Chapter 49: The Kingdom’s Chief High Priest, or the Wealthiest Man?

As the short sword warrior lunged forward, the great cat reacted faster, leaping overhead and crossing its claws, leaving five savage intersecting wounds across the warrior’s face. Cait Sith was no ordinary feline; with a single swipe, the short sword warrior’s face was torn apart, exposing the pale bones beneath the flesh and muscle. He screamed, swinging his sword wildly.

But his eyes were already flooded with blood pressed from muscle and vessels, his entire face twisted in a monstrous red. How could he possibly see Cait Sith’s lightning-fast movements? The cat clearly had no habit of mercy; until the opponent was completely down, it would not stop. By the time Vinigo arrived, the fallen warrior’s body had been reduced to a tattered mess.

“My, my, what a brutal little cat,” Vinigo laughed softly.

“A cat is a beast of prey. Even the tiniest kitten carries in its veins the ferocity to kill its quarry. Moreover, perhaps cats are the only carnivores with the habit of playing with their prey to death,” Cait Sith explained seriously.

“I know that, but I can’t help but comment,” Vinigo said, reaching out to stroke Cait Sith’s head and tilt its chin.

Despite its formidable combat ability, Cait Sith had not shed its feline nature; under Vinigo’s teasing, it squinted its eyes, showing a delightfully content expression. Quickly snapping back to awareness, it leapt away as if startled. Little Honey giggled, hugged it, patted its head, and imitated Vinigo’s chin-scratching gesture.

The big cat and the little girl soon tumbled playfully together, while Vinigo stood quietly on the side, glancing about.

“Isn’t it… a bit too easy?”

It felt as if someone had deliberately delivered a message, intending to alert the High Council that the Sheepcall Cult was plotting against Prince Nicholas, the kingdom’s nominal supreme ruler.

Returning to Temple Castle, Vinigo found Lady Frith and Sir Newton present. He whispered a few words to Sophie, who nodded in understanding and went off to report the mission’s progress to Sir Temple.

Vinigo approached Sir Newton, flaunting the high-purity magical gem in his hand and smiling at the Chief Mage.

“Hmm, a fine treasure,” Sir Newton nodded. “Very pure, and there’s a faint aura of divine power. Is this a gift for me?”

Vinigo rolled his eyes, silently regarding Sir Newton.

The gem was indeed valuable, but given Newton’s wealth and character, he likely had no real intention of keeping it for himself. If it had been Lady Frith instead…

That lady was reputedly the most greedy in the kingdom, once coercing the national carriage guild to raise prices by nearly thirty percent in order to monopolize the transport business.

Yet, she had not used any illegal means; though a greedy merchant, Lady Frith possessed the pride of a magnate, not a bandit—though she did not shy away from cunning and tricks.

“How about that magical device?” Sir Newton suddenly asked.

“It works well. But… could you increase the airflow’s maximum strength?” Vinigo suggested. “I believe my body can handle a thirty percent power boost.”

“Though I don’t quite grasp your terminology, I understand your intent,” Sir Newton replied. “No trouble at all—I limited its output only because I worried you couldn’t withstand it. Since you can, I’ll loosen the restrictions a bit.”

With a gesture, the Azure Sky device on Vinigo’s hands and feet automatically disengaged, transforming into three golden beams that landed in Newton’s palm. He worked effortlessly, appearing to simply point here and there, occasionally letting out a spark or a puff of gas from his fingers, thus completing the adjustment.

When Vinigo received the modified Azure Sky device, he sensed the magical energy within—Newton claimed to have only removed the limit, but undoubtedly he’d improved the core as well.

Perhaps as he’d accepted Vinigo’s gem, he didn’t wish to take advantage. Vinigo was quite pleased with Newton’s generosity.

“By coincidence, I have a matter to entrust you with as well,” Lady Frith’s round face gleamed with shrewd light from her small eyes. Her appearance always led others to underestimate her, but Vinigo knew she was not a lady to be taken lightly.

She was a true beast.

Her hunger for wealth was the source of her greatest strength.

Of course, as a top high priestess of the monk order, Lady Frith was equally adept in unarmed skills, staff techniques, and basic divine arts.

