Volume 2 Before the Disaster Chapter 1: Awakening of Shirakawa
Early in the morning, in the dense forest on the side of the castle.
A figure was moving through the woods.
whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Black shadows flew out from Marvin's hands!
Ding ding ding!
All the black shadows accurately hit the white circles on the big trees in the dense forest.
But some are more precise, while others are on the edge of the circle.
After throwing a set of darts in one breath, Marvin stopped and carefully checked the battle records.
"Although darts are the easiest to master among all hidden weapons, my hit rate is still a bit low."
"Hit accuracy is somewhat related to strength. Although I have good agility, I rarely use long-range weapons. It's normal that I can't master all the hidden weapons in a short time."
"But if we keep going like this, it should be able to reach 30 points in a while."
Marvin silently looked at [Hidden Weapon·Dart 24] in his personal skill list and wiped his sweat.
The most powerful thing he had gained in the Scarlet Monastery was naturally the power of the dragon. However, this book "Detailed Explanation of Hidden Weapons for Beginners" was not bad, and Marvin learned three hidden weapon skills from it.
They are [Hidden Weapon·Darts (24)], [Hidden Weapon·Flying Knives (5)], and [Hidden Weapon·Flying Needles (5)].
Apart from darts, Marvin could basically just throw the other two kinds of hidden weapons randomly even if he used his skills.
This was the result after Marvin used the noble talent specialty [Quick Learning]. His talent for hidden weapons was average, so he chose the simplest one to learn.
Because he was reluctant to waste his precious skill points on hidden weapons, Marvin insisted on practicing with darts every morning.
Each set of twenty darts is used for thirty rounds of practice each day, twenty rounds in the morning and ten rounds in the evening.
Under such high-intensity contact, Marvin's dart ability has increased rapidly. After all, his agility foundation is there.
But hidden weapons are long-range attack weapons after all, and their hit rate is not as high as that of advanced weapons.
For Marvin, who likes to kill with one blow, this is not so much his preference.
In addition to practicing darts, Marvin's strength also improved due to killing a large number of gnolls in previous battles.
In the battle to retake the White River Valley, including the experience given by the earth spirits, Marvin gained a total of 2,194 killing experience points.
He has reached level 5 ranger and met the requirements for advancement, but if he wants to upgrade to level 6 ranger, he must invest 4,800 experience points.
It was obvious that the jackals could no longer meet Marvin's upgrade needs.
So he thought about it and simply extracted one thousand points of killing experience and threw them into [Shadow Cut Step].
Like [Throat Cutting], since Marvin repeatedly uses this standard technical move in battle, he can pay killing experience to turn it into his own exclusive skill.
Shadow Step + Throat Slitting is the Phantom Assassin's signature combo skill, second only to Fatal Strike.
After Marvin invested 1,000 experience points, an additional item appeared in his personal skill list:
【Shadow Cut Step (30)】
It was normal that his skill level was not as high as that of Slitthroat. Although Marvin had practiced footwork when playing games, he did not have the same high skill level as Slitthroat, so he could not imitate it accurately. However, 30 points of Shadow Step was enough.
Now Marvin can use powerful assassination skills such as [Stealth] or [Hide] + [Shadow Step] + [Throat Cutting].
These skills made him as good as a thief in assassination. His frontal combat ability far exceeded that of an ordinary ranger. With his rich combat experience, even without the Dragon Power Potion, Marvin had the confidence to challenge a second-level master.
Snap, Snap! The darts continued to fly.
Time passed minute by minute, and soon he had thrown all the darts in his hand again.
There were darts densely stuck in a circle on the surrounding trees.
This is the last round of practice for today.
Marvin put away all the darts, then trotted into the castle through the side door.
…
This is the fourth day since the White River Valley was recaptured.
Just as Marvin expected, the Punishment Knights did not cause trouble again after being dismissed. And some people in River Beach City who had bad intentions seemed to be shocked by the courage Marvin showed. For the time being, they have not made any move.
But Marvin knew that even if they had an idea, they could only do it secretly.
This was the era before the Cataclysm, the era of the Wizarding Union. Apart from having to be wary of assassinations, everything else was pretty easy.
After those gnolls were completely expelled, the White River Valley gradually began to return to its former glory.
Anna led half of the security team and worked tirelessly to go door to door to Green Village, Misty Village, Panshui Lake and other places to bring back the residents of the territory who were frightened by the gnolls.
The village under the castle gradually became popular . The abandoned farmhouses were cleaned up again and farmers began to return.
Craftsmen and artisans also returned to the castle with their children.
The current White River Valley is no different from other territories. The most important things are naturally the lord and the people around him.
