My Kingdom Building Done Right!-Chapter 21: Gathering Materials [Part 1]
Leone stared at the projection of the Beast Evolution Tree.
Maximus and Airon stood on his side, craning their necks to see it. Even Blitz, perched atop its Lord’s head, leaned forward, seriously reading.
All three were curious about what evolution was available for them in the future.
"Your evolutions cost 500 BP each," Leone said. "It’s gonna take a while before we gather enough points to evolve one of you."
*Squeak*
Blitz looked dispirited, wanting to evolve into a stronger version of itself as fast as possible. Maximus and Arion felt no different. The taste of evolving was truly addictive, and they wanted to have a taste of it again.
"Master, for every vassal you have, you passively gain one BP daily," Daedalus explained.
"The more vassals you recruit, the more BP you earn. Most importantly, it’s not limited to vassals. You also passively earn a tenth of a BP for every creature that recognizes you as their Leader. For example, if you have ten followers, they will earn you as much BP as one vassal."
"It might not seem like a lot, but they add up. You’ll understand what I mean once you have thousands of followers in the future. The start is slow, but it increases exponentially. Take it step by step and don’t feel down. We need to work hard to build a kingdom worth remembering for the rest of history. Don’t you think so, too?"
The grimoire’s words made Leone and his three vassals perk up. Blitz even thought of an idea and asked Daedalus a question.
*Squeak* *Squeak?*
"Oh! That’s actually a good idea, Blitz," Daedalus replied. "If you can make it happen, you can help Leone big time."
"Squeak!" The Red Flying Squirrel patted its chest with confidence, proudly telling Daedalus to leave everything to it.
"Thank you, Blitz," Leone said with a smile. "Please do your best."
*Squeak!*
Blitz had asked Daedalus if its fellow squirrels could become Leone’s followers. That way, they could gain more BP every day.
Leone gained 400 BP after completing his two missions to claim a territory and recruit three vassals.
As much as he felt tempted to evolve his vassals, Leone understood there might be more pressing matters that would need him to spend his BP.
In his strategy meeting with Daedalus, they discussed the most cost-efficient way to allocate BP to help the Alborin Tribe defend themselves from the Black Wolf Tribe.
The Black Wolf Tribe might stop pursuing them after evacuating from their ancestral land, but Daedalus warned that they should still prepare for the worst-case scenario. If they got complacent, the price would be steep.
Following the grimoire’s advice, Leone also bought an Uncommon Grade Pickaxe worth 50 BP. It could be used to gather stones, which they needed to craft the basic materials available in the Basic Workbench.
’Well, then. I guess it’s time to show the Alborin Tribe what we can do,’ Daedalus thought before flying toward Ulric to ask for his help.
The grimoire asked Ulric to help him procure a few materials—specifically some logs and animal skins.
"Logs?" Ulric frowned. "How many do you need?"
"Twenty logs are fine," Daedalus replied. "With your new axe, chopping trees will be a breeze."
"Chopping trees is not a problem," Ulric nodded. "But carrying them from the forest to our camp takes time and manpower."
"Oh, you don’t need to worry about that," Daedalus assured him. "I can store everything you cut down inside my pages. You don’t have to worry about transportation.
"Also, cutting the trees at the base of the mountain will clear the area and, in turn, give us better visibility if ever the Black Wolf Tribe initiates a surprise attack."
Ulric’s expression turned solemn after the grimoire reminded him of the Black Wolf Tribe. Truth be told, he hoped their pursuers would give up after realizing that the Alborin Tribe had already evacuated.
But he understood that he was being overly optimistic. The new Chieftain of the Black Wolf Tribe was an ambitious individual. He had even asked Ulric to become one of his captains because he planned to rally the other tribes and become the Barbarian King.
A Barbarian King already existed. However, not all tribes obeyed his commands.
The reason? His territory lay farther west, and the Borderlands were so dangerous that he believed expanding his domain there would only waste manpower and resources.
The scattered Barbarian Tribes who had chosen the Borderlands as their home were constantly at war with monsters and each other. While they acknowledged they should have a leader to unite and guide them, none could agree on who would become their Grand Chieftain.
In the end, only Tribe Alliances were formed, allowing each tribe to act autonomously while coming to each other’s aid when allied tribes faced danger.
"Very well, let’s go," Ulric said. "I’ll cut as many trees as you need."
"That’s the spirit!" Daedalus nodded. "Well then, Master. I’ll be off for now. Please work hard!"
The grimoire followed Ulric out of the cave, leaving Leone behind.
"Maximus, it’s time to work," Leone handed the pickaxe to his Familiar and pointed at the dead-end corner of the cavern. "Start mining stones. Daedalus will collect them later."
Maximus nodded in understanding and set to work. The sound of the pickaxe striking dirt and stone echoed through the cavern.
The members of the Alborin Tribe had no idea what Leone was planning. But for now, they decided to return to their own tasks and leave him be.
Blitz decided to return to the forest and convince its friends and acquaintances to recognize Leone as their new leader. It desperately wanted to evolve sooner, so it planned to find every squirrel in the forest and make them followers of its new master.
While Leone contemplated what to do next, Arion gently nudged him with the side of its face.
It then neighed softly, asking Leone for permission to fly outside.
"Itching to try out your wings, huh?" Leone lightly stroked his vassal’s neck. "Good. Let’s go."
Truth be told, Leone was also tempted to ride on Arion’s back while it flew. But he would need to wait for Daedalus to return first. Riding on Arion’s back without a saddle and reins was too dangerous, even for him.
Besides, Arion would still need to practice flying first. That way, it would be safer for Leone to join it as they explored their territory.
