Angel's Kiss

Time flew by, and it was suddenly September 22nd. Eight days had passed since Raven had thrown himself into the workshop.

During this time, Raven hadn't even returned to Eagle Fortress. His occasional rests were spent making do in the workshop's office.

It wasn't that he didn't want to go back, nor was he addicted to being a craftsman. The real reason was a problem he'd encountered: alcohol.

To prepare alcohol, the liquor needed to be distilled.

This required controlling the heat source's temperature between 80-100℃. Otherwise, only some solid impurities in the liquor would be distilled, and it would be impossible to increase the alcohol concentration.

The problem lay right here.

The alchemical equipment Raven had procured couldn't control the flame at all. After all, there were no gas stoves in this era.

Initially, Raven's solution was to only collect the first half of the distillation.

Alcohol's boiling point was much lower than water's. Doing this would significantly increase the alcohol content of the distilled solution.

However, this method quickly hit a bottleneck. Once the alcohol concentration reached around 50%, no matter how much more he distilled, the water content couldn't be further reduced.

This concentration was still far from what Raven required.

It was Bolo who proposed a crude method: when the heating reached the point of near boiling, immediately remove the heat, wait a moment, and then move the heat source back.

To verify the reliability of this plan and to maintain secrecy, Raven had to take turns with Bolo guarding the distiller.

In the morning light, inside the workshop, Bolo, with bloodshot eyes, removed the stove from the flask for the last time. "My Lord… it's done!"

Raven nodded. He took a sip of plain water, walked to the table, and together with Bolo, removed the flask. The rich aroma of liquor invigorated him. "Maybe this time it'll work!"

Taking out a graduated beaker, Raven poured 200 milliliters of the freshly distilled liquid into it. He picked up a red-hot piece of charcoal with tongs and gently shook it over the beaker.

Sparks flew.

With a "boom," a bright yellow flame ignited, and black scorch marks immediately covered the beaker's walls.

When the flame died out, the beaker had turned completely black.

Raven stepped forward, grabbed the beaker with a cloth-covered hand, and poured its contents into a clean beaker.

As the blackish-brown liquid flowed in, cold sweat was already streaming down Bolo's face.

When the last drop of water fell into the beaker, a satisfied smile curved Raven's lips.

It worked!

There was less than 20 milliliters of water left in the beaker. Of course, some of it had evaporated during the burning process, but even with that much evaporation, if it could burn to this extent, its concentration was at least over 75%.

"It was worth the effort of staying here all these days," Raven exhaled, patting Bolo's shoulder. "5 gold coins, as promised! If you have any similar ideas in the future, I'll pay for them as long as they're useful!"

Bolo excitedly placed his hand on his chest. "Thank you for your generosity, my Lord!"

Raven smiled and, without a word, took out the small glass bottle containing the essential oil from the bottom shelf.

Eight days had passed, and the essential oil inside had accumulated to nearly half its capacity, about 10 milliliters, displaying a luxurious golden hue.

Raven placed a funnel on top, carefully scooped a small amount of the distilled alcohol into it, and once it was almost full, he tightly sealed the lid and gently shook it.

"Bolo, go bottle the alcohol and remember to label it," Raven instructed. "From now on, once it's distilled, seal it immediately for storage."

Alcohol at this concentration would evaporate quickly if left exposed for too long.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and Denise's voice came through, "Raven, are you in there?"

"Just a moment," Raven signaled Bolo to continue, then walked to the door and opened it.

The sight that greeted Denise startled her.

Raven was wearing a stained white lab coat, his usually smooth and shiny hair was greasy and messy, and though his eyes were clear, a lingering fatigue was etched between his brows.

He looked nothing like a baron.

Thinking of how Raven had been cooped up in this workshop for eight consecutive days, Denise's anger flared. Just as she was about to scold him, she saw Bolo busy at work.

The latter quickly put down what he was holding and saluted, "Madam Denise!"

Denise's anger vanished instantly. She said in a cold tone, "You continue with your work. Raven, come out, I have something to discuss with you."

Stepping outside, Raven took a deep breath of fresh air in the morning light. "I apologize. I really couldn't spare the time these past few days."

Hearing him say that, half of Denise's anger dissipated. Seeing his tired face, she couldn't bring herself to utter a single word of reprimand. "Raven, you are a baron, not a craftsman. No matter how busy you are here, you should at least show your face at Eagle Fortress."

"I know, it won't happen again." Raven stretched his neck. "But it seems Eagle Territory is running quite well. Leaving for a few days doesn't seem to have caused any major issues."

"That's what you think," Denise glanced at him. "With you gone, many matters have piled up. While there haven't been any substantial losses yet, but..."

Denise couldn't continue. She looked at Raven helplessly. "Can you please listen to me seriously? Do you have to wait until irreversible losses occur before you'll repent?"

"Of course not," Raven said with a smile. "I just discovered that you look beautiful even without makeup."

