Chapter 160: Dragon Skin Armor +1
One night quickly passed.
Soren woke up early the next day because the third batch of supplies from Snake Island had arrived. The relay station for the overseas base was now Snake Island, a very safe place, as there was a killer whale that was about to mutate into an ocean monster being raised there. That killer whale was now almost the size of a blue whale, meaning that slightly smaller ships couldn’t withstand even one collision with it. The waters near Snake Island had been designated as a restricted area by Soren, fearing an ambush from Pirate King Asrold.
As long as the ships near that area were not Soren’s, they could potentially be attacked by this mutated killer whale!
About half a month ago, a merchant ship had come from the sunken ship overseas; it was unclear whether it was an actual merchant ship or a hidden spy of Pirate King Asrold, but it was directly sunk by the mutated killer whale, with no survivors left on board. After that, others learned their lesson, realizing that only bloody slaughter could make them understand that Soren’s words were not a joke. Snake Island stored a large amount of supplies, many of which were directly supplied to the overseas base, reducing transit time.
It was also easier to avoid the attention of others, given that Taro Port had too many entangled forces!
………………
Not far from the camp, the leader of the Drow Warriors, Andrei Darkblade, was waiting ahead.
“Your Grace Throat Cutter!”
Seeing Soren approach, he quickly bowed his head and said, “The dragon eggs have already been sent to the priest. There should be no problem with hatching, but whether they can be successfully tamed is uncertain. Because it has been too long since leaving the Underdark, there are very few in the clan who know how to tame petrified lizards.”
“But we will do our best!”
Soren glanced at him coldly and then said, “Hmm. I understand.”
After saying that, he left directly.
Only the Drow Warrior leader remained standing in place, Andrei Darkblade appeared somewhat nervous, hesitating for a moment before not immediately following. Instead, he waved over a Drow Ranger and frowned, saying, “He is getting a bit impatient with us! Have those d*mn females come to any conclusions? At the very least, they should express their stance, right? I’m worried that the Throat Cutter will become more and more dissatisfied with us!”
The young Drow Ranger also looked nervous and whispered, “Recently, many important positions in defense have been taken over by those pirates. We basically can’t get involved over at the warehouse! Those pirates clearly want to prove they’re not worse than us; if this goes on, we might be replaced! Moreover, those pirates are human, while we are all Drow; I’m also worried that if this continues, the Throat Cutter will…”
At this point, the young Drow Ranger paused.
The two exchanged glances and couldn’t help but shake their heads. Andrei Darkblade frowned in deep thought for a moment and suddenly gritted his teeth, saying, “These d*mn females are truly stubborn! Clearly, we are under someone else’s roof, yet they still behave as if they are in the underworld!”
Hearing this, the Drow Ranger’s face showed a thoughtful expression, and he lowered his voice, saying, “Lord Darkblade, the Drow Warrior Guard is very supportive of you! And your reputation is no worse than any priestess. It’s just that because they are female, they have always been above you in status! I think since we have gradually integrated into the surface world, maybe we should give up some customs. As males within the clan, we bear more responsibility, yet have no corresponding status.”
“It’s time to make some changes!…”
“If Lord Darkblade is willing to stand up, I believe many Drow warriors and rangers will willingly support you!…”
Silence.
Upon hearing this, Andrei Darkblade fell silent, but his eyes sparked with a glimmer of light, seeming somewhat heated. Within the Drow community, the status of male Drow was quite low. There was hardly any power. Even in the faith of the Underdark Girl, female Drow continue to dominate. This accumulation of thousands of years has led to the suppression of male Drow not being without resentment; however, the customs of the clan are deeply rooted, and female Drow’s rule is still unshakable!
But now that they have come to the surface world, could there be an opportunity for change?
In the Underdark, if a male Drow from any family rose to power, they could be mocked by other Drow families and even deemed as challenging the rule of female Drow, thus facing punishment from the Spider Queen or attacked by other Drow families. However, here in the surface world, no one would attack them for that.
A cold light flickered in Andrei Darkblade’s eyes as he slowly gripped the hilt of his sword, saying in a deep voice, “Give them one more chance! They do not understand the strength of the Throat Cutter, but we cannot let our clan be dragged into an abyss of no return!”
Soren’s methods were ruthless.
All along, he had given the impression of being decisive in killing; Andrei Darkblade was very worried about what terrible things might happen when this Grace Throat Cutter runs out of patience!
………………
At the dock.
As soon as Soren arrived at the port, he saw the Lady Wealth Priestess conducting a field inspection ahead. She was still dressed in a lavish and dazzling manner, like a noblewoman of great wealth, albeit with a somewhat vulgar appearance. If a term were to describe the lavish taste of the Goddess of Wealth’s followers, ‘tycoon gold’ would undoubtedly be their favorite color.
