Like every noble's castle, Eagle Fortress naturally had its own dungeon. However, since Eagle Town's public safety had been excellent in recent years, it had remained unused for quite some time.
And now, it had become Raven's ideal laboratory.
Volkov and Moxigan were already waiting there, and everything had been delivered. The moment Raven arrived, they both bowed. "Lord Baron!"
"Mm. Thanks for the effort." Raven returned their bows with a nod. "Both of you, leave. Unless I give the order, don't come in no matter what sounds you hear. And don't let anyone else in, either."
"Yes, my lord!" The two men left the room, and it soon fell silent.
For a dungeon, the place was quite spacious. It had six separate small cells, each with straw spread across the floor and enough room for four prisoners.
There was also a large cell at the very back, big enough to hold more than a dozen people. If they were packed in tightly, it could even hold dozens. The only living pig had been tied up by all four legs and tossed inside.
"Moxigan really thought I was going to chase a live pig around?" Raven shook his head with a quiet laugh, then turned his gaze to the table, where a black-lacquered wooden box rested.
He opened the lid, revealing crystalline demon cores that glittered like gemstones and radiated multicolored light.
Raven activated the Eye of Truth, and the true nature of the power contained in each demon core became unmistakably clear.
Dark red represented Blood Power, silver-white represented Steel Power, deep blue represented Ice Power, brilliant red represented Fire Power, azure represented Storm Power, dark yellow represented Earth Power, bright yellow represented Sand Power, and emerald green represented Nature Power.
There were two or three of each kind.
What delighted Raven most was that there was actually a Light Attribute demon core among them. That attribute was quite rare among magical beasts.
His fingers brushed across the surface of the demon core. Through the Eye of Truth, he could clearly see that the energy inside clung to his finger like a hungry fledgling yearning to be fed.
He paused briefly before the silver-white core representing Steel Power, but in the end, Raven clenched the dark-red core representing Blood Power.
His main goal today was naturally to test the effects of demon cores on living creatures other than himself. Before that, however, Raven wanted to know whether there was a limit to how much demon-core power he could absorb, and what that limit was.
A Blood Power demon core of the same nature was naturally safer.
"Whew..." After taking a deep breath, Raven tightened his grip on the demon core and smashed it hard against the floor.
After being strengthened by two demon cores, Raven's physical strength had far surpassed that of ordinary people. The blow was tremendously powerful. The demon core shattered against the floor, exploding into countless fragments as dark-red energy spread like smoke.
"Come!"
Using the power of the Eye of Truth, Raven desperately tried to draw in the energy.
But unlike the previous two times, only about one-third of the mist drifted toward Raven and surged into the center of his brows.
The sensations of pain, numbness, and itching struck again. In that instant, Raven felt as if his entire body had swollen. His skin burned and itched painfully. When he raised his hand for a closer look, even the veins in his palm were clearly visible.
In a daze, Raven saw something flash through his mind, but it had no definite shape.
He stood motionless, not daring to move, until more than ten minutes had passed and the scarlet mist in the air had dispersed. Only then did the veins bulging from his body gradually fade away. An overwhelming sense of fullness filled his entire body.
"Two first-tier demon cores are currently the limit I can absorb?" Raven spread open his palm and applied a little force. The muscles pulled taut over every finger were clearly visible. "Or is it only the limit for Blood Power demon cores?"
His fingers danced over the magic crystals before Raven selected a demon core containing Storm Power and smashed it against the floor.
A breeze rose inexplicably inside the sealed dungeon. Azure mist spread through the room, but no matter how Raven urged the power of the Eye of Truth, he could not draw it into his body. Even when the mist pressed tightly against his brow, it still could not enter.
Raven was not discouraged. He consecutively smashed one Fire, Earth, Ice, Steel, Sand, and Nature Attribute demon core each. In the end, he stopped before the Light Attribute demon core.
