Published: March 12, 2025
CHAPTER 146: Journey to the Duke's Manor
Getting a ninth-level expert to act is not an easy task. Even if it is someone from one’s own family, they won’t act lightly unless the benefits are substantial. If the benefits are great enough, a ninth-level expert might consider taking action.
Currently, aside from the life magic of the Elven Tribe, there hasn’t been any word of other methods to accelerate plant growth on the continent. If such a secret method were to emerge, it would definitely attract the interest of those large families.
This secret method may seem unremarkable at first glance, but its actual utility is significant. For someone like Zhao Hai, who only cultivates low-end agricultural products, it wouldn't suffice. If those large families possessed such a secret method, they would use it to mass-produce high-level magical plants, creating vast amounts of potions. These potions are quite valuable and can elevate a person's rank. If a family masters this secret method, they could quickly amass a number of experts, significantly increasing their strength. The temptation is truly enormous.
Based on years of experience, Kun Zheng picked up on different nuances in Galen's words and boldly inferred that Zhao Hai might have mastered a potion that can accelerate plant growth, which is why he made such statements.
Kun Zheng would never have imagined the existence of something like spatial magic. Coupled with Galen's mention that those undead beings were crafted by Zhao Hai using secret methods, it created a misconception in Kun Zheng’s mind. He began to believe that Zhao Hai might possess such a potion and that he likely concocted it himself.
In the eyes of ordinary people, potion-making and alchemy are shrouded in mystery. Even experts like Kun Zheng find them perplexing. To Kun Zheng, potion masters and alchemists are a group of madmen, willing to think and do the unthinkable.
A mage or potion master who practices dark magic is even crazier than the rest. Who can say what kind of things they might create?
The creations of alchemists and potion makers are diverse and bizarre. Many well-known potions on the continent were discovered by accident or resulted from failed experiments, so Kun Zheng didn’t find it strange that Zhao Hai might have a potion that can accelerate plant growth.
Kun Zheng never considered the possibility that Zhao Hai could be an elf. Elves are the darlings of nature, born with life magic, and they cherish life. Because of this, they despise dark mages. While they won’t attack dark mages, they won’t associate with them either, and no elf would learn dark magic. The fact that Zhao Hai is a dark mage inherently distances him from the elves.
Laura understood the importance of this matter, so she nodded and said, “Don’t worry, Grandpa Kun Zheng, I won’t speak of it, but Mr. Zhao Hai really is different from ordinary dark mages. If he didn’t have so many undead beings, I wouldn’t believe he could be a dark mage. Isn’t it said that dark mages are indifferent to life? Why is Mr. Zhao Hai completely different from those others?”
Kun Zheng smiled and said, “Not all dark mages are indifferent to life, just as light mages are not always benevolent. If we count the misdeeds committed by light mages, they are not less than those of dark mages; they just wear a façade of brightness.”
Laura nodded. She had always felt uncomfortable with Jialan's rashness in confronting Zhao Hai. Hearing Kun Zheng say this, she naturally felt no sense of wrongdoing.
In Ark Continent, faith is very free. Some believe in the god of light, others in the goddess of life, and mages of different affiliations have different deities they respect. Many even worship the dark demon god. Laura, who believes in the knight god, wouldn’t necessarily think that light mages are good people.
Kun Zheng turned to Laura and said, “Laura, you need to go to the Versailles Family immediately and inform them of this matter. We can’t handle it alone. If news of the food shortage from the Ika Plain is released, it will cause great panic. Everyone will stockpile food, which will greatly increase demand. Even with Mr. Zhao Hai's support, it will only be a drop in the bucket. We will need the Versailles Family to stabilize everyone’s emotions in the name of nobility; only then can we stabilize the market.”