The Underworld 3

Even Lucas was shocked by the discovery, "125,000... Isn't that too little? I have almost 600,000 inside the water tank."

"Pff! What?!" Neil slams the table and asks in astonishment, "Don't joke with me, how can you earn that much if you are not even selling anything!? Even more, that amount will take me two months of hunting inside the dungeon, without any rest!"

"Yeah! If you have that much, why did you offer a lower price for the dome building!?" Buckler followed up.

"Shut up Buckler!" He said and shut Buckler down, "Lucas, let's be serious, we can't afford that for now. We need to use our mana grains for our forces development, not for commodity!"

Lucas shook his head as if mocking him, "Grandpa, aren't you too much? It was the truth, I have almost 600,000 mana grains. If you're not believing me, I'll show you the way!"

Lucas stood up and wave his hand to ask them to follow. Inside the dome, he led them to a water tank that is covered with dirt sitting in the corner.

He climb-up of the tank and waves his hand, asking them to follow him.

They look at each other and gulp their saliva. Lucas opens the lid of the tank and smile at them.

"Look here, do I look like a liar?" He smirks and scooped a handful of mana grains. "This tank... Is full of... mana grains."

"M-my heart oh my God! This isn't real!" Neil exclaimed as he held his chest, the shock makes his heart beat faster.

Buckler's hands trembled, he approached Rance and hug his legs, "L-Lucas, I'll be your slave, take me in your harem!"

"G-Grandpa, please stop, " Lucas said as he tried to shook him off, "I'm not interested with men. But you can be a slave work to the building of my fortress!"

"Damn it!" Neil was back to his self and dragged Buckler, "Don't be shameless you old freak! Lucas! Tell me the truth!"

Lucas stared at him asking for what truth he is talking about.

"Damn it, don't look at me like that! I want to know how you earn that much?"

Lucas smiles a little and closed the tank, he took his hoe and swing it in the air, "Because of this, it can turn half of the carcass into mana grains!"

Redford glared at him and extended his hand, attempting to snatch the hoe. Lucas did not really mind and let him do as he wanted.

Redford held the handle of the hoe, but when Lucas released the hoe, an unimaginable force throws him out and landed to the ground. The hoe fell to Lucas' hands as if it was his parent.

"Wow, what's that?" Asks Lucas, but he recalls something. He jumps down of the tank and rushes toward Redford, "O-old man, are you okay!?"

"Argg, fuck that thing!" Redford curse as he stood up from the ground, "I haven't thrown that far for a long time, my body is in pain! Arg! Someone needs to pay my medicine!"

"Shut up Redfuck," Neil said who just catch up to them, "I will take my leave, I'm going to contact someone. Since you got that much mana grains, I'll get you a higher quality one. Also, you need to do something with the defense, Lucas, you can't always let your planteros fight for you."

Lucas and the rest watch him leave the dome, Lucas knitted his forehead, and murmur. "As long as I know, I fought alone in the frontline last time."

"Looks like Neil is getting old..." Redford follows.

The meeting was ended after thirty minutes. Neil will be the one in charge of buying the appliances for lights and ventilation. Redford took the task of finding any news if the nobles are making any move. Buckler took another job, this time, it's not walls or domes, but Lucas asked for defense towers. He wants to be able to fit a five-meter diameter ball on top of the tower, he wanted the coconut cannon to be defending force.

The tower will be made out of much harder glass, the with 10 meters high with eight meters diameter. This will be the hardest project he will be working in. Not only the amount of strength is not enough to build it for five days, but they have to make eight of them.

Lucas was not cheap so he accepted the deal, with 70,000 mana grains on his front, no one could turn blind and run away from it.

Lucas also took his own problem, he asked Anthena to make a few tunnels that connect the rooms to the surface to make an air passage. The tunnel has a 1-meter diameter, this is to make sure that there is enough space for the wires and ventilation to fit.

After four days of working hard, Neil came back with ten trucks behind him. The truck drivers are not a new face, they were the adventurers that Redford trusted.

Lucas checked if the materials are complete, 14 weatherproof wires wheels, each wheel have 500 meter long wires. Eight truck of generators, and 96 ventilators. Light bulbs made of thick glass, and the most important, the batteries.

They first set up the ventilation one set of ventilation to release the hot air inside the tunnel and another set to transfer fresh and cold air from the outside. When they finally reach the 150-meter mark, it getting harder to breathe. This is when they set the generators and batteries.

Connecting the wires in the batteries, the ventilators finally work. Fresh and breathable air finally filled the rooms and make the work faster. Lights finally set and the generators started to work.

Lucas asked the adventurers to transfer the pots where he planted the Lychee Crocs and Blood Orange Eagles to the first rooms, the trees started to bear fruit and given more time they will finally mutate.