And her somewhat plump body was as robust as Sir Temple’s.

“Madam, your command,” Vinigo said respectfully—for this smiling tigress did not seem as easygoing as Sir Newton.

She was a businesswoman; with her, everything was clear-cut.

“Very well. You know I control the kingdom’s largest shipping guild, but lately, my fleet’s business has been poor…” Lady Frith began.

“Has the carriage guild started discount promotions again, stealing business?” Vinigo recalled the classic task, and asked.

“Not quite,” Lady Frith’s cheeks reddened faintly—she hadn’t expected that even such a young fox knew about her less-than-glorious methods to persuade the carriage guild to raise prices.

She pondered a moment, then said, “The Sheepcall Cult’s influence is becoming more aggressive. I want them to stop interfering with my fleet.”

“You want us to clear the shipping routes?” Vinigo scratched his head. “I’m not very skilled at naval combat, but since it’s your request… I’ll accept.”

“As payment, I’ll give you five hundred gold coins,” Lady Frith said crisply.

“I’m not particularly interested in gold. But Madam, I know you control the kingdom’s largest commercial organization, so I’d like to ask you to collect some materials for me.” Vinigo was prepared, handing over his materials list.

“Oh? These… With such quality and requirements, the value far exceeds a thousand gold coins,” Lady Frith assessed instantly, puzzled.

“I know. I never expected to gather them all in one task. Madam, I’m sure there will be many chances to serve you in the future,” Vinigo smiled.

“Indeed,” Lady Frith replied, marking several items on the list. “Here are a few as a deposit. After you complete the task, I’ll provide materials of equivalent value. Since you’re so proactive, I won’t profit from you.”

“Thank you, Madam.”

“Whenever you need anything, come to my guild—I’ll give you the VIP price,” Lady Frith habitually handed over a golden badge.

“Thank you, Madam.”

…

Before the task began, Vinigo had some time to prepare. He prayed to the Lord of Wishes, and this time, the result was neither particularly good nor bad—he gained an effect that doubled the outcome of alchemical experiments within two hours.

If alchemy succeeded, the products’ quality would be greatly improved. If it failed… the destruction would also double.

Vinigo did not hesitate; he decided to take the risk.

Character construction: Level 11 Aberrant Scholar.

After so many battles, Vinigo had reached Level 22 as a Mimic, slaying enemies and harvesting souls that died in terror, growing through peculiar laws foreign to this world.

He found that constructing a high-level Aberrant Scholar consumed more mercury, but alchemical success rates and results improved accordingly. Though the improvement didn’t match the increased cost and was somewhat inefficient, in his current state, higher success was critical.

Vinigo had collected many materials—from the Bull King, whose body was infused with sun temple divine power, to the later bird-bodied witch, the Holy Grail, and the warlord’s laboratory, he had gathered bits here and there. With the Lord of Wishes’ special blessing, Vinigo decisively purified and processed all the magical materials needing refinement.

Having tried using Azure Sky as his main combat style, Vinigo planned to craft a set of equipment that could be used alongside character construction—to offset certain weaknesses and boost his survivability in ordinary form.

The Bull King’s heart muscle fibers and hide served as main materials to create leather armor with regenerative properties. Since most character builds required special attire, Vinigo aimed to make equipment that wouldn’t occupy the clothing slot.

A belt, then.

But such a task was challenging alone, so Vinigo hired a tailor and blacksmith in town. After shaping the belt, he had the tailor carefully weave the Bull King’s heart fibers into a special pattern embedded on the belt’s surface, then sealed its magic with a layer of golden special blood.

The heart fibers were the belt’s core, and the golden blood—infused with sun temple ritual power—was a unique liquid of the same origin, complementing each other and giving the magical item a faint sense of breath.

Vinigo himself had no magical talent; he relied on the Aberrant Scholar’s alchemy, which focused on purification and extraction but also offered some crafting ability.

After all, the essence of alchemy is “transforming matter.” With the help of alchemy and the knowledge of magic circles recorded by the Eye of Insight, Vinigo was able to make simple magical items.

Knowledge is power!