A Three-Seven Split

Refining skeleton components required the bones to maintain a certain degree of integrity.

After two months of overtime refining, the usable bone reserves at Armory Camp were running low.

No location for large-scale bone excavation had been found near Armory Camp yet, so Medivh had some free time.

During this idle period, Medivh planned to switch to training a Knight Breathing Technique to bolster his foundation.

After comparing his options, Medivh ultimately chose to switch to the Earth Battle Qi Breathing Technique.

The earth nurtured history; as an archaeologist, he was a good match for it.

The Earth Battle Qi was renowned for its strong defensive capabilities—a mage stacking armor was unbeatable under heaven.

Bloodthirsty Mosquito blood and the refined blood essence derived from it were materials rich in blood energy.

During the mosquito plague, Medivh had specifically collected some for battle qi cultivation.

When he trained the Earth Battle Qi Breathing Technique, he used the blood of Magic Beast-grade Bloodthirsty Mosquitoes and their blood essence.

In a state of surging blood energy, Medivh quickly completed the transformation of his battle qi, converting ordinary battle qi into Earth Battle Qi.

Earth Battle Qi was heavy and thick; Medivh could clearly feel his defensive power skyrocket when the battle qi enveloped his body.

As a Necromancer, personally taking action was beneath him—leaving combat to the skeletons was the right call. He only needed to stack defenses to improve his survival ability.

He wasn't in a rush to practice the three earth-type battle skills; they weren't something he could learn in a short time.

Leaving the secluded training chamber, Medivh ascended the stairs step by step.

He now lived in the central tower of the castle district; the Brick Cottage was history.

Reaching the seventh floor, Medivh saw Audrey lying on the balcony railing, gazing at the construction progress of the Wall District.

A gust of wind blew, lifting her skirt and making her figure even more alluring.

"Audrey, don't turn around—it's me!"

Audrey felt a pair of hands rest on her shoulders and was about to turn and greet Medivh when she heard his rapid, urgent breathing.

She understood the situation then; this scene was exactly like one of her many fantasies.

She deliberately said some provocative reverse psychology lines to maximize Medivh's sense of conquest.

Feeling the intense pressure, Audrey couldn't hide the smile in her eyes or at the corners of her mouth.

She kept shouting loudly, using defiant reverse psychology to fuel Medivh's fighting spirit.

"You're such a little vixen!"

A long while later, looking at Audrey nestled in his arms like a kitten, Medivh smiled knowingly.

This girl, whose mind was full of strange fantasies, always brought him ultimate pleasure.

"Hehe!"

Audrey curled her lips smugly.

Pleasure was mutual; she was very satisfied with Medivh's ultimate effort in response to her brilliant performance.

A sly glint flickered in her eyes as she already began plotting which fantasy scene to turn into reality next.

"Marquis Justin, the Odyssey Region is being ravaged by the Bloodthirsty Mosquito Swarm and will soon fall into a great famine. The Vincent Family happens to have a batch of grain in Zaun City; shipping it to the Odyssey Region for sale could net a huge profit."

"You also know the madness of the mob. To ensure smooth sales, we hope you can dispatch troops for assistance."

While Medivh was immersed in pleasure, someone in Winter Fortress was plotting to further bleed the Odyssey Region dry.

The starving mobs would surely yield for a bite to eat.

They didn't need to do much—just a batch of grain would be enough to harvest the wealth of the Odyssey Region.

"And what do I get out of it?"

The supreme commander of Winter Fortress, Marquis Justin, stared intently at the Vincent Family's negotiation representative, demanding he show sincerity.

"The proceeds from the grain sales will be split between you and the Vincent Family at a one-to-nine ratio."

The Vincent Family's negotiation representative laid out the offer, waiting for Marquis Justin to haggle.

"One-to-nine? No, it should be nine-to-one."

Marquis Justin shook his head expressionlessly; with a one-to-nine split, not a single grain would be transported from Winter Fortress to the Odyssey Region.

"Marquis..."

The Vincent Family's negotiation representative began a verbal tug-of-war with Marquis Justin.

He knew Marquis Justin wouldn't let this fat piece of meat go.

"Seven-to-three—that's my bottom line. Don't forget, Winter Fortress isn't run by me alone. Mobilizing the army requires distributing benefits to the other families."

After an intense back-and-forth, Marquis Justin stated the negotiation's bottom line.

This wasn't a deal for him alone; out of that seventy percent, he had to give forty percent to the other families of Winter Fortress and as a reward for the soldiers carrying out the mission.

"Then we'll trouble you, Marquis. The grain will arrive at Winter Fortress in seven days."

The Vincent Family's negotiator knew this was the highest benefit he could secure.

This wasn't an exclusive deal—other families could also transport grain here. To make a profit, giving concessions to the Winter Fortress garrison was inevitable.

This batch of grain wouldn't be shipped out of Winter Fortress too early.

Only when the thugs of the Odyssey Region were driven mad by hunger would they understand the value of food and empty their pockets of everything worth anything.

"Suixiang, are you homesick?"

While Medivh and Audrey were strolling through the camp, they saw Suixiang standing on the wall of Armory Camp, staring into the distance in a daze.

Audrey patted her with a smile and asked why she was spacing out here.

"Mm. I'm very worried about the Spirit Cat Clan."

Suixiang didn't lie; she admitted it plainly. She had experienced the mosquito plague as a child, and the Bloodthirsty Mosquito Swarm had once been her nightmare.

The famine after the mosquito plague left a deep impression on her. She fretted over her people, worried their food reserves weren't enough, and feared that starving thug gangs and foreign tribes would attack the Spirit Cat Clan.

"If only the Spirit Cat Clan had been conquered by you!"

Suixiang looked at Medivh and sighed.

She wasn't deliberately showing loyalty; this was truly how she felt.

After witnessing Medivh's ability to restore history, Suixiang believed Medivh was the future of the Spirit Cat Clan, the hope for the Spirit Cat Tribe's resurgence.

"It's not the time yet."

Medivh shook his head with a smile.

Armory Camp had some strength, but conquering a tribe passed down through generations was no easy task.

The lost heritage was certainly tempting, but without the ability to protect oneself, it was like a child carrying gold through a bustling market.

Without enough force to intimidate the Spirit Cat Tribe, Medivh would become their captive, not their lord.

Suixiang was very perceptive; she had secretly revealed the Spirit Cat Tribe's situation to Medivh.

Once Armory Camp's foundation grew stronger, Medivh would consider fulfilling her wish—conquering the Spirit Cat Tribe and making them a vassal clan of his territory.

After the Bloodthirsty Mosquito Swarm fled back to their birthplace, the situation in the Odyssey Region immediately grew tense.

Thug gangs and foreign tribes with fixed territories were all reinforcing their camp defenses, preparing for the onslaught of the starving.

While strengthening their camps, these forces sent out fighters to sweep the area, gathering as much food as possible and stockpiling supplies for the coming great famine.

Roaming thug gangs robbed anyone they saw—the more food they stockpiled now, the more comfortable their future would be.

Those Hoarder Rat refugees who weren't short on food were digging tunnels to hide.

They planned to live like ground squirrels, holing up in basements to endure the most chaotic period of the great famine in the Odyssey Region.