Chapter 414 - Divine Artifact Upgrade Path of War

Zalanda’s eyes regained clarity, and she involuntarily glanced at the Book of Strategy in her hand before asking, "Has the Lady already come by?""She has," Gaven nodded.

"Did the Lady say anything? Did she bestow a blessing upon you?" Zalanda asked anxiously.

"She did, she gave me an incomplete version of the Chosen status, and she looks forward to my future performance," Gaven spoke with a mixture of truth and fiction, believing that the Goddess of Strategy wouldn’t mind his rhetoric.

"Incomplete version of the Chosen?" Zalanda was astonished, this was the first time she had heard of such a thing.

A Chosen is a Chosen, how can there be an incomplete version?

"It may be related to the fact that I haven’t completely converted to her faith," Gaven responded vaguely.

"Very likely," Zalanda nodded involuntarily.

Curious, Gaven asked, "Last time, did the Lady of Strategy also read the Book of Strategy in this way?"

"No," Zalanda shook her head, "Last time the Lady came in person and spoke to me in private for a long time, but don’t lose heart, I believe in you. With your skills, you will soon be able to receive her visit."

"I hope so," Gaven thought to himself, knowing that this task might be more difficult for him than for ordinary people. "Take a look, has the Book of Strategy’s attributes changed as well?"

"See for yourself," Zalanda said, her face unable to hide her joy as she directly handed over the Book of Strategy.

Path of War.

Intelligence Boost (Special Ability) — The bearer of this book gains +6 Intelligence.

Intelligence Grant (Special Ability) — Spend one month reading this book, and the reader will receive a permanent increase of 2 Intelligence points, an intrinsic bonus that can be used once a year and only once in a lifetime by the same person.

Tactical Deployment (Special Ability) — You can designate a troop to appear at a location determined by you, with the number being the Intelligence Modifier/100 people, within a one-kilometer range, to be used once daily.

Revenge Storm (Special Ability) — You can cast Revenge Storm without any consumption once a day, with the Spellcasting Level treated as 20.

Elite Grace (Special Ability) — In the wars you command, 10 percent of the Magic Power will converge on the Path of War, which you can direct and distribute only to those who have participated in this war and have corresponding military merits, effective only for those below Transcendent.

Power of Favorable Weather (Special Ability) — You can select a piece of land to harmonize with it, turning it into a magical farmland with favorable weather; crop yields will reach the highest levels of Felen, determined by the Intelligence Modifier/square kilometer.

Summon Red Falcon Knights (Special Ability) — You can summon a small squad of Red Falcon Knights to serve you for 24 hours, usable once every seven days.

Indestructible (Special Ability) — Strategy Divinity has been infused into the book, promoting it to a Divine Artifact, making it impervious to normal physical and magical attacks.

"Hiss... Divine Artifacts can be upgraded? It’s that simple?" Gaven gasped in surprise.

The name of the Book of Strategy wasn’t the only change; its attributes had also transformed.

The Intelligence Boost had increased from 4 to 6.

The limitations on the intrinsic Intelligence attributes of the Intelligence Grant ability were removed, and the cooldown was cleared.

At the same time, two new abilities were added.

Elite Grace, this ability is most likely derived from Military Training Records. Having this ability is like having a portion of the war’s Experience Value in one’s hands, to distribute as needed.

It’s just a pity that it only works on those below Transcendent; otherwise, it wouldn’t take many battles to accumulate a few Legendary figures, making it an extremely formidable force.

But as for the Transcendent, it will still be very terrifying.

A small squad of Transcendent Knights charging into enemies tens or even hundreds of times their number would be too easy.

Especially soldiers who have been raised from scratch, their loyalty would be the highest.

This will be an effective method of reward.

Power of Favorable Weather comes from Heaven Craftsmanship.

War is fought not only with personnel but also with equipment and supplies. What could be more reassuring than controlling a piece of land with high crop yields?

After equipping Path of War, Zalanda’s Intelligence reached a frightening 27 points, affecting 8.5 square kilometers of land, capable of producing enough food to support hundreds of thousands of troops.

This highest level in Felen is no joke.

Don’t forget, this is a world with magic, with Druids. When measuring this highest level, it is certainly considered with Druid-tended land, not ordinary folks.

Because in the Mist Valley of the Valley, there is a Golden Sheaf Monastery, a temple of Mother Earth, Shontia. It has such a piece of land protected by Mother Earth, also only eight square kilometers, yet the food it produces flows continuously like water.

The food consumed in Dragon Oak Territory, eighty percent of it is traded from here.

What Gaven could think of, Zalanda clearly thought of as well.

Upon hearing Gaven’s exclamation, Zalanda raised an eyebrow and said, "You call this simple? Come on, produce a few more books like this for me!"

"This?" Gaven’s face instantly fell, "There are no more of these!"

Thacel doesn’t know if there are others on Earth, but his mind is definitely devoid of them now.

Military Training Records, Heaven Craftsmanship, were purely the result of his curiosity.

Otherwise, who would bother reading those books with little practical value in modern society?

During the reign of Zhang You the Second, the main consciousness was sealed, and he didn’t know he could travel back to Felen, so no preparations were made in advance.

Zalanda took a deep breath and said, "These three books contain the wisdom of a civilization that spans thousands of years. While some contents are not applicable or already possessed by Felen, some are precisely what we and the Goddess of Strategy lack.

