It was unclear when it started, but the Villagers had grown accustomed to Lin Yu's protection. They spontaneously gathered around the Territory, viewing themselves as Commoners under the Forest Lord's command, feeling a sense of Pride and honor in it.
Over the course of these ten years, Lin Yu had taken action seven times, slaying six Monsters and an entire Demon Race army.
Especially when dealing with that Demon Race army, the Villagers suddenly realized that the once arrogant Demon Race army was slaughtered like lambs under Rumble Rock's horn and Guangzhi and Guangmou's Talons.
This plot twist, where the hunter became the Prey, was a massive shock to the Villagers' worldview.
So much so that after the intense shock, they developed an ineffable sense of worship toward Lin Yu, this mysterious Lord.
Nearby Towns, having witnessed the scene of the Demon Race army being massacred, hurriedly sent envoys to pay respects and show goodwill.
Trade routes consequently reopened, making the Village even more prosperous.
Many refugees fleeing from further North heard that there was a powerful yet benevolent Forest Lord here, and they flocked over, choosing to join this burgeoning settlement.
As more and more Commoners joined, the original batch of Villagers moved into Lin Yu's ten-mile Territory, while the newly arrived residents spread outwards, radiating from Lin Yu's domain.
Gradually, the Village evolved into a Town, and the Town began constructing a City Wall.
Lin Yu did not interfere with any of this development.
He only adhered to his initial promise: taking action against any Demon Race or Monster that threatened the Village.
Even so, the Commoners remained deeply grateful to him and voluntarily upheld his rule.
This was quite amusing; he had never considered these people his Commoners, so how could there be any rule to uphold?
But some things cannot be dictated solely by his thoughts.
For instance, although he personally stated he would not interfere in the conflicts between Human Kingdoms, his overwhelming strength forced the surrounding Various Countries, and even the most powerful Unified Empire, to pay attention to his stance.
As a result, even if Lin Yu did not wish it, his mere existence constituted a deterrent.
Lin Yu was fully aware of this situation but said little, allowing things to develop naturally.
After all, at this time, he had not yet lost his humanity, and he still held some affection for this Village that had grown up under his watch, and for the Villagers who revered him so deeply.
Furthermore, this location was situated on the border between the Unified Empire and the surrounding Various Countries, serving as a buffer zone between them.
The surrounding small Cities and Towns were caught between the nations, already in an awkward political position, and coupled with the ceaseless threat of Monsters from the forest and the Demon Race from the North, they desperately needed powerful protection.
Thus, under Lin Yu's tacit approval, this emerging Town developed at an extremely rapid pace.
In this process, besides Lin Yu, the hands-off Lord, there was another crucial figure: the Old Village Chief.
It had to be said that this fellow indeed possessed a certain administrative ability and was a truly perceptive and clear-headed individual.
He was the only person in the entire Territory aware of Lin Yu's true attitude. If he wished, he could easily deceive those above him and keep the truth from those below, making himself the de facto lord of this Territory.
From a God's-eye view, such an action would seem utterly foolish, but from the Old Village Chief's perspective, it held a high degree of feasibility.
After all, the Old Village Chief did not know that Lin Yu, residing in the Stone Fortress, could perceive every blade of grass and tree within the ten-mile Territory.
He only knew that this powerful Forest Lord spent his days studying Magic, and even when Monsters appeared, he only dispatched the Magical Beasts under the command of, never stepping out of the Stone Fortress himself for nearly ten years.
Coupled with Lin Yu's apparent lack of concern for the Village, perhaps some Ambitious people would have been unable to resist the temptation.
But the Old Village Chief did not do so. On the contrary, he clearly understood that the Lord's power was the foundation upon which everything was built.
Therefore, even though Jifeng City, which was still under construction, was developed entirely by him, he dared not show the slightest hint of overstepping his bounds, and even publicly presented himself as the Lord's most loyal servant.
Thanks to this cautious mindset, Lin Yu was very satisfied with him and secretly looked after him many times over the years.
