"Could I recover lost texts with just a few magic crystals?" Thranduil looked at the magic book in his hand, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
Is there something as miraculous as that?
Repairing objects may not seem as magical as building territorial structures, summoning soldiers out of thin air, or training them, but it is still an unimaginable help for the elves who had lost everything.
If Thranduil obtained a fragment of a divine artifact, couldn't he get a complete artifact by repairing it through the system? This ability is almost the same as the legendary power to go back in time.
All Thranduil needed to invest were a few magic crystals, which were nothing more than enhancers to accelerate the awakening of the world tree.
"How many energy crystals are needed to repair this magic book?" Thranduil asked with curiosity, his calm gaze showing interest.
Soon, the system responded that it would require the consumption of 10,000 magic crystals to obtain the full version of the content.
"That's too much..." Thranduil frowned thoughtfully.
If he used that many crystals, he might as well train most of the elves who still lacked the full qualities of an elite warrior.
Using that amount of crystals now wasn't optimal, as Thranduil needed warriors capable of protecting the ancient trees that were constantly giving life to new elves.
"Once my army of elves expands, I believe this amount of energy crystals will be just a drop in the ocean." Having made that decision, Thranduil stored the magic book he was about to discard into the spatial belt he carried with him, and then went to the ancient war tree not far away and began training the elven troops.
In no time, hundreds of elven soldiers were trained. The number surpassed seven hundred just today, which was quite a large figure.
More than 20,000 energy crystals were consumed in total. Almost at the same time, a system notification rang in his mind.
"[...
Congratulations, Great King Thranduil, the number of troops under your command has surpassed three thousand in this territory.
You have completed one of the tasks issued by the system.
[Reward]: A building that can condense elven spring water and even the blessed water of life.
New mission in progress…
[Mission content]: Have an army of ten thousand elven soldiers.
[Reward]: The possibility to connect with a forest spirit that can enhance your abilities.
…]"
"A new mission?" Thranduil, who had only completed one of the two pending tasks, was surprised that he could still receive a reward.
And upon seeing the mission content, he understood that the system was now counting the royal guard elves arriving at his position.
Even so, Thranduil had reasons to believe it would take a long time to complete this other mission.
Even if he killed thousands of monsters, that number would take time to reach ten thousand.
After all, the number of monsters that can give him magic crystals is limited.
Unless he could take the opportunity to hunt undead creatures at night, it would be slow to train elves and have an army of more than ten thousand members.
Unlike monsters, undead creatures can "regenerate." As long as the dark and evil forces underground are not completely eradicated, there will be an almost infinite supply of undead creatures he could hunt.
The prerequisite is that his strength must be sufficient, but that wasn't a problem with his current power.
Although within a few days he could count on ten thousand elves in this territory, his soldiers had not yet reached that number. Besides, until he had a great army, he wouldn't dare stir up trouble in the forest.
If humans realized an elven army was forming, they would all believe an attack was being planned and wouldn't hesitate to raise an army to exterminate them.
That was the cowardly way humans acted. The only way they had slowly wiped out the elves.
Moreover, farther north were the mountain serpents, who harbored deep resentment toward the elves for being driven to the outskirts of the Central Continent.
That's why Thranduil was sending small squads of elves; he didn't want to be noticed by humans just yet.
"As we continue developing our strength, my territory will grow ever stronger. This number now may seem large, but it's within our reach!" Thranduil thought to himself while standing before the tree of life.
Then he walked near the lake and built the newly unlocked building.
The water soon became luminous, with a pinkish hue, and the water that had once lain still in the lake turned into magical water.
The vitality of the tree of life allowed the spring to purify all the water, which indeed began to take on empowering properties on its own.
"[...
Magic Spring.
[Building Information]: A special territorial building of the elven camp.
Level: Low level.
[Features]: Currently, it can produce low-grade elven spring water, and its use is especially effective for elves blessed by the moon.
[Upgrade Requirements]: One thousand magic crystals.
[Special Tips]: By increasing the level of the Magic Spring, you can obtain Spiritual Spring Water of higher purity. When the building reaches maximum level, it can condense the Blessed Water of Eternal Life.
