Chapter 124: The True Value of the Blue-Scaled Beast!

Hearing this news, Gervas could no longer sit still; he finished his egg custard, grabbed a white bread roll, and hurried toward the workshop on the castle’s side.

The nearest workshops to the inner keep were the blacksmith’s and the carpenter’s, as both carried low risk, and Gervas often visited them.

“My lord!”

“Master!”

“Rise, all of you. I’ve heard the crossbows and ballistae are finished?”

“Yes, Master!”

Then the blacksmiths and carpenters first fetched eleven newly forged crossbows from the warehouse, and led Gervas to the back courtyard of the blacksmith’s workshop.

There, quietly placed in the courtyard, were the ballistae brought back from the sea ships.

But their bases had been replaced with wooden frames fitted with four wheels.

This way, during battle, the ballistae could be moved freely—especially in open-field combat, where they could be wheeled forward alongside infantry.

More importantly, a winch had been mounted on the wooden frame; with this winch and its pulling cables, even a single ordinary person could draw the bowstring.

Of course, one person was only for extreme cases; Gervas’s current setup called for two to operate the winch, one to load, and one to aim and give orders.

Four men made up one ballista team, with the one aiming serving as team leader.

Under the blacksmiths’ demonstration, Gervas watched the winch draw the string—smooth as silk.

“Excellent, Chief Blacksmith Lucas. Have your other blacksmiths and carpenters fully studied this ballista’s craftsmanship?”

“My lord, we’ve essentially mastered every aspect of its construction. With our crossbow experience, if given a little more time, we’ll surely satisfy you!”

“Good! I look forward to your creation of the first ballista of Stormhold!”

Then Gervas awarded each craftsman a reward.

Both blacksmiths and carpenters had contributed greatly, so their rewards were equal.

The only difference in reward amounts came from the distinction between serfs and slaves.

There was no helping it—though Gervas wished to treat everyone equally.

But if he did, both serfs and slaves might start slacking off.

Thus, in this backward world where nobles ruled, some differential treatment was essential to motivate his people to work hard.

…

“My lord!”

The wizard’s workshop lay farther from the inner keep because wizards experimented with magical materials.

Moreover, wizards were a branch of mages, and thus preferred quiet.

Placing them in a secluded spot was only natural.

Upon learning of Gervas’s arrival, Isabella joyfully welcomed him into her chamber.

Since helping him break through his cultivation barrier last time, the lord had barely visited her.

This left Isabella both disappointed and moved.

Her disappointment stemmed from having received so much from Lord Gervas—she longed to help him more.

Her emotion came from the fact that this lord, despite giving so much, let her idle and cultivate freely—truly out of compassion in taking her in.

Such grace, she could never repay.

“Wizard Isabella, I hear you extracted a concentrated liquid from the scales of the Inferno Blue-Scaled Sea Beast that aids cultivation?”

“Yes, my lord. Any sea beast or demonic beast containing magical energy can yield such a concentrated liquid!”

“But in the past, most demonic or sea beasts stored their magic in flesh and blood—so direct consumption sufficed.”

“Yet as you said, the Inferno Blue-Scaled Sea Beast’s magic resides within its scales, and when its body is damaged, the scales explode!”

“After study, I’ve finally discovered a way to suppress the explosion!”

Then Isabella explained her findings to Gervas.

The scales, when placed upon the Inferno Blue-Scaled Beast’s flesh, would not explode even if damaged!

Knowing this, Isabella could safely dismantle the beast’s scales and extract the concentrated liquid.

Then Gervas saw the blue, translucent liquid.

“My lord, ten scales yield one cup of this concentrated liquid, and one cup provides magical energy equal to one jin of second-rank demonic beast meat.”

“Oh? So we could get thousands of doses equivalent to basic Qi cultivation potions?”

“My lord, this liquid extracted from the scales is extremely pure—it truly matches the basic Qi cultivation potion. Precisely, there are three thousand cups, as I’ve counted: this Inferno Blue-Scaled Beast had roughly thirty thousand scales!”

Holy hell! Gervas blurted out, “Holy hell!”

Not just because of the sheer volume of magical liquid, but also because of his recognition of Isabella’s diligent work.

These three thousand doses of “basic Qi cultivation potion” were likely the greatest gain from harvesting the sea beast.

Gervas himself could never consume them all—even one per day would take ten years.

Moreover, these basic cultivation potions only worked on those below Silver Knight rank.

So he could distribute them daily to his knights to rapidly boost their strength.

“My lord, I can extract about a hundred doses per day—roughly a year to finish.”

“Isabella, don’t rush. Extract the liquid, but ensure you still have enough time for your own cultivation!”

Isabella’s soft sip of her red-lipped tea brought another wave of emotion.

She had no idea that Gervas, having witnessed the tactics of capitalist bosses in his past life, had picked up a few tricks.

He understood Isabella’s nature: the more she felt indebted, the harder she worked.

“Isabella, this concentrated liquid will greatly benefit Stormhold—you’ve rendered it a tremendous service. Tell me, what reward do you desire?”

The wave of favor struck hard; Isabella’s eyes shimmered as she looked at Gervas. “My lord, I already owe you too much—I need no reward!”

Gervas frowned slightly. “Then I’ll provide you with a week’s supply of demonic beast meat from the kitchen for your body’s nourishment.”

Gervas’s firm tone filled Isabella with warmth.

As Gervas turned to leave, she suddenly remembered something.

“My lord, besides the concentrated liquid, I’ve also obtained these dangerous powders—may I ask how to handle them?”

“Dangerous powder?” Gervas blinked.

Then Isabella demonstrated exactly how dangerous it was.

A loud BOOM echoed in the castle’s side courtyard; Gervas’s eyes widened.

“My lord, though I extracted most of the magical energy, it wasn’t one hundred percent—these scale powders still retain about one-third of the original magic.”

“If ignited by fire, they still explode!”

Holy hell! Gervas blurted again, “Holy hell!”

Was this an alternate-world biological gunpowder?

After all this, the world’s gunpowder grew on sea beasts!