Denise's face instantly flushed. Her chest rose and fell, and her brows furrowed. "Raven, I'm not joking with you."

"I'm not joking either," Raven opened his palm and presented the bottle filled with the mixture of essential oil and alcohol to Denise. "With this, you'll surely become the most alluring woman in all of Monen City."

Denise looked puzzled. "Is this also for improving Angel's Tear?"

Raven didn't answer. Instead, he said softly, "Extend your right hand."

Denise hesitated and raised her wrist, but Raven didn't touch her as she expected. Instead, he opened the bottle cap, turned it upside down, and dabbed a bit of the liquid onto his fingertip before applying it to her wrist.

A touch of coolness spread, and Denise blinked, "What is this..."

Raven brought his wrist to his nose and raised an eyebrow.

Denise followed suit, bringing her wrist closer and sniffing gently. Her eyes immediately lit up, as if stars were twinkling within them.

A rich rose fragrance filled her nostrils, passionate yet not overpowering, making Denise feel as if she were standing in a field of roses.

"When sealed, it will practically never spoil," Raven whispered into her ear, "I was here for 8 days, all for this. I named it 'Angel's Kiss'!"

"'Angel's Kiss'..." Denise repeated in an almost chant-like tone, "It's like a kiss left by an angel in a dream, subtle yet clearly felt. It's truly a wonderful name."

"What's the cost?"

Raven chuckled. His first thought was to ask about the price. Denise was indeed a capable businesswoman. "2600 roses, all in this one bottle."

"Hiss—" Even Denise was stunned by the quantity. "Without labor, that's 2.6 gold coins. Give it to me, Raven, I can definitely sell it for an exorbitant price."

"Alright. I was planning to use your name to hold a 'launch event' anyway."

"'Launch... event'?" Denise repeated the unfamiliar word, "What does that mean?"

Raven explained, "It's where we gather wealthy merchants and nobles from the Nord Province in Shining Gold Town and then, in front of them, we promote our products."

"Oh, so it's a party purely for commercial purposes," Denise understood and summarized Raven's words, then posed a new question, "But for luxury goods like this that can't be produced in large quantities, we can't sell them on a large scale."

"Uh-huh, so my goal isn't just to promote this," Raven said, "The real main character is still the Angel's Tear with its new packaging. This Angel's Kiss is just one of the supporting roles."

"'One of them'?" Denise keenly caught the information in Raven's words, "Then what's the other one?"

"What have you been using to wash your face these past two days?" Raven asked.

Denise suddenly realized, "Oh, you mean that fragrant soap someone sent over?"

Raven nodded. "Yes, I named it 'Angel's Embrace'."

"Cost?"

"Scraps from Angel's Tear and Angel's Kiss."

"Output?"

"Calculated at 200 grams per bar, over 3000 bars can be produced monthly."

Denise's eyes sparkled with the glint of gold coins. "Then leave the rest to me. This fragrant soap, Angel's Embrace, should sell for at least 2 silver coins per bar. We should use some attractive molds."

"Uh-huh, no problem. I'll give you full agency rights for this aspect," Raven said with a smile.

"Whether it's Angel's Tear, Angel's Kiss, or Angel's Embrace, I can give you the sole sales rights for all of them," Raven declared.

Denise's expression brightened, but she wasn't overwhelmed. She asked with a hint of caution, "Then what are the conditions?"

Raven raised an eyebrow and smiled, "The condition is that Fedro Commerce will be fully integrated into the Eagle Territory's system, with its profits deposited into the Eagle Territory's treasury. And you will have the power to withdraw gold coins annually, not exceeding 20% of the treasury's balance, without my explicit approval."

Raven needed a deeper level of shared interest.

As the Eagle Territory developed, there would undoubtedly be more and more issues to handle, and Raven couldn't possibly manage everything.

A person's energy is always limited; he needed Denise to help him share the pressure of commercial affairs.

As a member of the Griffith Family, Denise would prosper and suffer with him, possessing sufficient motivation to manage everything well.

Raven was also confident that with Old Gordon's balance, he wouldn't completely let go, and Denise wouldn't be able to cause any major trouble.

Denise also considered this. After weighing the pros and cons, she said, "I can agree to your terms, but from now on, I will effectively serve as the Griffith Family's financial officer, and all income and expenditures will require my approval."

"No problem, but the final decision-making power will still be with me," Raven replied.

Denise extended her hand, "Then, I wish us a pleasant cooperation?"

Raven politely grasped her smooth fingertips, "Pleasant cooperation."

"Then I'll head back to the castle now, Lord Baron," Denise said, subtly withdrawing her hand, "I hope my letter of appointment can be issued soon."

Watching her retreating back, Raven shook his head and chuckled, then turned back into the workshop.

That noon, Raven returned to Eagle Fortress and immediately issued orders to recruit workers, requiring them to be skillful and dexterous, preferably with a background in cooking.

