Chapter 113: The Ingenious Use of Illusion Doppelganger
No matter their size, every ogre is a big eater.
Fortunately, they aren't picky; even the rations the soldiers carried with them were eaten with great joy.
Their faces showed expressions of happiness and smiles, and everyone could feel their genuine delight.
However, the violent appearance of the ogres in battle still served as a reminder to everyone.
No matter how gentle they are during a meal, one should never forget their ferocious side.
What everyone found interesting was how the female ogres took meticulous care of their young.
They gave the food to them first, and once the young were full, they gathered them in the safest middle, eating themselves only after.
Then, the female ogres started fighting each other over food, astonishing everyone once again.
Lazy yet violent creatures, a complex contradiction!
Matthew naturally understood what was going on; the care for their young was engraved in the ogres' genes and instincts.
The other two behaviors were more influenced by their intelligence, which averaged below 5 points.
For a smart little fellow like Yagron to exist, it was unlikely that even 100,000 ogres would produce one like him.
Yagron widened his eyes, curiously staring at Jifan in front of him.
The latter wore a faint smile on his face, holding a small dried fish that Yagron loved!
Why did Yagron love it?
Because he had just tasted it!
"Fish!"
Jifan pointed to the dried fish in his hand, slowly pronouncing the word.
Smacking his lips lightly, savoring the delicious sweetness of the dried fish, Yagron tried hard to open his mouth and utter the clumsy Common language:
"Fff…"
"Fish!"
"Fff…"
"Fish!"
"Fish!"
Under Yagron's delighted gaze, Jifan happily handed him the dried fish.
Watching him eat it in one bite and chew carefully, Jifan then took out a piece of black bread from his backpack.
He wasn't doing this for fun but rather because it was a task assigned by the mysterious arcane master!
Jifan, ever meticulous, was determined to seize this opportunity!
Not just for himself but for his sister!
Although the hope was slim, Jifan absolutely would not give up easily!
"Investigate how large this devil's root patch is and arrange for people to patrol it."
"Especially keep an eye on the direction of the troll camp; if anything major happens, report to me immediately."
Matthew instructed Alice with a few words before entering the tent they had set up, quickly sitting down cross-legged.
He began to meditate!
The method for restoring mana through illusion doppelgangers was almost the same as with the original body; in the absence of combat threats, meditation was the best way to restore mana.
This is why the path of the arcane master was developed.
Arcane masters rely on methods of mana recovery, granting them far greater sustained combat ability than wizards and other spellcasters, no longer limited by the number of spell slots!
What delighted Matthew was that the feeling of meditating with the illusion doppelganger was no different from that of the main body.
While restoring mana, it also improved the experience of meditation skills.
Thus, an "absurd" idea flashed through Matthew's mind:
"When I'm not using conscious projection, the illusion doppelganger can act on its own..."
"So, if I give the illusion doppelganger a command to meditate before canceling conscious projection, would it..."
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Matthew decisively gave the illusion doppelganger the command to meditate and then withdrew his conscious projection.
Passing through a moment of darkness, Matthew felt his body again, and his consciousness returned to his original self.
Just as he was about to check the status of the illusion doppelganger, the data display responded.
"Illusion Doppelganger:
Status: Meditating, restoring 2.4 mana points per minute.
Health: 33/33, Mana: 45/270."
It actually worked!
Matthew happily rubbed his hands together, immediately realizing the benefits of having the illusion doppelganger meditate to restore mana on its own!
Double mana, training spellcasting in cycles, with proficiency growth naturally doubling as well!
The illusion doppelganger in Troll Valley, while Matthew oversaw his territory.
Dual operation, double the fun!
By noon, the time had come.
Matthew first had lunch, checked Leanna's homework, cleared up some of her doubts, and assigned her new tasks.
Just then, Steward Ralph arrived to report, and when Matthew mentioned the situation in Troll Valley, Ralph exclaimed with joy:
"You took down an ogre camp? And captured some ogre cubs as prisoners? That's fantastic!"
"If possible, we could establish a logging camp-like outpost there and try to tame those ogres…"
Ralph's joy was understandable; the kobolds tamed by Yaya had played a huge role in the development of Bay Village!
The stone roads were built by them, the irrigation ditches were dug by them, and even the sewer system was set up by them. The quality was quite good, and the speed was fast.
They saved Bay Village a lot of manpower, materials, and money.
Moreover, under Matthew's direction, the kobolds had already begun digging a kobold mine.
The kobolds were secretly transporting the ores they mined to the warehouse via underground tunnels.
These ores had not yet been turned into weapons but were being used to craft a wide variety of agricultural tools, which were in increasing demand.
The kobolds were insignificant yet incredibly important!
The kobolds' only real weakness was their poor combat ability; only a very few could become dragonborn.
And now, the lord had captured ogres.
Ogres were exceptionally powerful creatures, perfect for addressing the shortfall in Bay Territory's combat strength!
How could Ralph not be excited?
Matthew, however, wasn't as optimistic; he knew the flaws of the ogres all too well, and curing their laziness and volatility wouldn't be an easy task.
However, compared to the chaotic and violent, moon-worshipping gnolls, ogres were indeed easier to deal with.
They just needed a good "instructor"!
Thinking about this, Matthew suddenly remembered something and asked:
"How is Adam Smith doing?"
Taking down the ogre camp only reduced the luck value from -3 to -2; the crisis was not entirely over.
However, Matthew had already prepared and had a target in mind. With so many days having passed, he naturally wanted to know about Adam Smith's situation.
Ralph frowned slightly, hesitating before answering:
"Adam Smith replied a couple of days ago. He had a conflict with some merchants, but no danger was encountered. The clay golem and soldiers played a significant role."
"However, Adam Smith suspects that the other side may not give up easily."
"He sent me a message; the supplies have been gathered. Should we take the risk of transporting them back?"
Not give up?
They will definitely launch an attack!
A battle was inevitable!
"The fish has taken the bait!"
Various thoughts flashed through Matthew's mind, his dark eyes showing a glimmer of coldness. He smirked and said:
"Notify Adam Smith to wait five days before leaving."
"We'll prepare properly and give them a nice surprise!"