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The Banyan Tree!
It's still that enormous banyan tree!
Neither the fragntary 'Book of Death', nor his notes, or even William's notes ntioned this colossal banyan tree.
As for growing naturally?
It's simply impossible.
Not to ntion William rging with the massive banyan tree.
Just the "Heart of the Banyan" in Arthur's hand alone inford the young 'Spirit dium' that this banyan tree was definitely not a natural occurrence.
[Na: Heart of the Banyan]
[Type: Other Types]
[Quality: Hero. Cripple]
[Attributes: 1, Ingestion; 2, Planting]
[Remarks: In the 159th year of the Silver Era, the owner of 'Hilt Tower' approached the end of his life. Though he felt reluctant, he did not cling to 'Undying', for he knew all too well the embarrassnt of desperately seeking 'undying' would be; he certainly did not wish to beco one of those creatures with no reason and muddled mories—but the disciples of the 'Hilt Tower' owner could not face their end as calmly as their teacher had. They began secretly studying the notes left by both their teacher and his close friend Atos, hoping to find a way to live forever. And then... they actually found it, though the thod for prolonged life was not perfect and was fraught with great risks; yet, they were ecstatic nonetheless]
...
[Ingestion: If a human were to ingest this Heart of the Banyan, there is a fifty percent chance that their lifespan would greatly increase, but they would show so plant-like characteristics. There is also a fifty percent chance of turning straight into a plant while retaining a sliver of human consciousness, which would fade with the passage of ti]
[Planting: After saring it with the blood from one's fingertip and burying it in the soil, one can have a War Tree that fights for them in a year. In ten years, it will grow into a great War Tree, and in a hundred years, an Ancient War Tree would have developed. Once it becos an Ancient War Tree, it will not only have a certain degree of thinking but also command so secret techniques, and its loyalty to you will never change]
(Note 1: After ingestion, the plant characteristics cannot be removed by any ans. If removed, the increased lifespan will disappear.)
(Note 2: The increased lifespan cannot exceed the original tree species' limit.)
(Note 3: Turning into a plant after ingestion accelerates the loss of human consciousness as the plant grows.)
(Note 4: When planting, if the environntal requirents of the tree species are t, the growth of the tree will be beneficial.)
(Note 5: The War Tree will not die as long as its heart remains, but it will need to be replanted.)
...
The mont Arthur saw the "Heart of the Banyan," he subconsciously thought of the bizarre 'Golden Oak Tree' within Oak Manor.
The young 'Spirit dium' guessed that this so-called 'Golden Oak Tree' might very well be one of the disciples of the 'Hilt Tower' owner who failed to ingest it and turned into a plant.
Of course, it was just a guess.
Specifically, Arthur had yet to confirm it.
But one thing he could be certain of was that the banyan tree did not grow naturally.
Of course, it couldn't have been cultivated by William.
William could at most be considered the planter.
The real cultivator?
Fritz!
The very first Estate Owner who established the manor in the na of his wife, Yumir.
It's only natural that the person should also be a disciple of the 'Hilt Tower' owner, or a disciple's disciple, or maybe soone who accidentally obtained the notes.
In any case, Arthur, who already had suspicions due to the terrain of 'Yumir Manor', was now even more skeptical.
As for the second-generation 'Yumir Manor' Estate Owner?
He was ntioned in William's notes as being useless. When he proposed the idea of selling the manor, he was torn between wanting to sell and fearing that his other relatives would covet his wealth; he also wanted to sell at a high price, which was off-putting because of his indecision—so, William granted him a dignified egress.
Pacing through the hallway, the "Hand of Void" raised the "Vigilance Oil Lamp" to light the way for Arthur.
Soon, Arthur found the passage leading to the basent.
Using two additional "Hands of Void" for scouting, Arthur quickly spotted the sarcophagus where William had lain, and then found a downward passage within the sarcophagus itself.
This passage had twenty steps. By stepping into the sarcophagus and following the steps down, after passing a small platform, one could truly see the secret chamber of 'Yumir Manor'.
The first thing to co into view was a roughly two-hundred square ter space, divided into a bedroom, a study, and a laboratory according to functional areas.
The ssy bedding signaled to Arthur that William had lived here.
The enormous bookshelf in the study and the complete array of laboratory vessels caught Arthur's eye.
He needed more 'Mystical Knowledge' and a full set of lab vessels to practice making 'Griffin Physique Potions'.
All of this in front of him t Arthur's requirents.
But Arthur did not rush to examine them.
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His gaze was fixed on a small door at one side of the bedroom.
Using the "Hand of Void" as a probe.
Squeak!
The small door opened in response.
Arthur carefully peered inside and then saw one after another object covered with tarpaulin, neatly placed behind the door.
Others might be puzzled about what these were, but not Arthur.
He was all too familiar with these items!
Without needing to lift the tarpaulin, he could be sure of what they were!
Little Emperor Cannons!
And beside the Little Emperor Cannons, against the wall, stood a large number of long boxes.
The "Hand of Void" imdiately opened one of the long boxes and, after tearing off the oil paper on top, a series of firearms instantly ca into view.
Even with his ntal preparedness, at that mont, Arthur couldn't help but inhale sharply.
Hiss!
It wasn't that Arthur hadn't seen the world.
But he was still shocked by what he saw before him.
'Twenty Little Emperor Cannons, over a thousand heavy firearms, as well as swords, armor, and helts – with enough manpower, an army could be raised in an instant!'
By now, Arthur finally understood what Fritz, who had established 'Yumir Manor' under his wife's na, was planning to do.
This fellow intended to 'stir up trouble'!
He wanted to secure a position in the tumultuous 'Seven Years' War'!
Perhaps even to earn the right to be called king.
'King Fritz?
Tsch!'
A sound filled with scorn resonated from Arthur's mouth.
It wasn't that he looked down on such ambition; he simply had no respect for Fritz.
Acting out of ambition under the guise of love...
'Despicable fellow.'
That was Arthur's assessnt.
Afterward, he surveyed the entire military arsenal, silently pondering.
He was considering what to do with these spoils of war.
Transport them back to South Los for reserve?
It was certainly a good choice and also in line with his developnt plans for 'Mr. Wu's Exchange'. Unfortunately, the Mount Gale Region was not located by an Inland River, making transportation to South Los inevitably reliant on horse-drawn carriages and prohibiting any open movents. This ant reducing the team size, resulting in a lengthy and cautious process where the slightest misstep could invite pursuit from the Countess.
But over ti, even the most cautious approach could lead to problems.
So, that idea was out.
What about selling them to make money?
That was another good choice.
But just the sa, it couldn't be done in South Los, lest discovery still lead to being pursued by the Countess.
She would never allow such a large quantity of military weaponry to enter the market.
Even if these weapons weren't the latest model, it made no difference.
In a world with 'Mystical Knowledge', the advancent of 'gunpowder' was greatly suppressed, yet sensitivity to war led the lords of various lands to constantly innovate, resulting in the creation of Thunder Guns and Light Firearms.
South Los was not an option.
Neither were the other territories.
Those lords had ans even more ruthless than a Mother Tigress.
Having dismissed two ideas, Arthur furrowed his brows slightly.
But in the next instant, the young 'Spirit dium's' eyes lit up—
"Got it!"
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