Locust Plague

Formula research is fraught with uncertainty; no one knows when it will yield results. We still need to find a way to obtain the Life Essence.

After careful consideration, Hudson ultimately did not approach the local nobles, but instead turned to the Northern Nobles with whom he had a relatively good relationship.

Businessmen, after all, have plenty of friends. Although the local nobles and the Northern Nobles belong to two different camps, it doesn't affect their business dealings at all.

After a few transactions, everyone becomes acquainted. A relationship that's neither too close nor too distant is just right for discussing this kind of thing.

Market price plus 30%—that's the sincerity Hudson is offering. They'll buy as many as they can get—a truly extravagant move.

While it may seem like a high price has been paid, this premium is actually a payment for favors. In the past, transactions within this circle required not only financial investment but also the investment of personal connections.

If the Coslo Family didn't have enemies in the North, their knights would probably have already gone to the Northern Frontier to fight and use their military achievements to obtain the Life Essence for their descendants. They wouldn't be in such a predicament.

We'll have to wait another month or two to find out exactly how much Life Essence we can get. There will definitely be some gain; nobody will agree to it if we get nothing.

In Dadir City, the closer relationship between Hudson and the Northern Nobles quickly provoked Baron Ciss.

As outsiders, without the power to overpower the locals, they will eventually have to integrate.

Baron Ciss was well aware of this, but how to integrate them was another matter. He, as the leader, hadn't even made a statement, yet his underlings were prioritizing easing relations with the local powers—what kind of nonsense was this?

What seemed like an ordinary business deal quickly revealed something different to Baron Ciss, who was quite politically astute—his control over his subordinates was waning!

In the past, if you wanted to trade with the local nobles, you would at least have to send a representative to come and greet them.

But now, even though everyone knows his taboo, they still reached an agreement with Hudson without saying a word, clearly showing that they don't take him seriously.

The aftermath of the Kate incident has begun to unfold.

The failure to promptly make an example of him and establish his authority caused Baron Ciss's prestige among the Northern Aristocrats to plummet.

The rise of the Mountain Territory made the Northern Aristocrats realize that if they continued to fight, they, as outsiders, would suffer a great loss.

At this critical juncture, everyone is naturally happy to accept Hudson's goodwill.

What may seem like a simple transaction depends on what's being traded. In the Aslant Continent, those who can offer Life Essence in a transaction are all—"one of our own."

Besides, it's a deal with a markup, and everyone can make a profit by acting as a middleman, so it's even more impossible to refuse.

When it comes to personal gain, the title of leader is worthless. Once someone sets a precedent, others are happy to follow suit.

The law does not punish the masses; when everyone participates in the transaction, it is as if no one participated.

Even if he received the news, Baron Ciss, as the leader, had no way to investigate the matter further.

If we want to settle scores, let's deal with the traitor "Kate" first!

"Damn Hudson, what is he trying to do?"

Do you really think I'm afraid of him?

"The repeated provocations are simply..."

Baron Ciss couldn't help but curse.

Before they knew it, a rival had come to poach their staff. With the precedent of Baron Keterai, Ciss didn't believe the Northern Nobles were particularly loyal to the group.

It was originally thought that after Kate betrayed her own camp, she would not only be unable to integrate into the local nobles, but would also face collective resistance from the Northern Nobles.

As it turned out, it was purely wishful thinking on his part. Kate indeed failed to integrate into the local nobility, but the Northern Aristocrats did not resist her.

The reason is very simple: Baron Ciss believed that Baron Keterai was betraying him, but that did not mean that other nobles thought so.

Essentially, aside from causing trouble for Baron Ciss, Kate didn't do anything to betray the group.

Even the debts incurred were quickly repaid after a short period of cash flow, leaving Baron Ciss with no excuse for liquidation.

Lacking a reason to rally everyone together, if you want to pick a fight with Kate, then you can only do it yourself.

