Volume One: The Lord’s World of Hell Chapter 12: Exploring the Village

[Battlefield search: You have obtained 77 gold coins.]
[You have obtained 31 portions of Soul Powder (white).]
[You have obtained 28 portions of Wraith Ash (white).]
[Soul Powder (white): Powder formed from the remains of a ghost; can be used as a synthesis material.]
[Wraith Ash (white): Another kind of powder formed from a ghost’s remains; can be used as a synthesis material.]

After slaying all the ghosts, Chen Gu left the village and gathered up the scattered bluish beads dotting the ground. To his surprise, these so-called beads were actually powders. Just like the bone fragments from skeleton soldiers or the rotting wolf pelts from the decayed wolves, these were all basic materials. Most people would see them as nothing more than trash and sell them at the earliest opportunity. But Chen Gu, with his [Pet Synthesis] ability, preferred to keep such materials in case he needed them for future synthesis.

Hauling all these materials back to the village, Chen Gu glanced up at the protective barrier that shielded the settlement. Despite the earlier onslaught by the ghosts, the barrier’s color had scarcely faded, which made Chen Gu reevaluate the elven village. After all, the original leader had both sought new paths for the elves and established such a powerful defense—surely a person of some foresight. Unfortunately, all their efforts could not change the tide of fate; in the end, every last thing here was reduced to ruins.

Just then, the corpse-eating vines that had gone to search beneath some of the larger houses returned. They came to Chen Gu and spat out what they had found underground: several bags of gold coins, amounting to 366 in total, three gemstones, a crystal—rare materials all—and one vine had even brought back an Elven Rapier.

[Elven Rapier (green): Attack Power 9. An ordinary elven rapier, typically used for training by young elves. Once they come of age and take up their positions, such swords are seldom used.]

For elves, this was merely pre-employment equipment, but for Chen Gu, it was an excellent weapon for his current needs. He used the rapier to replace his rusty sword. Yet this was the best of what he could find; as for the building stones and the Heart of the City that Chen Gu truly desired, there was nothing—not even one.

The only thing remotely related to building stone was a single fragment.

[Building Stone – Farm (gray, fragment): A shattered building stone, now unusable. Originally, it could have been used to construct a farm at a designated location, providing food (can be built in any city except those belonging to the Undead, Demons, or Machines).]

“It seems there’s nothing left in this village after all,” Chen Gu sighed. He had hoped that if the Heart of the City or a building stone was here, he could have used the village as his starting point.

In the end, it was not to be. He would have to shift his plans. Chen Gu looked up again at the barrier overhead; it was still functioning after all these years. If only he could take it with him. With this thought in mind, he stepped into a nearby house. Since he had decided to abandon the village, he no longer felt constrained by politeness. There were always useful items to be found inside these houses—wooden crates, for example, which would be perfect for storing the various materials he had collected.

Now, Chen Gu was particularly interested in finding a cart in the village. If there was one, Bloodshadow Wolf could haul it, and Chen Gu could load all his belongings onto it. That way, he could transport more goods and travel much faster. Perhaps, with a bit of luck, he might even manage to take the protective barrier along.

With such thoughts turning in his mind, Chen Gu’s search inside the wooden houses took on a new focus. He ignored less important records and only examined well-preserved items.

His efforts were soon rewarded. In a large wooden house on the left side of the main road, Chen Gu found a perfectly intact pot. He recalled his teacher’s special reminder during training: whenever you find a complete piece of cookware, take it with you if at all possible. For new lords, the greatest challenge was not threats or enemies in the wild, but the problem of food. Without suitable cookware, lords could only eat roasted food—or, in some cases, raw. Every year, many rookie lords had to withdraw from the challenge after falling ill from eating spoiled food.

Seeing the pot, Chen Gu suddenly realized he had not eaten in nearly seven or eight hours. The exertion of his journey had distracted him, but now hunger gnawed at him. He stepped forward and wrenched the pot from the stove. As he prepared to find a water source to clean it, he noticed a conspicuous tunnel entrance beneath the stove.

This unexpected discovery gave Chen Gu pause. He beckoned to the corpse-eating vines, and two of them slid down the tunnel. Soon, Chen Gu received a signal that it was safe below.

Two vines even extended from below, weaving themselves into a ladder of sorts. Gripping the elven rapier, Chen Gu climbed down the vine ladder. After descending about twenty meters, he finally reached the bottom. Standing on the floor, he glanced up; his fire spirit crow, having received his command, flew down through the tunnel entrance. With the fire spirit crow at his side, Chen Gu had nothing to fear—those crows could handle any enemy.

Thus reassured, Chen Gu pressed deeper into the passage, sword in hand, all the while scrutinizing the walls. He noticed that the walls were made of a peculiar material infused with a trace of magic, making it easy to overlook the existence of the passage and the space it concealed.

After a few paces and a turn, Chen Gu found himself in a laboratory of around a dozen square meters. In the center stood a workbench, cluttered with all manner of scientific apparatus. Shelves lining the walls held jars filled with preserved specimens and research notes—spiders, snakes, bears, cats, turtles, birds, and more floated in the murky liquid. Chen Gu could only guess at the kind of experiments once conducted here.

Such details, though, were of little concern to him. After a cursory glance through the notes, he found some valuable items in the corner of the laboratory.

[You have obtained 1 piece of Mithril (green).]
[You have obtained 1 Arcane Crystal (green).]
[You have obtained 1 Manual of Biological Alchemy (green).]
[You have obtained…]
[Mithril (green): Weapon enhancement material; can be used to strengthen weapons, increasing their attack power by 1 to 3 points.]
[Arcane Crystal (green): Mana storage crystal; capable of holding 1,500 mana points.]
[Manual of Biological Alchemy (green): A magical alchemy guidebook. After three hours of careful study, you can randomly master three alchemical recipes.]
[…]

It was only when Chen Gu picked up one particular item that he couldn’t help but let out a soft sound of surprise.