62 Lustful Hands and Alcohol Part 1 (1/2)

Black puppets were poisonous, but their venom was not particularly potent. Both the Holy See’s holy water and a mage’s restorative water could restore a person’s health drastically after coming into contact with them.

However, there was a shelf life for both liquids. Restorative water usually lasted for ten to fifteen days before slowly losing its powers while holy water lasted a little longer but also could not exceed a month.

The grand mage in the castle had left more than a year ago and the restorative water that he had left behind had long since lost its effects.

”Baron, restorative water has a better effect. However…”

Baron Cook could not have been bothered with anything else and asked, ”Do you need magic nuclei?”

”Yes, I’m only a Grade 1 mage. If I have magic nuclei to restore my magic chords, I can create a large amount of restorative water.” Saleen was thinking. Since Aini had gotten something out of creating the alchemy arrowheads, he needed to get his hands on some Grade 5 magic nuclei to avoid losing out.

”Alright. Send ten magic nuclei for the mage,” Baron Cook shouted

Saleen was shocked and immediately understood. Baron Cook had long since been prepared and had been waiting for him to make his request. Saleen looked at Baron Cook’s angular face. He was starting to despise this wealthy man.

”Mage Saleen, besides the restorative water, I desperately need some healing medicine too. You can use the laboratories however you like; any losses will be on me.”

Saleen nodded and said, ”Send a large water jar to the laboratory and do not disturb me. It will be enough for Sika to accompany me.”

It did not take long for everything to be prepared. Saleen shut the doors to the magic laboratory, stored the ten Grade 5 magic nuclei in his Ring of Gifts, and got down to work making the restorative water.

Restorative water was a Grade 1 magic and a typical mage would be able to make five hundred grams each time. Since Saleen’s magic chords had been altered, he could now create four times that amount. In addition, he had twice the number of magic chords of a normal mage and hence was equivalent to eight Grade 1 mages making restorative water at the same time.

Rapidly making eight times the amount, it was only right that he kept a little reward for himself. Saleen was secretly happy with himself. Even though his magic chords had flaws, he also had advantages that others did not.

Saleen only required a Grade 3 magic nucleus to restore his magic chords. He cast his magic consecutively, creating a whole jar of restorative water at once. Grabbing a magic nucleus, he began to restore his magic chords.

He did not have many Grade 3 nuclei left and besides those that he had bought for himself, the rest that had been given to him by Viscount Gugger had been used up. The Grade 5 magic nuclei that he had on hand had been given to him by Nailisi.

A Grade 1 mage using a Grade 5 magic nucleus was a waste and hence Saleen was reluctant to use them. Even though he owned a countless number of gemstones, he was still living life frugally. The trauma from his childhood was not easy to erase. If one had needed to go with a hungry stomach for more than ten years, once he became rich, he would either waste all of it or be as stingy as he could.

Saleen could cast twenty-four Grade 1 magic spells in succession but stopped after creating twenty portions of restorative water, saving some of his magic chords to use to defend himself.

This was a practice that all mages abided by and it was not only Saleen. Unless they were in their own magic tower, a mage would rarely use up all of their magic chords.

Sika carried the full jar of water to the doorway and opened the door, letting the soldiers who were waiting outside carry it away.

One of the soldiers waiting outside turned out to be a swordmaster under Sijia. At first, he had been a little upset. Saleen was only a Grade 1 mage and Baron Cook was being too generous with him. On top of that, Saleen and Aini had also created a mess of the magic laboratories and if the grand mage were to return, there would not be pleasant times ahead.

However, upon seeing the speed at which Saleen was creating the restorative water, the swordmaster felt that everything had been worth it. He immediately ordered the rest of the soldiers to place the jar in a metal box and send it to the infirmary to treat the poisoned soldiers.

The castle had an infirmary. It was large and there were already hundreds of soldiers lying wounded in there. Dozens of strong servants had been poisoned by the black puppets as well.

Although a black puppet’s poison was not fatal, it could cause severe pain and even the most experienced soldiers were unable to endure it. The room was filled with the sounds of pained moaning. In the olden days, the army of the Fourth Dynasty had fallen because of this. Many of the soldiers had lost their fighting spirit after seeing their comrades screaming in pain.

Most of the soldiers were not afraid of death. They were, however, afraid of endless torture.

Up on the walls of the castle, Sijia was commanding the battle. She had already defended against dozens of the enemy’s assaults and was both physically and mentally exhausted. The scarecrows came in like ocean waves. Their actions were clumsy, but as soon as they reached the foot of the castle, they could leap over the walls with one jump.

The crudely made alchemy arrowheads could effectively kill these black puppets. As long as the arrows landed, the scarecrows’s bodies would explode and the black flames would instantly burn them to ashes.