Exploring the forest

As for the three teenage boys,they were quick to join the guards after they saw the wage paid to the guards and the incentives. As long as they had enough merit points,they could exchange them for a cultivation manual and resources.

To them, this was an opportunity they could not let pass, actually everyone wanted to join the guards as they could not let pass on becoming cultivators,but Zach had placed an aged limit.

Anyone beyond twenty years could not enroll as a guard. But to certify everybody,he promised to let them purchase the manuals,but the price was astounding.

The rest were applied to help the available professions.

With so many residents,Zach commissioned the construction of ten wooden cabins within the week and had the cobbler and his cobbler and the tailor work together to make a set of leather armor for the guards.

The armor was a three piece armor,a chest guard,a pair of pants and a pair of boots. As for the helmet and arm guards,he forged them with iron.

He spent the mornings in the smithy forging the helmets,the arm guards,two iron shields and swords. He also forged a hundred iron arrow heads and spear heads. These were sent over to the carpenters,who fixed the shafts on them.

After a shared meal at the communal dining shed,Zach would join the six guards in training.

The first three guards had already broken through into the third stage of body forging realm,all they needed now was a cultivation manual for them to embark on the cultivation path.

Four days had passed since Zach received the second batch of residents.

During this time,Zach had not only forged iron equipment and weapons for his guards but also established better regulations and a system for the running of the camp.

He had also broken through into the mid stage of foundation establishment realm.

"We are heading out..."

Zach said as he inspected the six guards in front of him,who were all clad in a mix of leather and iron armor. Among the six,two of them carried a shield and had a short sword sheathed on their leather belt. Two of their companions had a quiver of arrows strapped on their back,a bow on their right arm and a pair of poisoned daggers sheathed on each side of their belt. The tailor's husband and one of teenagers' had a pair of short sword sheathed along their belt,and a broad long sword strapped on their back.

"The three of you will be left behind to guard the camp..."

Zach said as he pointed at the three teenagers.

"Yes sir..."

"As for the you,you are to accompany lieutenant..."

"Your are to explore the plane as well as search for resources..."

"Yes sir..."

The three older guard saluted...

"You are dismissed..."

He watched the guards dispersed before picking up a leather satchel from the ground. This was among the leather products made by the cobbler,he had bought it for ten copper coins.

"Time for me to venture out..."

Zach said to Timothy,who was not just an assistant attendant at the shop,but his personal assistant. Though been young,he had a high level of intelligence and an awareness that even most adult lacked. He was also a perfectionist and had a strict adherence to details.

His overall personality was what attracted Zach and made him pick him as his assistance.

Timothy was put in charge of the warehouse records. This way,Zach nurtured him into becoming someone responsible and trust worthy in the future.

He had also added him on the mental list of people to be provided with cultivation resources.

"Have an eventful journey sir..."

"I will Timothy,I will..."

Zach said as he left the camp and headed for the forest,the boundary had expanded by a whole kilometer and he planned on exploring the new region in the forest within ten days...

He had already left instructions with the lieutenant,who was to act as the camp head in his absence. She would be helped by Timothy.

Zach main goal was to gather spirit herbs and mark territories belonging to spirit beasts,as well as search for docile common animals, mostly cows for milk and oxen for labour.

It had been two days since Zach ventured into the forest,he was currently resting at the previous one kilometer border, roasting a low stage spirit gathering realm hare.

Besides him were two more carcases of the same beast. He had been lucky enough to come across these three. The spirit hare were know for their agility,but compared to Zach,whose cultivation was a realm and a stage higher than them, capturing them was quite easy.

"So the first region is filled with common beast and common herbs,with tens of low stage spirit gathering realm beast, with a few been at the mid stage of spirit gathering realm..."

Zach decided to review what he had discovered...

"The soil here is fertile and good for farming,the trees are good for wood,there are hundreds of different vegetables and fruits, even wild grains..."

"I will have to send a party over to scavenge this region before we cut down the trees for farms..."

"The good thing is that there are a couple of streams within this region,if we block them and direct the water towards a reservoir,we will have enough as to supply a whole village,and still have enough left for farming..."

"But I should not have all the trees cut down,just those within the two hundred metre mark from the forest edge...."

As Zach made plans,his meat was ready and he enjoyed it with a loaf of bread and a mug of sour milk from his satchel.

"I will rest hear for tonight"

Zach decided as sat in a lotus position and started refining the spirit beast materials he had in a second satchel.

The materials included the feathers of low stage spirit gathering realm birds,their bones and blood, together with materials from a low stage spirit gathering realm boar and the three spirit hares he had caught.

The meat of the spirit boar was in separate satchel,as for the birds,he had already roasted them.