“Your Grace.”
The Cyclops Pirate had long been waiting nearby and immediately handed over a list upon seeing Soren, saying, “This is the cargo that was sent over. Here is the news from the Ocean Temple.”
“Mm.” Soren took a glance, then said, “Reduce the supplies allocated to the Drow on that side by half; the rest will be distributed as rewards for the Eastern craftsmen.”
After speaking, he opened the letter sent from the Ocean Temple.
After reading a few lines, Soren furrowed his brows and silently put it away.
“Your Grace!”
Lady Wealth approached with a smiling face, playing with a carnelian ring on her finger, slowly saying, “It seems we can sign the agreement now? We have our eyes on that piece of land, from the slope over there all the way to this land. We are willing to buy it at a price that will absolutely satisfy you. And if you have no objections, the City of Wealth will soon send people to assist you with the construction of the port dock.”
Such big appetite!
Soren glanced at the area she was pointing to and found that the position she chose was quite tricky, marking off nearly one thousand acres of land in one go, taking away almost a third of the most useful land from the port. Furthermore, her pointing effectively included a third of the port, which made Soren hesitate a bit.
“Your Grace, do not be in a hurry to refuse!”
Lady Wealth had been secretly observing Soren’s expressions and immediately spoke up as soon as she noticed that Soren seemed a bit unwilling: “The fleet of the City of Wealth has already set sail yesterday. Perhaps after you see our strength, you will have a change of mind. Money has the most powerful magic; we believe you will not be disappointed.”
At this point, a sly and confident smile emerged at the corner of her mouth.
Upon hearing this, Soren fell silent for a moment and then directly put away the letter. The news from this Goddess of Wealth priestess was even more informed than his own; the fleet had already set sail yesterday. Her statement had thoroughly demonstrated her strength, showcasing the foundation of a divine church that had stood for thousands of years. Once mobilized, they would indeed far outpace this newly established Pirate King.
………………
In the camp warehouse.
As Soren just returned here, the Half-Elf First Mate was already waiting.
“Your Grace.”
The Half-Elf First Mate slightly bowed upon seeing him, then handed over a well-crafted leather armor, saying excitedly, “We’ve had the craftsmen produce more than ten pieces of dragon skin armor, and this one was just completed today. I’ve tested it briefly; it has protective capabilities not worse than iron armor, and it’s much lighter to wear.”
“Please have a look!”
Completed?
Hearing this, Soren showed a smile on his face, took it and glanced at it. After weighing it, he was quite satisfied, saying, “Not bad! But this seems to be dragon skin armor made from a bipedal wyvern. Where’s the other part?”
The Half-Elf First Mate quietly leaned in a bit, whispering, “The other part is more difficult to make and may require some more time, but the quality should be better than this batch.”
Soren nodded and said, “Have them finish it quickly. In a while, we might need to clear out the indigenous people nearby.”
A bloodthirsty smile appeared on the Half-Elf First Mate’s face as he nodded heavily, saying, “Rest assured, Your Grace. We will definitely complete the task within this month.”
“Item Type: Dragon Skin Armor [ +1 ]
Item Level: [1st Tier Extraordinary Item]
Item Description: This leather armor is made from the skin of a bipedal wyvern, making it stronger and lighter than other armors, with fairly good protective capabilities. The characteristics of the lesser dragon’s skin will partially remain in the armor, giving it durability against flames, ice, and acid, and it won’t be easily damaged by enemy attacks. In terms of craftsmanship, this dragon skin armor is a bit rough and does not reach the top-tier effect, but it still has the potential for further enchantment.
Equipment Requirement: Over 8 points of Strength [Because it is dragon skin, it is heavier than other leather armor.]
Equipment Effect: Lesser Dragon Skin, Toughness, Protection Level +5.
Weapon Special Effect: [Lesser Dragon Skin], this dragon skin armor possesses the protective abilities of lesser dragon species and can completely immune any attack strength below 5 points, reducing damage taken from most attacks.
Weapon Trait: [Toughness], this dragon skin armor is incredibly tough, making it difficult to damage when sustaining hits, and strong acids and flames also have a hard time damaging it.”
Indeed, dragon skin is different!
Soren, holding the Dragon Skin Armor +1, couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction; this level of protection is not weaker than iron armor, and equipping it to his subordinates would definitely boost their combat power significantly.
Unfortunately, Soren couldn’t wear armor.
Because wizards casting spells in armor increase the failure rate, especially with heavy full-body armors, the chance of spell failure could rise above 50%. The only advanced profession that can wear armor easily while casting spells is the [Arcane Knight], who possess a unique specialty called [Spellcasting in Armor].
(Arcane Knight [Advanced Profession]: possesses specialties Awareness and Iron Will, advanced specialties Combat Spellcasting and Skill Specialization [Concentration], with the trait that allows casting spells while wearing any armor.) [Note: One of the high-tier hero-type advanced professions, a magical and martial dual-cultivation advanced system.]
