Back in his own shop, Carl’s expression turned contemplative. Indeed, a starved cal is still bigger than a horse. Even if the Cape family is down to just two people, they still have a profound heritage. I’ve already acquired the combat strength of a First-Order Middle Stage cultivator, yet I could still sense danger from Millie... She must have a powerful Inheritance Witch Artifact on her! And... there’s also an Official Wizard hiding nearby! No wonder the two of them dared to show themselves; they probably felt confident in controlling the situation even if I had turned hostile. There’s also Knight Bado. He might not be in league with them, but there must be so covert connection—otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen that place to et . However, none of this concerns !
Placing the package he was carrying on the table, Carl’s face broke into a smile as he pulled out several thick books.
Potion books!
The Cape family had ruled Leipzig Market for centuries. Their dominance stemd not only from their own powerful heritage but also from their formidable knightly order—led by a Legendary Knight, with Great Knights as captains, and numbering several hundred—which campaigned throughout the surrounding regions.
To nurture so many Knights, Potions were essential.
In fact, every major family collected all sorts of Potion formulas, weapons, and witchcraft thods. This was the true foundation of a family’s legacy.
But with the Cape family gone, these things weren’t very useful to Millie and her companion. Of course, the trade was only for common Potion formulas; they wouldn’t so easily part with any particularly special Potions.
Flipping through one of the books, Carl couldn’t help a wave of emotion. Life Potion! There was a ti I fretted over obtaining a single Life Potion, but now I barely give them a second glance. Spiritual dicine Potion, Blood Potion, Holy Potion... Hmm? Concentrated Life Potion!
His gaze fixed on one of the Potion formulas. After examining it closely, a smile spread across his face. This one’s perfect!
Cultivating the Holy Demon Transformation required a substantial amount of life energy, making Life Potions the optimal choice. Unfortunately, while Life Potions contained pure life energy and could help a Knight’s Attendant advance to Knight, their effect was too mild for Carl. To achieve the desired body-tempering effect, he estimated he would need to consu at least a dozen doses daily. A dozen! That’s hundreds a month, thousands a year—and that’s a conservative estimate. Not only could he not afford the cost in Magic Stones, but the sheer quantity would also attract unwanted attention.
A single dose of Concentrated Life Potion contains ten tis the life energy of a standard Life Potion. The key is... most of the materials needed to brew this Potion are available in the Otherworld, primarily the essence cores of Second Order Creatures. Hmm... The Andrew family’s beast pens process hunted Otherworld creatures. Surely they would have essence cores of Second Order Creatures, right?
Packing up the books, Carl left the shop again. When he returned, he was carrying an ant nest.
Beast Control! This witchcraft could theoretically allow him to command creatures of the sa order as himself, a Cultivator. However, Carl was just a beginner and could only control low-level creatures; even commanding magically altered creatures was difficult. But this was actually better. Ordinary beasts were ubiquitous and less likely to arouse the suspicion of Wizards. There was another advantage: constructs could easily have backdoors installed by the Wizard who crafted them, a concern absent when using ordinary beasts.
In the mories of the Blood Claw Assassin, there was a Magic Door technique to attach one’s spiritual power to ordinary creatures. Carl replicated this thod, infusing several wisps of his consciousness into the ant colony, then found an opportunity to release them near the beast pens. All that remained was to wait and watch the show unfold.
「Half a month later.」
CRACK!
Sparks of electricity flickered in the air as Carl’s figure blurred, reappearing over ten ters away in an instant. His speed was comparable to Instant Teleportation.
A One-Circle Witchcraft—Thunder Wings!
Carl exhaled slowly, his face alight with joy. I’ve finally mastered it! Thunder Wings is different from ordinary One-Circle Witchcraft. Its Magic Model is more complex and involved a greater depth of theoretical knowledge, making it akin to an advanced version of the Flying Skill. Naturally, the speed achieved after mastering it is also significantly faster! From now on, I can fly without a Magic Flying Carpet. My current speed should be comparable to that of a First Ring Middle Stage Wizard using Flying Skill. The key is its flickering agility, making it elusive and hard to predict. This gives a better chance to escape from powerful enemies.
However, progress with the Holy Demon Transformation is slow. Carl had misjudged its life energy consumption, or perhaps he had overestimated the potency of Life Potions. If he wanted to continue training unceasingly as before, he would need at least twenty doses of Life Potion daily. Twenty doses! That’s forty Magic Stones. Relying solely on the remuneration from the High Tower for managing the shop, his annual inco wouldn’t cover that for long. It simply wasn’t feasible.
It should be soon! Carl thought, his eyes flickering as he glanced towards the Andrew family’s location. A few days ago, a Second Circle Wizard from the Andrew family had arrived at Leipzig Market to oversee their affairs. This isn’t good news! It indicated that a single Second Circle Wizard was becoming insufficient to control the situation. However, the Andrew family owned several markets and couldn’t afford to concentrate most of their resources here. That Second Circle Wizard would have to leave sooner or later. And when they do... upheaval is likely.
The Nelson family, on the other hand, had been very subdued lately, with all their family Wizards remaining reclusively behind closed doors.
Hmm? While pondering, Carl’s eyebrows twitched. He found a safe place to sit down and activated a witchcraft. Instantly, an ant near the beast pens raised its head. Everything perceived by its light-sensitive ocelli and compound eyes was projected directly into Carl’s ’vision.’
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