20demayo Chapter 283 Potion Quality
Chapter 283 Potion Quality
Chapter 283 Potion Quality
"Heaven is helping me!"
Upon hearing Einar's report, Chris paced back and forth in the room with great joy.
A major earthquake two weeks ago caused enormous damage to Chris's Saddle Square.
Chris was immediately upset, knowing that his territory was currently facing a severe shortage of supplies.
Such a natural disaster undoubtedly exacerbated the problem.
Fortunately, Chris passed this information on to the wizard's staff.
The witch apostle residing in the staff gave Chris a suggestion.
Since his territory has been struck by natural disaster, the enemy's territory will inevitably suffer the same calamity.
If troops were to be dispatched at this time, it would be a complete surprise and might yield good results.
So Chris took the apostle's suggestion as his own and told it to Enal.
Upon hearing the warning, Ainar immediately formulated a marching plan.
Just now, the results of the battle were reported back, and Ainar immediately reported to Chris.
Due to the earthquake, local troops stationed in the central community have become lax in their border patrols.
Chris's army successfully bypassed their spies, penetrated deep behind enemy lines, and captured the cabin square.
The Southern troops, caught between the cabin square and the central community, had no choice but to withdraw and retreat.
In this way, Chris essentially won two cities in one month.
One is the square monument square in the Eastern Community, and the other is the wooden house square in the Southern Community.
As long as the supplies from the two squares are transported to other squares in the central community, it should be enough for Chris's country to get through this snowy season.
"Moreover," Enal said, "the wooden plaza is located on the edge of the Ghost Forest. After capturing this plaza,
Our territory now directly borders the Ghost Forest.
"Well done, Elder Enal," Chris couldn't help but exclaim in praise.
"I dare not take credit for myself. If it weren't for your suggestion of a surprise attack, Elder, I would never have thought of using the disaster to launch a sneak attack on the rear of the defending army."
Ha, he really didn't expect that!
Chris squinted and nodded repeatedly:
"That's right. So now everyone in the central community should understand that as long as they obey my governance, everything in the country will get better and better."
"Yes," Ainar bowed, "the residents have seen it all."
"Hmm," Chris nodded in satisfaction, "But, since we're on the topic, what benefits will there be if my territory borders the Ghostly Forest?"
"There are many advantages, such as making it easier for us to send people to infiltrate the West, and at the same time, it also allows us to obtain rare materials."
"Rare materials?"
"Yes, the Smoke Tree only grows in certain areas of the Southern Community. This tree occasionally releases white smoke, the mystery of which has not yet been fully deciphered, and the Smoke Tree itself is extremely precious."
Chris pressed further, "What makes it precious?"
"The wood of this tree is light yet incredibly hard, making it an excellent building material. The Southern Community's fleet is invincible on the frozen continent precisely because their ships are all made of Smokeshade Tree."
I see: "In that case, we should continue to venture deeper into the West and try to occupy as many miasma forests as possible."
However, upon hearing this, Ainar looked troubled:
"Elder, please think it over carefully. This is absolutely unacceptable."
"Huh? Why?" Chris frowned, annoyed.
Ainar immediately analyzed:
"After entering the Ghost Forest, the boundaries of the various plazas become blurred, which means that we are more vulnerable to ambushes and sneak attacks. To prevent this, we will have to increase our defense costs."
"While the Central Community currently possesses ample military strength, it is in the process of expansion. We should not easily increase the difficulty of its garrison, especially considering the presence of the Phantom Society in the Ghost Forest."
Chris was somewhat puzzled: "So what? Taking over the Phantom Society just means the Central Community will gain access to a vast amount of knowledge and witchcraft in one fell swoop, right?"
Ainar shook his head: "A wizarding academy is not easy to deal with. Once they directly participate in the battlefield, there is a risk that they could instantly change the course of the war."
"Fortunately, the academy's mission is research, and it will not actively intervene in wars. However, if we pose a threat to the Phantom Society, how the academy will respond becomes unpredictable."
