The buildings were arranged in perfect order, each of uniform size and painted a pale gray. Every street was paved with identically sized stone slabs, running in straight lines.
From a distance, the entire territory gave off a rigorous, almost rigid atmosphere. Even on the walls of the buildings, the gaps between each layer of bricks aligned perfectly on the same horizontal line.
If Toji Hisami were to see this place, he would only think that the lord suffered from a severe case of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
At the core of the territory stood a square Lord’s Mansion.
Prince Victor, still wearing his glasses, sat silently behind his desk, in front of him stood two rows of six spirits, each possessing different abilities. Every one of them was responsible for the affairs of a different sector of the territory.
By the standards of a primary territory, the number and arrangement of these spirits were explosive. Yet as a descendant of the royal family, such a setup seemed almost normal for Victor.
"After the patrol train arrives, investigate the information of a lord named Toji Hisami for me."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Once you have the information, draft a plan to strike against him."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Before the first assessment arrives, the territory must be upgraded to Level 5."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The spirits responded respectfully to every order.
As a royal descendant, Victor carried himself with a grand presence and an even greater air of superiority. His territory was arranged like a future royal domain. With abundant resources, the initial stage of development posed no problem for him.
Moreover, Victor’s true focus had never been simply passing the Lord’s assessment. His goal was to dominate the entire trial, gather talented people under his banner for his future rise, and lay a solid foundation of power.
The outstanding lords in this trial were all future subjects he had already designated in his mind.
Toji Hisami, however, was not included among them.
After returning to his territory, Victor had secluded himself for two full days, integrating the knowledge he had acquired into his domain to strengthen his power. Only today had he reappeared.
Yet no matter what he did, his mood could no longer return to its former calm.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw that name shimmering with golden light and Toji Hisami’s indifferent gaze.
"I hope that when my army sets foot on your territory, you can still maintain this arrogance."
"In this trial, no matter who it is, they can only submit to me."
Victor’s mentality had completely changed after being crushed by Toji Hisami in the Hall of Knowledge assessment. He could not accept that outcome, especially the fact that Toji Hisami had taken only one minute to pass the eighth level that had completely blocked him.
It was pure humiliation.
Being suppressed in what he considered his area of expertise left Victor burning with the desire to take Toji Hisami down and humiliate him thoroughly.
In another part of the Void Ocean, deep within a lush green forest, the elven maiden Elara emerged from her Lord’s Mansion.
The little elf butler appeared before her with a bright smile.
"Lord, you are amazing. The knowledge you brought back has made upgrading the territory much easier."
"Hehe, Lumi, I’m not that amazing."
As Elara spoke, the image of Toji Hisami involuntarily surfaced in her mind, that handsome, calm young man who had effortlessly passed every test.
Compared to him, both she and Victor suddenly seemed mediocre.
"A person like him will undoubtedly become one of the shining stars of this trial."
"Lumi, prepare a generous gift for me. Once territory trade opens, I need to give it to someone."
"Yes, my lord."
Watching the little elf leave, Elara walked to the highest treetop. From there she could overlook the entire territory.
She had already decided that after Max appeared, she would trade for Toji Hisami’s information.
The Lord’s trial tested not only a lord’s individual strength but also their ability to form alliances. Some crises could not be solved by a single territory alone.
Toji Hisami would make an excellent ally.
"I wonder what kind of person you are in reality..."
Elara murmured to herself, lost in thought.
In yet another territory, a young man with a stubble beard sat roasting meat by an open fire, his upper body bare.
As he ate, he reflected on the events inside the Hall of Knowledge.
"I didn’t expect there to be such formidable people in this trial."
"With him around, Victor won’t be able to put on that arrogant face anymore. Hahaha!"
Although still young, he insisted on keeping the stubble beard, which looked rather strange. Yet Boris was thoroughly enjoying himself.
He came from one of the ten major royal territories, the son of a subsidiary family attached to a noble lord. Their family was known for its bravery. This time, participating in the trial had actually been an order from his father.
His muscle-headed father had decided that their family should produce at least one "civilized" lord. The noble lord had agreed and provided considerable assistance. The clue to the Hall of Knowledge had also come from that same noble.
Unfortunately, Boris had been eliminated in the second round and never even entered the Tower of Knowledge. He was certain to default on his agreement with Max.
Yet he did not seem particularly worried.
"Ah, my old man... doesn’t he know the level of our family’s intelligence?"
"I think this Toji Hisami is pretty good. Maybe I’ll stick with him."
"Then I can help him teach that brat Victor a proper lesson. Hehehe..."
As Boris thought about it, he suddenly burst into loud laughter.
Beneath the low hill where he sat lay the corpse of a huge bear-shaped monster, one he had killed single-handedly.
Stepping onto the compacted wild grass, breathing in the slightly grassy air, Toji Hisami suddenly felt that this wilderness was actually quite beautiful.
