Liam continued adding more mana to the mana core until the entire chamber was brimming full of mana. He could continue further but it wouldn't make any difference to his strength so he stopped for the time being.
He then tested out the mana core by conjuring a huge ball of swirling icy winds in his palm. Immediately a smile formed on his face as he could finally use his mana core freely without any pain or repercussion.
The feeling of being able to operate at his full strength without the added pain was simply indescribable.
Liam felt like a captive beast that managed to break away from all the shackles. Well, there was still his soul injury but for now, he was freely able to use mana and nether and whatever else he wanted to his heart's content!
Leaving aside his mana core for the time being, Liam decided to again focus on the ice elemental core. Of course, he was also working on his nether core on the side as his earrings continuously generated more and more nether, slowly converting the ambient mana into nether.
The earring's speed was the rate-limiting factor in this process so there was only little Liam could do to speed this step. Instead, he focused on the ice elemental core again.
Just because the ice elemental essence was taking longer to gather, he did not plan on leaving it be. After all, the stone tablet had only just now eaten some sort of weird ice lake. If he was a betting man he would bet on that place for forming a peak grade ice elemental core.
With these three cores in place, he should be able to face Crawford.
Liam took a deep breath and was about to whip out the stone tablet when he stopped abruptly remembering that he was not really alone. There was no way he was going to trust Eldrin or any of the other elves as he handled the stone tablet.
The tablet when activated opened a pocket space and for all purposes should be relatively safe to use, despite there being an audience.
But then again these elves were from a higher-ranked world and have lived for more years than he could ever imagine. So Liam did not plan on taking any chances.
"Luna, what is the deal with these guys?" Liam opened his eyes and gazed coldly at the small army of elves in front of him. Unlike the other army, this one wasn't really that uniform. They were a motley group, each wearing different different sets of attire.
The best option would still be to treat them the same way he had done with the other elven armies.
However, Liam did not plan on returning kindness with cruelty if he had a choice. Knowingly or unknowingly they had helped out Luna a lot. He did not want to kill them inhumanely.
Liam thought about it a little and was just about to make his suggestion when the little fox chimed in her response with a cheerful glee. "Master, these guys? You don't have to worry about them. They are all my slaves. Cough. I mean my subjects."
Luna revealed a naughty smile with a wink. "I have already gotten the system follower contract signed by each and every one. They have absolute obedience to me. They will do whatever I say."
All the elves remained silent, some even bowing their heads. It indeed looked as if Luna was officially crowned as their Queen. Liam let out a sigh. "Alright then. Let them enter the tower space."
"You heard my master. Come on. Get in line! Stand obediently and touch my master's hand one after another in an orderly fashion to enter the waiting area. You guys can come out later." Luna barked orders to the poor elves without bothering to explain anything to them.
The poor cultists without any questions asked, quickly scrambled into an orderly line, each taking their turn to touch Liam's hand.
The process was almost mechanical, a testament to the level of control and influence Luna wielded over them. Their expressions ranged from awe to reverence, each one seemingly honored to follow the commands of their Queen and her master.
Liam watched the process with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. The reality of the situation was both bizarre and fascinating. A few minutes later the last one entered the spatial artifact and the area was now very empty, save for the few remaining souls.
With the rest of the elves gone, Liam now turned to pay attention to Eldrin who had an unsightly look on his face as if he had just now bitten into something weird.
Damn it! Eldrin cursed inwardly. He thought that it was him who had recruited these elves but it looked like the fox had beaten him to the punch and they had already been reeled in. This was so unfair. Can't nothing go his way?!
Not to mention, seeing the human being actually possess a space artifact that can house living beings was another blow to his morale. He gritted his teeth as he tried to squeeze out an awkward smile. What was going to happen to him now?
Liam laughed at the constipated elf. He unexpectedly walked forward and patted the guy in a friendly manner, making Eldrin look puzzled. "I didn't think any of this would be possible. It would have definitely not been possible without you pointing me in the right direction."
Eldrin shook his head. "That's not true and you know it. With or without me, today you would be standing in this same spot. I pretty much didn't help at all."
"Well, you kept them safe." Liam smiled as he pointed to Lunaria and Elira who were standing silently on the side.
Eldrin sighed. What did the lives of these two idiots even amount to? At least if he had recruited the cultists… He knew when he had lost so he did not push it.
"Thank you, Lord Liam." He humbly bowed and prepared for the 'get out of my face' that was bound to come next.