Chapter 397

(2)

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

With this wave of experience pouring in, a golden light enveloped Ji Chen, and a surge of energy flowed into his body, sweeping away his fatigue.

Ji Chen opened his personal panel and saw the number “40” on his level, nodding in satisfaction.

Over the past three days, he had been leading his army to clear out wild monsters and raid their nests all around.

Having all his units at Tier 5 meant that no wild monster in the Stormy Sea could stand up to them; they were defeated effortlessly, like slicing through vegetables.

Countless wandering monsters fled in panic, and hundreds of nests scattered on various islands and the seabed were destroyed.

Through this systematic extermination, Herald’s level was skyrocketing, reaching level 36. While he couldn’t match heroes like Anina and Alice, who had already hit level 40, he could still showcase remarkable combat abilities.

Over these days, Ji Chen closely observed the performance of this Deep Sea Naga hero. Not only did he possess terrifying strength and speed, but he could also control lightning.

A single strike of lightning from him could either kill the enemy on the spot or leave them paralyzed, helpless against him.

A lightning ball he conjured had destructive power equivalent to an alchemical cannonball explosion.

Apart from Herald, the newly recruited units were also leveling up rapidly and had already reached an average level.

Among the main heroes of the Crown of the Ocean, except for Daro, who was still lying in bed, as well as Verena, and Benbo, who were on his way back, the rest had all reached level 40, stepping into a new stage.

Ji Chen had just reached level 40, and his mana capacity increased significantly, equivalent to 120% of a level 39 mage’s mana.

However, he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed that he hadn’t comprehended any new skills.

Observing the troops with a minimum level of 35 around him, Ji Chen was in high spirits. He glanced at the sky and broke into a smile.

With a grand gesture, he declared, “Let’s head back!”

Finishing his words, he rode ahead on the Tyrant Azure Dragon. Alice and Anina exchanged glances and followed suit, with Herald closely behind, and finally, a massive army numbering in the thousands.

The group raced across the sea surface and quickly returned to the Crown of the Ocean.

Ji Chen walked through bustling construction sites and returned to the Lord’s castle.

He called for Wilus.

“How is the post-war reconstruction going?”

Wilus, who hurriedly came, exclaimed with excitement, “The reconstruction is going even smoother than we anticipated. The residents, faced with a territory reduced to ruins, aren’t feeling disheartened at all. In fact, their enthusiasm is soaring. At this rate, the reconstruction time may be significantly shortened!

It’s all thanks to you, my Lord. You’ve bestowed homes upon the residents, filling them with hope!”

Ji Chen smiled and contemplated, realizing that it wasn’t just him who instilled hope in the residents; they had discovered hope from within themselves.

“Wilus, remember that the prosperity of a territory is not something one person can achieve alone. The residents themselves are the true heroes who have contributed greatly to the growth of the Crown of the Ocean.”

“I understand,” Wilus nodded, his eyes filled with admiration.

Indeed, their Lord was different. He didn’t claim ail the credit for himself but attributed it to the seemingly ordinary residents.

When compared to rulers, nobles, and landlords on the mainland, who could achieve such a level of communal unity?

Wilus increasingly felt that his fortunate arrival here due to a shipwreck and his decision to become the Lord’s Internal Affairs Officer were incredibly wise choices.

“Oh, by the way, how is the implementation of the ‘Crown of the Ocean Resident Technology Learning Program’ that I asked you to announce earlier?”

“Reporting to you, my Lord, everything is progressing smoothly. The institute dedicated to teaching technology has already started construction, and it’s expected to be completed in ten days.

The response from the residents to this program has been very positive. Many of them are eager to learn new skills to contribute to the territory.”

Ji Chen nodded in approval.

This was a project he had initiated long ago, and as the name suggests, it was a program for learning various skills.

These skills included but were not limited to, agriculture, wood processing, tool forging, shipbuilding and repair, weaving, and sewing. Essentially, any skill beneficial to the Crown of the Ocean could be learned at that institute.

Apart from non-human races like the Lizardmen, the Crown of the Ocean had around 3,000 human residents.

Some of them were part of the original indigenous tribes and specialized in managing the sea rice paddy fields, numbering over 400. Another group consisted of residents who already possessed various skills, along with those responsible for construction and management of the settlement, totaling around 1,100.

The majority of the residents, over 1,500, were engaged in manual labor.

While they would have been a valuable workforce in the past when resources were scarce, they had now become somewhat of a burden.

This was because the most physically demanding tasks, such as logging and mining, had been taken over by a large number of slaves, prisoners of war, and even non-human races like Kobolds and Lizardmen, who were better suited for such strenuous work.

Therefore, approximately one-third of the formal residents of the Crown of the Ocean were in a state of prolonged low-efficiency operation.

In simple terms, it was a waste of manpower.

Thus, training these residents to acquire skills and deploying them to perform technical work in various parts of the territory was an inevitable trend.

As the Crown of the Ocean’s industries continued to grow, the demand for skilled workers would only increase. Whether it was the wood processing plant, the brewery, or the jungle plantation, they all required skilled workers to function properly..