Chapter 363: Chapter 331: Times Have Changed

"Sixty thousand..." Anton looked at Eleanor, lost in thought. "How do you plan to arrange these Half-Elves?"

Eleanor clearly already had a plan in mind. Without hesitation, she replied, "I plan to establish a Half-Elf Legion, keeping them separate from the foreign legions." As she spoke, she pulled out a fresh sheet of sheepskin paper from the side of the desk and smoothed it out in front of Anton.

Anton looked down. The paper detailed the current status of all the major legions within the Silver Moon Clan. First was the core force, the Silver Moon Legion. It currently numbered twenty-two thousand, with every member at the Black Iron Tier. The officers went without saying—they were at least Silver Tier, and a good number had reached the Golden Tier. Even many seasoned veterans had broken through to the Silver Tier.

Black Iron Legions were already considered the pinnacle of military might on the continent, and the Silver Moon Legion’s overall strength easily marked them as exceptional, even among their peers. Anton had high expectations for them. He hoped to cultivate them into the continent’s very first Silver Legion, which was why he continuously raised the recruitment standards. They also enjoyed the best treatment in the entire clan. Not only were they supplied with abundant Cultivation Resources, but they were also exempt from all garrison, patrol, and defense duties. Their sole purpose was to serve as the sharpest spear whenever the clan went to war.

Next was the guard force, numbering over ten thousand. Most of these soldiers had already reached the Black Iron Tier, and their overall strength was steadily rising. At their current pace, it was highly likely that in a few decades or a century, this guard force would transform into the Silver Moon Clan’s second Black Iron Legion.

Then there was the Daoist Soldier Corps. This mainly consisted of two branches: the Yellow Turban Warriors Legion and the Five Camp Divine Soldiers Legion. The former had already reached twelve thousand units. Each possessed combat power equivalent to the mid-Silver Tier, forming a genuine torrent of steel. Although the latter was recently established and currently only had two thousand five hundred units, their individual combat strength surpassed that of the Yellow Turban Warriors. Once in formation, even Golden Tier experts would find it hard to clash with them head-on.

The combat prowess of these two legions far exceeded ordinary Black Iron Legions; in a sense, they were already authentic Silver Legions. However, deploying the Daoist Soldier Corps required a massive expenditure of Spirit Stones, and their daily maintenance and repair costs were equally steep. Otherwise, the clan could easily amass an armored tide capable of sweeping across the continent.

Further down the list were the foreign legions, which currently boasted the clan’s largest troop count. To date, their numbers had exceeded two hundred thousand, all elite warriors carefully selected from the major Vassal Races. Coupled with excellent equipment and unified training, their combat strength was more than enough to rival the main legions of many factions across the Eastern Continent.

Finally, there was the newly proposed Half-Elf Legion, with a provisional establishment of twenty thousand. They would be expanded accordingly based on future population growth.

"Considering that Half-Elves generally aren’t known for their strength, the initial combat prowess of this newly formed Half-Elf Legion will likely be slightly inferior to the foreign legions," Eleanor softly explained while Anton reviewed the data. "However, the Half-Elf bloodline is closely related to ours. They practice the Power Cultivation Technique and Seed Pill Technique much faster than most Vassal Races. Once the legion is established and undergoes a period of training, their overall combat strength should rise very quickly."

Anton nodded in satisfaction. He pushed the sheepskin paper back, looking at Eleanor with undisguised approval. "Not bad. The momentum is excellent. You’ve worked hard lately."

Eleanor didn’t offer any polite platitudes. She simply curled her lips into a smile, the layer of exhaustion in her eyes from days of desk work seeming to fade a little.

Anton didn’t dwell on the topic, instead asking, "Any movements from the Blood Claw Clan?"

"None," Eleanor shook her head. "News of Ska’s death in battle has spread across the entire continent, but the Blood Claw Clan hasn’t made any public statements. They haven’t declared a desire for revenge, nor have they issued any condemnation. It’s unusually quiet."

