18th October.
As constant as time was, so was the development in Marcus's estate.
If it wasn't individual growth, it was collective and structural.
In one lifetime, Marcus had prioritized a learning center over many other structures.
And after that one was cut short, he chose a different path in the next. He opted for a tall wall that would protect his people from the dangers outside.
A fence that would surround his entire estate.
However, he later thought it would be a waste of money, since that wall would need to fall if they survived.
And now, he wishes to progress naturally regardless of what is to come.
And so, because of this, many foundations for small homes had been built.
They weren't habitable yet, but they were getting there.
Now, the plan was to build temporary shelters with more comfortable living than the tent they were living in.
Especially because winter was fast approaching.
And if they did survive the upcoming battle against Maney and winter's chilling grip, they would extend their reach and build better accommodations.
With their current progress speed, even if there was no battle to prepare for, they wouldn't be able to complete these shelters by the middle of the winter season.
But Marcus chose to believe that they would survive some way.
Currently, he was standing alone under the sun, watching his farmland from afar.
Due to his Will's growth over the past few months, Marcus's senses were sharp enough to the point where he could hear many of them from where he was.
Practicing formation inscription had further refined his imbalanced Will. Although he hadn't achieved balance, Marcus wasn't so far off from it now…
It was almost harvesting time for many of the crops Marcus had purchased and planted months ago.
Marcus decided that this was an appropriate time to observe his territory's progress.
Normally, he would have some foreknowledge due to his redo; however, the last time he made it this far was when they were hit with an epidemic from the curse Maney placed on them.
Then, they weren't able to accurately record and harvest much, as many people were terrified of contracting what they thought to be a disease.
But now, there was nothing stopping them from doing this.
Slaves and farmers moved about, carefully reaping and harvesting crops.
They stored them in sacs, tightly tying their mouths before placing them on designated carts.
"Be careful with those, you dimwit!" Surfan exclaimed when he noticed a slave mishandling a sack of harvested wheat.
Surfan sucked his teeth and almost threw the pen in his hands at the slave.
"Sorry bout that, boss. I wasn't thinking." The slave smiled despite Surfan's annoyance.
"Don't you know that every bit of wheat, grain, and potatoes matters? War is coming, and we can't tell how long it will last. Moreover, winter is almost upon us!"
The slave suddenly recalled the gravity of their straits and bowed. "Forgive me, boss!"
Surfan sucked his teeth again and waved the young man away. "Just handle them with a bit more care."
The man dismissed this slave. Despite their difference in status, Surfan had never used violence against the slaves that were put under his control.
In fact, he treated them very well, hence their attitude around him.
They saw him more like an elder than had underlying anger issues, but apart from that, he was a kind and harmless farmer.
"These guys might be the death of me one day." He massaged the side of his neck as he felt the stress of today's work piling on him.
And yet, despite his words and the stress, there was a pleased look on his face.
They had achieved something great. Or at least it felt that way to Surfan.
A land that he had once called dead and would be difficult to cultivate crops on had grown enough to feed their population for months.
Though when they first started, they were projecting to grow enough to feed their then population for a year at the least, and a year and a half at most.
But due to the increase, the extension of that projection had been shortened.
In other words, even if they do survive winter. Once spring comes, they would need to spend more money buying food from other places.
Just until they can get back on their feet again.
This thought caused the aged farmer to sigh. "If I'm feeling this much pressure and anxiety from thinking about all of this. The young lord must be going through worse."
He shook his head. Anyone with a bit of sense should be able to understand that the Lord Governor is going through a lot. That's why we need to do our parts well.
Surfan turned and faced the direction of the riverside, where they had planted a few crops.
He frowned at this. "Though I was certain that it would be hard to grow anything there. But now, I want to change that."
This was a curiosity and determination that came from observing the way Marcus behaved around obstacles.
Surfan admired this behavior very much.
When he first claimed that things would be hard, that success would be out of reach anytime soon, Marcus provided him with farm tools that he had never seen before.
He provided convenience that tackled their obstacles one after the other.
It started as a miracle, and then it slowly became a norm that inspired logic within the minds of many people.
Especially since they had all started attending the mandatory lessons that Marcus had curated for everyone.
Though there was still a lot that they didn't know, the little they had absorbed had birthed ideas in many minds.
"Is it possible to use the saltiness of the riverside to our benefit? It's almost as if there's a barrier over that area."
Listening to this aged man speak to himself about what to do with the lands around the riverside and his sympathy for him, Marcus couldn't help but smile.
This was a man that joined his banner some months ago, and now he was showing a level of loyalty that one wouldn't easily find from borrowed services.
A barrier…
This word played around Marcus's mind as he began walking towards his mansion.
Because Surfan had uttered this word, it seemed to have piqued something in the young lord's mind.
As he walked back, Marcus got lost in his thoughts, trying to figure out why the word 'barrier' was stuck in his head.
And after a while, he paused, and his eyes opened wide with realization.
"Yes! That barrier! The one that forms over Agard and trapped us within before we always faced Maney!"
It was definitely a formation. Marcus didn't know its grade; he was certain that it was a powerful formation that probably required a large source of energy.
With a thought, Marcus pulled up his system interface and quickly went to reread the details about the Robbing Heaven formation array.
"That's right, phase one of the formation siphons energy from nature. But it doesn't stop there."
After studying the formation for a while, Marcus had come to realize some other powerful or scarier parts of the formation.
Everyone within the formation will be affected. Their energy will be siphoned too. Unless they had access to the Life Gate.
The backdoor within the formation array is also the control point of the entire thing.
Those protected by the Life Gate wouldn't have to worry about their energy being stolen; however, they would still face some level of suppression from the formation.
At the same time, while the inner anchors were siphoning from within, the outer boundaries siphoned from the outside.
"If so, doesn't that mean that the barrier they've been using to trap us could be used as the energy source I need?"
Formation or not, energy ran through it.
And if what Marcus had comprehended, the Robbing Heaven formation array wouldn't discriminate.
It would steal.
That was the basis of its nature: to steal.
Though he wasn't sure of the grade of the formation used to create the barrier around Agard, nor could he tell whether or not the difference in grade would cause the Robbing Heaven formation to be unable to steal from it.
But it was worth a try.
If indeed the formation could steal energy from another formation, then that should be enough.
"Hahaha!" Marcus suddenly began laughing.
A solution had indeed appeared to his problem.
The excitement from the thought of pulling a big one against Maney and Cassir, the thought of pulling the rug beneath whoever had been creating that barrier and using their resources to his benefit.
All of this filled him with immense mirth to the point where he began laughing alone like a madman.
…
From a distance, Winny, Ramy, Tigger, and Bradley were walking around with books and pens in their hands.
They had been taking account of everything that needed their attention in the estate, while also secretly following Marcus, courtesy of Bradley.
Almost a month ago, Leti had reported that there was a pool of blood in Marcus's personal training ground.
Worried, she took the news to Bradley.
That day, when he had gone to check on Marcus, he found the young lord healthy and focused on work, so he didn't say anything.
But since then, he had been secretly keeping an eye on the young lord.
Milord, you're the type who doesn't like to share your problems with others so easily. So if you're sick, I am almost certain that you will hide it from me for as long as you can.
"Boss, has the young lord gone mad again?" Tigger asked, confused as to why Marcus was laughing the way he was.
Winny and Ramy nodded their heads, thinking the same.
"No, that's normal. Take note, the young lord grew up… special. He was very mischievous." He still is.
"When he does things like this, know that he's about to cheat someone." Bradley sighed.