"So it has nothing to do with the demon core's attribute. Two first-tier demon cores are currently the limit my body can withstand." Raven rubbed his chin. "But what exactly is restricting me? Is it because first-tier demon cores can only provide this much power, or because I'm not Transcendent yet and can't absorb any more?"
Raven committed the question to memory. To verify it, he would have to wait until he became a mage, or obtain a second-tier or higher demon core.
"A mage..." Raven's eyes shone with anticipation. "I wonder if one potion will be enough to awaken successfully..."
Not to mention a Second-tier God-Given Potion, even a third-tier one could not guarantee that a person would awaken successfully. There was always a chance of failure.
That was two thousand gold coins!
"Forget it. Thinking about it won't help. I might as well think about how to earn more money." Raven clenched his fist. "If one potion isn't enough, then I'll throw money at it. I'll smash myself into becoming a mage!"
"Grunt—"
Perhaps his voice had been too loud. The pig in the cell kicked its legs and let out a loud squeal.
Raven laughed despite himself. "Even if you flatter me, I can't spare you today."
As he spoke, he took out another Blood Attribute demon core and walked to the cage where the live chickens were "imprisoned."
Two chickens, one male and one female, had their feet tied together and had been tossed onto the floor. Their four eyes stared blankly ahead.
"It's time for you to sacrifice yourselves for my great undertaking."
With a bang, the demon core shattered on the floor, and scarlet mist spread through the air. The two chickens began squawking uneasily.
Raven pressed a hand to his brow and sensed an invisible force leaving his body and gathering the mist together. He directed the mist, slowly pouring it into the two birds before him.
As the mist seeped into their bodies bit by bit, the appearance of the two birds began changing at an uncanny speed.
Their feathers grew coarser and longer, and their color gradually turned black. Their originally dark eyes slowly filled with blood-red color, revealing a hint of... savagery!
Suddenly, the rooster raised its head and viciously pecked the hen beside it. Feathers flew as blood spurted into the air.
The hen's comb, which had previously been barely discernible, suddenly filled with blood and swelled until it was larger than an ordinary person's palm. It mercilessly pecked back!
At that moment, less than one-eighth of the total mist had entered their bodies.
Raven withdrew the power of the Eye of Truth and tried to stop the infusion, but the mist in the air seemed to possess a life of its own. It continued pouring into the two birds.
At that moment, Raven could clearly see the violent energy begin rampaging through their bodies the instant it entered, constantly merging into their organs, flesh, and bones.
The rooster suddenly opened its beak. At some point, its originally smooth bill had become covered in thorn-like fleshy growths. Just as it tried to attack the hen again, there was a cracking sound. A thick blood vessel burst through bone and tore through skin, dragging out a violently pounding heart.
A chicken's heart was usually only the size of a thumb, but now it had swollen to the size of a walnut. With a wet pop, it burst apart, and blood gushed from every part of its body.
A dozen seconds later, the hen met the same fate.
Even more bizarrely, although they were already dead, their bodies continued to grow wildly under the corrosion of the scarlet mist. Before long, they had transformed into two pools of mangled flesh.
"Well, this is convenient. I won't need to chop the filling when making dumplings." Raven gave a self-mocking laugh and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Luckily, I tested it on animals first. If I had used it directly on a person, I'd probably have ended up on a burning stake."
"Is the problem the Blood energy itself?" Raven's gaze shifted to the two rabbits tied together.
The two little creatures seemed to sense the fate awaiting them. They desperately rubbed against the ground, trying to shrink into the corner. Unfortunately, one pulled east while the other pulled west, completely working against each other.
Raven walked to the box, selected the Nature Attribute demon core least likely to cause problems, and entered the cage.
Shadow instantly fell over the two helpless little rabbits.
More than ten minutes later, Raven looked at the scattered fur and flesh covering the ground and helplessly sighed. "Still no good."
