Only a short wooden shaft and the cracked stone tip remained, but it was better than fighting with his hands again.
The water suddenly became still, and Carlos waited.
Yet nothing came out. It looked as if there was nothing inside.
"Did you see what entered?" he asked.
"No, my lord. I was looking at the field."
Carlos moved closer to the spring.
The water was clear enough for him to see the stones at the bottom, yet there was no creature inside it.
He crouched and looked from another angle.
At that moment, he finally saw something that made his heart skip two beats.
A pair of blue eyes stared back at him.
Carlos jumped away and raised the broken spear instinctively while trying to steady his breathing.
Suddenly, water flew out of the spring.
It gathered in the air and fell onto the ground in the shape of a small creature.
The thing barely reached Carlos’s knee. Its body was made of transparent blue water, with two short arms and a round head that was too large for it.
It looked like a slime that had tried to become a person and stopped halfway.
Carlos’s grip tightened.
The creature looked at the broken spear and then at Carlos with its beady blue eyes.
It raised both hands above its head.
"Bloo."
"What?"
"Bloo," it repeated.
Carlos stared at it.
The creature stared back.
"Inspect."
--
Mana Water Sprite
Level 1
Rare Grade
A young elemental lifeform born when a large amount of natural mana gathers inside pure water.
Abilities: Water Control (Level 1), Mana Sense (Level 1)
Current State: Frightened, Hungry
Favorability: 0/100
Territory Status: Unregistered Lifeform
--
Carlos slowly lowered the spear.
"It was born inside the spring?"
The description said it was possible, but the Mana Spring had existed for less than an hour.
He looked at the Epic Spirit Farmland beside it.
Only then did it make sense. The Mana Spring and Spirit Farmland being so close together might have caused a large amount of mana to gather in one place.
The Sprite took one step toward the spring.
Carlos moved the spear in front of it.
It immediately raised its hands again.
"Bloo!"
"I know you are scared, but that spring is our only water source. You can’t live in it until I know you won’t ruin it."
The Sprite tilted its head.
Carlos looked toward Rowan.
"Do you know what it eats?"
"No, my lord. I have never seen such a creature."
"Right."
He checked the inspection panel again.
Hungry.
It was made of mana and water. There was one item in his inventory that might work, but Carlos only had five of them.
He took out a drop of Nature’s Dew.
The liquid sat inside a tiny glass container and glowed with green light.
The Sprite’s whole body shook.
It stretched both hands toward the bottle.
"So you want this?"
"Bloo!"
"Do you understand me?"
The creature tilted its head but moved its hands forward again.
Carlos narrowed his eyes.
"Turn around."
The Sprite turned around.
"Jump."
It jumped.
"Hit Rowan with water."
The Sprite lifted one hand.
Rowan’s eyes widened.
Carlos moved in front of the creature before it could do anything.
He reached toward it, and his hands passed halfway through its cold body, but he still managed to lift it as if it had a real body instead of being made entirely of water.
"That was a test! You will never hurt any of the residents inside this territory. You got that?"
"My lord," Rowan spoke from behind him, "perhaps use a test that does not involve hitting me next time."
"Noted."
The Sprite reached for the Nature’s Dew again.
Carlos moved the bottle away.
"If I give this to you, you work for me. Understand?"
The creature tilted its head.
"You help around the territory and do whatever you can when needed. You don’t hurt Rowan. You don’t drink the whole spring, and you don’t attack me."
"Bloo."
Carlos couldn’t tell if that meant yes.
A system notification appeared.
[Mana Water Sprite wishes to consume Nature’s Dew]
[Feeding a territory resource to an unregistered lifeform may increase its favorability]
[High enough favorability may allow the lifeform to join your territory]
Carlos looked at the five drops in his inventory.
Each one could instantly mature a Common-grade crop. Giving one away meant losing an immediate harvest.
But crops could be grown again.
A Rare creature appearing on its own was not something he could easily replace.
Carlos opened the bottle and poured the Nature’s Dew over the Sprite’s head.
The green drop entered its watery body.
Soon, light spread through the creature until its entire body glowed.
It closed its eyes and fell backward into Carlos’s arms.
[Mana Water Sprite Favorability increased by 20]
[Mana Water Sprite has recognized Lord Carlos Goldwin as its benefactor]
[Would you like to register the Mana Water Sprite as a territory resident?]
