Chapter 105: Discussion, Underground Treasure Vault, Selecting Magic Materials

"Lord Jier, who initiates a war and why—this often determines the scale and trajectory of a war."

The Butler summarized.

He gave an example: "Like a civilian riot, the scale and trajectory are determined by whether the initiators are rural folk who feel oppressed, or citizens within a town. You should be able to imagine that a riot initiated by villagers in the countryside will mostly end within the village. But the change in ownership of local land is usually permanent—because those who previously owned the land mostly died in the riot. Its scale is generally not large, because most farmers in a village find it difficult to travel to places several days away from their own village."

"This limits the scale of rural riots."

Jier nodded upon hearing this, somewhat grasping the other's meaning.

The Butler continued: "And because the region is relatively limited, the internal violence of such riots is very severe; the dominant side will completely destroy the weaker side, leaving no mercy and no way out. By the time the Knight Lords arrive with troops, half a month has often passed, and by then, everything is too late. Even catching the relevant people is useless. Because the change of land ownership within the village has already been completely finalized, even if a group of people is taken away and dealt with, their relevant family members have already obtained the new land."

At this moment, they had already walked into the underground area of the Sasi Family; being deep underground, the space was actually quite open, and it branched into three paths: left, middle, and right.

The Butler stopped everyone and had the following Soldiers turn their backs to the fork in the road to wait there. He even issued an order: "If I do not return alive in a while, or if I am injured, please attack Knight Jier and his men, and send one person to notify the others outside."

The Soldiers were somewhat bewildered, but they still agreed. Jier was noncommittal about this, as it was clearly a precautionary measure, fearing that he, the party with the superior force, might develop other ideas after seeing a large amount of valuable Magic Material in a moment. But Bawei was extremely nervous; he even stiffened in place, fearing that any unnecessary movement on his part would trigger a series of unwanted accidents.

But he overthought it; Jier and the Butler both had calm expressions. As the Butler took out a key and activated or deactivated certain mechanisms in a groove on the wall at the fork, the two of them continued their previous topic as if they were just chatting over a meal.

"Then what about riots by town citizens? They should be quite different, right?" Jier asked, watching curiously as the Butler opened certain mechanisms in the middle of the passage and closed the defensive mechanisms on the left and right passages. His sensitive ears could hear the various sounds of the relevant mechanisms being opened and closed under the road and inside the walls, which was quite interesting.

The Butler nodded: "Yes, quite different."

He then explained: "Personnel in towns are complex and social conditions are chaotic; for a riot of a certain scale to break out, it is often because one or more social strata or groups are dissatisfied with the relevant distribution of benefits. You understand what I mean by this, right?"

Because Jier was young, looking only seventeen or eighteen years old, the Butler asked specifically.

Jier nodded, indicating he understood.

The Butler took it that Jier understood and continued: "Citizens in towns are mostly well-connected, have more experience, and possess the ability to travel to surrounding towns alone or leading a team. Therefore, most riots within towns will affect multiple towns, which is often not a small matter."

"But at the same time, towns usually have lords present, and Knights can suppress them nearby; this is one of the reasons why the intensity of town riots is not high. Another reason is that when citizens riot, the participants mostly hold different demands."

The Butler led the two toward the left passage: "Some people just want to take advantage of the chaos to make a profit; such people usually withdraw consciously once the situation stabilizes. Others are simply dissatisfied with the relevant distribution of benefits and incite others to riot together, but once the Knights arrive, they realize they will lose more benefits if they are hit, especially their own lives, so these people mostly put down their weapons and take the initiative to negotiate."

"They want negotiations, right? The so-called riot is mostly just a 'tool' or means to show their dissatisfaction and show that they should receive more benefits, right?" Jier said.

The Butler looked at Jier with surprise, not expecting this young man to really understand what he was saying. In the past, when he explained these things to Young Master Bell, Bell either didn't understand or wasn't willing to learn these things.

The young man preferred to go out and play or find interesting things to do.

"Yes, Lord Jier. Town riots generally do not have strong confrontation, and most participants have various purposes when participating. Except for the participation of the last type of person—this last type of person simply likes chaotic situations and wanton destruction; as long as one pays attention to the activities of such people, one can limit the town riot to a certain range. And these people are also the ones that the Knights responsible for suppression need to strike hard against."

After walking a few dozen meters, the Butler had the two stop again.

This passage looked ordinary, but the Butler took out a metal key and turned it in an inconspicuous groove on the side, closing the defensive mechanism ahead.

Truly insidious; the Sasi Family had the relevant defensive mechanisms in this passage divided into two different groups. If someone thought that by closing all the mechanisms at the fork they were safe, they would be in for a real misfortune.

The three continued to walk forward, and after only ten meters, at a turn, they saw a treasure vault of valuables belonging to the Sasi Family located underground.

