Chapter 319 - The Fatal Flaw of the Three Rivers Region

Once this deity was excluded, considerations could only turn towards deities related to death and the undead.Yego, the Recorder of Death, was one of the oldest deities during the era of the Nesserel Empire, wielding strong divine power, but this lord loathed fulfilling his duties and gradually transferred his clergy to Bane, Bal, and Milkau.

At their peak, all three were deities of strong divine power.

This gives an idea of just how formidable Yego was at his peak.

However, those three have all become a thing of the past.

And now Yego himself was left with little more than feeble divine power, merely maintaining a few marginal death-related clerical domains, such as fatalism, funerals, and tomb guardianship, watching all worldly affairs with indifferent eyes.

To establish a temple for this deity wouldn’t involve too many cumbersome matters, for he was indifferent to everything, including his followers and faith.

No aid of any sort could be expected from him in the future.

Even Gaven wasn’t willing to invest much energy and attention into a deity who was so devoid of desires and difficult to benefit from.

As for Kranwo, the God of the Dead, he was newly enthroned last year along with Shylock and Midnight.

But in contrast to Shylock, the ascendant God of Conspiracy, and Midnight, the Magic Goddess, Kranwo is still not well-known.

Most of the death-related clergy had been taken by Shylock, so for now, Kranwo is but a minor substitute, a non-entity, not set to become a deity of strong divine power for another ten years.

The war between Bane and Shylock had erupted violently, and it was then that he seized control of the entire death clergy, thus bringing his conflict with Shylock into the open.

Now, to worship him would be like giving timely aid amidst snow, and it would be very easy to gain his attention and favor.

The only issue is that this God of the Dead was, in life, a warrior with a strong sense of justice, and even after becoming a death god, he didn’t completely reverse his stance; he deeply disapproves of life extension and undead creatures. His priests advocate for the destruction of all undead, to let them enter the cycle of life and death.

As for good and evil, they don’t fall within their scope of consideration, as all undead beings are seen to disrupt the cycle of life and death and are abnormal.

Clearly, Weizemay Manor is not compatible in this regard.

Having mentioned life extension, Gaven did think of another deity who was diametrically opposed to Kranwo on this issue.

Jasanapoor, Doctor of the Azure, Poisoner of Death, Master of Flesh and Bones, and Harbinger of Sorrow and Plague.

He is a benevolent deity, with main clerical domains such as heal, necromancy, physical knowledge, and unwavering will.

He approves of using various benevolent means to extend one’s life, including becoming undead, as long as the transformation is free from the curse of eternal hunger.

Beings like Estelle and her mother, and Black Nanmu, naturally fall within what he finds acceptable.

The only problem is that he is not a native deity of Felen but rather from the Multiverse.

His faith has spread to Felen, but it’s very limited in reach, with only a handful of missionaries, and most people haven’t even heard of his name.

To build his temple, there would need to be at least one of his priests; otherwise, it would just be an empty building.

Finding a priest of the Doctor of the Azure is the biggest problem.

As Gaven contemplated and compared options, he did not make an immediate decision, but instead turned to Anna and said, "When you have time, have Andrew take you around the area to look for a suitable place to build a real Temple of Ilmater. Ideally, it should be able to suppress the negative energy of the manor to some extent, without completely concealing it."

With these words, it meant that Gaven had completely abandoned the plan to build a temple of the benevolent deities within Weizemay Manor.

He was even not planning to construct a temple related to the death deities inside for the short term either.

Rather, his approach was to counteract through external suppression.

"That’s great, I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time," Anna said, her eyes shining with excitement, but then the next second, she was somewhat conflicted. "What about Dragon Oak Territory? I finally made some progress there."

"That was just for you to gain proselytization experience," Gaven said nonchalantly, "The real faith of the Gnolls is in the Giant Dragon, and only a Giant Dragon could entice away those Gnoll followers you’ve cultivated with a single Dragon Blood Potion.

Humans and races of similar affinity are our real priority for proselytization. In the future, I will further increase my resource allocation to you, to help me cultivate a large number of true priests."

Previously, there had been no choice but to let Anna cultivate Gnoll priests.

But it was proven they really weren’t cut out for that sort of thing.

Even as they formed a highly effective Gnoll heal team, what they relied on was not faith but spell-like abilities awakened through the ceremonies of Dragon Veins, Dragon Blood, and Dragonization, dependent still on their Giant Dragon Bloodline.

Now that there was a better option, it was natural for Anna to disengage and focus her energies in a more worthwhile direction.

"Ah..." The maiden priestess’ face fell. She was someone who cherished old ties and was reluctant to leave behind the Gnoll priests she had worked so hard to cultivate, especially since they had been a great help in brewing Magic Potions.

"Don’t worry, once the church begins construction, they will be the first to be dispatched there," Gaven reassured Anna with a word of comfort, "After all, in many aspects, they are more useful than ordinary people, especially before you’ve trained up real priests."

"I knew Mr. Gaven always has the most comprehensive plans. I’ll start scouting for a location first thing tomorrow," Anna said enthusiastically.

Gaven, however, didn’t leave this task entirely in the hands of the maiden priestess.

Early the next morning, he set out with her, circling the entire Weizemay Vineyard.

They ultimately chose the site for the temple on the other side of the vineyard.

The straight-line distance from Weizemay Manor was three and a half kilometers.

