This Lord Li’s Power and speed were simply too terrifying.

The two fell silent, lowering their heads to sip their hot tea.

...

"Lord, I heard you’ve slain a dragon. Is that true?"

On the way back to the High Cliff Castle garrison, Masha pulled back her hood, revealing her face completely as she asked with curiosity.

"Most people assume I’m fabricating something that never happened. In truth, anyone could learn the real story if they just asked around a bit, but they usually prefer to believe their own assumptions," Levi said, his answer deliberately vague.

He also took the opportunity to carefully size up the young Priest.

Cultivating Divine Magic gave these Ice and Snow Priests an extremely strong resistance to the cold.

Despite the bone-chilling weather, they were still dressed in thin robes.

Masha wore a blue and white, hooded Monk’s Robe, with an Ice Crystal Pendant unique to the Ice and Snow Church hanging around her neck. She stood about one and seven-tenths blades tall, which was considered quite statuesque. She had long, golden hair, a beautiful face, and her eyes held a spirited, unyielding look.

People like her responded to a gentle touch, not a heavy hand.

And because the Lord was the same way, he could tell at a glance.

Masha nodded, lost in thought.

"Master Fu Jin, I’m actually quite curious. Are there many Casters like you in Debei?"

Levi asked the white-bearded old man beside him, who seemed to be miles away.

For three years, he’d known Casters existed, but the only Magic he’d ever seen on the streets were simple tricks.

It wasn’t until he came to the Wilderness that he met the first person who could arguably be called a Caster: Sam, the Wilderness Shaman.

"My Lord must know about the Magic Tide, yes?" Fu Jin began.

Levi nodded. It wasn’t a secret. Anyone with a bit of status knew about it.

"If you’d asked me that a decade ago, I would have said there were very few," Fu Jin sighed. "But now, with the Magic Tide rising again, it’s impossible to predict. A decade ago, I was still an Apprentice struggling to condense a Magic Seed, and you could count the number of Casters in the Ice and Snow Church on one hand."

"But now, I’m already a Middle Level Mage. And while I can’t give you a specific number for how many Casters the Ice and Snow Church has, I can say it’s far more than before."

’Is that so.’ Levi couldn’t help but think of Sophia.

Logically, if Magic Power concentration was too low, it would be impossible to transform, no matter how advanced one’s Transformation Technique. But the fact that Sophia could transform into a human said it all.

It meant the current concentration of Magic Power was undoubtedly the highest it had been in hundreds of years.

This further solidified his determination to dupe a few Casters into joining High Cliff Castle.

And right now, he felt he had a good chance with Masha.

’Girls like her, who haven’t experienced the harsh realities of the world, are the easiest to trick... no, I mean, trick into coming to High Cliff Castle!’

Back at the High Cliff Castle garrison, per Levi’s orders, hay had been piled up, doused with water, and frozen solid to form four natural ice walls. Each wall stood four blades high. While they might not stop a full-scale assault from an army, they were more than enough to thwart a sneak attack and buy the people of High Cliff Castle time to respond.

"Lord, you’ve returned."

Guarding the gate were two Federation Archers, both about two blades tall and clad in black Armor.

"Yes. What’s going on inside? Why is it so noisy?"

Levi’s brow furrowed. He had been hearing all sorts of shouting from inside ever since they’d neared the High Cliff Castle garrison.

For the renowned and powerful army of High Cliff Castle to act this way was a complete lack of organization and discipline. It was outrageous!

The two Federation Archers exchanged a glance and spoke in unison.

"Commander Zat brought the whole Panda Warrior Squad over as guests. He even brought out the wine for them, said it was on your orders."

They ratted out their commander without a shred of hesitation.

It was mainly because they knew Commander Zat was the type to do his own thing; this so-called "reception" was probably his own idea.

But rank has its privileges, so they hadn’t dared to say anything. The moment they saw their real leader, however, they immediately started snitching without a second thought.

"I see."

Levi nodded, stroking his chin.

He hadn’t expected that big oaf Zat to actually succeed in coaxing the Panda Warriors over.

