Chapter 512 My Monsters
After Michael got to know what happened in the Savannah Region and the Zentika Empire, he learned a lot about the changes in the last four weeks.
The Bilrox Ranch had been reconstructed into a large Bilrox Nest. Because the Bilrox were not held captive anymore, a simple reconstruction was the easiest way to make them feel at home in the nest. Fortunately, the Bilrox Queen was of the same opinion. She built a nest at the highest point in the Bilrox Nest and organized her kind to make sure that they wouldn't run too far into the wilderness without any protection.
The Bilrox laid over a hundred eggs and it was only a matter of time before the newest generation of Bilrox chicken would hatch. Everyone was curious about the newest generation of Bilrox, not only because it was the first generation born after the birth of the Bilrox Queen, but also because some of the Bilrox eggs had been laid by Elemental Bilrox and other recently transmuted Bilrox. Once the Bilrox eggs hatched, the variety of Bilrox living in the Untamed Jungle – in Michael's territory – would expand rapidly.
Michael was curious about the existing transmutations and evolutions of the mature Bilrox and he found out various interesting facts. The Bilrox gained special Perks thanks to the natural influence the Bilrox Queen emanated. Slowly but steadily, all Bilrox would gain one or multiple Perks, changing the Bilrox's appearance and their set of abilities. All they had to do was stay close to the Bilrox Queen.
It was great to have the Bilrox Queen in his territory. She controlled the Bilrox much better than any Tamer could and she enhanced the strength of her kind just by existing. Michael considered her a cute and fluffy cheat code.
But the Bilrox Queen was not the only one who was cute and fluffy. The little Greater Eagle younglings hatched from Icarus and Ariadne's eggs were just as cute and fluffy as the Bilrox Queen.
Icarus and Ariadne's Nest was located near a new Monster Ranch that had been constructed not too long ago. The two Greater Eagles didn't want to be too close to the center of the territory but they didn't want to be isolated from the happenings within Michael's territory either. Their nest was perched high in the air, just below the canopy of three enormous trees. The Greater Eagles' Nest was huge. It connected three enormous trees, occupying enough space to construct two large treehouse complexes.
Michael didn't spend too much time with the little Greater Eagles but he didn't neglect them either. He promised himself that he would visit the Greater Eagle Nest in the future to visit the little eaglets every now and then. They should get to know him first before the Links of Loyalty were established.
Other than the Bilrox and the Greater Eagles, Michael decided to visit the other tamed monsters in his territory as well. That did not only include the monsters he summoned through the Summoning Gate but also Sun Demos and Zeroa. He visited Sun Demos in the area of the fiendish trees. It was not exactly close to the settlement in his territory, however, crossing the distance to Sun Demos was something Michael accomplished within a few minutes. He walked through the canopy bridges that had evolved into an extensive network.
Interestingly enough, the canopy bridge network altered a lot. It was far better hidden than before and almost impossible to make out from the ground due to the existence of three particular Enchantments. The three enchantments had been engraved on a small steel plate and merged to become a single Rune to generate a cost-efficient solution to the problems caused due to the sheer size and ease with which an enemy could spot the network of the canopy bridge from a distance.
The Rune was fused by making use of the Ambient Energy enchantment, the Muffler enchantment, and the camouflage enchantment. Fused into one, the Rune's effects turned out to be pretty simple. Ambient Energy ensured that the surrounding energy was absorbed and utilized, whereas Muffler decreased the volume of sounds in a certain range. Last but not least, camouflage did exactly what one expected from the enchantment. It merged the object attached to the enchantment with the surroundings seamlessly.
The fused Rune had been engraved on a steel plate but the steel plate had been integrated into the canopy bridge network, therefore hiding the canopy bridge, and silencing the noises made by those traversing with the canopy bridges. More than 1,000 steel plates had to be enchanted with fused Runes to cover every inch of the canopy bridge network with the Muffler and Camouflage Enchantment. That was not done in the blink of an eye, but it took a while.
