It was a miniscule increase to say the least, but William had only eaten one of the five Seal Fruits. Before he could pop the second one in his mouth, the System sent a message in the corner of his view.
-Consumed a Seal Fruit: +0.1% Comprehension of the Seal Element
A tenth of a percent? So, I have to consume a thousand of these Fruits to reach one hundred percent??
William did the math. If he didn't upgrade his Seal Element Farm again, it would take over sixteen years to fully comprehend the Seal Element. In retrospect, it would only take three and a quarter years if he upgraded the Farm to C-Rank.
POTENTIAL POINTS: 343,940
William sighed. The answer always seemed to lie with Potential Points, but he just didn't have enough!
The Fire Mine probably has a good number of Points waiting for me. I should visit them really quick. William thought as he opened a long-distance portal back to the Azures Continent.
In a series of short hops that would take a non-Space Mage months to travel, William reached the Fire Mine in less than ten minutes. At the entrance of the Fire Mine, Wen Xai could be seen casually writing down notes in his journal, but he bowed deeply the moment William appeared in the distance.
Your next journey awaits at empire
"How are things going so far, Wen Xai?" William asked with a smile as he approached.
"Very well Sir, we have extracted a large portion of Flamerium, but the Dragonstone is a bit too tough to efficiently mine for now." Wen Xai said as he handed William his notebook, listing the numbers.
William checked over the sheet and went to the warehouse, nodding in satisfaction as he swept all the ores into his Space Ring.
-Acquired Flamerium: +250 PP
As long as he was within a hundred kilometers of the Cultivator, William could control the Seal Mana to stop the Cultivators' hearts in an instant. Even if they didn't need their hearts to survive, William could track them through the Seal Mana as well, ensuring they would never escape as long as they didn't Ascend.
Next, William checked their Cultivation levels and had them waste three years' worth of Spirit Qi if they were close to Ascension. Even if they wanted to leave, they had nowhere to go, but William tried not to be too harsh with the punishment.
"You'll work for me in the mines for a period of one year. If you do well, I will let you go early, and if you perform poorly, I will extend your service by another year. Does this sound good to you?" William asked.
The group readily accepted his offer, grateful rather than upset that he burned some of their Cultivation. Any other opponent wouldn't hesitate to kill them or even cripple their Dantians, but William seemed to be different. They couldn't help but be thankful, and a year in the mines was nothing compared to their long lives.
"Great!" William snapped his fingers and unsealed the Cultivators' movements simultaneously, wrinkling his nose as a putrid scent immediately filled the air.
He used the slightly improved Territory of Sealing to halt all their movements in an instant, granting him time to extend the distance between himself and the puddles forming on the ground. "Follow me, I'll show you to your posts."
He opened a medium-distance portal to a nearby Oasis and dropped the Cultivators into it, granting them an hour to clean themselves up. Once they were ready, he took them to the Providence Zone, where Kamei the Black Turtle Hatchling was already waiting.
"Is there something you need, Master?" Kamei asked as he glanced at the forty-something Cultivators behind William.
"Ah, yes. Good timing. Can you call for the Region Leaders I caught before? I need them to supervise these guys." William asked quickly.
He honestly couldn't remember where he left the old men that used to be the higher-ups of Retribution, but thankfully his Companion Beasts were reliable. In a matter of minutes, William was sent the coordinates to their locations, where he opened a series of long-distance portals and brought them over.
Seeing the group of peak Cultivators from the Velos Continent, the Region Leaders couldn't conceal their shock. "Ah... Master William, where should we have them work?"
"Since they're at the peak, I think it might be suitable to have them here." William said as he projected a holographic map that displayed the different resource nodes of the Azures Continent. At one particular spot in the Providence Zone, William placed his finger and showed the group.
"T-That's... are you sure, Master?" the old men trembled in fear as old memories resurfaced.
"Absolutely. Send them to the Superior Death Mine."