novelraw Chapter 333: Generous Rewards, Consecutive Level-Ups!
Chapter 333: Generous Rewards, Consecutive Level-Ups!
He did not know this, but it was only natural.
The impact the Doria Kingdom gained from winning the Academy Grand Competition was far more than mere honor,
such enormous renown immediately made this previously inconspicuous kingdom famous throughout the Violet Empire’s jurisdiction and even across the entire continent. From now on, kingdoms would come to court favor and cooperate with them.
Large merchant guilds might also enter the Doria Kingdom’s market to establish roots and expand. The Doria Kingdom would usher in unprecedented prosperity for a long period to come!
Although this wave had cut deep into the king’s private coffers—basically all the loot they had secretly taken when raiding Duke Morin’s estate had been handed out this time—compared to the coming development and leap forward, the rewards presented now were nothing.
“In addition, you may not need it personally, but on behalf of the kingdom, we will grant you the title of Honorary Duke. From now on in the Doria Kingdom, anything you need you can come to me directly. There will also be a dukedom residence built for you…”
This was the king’s little tactic. By doing this, he could bind this unimaginably promising genius closer to the kingdom and borrow the star power of his name.
Lin Mo had thought of these things too, so accepting the rewards carried no burden.
Essentially it was similar to when he was a newcomer cooperating with Edgar, only now his power and status were different, so the price to pay would naturally be higher.
Come to think of it, with his current fame, that old Edgar must be rolling in profit. In front of his father he could probably stand a little taller now, straighten his back…Thinking of Edgar, Lin Mo couldn’t help but remember the piece of Spirit Vein Mithril still in his father’s hands. He needed to speed up arranging the forging of new mithril gloves.
After all, his original mithril gloves had been damaged in previous battles.
But forging mithril gloves required materials from a Mountain Giant, and no one knew where such a monster could be found… He could ask the king later. As the ruler of the kingdom, the king surely had an intelligence network; he might know something.
A palace maid handed over the list of rewards and compensations. Lin Mo examined it carefully—first and most direct were the coins.
There were Crystal Coins and Gold Coins, totaling nearly one million Gold Coins!
Besides money, there were a lot of pieces of equipment: over a hundred Superior-grade pieces, and five Epic Level items. Lin Mo glanced through them—none suited him personally, but they could further equip Ellie and the others.
Now the girls each had several Epic Level pieces.
Next were skill scrolls… The king had obviously consulted Elvish and Flora before preparing these tributes and knew Lin Mo liked skill scrolls, so he prepared many.
Fifty Common-grade skill scrolls in total, twenty Excellent-grade, and five Superior-grade.
Now Lin Mo no longer had to worry about lacking profession skill quantities for universal upgrades.
He could learn them one by one when he returned and slowly train them afterward.
There were also many alchemy potions: ten bottles each of a Superior Life Potion worth 10,000 Gold Coins and a Superior Mana Potion worth 30,000 Gold Coins, plus high-grade antidotes, purification potions, temporary attribute-boosting potions, and so on.
All these potions together were worth hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins; adding the coins, the total value nearly surpassed the prize for winning the Academy Grand Competition.
They really planned to make me the kingdom’s “flagship”…
Ellie stared at the first column of the list, paused, and asked in puzzlement, “What is that map fragment?”
The king’s expression turned several degrees more solemn. His tone grew heavy, “That map fragment might be more valuable than everything else put together!”
He walked to the end of the palace, took out a glazed box sealed by a magic array, and inside lay a map fragment no bigger than a palm, still not yellowed. Blurred runes and incomplete terrain outlines had been etched onto it. From that lone fragment you couldn’t tell what place was marked.
“That was left by the kingdom’s founder at the time of founding. It was something an ancestor stumbled upon and has been passed down ever since. It is said to be a fragment of a Lower Ancient map, which records information about a Lower Ancient Secret Realm…”
“But even with generations of kings, none have been able to study out anything useful from it. The Doria Kingdom lacks the capacity to search for the remaining fragments. Even if they keep it safeguarded, it will remain buried—unless one day a future hero or genius has the chance to discover the secret behind that map fragment and find the Lower Ancient Secret Realm! I only hope that day will come; please, for the Doria Kingdom’s sake, offer your favor when possible…”
Ellie looked at the preserved map fragment and her expression turned serious.
A Lower Ancient Secret Realm… it sounded mystical. If real, the dangers and opportunities within would be unimaginable.
“All right, I will.”
Hearing his reply, the king smiled and solemnly handed the box to Lin Mo, then cautioned, “But remember not to act rashly. Be extremely careful. Do not take risks before your strength reaches Legendary Level… Although unverified, twenty years ago that legendary adventurer Lorenth Valania apparently entered a secret realm while investigating some ancient relic and has been missing since!”
He implied that the two things might not be related, nor necessarily the same secret realm, but the possibility existed.
Lin Mo nodded and placed the box into his Portable Space for safekeeping.
If that was the case, in the short term the fragment would likely be useless.
“By the way, I have another question…”
“Ask.”
The king now had boundless patience for this young prodigy.
“I need one material: I have to find a Mountain Giant, but such monsters are rare. Does the king know where they might be?”
“Mountain Giants?”
The king thought for a moment, as if recalling something. “I remember now: such monsters are not within the Doria Kingdom’s borders, but not far away in the Lonia Kingdom. There have been reports of sightings near Frostbreath Snow Mountain in the northern region.”
Really?
Lin Mo’s face brightened. The Lonia Kingdom was not terribly far; with their carriage it would be about ten days’ travel.
“I understand. Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“You are welcome…”
The king shook his head. “I have many state matters to attend to, so I will not keep you. If you need anything, come to me.”
With that he turned and left.
