[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence":3,"chapter-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-124":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Warlord: Starting with Daily Intelligence",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2338587,4572,"Chapter 124: The True Value of the Blue-Scaled Beast!","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-124",124,"\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rise, all of you. I’ve heard the crossbows and ballistae are finished?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Master!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There, quietly placed in the courtyard, were the ballistae brought back from the sea ships.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But their bases had been replaced with wooden frames fitted with four wheels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This way, during battle, the ballistae could be moved freely—especially in open-field combat, where they could be wheeled forward alongside infantry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four men made up one ballista team, with the one aiming serving as team leader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the blacksmiths’ demonstration, Gervas watched the winch draw the string—smooth as silk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excellent, Chief Blacksmith Lucas. Have your other blacksmiths and carpenters fully studied this ballista’s craftsmanship?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good! I look forward to your creation of the first ballista of Stormhold!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Gervas awarded each craftsman a reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both blacksmiths and carpenters had contributed greatly, so their rewards were equal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only difference in reward amounts came from the distinction between serfs and slaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no helping it—though Gervas wished to treat everyone equally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if he did, both serfs and slaves might start slacking off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, in this backward world where nobles ruled, some differential treatment was essential to motivate his people to work hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wizard’s workshop lay farther from the inner keep because wizards experimented with magical materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, wizards were a branch of mages, and thus preferred quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Placing them in a secluded spot was only natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon learning of Gervas’s arrival, Isabella joyfully welcomed him into her chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since helping him break through his cultivation barrier last time, the lord had barely visited her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This left Isabella both disappointed and moved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her disappointment stemmed from having received so much from Lord Gervas—she longed to help him more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such grace, she could never repay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wizard Isabella, I hear you extracted a concentrated liquid from the scales of the Inferno Blue-Scaled Sea Beast that aids cultivation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, my lord. Any sea beast or demonic beast containing magical energy can yield such a concentrated liquid!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But in the past, most demonic or sea beasts stored their magic in flesh and blood—so direct consumption sufficed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After study, I’ve finally discovered a way to suppress the explosion!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Isabella explained her findings to Gervas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scales, when placed upon the Inferno Blue-Scaled Beast’s flesh, would not explode even if damaged!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing this, Isabella could safely dismantle the beast’s scales and extract the concentrated liquid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Gervas saw the blue, translucent liquid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh? So we could get thousands of doses equivalent to basic Qi cultivation potions?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holy hell! Gervas blurted out, “Holy hell!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not just because of the sheer volume of magical liquid, but also because of his recognition of Isabella’s diligent work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These three thousand doses of “basic Qi cultivation potion” were likely the greatest gain from harvesting the sea beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas himself could never consume them all—even one per day would take ten years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, these basic cultivation potions only worked on those below Silver Knight rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he could distribute them daily to his knights to rapidly boost their strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, I can extract about a hundred doses per day—roughly a year to finish.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isabella, don’t rush. Extract the liquid, but ensure you still have enough time for your own cultivation!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isabella’s soft sip of her red-lipped tea brought another wave of emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had no idea that Gervas, having witnessed the tactics of capitalist bosses in his past life, had picked up a few tricks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood Isabella’s nature: the more she felt indebted, the harder she worked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isabella, this concentrated liquid will greatly benefit Stormhold—you’ve rendered it a tremendous service. Tell me, what reward do you desire?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gervas’s firm tone filled Isabella with warmth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Gervas turned to leave, she suddenly remembered something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, besides the concentrated liquid, I’ve also obtained these dangerous powders—may I ask how to handle them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dangerous powder?” Gervas blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Isabella demonstrated exactly how dangerous it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A loud BOOM echoed in the castle’s side courtyard; Gervas’s eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If ignited by fire, they still explode!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Holy hell! Gervas blurted again, “Holy hell!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this an alternate-world biological gunpowder?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all this, the world’s gunpowder grew on sea beasts!\u003C\u002Fp>",1034,"2026-06-20T22:44:01.160Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","372d9eae7888fafda102db14321d24f8a099d6c59265f8de7ee4a0be33378af3","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-125","warlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-chapter-123",521,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fwarlord-starting-with-daily-intelligence-cover.jpg"]