Free Web NovelChapter 935: Chapter 461: Elda’s Transformation
Noon, Elda Territory.
"Huh? You actually took the initiative to contact me."
As the sounds of prayer subsided, a figure made of ice and snow slowly appeared above the altar.
A seemingly ordinary little cat.
Since showing its true form before Herbert, it has always liked using this appearance to communicate with him.
Whether intentionally or accidentally, who knows.
The little cat didn’t walk directly down from the altar but first habitually shook its body, scattering frost-like ice flakes from its fluffy fur.
Then it gracefully stepped down from the altar, jumping at the last step, and landed on Herbert’s shoulder.
With remarkable balance, it stood steadily on Herbert’s shoulder, lazily lying down, letting its tail hang over his chest, occasionally swaying.
From afar, it looked as if Herbert was wearing a pure white scarf.
"Alright, let’s go! Oh, wait a moment before your matter, it’s been a while since I came here, first show me around to see the changes!"
"Hmm? Haha, no problem."
Herbert blinked in surprise at the Ice and Snow Goddess suddenly becoming so approachable.
But he didn’t refuse.
Joking aside, why would he refuse such intimacy?
Absolutely impossible to refuse!
Impossible!
Herbert chuckled softly, playing along as he served as a mount, carrying the esteemed Goddess on a stroll through Elda.
As they passed by, the Ice and Snow Priests sent to aid in construction respectfully kneeled by the roadside, bowing to serve their Divine Spirit.
Meanwhile, the Ice and Snow Goddess remained as proud as ever, holding her head high, coldly ignoring their salutations.
Yet Herbert could clearly sense that the Goddess on his neck was in quite a good mood.
Very pleased.
The tail’s swinging had increased by at least fifty percent, the wind nearly blowing him into a cold.
The two took a simple walk around the territory, and together with the Goddess, he absorbed the changes over this period.
Compared to before, the population here has become significantly diverse.
The territory now included some special members, Gray Dwarves, and a group of seemingly translucent Heroic Spirits.
The group of Heroic Spirits caught the Ice and Snow Goddess’s attention, quite surprising her.
Some Heroic Spirits appeared to wander aimlessly, but were actually acting as sentinels, while the rest served as the main force in the territory’s construction.
With their help, the territory expanded from an initial small village to several times larger, also adding many infrastructures like ironworks, textiles, and meat drying facilities.
Most importantly, roads for movement have been introduced within these facilities.
They were neither cobblestones nor paved with stone slabs, nor the unmeltable ice characteristic of the Ice and Snow Goddess Church, but rather—mushrooms.
The roads were covered with green and black mushrooms resembling grass, soft to step on, yet extraordinarily resilient.
To get rich, first build roads.
This saying is indeed true, as with roads, the entire feeling of Elda Territory has changed.
If it was previously just a remote little fishing village, now although still small, Elda truly resembles a legitimate town.
If this were an ordinary forest, Sofia and their progress could have been magnified tenfold or even hundredfold, rapidly expanding the territory.
But unfortunately, this is the Divine Forbidden Land, filled with dangerous Misty Mountains.
While construction is simple, expansion proves a challenging task.
Fortunately, before departure, Herbert left plenty of Holy Blood for Sofia to illuminate new areas.
Sofia and her team have successfully felled surrounding trees, crafted stakes, and immersed them in Holy Blood before setting them afar, successfully dispelling the mist and opening new sites.
After a round of sightseeing, Herbert was unsure of the Ice and Snow Goddess’s thoughts, but he himself felt quite satisfied with the current Elda.
In fact, Herbert was aware that he hadn’t always focused on the territory’s development.
This land obtained from the King was merely a backup option in case of emergencies, a retreat not necessarily needed, not really investing much effort.
Just one of the three burrows of a cunning rabbit.
But the inhabitants have built it so well, even far exceeding his expectations.
Herbert doesn’t invest much here because he has ample choices.
He owns power and possesses the right to make choices before fate.
Yet for those others without choices, this place is their home.
Especially for those rescued from dark Hell by him, they see this as a land of rebirth.
Thus, they strive to build, hoping to expend their utmost effort.
Herbert is pleased with this, saying in response:
Great job, keep it up! Giving you a big thumbs up!
The territory, despite lacking the lord’s direct management, has essentially achieved autonomous operation, meaning—his presence or absence makes hardly any difference.
The lord’s role is in map expansion, discovering new locations, building facilities, and planning.
While maintenance and development don’t require his concern.
For now, Sofia alone can manage the entire camp’s affairs, not to mention the help from others.