Marvin and Anna lived deep in the castle, guarded by a guard team outside.
Then there is the city outside the castle, where various craftsmen and artisans live. Their children also receive apprenticeship training here and inherit their parents' professions, becoming a tailor or a bricklayer.
At the foot of the mountain, most people are ordinary farmers, and there are also some traveling merchants, but these cunning guys often work as part-time thieves.
If you look down from above, Marvin's castle is surrounded by cliffs, with only a small forest on the side.
In the south is a separate stone bridge, with a specially dug canal underneath, which brings in water from the Baihe River. The river is very deep, and some inverted spears are placed in it.
Most people who fall into the water do not have a good ending.
Below the castle are farmhouses, which are fairly separated from each other. There are large tracts of barren farmland, making it difficult to grow crops other than wheat or okra.
The Baihe River in the distance is like a belt, hanging on the vast but not so fertile land of the Baihe Valley.
Standing on the castle wall, you can also overlook the northern mines.
The White River flows around the White River Valley, and there is an abandoned dock to the west of the northern mine.
This is the White River Valley.
A barren rural area.
But it is a place that Marvin must protect with his life.
The sun rises slowly. People start to work.
Fortunately, Marvin drove away the jackals in time, otherwise the summer planting would have been delayed. In that case, the White River Valley, which already had problems with food, would have been even worse off.
“It’s time to work.”
Marvin ate some breakfast, changed his clothes, and returned to the study.
Anna was already waiting there.
After successfully retaking the White River Valley, Marvin fulfilled his young wish, and the last wisp of his soul fragment dissipated.
But the oath he made to the boy remained unchanged.
He will protect this place. He also fully believes that he is capable of doing this!
After earning one thousand general experience points, there were no more tasks in the task bar.
This surprised Marvin a little, but this was not what he was most concerned about at the moment.
…
"Food problem? I will solve this."
Facing the somewhat anxious Anna, Marvin spoke softly.
While talking with Anna and understanding the situation of the territory, he continued to use the quill pen in his hand to skillfully issue one order after another.
There are too many documents to process in the rebuilding White River Valley.
But Marvin was adept at this. Although he was not an administrator in his previous life, he had an extremely flexible mind. If he couldn't manage such a small place like the White River Valley, he would be unworthy of being a time traveler.
He issued five Lord's Warrants in one breath.
The first one is the recruitment order for the Baihe Valley Guard. All eligible men in the Baihe Valley and its subordinate villages can participate in the recruitment. Andre is mainly responsible for this.
Marvin was planning to expand the size of the security team. Twenty people were too few. For the White River Valley, which had a population of nearly two thousand, the security team would need at least fifty people.
Marvin is not short of funds now. The gold bars he brought out from the Scarlet Monastery are enough to feed a guard team of fifty people for many years.
The second order is to encourage residents to develop animal husbandry. Marvin found that the southern grasslands of the White River Valley are particularly suitable for grazing. Previously, due to the threat of wild beasts and jackals, it has not been developed. Now Marvin is preparing to vigorously develop the territory's military power, which should be guaranteed. All farmers who graze will receive a certain amount of subsidies.
The third is to recruit craftsmen, artisans and merchants, who can inject vitality into the territory.
The fourth one was also a recruitment order, but it was for professionals, especially those with military experience. Marvin needed some guys with commanding abilities or adventure experience to lead the new guards. This recruitment order offered a very generous reward, and even Gru and the others were tempted.
The fifth one was a repair order. Marvin hoped to transfer some farmers or craftsmen to repair the abandoned dock on the White River.
This was a huge, time-consuming and labor-intensive project, and in Anna's opinion it was very unwise.
But Marvin had his own reasons, and at his insistence, all five decrees were promulgated.
The White River Valley was shaken for a moment. Lord, it has been a long time since there have been so many actions in a row.
…
This is something that is very inspiring.
Marvin could feel the change.
The next day when he stood on the city wall, he saw a positive atmosphere emerging on the faces of the people coming and going.
This gave him a special sense of satisfaction . This was different from killing monsters, it was a completely different level of achievement.
Just at this moment, the sound of bagpipes came from afar.
Marvin looked carefully and found that the music was coming from the windmill used for making bread in the castle.
The melody was familiar, and deep in Marvin's memory he knew the name of the song.
"The Awakening of the White River".
There was a fragrance coming from the bakery, and in the distance the river was sparkling.
Marvin took a deep breath.
So beautiful.
…
However, at this moment, footsteps were heard behind him!
Anna's anxious voice followed:
"Master Marvin! Something bad has happened!"
"Master Winnie was cursed at Magor College and now he is bedridden all day in a coma!"
Marvin turned around suddenly and clenched his fists!