This time, after drawing in the energy, he tried to stop the mist from continuing to pour in. Unfortunately, after blocking it for only a short while, he felt completely exhausted.
"Perhaps this is what mages mean when they talk about the consumption of Spiritual Power."
Then what had happened to the two birds played out once again on the rabbits.
Still, he had gained something. At least he now knew that the demon core's attribute did not affect the result when used on living creatures—or at least, it did not affect the result on the surface.
"Then finally... there's you!" Holding a Storm Attribute demon core, Raven walked over to the live pig.
Moxigan had specifically selected this pig. It could not compare with the several-hundred-pound monsters from Raven's previous life, but it was still fat and sturdy, with black-and-white patches covering its pinkish-white skin.
A pig's physique was similar to a human's. If it could withstand the power, ordinary soldiers should be able to as well!
Raven slammed the demon core against the ground and shattered it, then guided the azure energy into the pig's body.
Compared with the chickens and rabbits, which weighed no more than a few pounds, this beast absorbed energy extremely quickly. In a mere dozen seconds, all the energy in the air had poured inside.
If Raven had not seen the energy filling its body, he would have thought he was hallucinating.
A dozen seconds later, the energy inside its body suddenly began dispersing, and the spotted pig before him underwent an astonishing transformation!
Although it was a sow, four tusks protruded from its mouth. Its originally black-and-white skin turned a terrifying blue-gray, while its previously transparent bristles became black and grew longer, as if covering it in a layer of thick armor.
Its eyes filled with blood vessels, and a crazed killing intent erupted. Its muscles and bones suddenly thickened. In an instant, the entire spotted pig grew twice as large!
Snap—
The ropes binding its four legs swept through the straw and broke. The beast rolled over, rose from the floor, and opened its mouth to let out a howl. "Grunt—"
Raven had prepared himself as soon as the transformation began. He had retreated ten meters away, and now immediately raised his hand crossbow and pulled the trigger at its eye socket.
The crossbow string, mixed with Star Iron, suddenly snapped taut. The bolt, flashing with a pale-green light, tore through the air and slammed into its wide-open right eye, sinking deep inside.
The strike was powerful enough to injure the brain, but it failed to stop the spotted pig. Instead, it further aroused its ferocity. It arched its body, smashed through the cell door, and charged toward Raven.
Its four iron hooves struck the ground, sending stone chips flying from the granite-marble floor!
Raven remained calm. He brushed a hand over his belt, and a loaded crossbow appeared in his grip.
He dropped to one knee, held the crossbow level with both hands, aimed at the raging animal's brow, and pulled the trigger!
Whoosh—
The crossbow's power far exceeded that of the hand crossbow. The slender Enchanted Crossbow Bolt had barely left the track before it plunged into the beast's brow!
The fatal blow destroyed its central nervous system. Its four hooves stiffened, and it crashed to the floor, though its body continued sliding forward under its momentum.
Raven put away the crossbow and stepped aside. With a boom, the beast's corpse slammed into the wall and finally came to a stop.
"What tremendous strength!" Raven looked at the broken ropes on the floor, then at the massive corpse. He exhaled deeply before smiling bitterly. "Does this count as success or failure?"
He could not yet determine whether the demon core's energy had driven the beast mad, or whether it had gained enough strength to actively try to break free.
He would have to test it more.
Raven walked to the spotted pig and stepped on its shoulder, intending to pull out the crossbow bolt. Unexpectedly, he could not move it at all.
"Hm?" Raven was momentarily stunned. He stopped trying to use brute force, turned the pig over, and brought a torch close. A look of delight gradually appeared in his eyes.
He placed the torch on the floor, drew his Enchanted Rapier, cut a cross-shaped opening in the pigskin around the bolt, and peeled it back. The corners of his mouth curled upward. "Just as I thought!"
Under the torchlight, Raven could clearly see that the pigskin around the wound was thick and hard, nearly two centimeters thick. Its texture was tough and dense, which was precisely what had caught the shaft.
