King
Chapter 1246 - 1246 214 Excavating the Ruins

1246: Chapter 214: Excavating the Ruins 1246: Chapter 214: Excavating the Ruins The Snow Moon Territory halted its expansion and began to integrate its gains gradually.

Rows of farmlands kept appearing on the planning map.

Without the worry of safety threats, the Snow Moon Territory officially transitioned from a pastoral to a farming era.

With the development of agriculture, the demand for the labor force in the territory continued to surge.

Once again, immigration and settlement became the focus of the Manor House’s work.

Not only did Hudson move domain people from the Mountain Domain, but he also spent a great deal of money purchasing slaves from the outside.

Unfortunately, with too many visionaries among the Nobility, the prices of slaves always seemed to float high in the sky.

To make up for the labor shortage, the monotonous and unskilled labor tasks all fell upon the shoulders of the Orc Slaves.

It wasn’t just the Snow Moon Territory; similar situations emerged throughout the Near East Region and even the North Border Region.

With the labor supply and demand imbalance, even the previously worthless Serfs now saw their status and value doubled.

Those who would have had to grit their teeth through sickness were now receiving proper medical treatment.

The Pharmacist profession, supported by Hudson, quickly became popular across the Near East Land.

Aside from the Church who was displeased at losing business, everyone else was quite satisfied.

A cheap, replicable healthcare model was what most suited the lower classes — the alternatives paled in comparison.

To encourage fertility, Lords everywhere resorted to various ingenious measures.

For example, forced marriages once of age, banning artificial abortions, establishing minimum child-rearing quotas for couples…

Of course, correspondingly the treatment of Serfs also improved slightly from before.

If anyone took time to calculate, they would discover that the average lifespan within the Alpha Kingdom was gradually increasing.

The dividends of an era’s progression, even if just a trickle of residue, had a profound impact on the lives of ordinary people.

After arranging the territory’s development plan, Hudson led a team of experts whom he had recruited with a heavy purse to personally inspect the Cursed Land.

Revisiting the old site and looking at the lush meadows, it was hard to connect this place with the notion of a Cursed Land.

Suddenly, a hare burst out from the underbrush, perhaps startled by the arrival of Hudson and his party.

In its panic, it exerted all its hare vitality only to be captured by a falcon that swooped down from the sky.

Indeed, effort requires a certain talent.

Choose the wrong direction, and the more you struggle, the more tragic your end.

Hudson slowly said to the people behind him, after witnessing the survival of the fittest in the great plains: “This is the inauspicious land in the eyes of the Orcs, a place where those who live here are said to meet with accidents.

After taking this land, we also organized teams to explore, but no traces of a curse were found.

This time, I’ve invited all of you here in the hope that we can identify the problem.

By the way, there used to be an island in the center of the lake, which was a relic of a prehistoric civilization, but it has since sunk.”

If one observes closely, they would notice that this team was not very orthodox.

The invited guests included Arcanists, Necromancers, Astrologers, Wizards…

In summary, two words describe them: “Heretics”.

It’s not that Hudson was causing trouble; professional matters required a professional team to handle.

Conventional methods of curse resolution had been tried.

Whether they were effective remains unknown, but judging from the area of the Cursed Land, the prospect was practically nil.

If a bit of Holy Water were enough to solve the problem, the Orcs would have dealt with it long ago; it’s unlikely they would let such a thorn linger till now.

Leaving such an extensive Cursed Land at their doorstep was a hazard in itself.

It’d be one thing during peacetime, but with a millennia-scale catastrophe approaching, not understanding the true nature of the matter, who knows if it’s a ticking time bomb!

The times have changed.

In the past, inviting a group of “Heretics” into one’s territory could have caused enough public dissent to be socially fatal.

The Northern Church of the new era advocates an inclusive philosophy: “Broad-mindedness embraces greatness”.

The outdated and crude practices from the Church Era, where people were labeled “Heretics” based on their profession, are bound to be overthrown; they do not align with the definition of the new era.

In this context, there is no point in continuing to hide their identities.

Those “Heretics” who were already half-concealed have begun to show their true colors.

Especially the two major Arcane Academies of the Continent; they have brought various heretical disciplines to the lecture halls, resulting in a rare bloom of diverse professions across the land.

Any profession desiring to flourish cannot do without the support of the elite classes.

These occupations concealed in the shadows had long since declined to the point of barely holding on.

Despite the seeming bustle, the reality was a talent drought and an impending extinction.

If it weren’t for this, Hudson wouldn’t be able to hire so many old-timers.

Under normal circumstances, they would either be in reclusive cultivation or seeking opportunities to break through the Sanctuary.

“Marshal, is there really a prehistoric relic here?”

The man in black asked excitedly.

Anything linked to prehistory could garner significant attention.

It’s not only about chasing after that lost piece of history but more about the thirst for knowledge.

Particularly knowledge related to cultivation, which obsessive seekers on the cusp of the Sanctuary coveted most.

This is not to say that ancient cultivation systems were necessarily superior to contemporary ones.

Regardless of the system, the ultimate outcome converges to the same destination.

The pursuit is for the flash of insight that comes during research; often, a moment of epiphany can outweigh decades of arduous cultivation.

“Master Nemiah, there’s no need for me to lie about this.

Back when the Kingdom forces were defeated, as I led the troops to rescue the fleeing soldiers, I stayed near the Lakeside of the Snow Moon.