Chapter 427: Gratifying Progress

Seeing Lan Zao immersed in the new training regimen, Shuang Tu summoned another magic recording to study repeatedly.

The footage captured the entire battle between Ba Qi and Cai Jing.

Shuang Tu paused the magic recording at the final scene, his brow furrowing as he scrutinized it with heightened focus.

As the dust settled, giant trumpet flowers stood towering around Magician Cai Jing, continuously spewing streams of multicolored potions. Beneath where the flowers took root, the earth's surface cracked open, revealing a hidden subterranean chamber.

Shuang Tu recognized Cai Jing's trumpet flowers and understood the effects of the mixed potions.

“Each giant trumpet flower costs at least 100 gold to create, with daily maintenance expenses of roughly one gold.”

“Cai Jing has planted over a dozen here, and there should be more underground.”

“After arriving on Flower Skirt Island, he traveled across the island for over a month before settling in the southern region. Since then, he's lived in seclusion, publicly claiming to conduct alchemy experiments.”

“But even an alchemy laboratory wouldn't require cultivating this many giant trumpet flowers.”

"Investing such immense resources into defenses... it seems my earlier suspicions were correct. Cai Jing has discovered that legacy and has been secretly developing it all along."

Shuang Tu had been lurking on Flower Skirt Island even before Cai Jing arrived.

Though expelled from the Alchemy Guild, Cai Jing remained the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's most notorious forger, every move he made drew scrutiny.

His disguise was convincing; to avoid suspicion, he even recruited a local youngster as his potion apprentice.

Yet he could not deceive the intelligence organization to which Shuang Tu belonged. Through subtle clues, the organization had long suspected Cai Jing was probing the Flower Skirt Island's legacy.

This legacy originated from a legendary druid, it was the druid who transformed the uninhabited wasteland into the present-day Flower Skirt Island.

Approaching Cai Jing and attempting to seize this legacy was Shuang Tu's most significant mission.

Thus, this time, Shuang Tu employed Ba Qi to probe Cai Jing's true intentions, conveniently eliminating Sang Shu's son in the process.

The latter was Cai Jing's sole apprentice on Flower Skirt Island!

“Now, we simply await Cai Jing recruiting a new apprentice,” Shuang Tu murmured, his eyes gleaming with a sinister light.

He had been preparing for this moment for a long time.

As the proprietor of Flower Skirt Island's largest medical clinic, Shuang Tu commanded the largest pool of druid and magician apprentices.

This was the inherent racial advantage of elves.

Their innate aptitude for magic was far more widespread than among humans, dwarves, or other races.

According to Shuang Tu's calculations, Cai Jing wouldn't recruit silver level apprentices, such a rank already posed a threat to gold level practitioners.

But bronze level and iron level apprentices? Shuang Tu had the most under his command. Not only that, he had secretly cultivated and supported several promising seeds outside his direct influence.

Shuang Tu gazed toward the southern part of the island, murmuring, "If there's no opportunity, create one. May this time yield favorable progress."

At the same time.

"The opportunity has been presented. Whether you seize it rests solely with you. You may leave." Cai Jing delivered his final instruction to Sang Shu.

“Yes, sir.” Sang Shu withdrew, “I shall see this matter through!”

Among all the silver level individuals on Flower Skirt Island, he maintained the closest ties with Cai Jing.

This was primarily because his son had been chosen by Cai Jing to serve as a potion apprentice for a period.

During this time, Sang Shu also procured vast quantities of alchemy materials and magic plant seeds for Cai Jing.

Backed by the gold level expert, he gradually rose to become the highest-ranking silver level administrator on Flower Skirt Island.

But now, his son was dead!

He himself had narrowly escaped death at Ba Qi's hands, had Cai Jing not intervened.

He witnessed the battle between Cai Jing and Ba Qi. Ba Qi hadn't been defeated; ultimately, both Cai Jing and Ba Qi had ceased fighting. This outcome left Sang Shu deeply disappointed, but as a silver level, he could only bide his time and remember his hatred.

When Cai Jing summoned him, he dragged his wounded body and immediately accepted the new orders.

His son was dead, his enemy stood before him, yet he was powerless to avenge him.

Instead, he had to fulfill the task Cai Jing had assigned him: recruiting new potion apprentices.

"This time, Master Cai Jing wants to recruit twenty apprentices. Twenty... and that's the minimum requirement. As Master Cai Jing said, the more potion apprentices, the better!"

Sang Shu knew he couldn't accomplish this task alone.

Therefore, he decided to contact other administrators first.

The foremost among them was Shuang Tu, who ran the largest medical clinic on Flower Skirt Island.

“Twenty potion apprentices, and the more the better?” Upon meeting Sang Shu, Shuang Tu's face darkened at the news.

“On Flower Skirt Island, only you, Shuang Tu, have the largest number of druid apprentices and magician apprentices,” Sang Shu explained. “On the account of our long friendship, I earnestly seek your help.”

Sang Shu assumed Shuang Tu would refuse.

In his view, if Master Cai Jing lured away these apprentices under Shuang Tu's command, they'd likely never return to work at the clinic.

Little did he know, Shuang Tu was genuinely thrilled inside.

