Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 477 The Relocation and Reorganization of the Magic Guild

Although the magic guild was newly established, its power was considerable.

Because it is located in the capital city, the largest city in China, and can also reach the most prosperous central plains region through water transportation, it has achieved the greatest possible attraction of talent.

Having met the conditions of not violating the rules, Celie gave an order and summoned 37 mages skilled in concocting magical potions.

Under the tutelage of Frilian and Celia, 29 of the mages learned weakening magic against the Red Mirror Dragon.

After all, it's impossible to concoct such a magical potion without mastering the corresponding magic.

Then Celia opened the guild's warehouse door, prepared all the main and auxiliary materials, and began to refine the magic potion.

Thanks to the tempting price offered by the guild leader, the mages worked very hard, and the crafting progress was naturally very fast.

But when the first batch of magical potions was produced, Frillie realized that she had overestimated their power, and the number of potions needed suddenly doubled.

When Xia Zuo returned after wandering around, he found that Frilian had lost confidence and the entire elf was in a depressed mood.

He asked curiously, "What's wrong with this girl?"

Celia replied, "I miscalculated the dosage, I feel useless, and I'm currently withdrawn."

Xia Zuo: "Was the dosage miscalculated? Was it too much or too little?"

Seria held the magic book, scribbling some annotations, noting the effects of its use on the environment and solutions, while absentmindedly replying, "Of course it's an underestimation. If it's too much, you don't need that many. Why bother?"

"Waaah—" Frilian raised her head, her emerald green eyes filled with tears: "It takes too long to inject the magic potion into the Red Mirror Dragon, and Mr. Shazo is taking too much risk."

Xia Zuo scratched his head: "That's not right, it doesn't put much pressure on me."

Frillie's emotions froze: "Huh?"

Xia Zuo then looked at Celia: "Didn't you explain it to her?"

Celia said angrily, "Of course I explained, but she doesn't believe me!"

She said, "Mr. Xia Zuo is very, very strong, but how could he possibly withstand a sudden three-fold increase in suppression time? This is something no elf could do!"

Xia Zuo felt cared for, but also felt a sense of being looked down upon, and really didn't know what to say.

After a while, he reached out and patted Frilian's head: "Ah, how should I put it? I really am an elf, but I can definitely do it."

Seria sneered, "You stupid little sprite, that guy Shazo, let alone triple the duration, he could even triple it tenfold!"

He also had no problem with the time.

"It's not like we haven't tried it before—"

Frillie blushed, and timidly asked one last question: "So, with such a large dosage, won't it cost more money?"

Celia chuckled: "After I finish settling the bill, you can take less material."

"Oh, oh, that's great!"

Frillie's heartache vanished completely, and she instantly transformed from a withdrawn girl into a cheerful little sprite.

Then she went into the library inside the magic guild and carefully studied the final demand. This time she was sure she wouldn't make a mistake.

After Frillie left, Celia put down her spellbook and asked, "How did it go?"

Xia Zuo nodded: "Not bad. The places you chose are all alright, but the one near the northern mountains is the most suitable."

He took out a simple hand-drawn map and pointed to it, saying, "Geographically, it is located on the north-south dividing line, surrounded by the boundary mountains of the northern plateau. The mountains protect the small basin in the center, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. There is no need to worry about the demon army or other armies."

"In the center of the basin is a small lake, into which several rivers flow. There are also springs at the bottom of the lake, so there's no need to worry about the water source running out."

There is enough space to grow all kinds of crops.

"There's a small island in the middle of the lake, which is about the right size. If it's not enough, we can fill in some more."

Seeing Xia Zuo's focused expression, Celia nodded repeatedly as she listened to his words: "Xia Zuo's judgment is the most trustworthy, so let's choose this place."

"Oh, by the way, does this place have a name?"

Xia Zuo replied, "Yes, the name of this small basin is Oisast."

Seria smiled with delight: "It's Elvish, and it means 'brilliant gem.' That's great, let's call it that."

