Action-Type Alchemy Platform

"The average lifespan of Lizardfolk is even lower than that of humans, and the proportion of juveniles is usually less than half that of adults. Lizardfolk are a patriarchal society, so the strongest warrior is essentially the chieftain."

Borne said this while walking in the lead.

Everyone at Giles Academy knew that Borne could only be found in two places: the underground laboratory he built himself, or the library.

As for the collection in that library, a normal person wouldn't be able to finish reading it in ten or twenty years, yet Borne had practically "flipped" through the whole thing.

Yes, just "flipped"!

Every few days, one could see Borne moving to a new bookshelf to "flip."

At first, some people mocked him for putting on a show, but they were quickly slapped in the face, because not only did Borne "flip" fast, but he also churned out papers quickly.

The members of the Arcane Society witnessed firsthand what "high productivity" meant—ten to twenty papers a day, and almost all of them were accepted. Although Borne taught the members of the Arcane Society the techniques for "padding" their papers, it wasn't as if anyone could just pad them at will.

Many in the Arcane Society had tried; while their acceptance rates had increased, it was still difficult. Without a solid foundation of theory and knowledge, what others called a paper, you would call nonsense.

Several reviewers at the academy held Borne's papers in high regard, praising his knowledge reserves multiple times and even hinting quite tactfully that his current level of knowledge surpassed that of some of the teaching instructors.

Judging from the comments of these "venerable" scholars, Borne's erudition was fast approaching that of the "Archivists" of Seventon!

Lisper let out a "humph" and glanced at him sideways; the sudden flash of beauty left him feeling swayed in body and spirit.

Borne looked at her, took a slight deep breath, and continued, "It is very difficult for male Lizardfolk to die of old age. They spend their entire lives in battle, either challenging other tribes or challenging the leaders of their own."

"Doesn't that mean they are essentially a 'nation in arms'?" Dalena couldn't help but ask.

"You could say that! Lizards have a high capacity for self-healing; even if they lose a limb, it will grow back after a period of time. Of course, everything has a price!"

"They just fought the army not long ago, so it's impossible for them to have no casualties. Recovering from injuries also consumes their lifespan. And although Lizardfolk are humanoid, they still retain the cold-blooded characteristics of lizards. That's why they bask in the sun, especially those who haven't died in battle or are nearing the end of their lives; they all lie on warm rocks to maintain their body temperature!"

"However, these Lizardfolk are no longer of any use to the tribe. They are driven to the outermost perimeter, where they serve as lookouts while also acting as a screen to intercept attacks."

The group felt a chill run through them upon hearing this.

This was using their own kind as "shields," and even as cannon fodder when necessary.

So this was the survival rule of humanoid creatures.

Seeing the varied expressions of the group, Borne added more heavy details.

"Those who are of no help to the tribe don't even get a share of the basic food!"

"Huh? Then what do they eat? Are they just abandoned like that?"

"Tree bark, weeds, or small creatures in the dirt!"

Borne smiled slightly, "They aren't abandoned, of course. After they die, their final destination is still the tribe!"

The group was stunned, not quite understanding what Borne meant.

At this, Borne grinned, looking at them with a look that was not quite a smile, "After death, their corpses are eaten by other members of the tribe during a ritual. They believe that in this way, they can continue to be a part of the tribe."

The group shuddered in unison.

Cannibalism!

And since Lizardfolk were humanoid, it immediately brought some unpleasant images to mind.

"Ugh!"

"..."

Dalena and Jennifer couldn't take it and covered their mouths, while the other members of the Arcane Society also looked rather pale.

Although Lisper was also somewhat uncomfortable, she was holding up relatively well, though she looked at Borne with unkind eyes.

It seemed she was blaming Borne for saying such things!

Hubwick clearly already knew, but he was curious about where Borne had learned this information and why he felt the need to provoke them.

Borne smiled and didn't offer much explanation.

After walking for another ten minutes or so.

"Stop!"

Borne raised his hand to signal a halt and said in a low voice.

The group lightened their footsteps and walked behind a rock, discovering that in the distance, seven or eight more Lizardfolk were lying there basking in the sun.

Now, the members of the Arcane Society no longer felt the initial hatred toward them; clearly, they felt some sympathy!

Borne whispered, "Don't think that the old, weak, sick, and disabled have no combat power. Furthermore, their view of other races is divided only into prey and hunter! Don't let your sympathy run too wild!"

"Understood."

The group quickly adjusted their mindset.

Borne began to assign tasks.

"Alright, Cook, Belon, use your crossbows to take out the two in the front. President, you and Hubwick are responsible for the three in the middle. Leave the rest to me."

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

Dalena asked hurriedly.

Borne looked at Dalena and Jennifer. Dalena was doing alright, but Jennifer hadn't yet recovered from the intense emotional shock, and he couldn't help but shake his head.

Their mental fortitude is truly pathetic!

"We are very close to the Lizardfolk tribe. You two must ensure they don't sound any alarms."

The two looked at each other and gave a hesitant nod.

Borne double-checked every detail to ensure nothing was amiss before they dispersed.

"Ready!"

"One, two, three, fire!"