"Yes."
[Mana Water Sprite registered]
[Please give the new resident a name]
Carlos froze.
He slowly looked toward Rowan.
"Don’t," Rowan said.
"I haven’t said anything."
"Your face did."
Carlos looked at the small creature sleeping in his arms.
It said one word, and it was blue.
The choice was obvious.
"Its name is Blue."
[Naming successful]
[Mana Water Sprite: Blue]
Rowan covered his face with one hand.
"It is a good name," Carlos defended himself.
"Of course, my lord."
"You don’t sound convinced."
"I am going back to the wheat."
Rowan picked up his hoe and returned to the plot.
Carlos placed Blue beside the Mana Spring. The Sprite opened its eyes, touched the water, and happily fell inside.
For a moment, Carlos thought it had disappeared.
Then a small head rose from the middle of the spring.
"Bloo."
"Stay there."
Carlos opened his chat again.
--
[Cosmic Merchant] - Carlos?
[Cosmic Merchant] - Why did you stop answering?
[Cosmic Merchant] - Did the damage reach your brain?
--
Carlos started typing.
--
[Carlos Goldwin] - Something entered my territory. It is handled now.
[Cosmic Merchant] - Something can enter our territories?
[Carlos Goldwin] - Apparently.
[Cosmic Merchant] - What was it?
[Carlos Goldwin] - A Water Sprite. It joined me.
--
The chat became silent again.
--
[Cosmic Merchant] - I got one half-dead Lizardman, and you found a fucking Sprite?
[Carlos Goldwin] - You are wrong. It found me.
[Cosmic Merchant] - I hate you.
--
Carlos laughed.
--
[Carlos Goldwin] - What rewards did you get from Normal?
[Cosmic Merchant] - 20 Wood, 20 Stone, 30 Copper Coins, and 5 Slime Cores.
[Cosmic Merchant] - Not enough to make another spear.
[Carlos Goldwin] - How much do you need?
[Cosmic Merchant] - Don’t even think about it. You already paid me for the first one.
[Carlos Goldwin] - Answer.
[Cosmic Merchant] - 25 Wood and 10 Stone for the spear. The barracks doesn’t need repairs. My Lizardman does.
--
Carlos looked at his resources.
He had 115 Wood and 115 Stone from the two waves. Building the Blue Water Slime Barracks would take 100 of each, while the Irrigation Channel required another 30 Wood and 20 Stone.
He could not build both yet.
Giving resources to Cosmic would delay him even further.
But Cosmic had given Carlos his only weapon without knowing whether he would ever get anything back.
Carlos sent a trade request.
--
[Carlos Goldwin offered: Wood x15, Stone x10, Minor Recovery Potion x1]
[Requested: Copper Coin x1]
--
The request remained unanswered.
--
[Cosmic Merchant] - Where did you get this much?
[Carlos Goldwin] - Hell difficulty.
[Cosmic Merchant] - And the potion?
[Carlos Goldwin] - Give it to your Lizardman.
[Cosmic Merchant] - This trade is ridiculous.
[Carlos Goldwin] - One Copper Coin means it isn’t charity.
[Cosmic Merchant] - You paid me ten coins for one spear.
[Carlos Goldwin] - Then consider this a discount on the next one.
--
Cosmic did not accept.
Carlos waited.
--
[Carlos Goldwin] - You said you wanted to become a merchant. A merchant should recognize a good deal. And moving forward, you already know you will help me a lot. Just start using your brain, and we are good.
--
[Trade completed]
Carlos smiled.
--
[Cosmic Merchant] - I will return everything.
[Carlos Goldwin] - Yeah, I want it returned with interest, buddy.
[Cosmic Merchant] - Now you are speaking my language.
--
Carlos closed the chat and looked around his territory.
Rowan had planted all twenty seeds in neat lines. Blue watched him from the spring, copying every movement of the hoe with its tiny arms.
Carlos now had 100 Wood and 105 Stone.
Exactly enough for one important building.
Carlos smiled. He needed troops anyway.
It was not as if a Farmer could fight.
Or could he?
He looked at Rowan once and felt pity for his weak physique. He was not about to let the old man fight just because he didn’t have troops.
Yet.
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