It was basically impossible for Soren to wear armor.
The number of Arcane Knights was too scarce, and it was difficult for him to learn the specialty of [Spellcasting in Armor] from them, so he could only find a way to obtain a legendary-level enchanted robe in the future, which also possessed considerable protective capabilities and could even enchant a magical force field without hindering his agility.
………………
A busy day passed.
In the evening, after Soren finished handling many matters, he decided to take a walk around the camp.
Along the way, he also planned to check on the research progress of Wizard Saruman. The land reclamation was nearly complete, and it wouldn’t be long before sowing began. Fertilizer must keep up with the pace; otherwise, this year’s harvest would definitely fall short.
Now, there were hardly any weeds around the camp, and the tidy roads barely connected all the places. Wizard Saruman’s laboratory was in a corner to the north. He seemed to enjoy researching plants from the tropical jungle.
Soren quickly arrived at a separate courtyard.
Nearby were specially set up magical traps, and relying on his rogue instincts, Soren easily found them, while the alert traps set up by Saruman also detected Soren’s arrival.
“Welcome, Your Grace!”
The door of the courtyard opened automatically, followed by a simple alchemical magic circle, and Saruman’s voice came from within: “I am close to completing what you need.”
“I am currently conducting experiments and cannot leave for the time being. You can come in directly.”
Soren glanced around and then entered the courtyard.
Once inside, he saw some strange plants that resembled pitcher plants, along with many other plants that were hard to identify. These plants were planted around the courtyard and were fenced off with special enclosures, each with a label recording the planting time, etc.
“What is this?…”
Soren frowned slightly and murmured, “Man-eating flower? He planted these?”
They should be those bizarre plants.
Although varying in size and lacking the vitality typical of living things, they should indeed be those flesh-eating plants found in the jungle.
The difference was.
The plants in the jungle felt as if they were alive, while those in front of him seemed like just a bunch of plants.
“Your Grace!”
Saruman stepped out of the room, slightly bowing and making an inviting gesture, then said, “I have initially completed what you asked for.”
Seeing Soren inspecting those plants, his expression shifted slightly before he pretended to be casual and said, “These man-eating plants are quite interesting; I’m conducting research on them.”
“By the way.”
“These plants are fertilized with the material you need; their growth speed is looking very good.”
Soren keenly noticed Saruman’s slight oddity at that moment, but he didn’t question much; after all, the relationship between them was merely one of employer and employee. The wizard’s research interests were peculiar, as long as it wasn’t something dangerous, it was within Soren’s tolerance. He had previously dealt with necromancer wizards, and compared to those who study corpses all day, Saruman’s little hobby was nothing. So he got up and entered the room, immediately seeing piles of bottles, jars, and numerous glass test tubes.
For a moment.
It even gave him the feeling of stepping into a chemical laboratory.
Alchemy.
A field encompassing potions, enchantments, engineering, magical constructs, etc.; even soul shaping falls within the realm of alchemy.
Belonging to a very profound area of study.
In the laboratory, three apprentices were busy, and there was a heavy clay golem nearby, appearing very clumsy, as if it hadn’t been imbued with a soul, simply holding a peculiar instrument while standing there.
“Your Grace, please look!”
Saruman pulled out a box containing granule-sized items that smelled vaguely like urea. He stroked his beard with a smile, saying, “This is what you asked for. I’ve tested it; it works effectively on any plant.”
Soren picked one up to observe it.
This was a bit different from the fertilizer he recalled, but it wasn’t too far off; using guano to create fertilizer was not really a high-end process.
He gently set it back down and said somberly, “What’s the yield?”
“This!… ” Saruman’s face became slightly awkward upon hearing this, lowering his voice as he spoke, “The daily yield is approximately this much.”
Soren couldn’t help but furrow his brows and said, “No good. Too little!”
How much could be in this box?
He had a massive area to cultivate, and there were nearly a thousand slaves responsible for farming the land; this amount of yield could not meet the cultivation needs at all.
“I know!”
Hastily, Saruman said upon hearing this, “I’m thinking of ways to modify the alchemical tools, and if successful, the yield will increase a lot.”
“Mm.” Soren nodded, patting him on the shoulder, instructing, “Raise the yield as soon as possible; my requirements are not only to satisfy the farming needs here but also hope it can become a commodity.”
“I think you should understand.”
Saruman nodded solemnly, assuring, “By the end of the month at the latest, the yield will meet your requirements.”
………………
(PS: The camp has now developed to resemble a town, so it needs a name. I couldn’t think of a suitable one, so I can only ask you all for suggestions. If anyone has a name in mind, please leave a comment in the review area.) (To be continued ~^~)