Moreover, its bones were also far thicker than those of an ordinary live pig.
For an ordinary beast, this Enchanted Crossbow Bolt would have been enough to pierce through its skull and brain. But now, the bolt had only barely penetrated the skull. Less than an inch of it had entered the brain, and it had become firmly stuck inside.
As for the hand-crossbow bolt that had shot into its eye socket, it had lodged in the bones around the socket and had not entered the brain at all.
"This is practically a complete magical beast." Raven pursed his lips, dragged the corpse onto the table, and began dissecting it. As expected, he found no demon core.
"In other words, the demon core's power was completely absorbed by this beast, giving it a physique no weaker than that of an ordinary first-tier magical beast. Perhaps this can be called 'Half-Monster Transformation.'"
Raven ran his fingers over the skin of the transformed beast, and a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. "Although I can't use demon cores to strengthen other people for now, this leather is excellent. I suppose I've still gained something unexpected."
Magical-beast leather was extraordinarily tough. Even the hide of a first-tier magical beast, after tanning, made excellent armor material. Although it was not as strong as Common Chainmail, its advantage lay in its weight.
A full suit of chainmail weighed at least twenty kilograms, while a suit of Monster Hide Armor weighed only about five kilograms, yet provided roughly two-thirds of the protection.
Even with the physical strength of Raven's personal guards, they could stand watch in chainmail every day, but wearing it on long marches was unrealistic. Most armored troops in this world used carriages to transport their armor and only put it on before battle, preserving their strength.
Monster Hide Armor, however, could serve for both marching and combat. It would greatly increase marching speed without reducing fighting ability by too much.
On the market, a first-tier suit of Monster Hide Armor sold for roughly twenty-two to thirty gold coins, while chainmail cost anywhere from thirty-six to fifty-five gold coins.
Yet a first-tier magic crystal cost less than four gold coins on average.
The hide of a single half-transformed pig was enough to make a suit of Monster Hide Armor. Pigskin was already little more than kitchen waste, and the meat remaining on the body could still be eaten. It practically had no cost!
"This means..." Raven grinned excitedly. "I can obtain Monster Hide Armor for one-fifth, or even one-sixth, of the market price, then sell it for a profit! Even at the lowest price, that gives me four times the profit."
Four times!
With one hand on the table, Raven quickly calmed down. "But suddenly importing demon cores in large quantities might be a little..."
His gaze swept over the fat pig on the table, and an idea suddenly flashed through his mind. "That's right. I still have you, my dear Uncle Donald!"
"Uncle became obsessed with 'magic' and squandered his family fortune. If I do the same as his nephew, surely no one will find it surprising, right?"
With a smile, Raven looked toward the box containing the demon cores. Ten remained inside.
"Come in!"
Raven shouted, and a few seconds later, Volkov and Moxigan entered.
Their gazes fell on the dead pig on the table, and their eyes filled with confusion. Is this really the same thing we carried in together?
Raven had no intention of explaining. "Carry this pig out. Preserve and tan the hide properly, and make sure it's stored safely. Then bring me five more... no, ten more live pigs!"
The two personal guards exchanged bewildered looks, but in the face of Lord Baron's command, they could only obey. "Yes, my lord!"
Raven left the dungeon and went to Old Gordon's room. Fili surprisingly had not left yet. The moment he saw Raven, he stood up. "My lord, are you satisfied with the demon cores?"
"Very satisfied. You put in a lot of effort." Raven patted him on the shoulder. "I have another task for you."
A weight lifted from Fili's heart, and he nodded vigorously. "Tell me, my lord. As long as I can do it, I'll get it done!"
Raven said, "From now on, you will fully represent me in purchasing first-tier demon cores. There is no limit to the quantity. As long as the premium does not exceed twenty percent, buy as many as there are!"
"Lord Baron, are you certain you want to do this?" Fili asked cautiously.