Fortunately, Michael had more than enough Enchanter Novices, who were in dire need of experience, and resources to practice. Michael provided everything the Enchanter Novices required. Therefore, they had a pleasant time practicing their skills in merged Runes while simultaneously aiding the development of the territory.
Michael inspected the fused Runes on his way to Sun Demos, and he realized that their effect was much better than he anticipated. It was pretty amazing and would be of tremendous help once foreign Lords ventured to invade the Untamed Jungle – and Michael's territory. Michael, his archers, and everyone else could bombard his enemies from the canopy bridge network eons before the canopy bridges were found.
Even if their enemies would find the canopy bridge network, Michael and his subjects had transformed numerous trees into full-fledged defensive towers. They looked like ordinary trees and were still alive and flourishing. However, parts of their insides had been carved out to create hideouts for the watchguards. Large-scale weapons had also been integrated into the watchtower trees, turning each of those trees into a terrifying obstacle one had to cross to get close to the settlement.
Most enemies would probably be dead before they noticed each defensive tower and the various other means of defense that had been installed over the course of the last few weeks.
'I never grasped why the Kitsun Lord destroyed the Untamed Jungle to create his settlements in the traditional way. My settlement is well hidden and the defenses will take far more lives than traditional settlements could have taken when attacked,' Michael thought as he crossed the last portion of the canopy bridge network.
The network was not yet perfect, but Michael was fairly certain that it was only a matter of time before it would be near perfect. His territory's development was fast enough. There was no need to worry.
[It has been a while, Master. What brings you to my little kingdom?] Sun Demos' voice popped up in Michael's mind and he turned to his right where he saw the Blood Oath Demon Monkey King emerge from the thicket.
In the past, Michael would have deemed Sun Demos extremely powerful. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case anymore. Sun Demos might be a Superior Existence and he had great control of his subordinates, but that was already it. Michael's physical strength surpassed Sun Demos' strength easily. That was not even owned to Superior Constitution. It was just a fact that Sun Demos didn't progress as fast as his master.
The Blood Oath Demon Monkey King was not yet at the limit of his racial potential since he was the king of his kind, but he was slowly nearing his racial limitation. That was also why Michael resolved to visit Sun Demos' little kingdom, where more than 900 Blood Oath Demon Monkeys resided at this moment.
"I brought a bunch of Inferior Energy Stones and Apex Nutrition Serums. There are also a few Memory Crystals filled with Body Refinement Techniques, a technique called Leviathan Diffusion, and so on. All of this should help you reach your racial limitation in the next few weeks. After that, you can try to break past your racial limitations. I have no idea what you might require to break your racial limit or how to aid your evolution, but if you can instinctively tell what resources and materials you need to evolve yourself and your kind, don't hesitate to tell me," Michael said, his eyes locked with the darkness in Sun Demos' eyes.
"I can tell that you're getting restless. Your kind is strong enough to become the Overlord of the Untamed Jungle's outskirts, at least this part of the outskirts, but you want to continue fighting alongside me. I can sense that through our bond, so don't even try to deny it. I'll try to research more about monster evolutions and racial limitations, but that might take a while because I have too many things that require my full attention. Too much happened in the last few weeks, and I neglected my territory for too long as well. There is a lot for me to do!"
Sun Demos stared back at Michael. He retrieved the spatial satchel he'd obtained from his master a few months ago and handed it back to Michael. Michael transferred the resources he had been wanting to give Sun Demos and threw the spatial satchel over to Sun Demos again.
No more words were exchanged, but Sun Demos and Michael knew what the other was thinking and feeling. The firmness of their taming bond allowed them to communicate without speaking aloud, or through telepathy.
At last, Michael broke the silence.
"Take care of your kingdom and make sure to tell me if you need something. You can also talk to me when you're bored or confused about something. I can always make time for you. All you have to do is talk. Communication is the key, you know?" He said with a smile on his lips.
The Blood Oath Demon Monkey King continued staring at Michael for a while before he nodded.
[I'm glad that you're back.]
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