beast right now. Let's continue with Alice's orders."
Leo had to admit that Alice had helped him solve a major problem: he was too ambitious, always thinking about laying the groundwork for future events in the early stages, but he hadn't actually considered whether he could handle it.
At the low-level wizard stage, raising an army of slaves with the rank of Stigmata is something that a lone low-level wizard cannot accomplish.
"Yes, sir." Benji nodded in agreement.
As Leo's right-hand man, he knew all too well how rich and how poor Leo.
A large-scale Gulu Beast clan was indeed beyond Leo's capabilities.
"Also, pass on the message: Gulu Beast from Generation IX and earlier will be joining us on this expedition."
They kept 20% of their war merits for themselves and handed over the rest.
Alice's method was good, but it could only control the number of Gulu Beast on a small scale. In any case, these Gulu Beast from the tenth generation onwards had already grown up, and their reproduction was enough to support the entire Gulu Beast population.
It's time for these Gulu Beast to come in handy.
It's impossible to let Leo earn money all by himself while these Gulu Beast stay home and reap the benefits, right?
Why not just send them all to the battlefield? Besides earning battle merits to support themselves, they can also earn more battle merits for Leo.
As for whether they can advance in battle, that's something outsiders can't help them with; it's up to them to decide.
What Leo can do is help them lay a solid foundation so that they can have a higher starting point than other populations.
They use their military achievements to benefit themselves; this is the normal process of reproduction for a race.
"Yes, sir."
When Benji heard that all the Gulu Beast from Generation IX and earlier would be taken on the expedition mission, he didn't react much; instead, he remained calm, as if that was the natural course of things.
If it weren't for their heavy responsibility of reproduction, Benji would have suggested taking them on an expedition long ago. What family has hundreds of years old ancestors working hard to earn money while their descendants lie at home eating and drinking?
While Benji went to relay the order, Leo said to Yaoyao, "Let's go plant the Tree of Life."
"I'll choose the location."
Upon hearing about planting the Tree of Life, Yaoyao vanished instantly, displaying an extraordinary fascination with having the power to make decisions in every matter.
To put it bluntly, he's obsessed with being a minor official. If you gave him an official position and let him manage things every day, he'd be ecstatic.
With his unreliable attitude, who would dare to appoint him to an official position?
The Tree of Life was already over thirty meters tall when it existed in the Homo Sapiens World, but unfortunately, it was destroyed after twelve years of Stellar Leap and space travel.
Leo's Tree of Life not only failed to grow taller, but actually shrank considerably, now standing only 25 meters tall.