The market construction process began smoothly. The mercenaries with the yellow orchid, numbering more than a dozen, changed into new uniforms, equipped themselves with new gear, and began working without complaint.

They carried out their tasks quietly and with steady precision, maintaining a smooth and efficient rhythm as they worked. Floki predicted that by evening, they would be done with their task.

Unfortunately, he did not have enough time to linger and observe them further, as there were several other important tasks that required his attention. For instance, he had not yet paid a visit to his farmlands, he had not inspected the new recruits who would be forming the Ironside army, and there were plenty of other responsibilities that demanded his focus.

When he turned to the left, the twin red-haired sisters, still charmed by his previous display of charisma, eagerly volunteered to accompany him. He rejected them without hesitation, as he found them to be nothing but a distraction. Their usefulness had already been exhausted the moment he obtained what he wanted from Evander.

Unlike the twins, who were still merry and ready to mingle, Evander remained upset about their betrayal. At the same time, he found himself looking forward to what would happen two weeks from now.

’He dares to brag about upgrading a town into a city in two weeks. How arrogant. I would love to see his expression when he fails.’

Evander, seated inside one of the carriages, observed Thalia and Tania clinging onto Floki and thought to himself with a faint grin forming on his face.

Sitting inside the carriage with him, a bespectacled middle-aged man observed his behavior with a subtle frown, clearly displeased.

"Young master, do not be this reckless next time," the middle-aged man said in a calm but firm tone.

Evander turned to him and scoffed arrogantly.

"Reckless? You call that reckless? It is only a little loss for now. In two weeks, with the deal I struck with him, we will practically own this town, its resources, and exclusive rights to all its routes. Do you think my useless brother can achieve this?" Evander bragged confidently.

The middle-aged man did not respond immediately. He simply stared at Evander for a brief moment before letting out a quiet sigh.

’Why did the boss have to set a competition between his sons? They are both excellent in their respective fields, yet they are also reckless. Pitting them against each other feels more risky than progressive.’

Meanwhile, completely unaware of the tension within the carriages, Floki successfully freed himself from the twins’ horny clutches, silently swearing to himself not to use the forbidden ’rizz’ again.

===

Floki had just gotten back into town when he was approached by old Charleston and several other farmers. Their complaints were quite peculiar, and all of them appeared deeply concerned and unsettled.

"Calm down, everyone. I need just one person to speak up," he requested, raising his hand slightly to settle them.

Old Charleston stepped forward.

"We returned to the farm this morning. Initially, we were all shocked by how much the land had grown on its own, and at that time, there was nothing wrong. However, just a few hours after we started working, all our crops began to wither, it started slowly at first, then rapidly. As we speak, there is nothing left," he responded calmly, though the weight of the situation was evident from his shaky tone.

Floki’s ears perked up immediately.

The problem was indeed peculiar and far from ordinary.

He began to consider what the possible cause could be.

Without wasting any time, he moved alongside the worried farmers toward the farmlands.

As they passed through a vacant field, more than three hundred men could be seen undergoing basic strength training under Garrick and Breeze. Actually, it was mostly Garrick doing the work, while Breeze was sprawled lazily on the field, chewing on a leaf as he stared at the morning clouds. He did not acknowledge Floki’s presence. Even though he could likely sense him, he was too lazy to respond, unlike Garrick, who performed a slight bow before returning to his instruction.

They arrived at the farmlands shortly after.

What the farmers had complained about was indeed not an exaggeration.

The farmlands now stretched vastly. The available land, when properly cultivated, would be capable of feeding the entire town every season, with more than enough surplus to be sold at the market.

Yet at that moment, despite its vast size, everything was barren.

Every plant present had died. Even the large fruit trees had withered, dried up as though they had been set on fire, except there was no smoke and no visible charring on them.

"What could have happened?"

Floki wondered aloud, hoping that the system would provide some form of answer, but as expected, it gave him its signature silent treatment.

