Lin Jun training [Soul Touch] naturally couldn't just squeeze a D-Class Personnel to death all at once.
The ten that died previously were just special cases used up to thoroughly figure out the skill's effects.
Normal training would definitely be destroying a small portion of the soul, then waiting for them to recover, and then destroying another small portion. This way, one could sustainably drain the pond to catch the fish.
Therefore, the more D-Class Personnel there were, the faster the training progress would be!
In the past, based on the principle of sourcing materials locally, only local villains in the Mushroom Capital were qualified to be recruited as D-Class Personnel.
Other towns were too far from the dungeon; capturing people there made it hard to transport them back.
Besides the stable talent supply market of the Mushroom Capital, occasionally spies sent by the Empire to the Northern Territory would fall into the net, becoming extra harvest.
However, only a small portion of them would be converted into D-Class Personnel. Most would be assigned to labor reform groups after saddling them with contribution point debts.
After all, coming to scout was often just following orders, not representing that the person themselves was unpardonably wicked.
When not touching his own fundamental interests, Lin Jun always maintained a fairly high moral standard.
Now, with the demand for D-Class Personnel expanding, Lin Jun was somewhat troubled.
Expand recruitment from other cities around the Mushroom Capital?
But transport became a problem.
The surface was definitely unsafe. If discovered, the harmless image Lin Jun had been building for Puchis would collapse.
The underground network was safe, but people couldn't be stuffed into it.
Hmm... could transform them into Puchis then stuff them in.
Lin Jun knew transformation magic, but casting it required concentration. With a long journey, he might even have to recast it halfway.
Lin Jun didn't have that much free time to spend hours on this every day.
If handed over to subordinates to execute, human members under Lin Jun's command were few to begin with.
Those people absorbed in the Northern Territory were mostly former slaves of the Empire. In the records of the United Kingdom, they were either missing or had no household registration at all, making it difficult to move freely within the Kingdom.
Thinking back and forth, perhaps the Baygu Cult could shoulder this heavy responsibility.
Unfortunately, this sect was still in the startup stage. It even had to wait for Inanna's delegation to return before releasing that sect leader still attaining enlightenment in prison to truly start developing.
At least at this stage, it couldn't be put to use.
And Lin Jun's skill training couldn't be delayed.
Thinking it over, it seemed he could only look on the Empire's side.
The Elf side was close to the Divine Tree Dungeon, and fungal mats already covered it, but individuals in Elven society who could be called scum were truly rare!
The only ones who could be called bad guys, the Ark members, had either long become D-Class Personnel or been caught by the Elves themselves and locked in prison.
Plus, because the Elven population was precious, every member had detailed records. If one went missing, someone would definitely investigate.
No matter which angle one looked from, it wasn't suitable to find D-Class Personnel in the Forest of Elves.
On the Dwarf side, leaving aside that fungal mats hadn't spread out, even if caught, where to transport them was a problem, so naturally not considered.
If it was the Empire...
Although the Dukes all pledged allegiance to the Emperor, from Fatty Xi's perspective, Lin Jun saw that the Emperor's control over the Empire as a whole was very low.
For a border official like Fatty Xi, as long as he didn't contemplate rebellion, he possessed almost unlimited autonomy within his territory.
Major Dukes also didn't interfere with each other, with clear boundaries.
Although there were restrictions on the lower-class population, flow couldn't be stopped completely.
Added to the Empire's ethos of advocating martial power and ruthlessness, vicious incidents emerged one after another. Not few demons died in private fights daily, and even more lives vanished quietly into the shadows.
Multiple factors superimposed, leading to household registration management being virtually non-existent, much more chaotic than the United Kingdom's side.
In fact, in Lin Jun's view, the Empire's problems were far more than just household registration. Or rather, the household registration problem was already the most insignificant one among them.
This colossus looked majestic and awe-inspiring from afar, but up close, it was full of cracks and blockages everywhere.
If it were a world without supernatural powers, such an Empire would have collapsed on its own long ago.
