The cost of war was never small, especially for defense. Normally, the city would ask its citizens to contribute Natural Spirits to sustain the Defense Formation.

It was a normal thing during wartime—no one minded giving something for the safety of their homes.

Richard, however, had just become the city's ruler, and this war was entirely his fault. He still had enough shame not to ask the townspeople for anything.

For the sake of pride and dignity, he would use his own Natural Spirits.

He had tens of millions of them — a huge number for a Magus below the Lord Realm.

'Let's start with ten million,' he thought.

He extended his hand toward the Formation Core.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Countless Natural Spirits surged out, flowing into the Formation Core through its small openings.

Inside, the spirits began to drift around the core.

Slowly, the Formation Core started absorbing their energy. It glowed as it channeled that energy through the four long steel pipes leading in different directions.

At that moment, the citizens in the city witnessed a dome of blue light appearing above them, covering and protecting the entire city.

The light dome gradually darkened with time, which actually signified that it was becoming denser.

Eventually, it turned deep blue — almost black.

"It seems the City Lord has activated the Defense Formation."

"He must've used a tremendous number of Natural Spirits."

"Right. The formation's power looks like it reached its peak. There must be a huge reserve of Natural Spirits fueling it."

"But with so many barbarian tribes attacking together, their continuous assault could still destroy the Defense Formation unless it's supplied with even more Natural Spirits."

"..."

Of course, that wasn't Richard's only plan.

After activating the Defense Formation, he called Arthur.

"Have the tribes begun to move?" Richard asked.

"Not yet—they're still preparing," Arthur replied.

"Do you know why they're cooperating to attack? I don't believe it's just because of the Red Bear Tribe. There's no way they could rally so many tribes."

That indeed felt strange. After all, this should have been a personal grudge of the Red Bear Tribe.

Sure, their chieftain might have convinced the Ice Gorilla Tribe by saying Richard planned to attack them, but what about the other tribes—those even hostile to the Red Bears?

"My lord, I don't think it's because someone influenced them," Arthur said.

"Oh? Why do you say that?" Richard asked, slightly puzzled.

"It seems… they're doing this because you're seen as a major threat to them," Arthur replied.

"A major threat?"

"Yes. You're a threat to them. They don't like seeing a powerful figure rise from the Eastern Territory. Historically, powerful figures—like Grand Sovereigns—who emerged from the East always brought trouble to the Ancient Ice Region."

"I see…" Richard could only sigh. If that was their reason, there wasn't much he could say.

"My lord, a letter arrived from the Duke of Ice Mountain. He asks whether you need assistance. If you do, he's willing to send reinforcements," Arthur said.

"Of course, accept any help offered," Richard replied.

That wasn't something he would refuse—what he lacked most right now was manpower.

Besides, he had summoned Arthur to help him gather troops.

"Oh, and spread the word: I'll give one King Bloodline Core to the three people who kill the most barbarians during the invasion. Additionally, ten others below them will each receive a Regular Bloodline Core," Richard added.

It was his way to gather soldiers.

With such a reward, he was certain many Magi would come to fight.

He already had the prizes ready. When he killed Sterling, he obtained three King Bloodline Cores and many Regular ones.

For him, they were useless—he had planned to sell them, but with the current situation, he would use them as rewards instead.

"I'll spread the word…" Arthur said, somewhat dazed by the incredible bounty Richard offered.

With that, even Magi from the World Realm and Grimoire Realm would come to try their luck.

Even if they didn't need the cores themselves, they could sell them.

A King Bloodline Core was worth at least two or three Tier-4 weapons, sometimes more, depending on the buyer.

Naturally, the news spread quickly and caused a stir throughout the kingdom.

People knew Richard had obtained the Blood Devourer Beast, so it wasn't strange for him to possess many Bloodline Cores from it. That made the announcement believable.

Those confident in their strength immediately set out for Snow Sky City, eager to fight the barbarians.

When the strong joined, the weak naturally followed.

