บท 26: Chapter 26: Developing the Ghostly Death Knight Potion Plan
Autumn, Year 57 of the Storm Kingdom.
In the weeks following his victory, Su Nan had cataloged all the books housed in the Maple Leaf Town Library and solidified his control over the town. He did not dismantle the town council, recognizing its integral role in local governance. Instead, he imposed a simple requirement: annual taxation.
After examining the past decade of financial records, Chief Steward Warwick estimated that Maple Leaf Town could generate at least 1,000 gold coins annually in commercial taxes if taxed at the standard 10% rate. While Su Nan could exploit the town to increase this figure, he chose a more sustainable approach, allowing the town's wealth to regenerate naturally.
Restoring Maple Leaf Town's prosperity, however, required time. Months of chaos under Gus Pasha's rule had decimated trade. Su Nan estimated that at least six months of steady management would be necessary for full recovery.
The town's three major guilds—Textile, Fur, and Carpentry—pledged allegiance to Su Nan. Additionally, the remaining territories of Gus Pasha and Sir Harlan surrendered willingly. Villages under their control, now recognizing Su Nan's legitimate rule, returned to his fold.
Gus Pasha's numerous illegitimate children posed a potential threat, but Warwick took proactive measures to neutralize them. Su Nan did not involve himself in these details, leaving the steward to handle matters as he saw fit.
Instead, Su Nan's focus remained on advancing his alchemy experiments and expanding his knowledge of wizardry.
Inspired by fragments discovered in the Maple Leaf Library, Su Nan instructed his subordinates to observe and report on unusual families or reclusive individuals within his lands. Such groups might harbor descendants of ancient wizard bloodlines. While the endeavor resembled a blind gamble, Su Nan was confident that persistent effort might yield results.
In the attic of his castle, Su Nan stood over a bubbling cauldron. Dropping a live frog into the mixture, he added white chrysanthemums and graveyard ashes. Minutes later, he decanted the concoction into glass vials.
This was his latest creation: the Ghostly Frog Summon Potion.
Unlike its predecessor, the Ghostly Frog sacrificed offensive capabilities for heightened durability. Its primary purpose was to provoke and distract enemies, forcing them to expend energy attacking an almost indestructible summoned entity.
Su Nan also developed a Ghostly Wolf Summon Potion using similar methods. The potions were straightforward, requiring only third-class apprentice-level alchemical skill to produce.
Su Nan's real ambition lay with the Death Knight Potion, a groundbreaking alchemical formula aimed at summoning a permanent ghostly knight possessing the full combat capabilities of a formal knight. Leveraging data from dissected hearts of Storm Knights and fragments of necromantic magic discovered in the library, Su Nan theorized a new necromantic property: Soul Recoil.
If successful, this potion would allow the summoned knight to regenerate upon death. He tentatively named it the Ghostly Death Knight Potion.
The formula remained 76% complete, and Su Nan allocated significant AI resources to its optimization.
In parallel, Su Nan refined a new mobility-disrupting potion derived from a rudimentary spell called Stiffening Hex found in the library. The resulting potion, named Single-Leg Freeze Potion, induced temporary paralysis in a single leg, forcing enemies to hop clumsily.
While these advancements marked progress, Su Nan's own growth had slowed. His mental power inched from 10.2 to 10.5, and his mana capacity mirrored this. Thankfully, the Enhanced Mental Potion +2 was nearing completion at 99%, promising a significant breakthrough.
During lunch, Warwick presented a stack of letters, his expression grim. "Master Su Nan, I've discovered that Gus Pasha had been corresponding with Duke Salonica Latin. The Duke planned to use Gus to control Maple Leaf Town as a strategic trade hub."
The Duke of Salonica Latin was one of the most powerful vassals in the Storm Kingdom, known for his defiance of the crown.
"I suspect the Duke has already learned of Gus Pasha's demise," Warwick added.
Su Nan skimmed the letters, indifferent. The Duke's domain was far from Maple Leaf Town, and the feudal hierarchy of the Storm Kingdom ensured that any overt aggression would provoke backlash from the crown and other lords.
Still, Su Nan saw an opportunity. "If the Duke decides to meddle, it will make an excellent field test for my new potions."
Elsewhere, in a remote village bordering Simon Baron's impoverished lands, a peasant's door rattled with a series of knocks. Cautiously, the man opened it—only to find no one outside.
A chill ran down his spine as a voice echoed from inside his home.
"I've traveled far, searching for someone," the voice said. "A boy named Su Nan Peter. His father took something from me long ago, and it's time I reclaim it."
The room grew cold, and the peasant shivered as the voice turned impatient.
"It seems you don't know him," the voice concluded.
And then silence.
The peasant collapsed to his
knees, unable to comprehend the supernatural encounter.
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