Chapter 323 - 321: Business War

Chapter 323: Chapter 321: Business War

Nearly eleven months had passed since the end of last year.

Ten months could be considered a long time or a short one.

For Duane, in addition to his Building skill, his Basic Planting had also reached Perfection.

As a result, he had acquired two spells: Life Siphon and Bountiful Dew.

Don’t be fooled by the impressive name; Life Siphon was actually just a Level 1 Spell.

Its effect was to extract the Life Force from weeds, pests, or withered plants, causing them to die.

Duane had experimented with it. The Skill was effective on Cicada Level creatures at best; its effect was limited once he tried it on anything at the Mouse Level.

In his eyes, it was just a magical combination of pesticide and herbicide.

But this was Dark Magic. The number of Mages with a Dark Affinity was inherently small; at least, Duane had yet to meet one.

Therefore, the only others who could use it were Level 4 Arcane Mages casting it through Shaping Magic.

But a Level 4 Mage pulling weeds?

No sane person would make that choice.

As for Bountiful Dew, it was a Water Element Level 2 Magic. Its effect was to summon a localized Magic Rain that could irrigate crops. If used multiple times, it could slightly increase crop yields.

This spell was quite good, and it was Level 2 Magic, too.

Two Mages had awakened on Black Forest Island this year, and coincidentally, both had a Water Attribute. In the future, they could serve as Artificial Rain Mages.

However, the spell’s power was dependent on the Mage’s own strength.

If Duane were to cast it, the Magic Rain he summoned could cover an area of about one square kilometer.

If Duane were to become a Saint Mage, he could probably conjure a Magic Rain over the entirety of Broken Wave City.

In addition to the improvements in his Basic Skills, he had also raised his Skill Level for Combat Techniques, twelve Level 2 spells, and the crafting of Basic Magic Ink to Perfection.

He also raised eleven other skills from the Initial to Skilled Level, including the crafting of five types of Level 1 Spell Scrolls, the Hardening Technique, the Blink Technique, and Arcane Resonance.

Furthermore, by raising his skills for crafting Blink Technique Spell Scrolls, Blood-Forged Contract, Resonating Vein Forging, Qingming Medicine Wine, Intoxicating Honey Wine, and Deep Blue Enlightenment Wine to the Entry Level, as well as raising Nebula Dog Breeding to the Mastery Level, he had obtained a total of 26.6 attribute points.

Duane’s current attribute panel read:

Level: Scorching Sun Level Warrior, Level 7 Mage

Strength: 110.4

Spirit: 70.0

After becoming a Mage and gaining the ability to use Blessing Spells, he had chosen to increase his Strength Attribute.

Although becoming a Level 9 Grand Mage would allow him to master the spells Soul Stripping and Will Infusion—and thus qualify him to create Magic Energy Puppets—the required materials and their practical value were both limited. It was not something that could bring about immediate change.

So Duane chose to continue allocating points to his Strength Attribute, deciding to focus on increasing his own power first.

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed, and the male servant, Logan, hurried to Duane’s side.

"Milord, a letter for you. It’s from the Silent Shore."

Duane summoned a cool breeze to refresh himself, then took the letter and sat down in the pavilion to read.

It was a letter from Natalia. Aside from some daily chatter, it mostly detailed the trade war that had been brewing since September.

In fact, starting in August, Count Kais and Baron Uriel had made a public announcement regarding Warm Sun Soup, paving the way for its official launch in October.

Warm Sun Soup could strengthen one’s constitution and enhance physical stamina.

As soon as this was advertised, it immediately put Viscount Ugo Calvin on high alert.

This was because its effects were almost identical to the Calvin Clan’s Fire Source Beast Bone Soup.

But Warm Sun Soup didn’t just work on ordinary people; even Basic-level Warriors felt its effects after consumption.

In other words, Warm Sun Soup was more potent than Fire Source Beast Bone Soup.

Yet, the price set by Count Kais and Baron Uriel was cheaper than that of the Fire Source Beast Bone Soup.

A single serving of the former sold for 13 Silver Coins, while the latter was priced at only 8 Silver Coins.