"Lord Floki, this is very bad," one of the farmers stepped forward and said. It was an elderly woman dressed in properly sewn rags.

"We do not have enough food storage at all. At this rate, we will all starve to death."

One by one, the others voiced their concerns, each adding to the growing tension.

Floki remained silent, carefully thinking through the situation.

After a while, he turned to the people and spoke.

"Go back to your homes and rest for today. I will figure something out very soon. Do not worry, Ironside will never starve. I will not allow it," he promised firmly.

Fortunately, his words eased them slightly, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

Floki walked further into the farmland and observed the plants closely before checking the soil.

To be honest, there was nothing visibly wrong with it. If anything, it still appeared fertile.

’Crap...’

He muttered inwardly, running his hand through his white hair as his eyes scanned the farmland continuously, as though a clue would suddenly reveal itself.

While he was still thinking, one of the ex-Blackstone followers approached him cautiously.

"Baron Floki, can I speak with you for a moment?"

The man called out politely, though his voice trembled slightly, clearly afraid.

"Calm down. I will not hurt my own follower. What do you want to speak to me about?" Floki responded. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Hearing his calm tone, the man gathered his courage and spoke.

What he revealed was something Floki had been neglecting.

It was not the cause of the problem, far from it, but it could contribute to the solution.

"You mean he boasted about an ability that boosts the fertility and productivity of his land, and you are wondering if I obtained the skill from him?" Floki repeated, an expectant look appearing on his face.

The man nodded rapidly.

"Good. Thank you for informing me. What is your name?"

The man bowed slightly before replying, "Drake, your lordship."

"Drake, you have done well by informing me. How would you like to handle an important task for me? There will be a reward attached."

Drake’s eyes lit up immediately.

During the celebration the previous night, he had overheard some people discussing the ’magical quests’ that Floki assigns to his followers.

To think he would get the opportunity to participate in one so soon filled him with excitement.

"I would like you to gather your colleagues and work together to thoroughly clear all the plants here. You will be rewarded once the task is completed."

"Is that all you want me to do?" Drake asked eagerly.

"Yes. Get on with it."

"Thank you so much! I will not let you down." Saying this, Drake dashed back into town.

Floki remained in place for a few seconds before accessing his inventory.

He brought out the two S-rank skill scrolls he had obtained from conquering Blackstone. Originally, they had been F-rank, but thanks to his reward multiplier, they had been elevated to a much higher rank.

[ Would you like to learn this skill instantly? Cost: 1000 skill points. Time required: ten minutes. During this process, you will experience unimaginable pain due to the disparity between the skill quality and your current power level. ]

The system notification appeared before him.

"Ten minutes of unimaginable pain and one thousand skill points to learn it? You must be kidding me," Floki complained.

He had over half a million skill points, and one thousand was insignificant, yet he could not bring himself to accept the pain aspect.

Logically, there was no reason to endure such pain when other methods existed that could achieve the same result without suffering.

Unfortunately, before he could proceed with the painless method, Drake returned alongside over three dozen men, none older than forty, all carrying machetes and hoes.

After acknowledging Floki’s presence, they immediately began working.

Floki left the farmland shortly after.

He headed toward the training ground.

Garrick provided him with a brief report.

Apparently, three hundred and fifty individuals had agreed to join his force.

More than three hundred of them were men. The remaining were women, and half of them were Angelina and her colleagues.

Seeing them reminded Floki that he had another task to complete, one that would further aid his town’s development: conquering Wayan Village.

He remained at the training ground for a while, delivering a few motivational speeches before eventually returning to his manor.

Once inside, he removed his clothes immediately and entered the perfumed bath.

"System, pour the appropriate amount of experience points into my level, enough for me to break through to gold-rank," he commanded.

[Confirmed. Distributing 226,802 experience points.]

[Level up]

[Level up]

....

[Level up]

[Level: 46]