Chapter 236: No Effect

Daianni's enthusiasm was not limited to that brief moment of meeting; she had also prepared various fruits and snacks for Luoning, and for lunch, she specifically asked what Luoning liked to eat so she could prepare it for him.

In a daze, it seemed as if she had transformed from the identity of a stepmother into that of a biological mother.

No, it was likely even closer than a biological mother; even when Buleidun returned from outside, Daianni perhaps had never been this enthusiastic.

Toward Buleidun, she was more demanding and encouraging, making him spend all his time on cultivation, improving his strength as much as possible, and becoming a powerful Knight capable of standing on his own as soon as possible.

Yet, the more abnormal this enthusiasm was, the more cautious Luoning became.

In any case, no matter what purpose the other party had, being a little careful was never a mistake.

After eating some fruit and ordering dishes, Luoning finally escaped Daianni's enthusiasm and walked toward the back courtyard alone.

"Young Master Luoning, you have finally arrived!"

After hearing the report from the Guard, the old Steward Moste informed Lulansi of this news, and the Marquis rarely showed a happy expression.

"Long time no see, Moste. Is my grandfather doing well?"

"Good, good, everything is good!"

Moste did not know whether he was telling a lie or the truth, "The old master was very happy after receiving your letter and learning that you would return for your birthday; he has been talking about you constantly!"

He described it in such a way that it made Luoning think of a lonely old person waiting at home for their children to return, though Lulansi was not quite at that point yet.

Although this was the place where the Marquis lived his daily life, the facilities and scenery here seemed to have never changed.

Led by Moste, Luoning soon arrived at Lulansi's study, where the latter was currently sitting upright on the sofa, resting.

The old man was dressed quite formally, and his spirit seemed not bad, but when Luoning saw Lulansi's appearance, he was still shocked for a moment.

At this time, Lulansi was a whole circle thinner than before, almost looking like skin and bones. His hair was completely gray, and his eye sockets had sunken in quite a bit.

"Grandfather, how are you?"

Luoning asked with concern, "Why have you become so thin?"

Lulansi raised his hand, and Moste understood, immediately bowing and exiting the study before closing the door.

"The side effects of the Soul Devouring Surge are like this; after one intense use, the backlash effect will become stronger and stronger until it reaches a balance again."

Lulansi smiled, "Don't worry, it's just that I've lost some weight."

He looked Luoning up and down, then nodded slightly, "You've grown a bit taller and more mature. How is the construction of Wubei Territory going?"

Luoning took a Spell Scroll of Purification from his bosom, "Grandfather, I managed to get a few Spell Scrolls of Light Attribute Magic Purification. Let's see if they have any effect?"

"Spell Scrolls of Purification are not easy to buy; it looks like you spent a high price."

Lulansi took the scroll, opened it to take a look, and then put the Spell Scroll away, "It's just a pity that you spent the money, but unfortunately, it has no effect on the Soul Devouring Surge."

"None at all?"

Luoning asked subconsciously, but looking at the other party's expression, he could guess that Lulansi had likely already received treatment with Purification.

Next, the other party's words confirmed Luoning's guess.

"Level 4 Light Attribute Magic Purification; I heard of it when I was young. Although Light Attribute Magicians are rare, looking at the entire Orland Continent, there are still some. Back then, relying on my connections, I found a Great Mage of the Light Attribute. He personally cast Purification, but apart from making my body feel comfortable, it had no effect on the Soul Devouring Surge."

That was true; back then, Lulansi did not know how much of a price he had paid or how many connections he had used to try to cure the illness in his body. He must have heard of magic like Purification and definitely must have tried it.

"This magic has one thing that is very special."

Lulansi said, "When other magic is injected into my body for treatment, not only does it not have an effect, but it is also easy to trigger the backlash of the Soul Devouring Surge. But Light Attribute Healing Spell, Purification, and some other magic do not have this concern."

"This is also the main reason why Milosilafu and Silva insist that Light Attribute magic can cure the injuries in my body."

Luoning had no choice but to put the Spell Scroll of Purification away, "Alright, I will find the magic to treat you."

If he possessed the Level 6 Magic Beast Kaierluosi, his ability to protect himself would be a given.

Ruidar was also improving his level progress by relying on his own cultivation talent, and Luoning would next invest his Energy Essence into Aierlong, letting him become a Level 8 Magus as soon as possible.

It was just that looking at Lulansi's current condition, he did not know if he could still hold on for seven or eight years as he had said before.

If the time was too short, Luoning was afraid he would not make it in time.

After all, a Level 8 Magus was a rare existence on this continent. To cultivate subordinates of this level, even if he could obtain quite a lot of Energy Essence from the Monthly Sign-in, there was still huge pressure.

He still needed to put more effort into achievements and try to accumulate more Energy Essence.

"The development of Wubei Territory is all on the right track."

Since it could not be treated, Luoning answered the other party's question.

"It's just that the biggest problem at the moment is the shortage of population."

Luoning said, "I have already had people collect more Free Citizens to join Wubei Territory, which has eased the pressure of the population shortage, but it is still quite slow."

"The development of a territory is not a matter of one day or one night. Make a good plan, proceed step by step, and have patience."

Lulansi exhorted, "A Viscount territory generally has a population of about fifty or sixty thousand, and even the prosperous Muma Cheng has a population of over one hundred thousand. These are all results after many years of development."

"As long as you develop the territory's economy, create its unique features, and at the same time improve your own reputation, naturally many Free Citizens and Knights will join your command."

"As for population, even with natural reproduction, wait ten or twenty years; as long as the territory's resources and construction are up, the population will naturally increase."

This was only a general method; Luoning wanted to achieve more, and he needed to obtain population growth in the short term.

Waiting ten or twenty years—let alone whether Luoning was willing to wait, just speaking of Lulansi, he would definitely not have the chance to wait until then.

However, regarding Lulansi's teachings, Luoning was still listening earnestly.

"Grandfather, you just mentioned unique features; this time I actually brought the local specialties from Wubei Territory."

"Oh?"

Lulansi said with a smile, "It wouldn't be Silk clothing again, would it?"

He had liked that scarf from last time very much.

"That's not it; Wubei Territory's specialties are just a little bit more than what you know."

As he spoke, he took a wooden box from the Guard's hand at the side and placed it on the table to slowly open it.

The wooden box was filled with grass leaves to act as a cushion, and a white porcelain bowl was placed in the center.

"This is?"

Lulansi looked on in surprise as he lifted the white porcelain bowl from the box, "How can it be so delicate? Is this pottery?" (End of chapter)