This old fellow, nearing sixty, was able to give his wife, who was also in her fifties, a pair of Younger sister-in-laws for their eldest son who was adventuring outside—this was the result of Lin Yu secretly using Magic Power to improve their Bodies.
Time marched forward amidst this peaceful yet bustling daily routine.
Until the tenth year and seventh month after Vlamay departed, Lin Yu's Inner Universe finally showed a change!
The scene shifted to within Lin Yu's Inner Universe. Ten years had not brought significant changes here; the entire Inner Universe remained harsh like the Underworld, filled everywhere with high-temperature, High Density energy.
The only difference was that at the center of this nascent universe, an extremely stable, spindle-shaped cavity had appeared.
Compared to the entire universe, this cavity was minuscule.
But in reality, it possessed an external volume comparable to Uranus in the Previous life's Solar System.
A deep blue Barrier, tens of thousands of kilometers thick, enveloped the cavity's exterior, defending against the harsh external environment.
Inside the cavity was an extremely stable space. Landmasses exceeding ten thousand kilometers in diameter floated within it. Although dotted with continuous high mountains, there were no signs of life whatsoever.
On a plain in the center of the continent, various items were neatly arranged, including not only flora, earth, and stone, metals, and jewels, but also various manufactured goods, and mountains of Magic Classics.
Undoubtedly, this was the Storage Space developed by Lin Yu!
Above this plain used for storage, countless swirling mists rose and dissipated, blooming with White Light, resembling a perpetually luminous white sky that illuminated the entire dark land.
If Vlamay could come here, she would be shocked to discover that the vast, boundless ocean of light in the sky was actually incredibly pure Magic Power!
That's right, in the Frieren World, the essence of Magic Power was actually a kind of universal energy.
This energy not only existed throughout the world but could also be converted from daily sustenance.
In other words, as long as one grasped the principle and method, any substance or energy could be converted into Magic Power.
Coincidentally, Lin Yu lacked nothing except energy.
He held Control over the matter and energy of an entire nascent universe, inexhaustible and endless.
Moreover, the Magic Power under the Frieren Worldview could even be reversely converted into various substances.
The substances here were not just things like shields or barriers, but genuine matter.
For example, in the Original Work, Frieren conjured everyday items like shaved ice and Hot Tea out of thin air using Magic Power.
The deep blue Barrier tens of thousands of kilometers thick surrounding the cavity, and the floating continent within the cavity, were both created by Lin Yu converting the universe's matter and energy into Magic Power, and then using that Magic Power to create them.
Of course, creating matter via Magic Power as an intermediary was merely a stopgap measure due to Lin Yu's insufficient Control over his Authority.
If he could fully comprehend and Control those powers belonging to him, he could cut out the middleman and arbitrarily manipulate all matter and energy in the universe solely through his Will.
Returning to the main topic, as Lin Yu submerged his consciousness into the Inner Universe, the previously calm ocean of Magic Power immediately began to churn.
The white Cloud Sea was stirred by that inherently great and vast Will, forming two immensely huge whirlpools.
Viewed from below, it resembled a pair of giant Eyes suspended in the heavens, casting a lofty yet indifferent gaze upon the land.
Simultaneously, beneath the Cloud Sea, a Fist-sized Blue Cube was emitting a faint glow.
Upon closer inspection, this Blue Cube was the Magic Power Barrier compressed and solidified by tens of thousands of times. The space within it had long been firmly sealed by Lin Yu's Will, turning into a rigidly solidified Space-time.
What was glowing at this moment was not the Barrier itself, but a wisp of mysterious power within the space, invisible to the naked eye.
"Ten years!"
Lin Yu couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
After a full ten years, this thing was finally about to complete its recognition of him as its master!
"It actually made me wait this long..."
"I want to see what exactly you are!"
Staring at the Fluorescence blooming within the Blue Cube, Lin Yu moved his thought, and his vast consciousness descended from the horizon like the Nine Heavens' Milky Way, pouring down and surging into that Blue Cube.
In an instant, that mysterious power merged with his consciousness, and a piece of brand-new information materialized before Lin Yu.
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