However, this guy is no pushover either. Maple Leaf Territory's military strength is close to three-sevenths of his, so the losses in a fight would definitely be significant.

Baron Ciss was not an impulsive person. After considering the balance of power between the two sides, he decisively suppressed his urge to attack.

A correct military choice does not equate to a correct political choice. To the Northern Nobles scions who worshipped strength, Baron Ciss's performance was undoubtedly insufficient.

Although the identity may start with great prestige, the addition of "illegitimate child" before it makes one an object of universal contempt, envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Ultimately, it comes down to having too many ambitious people. Everyone is secretly scheming to become the leader, and no one is willing to be relegated to a supporting role.

"Young Master, calm down!"

Anger only cloudes reason, leading to poor decisions. It serves no positive purpose in the long run.

One business deal doesn't prove anything. Many people are waiting for you to make a mistake; any decision made in anger will only benefit your enemies!

Butler Feren offered his earnest advice.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he had a feeling that his young master had been ambushed. After moving into Dadir City, he became easily angered and was no longer the composed man he was in the North, where he could remain unfazed even if a mountain collapsed before his eyes.

Baron Ciss wasn't the only one to react similarly. Many Northern Nobles, after becoming lords, struggled to control their emotions.

If everyone's minds hadn't remained unaffected, Faerun would have suspected that the entire group was under a curse.

If Hudson were here, he would be able to give the answer at a glance—post-war psychosis.

The murderous aura accumulated on the battlefield was not released.

In this new world, rules and regulations are everywhere, and even the slightest transgression is forbidden. You have to swallow your grievances.

Having nowhere to vent your anger, and bottling it up for too long, will naturally affect your mood. Being easily angered is just a basic symptom.

"Okay, I'll be careful."

Baron Ciss said coldly.

Hearing similar words too often has less and less effect. The fact that Baron Ciss could forcibly suppress his anger shows his unwavering will.

"Young master, one transaction doesn't mean anything. Even if they want to ease tensions, it can't be resolved with just one transaction."

As a representative of the local nobility, Baron Hudson is now also caught in a dilemma. Even if he is willing to accept these people, he has to consider the reactions of his subordinates.

Based on historical experience, it often takes two or three generations of joint efforts for foreign nobles to integrate into the local community, and the hardships involved are certainly not insignificant.

These guys are all ambitious and self-important, so why would they be willing to remain subservient forever?

Compared to the Laite County, Whitton County actually needs more attention. The fact that Baron Cayo has remained completely silent since moving into Falling Leaf Town is highly unusual.

A few days ago, this person even took the initiative to visit the Mountain Territory, and it is possible that the two have already secretly reached an agreement.

The power struggle within the local aristocracy may very well not erupt because of our existence.

Unfortunately, the men in Whitton County also causing trouble, all vying for the position of sheriff. Even though they knew Baron Cayo's intentions were hostile, they were unable to unite.

Butler Feren analyzed with a wry smile.

His rich life experience told him that the less he took action, the bigger the storm was brewing.

The group of Northern Nobles scions who had migrated south had long since been passively integrated into a single entity. If any problems arose among the Northern Nobles of Whitton County, Baron Ciss would inevitably be drawn in.

In a sense, Wright and Huaidun counties are now a single entity. How one side wins or loses will affect the outcome on the other side.

According to the original plan, Baron Ciss was to first take control of Laite County, and then support his confidants to take control of Whitton County.

Unfortunately, the plan failed at its first step, and the situation in Laite County devolved into a long-term confrontation. In the short term, it was impossible to determine a winner, but the struggle in Whitton County was more likely to produce a clear victor.

"Um!"

"The situation in Whitton County is indeed not optimistic. Send out invitations to those guys for me. Even if they want to cause trouble, they'll have to eliminate their competitors first!"

In the Mountain Territory, Hudson was studying the translated formula, as if he were about to transform into an alchemy master.

They were all forced into it.