Most of this was a wall; if someone came here without knowing, they would only think they had taken the wrong path.

In fact, for the wall that looked like stone bricks, the Butler took out the key, twisted it in the gaps of the stone bricks, and then pushed, opening a small door.

Seeing Jier and the other about to follow him in, the Butler stopped them: "Lord Jier, please wait a moment. This is not the treasure vault yet; this is an enclosed entry room, and only one person can enter at a time. Please wait a moment, it will be quick."

After saying this, the Butler walked into the small door and closed it; in less than ten seconds, he came out again.

And this time when he came out, the front stone wall next to him, which previously looked like a dead end, opened diagonally backward.

Revealing a room behind it filled with boxes.

"Please enter; this is the treasure vault of valuables where various Magic Materials are stored. On every box containing Magic Materials, there is a metal plate with the name, use, and value of the items inside."

In the room containing dozens of Wooden Boxes, the air was a bit stuffy; clearly, other than the door that had just been opened, there was no ventilation here. Lighting also relied solely on a lighting mechanism that the Butler turned on after entering to provide temporary illumination.

It was extremely quiet here; it was originally located underground, and there were thick walls surrounding it to block everything. Aside from the footsteps and breathing of Jier and the others, there wasn't the slightest extra sound.

This made Bawei appear very uneasy; just now, when he was walking in the passage that should have been full of defensive mechanisms, he seemed jumpy, as if he were afraid that those mechanisms would malfunction and kill him, an outsider visiting for the first time.

It was really him overthinking; Jier was right here, how could he possibly die by accident?

"Let me see, Red Copper, mostly used for making weapons, can increase the toughness of weapons. Two kilograms, ninety-two years of the Kingdom, two Kingdom Gold Coins per one hundred grams."

Jier read out the content on the metal plate on the nearest box, and then he looked at Bawei beside him: "Want some? This is one of the main materials for many weapons; weapons lacking this material are hard enough, but not flexible enough, not durable enough."

Bawei was much better now; he watched as Jier casually opened this unlocked Wooden Box and took out the standard-sized reddish-brown metal blocks inside.

"Hmm, exactly one hundred grams per piece. But such a small piece, who can use it? Bawei, if you want an axe, you'll need at least two pieces of this Magic Material, right?"

Bawei didn't understand either, so whatever Jier said was what it was: "I will listen to you."

Jier then took two one-hundred-gram pieces of Red Copper and placed them in Bawei's hands: "That's four Gold Coins. Hold onto them."

Bawei also immediately handed the four Gold Coins to the Butler who was watching nearby.

The Butler nodded and accepted them, saying to Jier: "Does Lord Jier not want some Red Copper? Just as you said, this is a Magic Material needed in almost all high-performance weapons."

Jier then also took one kilogram of Red Copper, but didn't carry it on his person, instead placing it on the open ground in the middle of the treasure vault.

One kilogram of Red Copper was worth twenty Gold Coins.

Then there were the multiple boxes of Black Iron Magic Material nearby; there was no need to say anything about this, as it was half the price of Red Copper, only one Gold Coin per one hundred grams. To be honest, compared to Kendall County, the things here were cheaper and more numerous.

At the time when Jier reforged his Hunting Sword, the Magic Materials he could buy were a small batch specifically opened up for him by the upper echelons of Kendall County.

It was basically only enough for him to buy one set of materials for a long sword.

In fact, that was the case.

But now it was different; the Southern Province was not the remote Northwest Province, and this place was inherently a place rich in resources. That was why Jier could see box after box of Wooden Boxes containing Magic Materials.

And this was only one of the three passages at the fork; the other two places clearly also had important items no less significant than those here.

Just looking at this, the foundation of the Sasi Family was still very strong.

"Want some Black Iron? This is the main material for forging weapons, it's indispensable," Jier said to Bawei.

Bawei initially only took a few pieces of Black Iron, about five hundred grams, and Jier took another portion for him: "One kilogram, ten Gold Coins. When you go back and find some good steel, melt it and add these two types of Magic Materials, and you can immediately get a powerful weapon. However, you will need to re-adapt to the weight of the new weapon."

Bawei immediately nodded and handed the ten Gold Coins to the Butler.

This time, without the Butler needing to remind him, Jier directly carried a box of Black Iron to the middle of the treasure vault. He opened it and counted; a box of Black Iron blocks had about fifty square-shaped Black Iron pieces, which was five kilograms, fifty Gold Coins.

These boxes were not large, and the materials used were sturdy; even if they weren't used to hold Magic Materials, they could be used to hold other important documents or items.

The boxes had built-in locks, and as long as the two thick and sturdy metal bars were fastened with a Lock, it would not be easy for anyone to destroy them from the outside.

"Let's keep looking; this is a good opportunity. I need to prepare the materials for my new Knight Armor," Jier said casually.