…]"
"Water of Eternal Life…" Thranduil looked at the beautifully decorated cup at the top of the fountain, which was continuously overflowing with water.
The overflowing water spilled into the lake, imbuing the once natural water with immense vitality that began to attract the attention of forest spirits.
"Fairies…" Thranduil's eyes, like shining pearls, watched as tiny fairies emerged from the ruins and approached the spring of life.
These beautiful fairies, about the size of an elven fist, wore clothes made from tree leaves and carried tiny backpacks. All of them began to curiously surround Thranduil.
"Are you the Solar Elf King, Thranduil?" The smallest one, who seemed very brave, stepped closer and asked him in a very soft voice.
"I am the King of these lands. Tell me, little fairy, are you the last fairies of the elven forest?" Thranduil's tone was respectful, taking the existence of magical fairies with absolute seriousness.
"Yes…"
"Humans hunted my people. We learned to hide so they wouldn't kill us. When we sensed a power of life in these lands, we knew the elves were rising again, so we came to help."
Thranduil knelt on one knee, placed his hand over his chest, and as his crown of forest branches was hidden by his golden hair, he said: "I am truly sorry for what you have had to endure without help from my people. I vow in my name that from now on, your safety will rest in my hands and in those of the elves."
"You don't have to kneel. We fairies have felt useless because we are helpless in battle…" The little fairy, seeing the majestic Elven King kneel before her, felt very embarrassed.
Raising his head, Thranduil asked, "I am Thranduil, the last Solar Elf and current King of these lands. What may I call you?"
"I am Ari…"
"Well then, Ari, may I entrust the care of the spring of life to you?" Thranduil asked the little fairy, who, upon hearing the question, showed great seriousness.
"We can absolutely do that."
"Then we will leave the spring of life in your care." Thranduil knew how important fairies were to the spring of life.
Small and harmless, they were the perfect workers to handle the sacred water of life. For decades, being hunted by humans and monsters, fairies had had nowhere to go.
But now Thranduil had given them a new home—lands that would never again be desecrated by humans.
At the same time, Thranduil told the elves under his command: "This is a spring of life. Now the water in the lake is magical. Under the care of the fairies, you will be able to heal your wounds."
"Elven spring water can restore the magical power you've used and heal your wounds. With the fairies' help, you will be able to carry concentrated reserves to heal injuries on the battlefield."
"As you command, Your Majesty the Elven King!"
The elves saluted with excitement.
Even if Thranduil hadn't explained it, they already knew what elven spring water was.
It is a specialty of their elven race.
In addition to the effects Thranduil described, Elven Spring Water also filled the stomach, and drinking a single cup could give them the energy to work for an entire day.
Furthermore, drinking it over time could increase magical power and help them level up faster.
The Blessed Water of Life is more advanced than Elven Spring Water, and it is a divine item that can help break through levels.
Soon, the elves built one large wooden barrel after another.
Following Thranduil's instructions, the elves, together with the fairies, began working together.
…
Thranduil was in no rush to upgrade the magic spring of life. The top priority was to improve the [Ancient War Tree] to unlock more powerful troops.
The ancient war tree was currently a low-level building. It required the consumption of five thousand energy crystals to upgrade it to intermediate level.
Thranduil didn't hesitate for a second and handed over the payment with a wave of his hand. It's easier to get things done when you have money.
Soon, the body of the ancient war tree began to emit a bright light. The whole tree started growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
After a while, the upgrade was complete. The ancient war tree grew to a height of one hundred meters.
Thranduil quickly opened the building information to verify.
"[...
Ancient War Tree.
[Building Information]: The building for military professions of the elven camp.
[Unlocked elven professions]: Elven archer, elven swordsman, elven hunter, elven mage...
[Upgrade Requirements]: 50,000 magic crystals.
[Special Tip]: Increasing the level of the Ancient War Tree will unlock more professions in the elven camp.
…
[Elven Hunter]: Training requirements: 500 magic crystals, 1 elf.
[Elven Mage]: Training requirements: 300 magic crystals, 1 elf.
…]"