Chapter 4: The Kaba Beast and the Magic Field Technique
"Kaba Beast?"
Croyer stared at the magical beast, feeling that it looked remarkably like a capybara—both had the same laid-back demeanor and slow, unhurried movements.
And indeed, this Level 1 magical beast had a gentle temperament, tough fur, and spent its days either eating or on its way to eat. After digestion, its excrement gained some special magical properties.
As a result, small animals and magical beasts often followed it, picking up and eating its droppings...
Over time, some intelligent creatures even learned to actively bring food to the Kaba Beast, waiting for it to produce feces.
It had practically become a famous socialite among magical beasts.
But how did this thing end up at the entrance of his castle? No matter how docile, it was still a magical beast.
He immediately asked, "Why is that Kaba Beast here?"
Bartos' tone was somewhat peculiar. "My lord, this Kaba Beast probably enjoys eating the grass and plants at the entrance of your castle. Right beneath that area lies the White Iron Ore mine."
"The plants growing above the White Iron Ore mine should also contain iron, right? How could this thing like eating such plants? Even as a magical beast, wouldn't it struggle to digest them?"
Could this peculiarity be the reason it could be engraved with a spell?
As Croyer pondered this, he stepped forward.
"!!!"
Seeing Croyer’s actions, Bartos’ face immediately showed concern, his thick fingers clenching tightly.
His steward, Robert, observed the situation with a thoughtful expression.
Unaware of their reactions, Croyer had already walked up to the Kaba Beast. The Level 1 magical beast continued to munch leisurely on the grass even as he approached.
Gathering a green aura of Level 1 beast-soothing magic at his fingertips, Croyer gently stroked the Kaba Beast’s head.
Its fur wasn't coarse at all. On the contrary, it was incredibly smooth—like the finest silk—cool to the touch.
The Kaba Beast paused briefly before resuming its meal.
"Be good. Let me take a look…"
Croyer stroked it again before activating the Star Spirit Engraving Technique.
The spell nearly drained his newly recovered magic power.
A Kaba Beast’s star spirit structure was far more complex than that of a Level 1 Sunflower. Beneath the dense web of faint green threads was a detailed anatomical diagram of the Kaba Beast.
The entire projection exuded a soothing pale green hue.
Faint voices could once again be heard.
But this time, there seemed to be multiple voices.
"Too tough to chew…"
"Ahhh! Want to digest iron ore!"
"Don't want them eating my poop…"
Croyer: "???"
Why were there three separate sources of voices?
Focusing intently, he realized the voices were coming from the Kaba Beast’s mouth, stomach, and… anus.
This discovery left him feeling rather perplexed.
It was as if the beast’s organs each had their own consciousness.
So, this was the direction of modification?
The teeth wanted to chew better, the stomach wanted to digest iron ore, and the anus didn't want other beasts chasing after its feces…
Meeting all three conditions didn't seem too difficult.
The problem was that this would require a combination of spells.
For example, strengthening the teeth with "Hardening", and enhancing the digestion of iron ore with "Magic Forging"—the former reinforced structures, while the latter removed impurities and refined minerals.
If his hypothesis was correct, with these two spells, the Kaba Beast could eat iron ore, and its feces would turn into iron, naturally stopping animals from eating it.
And if this worked… wouldn't the Kaba Beast become a walking, living iron refinery?
Croyer's heart pounded with excitement.
White Iron Ore could only fetch a high price if purified with extreme heat or special magical potions to remove impurities and refine it into pure iron.
But the production capacity of this barren island…
Just thinking about it made his head ache.
Bartos had already informed Croyer that the storeroom contained large quantities of unprocessed White Iron Ore, waiting for refinement.
If the Kaba Beast could truly help with this, it would be a major breakthrough, allowing him to quickly turn the stockpiled ore into money.
Much better than painstakingly using up his own materials or magic power to refine ore like some overworked laborer.
As a lord, he should be making others work for him.
If people wouldn’t do it, magical beasts certainly could.
"This might be worth a try, but…"
Croyer sighed.
Both spells were just Level 1 basic spells, yet the original owner of his body hadn't learned them.
And right now, merely viewing the Kaba Beast’s Star Spirit Structure was exhausting his mental strength. Attempting to construct a Spell Model for the necessary spells would be impossible for now.
For the time being, he could only keep the Kaba Beast under watch and revisit the idea later.
Having made his decision, he gave the order: "I like this Kaba Beast. Assign someone to watch over it. By the way, are there any more on the island?"
Bartos' expression seemed even more respectful.
"Yes, about ten or so, all living in the lake behind the castle."
Croyer glanced at him and suddenly smirked. "You seem quite fond of these Kaba Beasts, don't you? Otherwise, they wouldn't be so comfortable wandering right up to the castle gates to eat grass."
Since you like them so much, I'll let you take care of them.
"You’ll be responsible for looking after them. Make sure none die."
After saying that, Croyer turned and strode into the castle.
Robert and the four knights immediately followed, leading their horses. Bartos, after bowing, hurried after them, his plump face showing an obvious look of relief.
Inside the castle, rows of maids and servants were lined up.
As soon as Croyer entered, they immediately knelt and shouted in unison, "Master Mage!"
Quite the well-coordinated display.
However, Croyer paid them no attention and continued walking—these were all the previous lord’s servants, and he intended to replace them.
With Robert, a former noble, at his side, he had no concerns about training new maids. He didn’t expect exceptional service from such a remote place anyway—obedience was all that mattered.
As a mage, loyalty and discipline in his servants were paramount. Everything else could be trained, but loyalty had to be established from the very start.
Ascending the dimly lit stone steps of the castle, he soon reached the rooftop garden.
"Nice view, good sunlight."
After surveying the area, Croyer immediately decided—this was where he would plant the Sunflower.
He had no intention of planting it outside. Such a precious magical plant was better off under his watchful eye.
He promptly ordered soil suitable for planting to be brought in and instructed the knights to stable their horses.
As for Bartos, he casually assigned him some tasks to keep him busy.
What came next was not something Bartos needed to witness.
Crouching down, Croyer retrieved three Magic Crystals from his space pouch.
"I've practiced the Magic Field Technique long enough… I should be fine, right?"
Muttering to himself, he picked up a crystal pen, dipped it in magical solution, and began drawing intricate, mysterious patterns onto the Magic Crystals.
The designs resembled the delicate, interwoven roots of plants.
Once he finished inscribing all three Magic Crystals, he casually tossed them onto the ground.
Ding~
A crisp sound rang out as the crystals rapidly began to change.