Her tone carried a trace of thinly veiled confusion. After all, the Blood Claw Clan had always been known in the North for their uncompromising toughness. Having a Saint killed without showing the slightest reaction was baffling, no matter how one looked at it.

Anton pondered for a moment before raising his eyes to look at Eleanor. "The Vorn Plain is too far from us. If the Blood Claw Clan wants to launch an expedition, the cost would be exorbitant and their chances of winning wouldn’t be high. They likely took this into consideration, which is why they haven’t made any rash moves. However, knowing how the Blood Claw Clan operates, they won’t just let this slide.

"Quiet dogs bite the hardest. The quieter they are, the more careful we must be. Send more spies to the Vorn Plain. Keep a close watch on their movements, especially for any signs of troop deployment toward the east."

"Understood." Eleanor nodded, her expression turning solemn.

In the Dao of Cultivation, there was a vast variety of Techniques, talismans, and magical treasures used for reconnaissance. Many were methods that had never before appeared on the Dawn Continent, leaving most people completely defenseless against them. Thanks to this, the Silver Moon Clan’s intelligence network had expanded incredibly smoothly over the years. Not only was the eastern part of the continent nearly entirely under their control, but their spies’ footprints had also begun to infiltrate far more distant regions. Planting a few inconspicuous informants in the North was hardly a difficult task.

"What about the Nine Nether City Domain?" Anton asked about another matter.

Eleanor immediately replied, "We have completely digested the territory of the Red Blood Fertile Soil, and the mining operations at the Red Blood Cave are on track. Now, the Nine Nether City Domain has resumed its outward exploration. With the Dark Elves and Shadow Soldiers coordinating this time, the pace of our advance is much faster.

"Last month, the exploration team discovered a new Magic Stone Vein. It’s of medium scale and good quality."

"Oh?" Anton raised an eyebrow. "Looks like our luck is quite good."

The Dark Nether Realm had numerous mineral veins, but most were metal ore. Magic Stone Veins were relatively rare, and their distribution was even more scattered than on the surface. Finding an unclaimed Magic Stone Vein was indeed a stroke of good fortune.

"Add this Magic Stone Vein to the list for conversion into a Spirit Stone Vein," Anton said.

"Done."

"Any news on the Dark Spider Mother?"

"Not at the moment. I’ve sent people to delve deeper in the direction the Dark Elf Queens mentioned, but we haven’t found any clues yet. I reckon the location of those Dark Elves must be very far from the Nine Nether City Domain."

Anton stayed silent for a moment, his expression largely unchanged. "Keep looking. There’s no rush," he said, pausing briefly. "Also, I will be going into secluded cultivation for a while. You just keep an eye on clan affairs as usual. Additionally, keep a lookout for two things for me."

Eleanor sat up slightly straighter, adopting a listening posture.

"First are Spirit Souls. Keep a close eye out for them.

"Second are powerful Fire Attribute creatures. Saint Tier is best, but at the very least, they must be Legendary Tier."

It went without saying what the Spirit Souls were for. The search for powerful creatures was naturally for refining Essences. In truth, Essences refined from Legendary Tier creatures were sufficient to act as Spirit Seeds. But if a Saint Tier creature could be found, it would naturally be even better. Spirit Seeds refined from the latter possessed significantly higher efficacy and could drastically shorten the time required for a magical treasure to advance into a Spiritual Artifact.

Eleanor didn’t ask for reasons, simply giving a concise response. "Alright. I’ll assign personnel to search for them."

Anton nodded. Standing up from the desk, he dipped his head slightly toward her. "I’ll leave the hard work to you for now."

"Your secluded cultivation is the priority. Leave the clan’s affairs to us; you don’t need to worry." Eleanor smiled faintly.

She knew Anton was at a critical juncture for a breakthrough. Once he successfully advanced to a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, it would undoubtedly be a monumental boon for the clan. After all, a Cultivator’s breakthrough represented not just an increase in personal power, but also the ’unlocking’ of many High Tier Arrays, magical treasures, and Daoist Soldiers, further boosting the clan’s developmental potential. In the eyes of all the clan’s higher-ups, the elevation of Anton’s cultivation base was more important than anything else.

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