But Lance knew that the captives alone were worth a considerable sum. Even more important was the Extraordinary Equipnt he acquired, which money couldn't buy.
"You've done very well. Let's leave it at that."
Lance had no additional instructions for their disposition. The town could actually function without his direct involvent; they would handle all necessary tasks.
Amanda was no fool and naturally understood the aning behind Lance's words. He had shown her consideration, but she, knowing her place, found an excuse and left of her own accord.
Lance didn't stop her. While their candid discussion had cleared the air, loyalty wasn't sothing proven by words alone. It had to be demonstrated through actions, and his impression of the Romani would need to change based on such displays.
Once Amanda left, Grendel looked at Lance with curiosity, but she didn't ask, rely watched.
"What's this about?" Lance couldn't help but laugh, but he explained Amanda's situation anyway.
"So you plan to invest in her as well? It seems quite risky. She appears to have been abandoned."
"She doesn't have Tamara's terrifying talent, but she's not bad in her own right. With so many Elder seats among the Romani, I don't mind having one more person on our side."
Lance's real intention was simple: to cultivate Amanda to contend with Tamara. Only through their rivalry could he divide the Romani's internal power. At the sa ti, this would make him a figure they must win over, rendering them dependent on him and allowing him to use them for his purposes.
"What do you plan to do?"
"To enhance her influence within the organization is simple. It boils down to one thing: profit." Lance was very calm at this mont, completely devoid of the smile he had shown Amanda. "This profit is the Ascension Potion. Paracelsus experinted with it before. The results are good, but the damage to the human body is severe. I need you to refine it and weaken its effects. That way, we can sell more and simultaneously increase the difficulty for others to decipher the formula."
Lance then turned his gaze toward Grendel. "Hamlet needs trade as its lifeblood; it requires the Romani channels. As long as the profit is sufficient, they will not abandon the Empire. Only then can Amanda, as the person in charge of the imperial region, secure power.
To ensure her power, Amanda must turn to us. By controlling the Potion supply, we can control Amanda. We might even have an opportunity to intervene in their Spiritual Network and use it for our own purposes."
"I understand." Grendel could tell just by looking at Lance that this man couldn't be chard. Once he took one step, he had already planned the next three.
"There's no rush. I'll observe Amanda's attitude before deciding. I like having friends, but I also need to see if those friends are truly sincere.
Right now, the pressing issue is the lack of dical facilities. At the ti..."
Lance told Grendel about the situation he had encountered. There was a pressing need for anesthetics and pain relief dications.
"For anesthetics, doesn't the Ascension Sect's Paralysis Incense work perfectly?"
"It could work, but as an incense, the dosage of the smoke produced when lit is hard to control, making the effect unstable. I want sothing more precise, more stable, and with less harm to the human body."
Lance had used it himself, and the effect was too strong. If one wasn't careful, they might not awaken. Put simply, Lance wanted a safe and controllable anesthetic.
"I can try to modify the formula to make the effects milder. As for pain relief, there is a certain plant available.
The wine brewed from soaking this plant's leaves is said to make people feel as if they are drunkenly drifting through dreams, and it's very popular among rcenaries.
Furthermore, Wizards from Levant can extract a black paste from the flowers that helps people forget pain. It's also quite popular among the Nobility."
"Hamlet strictly prohibits these things! Anyone daring to ddle with them is to be sent directly to a sanatorium!" Lance expressed his undisguised disgust. He knew exactly what those things were just from the description.
Grendel didn't understand why the Lord suddenly had such a strong reaction but said nothing, only agreeing.
"The town's rchandise doesn't include these. I'll make sure people keep an eye out."
"Let's deal with the Ascension Potion and the anesthetics first. I'll have Paracelsus assist you. As for those other things, they are not up for discussion. Just ban them all."
Grendel agreed and was about to get to work when Susan unexpectedly knocked on the door, interrupting them.
"My Lord, the caravan has returned, and Vick wishes to report to you."
"Let him in," Lance said, raising a hand to signal Grendel to stay. "You should listen too, as Ovando City is also part of the plan."
Upon hearing this, Grendel didn't get up but remained comfortably seated. Amanda would be quite envious if she saw this.
Soon, Vick entered. After his ti spent away, his deanor had beco much more mature.
"My Lord!" Vick was all business. Without any preamble, he handed over a docunt. "This is our report on the actions taken in Ovando."
Lance quickly browsed the docunt to understand their grain war plan in Ovando City. He couldn't help but be surprised at Walter's shrewdness. Such old foxes were never simple.
It wasn't just about making money and expanding influence. According to Walter's plan, they could essentially empty Ovando City of its population. Moreover, he had been continuously bribing Bureaucrats and planting his own people in certain positions. They were ready to cooperate from within and without on his signal. When the ti ca, an empty city would have no ability to defend itself.
More crucially, aside from the initial sum of money Walter requested, he hadn't asked for more. He had managed to get the job done and even made a profit.
What is capability? This is capability.
Of course, the cost was making life unbearable for the citizens of Ovando City. But who cared?
The Ovando City Governor didn't care, and neither did Lance.
This is the brutality of war.
"I've brought back quite a few people this ti. So are very skilled craftsn, others are literate individuals. I used certain thods to bring them back."
Lance looked over the information on these people. Most of them Vick had found among the refugees, and so were from Ovando City.
Vick didn't elaborate, but Lance understood that things hadn't gone smoothly. However, once people arrived in Hamlet, it was impossible to let them leave.
Hamlet still had a great demand for these skilled individuals. The delay in re-equipping the army was due to a shortage of manpower, resulting in low production efficiency.
"I'll see to their arrangents," Lance said, setting the report down and turning to Vick. "The town just suffered an attack, so it will need so ti to get the goods ready. It's good timing for you to rest for a few days since you've just returned. Your family will be very happy to see you."
Vick had noticed signs of the attack upon his arrival; the bloodstains at the town entrance were indelible.
"I also encountered an attack by Heretics on the way, but fortunately, we suffered no losses."
Upon hearing this, Lance could only sigh. The reach of the Ascension Sect was truly vast; problems were arising even so far away. Who knew how many had been killed in places he couldn't see?
Lance felt sowhat helpless. Just as they had made so headway against the Sect of Ascension, they had suffered an imdiate counterattack.
"Leave such matters to us. It's already quite fortunate that the caravan didn't suffer any losses."
"Speaking of which, we owe our lack of losses entirely to a strange person. Along the way, we encountered a very peculiar group…"
Since Vick had brought it up, he continued, describing the encounter with those sick individuals. The odd person leading them had demonstrated Extraordinary strength when facing the Heretics.
Wielding a broken greatsword, that person dispatched ordinary n with a single slash. Even elite Heretics had their steel helts cloven by his blade.
To be able to lift such a massive sword and cleave through steel in one stroke... that level of strength...
"Right, they should have arrived by now," Vick casually ntioned.
Damn it! Lance realized sothing imdiately. The people checking and registering the refugees don't know about this! He rushed out in haste.
Grendel and Vick quickly understood and hurriedly followed.
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