Chapter 139
In the land of Armenia, a new lord had arrived, and already three months had passed since his arrival. The cold winter had settled in, and biting winds swept through the region. However, an unusual vitality burned within Armenia, defying the winter’s chill.
The once fearful villagers, who had cowered under the threats of the notorious Jackson Faggery, now stood tall as proud residents of their transformed village. The changes brought by the young lord, who had recently taken over, were not yet fully visible, but the villagers sensed them keenly.
Shadows vanished from their faces, replaced by bright smiles. The air buzzed with newfound energy. Even the village’s sole apothecary, Neville, had adapted to the shifts. Before Lord Yan’s arrival, Neville had struggled against Jackson Faggery’s intimidation, producing only weak tonics and remedies. But now, he confidently crafted medicines that could genuinely aid the people.
Neville’s face lit up as he approached the burly figure of Valdes, who carried heavy iron weights on his arms and legs. Valdes was an imposing sight, and anyone encountering him for the first time might mistake him for a hardened criminal. The villagers knew better, but they still found it hard to grow accustomed to his appearance.
Neville scratched his cheek, gesturing toward the iron weights. “How long do you plan to carry those around?”
Valdes, still a young lad, had trained diligently for the past three months. His arms bore a few tightly packed muscle knots, evidence of his efforts. “Why?” he asked, curious.
“The lord instructed you to carry them for several months,” Neville replied. “But it’s rather peculiar, don’t you think?”
Valdes shrugged. “Well, it’s been three months, and I’ve already made progress.”
He flexed his biceps, revealing the tightly coiled muscles. Neville sighed, watching as Valdes attempted to lift his shirt to display his abs.
“Alright, alright,” Neville said. “But let’s get to the real matter. This is what the lord requested.”
He produced a small, violet-hued bead. The bead emitted a faint, candy-like fragrance, and its size barely exceeded that of a newborn’s fingernail.
Valdes examined it, puzzled. “Is this what the lord spoke of?”
On Lord Yan’s first day in Armenia, he had tasked Neville with creating an item that would rejuvenate the land, a gift capable of reshaping the power dynamics among knights, mages, and the continent’s rulers.
“It seems so small,” Valdes murmured.
Neville agreed. “True, the ingredients weren’t extraordinary. Mostly herbs and a few fruits readily available in Armenia.”
The concoction contained herbs, some wild grasses, and fruits. Neville understood their individual effects well, but combining them into something with unpredictable results was a challenge.
“But,” Neville continued, “it’s the lord’s request. There must be a deeper purpose.”
Valdes nodded. “Indeed. Our benefactor, the one who brought peace to our village.”
As they spoke, Valdes suddenly perked up, pointing toward the village entrance. “There he is! Lord Yan!”
Lord Yan strode confidently toward them, and the villagers gathered, eager to welcome their savior.
* * *
Lord Yan, weary from his endeavors, entered the village with a tired expression.
“Today marks the end of this task.”
As he stepped into the village, the residents greeted him with offerings of fruits, bread, and meat.
“Oh my, Lord! You’ve lost so much weight from all the hard work. Here’s some Kush fruit, good for fatigue. Have one when you have a headache.”
“Try the bread my sister baked this time!”
“Ha-ha-ha, my Lord. This is the wild boar I caught today!”
Yan, with a troubled smile, graciously accepted the overwhelming amount of food they handed him.
“Thank you, but really, you don’t need to go to such lengths for me.”
“Nonsense! It’s because of you that our days are worth living!”
“Indeed, my Lord. I still have nightmares about those times when those scoundrels roamed free.”
“Ha-ha. I’ll enjoy it gratefully.”
With an awkward chuckle, Yan headed towards his mansion, a grand structure unlike any other home in the village, recently built by the villagers. Despite the scarcity of materials, resulting in its wooden construction, it was sturdy and well-crafted, a testament to their dedication.
Thud. Creak!
Yan, his arms full of food, kicked open the door and entered the mansion. He was greeted by a warm blast from the fireplace where logs burned brightly.
Yan chuckled to himself.
“That Valdes, always up to unnecessary things.”
For three months, Valdes had insisted on a warm welcome whenever he returned home.
Yan carefully placed the food on the table and sank into a chair, sweeping his hair back.
“Is today the last day I venture into the Forest of Beasts?”
For the past three months, Yan had not missed a single day in the forest, aiming to reduce the number of top predators and control the overall population of beasts.
And then there was the matter of the hidden rebels.
“Where could those revolutionaries be hiding?”
Despite his efforts to find the rebels rumored to be in Armenia, they remained elusive. But Yan was not in a hurry; he had prepared what to discuss with Damian during the upcoming recruitment period.
“I’ll consult with Uncle Damian and finish this first.”
As Yan examined the map of the Forest of Beasts he had created and bit into a piece of bread, someone knocked on the door.