"Oisaster, the future headquarters of the Magic Association!"

Xia Zuo didn't know if this was the future trend, but he also believed that the magic guild couldn't stay in the capital for too long.

He asked, "I know relocation is necessary, but is it really necessary to prepare so early? Is the human war about to end?"

Seria nodded helplessly: "Human wars are completely different from ours as elves."

"Looking back at our Elven civil war, it lasted for over 300 years, and the war between the Elven race and the Demon King's army also lasted at least 30 years."

"Humans really fight incredibly hard. In just three years, the outcome of the war has already become clear."

Xia Zuo laughed and said, "Humans are a true war race. They are absolutely ruthless and cruel when they fight. Even the Demon King's army cannot compare to them."

Celia nodded repeatedly: "I've noticed that too. Human wars are not only brutal, but they also move at an incredibly fast pace."

"We've just finished one battle, and after a month, we can start the next one."

"Last year alone, the four major human kingdoms fought more than twenty large-scale battles—it's absolutely insane!"

"Fortunately, we elves did not go to war with humans, otherwise—we would have been wiped out."

Xia Zuo shook his head and said, "Forget it, with the mobilization capabilities of our elders, it would have been over before a war with humans even broke out."

"But don't worry, the Elven race still has elves like you and me who are thousands of years old. The Elven race can be weakened to the limit, but it will never be wiped out."

Celia laughed: "That's true. The strength of humanity as a whole doesn't mean that the individuals within it are also strong."

"However, their greed is undeniable. If we wait until the human empire is officially established before relocating, we will have to pay an additional price."

"As you can see, I have enough disciples and grand-disciples to open magic guilds in various places. This is a good opportunity to reorganize the magic guilds into magic associations."

"At that time, the Magic Association will not be subject to too much control by the human empire, making it more suitable for an elven archmage like me to live in."

After adjustments and experiments, with the help of Celia, Frillie changed the way the potion was used, and finally determined that doubling the amount of magical potion to be made would be sufficient.

However, such large-scale production of magical potions still had a significant impact on the magic guild.

For example, the production of other magical potions has decreased significantly, and the continuous increase in procurement has caused the price of magical materials to rise considerably, resulting in significant fluctuations in the entire magical market.

The series of price fluctuations were so obvious that those who were paying attention noticed the unusual activity at the Magic Guild.

When Xia Zuo went out, he realized he was being followed. He just smiled and used a little strength to run faster, and shook off the person.

However, other mages were not so lucky; being followed made them very irritable.

The spyers' methods went beyond simple tracking; they also bribed human mages to spy on the inner workings of the magic guilds.

Xia Zuo understood that this was not directed at him and Frilian, but at Celie.

"Should I take action?" Xia Zuo asked, "Let the humans know that your safety is guaranteed by additional measures."

Celia didn't refuse: "Thanks, but don't kill anyone."

Xia Zuo laughed: "Don't worry, I'm not a bloodthirsty bastard."

Celia sighed, "How could I be at ease? You may not be bloodthirsty, but you have your own principles, and there's no such thing as an inviolable right to kill."

"I'm really afraid that you'll see something bad and kill all the kings of the four great human kingdoms."

Xia Zuo narrowed his eyes: "Selie, am I really that unreliable in your eyes?"

Seria laughed heartily: "Shazo, if you're so reliable, how did you get expelled from the elven village back then?"

Xia Zuo clicked his tongue awkwardly: "I was young and impetuous back then. I lost my temper and couldn't help but hit the elder's son."

Celia glanced at him: "Then you hit the elders too."

"Or rather, how many of our elven elders haven't been beaten by you?"

Xia Zuo: "Ah, this—"

Celia: "So please don't cause a death, is that a problem?"

Xia Zuo was extremely embarrassed: "Okay, I understand, I promise I won't kill anyone."

After saying that, he disappeared without a trace.

