Sotto, Cotto, and Batto were new to this, but they grew up in Dwarven territory, and since everyone was just the same family, there were not many secrets, so they did not have a lot of reservations when it came to sharing stuff.

They, too, learned a lot in return anyway, so there was no problem at all.

The group did not even realize they had stayed there the whole day, nor did they notice that a few mobile stalls had appeared to sell them things.

"..."

People were in the zone while studying, and some of them did not notice how many snacks they had bought and consumed during this time. How could the small-time merchants miss this chance?

Ahem.

The scholarly atmosphere remained even when they found out. Someone spread the idea that chewing on something while studying helps stimulate the brain, so the sales went up even more.

Anyway, the toolmakers did learn a few things studying the arrays. Of course, actually applying the knowledge was a different matter entirely.

Virgo, creator of the Bounce Ball tool and Kimmy’s ex-husband, was one of the major notetakers.

He was pretty much a pseudo-array master by this time, able to see several arrays with his own eyes.

He could not see everything, but the concept of layered arrays made his heart beat fast, and his usually-dull eyes shone very brightly in the face of the challenge.

He looked at the trebuchet. "Is there a chance we can apply the same concept with cannons?"

...

Meanwhile, Althea also focused on strengthening herself. Her preparations, tools, and potions could only do so much when she was alone outside, without the protection of her sentries, as well as the rules and regulations.

For one, if she wasn’t fast enough, she might be killed before she could even draw any of her advantages.

The first weeks were mostly spent with the barracks, with her mastering her elements and improving her physique. Her husband accompanied her the whole time (he refused to let other men see her sweat, perv), and she did start to learn a variety of techniques and master some of her old ones.

For earth power, she had learned how to cause bigger earthquakes, at least the type that could imbalance people above level 20, even for a few seconds.

In high-level battles, even a second of distraction could be life-saving.

She also learned a variation of the Stone Skin technique, which would temporarily increase her defense. This needed a lot of control and presence of mind on her part, and would also depend on the enemy she was going against.

If she wasn’t careful, she could crack her own flesh, and who wanted to experience that?

Another technique her husband made sure she mastered was Burrowing, a way for her to hide from threats by hiding underground. She also needed to learn how to make sure she remained undetected, even if the enemy was much stronger than she was.

It was what Fargo used a long time ago, but with much smoother operations.

The challenge would be if she were against another Earth user, which meant they could detect her with Earth-type skills, but that would take a while to train.

For water powers, the most useful escape skill was the Fog and the Mirage, which were fairly straightforward for her. The Fog was simply adding temperature to the water, which she could do by manipulating the droplets and making them expend energy, and therefore, heat.

For the mirage, it was a bit more challenging, though the concept was similar. The control required was no joke. Further, she needed to create it in away that could fool people above her level, which wouldn’t be easy.

For her wood ability, it seemed like the overall quality of it had changed. Any wood-related technique now required half the mana and the energy from her, which was already a major win, so she focused on the other two for now.

Not to mention, for two of the places they were heading to—a desert and under the sea—earth and water elements might be more useful than wood.

She’d learn more and more during this time, hoping it would assist in the dangerous trip ahead.

Finally, she needed to be at least level 20 before she went out at all.

It was an arbitrary number, but it was a proper goal. If Garan were to choose, and if they weren’t in such a rush, that level would’ve increased several more before she could actually head out.

While this was happening, the upgrade for the Token Guard was given priority. At this time, she had kept the Lord Token in a Token Guard, even before the Valov war. Since she was joining such a fierce battle, she naturally did not want it on her body.

She actually just hid it in one of the greenhouses and gave vague clues to her husband and friends. This way, if anything were to happen to her, one of them could replace her as the Lord.

In fact, after Naia’s visit, she had asked Ansel or Mathilda if they wanted it, but both adamantly refused.

Many would jump at the chance, but they quite liked their lives, and the amount of responsibility and liability they were already carrying was stressful enough!

In the end, Althea could only ask that the Token Guard be modified in a way that would benefit everyone.

Anyway, the power to the Ministers had been distributed enough, and they had at least one well-trained and trusted deputy. So, even if she and Garan left, no part of Alterra would stop its movements.

All she’d do now was to give the people left behind a bit more power and permissions.

The Ministers would not be able to update or build system buildings or implement System rules on their own, but they could still do a lot of things with the permissions they received.

Althea nodded. She swore to prepare Alterra well, so it could still continue to thrive with or without her.