At this moment, the Butler pointed to several Wooden Boxes in the room and said to Jier, "I didn't know your requirements earlier, Jier, so I didn't say much. Now that I know you are seeking materials to craft armor, these few are quite suitable. They are all self-produced Magic Materials provided by the various churches in town. The quantity is not small, and each has its own use; they are very suitable for crafting an excellent Knight Armor."

"I have previously seen the Baron discussing various designs and ideas while talking with other Knights about their armor. Those designs came from master blacksmiths in the Province Capital, and I think some of that experience would be quite suitable for you."

"Oh, let me see. Bawei, you pick out the remaining materials yourself. You already have the main material for your new axe; now is the time when you need some special materials to give the weapon some special abilities. But remember the price of the materials."

After Jier finished speaking, he went to inspect the new materials the Butler had pointed out.

As for Bawei, he was in a miserable state; he was not very literate, and he could only recognize some of the dense, small characters on the metal plates on the boxes. However, he did recognize all the words and vocabulary regarding the prices of the Magic Materials at the end.

【Sunlight Iron】: Steel blessed and crafted by Church Priests of the Sun God Church using a large amount of Divine Power. When exposed to sunlight, the properties of the material are enhanced. It possesses strong positive energy, can expel evil spirits, and resist Curses.

"I'll buy it. Resisting Curses—a suit of armor really needs this function."

Jier thought of the situation when everyone was cursed by the Alien Evil God while dealing with it earlier. If it hadn't been for the Magic Arrow above everyone's heads that was continuously absorbing the power of the Curse, he estimated that everyone would have suffered heavy losses.

Therefore, such a Magic Material that can resist Curses is clearly a must-have.

It's just that the price of this item is not low; every 100 grams is worth five Gold Coins.

Jier took 500 grams—half a jin—deciding to use it on the inner side of the armor as a whole, not counting on this material to resist attacks from the outside, but to protect against Curses where it touches the body.

【Vitality Wood Plank】: A wood-core material obtained after the Agricultural God Church collects blessed trees and fells them. It can provide continuous vitality and energy to those holding it or staying near it.

Jier tested the condition of this material and found that its effect was even better than described. When pressed against his face, his cheeks felt very comfortable; because it provided extra vitality to the body, it could even promote the self-healing ability of parts of the body. At the same time, as wood blessed by the Agricultural God's Divine Power, the material itself is not only tough but also has considerable elasticity, making it very suitable for use as a cushioning lining for armor.

No need to say more, buy it!

Jier moved a box of this material. Each small Wooden Box contained dozens of these 【Vitality Wood Plank】s, each worth one Gold Coin.

That was another few dozen Gold Coins spent.

【Blessing Coin】: This is clearly a material provided by the Church of the God of Wealth. Looking at the description, this item can make the person carrying it more spirited, thereby earning more wealth. And when installed on weapons or equipment, it can strengthen the overall performance of the weapon or equipment. One such small 【Blessing Coin】 must be exchanged for five larger and heavier Kingdom Gold Coins.

Uh, this Church of the God of Wealth is really good at making money.

However, the effect of this Magic Material is very vague, and Jier couldn't perceive anything, so he could only trust the description and took one out. After all, this was a suggestion given by the Butler, who is clearly the person in charge of handling these Magic Materials; the other party has the most say in what is good and what is not.

Even if it were just to give the other party some face, Jier would take one of these.

Seeing that Jier only took one 【Blessing Coin】, the Butler couldn't help but remind him: "Jier, this is a rare and useful item. Many high-level personnel in Merchant Guilds familiar with the Church of the God of Wealth carry this with them. And if you use it in the crafting of weapons or equipment, it will not disappoint you."

"Oh? Really?"

Jier was a bit skeptical, but he believed the other party's words. After all, since people in the Merchant Guild use it as something like an amulet, even if it doesn't have any effect on weapons or equipment, Jier estimated that he wouldn't lose money just by selling it elsewhere later.

Therefore, Jier grabbed a handful of these 【Blessing Coin】s, about fifteen of them. That was a total of 75 Gold Coins right there.

Now, Jier only had 10 Gold Coins left in his exchange quota.

He looked at the last box the Butler had pointed out. This item gave Jier an uncomfortable feeling from afar. When he got close and opened it, he discovered that it was actually a Magic Material provided by the Church of the God of the Dead.

【Death Half-Face】: This is a decorative, strengthening Magic Material made by the Church of the God of the Dead by selecting half of the front face of a Monster killed by Knight Lords in previous years and removing the flesh. When installed on weapons or equipment, it can deter the encroachment of death, has a mental suppression effect on living beings, and provides a certain amount of extra defense on the surface.

One is worth five Gold Coins.

"This thing..."

Jier found it hard to comment on this item.

But since there was a quota of 10 Gold Coins left anyway, he took two of them directly.

However, there were only four pale, monstrous faces of inconsistent styles in this box to begin with.

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