In Viscount Ugo’s eyes, this was a clear declaration of a trade war. Warm Sun Soup was challenging an industry the Calvin Clan had dominated for years.

Sure enough, when Warm Sun Soup was officially released in October, it immediately disrupted the market for Fire Source Beast Bone Soup. Sales plummeted, and the downward trend only intensified as Warm Sun Soup’s reputation grew.

’Viscount Ugo actually lodged a protest with His Majesty the King...’

Duane shook his head and chuckled as he read the letter’s contents.

If Warm Sun Soup had used the same recipe or ingredients as the Fire Source Beast Bone Soup, the King would have had ample reason to intervene.

But the ingredients for Warm Sun Soup were original and had nothing to do with the Calvin Clan. Their protest was nothing more than an act of pure desperation.

’If this protest were to succeed, couldn’t other competitive industries, like vintners, do the same?’

He continued reading the letter. Natalia mentioned the recent sales figures.

Due to its low price, many nobles, wealthy merchants, and even numerous Free People were scrambling to buy it. Monthly sales were around twenty thousand servings.

Count Kais and Baron Uriel had conferred and decided to build new "restaurants" in the territories of other nobles, expand their breeding farms, and search for more species of Fire Attribute Demon Beasts that could be raised in captivity.

Of course, they also needed Duane to prepare more materials.

The materials Duane needed to prepare were simply the special solution made from soaking Willow Tree branches and the dried chrysanthemum powder.

He set the letter down and asked, "How is the cultivation of the Willow Trees and chrysanthemums coming along?"

Logan replied respectfully, "Rest assured, milord. We began to expand cultivation in the first half of the year. Neither of them are food crops, so they aren’t very demanding on the soil. Now, your Territory has Willow Trees everywhere, and two entire mountainsides are covered in blooming chrysanthemums."

Duane nodded in satisfaction. "I need you to oversee this. The yield of both the Willow Trees and the chrysanthemums must be increased further."

"Please rest assured. I will remember your instructions!"

As Duane’s personal servant, Logan knew these two resources were related to Warm Sun Soup; he just didn’t know the specific production process.

That was because this stage of the process was managed by Jasmine, the head maid of Forest Castle, making it very difficult for any outsider to get near.

「Fire Source City, Fire Source Castle.」

This sturdy, predominantly red castle belonged to the Calvin Clan.

A gloomy atmosphere hung heavy in the castle’s reception hall.

Viscount Ugo had summoned all of his most important vassals to the castle.

"Liam, you spend most of your time in the Secret Realm, so you know the most about Fire Source Beasts. You’ve also tried the Warm Sun Soup from the Silent Shore. Can you identify any of its ingredients?"

The powerfully built Knight shook his head. "My apologies, milord, I cannot. But I have a feeling the ingredients are rather common—not nearly as rare as a Fire Source Beast."

This was precisely what infuriated Ugo. That something more common than a Fire Source Beast could produce the same effect as Fire Source Beast Bone Soup.

Baron Theodore said, "According to our latest research, it likely contains the meat of some kind of Demon Beast, mixed with a variety of plants, and carries the scent of chrysanthemum. But we’ve tried several recipes and haven’t been able to replicate the effect."

The various plants he mentioned were irrelevant ingredients Duane had deliberately added as red herrings.

While they didn’t affect the efficacy of the Warm Sun Soup, they served to confuse and mislead anyone trying to reverse-engineer it.

The Calvin Clan had its own researchers, but they could only purchase the finished soup, which made it extremely difficult to identify all the ingredients.

They had also considered planting a spy to extract information.

However, ever since the major purge of spies at Sea Cliff Castle last year, they had not yet managed to plant any new agents inside.

The same went for Baron Uriel’s domain; he was not an easy target.

"This situation is a grave threat to the Calvin Clan’s future!"

Viscount Ugo’s face was grim. He hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in two months, unable to stop imagining his family’s finances collapsing.

That was a fate he could not accept!

"Your own families have grown strong by relying on the Fire Source Beast Bone Soup industry! Put your heads together and come up with a countermeasure!"

