The first thing to do after taking over Black Wind Stronghold was to take stock of its assets.
Under Liu Lao Liu's deferential guidance, Lin Mo began a thorough inventory of the stronghold's accumulated wealth.
In the granary: two hundred sacks of white rice (ten thousand jin), one hundred sacks of flour (five thousand jin), fifty strings of cured meat, thirty baskets of salted fish, and countless dried vegetables.
In the armory: one hundred and fifty broadblades, two hundred and thirty short blades, one hundred and forty spears, fifty bows, several thousand arrows, thirty sets of Leather Armor, five sets of iron armor, and two bed crossbows.
In the treasury: over a hundred Gold Ingots, over a thousand taels of silver ingots, tens of thousands of copper coins, various jewelry and ornaments, several chests of Antiques and Calligraphy Paintings, and several account books.
When Lin Mo saw the entry in the account book recording "five years' worth of plundered goods, totaling fifty thousand taels of silver," the corner of his mouth twitched.
A small Mountain Stronghold with only a few dozen people had actually plundered fifty thousand taels in three years?
Was this damn place a bandit den or a money-printing machine?
"Zhao Tieshan really was something... His business skills were quite outstanding." Lin Mo clicked his tongue and muttered to himself, his finger unconsciously tapping lightly against the edge of the account book.
Upon hearing this, Liu Lao Liu immediately stepped forward and added in a whisper, his waist bent.
"My lord, the accounts only record the gold, silver, and jewelry.
"There are also some... rare treasures that aren't easy to value. They're in that small cabinet over there."
He raised his hand and pointed toward an unremarkable redwood cabinet in the corner of the treasury.
The cabinet's surface was dull, its carvings simple. Surrounded by a pile of conspicuous wooden crates, it was easy to overlook.
Lin Mo walked over. Liu Lao Liu hurriedly removed a string of keys from his waist and fumbled around for the smallest one. With a click, he unlocked the cabinet.
The moment the cabinet doors opened, a clear and mellow medicinal fragrance rushed over him, as if it had washed away the stuffy air in the entire treasury.
The cabinet had three levels. Neatly arranged inside were dozens of porcelain bottles of varying sizes, along with medicine packets carefully wrapped in oil paper.
Each porcelain bottle bore a red-paper label, with the medicine's name and a brief description written in neat characters.
The top level held fifteen blue-and-white porcelain bottles. Their surfaces were smooth and lustrous, clearly made of the finest porcelain.
Lin Mo picked up a bottle and pulled out the wooden stopper. A rich medicinal fragrance immediately wafted out.
Inside were ten crimson pills the size of longans, their surfaces gleaming with a warm luster.
[Item: Blood Replenishing Pill ×15 bottles (10 pills per bottle)] [Quality: Blue] [Effect: Immediately restores 100 points of vital essence per pill consumed] [Note: Fine pills purchased at great expense by Black Wind Stronghold from "Hundred Herbs Hall." Difficult to refine and extremely valuable.] [Total vital essence recoverable: 15,000 points]
"Gulp."
Lin Mo heard himself swallow.
Fifteen thousand points of vital essence!
The middle level held fifty stalks of Bloodline Grass carefully bundled with red cords.
Every stalk had intact roots and thick leaves, their dark-red color resembling congealed blood.
[Item: Ten-year-old Bloodline Grass ×50 stalks] [Quality: Green] [Effect: Restores 20 points of vital essence per stalk when decocted and consumed] [Note: Dried and preserved through special methods after harvesting. Its medicinal properties remain intact.] [Total vital essence recoverable: 1,000 points]
On the left side of the bottom level were eight Blood Ganoderma. Each was the size of a palm, with a dark-red cap covered in patterns resembling blood vessels.
[Item: Blood Ganoderma ×8] [Quality: Blue] [Effect: Restores 300 points of vital essence per fungus consumed] [Note: A rare medicinal herb that grows in places of extreme yin. In ordinary conditions, it takes fifty years to mature.] [Total vital essence recoverable: 2,400 points]
On the right side of the bottom level were three Hundred-Year Ginseng roots stored in brocade boxes. Their bodies were thick, their roots as dense as hair, and they faintly radiated a pale golden light.
[Item: Hundred-Year Ginseng ×3 roots] [Quality: Purple] [Effect: Restores 500 points of vital essence per root consumed, with a very small chance of permanently increasing Constitution by 1 point] [Note: A heavenly treasure that could not be found even by seeking it. At a critical moment, it could keep someone alive and preserve their soul.] [Total vital essence recoverable: 1,500 points]
Lin Mo's fingers trembled slightly.
Lin Mo quickly calculated in his head: 15,000 + 1,000 + 2,400 + 1,500 = 19,900 points!
Adding the bottle of Blood Replenishing Pill he had previously found on Hou San (8 pills × 100 points = 800 points)...
A total of 20,700 points of vital essence recovery!
"I can create... 2,070 Clones..." Lin Mo's voice was slightly hoarse.
After using up all these Blood Replenishing Herbs, he could create enough Clones to form an army!
More than two thousand Clones with level-seven Attributes, all proficient in basic blade techniques, with blood that was inherently poisonous...
A scene surfaced in Lin Mo's mind.
A sea of identical figures surged toward the enemy army like a tidal wave.
Blades flashed like a forest, and poisonous blood fell like rain...
The scene was so beautiful that Lin Mo couldn't help grinning.
"Haha... Hahahaha!"
His laughter gradually changed from a suppressed chuckle into hearty laughter, echoing through the silent treasury.
"I've struck it rich... I've really struck it rich!" Lin Mo clenched his fist hard, his knuckles turning white.
Liu Lao Liu stood to the side with his waist bent and his face brimming with a fawning smile.
"My lord, fortune truly favors you! These treasures were destined to belong to you!
"Zhao Tieshan was simply unable to enjoy such blessings. Keeping them until now clearly meant he was waiting to present them to you!"
The words were sickeningly obsequious, but Lin Mo found them pleasing to hear.
After laughing to his fill, he took a deep breath to calm himself and turned his gaze to the innermost part of the redwood cabinet.
Several smaller jade boxes were stored there, along with a few books wrapped in silk cloth.
"Those are..." Lin Mo reached out to take them.
"My lord, these are the real treasures!" Liu Lao Liu hurriedly reminded him, a hint of mystery in his tone.
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