"So, what is your plan for today, my lord?" Forlune asked after seeing Thorian look back at the forest thoughtfully.

"Well, dealing with the humans is certainly a major part of it," Thorian smiled as he looked back at Forlune. "But it's not the only matter we have to think about. Due to Nalia, we had to postpone our work on rock gathering, but now it's time we got back to it."

"But we need those carts for this project, right?" Forlune asked. "Have the carpenters finished that job already?"

"I'll have to talk with Hewer about that and see his progress," Thorian responded with a thoughtful nod.

Forlune looked down in thought for a moment before asking, "What about bringing in other monsters? Should we begin our expansion plans on that front?"

Taking a moment to think, Thorian responded. "First, we need to look for more orc tribes to join us. On that end, I want you and Zogarth to begin scouting." Thorian's voice then turned more serious. "But I want you to stop at just scouting. We can talk and take actions after the matter with the humans is resolved."

"I understand; you don't want our focus to spread too thin," Forlune nodded in understanding.

Stretching his arms a bit, Thorian said, "In any case, I'll go and talk with Hewer first. Once Nox returns, tell him to join me."

"I will do so," Forlune nodded.

With those words, Thorian made his way back into the village and headed to the Village Hall first. After gathering his usual daily quests, he went to the magus guild and took on their quests too.

After finishing those miscellaneous matters, he headed into Hewer's workshop. Although it was just a normal house that Thorian had built with the aid of the system, it still served as a good enough spot for Hewer and the other carpenters to do their work.

It's unfortunate, but a proper workshop suited for carpentry won't be available until I upgrade the village further.

Upon knocking, Hewer emerged, a mix of surprise and slight embarrassment crossing his face. "Oh, my lord, I didn't expect your visit," he said, running a hand through his hair as he glanced back into the house.

Inside, the living room had been transformed into a workshop, devoid of its usual furnishings to accommodate the carpenters at work. They busied themselves with the construction of wheels, the cart's main framework, and various joints and components.

"No worries," Thorian dismissed with a shake of his head. "I've come to see the progress on the carts."

Hewer nodded, his expression brightening. "We've been working non-stop, in collaboration with the blacksmiths. We're close to finishing the assembly of the first cart by noon. After that, we anticipate completing one cart daily."

Thorian paused, lost in thought for a moment before responding. "These carts will be tasked with transporting heavy loads of rocks. It's imperative that they undergo thorough testing before deployment."

"Indeed, my lord. We've already begun testing," Hewer assured, motioning for Thorian to enter. He pointed out two carts with failed joints. "For testing, we loaded as much wood as we could gather. The first cart gave out once it was fully laden, and the second broke after we loaded it with twice its capacity."

Hewer cast a reassuring glance back at Thorian. "We're making sure that this third cart we're working on can handle at least double wood capacity. That way, It should easily bear the rock loads."

"Excellent," Thorian replied, offering a smile and a supportive pat on Hewer's back. "I look forward to hearing more good news soon."

Leaving the maskeshift workshop behind, Thorian meandered through the village's heart, his steps eventually leading him to Nox, who lingered near the Village Hall.

Approaching his friend, Thorian inquired, "How was the trip to Locksley?"

A chuckle escaped Nox as he met Thorian's gaze. "Mostly silent. Everyone was so deep in thought."

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"That's understandable," Thorian sighed, a thoughtful frown briefly crossing his features. "But let's set aside those concerns for now. I'm about to begin my cultivation practice. Would you care to join?"

"Sure, I'd love to," Nox nodded, then added with a wry smile, "But I hope you haven't forgotten the promise we made yesterday. You still owe me a favor!"

Thorian paused, reflecting for a moment before answering, "I haven't forgotten. But what is this favor you want me to do?"

Hearing those words, Nox grinned widely. "I want to go on an adventure with you!" he exclaimed with his usual enthusiasm. "I don't care if it's in hard dungeons or somewhere else, but I want to go on an adventure!"