"Shout!" Chris exclaimed in surprise. "So, what's your proposal next?"
"We must be cautious about the west, therefore, expanding eastward, especially to the southeast, is the ideal direction for our attack."
Why?
"There's a port that's closest to the central community."
Chris immediately spotted the blind spot: "Wait! The northern port seems closer, only a dozen leagues from the border of my community!"
"Gouwan is a deep bay with only one exit, which is to the north."
Einar said,
"To establish contact with the outside world from the trench, one must first venture deep into the dark sea, which is an extremely dangerous undertaking."
"Moreover, even if we manage to cross the gloomy sea, we cannot avoid being threatened by the fleets of other communities on the east and west sides during the voyage to the bay's exit."
"Especially the Southern Community's fleet, we are no match for them at sea, considering only their naval combat capabilities."
Chris immediately understood what Einar meant by describing the ships of the Southern Community.
To be honest, he knew absolutely nothing about strategy.
Since Ainar made the suggestion, Chris had no choice but to follow it:
"Then let's do it your way. In short, Ainar, this earthquake has opened up a new situation for us, and you must seize the opportunity." Ainar bowed slightly: "Yes, but speaking of the earthquake, Elder, I have confirmed that most people seemed to have had a nightmare that night, and none of them could recall it."
Chris also had a nightmare at the time, but could only recall the fear, so he was also concerned about this matter:
"Have you found out the cause?"
Ainar shook his head: "The reason is currently unknown, but the ability to plunge so many people into nightmares on such a large scale is no ordinary power. If this was done intentionally by the enemy, then I'm afraid—this is an experiment."
"experiment?"
"Yes, the enemy may be testing some kind of power in preparation for future actions."
Upon hearing this, Chris immediately realized that things might be more serious than he had imagined.
He hastily ordered: "Find out the truth as far as possible. If it's an enemy conspiracy, do everything in your power to thwart it!"
"Yes, Elder, I will take action," Ainar said, bowing his head. "Also, the fourth group sent to the Northwest has lost contact again."
Ainar was referring to the fact that he had sent people to steal silver ice from the Bing family at Chris's request.
Chris suspects that silver ice is one of the ingredients for making the perfect potion, so he asks Enal to collect unprocessed silver ice ore.
So far, they have sent four groups of wizards, but only the second group has successfully brought back the silver ice ore.
However, the wizards they lost were not mass-produced wizards made with inferior potions, so this operation was a considerable cost to Chris's central community.
Chris frowned with worry, while Einar asked:
"Elder, should we send more people?"
This time, Chris was more cautious: "Is the potion with silver ice ready?"
"I was just about to report this to you."
As he spoke, Ainar took out a snake-neck glass bottle.
"The silver ice made the medicine more potent. The first two attempts at refining it resulted in the immediate poisoning deaths of two alchemists. Fortunately, their failures were recorded, and on the third attempt, the medicine was finally successfully made."
Chris took the medicine and bowed slightly.
"I'll show this medicine to the messenger first, and then decide whether to send more people. I'll give you an answer later."
"Yes," Ainar bowed.
"Is there anything else?"
"The Herald Academy's reply has arrived," Einar said. "They have sent a young, experienced, and excellent herald, who should arrive at Saddle Square in about two months."
Compared to the others, this matter is indeed somewhat insignificant:
"Okay, I understand. Is there anything else?"
"No more for now."
Chris finally breathed a sigh of relief; his busy official duties were finally over.
"Then go down, Ainar. I need to communicate with the Apostle."
"Yes, Elder."
After bowing, Einar left the living room where Chris was.
Chris then got up and went into the inner room.
The staff was not asleep at this moment; the large hand that held it tightly had opened countless eyes and was staring intently ahead.
One of its eyes turned warily toward Chris, and then the mouth located in the crook of his elbow spoke:
"That book looks quite old."
Chris followed those gazes and saw the books on the desk in the distance.
It was a gift from a heraldry apprentice, and she was a beautiful girl. Looking back now, her appearance was truly remarkable. It's a real pity that I didn't try to get close to her back then.