"Lord Baron, you absolutely must not!" Old Gordon rose and hurriedly said, "Baron Donald exhausted the family fortune because he was obsessed with magic. If you do this, it will truly..."
"There's no need to say more. I've made up my mind!" Raven waved to interrupt Old Gordon, then turned to Fili. "Also, I need five second-tier demon cores. They don't need to be expensive. Common attributes will do."
Raven's words left Fili dazed. Even in a normal transaction, he could earn at least thirty silver coins of profit on each demon core. Unlimited purchases meant a flood of wealth!
"Didn't you hear me?" Raven's voice carried a hint of displeasure.
"I heard you! I-I'll get right on it!" Fili bowed, then hurried away under Old Gordon's murderous gaze.
"Mr. Gordon, from now on, whenever Fili brings demon cores, pay him each time. You can draw from the emergency funds." Raven said, "When payment for the second batch of Angel's Tear arrives, replenish the funds."
"Yes, Lord Baron..." Old Gordon answered listlessly, releasing a deep sigh from the bottom of his heart.
He had thought Baron Raven would be different from Baron Donald. He had not expected Raven to reveal his true nature after only three months.
Not wanting to discourage Old Gordon too much, but unable to tell him the secret of the Eye of Truth, Raven could only comfort him. "Don't worry, Mr. Gordon. I promise you'll see the results later."
"Yes..." Gordon's reply remained listless.
After all, Donald had said the same thing before.
Amid Old Gordon's daily laments, time passed swiftly.
In the blink of an eye, it was September 2, 1193, Era of Light. Forty-one days had passed since Raven returned to Eagle Town.
Construction of the Riverside Workshop had entered its final stages, with most of the buildings only awaiting their roofs.
Raven's research into demon cores was also progressing rapidly.
He discovered that when a first-tier demon core was used on two live pigs at the same time, both pigs would still go berserk. Their degree of Half-Monster Transformation and combat power would be lower, but the quality of their hides would remain unaffected.
Once the number reached three, however, the quality of the hides dropped rapidly, making it a poor trade.
If one magic crystal was used on more than five live pigs at once, the degree of enhancement would fall considerably and their frenzy would decrease significantly, but they would still be far more aggressive than ordinary domestic pigs.
If the number was increased to eight, the enhancement became negligible. They would only be slightly stronger than ordinary pigs, but they would remain highly aggressive.
The same held true with even greater numbers. Domestic pigs affected by the demon core would undergo more or less of a change in temperament. This was why Raven had never dared to attempt the same experiment on his own people.
That morning, Old Gordon tried to persuade him in the meeting room. "My lord, shouldn't we stop purchasing demon cores? We've already spent a full 113.57 gold coins on them over the past month."
"Didn't the payment for the second batch of Angel's Tear arrive?" Raven asked.
Old Gordon began complaining. "But since last month, we've had to repay 179.6 gold coins in loans every month. This time, the payment for Angel's Tear was only 257.4 gold coins, and you also ordered two alchemical devices..."
Eric sat to the side with his eyes lowered, nose aligned with his mouth and mouth aligned with his heart, unwilling to get involved.
In any case, Raven had not mistreated the army. Recently, live pigs had been delivered to the military camp almost every day.
"All right, stop complaining." Raven stood and walked to the window. "Then we'll wait for the next payment from Angel's Tear. The tax revenue from Shining Gold Town will also arrive this year. It's not as if we'll go bankrupt."
"That's true, but my lord, as a baron, you really should..."
Old Gordon continued rambling, but Raven had already stopped listening. Through the window, he saw a long caravan of carriages passing through Eagle Town toward Eagle Fortress.
Every carriage bore the crest of the Griffith Family.
Raven's heart stirred with excitement, and a smile carrying a hint of delight curved across his lips.
The lead carriage came to a stop, and an elegant woman descended with the assistance of a maid.
Denise had returned.
Before you continue