Chapter 136 : Wood Insect Tracking! Special Effect: Lightning Burst!
Chapter 136: Wood Insect Tracking! Special Effect: Lightning Burst!
Anthony dragged the black chess piece on the board slightly backward.
Previously, he had proactively suggested to Laforin that they should be wary of the threat from the Wilderness Knight Order and recommended suspending hunting.
But in reality, it was to force Laforin, the city lord, into making a choice.
Blackstone City could not go without potions for long, so hunting activities could not possibly remain halted.
As time went on, Laforin would inevitably have to make a decision.
As for the proposal to unite with the seven surrounding cities, it was impossible to succeed.
Because the Wilderness Knight Order had already ceased all harassment of the nearby cities.
Their only target was Blackstone City—the only one capable of producing Tier 3 Body Tempering Potion.
As for Eve Sova, that young knight—
Based on his understanding of her, as long as someone whispered a few words in her ear, she would volunteer herself to resolve the crisis for Blackstone City.
And she would never have imagined that she herself was the most crucial piece on the entire board.
‘Next, the third move will be an overt strategy.’
At this moment, on the chessboard, the white piece representing Eve had advanced alone deep into enemy territory, already a doomed piece that could be captured at any time.
This white piece could either be sacrificed or remain suspended on the board, unable to move.
The only way to revive the entire game was to sacrifice this piece.
However—
Anthony picked up the white piece.
Reality was not just a cold chess game.
To Laforin and Lady Manta, this white piece was their daughter—someone they would never abandon, even if it meant losing the entire game.
Now that Eve was already under his control—
In truth, he had already won this game.
Anthony calmly took a sip of tea broth, a faint smile appearing on his face.
He was very satisfied with this game he had played.
Nearly flawless.
Up to now, no one knew that he was the hand behind the chessboard controlling everything.
Laforin would only think that all of this was the result of not listening to his advice.
And now, he had become the only person Laforin trusted and could rely on.
Anthony held the white piece in his hand. As long as this piece remained in his grasp—
He could play the game however he wished.
In reality, the entire Blackstone City had already fallen under his control.
As for Mia Sova, the solution he himself had proposed to break the deadlock—
If that member of the Golden Knight Order got involved, it could indeed cause trouble, but that was unlikely to happen.
All letters would be intercepted by the Wilderness Knight Order outside the city.
“I’ve won.”
At that moment, a black crow phantom appeared before Anthony.
“What is it?” Anthony asked.
“Anthony, well done. The fourth bottle of Tier 3 Body Tempering Potion has been obtained. The quality is excellent.” A hoarse, aged voice came from within the crow shadow.
Now, the entire Blackstone City had completely fallen under his control, becoming a potion production factory.
As for Catalysts—
Blackstone City didn’t need to worry. The Wilderness Knight Order had ample stock.
Of course, most potions below Tier 2 would still be left to Blackstone City.
That way, the knights and Quasi-Knights would continue to work for them, hunting Beastkin.
Anthony casually tossed the white piece aside, clasped his hands behind his head, and lay down on the bed. “This game is over, Father.”
After speaking, he chuckled to himself. “However, my second phase of the plan has just begun. Heh heh heh heh heh heh.”
“The second phase? What second phase?”
“Do you remember that Zoro from last time? My second phase is called repeating the same trick.”
……
After completing his assistance with the Tier 3 potion, Leo entered a brief period of rest.
He had already figured out what was happening behind the scenes.
Eve Sova had been kidnapped by the Wilderness Knight Order.
For now, only Laforin, Lady Manta, and Anthony should know about this.
Oh, and himself—the intelligence expert.
“So it’s to coerce Lady Manta into making Tier 3 potions for them?”
If that was the case, then as long as Eve remained in their hands, there really seemed to be no solution.
Laforin and Lady Manta could never watch their daughter come to harm.
They could only comply with the enemy’s demands and produce potions.
All Quasi-Knights would become tools to hunt Beastkin for them.
The entire Blackstone City would become a potion factory for the Wilderness Knight Order.
No wonder the number of Catalysts had suddenly increased.
Leo guessed they were supplied by the Wilderness Knight Order.
“These people are truly despicable.”
The real trouble was that these Wilderness Knight Order members hid deep in the mountains, making their lair impossible to find.
Like that Wilderness Knight named Reno—he had several hidden treehouse dwellings.