And this book is the source of all that Chris has.
"The Destiny Guide" gave Chris control over the power of destiny, enabling him to reach his current level.
Although Chris did not fully grasp the book.
The last and most accurate method of interpreting fate recorded in the book allows him to know a clearer picture of the future in advance.
And this is the only thing Chris hasn't mastered.
However, Chris has no intention of learning it.
He is satisfied with his current situation.
Chris is greedy, he admits, but as a con artist who has spent his life as a conman, he also understands that knowing when to stop is a form of wisdom.
Even the most meticulously planned schemes have flaws, and the more contact you have with your target, the greater the risk of exposure.
Once exposed, all his efforts will be in vain.
So, for now, Chris just wants to maintain the status quo and live out the rest of his life happily like this.
Chris didn't care whether the book was old or not:
"Maybe."
"Where did you get it?"
"Given to me by someone else."
All eyes narrowed: "Let me see."
Chris couldn't agree to that: "There's nothing written on it."
"Don't lie to me, Chris," said the large mouth on his arm, "and don't lie to me, Landman."
So who asked the question earlier?
Chris cannot distinguish, nor does he need to distinguish:
"I won't show them to you. I have my own secrets too. And the potion is ready."
Upon hearing this, the eyes on his arm instantly gleamed, staring intently as Chris pulled out the medicine bottle.
Chris explained, "But this potion wasn't made strictly according to your recipe. I only found ice from the coldest places; I have no clue about the other three ingredients for now."
Grela's apostle said eagerly, "Let me have a taste!"
Without hesitation, Chris walked to the staff, opened the bottle, and poured a few drops of potion onto the apostle's outstretched tongue.
He smacked his lips a few times, then suddenly burst into laughter:
"Mmm! That's the taste!"
Chris was overjoyed: "So, I did it?!"
"Dream on!" the apostle said arrogantly. "Although it's better than the last potion, it's still far from being a perfect potion."
"However, it is also close to the quality of the potions made by the master."
"Is it much worse?"
"Not too much," the apostle said. "If you can gather one or two more ingredients, you'll be able to reach the level of the potions your master makes."
In other words, even the cursed witch Grellara did not gather all the materials.
But if that's the case, how did Gretella arrive at this recipe?
Could it be the result of purely theoretical derivation?
Chris knew very little about the Extraordinary System, so he couldn't find the answer on his own.
This apostle seems to be a fanatical admirer of Grellella. He treats whatever Grellella says as gospel, but never questions or challenges her. As a result, he also only has a superficial understanding of Grellella's meaning.
Therefore, it is estimated that even this apostle is unaware of this matter.
Chris asked, "How much has this potion improved since the last one?"
"The quality of wizarding talents that are forcibly developed will be further improved, and the time it takes for them to die will be slowed down."
Chris was somewhat disappointed with this answer:
"I thought adding special materials would bring about a qualitative change, but this is all?"
"It's just a material," the apostle said. "You're still making inferior potions. This improvement is already quite good."
"But do you know how expensive it was?" Chris complained. "Just to obtain the raw materials, I lost more than a dozen of my natural wizards, and the potion-making process consumed two of my alchemists. This is a huge loss for me!"
The apostle smiled: "Don't worry, as long as you can concoct higher-quality potions, you won't lack talent!"
Chris demanded, "Then tell me, how will the potion be enhanced if I collect more special materials!"
"Targeted development".
Chris was a little confused upon hearing this. "What does this mean?"
The apostle raised his voice: "You think potions can only unearth wizards? Wrong! Utterly wrong! The reason for this result is that the master is a wizard. Although she is also proficient in other extraordinary abilities, witchcraft is undoubtedly her main focus!"
"Therefore, the potions she created were naturally geared towards unlocking people's wizarding talents."
"But the true purpose of the potion is to unleash extraordinary talent!"
"So, Chris, keep it up! When the time comes, you'll have as many wizards, warriors, or even naturally gifted individuals as you want!"
"You will command not just an army of wizards, but an army of extraordinary beings!"