Fun before trouble

On the morning a week later, Adrian Eternus stood on the deck of the Titanus, watching as Revernus Port gradually faded from view.

"Boss, when will we reach Windrise Island?" Leo asked, poking his head out beside him.

Without looking back, Adrian replied, "It'll take about a week."

"A whole week?"

"Yes, it's quite far."

"I heard Windrise Island is just a desolate place full of black rock wasteland. It's impossible to grow crops, and it's crawling with monsters. We spent over 700 gold coins to buy such a desert island from Leonardo—is it really worth it?"

Adrian glanced at him. "Are you questioning my decision?"

Leo gave an uneasy smile. "I wouldn't dare, but the food we have can only last for about two months. With more than 200 people to feed, we'll need to buy supplies from the mainland. And recently, with the wars in Kruger, food prices are rising... I'm just worried."

"Don't worry about it so much," Adrian replied, his voice calm. "Once we settle on Windrise, I'll handle it. In fact, I have an important task for you."

"What's that?"

"Once we're settled, you'll need to go back to Kruger to recruit settlers. Our mercenaries are skilled fighters, but building an entire settlement on a desert island requires farmers and artisans."

"More recruits? Can we feed that many?"

"I told you, leave that to me. I'll take care of it."

Their conversation ended, but Adrian's brow remained furrowed. Though he sounded confident, doubts lingered in his heart.

After killing the old Caius, Adrian had smoothly taken control of the Shadowborn Mercenary Corps and issued orders to begin developing Windrise Island. The announcement had caused an uproar within the mercenary ranks. Everyone knew Windrise was a harsh place with few resources. Why would they go there?

Despite Adrian's assurances that he had a plan to make the land productive and promised generous rewards to those willing to follow him, about a third of the mercenaries ultimately chose to leave.

Adrian allowed them to go without protest. If they lacked the determination to help develop the land, there was no sense in forcing them to stay. Those who remained were loyal, trusted allies.

Within a week, the entire mercenary corps had mobilised. The mercenaries wrapped up their final task, sold off real estate and goods in Revernus, and managed to raise nearly 20,000 gold coins.

Some of these funds were distributed to the troops as bonuses to boost morale. The rest went toward essential supplies—steel, wood, stone—everything needed to build on Windrise Island. They also stocked up on a large quantity of food, as feeding over 200 people was an enormous expense in itself.

Additionally, Adrian purchased a ship, the Titanus, which they now stood aboard.

After all these preparations, his initial funds of over 20,000 gold coins had dwindled to just four or five thousand.

The Titanus was a two-masted sailing ship with a narrow hull that allowed for quick movement, reaching speeds of nearly 11 knots. It had a displacement of around 2,000 tons and had been outfitted with artillery from the Shadowborn Mercenary Corps.

At this moment, the ship was fully loaded. More than 200 people, along with all their supplies, were packed on board. In other words, all of Adrian's current assets were sailing on this single ship.

In the past, Adrian would have thought it was sheer madness to gamble everything in such a way. Just days before, when Adrian had proposed buying Windrise Island to the halfling merchant Leonardo, the man had looked at him as if he were insane. "A broken wasteland? Only a fool would take on such a burden!" But at a price of 700 gold coins, Leonardo had eagerly sold him the island.

A huge island of over 500 kilometres for only 700 gold coins was absurdly cheap. It was a price that reflected the harshness and hostility of the land.

But Adrian's confidence was rooted in a unique advantage: Merlin's Tower—the foundation for his empire of seven races.

Over the past week, he'd been carefully considering his options. Initially, he'd planned to establish a human citadel on Windrise Island. But the more he learned about the island, the more his plans evolved. He ultimately decided to begin with an elven base instead.

Through the mysterious fragments of knowledge implanted in his mind by the Tower, Adrian had learned of the elven base, marked by the colossal World Tree. The World Tree was said to have incredible powers, including the ability to transform barren land into fertile soil. Even in a place as inhospitable as the depths of the void, the World Tree could create a lush environment—if it could survive there.

Compared to the void, the environment of Windrise Island seemed almost favourable.

With the World Tree to transform the land and the aid of elven structures like the Moonwell and Fountain of Life, Adrian was confident that he could turn Windrise Island into a haven.

However, there was one significant challenge. In both Chlorand and Kruger, the regions closest to Windrise, the elven population was scarce. The nearest communities of elves were in the Northern Mountains and the Ravenous Forest, further east in the Highland Mountains.

But these regions were far away, and elves were famously reluctant to leave their homelands. During his time in Kruger, Adrian had only encountered two elves, one of whom was a slave captured by a hunting group.

Attracting a large number of elves to such a remote, barren place seemed nearly impossible. Fortunately, the elven architectural series, like all race structures, included a special building designed to grow the population: the Refugee Camp.

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