Chapter 27: Frank, do you have any dreams?

"In one fell swoop, I summoned thirty-six Angels..."

"Plus the Angel squad."

"That brings my command to a total of forty-five dual-winged Angels."

For a moment, Edward couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.

A hunting squad made up of forty-five top-tier units was undoubtedly the strongest in the entire Worlds' Floating Isles; no other Lord could boast such a powerful force.

Edward was confident about this.

"But, I can't get cocky."

"Being stronger than other professionals is useless if you can't surpass the native forces on the island. After all, the native forces are the biggest obstacle to professionals taking over the islands."

Edward was clear-headed, not blinded by a moment of power.

He knew his current position well.

Even though he was stronger than other professionals, compared to the island's native forces, his current power was still insignificant.

At best, he could only handle small forces like the Goblin Tribe.

But if he were to go to war with a tribe guarded by a king-level powerhouse like the two-headed giant Tribe, he would undoubtedly be defeated.

"No need to rush."

"With the rate we're developing, I'll soon have the power to take down the two-headed giant Tribe. Then, we'll start conquering this entire forest."

Edward was very satisfied with his current rate of development.

Although the issue with the blueprints had forcibly limited the upgrade of his Territory's level, at least the scale of his exclusive military units was expanding.

Exclusive military units are the core of a Territory.

Being able to grow them rapidly was indeed a reason to be happy.

...

During the next period, Edward was multitasking. He kept an eye on the [Island Chat Channel] to gather more information about the Worlds' Floating Isles and other professionals. Simultaneously, he opened the [Island Trading Platform] and listed meat for sale.

His Goblin followers had been busy since early morning, dissecting monster carcasses. Additionally, those who went out with the Angel squad continuously brought back more hunted monster bodies. The task of breaking down these bodies was ongoing.

Every so often, the amount of meat stored in the Warehouse would increase significantly. Edward's strategy for handling this meat was to reserve the necessary amount for daily consumption, while listing the rest on the [Island Trading Platform] to exchange for wood, stone, and iron ore.

These three basic resources were crucial. Whether upgrading the Territory or constructing buildings within it, these materials were essential.

Stocking up on them was beneficial and prevented any last-minute scrambles to acquire more, which would be too troublesome.

Besides listing meat, Edward also used the [Island Trading Platform] to search for items he needed, such as [Fence Blueprints] and Spirit Grain seeds. Unfortunately, even by the afternoon, Edward hadn't found any bargains.

As the island's professionals increasingly took to hunting, the number of blueprints, equipment, and Spirit Grain seeds appearing on the trading platform also increased. However, this did not mean that the prices dropped. Acquiring these items still required a significant amount of gold coins, dictated by market demand. Given the low drop rate of monsters in the Worlds' Floating Isles, it was rare for prices to fall.

"Scarcity adds value."

"Professionals lucky enough to explode these items are not willing to lower their prices. Even if they can't sell them right away, they're not in a hurry."

"Especially blueprints and Spirit Grain seeds, which are considered rare commodities."

"Equipment transactions do occur from time to time."

The equipment that exploded at this stage was basically low-level, just slightly better than the initial equipment provided by the Worlds' Floating Isles, so naturally, the prices weren't very high. Professionals with some capital were quick to buy them up.

Compared to the high-priced blueprints, equipment seemed somewhat in short supply.

"It's almost time."

"Tomorrow morning, we'll attack the Goblin Tribe."

"With a blacksmith, I can mass-produce equipment and make a fortune on the trading platform."

...

Hundreds of Meat units were just listed on the trading platform again.

Edward suddenly felt a bit bored.

Since his arrival, he had been confined within the Territory, never venturing out.

It wasn't that he didn't want to; the wilderness was just too dangerous.

The Angel squad had been hunting from morning till afternoon, and during that time, thirty-six dual-winged Angels had joined, multiplying their hunting speed several times over.

A rough estimate—

The Angel squad had already killed over a thousand different levels of Wild monsters.

Yet, Edward's level was still at two.

Probably around the mid-stage of level two.

He was still some distance away from advancing to a level three profession.

Even if he reached level three, the outside world would still pose great dangers.

For now, the Territory was the safest place.

"As a Lord, my main job is to sit back, strategize..."

"This requires patience."

"And it's also a test of a Lord's temperament."

Edward consoled himself with these thoughts.

Of course, having a smartphone or a computer right now would be ideal.

Unfortunately, the rules of the Worlds' Floating Isles forbid the presence of technological products on the islands.

Thus, Earth's professionals couldn't bring items like smartphones, computers, or even firearms to the island.

"That's normal."

"Let's not even talk about smartphones and computers."

"If someone brought a few machine guns, they could massacre the island's low-level monsters, which would be no different from cheating."

"And if someone brought an atomic bomb, that would be even more terrifying."

Edward shuddered at the thought.

A giant mushroom cloud would surely bring apocalypse.

Forget king-level champions; even Transcendent Level natives would be doomed.

Perhaps only those of the Mastering Domain's Holy Order, or even a demi-god, could withstand the devastating power of the giant mushroom.

…

During a rather dull moment, Edward stepped out of the Lord's Hall and waved over a Goblin follower from a nearby spot. Excited by the summon from the Lord of Holy Light, the Goblin dropped his work and scurried over eagerly.

"Great god, what do you command?" the Goblin asked.

"Just relax, I just want to chat," Edward replied with a gentle smile, looking down at the Goblin who was only about four feet tall.

When Edward first encountered the Goblins, he found them quite displeasing from every angle due to their ugly appearance. However, over time, he strangely began to find the Goblins somewhat endearing. Their ugly exteriors could not mask their fervent loyalty to him, which significantly altered Edward's perception of the Goblin race.

Caught off guard by Edward's casual approach, the Goblin follower was visibly flustered. He had no idea how to simply 'chat' with the great Lord of Holy Light. So, it ended up being a session where Edward asked questions and the Goblin answered.

"What's your name?" Edward inquired.

"Lord, my name is Frank," the Goblin replied.

"How many people are in your family?"

"Ah? Lord, I have no family. I've never seen a human before, as humans rarely venture into this forest."

"Let's change the subject. Frank, do you have any dreams?"

"Yes, Lord. I once dreamed of becoming a powerful Goblin leader, fighting for the glory of the Tribe. But now, my dream is to follow you forever, Lord."

"That's a very noble dream."

As the conversation flowed into the evening, Edward learned much about the surrounding forest from Goblin Frank.

The forest was known as the Dark Forest, ruled by four formidable powers: the Giant Kingdom, the Bone Temple, the Naga Kingdom, and the Elven Garden. According to Frank's vivid descriptions, Edward realized that compared to these four mighty forces, the two-headed giant Tribe that he had been wary of was actually quite minor.