The sound of air being torn apart rang out.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

In an instant, three arrows flew out and buried themselves into the heads of the Lizardfolk.

Borne's steel crossbow was a triple-shot model; the next three bolts followed immediately, taking down six Lizardfolk in one go.

Years of combat instinct allowed the remaining two Lizardfolk to instantly flip and roll to the side, dodging the subsequent arrows!

Without a second thought, they bolted toward the tribe, desperate to cry out a warning. In an instant, two spells landed directly on them, sealing their mouths and preventing any sound from escaping.

Swish, swish...

A few more arrows struck the fleeing pair. Seeing the two Lizardfolk collapse, the rest of the group finally let out a sigh of relief.

Borne quickly drew his longsword and leaped out, with Hubwick following close behind to deliver the finishing blows to the fallen Lizardfolk!

As the battle ended, the members of the Arcane Society looked as if their strength had been drained, their hands trembling so much they could barely hold their weapons.

Seeing the headless corpses littering the ground, Dalena and Jennifer gagged and vomited again.

Lisper's face was deathly pale.

Borne and the Ranger did not go over to comfort them; instead, they took out prepared potions and sprinkled them around the area to slightly delay the spread of the blood scent, buying them some time.

Borne said nothing, leaving Hubwick behind to watch over the group while he went to patrol the perimeter.

After circling the area twice, he finally selected a higher vantage point.

Whispering a rapid incantation, Borne used [Fly] to ascend to a high altitude and peer into the depths of the swamp.

[Eagle Eye]

A magical shimmer flashed across his eyes. Instantly, the distant view was zoomed in rapidly, and Borne could clearly see the texture of the weeds a thousand meters away.

"System! Analyze the Lizardfolk tribe!"

"Ding! Authorization complete. Commencing data collection..."

Any magic Borne cast could connect with the System Chip. Using his vision as a lens, the System immediately began a simulated analysis.

As his gaze swept across the area, a model of the entire Lizardfolk tribe emerged before his eyes, washed over by streams of illusory blue data.

Soon, a 3D holographic map of the Lizardfolk tribe appeared before him.

According to the Chip's simulation, there were nearly seventy-four Lizardfolk in this tribe.

Borne returned to the assembly point to share his observations with the group.

Hearing that there were over seventy Lizardfolk left, the group was visibly shocked.

They hadn't expected that even after several battles with the legions, so many remained—and the ones inside were not the old, weak, sick, or disabled ones they had encountered on the outskirts.

After all, they were novices fresh out of the ivory tower; it was inevitable they would be at a loss when faced with such a situation.

Whether it was the remnants of the battlefield where the forest army had been ambushed, or the death of the accompanying mages, everything was deeply traumatizing them.

If the Lizardfolk in the tribe discovered them, they would never be able to outrun the swamp-dwelling natives in this terrain.

The fear of death caused their emotions to spiral out of control.

Borne watched them quietly, remaining silent.

Having come this far, he already understood the intentions of the Kingdom and the school's leadership.

With the memories of his past life, he understood.

War!

Especially a racial war—there is no such thing as one hundred percent accurate intelligence, and unexpected situations occur at every moment.

Fortunately, the surrounding Lizardfolk had been cleared. After the group finished venting their emotions, they sat there in a daze, looking at each other, their faces flushed as they lowered their heads in silence.

The president, Lisper, was the first to come to her senses. Although she didn't know what Borne intended to do, he was the most knowledgeable about Lizardfolk. Recalling his actions at the Black Market and his focus on eliminating the outer perimeter first, she seemed to realize something!

Borne also understood that this was enough; pushing them any further might prove counterproductive.

At the end of the day, this group of people were just half-grown children. On Earth, they would still be in high school at this age. Even fresh recruits tremble when they first hit the battlefield, let alone when facing the threat of death head-on.

This was nothing to be ashamed of.

He was also afraid of death, which was why he kept pushing forward.

The Ranger watched from the side, silent, wanting to see how Borne would handle the rest.

Under the gaze of the group, Borne remained expressionless as he silently pulled a long iron rod from his pack.

The group was confused, but he simply took out a handful of weeds and placed them in front of them.

"Drunk-Fish Grass?"

The Ranger recognized the plant.

Drunk-Fish Grass, also known as Fish-Catching Grass, could paralyze fish in the river.

Borne nodded and said, "There is plenty of this Drunk-Fish Grass in the surrounding area. Go and gather some, the more the better, but be careful not to alert the Lizardfolk in the tribe."

After speaking, he began to busy himself with various items he pulled from his pack.

Could he be planning to use this to paralyze the Lizardfolk?

The paralytic effect of Drunk-Fish Grass was minimal; it was ineffective against humans, and for the omnivorous Lizardfolk who lived in the swamp year-round, Drunk-Fish Grass was actually part of their diet and often consumed when food was scarce.

Since Borne recognized the plant, he clearly should have understood that it would be useless against the Lizardfolk. Although the Ranger had his doubts, he still led the others to gather it nearby.

Soon, the group had collected a large pile of Drunk-Fish Grass and placed it to the side.

Borne quickly set up a platform.

This operation left the members of the Arcane Society standing to the side completely stunned.

"An alchemy station?!"