Relying on others is never as good as relying on yourself.

Finding an alchemist is no easy task. We begged and pleaded, pulling strings and using connections everywhere we went. It took us nearly two months, and in the end, we only found an ordinary alchemist.

It's fine to help translate the recipe, but expecting someone to concoct the Life Essence from an incomplete recipe is asking too much of them.

Now it depends on the other branches. In any case, all the family members in the Southeast Province have done their best.

The Young Bear nearby were even more impressive, treating the infamous "Blood Moon Horn" like a toy. They would lift it up one moment and slap it down the next.

It must be admitted that the "evil weapon" is different. The seemingly tattered horn remained unchanged no matter how Bear Beldens tried to salvage it.

Before this, none of the weapons and armor in Hudson's collection could withstand a single slap from Beldens.

To minimize losses, Hudson issued a ban on Beldens early on. The sturdy, durable, and seemingly useless Blood Moon Horn became the Young Bear's only toy.

"Bang!"

With a sound, Hudson's furnace exploded again. This had become the norm ever since he acquired some basic alchemical knowledge.

Treating the preparation of Life Essence as a game of alchemy is something only Hudson would do.

Looking at the dark, unremarkable substance, which could be considered a medicinal pill, Hudson didn't know if it would be effective.

He followed the recipe exactly, but lacking the key refining techniques, he could only rely on his imagination to try and figure it out.

For example, when refining Magic Core, Hudson manipulates his golden finger to drain the energy from the Magic Core and then re-injects it into the Magic Core residue.

All the other raw materials were processed according to the formula. Finally, a little water was added, and it became a dark, unappetizing lake.

He tried steaming, stir-frying, and boiling them, but all attempts failed. Finally, out of desperation, he simply threw them into the alchemy furnace to experiment with.

For this reason, the blacksmiths of the territory also added a side business: building alchemy furnaces for Lord Hudson.

Having experimented with firewood and charcoal, this time, attempting a magical fireball spell, perhaps due to insufficient fire control, resulted in the destruction of another alchemy furnace.

"Beldens, come and help me out!"

Hudson greeted the Young Bear without any hesitation.

Although Beldens could not determine whether his results were successful, they could determine whether they were toxic.

These are lessons learned: anything Young Bear deems inedible will inevitably lead to its death. Countless animals have already sacrificed their lives for Hudson's scientific research before this.

The bear stretched out its paw, looking at the dark pill with disdain. Then, under Hudson's watchful gaze, it stuffed it directly into its mouth.

It was moving so fast that Hudson didn't have time to stop it.

"Beldens, I only showed you, I didn't let you try the food. I won't be responsible if you get a stomachache!"

It's still our own bear after all. It's a bit mischievous, but it's still a qualified bodyguard.

If things go wrong, who will be responsible for Lord Hudson's personal safety?

Arrange for guards?

It's not that Hudson is trying to diminish his own prestige. Even if he brought over the most capable soldiers from the Mountain Territory, they wouldn't be enough to withstand a single bear's paw.

"The taste is a bit off, but it's still barely edible. Hudson, I didn't know you had such a talent for alchemy."

Keep up the good work, improve the taste and appearance, and it would be best to add some honey, animal milk, and sugar...

Beldens' words put Hudson's mind at ease. He glared at the glutton and began a new round of alchemy.

The specific effects are still uncertain, but two things are certain: it won't kill a bear, and it's even beneficial to the bear's growth.

As for what will happen to people after eating it, further experiments are needed to draw a conclusion.

After all, the Earth Bear's resistance is far superior to that of ordinary people.

As it turned out, Hudson's guess was entirely correct.

After a dozen rabbits and two wild deer ate the pills and they exploded on the spot, he had to admit that the pills he had made were Bear feed pills.

Even after diluting the dosage with water, none of the animals used as test subjects survived and left the laboratory.

