Alas, if only someone in our territory knew how to mix magic marrow," Louis said from behind his desk, his fingers rhythmically tapping the wooden surface. Though his tone seemed like a casual complaint, his eyes occasionally swept toward Silco, seated at a smaller desk nearby.
Silco was hunched over, furiously writing, tallying the fishing yields and smoked fish inventory. The dark circles under his eyes looked even heavier than the night before.
Upon hearing Louis's lament, Silco abruptly stopped writing. He pressed his fingers against his temples, trying to clear the fog from his mind.
Did he mishear?
No. It definitely wasn't a hallucination.
Because this was the fifth time he had heard Louis say it today.
No matter how sleep-deprived he was, he couldn't possibly hallucinate the same sentence five times.
Silco's hand froze slightly, and he finally confirmed one thing:
This was no coincidence—it was clearly a deliberate hint.
Crafting magic marrow was an entry-level skill for any alchemist. And Silco, a natural-born alchemy genius, of course knew how to do it.
But that was the problem—he had never revealed this identity to anyone in Red Tide Territory.
So… how did Louis know?
He wracked his brain, struggling to recall whether he had ever let something slip.
Or perhaps… he simply couldn't hide the aura of an alchemy genius?
While Silco spiraled in thought, Louis spoke again, tone still light and helpless: "It would be great if we could just make the magic marrow ourselves."
The sixth time!
Louis's voice was starting to sound like a monk chanting a sutra, and Silco finally couldn't take it anymore.
He inhaled deeply, feigned calm, and said, "I know a little. I learned a bit at the Church Academy back then."
The moment the words left his mouth, Silco immediately regretted it.
Who was he kidding? The Church Academy teaching how to make magic marrow? That was nonsense.
Yet, Louis seemed to accept the explanation at face value, even showing a look of sudden realization.
"Oh? Is that so? Then can you help me?" he asked, a spark of interest lighting his face.
A subtle silence fell over the office.
Did he… really buy it?
Silco cautiously glanced at Louis again.
There was no way he looked deceived. In fact, his expression screamed, "You finally admitted it. Now hurry up and make the magic marrow."
Silco: "…"
Of course, Louis already knew Silco was an alchemy apprentice.
The frostblood redberry plant—used to enhance fighting qi—had to be grown in highly acidic soil to thrive. Only then would its fruits become plump, vibrant red, and potent.
If the soil was neutral or alkaline, nutrients would be locked away, causing the plant to grow poorly, its leaves yellowing, and in worst cases, bearing no fruit at all.
The problem? While Louis had a general idea about soil acidity, he knew nothing about the precise preparation methods or ratios.
But Silco did—this alchemist in hiding.
Originally, Louis had planned to wait for Silco to bring it up himself. But the current situation was urgent, and the redberry cultivation couldn't wait.
What a pity. Today, he'd have to expose him.
The firewood crackled in the fireplace as silence stretched between them.
Silco looked down at the ledger before him, weighing the pros and cons.
Finally, he sighed, long and slow, as if giving in. "Yes, but I have one condition: let me rest one day a week."
This time, Louis was the one caught off guard.
For Red Tide Territory, which was severely understaffed, giving someone a day off felt like wasting a valuable resource. Louis himself hadn't had a single day off in a month.
But then again, if Silco kept pushing himself at this pace, he might drop dead from overwork.
Louis sighed. "Alright, deal."
Silco nodded, then quickly copied a magic marrow preparation list for Louis.
Most ingredients could be bought at Frost Halberd City's alchemy market.
However, one particular material caught Louis's attention and made him pause.
Magic marrow.
"You really dare to ask," Louis said with a wry smile, looking up at Silco.
"I just listed everything according to the most standard formula," Silco shrugged. "Of course, you can use substitutes, but the effect might—"
"Without magic marrow, the effectiveness of magic marrow drops significantly, right?" Louis cut him off.
Silco raised his hands in a silent gesture of agreement.
Louis massaged his temples. Magic marrow was expensive.
Red Tide Territory actually had a natural source of it—in a mining area in the northwest.
But extracting it wasn't so easy.
Mining itself wasn't the issue. Even crude methods like using pickaxes could yield usable magic marrow.
The real problem? According to recent alerts from their intelligence network, several Frost Giants had been spotted roaming near the mining area since early spring.
And Frost Giants were among the most troublesome monsters in the Northern Territory.
They inhabited extremely cold regions, stood many meters tall, and possessed tremendous strength. Their skin was as hard as solid ice, rendering ordinary weapons nearly useless.
Even worse, they could manipulate cold air to summon blizzards that blanketed the battlefield, slowed enemies, or even froze them to death.
Previously, Louis hadn't prioritized the matter. The territory had been focused on farming and development, and the mining site was remote, posing no direct threat.
Also, at the time, they had very little information on Frost Giants, and a reckless attack would've been a disaster.
So Louis had merely assigned a few knights to covertly observe the area and collect intelligence.
But now, things had changed.
Over the past month, their intelligence network had uncovered some of the Frost Giants' weaknesses.
And with the territory entering a stable development phase, the time had come to tackle this hidden threat directly.
Since they needed magic marrow anyway, why not take control of the mine once and for all?
Louis considered the plan, then sprang into action.
He summoned two knights and handed them Silco's list. "Go to Frost Halberd City and buy these alchemy materials. Move fast."
"Yes, Lord!" the knights answered, taking the list and dashing out.
Next, Louis summoned the Knight Captain, Lambert.
"Lambert," he said firmly, "gather all the knights. Prepare for battle."
Lambert hesitated briefly, but didn't question the order. "Understood, Lord."
"Our target is the northwest mountains. We're subjugating the Frost Giants," Louis continued, voice unwavering. "Make sure everyone is assembled. No delays."
"Yes!" Lambert responded decisively and strode out.
Within moments, the Red Tide Territory's knights had mobilized.
Warhorses whinnied and pawed the earth, their armored riders quickly forming rank.
Their destination: the dangerous mining zone in the northwest—home of the Frost Giants.
Their mission: secure the magic marrow and eliminate the threat, once and for all.
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