After a brief silence, the Female Knight seated on the right asked softly, "Milord, is there any word from His Majesty?"

"His Majesty will not intervene!"

Ugo shook his head. "They are two fundamentally different products. Besides, he is happy to see Kais and his allies use Warm Sun Soup to undermine us."

It was always best for the Crown when the nobility squabbled amongst themselves. If everyone was on peaceful terms, the man on the throne would start to feel uneasy.

"I visited the Silent Shore," the female knight said. "All of their raw materials are processed in a single location."

At this, everyone’s eyes lit up, and Viscount Ugo blurted out, "Where?"

The Female Knight, Martina, replied, "It’s a processing plant in the Silent Shore that’s leased by Black Forest Island. All the ingredients are transported there to be processed before being delivered to the several restaurants selling it in the Silent Shore."

Everyone was stunned. They hadn’t expected Black Forest Island to be involved.

Viscount Ugo’s brow furrowed. "I knew it! Kais and Uriel could never have pulled off something this big on their own!"

"Duane... It’s Duane again!"

He cursed in a rage, "Elwin was utterly disgraced because of him, and Blood Anchor died by his hand! And now, he dares to attack the very foundation of my clan!"

"Duane is very powerful," Baron Theodore said with a sigh of resignation.

’At the very least, all of them combined couldn’t defeat him.’

Liam, however, said, "A Silver Moon Warrior isn’t invincible. On a battlefield, even they can’t withstand an army of tens of thousands."

Theodore shook his head. To mobilize an army of tens of thousands to besiege him... even if they won, the cost would be too great. The Calvin Clan would be left crippled and unable to recover.

Besides, it wasn’t as if Duane was all alone.

Viscount Ugo thought for a long moment before turning to Martina. "Is there any way to infiltrate the plant and find out the ingredients?"

The Female Knight shook her head. "It seems the person currently managing the processing plant is Count Kais’s daughter, Natalia."

"She herself is a Level 4 Mage, and the Kennedy Magic Research Institute has assigned two other Mages to set up an Investigation Barrier. I can’t get in."

Over the past year, all the Kingdom Nobility had become familiar with the name Natalia. She was, after all, the woman desired by both the Prince and Duane.

Viscount Ugo felt a major headache coming on.

The Calvin and Kennedy clans had been secretly vying for power for many years, with the former almost always holding the upper hand.

That is, until Duane’s appearance completely shattered the status quo.

Just then, Liam spoke up again. "Milord, I believe we must sever the alliance between Black Forest Island and the Silent Shore."

His words struck a chord deep within Viscount Ugo.

"You’re right. If we allow their alliance to continue, I fear we will all be devoured by them in the future!" ℯ

A murderous glint flickered in Liam’s eyes as the corner of his mouth curled into a cruel smile.

"Destroying their alliance is actually quite simple. Their bond is Natalia."

A chill went through the hearts of everyone present. Theodore asked hesitantly, "You want to make a move against Natalia?"

"And why not?"

Liam chuckled. "We might not be able to assassinate Duane, but surely we can assassinate a mere Level 4 Mage?"

Viscount Ugo said, "I hear Kais values his daughter greatly and has strengthened her personal Guard."

"Then we’ll find an opportunity!"

Liam said, "Sending Blood Anchor to assassinate Duane was a mistake born from underestimating his power. But we’ve been neighbors with the Kennedy Clan for so many years; we know each other’s situations inside and out."

"If we gather enough intelligence and patiently wait for the right moment, how can we possibly fail to take care of a single Level 4 Mage?"

The others pondered this and nodded in silent agreement.

Right now, they had no way to stop the expansion of the Warm Sun Soup industry. Their only hope for a breakthrough was to destroy the link between Duane and the Silent Shore.

The risks were great, but to protect the lifeblood of the Calvin Clan’s industry, they had no other choice.

Doing nothing would only lead to a slow death.

"This matter must be kept secret, and the operation must be covert."

Viscount Ugo mused for a moment, then said slowly, "I will find the right people for the job."