Chuckling at this innocent request, Thorian scratched his furry chin in thought before responding, "The abyss's floors beyond the twentieth require you to change teams. Once you reach that point, we can form a team alongside Vigil to tackle it."

"Is that true?" Nox's eyes sparkled, and he clenched his fists in excitement. "Nice! I've been waiting for a challenge like this for so long!"

"But don't get too excited," Thorian chuckled. "Before you try to challenge the fifteenth and twentieth floors, you need to demonstrate a high level of strength. You must be able to at least defeat the corrupted treant on your own if you want to clear those floors safely with your team."

"The corrupted treant?" Nox furrowed his brows in confusion before a look of understanding dawned on him. "Do you mean the guardian of the fourth floor of the Verdant Labyrinth dungeon? That giant poisonous tree thing with lots of roots?"

"That's exactly what I mean," Thorian nodded. "If you can't defeat it with ease, you'll struggle in the next floors of the abyss."

Nox pondered for a moment before nodding, "Okay, I can do that." He then wore a confident smile and proclaimed, "I have grown immensely in power after evolving. I'll show you what I'm capable of!"

"I can't wait to see it," Thorian chuckled, gesturing for Nox to follow. "Now, let's go and meditate."

With those words, the two made their way to the cultivation hall. Fortunately, two rooms were still unoccupied for them to use. Thorian filled his tub with water, assumed the lotus position, and began his meditative practice.

As hours passed, Thorian absorbed ether, converting it into Qi and then into Dark Flame Qi through his Ashen Ember gate. He meticulously balanced his colorless Qi with his Dark Flame Qi, mastering both his Dark Flame Arts and his standard martial techniques.

After two and a half hours, Thorian paused to assess his progress.

Display Panel

Cultivation Realm Qi Gathering Seventh Stage (9.9%)

The progress is slightly slower now that I've reached the seventh stage, but that's to be expected. Since I'm gaining just a bit above 7% with each cultivation session, it should take me around thirteen days to reach the next stage. Considering I will be using the Elixir too, I could reach it in even less time.

Cultivation had always been a lengthy process, and Thorian was well aware of this. Although the time to progress from one stage to the next had indeed increased, it remained relatively quick by Thorian's standards.

Standing up, Thorian found his body still covered in a semblance of the usual black goo. The water in the wooden tub had also turned black. After taking the tub outside the Cultivation Hall, Thorian found Nox doing the same.

"I really can't get used to this smell," Nox complained with a chuckle as they made their way to an empty disposal spot.

"Cultivation is usually accessible only to humans," Thorian explained. "The fact that we can benefit from it is already a massive boon. The unpleasant smell is a small price to pay."

"Still, it's nasty," Nox responded, still managing to laugh.

As they reached the disposal spot, they had to hold their noses to avoid getting dizzy from the smell.

"This is starting to pose an environmental hazard," Thorian admitted as he emptied his tub of the black water. "We need a better system for waste disposal, or the smell will start reaching the residential area."

"I don't know what that means, but please find a solution fast," Nox said, grimacing as he disposed of his own waste.

Thinking for a bit, Thorian said, "Right now, the quickest solution is to simply move this disposal area further outside the village. But as the village grows, we might find ourselves facing the same issue again."

Taking a mental note to later discuss this matter with Forlune and Zogarth, Thorian and Nox walked away from the disposal area. Afterwards, Thorian cleaned his body using water manipulation before doing the same for Nox.

"This feels kind of good, honestly," Nox chuckled. "The way you manipulate water is gentle; I was afraid you would just bombard me with water balls like those water magi did."

"They're trying their best," Thorian smiled. "I just have a skill that allows me to freely manipulate water, which they don't have yet."

Feeling refreshed after their quick showers, Thorian and Nox set their sights on the day's challenges, heading towards the Verdant Labyrinth with renewed vigor.

Upon reaching the dungeon's entrance, Thorian turned to Nox with a determined look. "We'll tackle the fourth layer directly. This will also serve as a test of your readiness for the abyss. I'll be here to support you, but you'll be taking the lead."