Knock-knock.
“Lord, it’s Neville.”
Yan’s eyes, previously dulled with fatigue, suddenly sparkled with anticipation.
He opened the door to greet Neville.
“Welcome. What brings you here?”
It was a casual question, but Yan’s face was filled with expectation.
Neville, beaming, presented a leather pouch.
“I’ve succeeded, my Lord!”
“Wow!”
Yan’s eyes widened as he took the pouch and reached inside to pull out a handful of its contents, examining the scent and color slowly.
Neville smiled contentedly, seeing Yan’s apparent pleasure felt like a reward for his efforts.
“It wasn’t difficult to gather the ingredients you mentioned, my Lord, but finding the right blend was quite challenging. Fortunately, I managed to do it before the year’s end.”
Yan was impressed by the shorter-than-expected timeframe.
“I never thought you’d actually manage to make it…”
He had provided the ingredients, but without the exact blend, he had almost given up hope.
The combination is just as important as the ingredients when making medicine.
There are countless cases where even after thousands, tens of thousands of attempts, the correct blend remains elusive.
With each additional ingredient, the number of possible combinations increases exponentially.
Yan stood up abruptly and patted Neville’s shoulder, laughing brightly.
“You’ve done a great job. Thanks to you, Neville, Armenia’s progress will accelerate significantly.”
“Can we really achieve such results with this?”
Yan laughed at Neville’s skepticism.
“Of course.”
If one only saw these, Neville’s doubts wouldn’t seem strange at all.
The beads Neville had created were still in their unfinished state.
With just a few more steps… they could create an item capable of causing a storm across the continent.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
“Thank you, really. I mean it.”
“Ha-ha-ha, your words are a relief.”
Yan escorted Neville to the entrance and then returned to the table, shaking the leather pouch over it.
Chrrrrr!
A vast number of beads poured out.
“Ha-ha-ha-ha, jackpot! To think you’ve already achieved such a high level of completion.”
Yan couldn’t help but laugh.
[Let’s take a look.]
Momon peeked out of the pouch and hopped onto the table.
Thump.
Momon picked up a bead and exclaimed in admiration.
[It’s exactly as you said. With this, nothing is impossible.]
Yan grinned and pulled out an interdimensional pouch.
He then took out a small pouch and sprinkled its contents over Neville’s beads.
Whoosh!
A purple powder cascaded down.
The powder was made from magic stones, finely ground after being collected from the beasts in the Forest of Beasts over three months.
“Momon.”
At Yan’s call, Momon nodded.
Momon waved his hand towards the purple powder and the beads.
A tremendous amount of mana swirled, and the magic stone powder on the table began to liquefy.
Just as the liquid made from the magic stone powder was about to spill over the edge of the table…
Swoosh!
Momon waved his hand again.
The liquid began to transform.
Bubbling. Boiling.
The purple liquid started to coalesce and, upon touching the beads, began to bubble and merge with them.
It was a mystical sight that would have amazed any onlooker.
But Yan, watching from the side, had a stern expression.
As time passed and the liquid was fully absorbed by the beads…
[It’s done.]
“Phew!”
Yan let out a breath of relief.
But he couldn’t relax just yet.
It wasn’t a success until it was confirmed.
Yan clenched and unclenched his fist, then quickly picked up a bead.
Momon, seemingly nervous, trembled as he watched Yan.
Yan popped a bead into his mouth and chewed a few times before swallowing.
A sweet taste lingered in his mouth, and the bead quickly turned into a liquid and slid down his throat.
The liquid, though minuscule, transformed into mana and accumulated in the mana heart.
[Is it, is it a success?]
“Heh-heh-heh-heh.”
Yan shook with laughter, his head bowed.
Then…
“Ha-ha-ha-ha! It’s a success!”
He burst into triumphant laughter.
[Then… quickly bring out the best one! Didn’t you promise?]
At Momon’s shout, Yan laughed and handed over a handful of beads.
Momon absorbed the beads and erupted into maniacal laughter.
“We’ve finally made it, the artificial elixir!”
The artificial elixir that Isaac had created in a previous life.
It was what Yan had thought of as soon as he arrived in Armenia and saw the Forest of Beasts.
This was an item of immense value, capable of changing the paradigm of the continent.
It was a treasure sufficient to bathe Armenia in golden light.
‘Heh-heh-heh, now all that’s left is to build a factory for mass production.’
Yan dreamed of a rosy future, laughing ominously.
For a moment, he glanced at the calendar, then slowly rose from his seat.
“The recruitment period for the training center starts tomorrow.”
Yan toyed with the artificial elixirs, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
With these, recruiting talents from the training center would be a breeze.
Moreover, many nobles would be participating.
“I wonder how surprised the nobles will be when they see this.”
Yan imagined the upcoming recruitment period and laughed heartily.