Such a warning should ideally begin by capturing the spy, tracing the clues step by step, eventually finding the mastermind behind it all, and then using force to issue a warning or simply eliminating the mastermind.

But Xia Zuo doesn't intend to do that.

The reason for making things so complicated is essentially a lack of strength, making it impossible to implement the maximum level of deterrence. It can only be achieved through precise deployment of forces.

But Xia Zuo is not lacking in power. He doesn't even need to consider who did it. He can directly target the four human kingdoms that are qualified to threaten the magic guild and ensure that the spy will be caught.

As for the unfortunate king who was accidentally injured—of course, he was just unlucky.

Xia Zuo firmly believes that warnings must be bloody to be effective. Although killing people is not allowed, it doesn't mean other animals can't be killed.

Following Don Vito Corleone's method, he found the king's favorite horse, cut off its head, and placed it on the king's bed.

These kings, true to their reputation as powerful figures who had fought their way through numerous kingdoms, calmly summoned their guards upon waking to find their beloved horse's head and ordered them to immediately launch an investigation.

Of course, the relatively ruthless king immediately drew his sword and killed the night watchman in public before beginning the investigation.

No king screamed like that so-called director.

But the fourth king was different; he was able to keenly sense Xia Zuo's arrival in his sleep.

When Shazor pushed open the door carrying a huge horse head, the king raised his cross-shaped sword and thrust it towards Shazor's chest.

Xia Zuo naturally noticed his attack and casually swung his hand to knock the longsword away.

Then he discarded the horse's head and replaced it with the king's neck.

In the blink of an eye, the well-prepared king was utterly defeated and made to fully realize the power of Xia Zuo.

But he didn't want to die, so he asked, "Elf, why have you come to assassinate me?"

"No matter what it is, I'll give it to you double."

"I am the king of the most powerful kingdom in humankind; you should understand the immense value of my promise."

Xia Zuo smiled and said, "Among the kings of the four kingdoms, you are the only one who discovered my arrival. Your strength is quite impressive."

"Moreover, you were able to recognize reality and didn't threaten me with attacking the elves, which is quite rational."

"So, what's your name?"

Xia Zuo placed the king on a stool in the bedroom, then released his grip, allowing him to breathe freely.

The king rubbed his neck, then took the glass of wine that Shazo handed him, chugging it down in one gulp to calm his racing heart before speaking: "Paterson, my name is Leo Paterson."

You can call me Patterson.

Xia Zuo poured himself a glass of wine, took a sip, and then put it down with a look of disgust.

It's supposed to be strong liquor, but it's also sour.

Shazo looked at the king and asked with a smile, "King Paterson, you've noticed I'm an elf. Can you guess why I've come to see you?"

"Just a heads up, I'm not here to kill you, but to warn you."

King Paterson took a deep breath and replied, "My kingdom has not recently clashed with the elves, nor has it expanded into elven territory. The only connection we have is—"

"The Magic Guild of the Imperial Capital".

Xia Zuo nodded with a hint of surprise: "That's right, you're right, you're very smart."

"However, I do think you have a great grasp of your kingdom. Being able to eliminate wrong answers so quickly proves that you have a clear understanding of all the developments within your kingdom."

"That's good, very good."

"I enjoy dealing with intelligent, rational, and strong people."

King Paterson asked in surprise, "Does the elf dislike dealing with weak and foolish creatures? Are all elves so proud?"

Xia Zuo shook his head and said, "You're wrong. This isn't pride, but rather interests viewed from different time scales."

"Fools can be deceived, and the weak can be oppressed, but they are often powerless to do so. The promises they make are often broken within a year for various reasons."

"Then all my efforts to reach an agreement would have been in vain, an irreparable loss."

"On the contrary, if I reach an agreement with a rational and intelligent strong person like you, as long as I can maintain my own strength, it is possible to maintain it for fifty years, or even a hundred years."

"Without incurring any additional costs, it's already a huge profit."

King Paterson was deeply shocked.