He opened the territory panel and was pleasantly surprised.
Almost all the buildings required for a Level 2 territory had already been completed. Even the grain reserves had reached the target. In addition, the territory had successfully defended against a beast invasion and unlocked military deployment.
Now, apart from population, basically every condition for a Level 2 territory had been fulfilled.
Population, however, could not be increased without a Population Management Hall.
Originally he had planned to wait for the patrol train and trade for additional people. But he had spent more time inside the Hall of Knowledge than expected. It was already the middle of the third week. The next patrol train would not arrive for another four days.
The first official assessment had not yet begun, so rankings could not be viewed freely. Still, he knew that many candidates had already upgraded to Level 2.
"No problem. Let’s build the military deployment buildings first."
He opened the construction list. After switching pages, several brand-new options appeared:
Infantry Training Camp, Martial Arts Arena, Watchtower, Wooden Barricade.
Only these four were available in the early stages.
Toji Hisami selected the Martial Arts Arena and Infantry Training Camp and ordered several laborers to begin construction at once. Then he returned to the Lord’s Hall.
His subordinates had their own tasks. He had his.
In those ten days inside the Hall of Knowledge he had acquired a vast amount of knowledge. Naturally, he needed to convert it into real productivity.
He began with Mysticism and Science, a pair of disciplines that both complemented and conflicted with each other. By verifying one against the other, he could unlock many early branches of the territory.
The lord’s tattoo on his chest heated slightly. A faint radiance filled the Lord’s Hall.
At that moment, Toji Hisami, the Lord’s Hall, and the territory itself formed a mysterious connection deep within the fabric of the universe.
The Lord’s Hall acted as both transmitter and receiver, beginning to convert the knowledge he had mastered. The territory, as the final terminal, started to undergo corresponding changes.
[Unlock Mysticism Branch]
[Unlock Science Branch]
[Level 1 Territory can now accommodate saturated knowledge disciplines]
[Enhancement of spirit and soul attributes for all territory residents]
[Unlock Divination Platform, Secret Stone Array]
[Unlock Laboratory, Theoretical Research Institute, School]
[Congratulations. Your territory’s knowledge level has improved. Work efficiency of all subjects has increased by 25%.]
[Upon reaching Level 2, the territory can accommodate one additional knowledge discipline and add two new buildings or abilities.]
On the plaque of the Lord’s Hall, a vortex-like symbol and a symbol of a ruler with a magnifying glass quietly appeared.
A mysterious change swept through the entire territory.
Everyone suddenly felt their minds become much clearer. A few laborers even stopped working and fell into deep contemplation, those were the same laborers who had previously gained Construction skills through hard work.
Under the combined blessing of Mysticism and Science, the work efficiency of every laborer rose noticeably.
By sunset, the military buildings had already been completed. The laborers then switched to night shifts, constructing the new buildings related to Mysticism and Science.
Among them, the School received the highest priority.
Once it was finished, every resident of the territory gained an additional Wisdom attribute.
At the same time, the effects of Heaven Rewards Diligence became even more pronounced, the higher the wisdom of the subjects, the stronger their ability to utilize the talent’s rewards.
After the Divination Platform was completed, Toji Hisami sent one laborer to experiment with it. Through divination, they discovered a gold mine.
He immediately ordered the militia to put down their weapons, take up tools, and fully exploit the mine.
By the time Sunday arrived, they had already accumulated a substantial pile of gold sand.
At this point, aside from population, the territory, whether in scale or in buildings, already far surpassed the requirements of a Level 2 territory.
All Toji Hisami needed was to supplement the population, and he could instantly promote to Level 2.
Yet he was not satisfied. He intended to jump two levels at once.
He believed that the other candidates who had slipped in the second round of the Hall of Knowledge shared the same ambition, those who had ranked ahead of him on the leaderboard must also possess their own special opportunities.
He had a strong premonition that the top ten when the third-level territories appeared would be the same group as the first ranking.
While Toji Hisami silently prepared for an explosive breakthrough, Zhao Kai was thoroughly enjoying himself.
His Lord’s Mansion was extremely luxurious, clearly upgraded with abundant resources. At this moment he lay on a soft couch while a maid fanned him and fed him grapes.
His steward handled all territorial affairs in the office area ahead.
"Hmph. I only exerted a little effort and already made it into the top six."
"In this third round, I need to make a big purchase and prepare everything needed for promotion to Level 3 in one go."
The steward listened to Zhao Kai’s instructions without offering much response, simply nodding in silence.
As a soul specially prepared by the Zhao family, he knew only how to follow orders. The young master’s commands were absolute.
After all, the Zhao family had prepared a jaw-dropping amount of wealth for this trial. Zhao Kai was the only child of his generation and could not be allowed any negligence.
Precisely because of that excessive pampering, however, his character had grown increasingly arrogant without anyone noticing.