To be perfectly honest, the Lord would be lying if he said he didn’t have his eyes on these Panda Warriors.

It had nothing to do with the nostalgia of seeing something from his past life in this new world, nor was it a collector’s impulse.

It was purely because this group was made up of natural-born Martial Monks, each and every one a courageous, born Warrior.

They controlled Qi, a power that originated from the mind.

This power was different from Combat Qi, Holy Light, and Magic Power.

Its strength depended entirely on the strength of one’s mind. To put it simply, the whole thing was a bit wild.

Whether one was strong or not was purely a matter of sheer belief.

With a sudden epiphany, a transformation of the mind, these Martial Monks could become top-tier powerhouses.

Of course, nothing comes from nothing. This so-called spiritual transformation was rooted in the Panda People’s long-term mental cultivation, an accumulation that eventually reached the minimum threshold required for a breakthrough.

Setting all that aside, the Panda People were, for the most part, kind, peace-loving, and lazy by nature, but they were also incredibly loyal.

One could say these burly, thick-waisted giants were like an upgraded version of the Minotaur.

They were excellent choices, both as subjects of his domain and as Warriors.

If he could trick a squad of them into joining High Cliff Castle, it would obviously elevate his domain’s power to a whole new level.

This particular group of Panda People was probably a lost cause, but that wouldn’t stop the Lord from fostering a good relationship with them. From there, he could extend his goodwill to those associated with them.

Then he could build relationships with their younger generation, the ones still in the mountains, and coax them into joining High Cliff Castle.

In any case, the Lord always planned a hundred moves ahead. It might seem like he was interested in this particular Panda Warrior squad, but in reality, he was just following the vine to get to the melon—he planned to reel in their entire Tribe.

His plan was to backdoor them.

When the time came, not even Fulina could accuse him of poaching.

’After all, it would be a matter of mutual consent. If the Tribe’s new Warriors want to come to High Cliff Castle, what can I do? I can’t just stand in their way, right?’

But this wasn’t something that could be accomplished overnight. Levi was just making his first move.

In any case, the Lord’s guiding principle was simple: make more friends and fewer enemies.

As he walked into the camp, he saw that bonfires had been lit in the clearing. Legs of lamb sizzled over the flames, dripping with fat. The stout, thick-waisted Panda Warriors and the Beastman Barbarians were sitting casually on the ground, deep in spirited conversation.

"Boss, you’re here?"

Zat saw the Lord enter with his hands clasped behind his back and hurried over to greet him.

"This is Panda, the leader of the Panda Warrior Squad."

"Panda, this is the boss of High Cliff Castle."

Zat introduced the two of them.

The moment the Lord saw the Panda Warrior—who stood at least three and a half blades tall and was even stockier than Zat—his eyes lit up. He rushed forward and grabbed the warrior’s big, furry paw with both hands.

"So you’re the famous Marshal Pan! I’ve heard so much about you."

’The more the Lord looked, the more he liked what he saw, running his hands all over the Panda Warrior. Look at that waistline! Look at these arms, thicker than pillars! One punch from this guy could definitely take out a Minotaur.’

’A natural-born shock trooper!’

Panda was slightly embarrassed and tried to subtly pull his paw out of the human’s hands. But when he tried, he froze. It felt like his paw was caught in an iron vise; he couldn’t budge it at all.

Unconvinced, he put more strength into it, but the result was the same.

Now he was even more embarrassed and felt it would be rude to keep trying to pull away.

"My Lord, your fame has spread far and wide. Even the young ones in our clan have heard of your deeds. They are worthy of everyone’s praise."

Panda was a straightforward fellow and naively assumed that stories that spread so far and wide must be true.

He’d never even considered the possibility of false advertising.

’Strictly speaking, though, it *is* a kind of false advertising.’

’For instance, all the stories claim he loves cutting his enemies in half at the waist. In reality, he also enjoys cleaving them vertically and a move that’s a lot like smashing a cucumber.’

’It might not be as efficient as the first method, but the shock and awe factor is terrifyingly high.’