After all, in this world, the closest professions to chemists, besides alchemists, were cooks.

After a deep sleep, Raven woke up refreshed and began a highly structured life.

Every morning after breakfast, he held routine meetings and handled all affairs; in the morning, he practiced magic in the inner courtyard of Eagle Fortress until lunch; after lunch, he inspected the barracks and workshops, and upon returning, he practiced horsemanship and swordsmanship until dusk; after dinner, he would lock himself in his study and study Elvish for two hours, followed by another two hours reading books brought from Laxus; every night before sleep, he would meditate.

Among these activities, practicing magic initially held a sense of novelty, but after a few days, it began to feel monotonous.

Mages didn't just cast spells with magic power and elemental affinity; incantations, hand gestures, and magic power circulation routes were all indispensable.

Only when all three were in sync could a spell be successfully cast. Otherwise, one would just see someone gesticulating and babbling in place, with nothing happening.

Raven had been dancing like this frequently recently, looking like he was performing some popular dance.

Initially, Raven might not succeed even once in dozens of attempts. After a few days, his success rate gradually stabilized at thirty percent. To improve further, it would only be a matter of persistent effort.

On the contrary, the books he expected to be boring, such as "Nothing Remains Except God," "The Path of the Mage," and "The Self-Cultivation of a Knight," he read with great interest.

Besides some gossip within the circles, they also detailed the different cultivation methods for each profession.

Divine Spellcasters needed to offer devout prayers to the Lord of Light. It was said that above Tier 7, they could even see the figure of the Lord of Light during their prayers.

Mages, on the other hand, primarily grow their Magic Power through meditation. They can also improve their meditation efficiency relatively quickly by consuming magic crystals, which typically allows a mage to increase their Magic Power growth rate by about 17% before reaching the third tier.

Knights or warriors are the truly unconventional ones. Besides needing to train their bodies daily, they also rely on external resources. They must consume minerals or plants that match their attributes and possess extraordinary energy, absorbing its power to advance their rank.

Furthermore, it was specifically mentioned that magic cores cannot be used as raw materials. This is because any knight or warrior who cultivates using magic cores will eventually go mad, a condition known as "beastification."

Seeing this, Raven couldn't help but think of Eric. Eric had served at Eagle Fortress for over ten years, accumulating eight to nine hundred gold coins in wages. Yet, he was still only a first-tier warrior. Raven wondered where all his money had gone.

Reading was partly for leisure and partly for broadening one's horizons; it was a good recreational activity.

But if there was one thing Raven loved the most, it was meditation.

Leaving the study and returning to his bedroom, Patti withdrew with a slightly dejected expression. Raven began his meditation for the day.

He stripped naked, sat cross-legged on the bed, clasped his hands in front of his lower abdomen, and let them hang down naturally. He then gently closed his eyes.

Following the instructions on the scroll, Raven began to consciously regulate his breathing. The rhythm grew slower and lighter until the rise and fall of his chest became almost imperceptible.

First, darkness appeared before his eyes, then it turned brilliant. Raven felt as if he were in an infinite starry sky, with colorful stars filling his vision.

Brown represented earth, blue represented water, red represented fire, cyan represented wind, white represented light, and black represented darkness. Besides these, there were also many wondrous points of light formed by the mixture of these colors.

Here, Raven had no physical form, only a mass of silver mist.

He guided himself with his intent towards a star. Soon, the star transformed into a ball of light. The moment it came into contact with Raven, it was absorbed into the silver mist.

The ball of light gradually shrank until it disappeared without a trace, and Raven's Magic Power quietly increased by a sliver.

Magic Power itself has no attributes. However, when meditating, mages typically only absorb elemental light orbs to which they have a higher affinity, as this increases absorption efficiency and can slightly enhance their affinity with those elements.

But Raven was different. He had an affinity for the four elements: earth, water, fire, and wind. He absorbed each type of light orb at roughly the same speed and didn't need to be overly selective. Consequently, his efficiency was much higher than that of ordinary mages.

Although he hadn't made direct comparisons, after rough calculations and a simple experiment, Raven confirmed that his Magic Power growth rate was about 1.6 times that of a mage of the same tier.

As the crowing of roosters could be heard from outside the window, Raven concluded his meditation, feeling that his Magic Power had increased once more.

This feeling of reaping what you sow was why Raven enjoyed meditation.

Moreover, it could also substitute for sleep.

After getting dressed with Patti's assistance and having breakfast with everyone, before the meeting even began, Moxigan strode in.

"Reporting to Lord Baron, the allocated villagers have arrived at Shining Gold Town. We are short-handed and hope to deploy new recruits to maintain order."

Old Gordon glanced at him with slight displeasure. "Six hundred villagers, and you need to trouble Lord Baron for this?"

"No, it's not a matter of quantity..." Moxigan swallowed. "...I can't explain it clearly, Mr. Gordon. You'll understand if you see it for yourself."

"The Fox Family, they've gone too far!"