Chapter 233: Small Gains

Over the next few days, Luoning spent his time in the swamp.

Every evening, he would find a high slope, first use a few Flame Beam spells to dispel the dampness on the ground, and then take a tent out of his Space Ring to set up for the night.

With Kaierluosi there, he did not have to worry about attacks from Magic Beasts.

Searching for wild rice was not only dull and tedious, but also dangerous.

After all, one had to search within the wetlands, and a moment of carelessness could lead to getting stuck in a mud pit.

It was also thanks to Luoning's great strength, coupled with having Kaierluosi by his side; otherwise, it would have been hard to say.

Four days passed in a flash, and Luoning went from having no results at the start to gradually making discoveries.

Now, on the parchment in his hand, more than a dozen locations suspected of having wild rice were already marked.

These locations were basically all on the banks of rivers and in shallow water areas, where there were reeds, cattails, and these green seedlings suspected to be wild rice.

Why use "suspected"?

That was because although Luoning recognized rice that had headed, he was not one hundred percent sure about recognizing rice seedlings.

He could only record the characteristics of these areas on paper and also have Kaierluosi note the locations, so he could come back to check in July or August.

By that time, the rice would have headed and matured, making it very easy to distinguish.

In the air, Luoning, riding on Kaierluosi's back, arrived at the border of Swamp Town; a short distance further ahead was the sea.

The swamp actually connected directly to the sea.

The wind and waves in this area seemed relatively large, constantly washing against the coastal region with seawater, making the hydrological conditions near the coast particularly complex.

Luoning had originally thought this kind of estuary would be suitable for building a port, but it now appeared that this place was not very suitable; he would need to search north along this east coast.

"Today is already the nineteenth; in a few more days it will be my birthday, and it is time for me to set off for Wushan Castle."

He gazed at the sea and put away the thought of wanting to go out on the water to look around.

"Let's go, Kaierluosi, it's time for us to return."

The dragon let out a roar, happily wagged its tail, and turned back to return.

Although these past few days had been boring, Kaierluosi had taken the opportunity to expand its menu.

The crocodiles, pythons, and swamp deer in the swamp were all delicious, especially the Level 2 Magic Beast giant python captured the day before yesterday; the meat was quite tasty.

It decided that when it had time, it would continue to come here to look around.

Anyway, the master had said that as long as it didn't eat people and didn't cause destruction, it could handle these Magic Beasts however it wanted.

Flying all the way, Luoning returned to Zhaozebao and saw Ailin, whom he hadn't seen for Along time.

The little girl was fourteen years old this year and was growing fast; now at a height of one meter fifty-six, after putting on a proper long dress, she looked much prettier than before.

Having not seen Luoning for Along time, Ailin was naturally in a cheerful mood: "Brother, how do you have time to come over?"

Luoning smiled and said: "I happened to be passing by here on business; how have things been lately?"

Mentioning this, Ailin pulled Along face.

Ever since she and her mother began following Aierlong to learn knowledge of Magic Potions and Herbalism, her daily study tasks had become much heavier.

If she wanted to slack off even a little, before Aierlong could say anything, Jennie would speak up, because the latter had a clearer understanding—being able to learn this knowledge from Aierlong was an extremely precious opportunity!

Magic Potion studies were inherently profound; for a Magician to master them, they needed to invest a large amount of energy and money, and in the end, they might still end up with nothing.

It was very difficult for ordinary people to even come into contact with this discipline; without some background or money, don't even think about experienced Magicians being willing to teach you.

A teacher like Aierlong, who was experienced, didn't charge fees, and taught them everything he knew, basically couldn't be found a second time elsewhere.

"Hehe, I've learned a lot of useful knowledge recently, and I even used the newly learned Herbalism to treat a middle-aged woman's fall injury!"

Ailin's mournful expression flashed by and vanished; she was more willing to share happy things with Luoning.

Luoning couldn't help but give a thumbs up and ruffled her golden hair: "It looks like Wubei Territory will have another great physician in the future."