With these words of wisdom, she can further enrich her divine office of strategy.

Just like this book, she has found her own Path of War.

And this book is merely a testament and byproduct of that process.

Even deities cannot simply create divine artifacts whenever they wish, especially ones that perfectly align with their divine roles."

After finishing, Zalanda handed the Path of War to Gaven, saying, "For the time being, this book will be in your custody. Although the text originates from you, due to the Goddess of Strategy, it has now undergone a fusion and resonance with the native laws of Felen. By reading it carefully, you may discover unexpected gains, least of all the Intelligence Boost of two points should be assured."

"Alright." Gaven took the Path of War without any hesitation.

Having witnessed the leveling up of the Path of War, Gaven already had this epiphany.

After thinking for a moment, Gaven handed the Path of War back and said, "There’s no rush on this matter. Why don’t you first use the Power of Favorable Weather to bring a piece of land into harmony, then discuss further? With the severe overpopulation in Darama, I believe it won’t be long before they face a food crisis. As long as we hold out until the autumn harvest, there shouldn’t be an issue."

Zalanda, too, thought so and took back the Path of War, sighing deeply, "But the relief from afar can’t quench the immediate thirst. Our current food supply can only last for two months at best, but it will take at least four to five months for the autumn wheat to mature."

Gaven couldn’t help but laugh and said, "Isn’t that why I came?"

"Do you have a solution?" Zalanda asked, eyeing Gaven curiously.

"Don’t forget where I’ve just returned from." Gaven said proudly, head held high, "The recent Ghost Grape Wine Auction mainly traded in food, piled up like mountains, enough to sustain twenty to thirty thousand people for a year without a problem. Besides, the Monastery of the Hammer of Justice next to the Three Rivers Region and the Golden Wheat Sheaf Monastery upstream are both famous for large-scale grain production. Especially the latter—their food stockpile could adequately feed everyone in the valley for a whole year..."

"What’s the use of mentioning these? They’re also too far to transport. The maxim of ’grain doesn’t travel a thousand miles’ is what you taught in the Art of War. Have you forgotten what you’ve learned? From the valley to Tesser Territory is more than a thousand miles, isn’t it?" Zalanda retorted irritably.

"Who said anything about transporting the food to you? You can allocate your surplus population to me and let them seek food in the valley or the Three Rivers Region." Gaven revealed his true motives once he had no other options. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on NovᴇlFirᴇ.ɴet

His visit to Tesser Territory wasn’t just to bring gifts to Zalanda; it was primarily for the people.

Zalanda was burdened with an overabundance of people, while he was in dire need of them.

Compared to recruiting vagrants himself, what could be more convenient than cooperating with Zalanda for an organized migration of people?

Upon hearing Gaven’s proposal, Zalanda not only refrained from scolding him for taking advantage of the situation but actually pondered over the suggestion.

Indeed, it was a solution. If arrangements were made for a dedicated escort, it wouldn’t take more than a month to travel from Tesser Territory to the valley. The food saved could be distributed amongst others, delaying the onset of the famine.

"I know what you’re worried about." Gaven said with a smile, "I can arrange for you to inspect my territory personally, to ensure that everything I’ve mentioned is true. Only then will we prepare for this matter. When the time comes, we can act on a volunteer basis. You just need to cooperate with me."

After thinking for a while, Gaven added, "Not just you, you can also arrange for some influential Tesser People with interest to visit my territory with me. Getting their assistance in promoting this matter would make it much easier."

Zalanda laughed, "It seems you’ve come prepared!"

"Apart from diverting to my side, you can also grow some short-season crops as a food source, like potatoes. I can provide you with a variety that matures in just two months. If combined with the Power of Favorable Weather, before winter comes, we can harvest two rounds of potatoes, followed by sowing winter wheat." Gaven offered advice to Zalanda.

He had, after all, deeply researched this topic.

"That is certainly a method. Not only do we need to lead the planting, but also encourage the citizens to rush into planting and self-rescue." Zalanda deeply understood the power of people, especially with numerous mouths to feed.

If each person could solve their meal, the cumulative effect would be significant.

"You’re planning to go public with the food crisis?" Gaven couldn’t resist raising an eyebrow.

Such a matter, if mishandled, could easily trigger a crisis of trust.

"If we don’t go public with it, how can we create momentum for mass migration?" Zalanda countered.

"Uh..." Gaven was suddenly at a loss for words.

That’s right, without sufficient pressure, initiating large-scale migration would not be easy, even with Zalanda’s influence.

Back in Nort Castle, under the siege of the Goblin Army, mobilizing thousands to migrate to Darama was a challenge in itself.

Let alone convincing Tesser People to move to the valley, thousands of miles away, an utterly foreign living environment.

"Don’t be foolishly touched." Zalanda didn’t want Gaven to feel too much pressure, "Even without you, I had already decided to disclose this matter to the Darama people. Issues like this cannot solely rely on government aid but must actively be tackled by self-help measures. Furthermore, I haven’t fully agreed to the migration yet. I still need to visit your territory personally before we can proceed."

The starkly different circumstances of Zalanda and Gaven influenced how they addressed problems.

Gaven often had to figure things out on his own.

Zalanda, on many occasions, relied on the strength of the people to overcome difficulties.