He'd assumed Master Cai Jing would recruit just one apprentice, maybe two or three at most.

“I never imagined he'd recruit so many at once... It seems Cai Jing is growing impatient.” After a moment's thought, Shuang Tu grasped the reason.

Cai Jing had been secretly probing the inheritance site, but after his recent clash with Ba Qi, he sensed his cover was blown. Now he was racing against time, desperate to seize that inheritance.

Though he grasped this, Shuang Tu didn't immediately agree. Instead, he shook his head in refusal: "Every apprentice here has undergone my rigorous screening and long-term cultivation. The entire clinic's operations depend on them. I won't agree to this partnership; it offers me nothing but harm."

Sang Shu hurriedly explained.

Shuang Tu remained unyielding at first, but as Sang Shu kept raising the stakes, his tone softened.

Sang Shu, energized, pressed on, bargaining with Shuang Tu.

He knew securing Shuang Tu's cooperation meant completing over half the mission!

Half an hour later, Sang Shu and Shuang Tu reached an agreement. Though the price paid was steep, Sang Shu had ultimately achieved his objective.

Sang Shu left the clinic with a sense of triumph.

Shuang Tu was equally pleased. Sang Shu's initiative to negotiate had played right into his hands: “This time, we've made truly substantial progress.”

Meanwhile, in the distant Blood Kin City, Zi Di had also made breakthroughs in her research on the alchemy puppet fragments.

These fragments and shards originated from the battle in the Cold Wind Valley.

After their ambush failed, the gold level fighter and light magician had retreated, abandoning numerous alchemy puppets to hinder the enemy's advance.

After these puppets were destroyed, Zi Di collected all the remaining fragments.

Upon arriving in Blood Kin City, Zi Di first took over the shop, then established a partnership with the Axe Gang. Following that, she observed the market and began researching these spoils of war.

“This is a magic model for the Freezing Spell...” Zi Di held a small, round bead in her hand.

The bead was ice-blue and translucent, revealing countless intricate magic runes shimmering faintly within.

“It's hard to imagine what kind of alchemy technology could condense a Freezing magic model into such a tiny space,” Zi Di murmured in genuine awe, despite her limited alchemy knowledge.

“This is the very culprit responsible for our heaviest casualties!”

When the alchemy puppets were destroyed, they often detonated, instantly freezing enemies caught off guard within blocks of ice.

Even shattering the ice proved futile. For in the instant of the explosion, they were frozen to death.

As for resurrection methods, Zi Di possessed none.

The most basic Resurrection required at least a bishop clergyman to cast.

"Thankfully we acquired the Small Thunder God Flying Hammer. Its attack effect prevented all the alchemy puppets from detonating. Otherwise, our casualties would have been far heavier."

“If my guess is correct, this should be a modified version of the Ice Explosion Orb,” Zi Di's eyes flashed with sharp insight.

The Ice Explosion Orb was a throwing weapon roughly the size of an adult's fist. It could create an explosion, instantly freezing and killing enemies within a certain range.

Although the orb in Zi Di's hand was only the size of a baby's fist, the similarities between the two were striking.

Over time, Zi Di had gained deeper insight into the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's affairs.

She understood: the kingdom's military alchemy technology stemmed almost entirely from frost-based magic.

The Ice Explosion Orb's origin lay in the Freezing Spell.

“The Thin Ice Wall Shield used by Teng Dong Lang in his heroic duel evolved from the Ice Wall Spell.”

"And the Ice Spike Bayonets widely issued throughout the kingdom are alchemy weapons developed from the Ice Spear Spell. In peacetime, they function as spearheads or daggers for thrusting attacks. In critical moments, they can be launched as projectiles. Upon striking a target, they often inflict penetrating wounds."

The Ice Explosion Orb, Thin Wall Ice Shield, and Ice Spike Bayonet are all signature equipment of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's military.

"So, this small Ice Explosion Orb in my hand is actually a military product? Developed from the Ice Explosion Orb specifically for alchemy puppets? Was it developed specifically for alchemy puppets, based on the Ice Explosion Orb?” Zi Di couldn't help but speculate.

“Could the ones ambushing us be military personnel?”

Zi Di shook her head slightly, dismissing the possibility.

The Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps and the Ice Sculpture Kingdom's military not only lacked conflict but actually collaborated.

The Li Jian Clan, currently their partner, controlled the Second Navy.

“If not the military, then the most likely scenario is that the enemy obtained this military level item through some other means.”

“Perhaps certain black markets?” Zi Di speculated silently.

If the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps could leverage the Snow Bird Harbor City Lord's connections to procure “decommissioned warships” from the kingdom's black market, why couldn't others obtain these small Ice Explosion Orbs?

“Another possibility is that these small Ice Explosion Orbs are privately modified,” Zi Di's thoughts raced.

“We need to investigate...”

For her, the best outcome would be that no such goods were sold on the market, and the small Ice Explosion Orbs were indeed privately modified products.

In that case, this lead would be highly valuable.

Given future opportunities, Zi Di and her companions could follow the trail to uncover the true identity of the enemies who ambushed them.

But if these small Ice Explosion Orbs were already circulating widely on the black market, then this lead would be useless.