“Oh, if only soone in our territory knew how to mix acidic soil,” Louis said, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the desk behind his office chair, his tone sounding like a casual complaint.
But his gaze frequently swept towards Silco, who was sitting at a small desk nearby.
Silco was hunched over, writing furiously, tallying the fish catches and smoked fish production, the dark circles under his eyes even heavier than last night.
He heard Louis’s complaint and abruptly stopped writing, pressing his fingers to his temples, trying to clear his head.
Did he mishear?
No, it was definitely not a hallucination.
Because this was already the fifth ti he had heard Louis say that today.
No matter how sleep-deprived he was, he wouldn’t hear five hallucinations, would he?
Silco’s hand paused slightly, and he finally confird one thing.
This was clearly a deliberate hint to him!
Making acidic soil was an entry-level skill for every alchemist.
And he, a genius alchemist, naturally knew how to do it.
But the problem was that he had never revealed this identity to anyone, at least not in the Red Tide Territory.
So... how did Louis know?
His mind raced, trying to recall if he had accidentally let sothing slip at so point.
Or was it that he simply couldn't hide the aura of a genius alchemist?
As he pondered, Louis spoke again, his tone still one of helplessness: “It would be great if we could make acidic soil ourselves.”
This was the sixth ti!
Louis was like a chanting monk, and Silco finally couldn't take it anymore.
He took a deep breath and pretended to be nonchalant, saying, “I know a little; I learned a bit at the church academy.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Silco wanted to slap himself.
Who was he kidding! How could a church academy teach how to make acidic soil?
However, Louis seed to believe this statent wholeheartedly, even showing a look of sudden realization.
He asked with great interest, “Oh? Is that so? Can you help then?”
Inside the office, the air fell into a subtle silence.
Did he really believe him?!
Silco subtly glanced at Louis.
Louis’s expression, no matter how he looked at it, didn’t seem like he had been fooled.
Instead, it was an expectant look, as if saying, “You finally admit it, now quickly prepare the acidic soil.”
Silco: “...”
Louis, of course, knew about Silco’s identity as an alchemy apprentice.
Frost Blood Red Berry plants must grow in highly acidic soil.
Only then can they efficiently absorb nutrients, making the fruits plump and vibrant red, and more effective in enhancing fighting spirit.
If the soil is neutral or alkaline, the nutrients will be firmly locked away, leading to poor plant developnt, yellowing leaves, and even failure to bear fruit.
But the problem was, Louis only had a rough idea of how to prepare acidic soil and didn't know the specific ratios or treatnt thods at all.
But he knew who did: Silco, this guy who was hiding his identity as an alchemy apprentice.
Louis had originally intended to wait for him to speak up, but the current situation was special; the cultivation of Frost Blood Red Berry could not be delayed.
It was ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ a sha, but he had to reveal himself today.
Silence spread between the two, and the burning logs in the fireplace crackled.
Silco looked down at the ledger on his desk, weighing the pros and cons.
Finally, he slowly sighed, as if he had finally resigned himself: “Yes, but I have one condition: let rest one day a week.”
This ti, it was Louis’s turn to be silent.
For the Red Tide Territory, which was currently short-staffed, it did feel a bit like wasting talent, as he hadn’t even rested a single day in a month.
But then again, if Silco continued to work at this intensity, there was no telling when he might suddenly die from overwork.
Louis sighed: “Alright, deal.”
Then Silco copied an acidic soil preparation list for Louis.
Most of the materials could be bought in the market of Frost Halberd City.
But one na made Louis’s gaze linger for a mont.
magma essence.
“You really dare to ask for that,” Louis said with a wry smile, looking up at Silco.
“I just listed it according to the most standard ratio,” Silco shrugged. “Of course, you can use substitutes, but the effect might be...”
“Without magma essence, the effect of the acidic soil will be greatly reduced, right?” Louis cut straight to the point.
Silco spread his hands, saying nothing.
Louis rubbed his brow; magma essence was indeed a bit expensive.
The Red Tide Territory did have this material, in the mining area to the northwest.
But extracting it presented so small difficulties.
The mining technology itself was manageable; even with the crudest thods, having the residents use pickaxes to strike the ore veins would at least yield so to make acidic soil.
However, the real problem was not there.
Rather, according to intelligence reports, several Frost Giants had been frequently roaming near the mining area since early spring.
Frost Giants, these were one of the most troubleso magical beasts in the Northern Territory!
They usually resided in extrely cold regions, were enormous in size, possessed imnse strength, and had skin as hard as solid ice, making ordinary weapons ineffective against them.
What was more troubleso was that they could also control cold air, capable of creating extre blizzards that covered the battlefield, slowing down enemies and even freezing them to death.
Louis had not been in a hurry to deal with this matter before.
On one hand, the Red Tide Territory had previously been in a developnt phase, focusing on farming and production, and simply had no ti to attend to the mining area.
On the other hand, the mining area was far from residential areas, and those giants had not posed any substantial threat to the territory.
Furthermore, at the ti, he knew very little about Frost Giants, and a rash move would carry great risks.
Therefore, he had only arranged for a few knights to stealthily observe to gather more intelligence.
But the situation was different now.
Over the past month, the intelligence system had continuously provided information regarding the weaknesses of Frost Giants.
And the territory’s developnt had entered a stable phase; it was ti to proactively resolve this hidden danger.
Since magma essence must be mined, they might as well clear out the mining area and bring this resource completely under the control of the Red Tide Territory!
Louis pondered for a mont and imdiately began to act.
He first summoned two knights and handed them Silco’s list: “You two go to Frost Halberd City and purchase the alchemy materials according to the list, as quickly as possible.”
“Yes!” The knights took the list and hurried away.
Next, he summoned Lambert, the captain of the knight order, and said to him: “Lambert, gather all knights, prepare for battle.”
Lambert paused slightly but didn’t ask further, imdiately responding in a deep voice: “Understood, My Lord.”
“Our target is the Northwest Mountains, to subjugate the Frost Giants,” Louis continued, his voice firm. “Ensure everyone is assembled; there must be no delay.”
“Yes!” Lambert replied decisively, then stood up and strode away.
Soon, the knights of the Red Tide Territory rapidly assembled, warhorses neighed, and they galloped majestically towards the mining area in the northwest of the Red Tide Territory.
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