The decision to build there was because Weizemay Manor was already deemed unsuitable for the living to reside in regularly, and the surrounding area was equally unfit.

Rather than choosing a site for the Temple of Ilmater, it was more accurate to say a location was being chosen for a new town.

The new town would be developed around this temple.

Since it was a future town, considerations for the convenience and safety of the residents were essential.

On the west by water, and on the east by road, situated on the essential path leading to Weizemay Manor.

Since it was a construction project, there was an inevitable need to call on Gnolls from the Spring Bud Forest, as they were professionals in this regard.

Even if they had never built houses for humans before, it did not matter.

They could start by digging holes and building roads.

They both needed to construct dwellings for themselves on the Weizemay Manor side and lay down sewerage projects for the future WeizemayTown.

For a large-scale construction project, the number of Gnolls required would not be just ten or eight.

Mr. Gaven initially planned to transfer eight hundred Gnolls over, but it was no longer suitable to have Lord Virginia transport them back and forth.

She could make at most three trips a day, taking eight people each time, which meant she would need a month to transport eight hundred Gnolls.

If these eight hundred Gnolls traveled by land and were then transported by the Demi-Human fleet from the Ashaba River, it wouldn’t take even ten days in total.

The choice was self-evident. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ Novᴇ(l)Fɪre .ɴᴇt

Even Teleportation Spell was not omnipotent.

Unfortunately, Lord Virginia did not have a second Dragon Oak Mother Tree seed in her possession.

The construction of ordinary teleportation gates isn’t about the cost being high, but rather the question of how to build them.

The majority of the teleportation gates currently used by Felen are quite historical, originating from the Elves or the time of the Nesserel Empire, with very few built in modern times.

More commonly seen are Teleportation Arrays with a Magic Constancy spell permanently applied.

However, Teleportation Array is a ninth-level spell, which few people are proficient in, and they are not keen on large-scale construction.

If one were to cast a Teleportation Array normally, they would simply need the corresponding casting materials.

Once a permanent Teleportation Array is established, it would consume the Experience Value of the spellcaster, with lower usage conditions requiring more Experience Value, and vice versa.

Mr. Gaven did not squat in Weizemay Manor waiting for the arrival of the Gnoll construction crew.

Instead, on the third day, he boarded the Demi-Human’s boat house, sailing down the Ashaba River with the current.

The Half-Person Chief, Avery, prepared to head to Feather Wing Valley to barter for cotton on behalf of Gaven.

Originally, this matter was meant to be entirely vetoed by Gaven for Avery to handle.

Later, considering he had ample time, the mode of travel was convenient enough, and it was on the way, he decided to make the trip personally.

Not to mention anything else, just the information collected along the way made Gaven exclaim that the trip was well worth it.

Descending from Yewen Pond and reaching Black Feather Bridge, this stretch of water path.

The entire north bank belongs to Battle Valley, while the south bank belongs to Taser Valley.

Yet the scenery on both sides is different.

Battle Valley mostly consists of alluvial plains, with sparse settlements and towns distributed sporadically.

Taser Valley, on its upper segment, resembles Battle Valley with vast alluvial plains and numerous settlements. Many areas have been cultivated into fertile farmlands, but as it reaches the lower half, the Dun Hills stretch along the riverbank, with high hills and ridges undulating continuously, giving Gaven a sense of returning to the Rocklands.

"Battle Valley has vast fertile lands and the convenience of the Ashaba River, why are the residents and cultivated lands here so sparse?" As he was about to leave Battle Valley, Gaven couldn’t help but ask.

"Lord, you have only seen the pleasant side," the Half-Person Chief said with a smile as he explained, "After the rainy season in Comanso, the water levels of the three rivers rise simultaneously, and the water surface of the Yewen Pond will be raised by a meter. You can imagine what the raging waters here will look like.

You’ve seen the terrain just now, for Taser Valley, the Dun Hills serve as their natural river levees.

Battle Valley, however, has no shelter, and breached riverbanks inundating dozens of kilometers of land are common occurrences.

In comparison, on the Rosaville Road side, there are also vast fertile lands, and there’s comings and goings of merchants, patrols by Lord’s Warriors.

The Valley region is also not short on rainwater, so there’s no need to worry about irrigation.

Between the two, if you were in the Lord’s shoes, how would you choose?"

As if thinking of something, Avery added, "Not as a Lord, but as a common farmer. A river embankment construction spanning a hundred and fifty kilometers is not something one or two farmers can manage."

The subtext in the words of the Half-Person Chief was evident; he believed that this new Lord of Weizemay Manor had the capability to achieve this.

In less than two ten-day periods, the man had completely revitalized Weizemay Manor from top to bottom.

If given three to five more years, what kind of changes would he bring to the Three Rivers Region, to Battle Valley, and even to the surrounding valleys?

It was almost unimaginable.

As for this, Avery was filled with anticipation.

Because it meant that they would have more job opportunities, benefit from more convenient services, and be able to live a better life.

"It seems that the primary task for developing this place is to build embankments and manage the river," Gaven mused.

Even for him, it was a not so small a project.

However, the project could be carried out in phases, relying on the terrain.

At present, the main problem was that he still had no clear concept of the Comanso rainy season and what the Ashaba River would look like after flooding, so it would be imprudent to start construction recklessly.