Ailin clenched her fists: "Don't worry, I definitely will!"

"Haha, then you must work hard; I look forward to that day coming soon."

Luoning and Ailin chatted and laughed for a while, then went to look at the increasingly robust black tiger; this guy probably had the strength of a Level 1 Magic Beast.

After it reached adulthood, he wondered if he could find a Storm Magic Wolf to breed with it and produce a litter of Storm Magic Wolf cubs.

He could have Kaierluosi keep an eye out for this matter to see if it could catch a live Storm Magic Wolf.

If he couldn't find one, he would only be able to seek out some large dogs for breeding; he just didn't know if there was reproductive isolation.

After parting with Ailin, Luoning went straight to Aierlong's office.

At this moment, the great physician was buried in his desk writing something; Luoning guessed he was likely recording his insights from researching Magic Potions.

Aierlong heard the sound, looked up, saw that Luoning had arrived, and immediately stopped his pen: "My Lord, you have come."

"I've interrupted your work."

Luoning asked with a smile: "How did the task I gave you last time go?"

"It has already been handled."

As he spoke, he took five Purification Spell Scrolls out of the drawer.

Luoning took them and put them into his Space Ring.

Since Natalia's Witch Soul power was somewhat similar to the Soul Devouring Surge within Lulansi, Luoning wondered if the Purification spell would have any effect on Lulansi.

Originally, he had planned to take him along to Wushan Castle, but considering that he had a lot of work to attend to, he abandoned this idea.

Anyway, the effect of a Spell Scroll was the same as the person casting it themselves; he would just take a few more Purification Spell Scrolls with him.

"Aierlong, there is a matter I need to discuss with you," Luoning said.

"You can just give your orders for whatever matter it is."

Aierlong smiled; since when had the Lord been so polite?

"Are you interested in serving as the Financial Officer of Wubei Territory?"

Luoning said: "The income of Wubei Territory relies heavily on Spell Scrolls, and in the future, your Magic Potions should also have very good sales. It is quite appropriate for you to serve as the Financial Officer."

As the territory gradually grew and various industries got on the right track, the number of investment and revenue projects increased, and handling every single payment personally was simply too troublesome.

Luoning needed a Financial Officer to handle these matters.

However, the smiling face of Aierlong fell.

"May the God of Light be above, my lord, please forgive me, but I truly cannot help you with this matter!"

He pointed to the many bottles and jars to the side; these were all things he had recently acquired.

"Magic Potion, Herbalism, and crafting Spell Scroll already take up most of my time; if you were to make me manage the territory's finances as well, I fear I would not have the heart for it!"

Luoning scratched his head.

Although Aierlong had rejected his proposal, he had given a very reasonable excuse.

These three tasks indeed required a great deal of energy, and managing the territory's finances not only required a lot of energy but also involved dealing with all sorts of people, which would affect his research.

"My lord, I think Chahaer would be more suitable."

Aierlong thought for a moment and offered his own suggestion.

"During this time, he has been the one calculating everyone's wages in the territory, and there haven't been any mistakes, which shows he has the ability."

Luoning nodded.

He had certainly considered Chahaer, but compared to Aierlong, his background was far too weak.

Moreover, a Financial Officer sometimes has to be responsible for management and decision-making, and Luoning did not know if Chahaer, who came from a commoner background, had that capability.

Besides Chahaer, Jennie was also quite suitable.

But since she said she was about to break through, Luoning preferred to have another Advanced Mage in his territory rather than a Financial Officer.

"Since that is the case, I will go talk to Chahaer; it is a pity for his dream of being a head Steward."

Aierlong laughed: "A head Steward has to manage the castle's finances anyway; since he is already managing the castle's finances, it wouldn't be impossible for him to manage the territory's finances as well."

He would rather Luoning have him craft a few more Spell Scroll than have him manage the finances.

"Fine, then that is settled."

Luoning stood up, "I will go to Wushan Castle tomorrow; if anything happens while I am not in the territory, you and Ruidar, Maiken, and the others handle it." (End of chapter)