With the medicinal herbs worth over five thousand gold coins gone, Hudson finally stopped his experiments. Now he truly understood what it meant for "alchemy to ruin one's life."

It wasn't a complete loss; at least he achieved something. Although it was quite useless, Beldens mostly complained about these pills that didn't suit Bear's taste, but it was still an achievement.

To produce results on one's first research and development attempt. Regardless of whether the results are worthless or not, taking them out into the outside world would earn one the title of "gifted alchemist".

This is how most alchemists learn their craft. Every master alchemist has a unique method of Potion-Making.

Even if you wanted to imitate it, you couldn't. Even with the master-disciple tradition, the details are vastly different.

Ultimately, the purchased Life Essence solved the immediate problem. However, the family's research and development plan for the Life Essence was temporarily shelved after Hudson's persistent persuasion.

Without your own alchemists, spending money on research and development for others is an absolute money pit.

Even someone as rational as myself can squander thousands of gold coins at once; who knows how much those alchemical madmen would spend?

The most crucial point is that, inside the laboratory, they have no idea whether the researchers are studying the Life Essence or doing something else.

If it were an alchemy master in charge, that would be fine. Given their skill level, they'd still produce results once they'd spent most of the money.

Hudson felt it was better to do it himself than to use an ordinary alchemist whose abilities were still uncertain. At least he had some achievements to show for it, while most so-called alchemists could only copy the work of their predecessors.

Being able to plagiarize is not bad, but the most important thing is that even if you plagiarize verbatim, you can only get fifty or sixty points out of a hundred.

It's not that they don't work hard; it's just that many things lack specific standards, and judgments are based on experience and subjectivity. In this industry, talent and luck are more important than hard work.

Not to mention the difficulty in judging the efficacy of medicinal herbs, even two different Magic Core of the same type will have completely different energies.

However, in the meticulous process of preparing magical potions, any deviation can affect the final result. Hudson's experiment is the best example. Originally intended to create Life Essence, it ended up being used only to feed bears.

"Master, we have just received news. A locust plague has broken out in a neighboring province and is heading towards the Southeast Province."

It is said that there is also Bug King leader who has been promoted to a monster, possessing considerable intelligence, and has evaded the kingdom organization's hunt on multiple occasions.

The Governor's Mansion issued a strict order, commanding everyone to prepare for the locust plague. A reward of one thousand gold coins was also offered for the killing of the Bug King.

Upon receiving this devastating news, Hudson nearly vomited blood. Alchemy failure was bad enough, but now a locust plague had also joined the fray.

Once the locust plague spreads to the Southeast Province, a surge in grain prices is inevitable. Unfortunately, the Mountain Territory are not yet self-sufficient in grain, and the hard-earned income of a year might not even be enough to cover the losses caused by the soaring grain prices.

Rising food prices aren't the worst thing; the worst thing is having money but not being able to buy food. Every locust plague has been followed by scenes of hell on earth.

Especially with the appearance of the monster Bug King, even with the noble lords' best efforts to alleviate the disaster, it was difficult to contain the locust plague.

When it comes to dealing with locusts, knights are certainly no match for mages, but just look at how pitifully few mages there are, and you'll know they're not worth relying on.

Even if a single spell could easily kill tens of thousands of locusts, it would still be a drop in the ocean compared to the sheer number of locusts.

If locusts were to attack the Mountain Territory, Hudson would have no choice but to lead his people to eat locusts. I wonder what locusts taste like on the Aslant Continent, and whether they're even edible.

"Tom, immediately take men to reinforce the warehouse, replacing all parts with stone. Notify all village chiefs to suspend land reclamation and organize manpower to harvest the nearly ripe grain."

Harvest and dry as much of the vegetables grown in the fields and wild vegetables grown on the mountains as possible. Remember not to damage the roots, as there will be another harvest if there is no locust plague.

The fodder reserves also need to be arranged. This is a very important matter, so Nick will be in charge of it.

In addition..."