Lord blessed by the elves

Chapter 14 Jade Powder
Kruze forcibly suppressed the absurdity churning within him and the incessant chatter of the sprite "Azure Jade" in his mind. He took a deep breath, trying to make his expression appear as if he were seriously considering the sprite's well-being, rather than being annoyed by its noise.

He turned to Wilstone, whose expression was solemn and who was still immersed in the sacred duty of protecting the spirit insects, and asked in a seemingly casual but actually probing tone, "Wilstone, do we still have any jade powder stored in our territory's warehouse?"

Upon hearing this, Wilstone's solemn expression was instantly replaced by a deeper layer of bitterness and helplessness. He shook his head heavily, his voice tinged with barely concealed embarrassment: "Young Master... alas, you have no idea. Jade powder... how precious is that? A single silver coin can only buy five carats! And a spirit insect like 'Azure Jade,' maintaining its life force and stimulating its potential daily, requires at least sixty or seventy carats of jade powder! This expense..."

He pointed helplessly to the carefully tended pea field around him, and the small creature emitting green light in the center of the field: "If we really had the financial means to buy jade powder to nourish it, why would we 'let it roam freely' in this field? We should have built the safest greenhouse for it in the castle long ago and offered it daily offerings! It is precisely because we do not have jade powder that we can only rely on the 'cordyceps' growing in this field to barely maintain its basic vitality so that it can continue to nourish the peas."

Wilstone's gaze swept around, a hint of weariness barely perceptible in his eyes: "To ensure the safety of 'Azure Jade' and prevent it from being harmed by those who covet it, I, this old servant... most of the time, personally carry my bedding and stand guard in this thatched hut next to the pea garden."

This explains why he's always here, and also indirectly confirms the territory's dire situation—they don't even have the money to build a decent outpost for the guardian.

Kruse nodded silently, understanding dawning on him. Ultimately, it all came down to poverty!

They were so poor that they couldn't even afford to support the spirit insect that had made such a great contribution, and could only rely on the natural nourishment of cordyceps and Wilstone to make ends meet.

Just then, that lazy thought resurfaced in my mind. This time, besides the usual complaints, it carried a sense of weakness and despair, along with a shocking piece of information:

“Did you hear that! Did you hear that! That big oaf said it himself! There’s no jade powder! We’re eating these worthless grass roots every day, it’s tasteless, and the energy is pitifully low!” “Qingfei’s” voice sounded weak and feeble. “I feel myself getting weaker and weaker… If this continues, I won’t even be able to stay conscious, let alone maintain this dilapidated field! You poor lords, all you know how to do is exploit me…”

Its thoughts were filled with intense resentment and unwillingness, and the last sentence echoed in Kruze's mind like a sigh:

"Sigh... Without enough energy... I'll never be able to evolve into a 'Pokémon' in this lifetime... Waaaaah... My Pokémon dream is over..."

"Evolve into a Pokémon?!" Kruze was shocked!

This information was like a lightning bolt that cleaved through the fog!
Is the Pokémon evolving?!

Evolution, however, requires... a lot of energy, like jade powder?!

A sense of urgency and responsibility made Kruse dare not be careless in the slightest; if anything happened to the Pea Sprite Bug, the territory would be completely ruined.

We can't let it become useless! We can't let it lose hope of evolution!

This is not only about the current pea production, but also about the huge potential of Lion's Tooth Territory in the future!

Looking at "Azure Jade," who was perched on the vines, radiating a sense of grievance and weakness, Kruze felt an even stronger sense of urgency. He took a deep breath, his face instantly switching to an expression of concern for the territory's foundation and a deep understanding of the greater good, and said to Wilstone in a deep voice:
“Wilstone, listen to this: the safety of ‘Azure Jade’ is crucial to the survival of the entire Lion Fang Territory! Not a single mistake can be made, do you understand?” His tone was firm as he glanced at the most precious pea field, continuing, “Besides, I haven’t had anything else to do after finishing my cultivation. From today onwards, you and I will take turns guarding this place! We two must protect it impeccably; not a single mishap can occur!”

Upon hearing this, Wilstone was taken aback for a moment, then quickly bowed, his tone both concerned and flustered: "Oh, young master! How can this be! This place is so dilapidated and shabby, exposed to the wind and sun. How can someone as precious as you stay here to guard it? Protecting 'Azure Jade' is a servant's duty, and I would never dare to trouble you..."

Kruse waved his hand dismissively, interrupting him, "Stop talking! It's settled!" He then turned to Wilstone and asked, "Wilstone, can you... talk to 'Azure Jade'? Can you sense its current state and what it needs?"

Wilstone was taken aback by the question, then a deep sense of helplessness crossed his face. He shook his head and sighed:
"In response to your question, young master, the ability to communicate with this spirit insect through telepathy is something only those who have signed a lord contract with it possess! Even the master, whenever he returns from the front lines and tries to speak with 'Azure Jade,' receives only faint, vague responses, mostly just simple thoughts like 'hungry' or 'lacking energy'..."

He shrugged helplessly, pointing at the "Azure Jade" and said, "All the master can understand is that it needs to be nourished, it needs... jade powder. But alas..."

Wilstone's tone carried a heavy sense of reality. "Young Master, you know how expensive jade powder is. After deducting all the necessary expenses from the taxes collected by our territory each year, we only have a few gold coins left. How can we afford to spend more than ten silver coins every day? It's really... we want to do it, but we simply don't have the ability to do it!"

Kruze nodded slowly, fully understanding Wilstone's subtext: the lords could vaguely sense that the elf worm needed jade powder, but they knew nothing about what the elf worm wanted to say, its condition, or its potential!
The communication efficiency was extremely low, like the blind men and the elephant!

Just then, "Azure Jade," perched on the vine, seemed to keenly sense a special aura emanating from Kruze. Perhaps it was the natural affinity brought by the ancient Elvish language. Its small, emerald-green head lifted slightly, its innocent, pure compound eyes, carrying a hint of probing and a faint hope, for the first time "actively" transmitting a clear wave of thought to Kruze:
"Hey! New human! You...you're going to give me jade powder to eat?" His thoughts were filled with a cautious longing.

Kruse's heart skipped a beat!
The opportunity is coming!

He suppressed his excitement, kept a calm expression, and nodded solemnly in the direction of "Qingfei"!

The movement was small, but the intention was crystal clear—it was a response!

(End of this chapter)