Prelude

The Kobold attack was easily resolved by a degenerated Beast Dragon.

Although it's unclear why such a large tribe gathered, at least no harm was done.

Not all Kobolds were eaten; the remaining thirty or so were cataloged by Caelan into his Compendium in groups of five, making them convenient to use.

However, the injuries they sustained from Stone will likely require a long recovery period within the Compendium.

The "Stone" mentioned here isn't a literal stone, but the name Caelan gave to the Beast Dragon.

Stone the Beast Dragon

Race: Dragon

Level: 24

Strength: 210

Agility: 76

Stamina: 453

Endurance: 147

Magic: 165

Talents: Beast Dragon Blood, Beast Dragon Scales, Magic Resistance, Blade Resistance, Strike Resistance, Poison Resistance, Earth Resistance, Fire Resistance, Water Resistance, Wind Resistance, Light Resistance, Dark Resistance, Night Vision, Degeneration, Chaos Adaptation

Caelan had previously thought about naming him, originally considering "Bahamut," which sounded like a powerful dragon, but then he reconsidered, thinking a humble name would be easier to raise, so he gave up on that idea.

Seeing his dull gray appearance, he then chose the name "Stone."

Stone, having eaten his fill for the first time in hundreds of years, was now full of energy, running around joyfully, and Caelan couldn't even recall him.

He could, however, use the Compendium to forcibly control Stone's actions, but after some thought, he decided against it.

The child hasn't been out for hundreds of years; let him run for a while. He'll want to go back when he's hungry.

Thinking this, Caelan closed the Compendium and turned to walk towards the castle.

Time passed like this.

When Caelan first arrived, it seemed to be winter in this world, but after a long period, it was now the season of spring and blossoming flowers.

The breeze carried grass seeds from afar, which had already taken root and sprouted in this black land; only a little over a month after Caelan closed the Grand Magic Array, dense green grass had already grown on the ground.

The restoration of the Aether environment brought vibrant life to the area around the Demon King's City.

Caelan was currently outside the castle, supervising the Kobolds at work, while he himself was in another field, harvesting newly planted herbs.

This herb, named White Ling Grass, is one of the commonly used medicinal herbs for treating external injuries among the Demon Race.

After drying the surface moisture of the picked White Ling Grass in the sun, it is collected again and placed into a large pot, repeatedly stirred and fried, allowing the leaves to tumble and rotate, evenly losing water from the heat. Then, the heat is turned off to cool, and a second frying is performed. When no steam rises, the heat is turned off again to cool for a third frying. When the leaves wrinkle into strips and emit a clear fragrance, they can be taken out and ground into powder.

These powders are very effective for stopping bleeding and sterilization when applied externally, and they can also enhance immunity when taken internally.

After all, Caelan lived in a place far from human habitation; if he ever got sick, he needed to have some countermeasures.

Otherwise, if a dignified Demon King were to die from a severe cold, that would be truly embarrassing.

Not far from the herb garden were two vegetable plots, each about an acre in size.

Fast-growing crops were planted there, and each vegetable plot had a dedicated Kobold manager responsible for daily watering.

For example, that potato field was cared for by the Kobold leader previously cataloged, who, due to his large stature and potato-growing, was named Potato Panhu.

Potato Panhu, Kobold Leader

Race: Beastmen

Level: 6

Strength: 51

Agility: 89

Stamina: 56

Endurance: 33

Magic: 10

Talents: Tracking, Leader

The nearby cornfield was taken care of by the first Kobold Caelan ever cataloged. Caelan even gave him a special name, contrasting with Potato Panhu, calling him Corn Fu.

Corn Fu, Kobold

Race: Beastmen

Level: 3

Strength: 41

Agility: 79

Stamina: 46

Endurance: 27

Magic: 0

Talents: Tracking

Perhaps because he could eat his fill, Fu's attributes had improved somewhat, and his level had also increased by one since he first arrived.

These two Kobolds were also the relatively smarter ones among all the Goblins; at least when they held hoes, they wouldn't ruin the vegetables.

And with enough Kobolds, the less intelligent Skeleton Soldiers were assigned to guard the gate.

In addition to these two plots, there was also a plot in the castle courtyard, where fast-growing crops like cabbage, greens, and radishes were planted, cared for by Caelan himself.

Those could be harvested about every half a month, and along with mushrooms, they were the main food source in the Demon King's City now.

However, to be fair, there were only a few mouths to feed in the castle right now—besides Caelan himself, there were Panhu, Fu, and Stone.

...Oh right, where did Stone run off to play again?

Caelan straightened up, tossed the herbs in his hand into the basket, clapped his hands, and looked around.

A few days after letting Stone out, Caelan discovered that he didn't really need to prepare food specifically for him.

His hunting range was very large, often running to areas beyond the original black zone to hunt, not only ensuring he ate his fill but sometimes also bringing back other things, adding a dish for others in the castle.

Speaking of Stone, Stone arrived. As Caelan watched, he saw a mass of grayish-brown thudding and clattering from afar. Who else could it be but Stone?

However, he didn't know what he had eaten outside again; his mouth was full of blood, and it was splattered all over his body.

Seeing him about to run into the city with a cheerful look, Caelan immediately called out to him.

"Stop!"

Stone's steps halted immediately, then he turned around reluctantly.

Caelan pointed towards the moat.

"Come here, wash yourself clean before you go inside!"

Although he couldn't clean the entire castle, Caelan regularly cleaned the areas he frequently walked, and he couldn't let Stone track blood everywhere.

And just as Caelan was leading Stone down to the river, he suddenly saw something floating down from the upstream of the river.

"What is that...?"

Caelan squinted and stared for a while before realizing the figure...

"Is it a person?"

Meanwhile, in Platinum City, the capital of the Iron Kingdom, in the northeastern part of Terra Continent.

Inside the royal palace, a Soldier hurried through the corridor, stopping before a beautifully decorated door. After taking a deep breath, he shouted loudly: "Report!"

"Come in."

A somewhat hoarse voice came from inside the door, and only then did the Soldier dare to push the door open.

It looked like a study, with sunlight streaming through the window, making the entire room exceptionally bright.

An elder dressed in a white robe with gold trim sat at the table, his gaze fixed on the book before him.

Catching a glimpse of the Soldier about to kneel, he spoke indifferently: "Speak quickly if you have something. I hope you bring me good news."

The Soldier paused at his words, then stammered: "Reporting, Your Majesty... The general has sent word that the Hero has been slain."

"Oh?"

The Old King raised his eyebrows and glanced at him.

"Where is the body?"

"This..."

"Speak." The Old King's tone grew sterner.

"The general said... he's still searching." Seeing the Old King's displeased expression, the Soldier quickly added, "At that time, the Hero was already severely wounded and fell from a cliff. Although there's a river below, it's impossible for him to have survived..."

"I don't need your conjectures."

The Old King closed the book, making the Soldier flinch.

"Tell the general, no matter what, I want to see the body. The Hero is the source of disaster, and the Alliance's three hundred years of peace must not be broken!"

"Yes!"