The expenses this time cost him 200,000 mana grains, much larger but the quality is much better.

Lucas went down to the underground world he wants the black ant pepper to build. Anthena told him that the construction is finally done, but, he wants to confirm it personally. He set up the extra twelve light bulbs in every corner of the room. When he open the lights, he finally able to confirm that Anthena's colony, did a great job.

The whole area is much larger than he thought, that the light bulbs could not reach the end of the room. But looking at the room, he felt satisfied. Every ten meters have a meter thick poles that supported the land, and the ceiling is high enough to build two-story buildings.

"This place will be a world that we can raise every noncombatant planteros and plantons. I need to invest in order to gain... Haist, let's go up first."

When Lucas set a foot in the surface, Hugo just got back from his assignment. "Brother, you're finally home, what the progress?"

"Psh! Here you go!" He throws twenty shrink bag to him and started to explain, "I got 30 seeds of jack orangutans, it's the best elite that could work in multiple battles. They die for their master and loyalty is their greatest trait.

"I also got two seeds of durian bears, no one wants them. Well, except for grandpa Neil. They are much stronger than gorillas, but they have down too. You'll know when you meet them.

"I got two seeds of rare Kangactus, it's a planteros you can only raise in a hot temperature, with its spiky furs and strong limbs, every noble tried to raise them.

"I also bought few Planteros that did not meet the requirements to join elite categories, but still have a good ability in a strategic fight. They are often called the a-elite, or almost elite."

Lucas opens the bags and checked out if what he says is real, even though he is only able to collect a little elite, considering they are all rare is worth the time. After confirming the elites, he checked the bags of a-elite's seed and discovered three type of seed.

Cocoa Owl - A chocolate color bird with large eyes, it can see in the dark and it can see 10 kilometers away. It has sharp beak and claws that could rip a human flesh but I'm not enough to damage most planteros.

Acorn Horse - hard and dark brown skin. It is well known for its defense, speed, mobility and it's beauty.

Hickory Skunk - the armadillo could drill to the ground with it's thick and hard skin. They can survive any weather changes by burrowing themselves underneath the ground. They have special tactics of releasing bad smell to shoo their preys.

Lucas is satisfied with the seed Hugo brought him. He felt excited especially when he saw the Acorn Horse because it is his dream to ride a horse.

He bought different types of pots in his store to choose a better behavior for them. Lava pot for the Durian bear, Lightning pot for the Kangactus, and Music pot for the Jack Orangutans.

He also bought nature pot for the Cocoa Owl and Acorn Horse. As for the hickory skunk, it was a bit problematic. Skunk isn't beautiful in his eyes, especially when it farts. He doesn't want them to be energetic or hot-headed since they might fart. If he wants to raise them with harmony, he must be prepared when they decided to fart in a group.

'Wait! A deadly smell of their fart and spicy breath of chili dragons... That's scary, I should set up a separate room for them first!'

He heard from the earth that hickory nuts are delicious, but he doesn't expect that it will become a skunk. He went out the Fortress of Despair and went to the gate of the new wall.

Lucas was a bit worried if he could raise a skunk, he only has a few days left until the winter, if this hickory skunk able to bear fruit, it'll be nice.

He bought two Music pots in his store and planted the hickory skunk inside. He put the pots left and right of the gate.

After making sure that everything is done, Hugo approached him with a serious face. "Lucas, you got a problem. Hundreds of Pine Thrower is charging this way, they are still two kilometers away. You can still prepare."

Lucas knitted his brows and scratched his head, "What!? Why does it have to be me? We got a lot of adventurers."

Hugo put a bitter smile and pointed to the cities location, "They are in the city right now. Well, it's only hundreds. They are also one of the weakest treetans."

"Haist, why this time of the day!?" He stomped into the ground and went inside the gate, he waved his hand and shouted, "Cocoa, call your commanders!"

"Coooo!!" Coco who is burrowed in the ground jump in excitement and call his commanders. The commander's horde now consists of 10 to 15 mini coconut cannon.

Lucas also asked the felines for help. Unlike the last battle, the feline leaders, Giegie and the blackcurrant panther Shadow, is fully developed. Their furs are long and silky, fangs that could penetrate even the hardest husk, and claws that sharpen to slash enemies. They also come with their underlings, each side has nine members with the size of a tiger.

Lucas call them to make a strategy before the fight, they always have a great strength to fend of anything. But their biggest problem lies in their positioning and timing.

The sun is already set and the darkness of the night started to cover the sky. In the land of emptiness, small dots started to appear charging in their direction. On top of the wall, Hugo, Ranrem and the rest are watching him, trying to guess whether his strategy will succeed or not.