It was only in this kind of world where strength reigned supreme that it could still be glued into a whole under the Emperor's suppression, even becoming the strongest force on the continent.
But the chaos in internal management undoubtedly gave Lin Jun an opportunity to absorb talent.
Little Xi's territory was easiest to operate in, but located inland, its geographical position wasn't suitable.
If sourcing goods from the Empire, the destination must be the Northern Territory, having no connection with Little Xi.
Could only choose to transport from the Empire's border cities, or go by sea route.
Coincidentally, Elinore's territory bordered the sea, and No. 13 was also sent to her command.
That female vampire wasn't sharp-minded. Operating under her nose probably wouldn't be too difficult.
After No. 13 was delivered, she spared no expense, using a high-tier contract item to take No. 13 as a familiar, then immediately began planning to lay fungal mats and cultivate Puchi Masters behind the Emperor's back!
Unfortunately, these items attempting to control the other party mentally were just like paper shackles to Lin Jun and the Mushroom Tribe.
Looking like they were put on, but if they really wanted to break free, it was just a matter of a single thought.
Just that if going by sea route, one had to face Qisi.
Not saying directly exterminating Qisi, but at least creating a transport formation capable of self-preservation first.
Feeling that this side also needed some time to produce results...
In the end, he still couldn't rely on poking himself to level up. Hundreds or thousands of D-Class Personnel couldn't compare to his own soul being easy to use, large in volume, and fast in recovery.
The matter of D-Class talent hadn't been solved yet, but another kind of talent delivered itself to the door first.
...
Cold wind scraped across the barren border northwest of the mountains.
The figures of two young dwarves appeared exceptionally tiny on the desolate land. Their heavy leather coats were frosted with a thin layer of white, and on their backs, they each carried the tools of their trade—forging hammer and long-handled tongs.
Walking in front, Jadin tightened his collar and spoke with a muffled voice: "This damn weather is even colder than I heard!"
"Cold is cold, but not to the point of being unbearable." Pollock said while looking around. "I just want to know, didn't they say someone would meet us after reaching this place? Where are they?"
They were two of the blacksmith apprentices selected by Lin Jun in Furnace Ash City back then. After other dwarves exchanged that A-grade magic crystal left by the Knight Puchi for money and split it, they either bought ore to practice or bought a shop to live a stable life.
Only the two of them exchanged all the distributed money for dry rations and travel expenses, heading all the way north.
Just because they held a sliver of hope in their hearts.
Hoping that Puchi didn't lie to them, that in the north there really would be a blacksmith's paradise where they could practice unscrupulously!
"It's a scam! Once there, you'll be caught by demons as slaves. Becoming a slave means swinging a hammer until death!" More than one clansman told them this on the way.
But thinking of the A-grade magic crystal the Puchi casually left behind back then, Pollock and Jadin, who were already on the road, still constantly cheered each other up, imagining various reasons to make the existence of the "Blacksmith's Paradise" reasonable.
Then, they stood here.
Before them, there were no mineral veins, no earth fire, not even the shadow of a shed. Naturally, it was even more impossible to have someone meeting them.
Only endless land covered in thin snow, and those frozen dead branches.
"We might... really have been tricked." Pollock's voice lowered.
A stronger gust of wind swept past, kicking up snow foam.
Jadin suddenly shuddered, but not because of the cold.
"This doesn't make sense! No one to meet us, then at least there should be demons waiting for us to fall into a trap! Otherwise, what was that Puchi plotting by leaving that precious A-grade magic crystal to us? Really just to play a trick on us?"
As soon as Jadin's voice fell,
Rumble rumble—
A faint noise made the two dwarves tense up instantly.
Back to back, gripping the hammers in their hands tightly.
This thing could forge iron, so naturally, it could also be used to smash enemies' heads.
Although Jadin said that just now, he didn't really want to be caught by demons as a slave.
Pop—
This time, the two heard the direction of the sound clearly and looked over together.
A Puchi with white snow covering its mushroom cap was struggling to twist out of a hole...
(End of Chapter)
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