Chapter 32

Chapter 32: The Steel-Eating Sword

Pushing open the long-closed wooden door, Lolan Hill stepped out, washed her face with clear water, and looked up at the vast blue sky as if she had come from another world.

Seven years have passed already, what a long dream this has been.

Her eyes changed from red to blue, and then a gust of wind enveloped her, lifting her into the sky.

The emerald mountains remained as they always were, and in the distant East, the peaks of the Sighing Mountains could be faintly seen through the clouds.

Lolan Hill flew toward the village where she once killed the giant serpent. The wind whistled by her ears, bringing back the familiar sensation of wind pressure, spreading a sense of exhilaration through her heart.

Now, the village had become a city. On the hilltop, there were stone-built halls for meetings, schools, nurseries, hospitals, and other public facilities. Halfway up the mountain was a warehouse, a warrior training camp, a shooting range, and workshops. At the foot of the mountain was a large marketplace surrounded by colorful mushroom houses, leaving only a few main roads through it.

When Lolan Hill arrived above the city, she saw a scene of prosperity. Young rabbits in various colored clothes ran joyfully down the streets after school, shouting slogans while warriors swung their lances in the training ground. In the evening market, orange lights flickered, and bustling crowds bargained.

She slowly descended onto the square in front of the meeting hall, and the surrounding guards, delighted, immediately went to gather everyone.

On the tower next to the meeting hall, a large bronze bell was struck, its sound echoing throughout the mountain city. Rabbits inside looked up, and when they saw the figure with silver hair and a red dress, cheers filled the mountains. Messengers rode fast horses out of the city, scattering to various rabbit cities to announce that their supreme lord had finally returned today.

Other cities received the messages and sent their leaders to this city.

In the spacious meeting hall, rows of tall brass candle stands were arranged, illuminating the interior brightly.

On the steps inside the hall, a magnificent throne was placed, with golden carved edges and a soft red backrest.

Sitting on the throne was a silver-haired girl. She placed her hands on the armrests; seven years had left no trace on her, still looking exactly the same as before.

At sixteen or seventeen years old, at first glance, one might easily mistake her for a delicate girl, although she was indeed very strong.

Lolan Hill’s crimson eyes slowly swept over the rabbits present, seeing familiar old faces and new members.

“Now, I want you to report your achievements over these seven years,” she said.

“Your will, my lord,” everyone answered in unison.

First out was Kanda, the governor of the Snake-Slaying City. He now wore steel armor and a white cloak, his expression resolute and much more mature than before.

“My lord, these are the fields, orchards, and lakes we have developed in the mountains over the past seven years.”

Two rabbits brought out a long table, and a large map was spread out, clearly marking the locations of each city, the distribution, size, and brief descriptions of all production areas.

According to the statistics of each city, there were approximately 20,000 mu of farmland, 5,000 mu of orchards, and 600 mu of lakes. Annually, they produced about 20 million jin of grain, 16 million jin of fruit, and 3 million jin of aquatic products like fish and shellfish.

As she listened to the reports from the managers and governors, Lolan Hill quickly calculated in her mind.

This average yield of farmland was close to the level during the Mercury Dynasty, but it still lagged behind the industrialized agriculture of her previous life.

One reason was the lack of fertilizers, and another was the mountainous terrain, making some farmland less convenient to operate compared to flat land.

Producing natural fertilizers should be prioritized; food waste, straw, and so on were good raw materials.

Refining chemical fertilizers was too difficult for the current level of rabbits; it would be better to focus on expanding more farmland.

“The basic education in all cities has been fully popularized, and all underage rabbits enter schools to receive education.”

“The curriculum includes, but is not limited to, literacy, arithmetic, literature, history, philosophy, agriculture, combat, and herbal medicine.”

The education was quite satisfactory, Lolan Hill nodded approvingly.

Next came the military preparations.

“After continuously consuming extraordinary fruits to improve our constitution, we now have many more extraordinary warriors.”

“Each city has a regular force of 80 steel-armored soldiers and 200 reserve militia.”

“In total, the cities have reported 2,400 extraordinary beings with Sequence 1, 600 with Sequence 2, 135 with Sequence 3, 16 with Sequence 4, and 1 with Sequence 5.”

“Who is Sequence 5?” the girl asked with interest.

“My lord, it is the governor of this city, Kanda,” replied the scribe beside her.

Ah, he has grown much more mature since his days as a passionate youth; it was almost hard to recognize him.

Kanda, the girl knew, was only Sequence 2 back then. It was surprising how much progress he had made in seven years.

Lolan Hill blinked, and his data appeared in her mind.

Name: Kanda

Race: Beastman (100% rabbit)

Status: Healthy (no abnormalities)

Sequence: Original Sequence 5 · Steel-Eating Sword (rating: excellent gold level)

Talents:

【Robustness】(excellent): Strong constitution, powerful strength, and high resistance to damage.

Abilities:

【Iron-Eating】(excellent): Can absorb iron elements, strengthening bones and muscles (Robustness +1).

【Song of Courage】(good): A loud song that boosts morale, reduces fear, and slightly enhances strength.

【Steel-Cutting Sword】(excellent): Can infuse weapons with magic power, increasing sharpness and resilience, particularly effective against steel.

Skills:

【Steel Hardening】(good): Temporarily hardens certain muscles or tissues, enhancing resistance but causing irreversible damage if prolonged.

【Training Soldiers】(good): Has trained numerous recruits, with his own set of techniques and methods.

This is a fine material for a general, the girl thought, then duplicated the military tactics and strategies she had taught Pulman in the past, recording them in a legacy gem.

“This gem contains a complete record of the war tactics of the Mercury Dynasty, as a reward for your promotion to Sequence 5.”

A transparent gem flew out of the girl’s hand, slowly landing in front of Kanda.

The steel-armored warrior, overwhelmed with emotion, held it in his palm and knelt on one knee.

“Thank you for your grace, my lord. I am willing to serve you with my life!”

It wasn’t strange for him to be so moved. The Mercury Dynasty had once been notorious, conquering north and south, rising from nothing, defeating ogres, beastmen, elves, and countless others.

After nearly a thousand years of warfare, they had annihilated many races. Their discipline, tactics, morale, and military strategy were unparalleled, even after internal disintegration. Other races dared not challenge their might, instilling a deep-seated fear and reverence in their enemies.

(End of Chapter)