Time passed. Liam Hemsworth returned alone to the Order of the Crimson Veil, his aura gloomy.

People gave him strange looks, curious, since he usually exuded so much confidence.

He walked into a dark, quiet castle illuminated only by the faint light of small candles.

Many pairs of red, menacing eyes gleamed in the shadows — belonging to a pack of black wolves of normal size, but radiating a savage aura.

"I want to meet my master," Liam said.

"I already know what happened. Sterling is dead. Go. This no longer concerns you."

A cold voice echoed from one of the rooms, though its owner did not emerge.

"Master, that brat deceived us! We must teach him a lesson," Liam said, his tone filled with resentment and humiliation from Richard's kick to his face.

It had become a personal grudge between him and Richard.

Yet, there was no response from Ethan.

Liam frowned, wanting to argue but eventually holding back. He turned away and left.

He understood his master likely wasn't ready to confront whoever stood behind Richard.

"Liam, what happened? Did the exchange fail?" A group of young men approached him as he left Ethan's castle.

"I heard there's a massive bounty in the Holy Star Kingdom," one of them said. "Richard has promised a King Bloodline Core to the top three who kill the most barbarians attacking his city, and ten more will get Regular Bloodline Cores."

"Didn't you bring back Sterling's treasure? You know, we were hoping to buy a King Bloodline Core from him."

Liam: "..."

---

In the evening, at Snow Sky City, Richard leaned on his balcony, enjoying a cup of hot coffee mixed with sweet milk.

In this frigid region, even he found the cold unbearable, so ice was the last thing he wanted. He preferred warmth.

From the balcony, he could see the city's state.

Some citizens had chosen to leave, but those who could fight stayed—tempted by the rewards Richard had offered.

Now, Richard could see Magi from nearby cities beginning to arrive.

As long as one possessed treasures desired by others, it was easy to command them.

'I might not even need to fight myself,' he thought.

He took another sip of his coffee, and just as he set the cup down on the table, the Fire Spirit Queen appeared before him.

"Your Majesty…" Richard greeted her politely, since he was in a good mood.

"That person is already in the Land of Humans. I'll take you to meet him. But let me warn you—be respectful. He's incredibly powerful, strong enough to kill you before you even realize it," the Fire Spirit Queen said calmly.

Hearing that made Richard uneasy.

"How about… you go meet him yourself? I'll give you my Ignis Volt Core and the Bloodline Core," he replied.

He obviously had no intention of meeting someone who could kill him without warning.

The risk was too great. Even if he acted respectfully, could such a person really be trusted?

"Fine…" the Fire Spirit Queen said, extending her hand toward him.

It seemed she agreed to handle it herself.

"Take them," Richard said, handing her Sterling's Bloodline Core and his Ignis Volt Core.

After receiving them, the Fire Spirit Queen immediately disappeared.

Richard returned to his coffee, unsure how long it would take to upgrade the Ignis Volt Core to High Tier.

"City Lord!" Arthur suddenly flew in and landed on Richard's balcony.

"The barbarians have begun to move. They're expected to arrive by midnight. With the forces we currently have, we may still lose. Reinforcements from other provinces in the kingdom will take longer to arrive," Arthur reported.

"That's fine… Let them come first. Tell everyone not to start fighting until more troops have gathered."

"Can the Defense Formation last that long?" Arthur asked doubtfully.

"You'll see it for yourself soon," Richard replied.

Seeing Richard filled with confidence, Arthur nodded.

He knew this young man wasn't foolish, even if he still looked like a child.

"I'll inform everyone of your orders," he said.

After saying that, Arthur left once again.

Richard remained seated on his balcony, waiting for the night to come.

When night finally arrived, he received a notification from the System.

DING!

(Your Heavenly Water Points have increased from 78 to 91!)

Incomplete Heavenly Water (91 Points)

"One more time…"

Richard grew impatient — he was so close to turning the Heavenly Water into a complete form, no longer incomplete.

Once it reached that point, it would become the most valuable External Power he possessed.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.