Unless someone followed them closely, it was almost impossible to locate their base.
At this moment, Leo looked at the various bottles and containers used for alchemy before him.
Suddenly, his gaze fell upon the sealed bottle.
It was a transparent glass bottle, completely clear, with no apparent way to tamper with it.
However—
Leo shifted his gaze to the wooden stopper.
With his Spirit Attribute of 2.0, his mind began operating rapidly.
Just now, he seemed to have come up with an idea.
Leo quickly stood up, took a sealed bottle, and pulled out one of the wooden stoppers.
It was a solid wooden cylinder about the size of a walnut.
The material seemed to be soft cork, coated with oil on the surface for better sealing.
It didn’t look special.
But in Leo’s hands, it could become something entirely different.
He hurried to the wooden fence in the courtyard.
In one corner of the yard, Leo had enclosed a small patch of land for servants to grow simple herbs.
A few days ago, he had noticed that quite a few termites had appeared on the wooden fence.
Leo crouched down and picked up a tiny termite the size of a sesame seed.
The next moment, his eyes focused.
【Tracking】 activated.
In an instant, he felt a surge of spiritual power.
At max level, Tracking allowed Leo to set five tracking markers.
He didn’t use this skill often, but now it proved incredibly effective.
As a thread of spiritual power entered the tiny termite, Leo could now track this nearly invisible creature in real time.
So this skill could be used this way.
At this moment, he could clearly sense the little creature’s position and distance.
That meant it was a perfect miniature real-time signal transmitter.
In that case, he could secretly place it inside the stopper.
Leo quickly returned to his room to test it.
He placed the termite on the inner side of the cork stopper and sealed the bottle.
The little creature obediently clung to the inner surface.
Leo observed quietly. Before long, the restless little termite began burrowing into the stopper.
Gnawing wood was its natural instinct.
Leo no longer paid attention and returned to his cultivation.
Soon, he obtained a perfect tracking-version cork stopper.
These small insects could live for several years.
They liked to hollow out wood from the inside, leaving no visible trace on the outside.
No one would notice such an inconspicuous creature living inside the stopper.
Yet it would allow Leo to follow the trail and eventually find the one enjoying the spoils—the one taking his Tier 3 Body Tempering Potion.
“The power of intelligence. Watching espionage films in my past life wasn’t for nothing.”
Leo felt that as his Spirit Attribute increased, his creativity had reached an unprecedented level.
When the next batch of Tier 3 potions was made in half a month, he would be able to confirm where these potions were going.
“So this is how Tracking can be used. These little insects could also be useful in other situations,” Leo thought, his mind expanding further. “There are also other insects suitable for different environments—like fleas or lice.”
Sure enough, encountering difficulties was what stimulated creativity.
If the Wilderness Knight Order hadn’t stirred up trouble in Blackstone City, Leo would never have thought along these lines.
However, their actions actually turned out to be beneficial for him.
Originally, even Lady Manta had run out of Catalysts.
But now, the Wilderness Knight Order was providing them in large quantities for free.
Leo could use this opportunity to refine his alchemy skills.
However, after his 【Alchemy】 skill reached Level 3, crafting Tier 3 Body Tempering Potion yielded slower experience gains.
Last time, assisting Lady Manta only gave him five points of experience.
If he wanted more, he would probably need to take the lead himself and let Lady Manta assist him instead.
While brainstorming, Leo continued cultivating his Breathing Technique with his Second Mind.
“Still, everything has to wait until half a month later for the next chance to craft Tier 3 Body Tempering Potion.”
At this moment, Leo shifted his attention to his panel.
This time, after the successful alchemy, as thanks for his assistance, Lady Manta gave him one-quarter of the finished product.
It seemed the Wilderness Knight Order didn’t have an accurate grasp of the ratio between Catalysts and final products.
This small jar of Tier 3 Body Tempering Potion was extremely important to Leo.
Just moments ago, he had used his Second Mind to push the Lightning Breathing Technique into Phase Two.
The potency of the Tier 3 Body Tempering Potion was truly formidable—using it to grind a first-tier Breathing Technique was incredibly effective.
On the panel—
【Lightning Breathing Technique Phase Two 1/100 (Lightning Burst)】
In less than a month, Leo had directly advanced his second Breathing Technique to the next level.
And with the breakthrough, his attributes had also improved.
【Strength: 4.3
Agility: 3.5→3.7
Spirit: 2.0】