"Sigh, if only our territory had someone who could prepare magical soil."
Vaerik sat behind his desk, his fingers unconsciously tapping the tabletop, his tone sounding like a casual complaint.
But his gaze occasionally swept toward Hilco, who was sitting at a small desk nearby.
Hilco was bent over, writing rapidly, calculating fishing yields and smoked fish production, the dark circles under his eyes even heavier than the previous night.
Hearing Vaerik's complaint, he suddenly stopped writing, pressed his fingers against his temples, trying hard to stay awake.
Did he hear wrong?
No, it definitely wasn't an auditory hallucination.
Because this was already the fifth time today he had heard Vaerik say this.
Even with his sleep deprivation, he wouldn't have five hallucinations, right?
Hilco's hand paused slightly, finally confirming one thing.
This was clearly a deliberate hint!
Making magical soil was an entry-level skill for every alchemist.
And he, an alchemy genius, naturally knew how.
But the problem was that he had never revealed this identity to anyone, at least not in the Crimson Tide Domain.
So... how did Vaerik know?
His mind raced, trying to recall if he had accidentally let something slip at some point.
Or perhaps his air of alchemical genius was simply impossible to conceal?
While he was thinking, Vaerik had already spoken again, his tone still that of resignation: "If only we could make magical soil ourselves."
This was already the sixth time!
With Vaerik chanting like a monk, Hilco finally couldn't take it anymore.
He took a deep breath, pretending to be casual: "I know a little bit, I learned some at the church school before."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Hilco wanted to slap himself.
Who was he kidding? How could a church school teach magical soil preparation?
However, Vaerik seemed to believe this explanation without question, even showing an expression of sudden realization.
He asked with considerable interest: "Oh, is that so? Could you help me then?"
In the office, the air momentarily fell into a subtle silence.
Did he really believe it?!
Hilco discreetly glanced at Vaerik.
Vaerik's expression didn't at all look like that of someone who had been fooled.
Instead, he looked expectant, as if saying, "So you finally admit it, now hurry up and prepare the magical soil."
Hilco: "..."
Of course, Vaerik knew about Hilco's identity as an alchemy apprentice.
The Frost Blood Crimson Berry plant needed to grow in highly acidic soil.
Only then could it efficiently absorb nutrients, making the fruit plump and bright red, with better effectiveness in enhancing battle energy.
If the soil was neutral or alkaline, nutrients would be tightly locked, causing the plant to develop poorly, leaves to yellow, and even prevent it from bearing fruit.
But the problem was, while Vaerik had a general idea of how to prepare acidic soil, he didn't know the specific ratios and processing methods.
But he knew who did: Hilco, the guy hiding his identity as an alchemy apprentice.
Vaerik had originally wanted to wait for him to speak up on his own, but given the current special circumstances, the cultivation of Frost Blood Crimson Berries couldn't be delayed.
Unfortunately, today he had to expose him.
Silence spread between the two men, with the firewood crackling in the fireplace.
Hilco looked down at the account book on his desk, considering the pros and cons.
Finally, he slowly sighed, as if finally accepting his fate: "I can, but I have one condition: let me rest one day a week."
This time it was Vaerik's turn to be silent.
For the Crimson Tide Domain, which was currently short-handed, it did feel somewhat wasteful of talent—he himself hadn't rested for a month.
But then again, if Hilco continued at this work intensity, who knows when he might suddenly die from overwork.
Vaerik sighed: "Fine, it's a deal."
Hilco then wrote out a magical soil preparation list and gave it to Vaerik.
Most of the materials could be purchased in the Frost Halberd City market.
But one name made Vaerik's gaze linger for a moment.
Magical marrow.
"You really are bold in what you ask for," Vaerik chuckled, looking up at Hilco.
"I just listed the most standard proportions," Hilco shrugged. "Of course, you can use substitutes, but the effect might be..."
"Without magical marrow, the effectiveness of the magical soil would be greatly reduced, right?" Vaerik stated directly.
Hilco spread his hands, saying nothing.
Vaerik rubbed his brow; magical marrow was indeed somewhat expensive.
The Crimson Tide Domain did have this material in the mining area to the northwest.
But mining it presented some small difficulties.
The mining technology itself was manageable; even with the crudest methods, having residents hammer at the vein with iron picks would eventually extract enough for the magical soil.
However, the real problem wasn't here.
According to the intelligence system, since early spring, several frost giants had been wandering near the mining area.
Frost giants were one of the most troublesome magical beasts in the Northern Province!
They typically lived in extremely cold regions, had massive bodies, possessed tremendous strength, and had skin as hard as solid ice, making ordinary weapons ineffective against them.
More problematically, they could control cold air, creating extreme cold storms that covered the battlefield, slowing enemy movements, and even freezing them to death.
Vaerik hadn't rushed to deal with this matter previously.
On one hand, the Crimson Tide Domain had been in a development stage, focusing on farming and production, with no capacity to attend to mining matters.
On the other hand, the mining area was far from residential areas, and those giants hadn't posed a substantial threat to the territory.
Additionally, with little knowledge about frost giants at the time, taking hasty action carried great risk.
Therefore, he had only arranged for several knights to observe covertly, to gather more intelligence.
But now the situation was different.
Over the past month, the intelligence system had gradually provided some information about the frost giants' weaknesses.
And the territory's development had entered a stable phase; it was time to proactively resolve this hidden danger.
Since they must mine magical marrow, they might as well clear the mining area, bringing this resource completely under the Crimson Tide Domain's control!
After pondering for a moment, Vaerik immediately took action.
He first summoned two knights and handed them Hilco's list: "Go to Frost Halberd City and purchase these alchemical materials according to the list, as quickly as possible."
"Yes, sir!" The knights took the list and hurriedly left.
Then he called for the knight captain, Lambert, and said to him: "Lambert, gather all knights, prepare for battle."
Lambert was slightly startled but didn't ask questions, immediately responding in a deep voice: "Yes, my lord."
"Target: the northwestern mountains, to subdue frost giants," Vaerik said firmly, continuing, "Everyone must assemble, without fail."
"Yes, sir!" Lambert answered decisively, then rose and strode away.
Soon, the knights of the Crimson Tide Domain quickly assembled, horses neighing, grandly marching toward the mining area in the northwest direction of the Crimson Tide Domain.