Lin Mo looked at the palace’s wealth and felt both anxious and joyful.
With so many items, plus the Academy Grand Competition rewards, even his Portable Space had been filled nearly halfway.
He would need to spend the next few days expanding that space; otherwise his idea of turning it into a livable “house” would be hard to realize.
After returning he still had to learn skills and raise several other profession levels. The Lonia Kingdom trip would have to wait a while. (This will fast-forward, no filler, it’ll be quick)
After storing everything in his Portable Space, Lin Mo took everyone back to Flora’s villa.
Night had already fallen deep.
Everything else could wait until morning. For now, he had an important “side quest.”
Continuing to help Ellie and Finnie increase their power was crucial over the next few days.
Tonight was the little maid’s and darling golden cake Finnie’s time.
Compared to Ellie and Lena’s pairing, this master-and-servant pair was relatively more “gentle.” Of course, that didn’t mean they would skimp on what was needed.
The next morning, Lin Mo opened his eyes, sat up and meditated for a while, then began expanding his Portable Space.
He spent the entire morning on this task, and the afternoon learning the skill scrolls he’d received.
With Lin Mo’s comprehension, this was obviously no problem. Seventy-five skills in total, finished in one afternoon.
As a result, Lin Mo gained a total of 33 base Strength points, 30 base Agility points, 25 base Constitution points, and 12 base Mana points.
Several professions’ levels also rose.
The Warrior profession leveled up to 15. Ranger and Assassin both rose to 11, promoting to Elite. Unfortunately, no unique profession unlocked this time. The Knight profession rose one level to 12. These three professions were all close to their next upgrades, only needing one or two attribute points.
Finally, the Mage and Priest professions both rose one level to 19.
A series of profession upgrade notifications flashed before Lin Mo, dazzling his eyes.
“Universal promotion conditions met: Profession Warrior (lv14) promoted to current Profession Warrior (lv15).”
“Profession attribute increases gained: Strength+10, Constitution+4, Agility+4!”
“Universal promotion conditions met: Profession Mage (lv18) promoted to current Profession Mage (lv19).”
“Profession attribute increases gained: Constitution+3, Agility+3, Spirit+7, Mana+13!”
“Universal promotion conditions met: Profession Priest (lv18) promoted to current Profession Priest (lv19).”
“Profession attribute increases gained: Constitution+2, Agility+2, Spirit+10, Mana+12!”
“Universal promotion conditions met: Profession Knight (lv11) promoted to current Profession Knight (lv12).”
“Profession attribute increases gained: Strength+3, Constitution+8, Agility+1!”
A string of attribute boosts made Lin Mo’s stats surge once again.
Finally, two professions reached key universal promotions.
“Universal promotion conditions met: Profession Assassin (lv10) promoted to current Profession Assassin (lv11).”
“Profession attribute increases gained: Strength+6, Constitution+6, Agility+12!”
“Universal promotion conditions met: Profession Ranger (lv10) promoted to current Profession Ranger (lv11).”
“Profession attribute increases gained: Strength+6, Constitution+6, Agility+12!”
Beyond attribute increases, profession trait upgrades were obtained.
“Your Assassin profession skill—Assassin's Heart has been upgraded!”
[Assassin's Heart] Lv3: A viper hidden in the dark, committed to one-hit kills. Assassins do not need defense; only absolute offense can pierce all fortified walls!
Skill effect: Melee attack damage increased by 30%!
“Your Ranger profession skill—Ranger's Heart has been upgraded!”
[Ranger's Heart] Lv3: Bow and crossbow hunt all things, arrows tear flesh. You are a natural shooter; beyond ten paces arrows fly fast; within ten paces they are both fast and accurate!
Skill effect: Ranged physical attack damage increased by 30%!
Both profession skills improved by 10%.
After promoting to Elite, profession insignias were also awarded!
“Congratulations on becoming an Elite-level Assassin. Your understanding of assassination has deepened. Your profession rank has increased and you have received the profession insignia—Elite: Increases movement and attack speed while sneaking by 20%!”
“Congratulations on becoming an Elite-level Ranger. Your understanding of marksmanship has deepened. Your profession rank has increased and you have received the profession insignia—Elite: Increases firing speed and arrow flight speed by 20%!”
These were excellent bonuses that would play a significant role in combat. Especially since Lin Mo planned to spend time grinding Assassin and Ranger levels, the profession skill upgrades and insignia would greatly increase efficiency.
Night after night he meditated, expanded space, and practiced Dual Cultivation…
Unknowingly, four days passed.
During these four days Lin Mo devoted most of his time to meditation and practicing Spatial Creation.
Primary Meditation Technique was nearing max level, while Spatial Creation rose from level 4 to level 5.
Now his Portable Space measured 20×20×6, covering a surface area of four hundred square meters and a total volume of 2,400 cubic meters. He partitioned the space into two parts: one-third as storage for goods, and two-thirds as living quarters.
During the day Lin Mo bought many construction materials, used Earth Element magic to pile and place them, read books for research, and asked the women for design suggestions. Acting as an interior designer, he divided rooms and turned the space into a small villa, buying many high-end pieces of furniture to furnish it.
Now his Portable Space looked like a cozy little home.
Next he could try “moving in.”
After four days of continuous effort, Ellie and the others also improved noticeably.
Ellie, being of higher level, didn’t level up because Lin Mo’s base Strength was now roughly equal to hers, so her gains were mostly in skill improvements. Her stats rose a bit and her combat power improved significantly.
Finnie successfully leveled to 12, Sherfilia also reached 12, and Lena… her Mana level was now equivalent to that of a level 7 Mage.
In the coming days, Lin Mo planned to go to the Silent Forest to grind proficiency for the new skills he had learned and raise the remaining profession levels…