Heaven-Sent Opportunity

After advancing to a first-tier intermediate mage, Medivh's mental strength and mana capacity increased, allowing him to smelt and resurrect Blue Bone Skeletons with higher burial ages.

Bones aged four hundred fifty to five hundred years yielded deep blue skeleton parts when smelted.

He could assemble and resurrect ordinary Cobalt Blue Skeletons and transcendent Sky Blue Skeletons.

These two types of skeletons were his upper limit for assembly and resurrection, and each resurrection left him drenched in sweat.

An ordinary Cobalt Blue Skeleton, upon resurrection, was immediately a first-tier advanced Bone Spirit.

A transcendent Sky Blue Skeleton, upon birth, was a first-tier intermediate Bone Spirit with two transcendent powers.

Medivh had already been able to smelt ordinary Cobalt Blue Skeleton parts and transcendent Sky Blue Skeleton parts before.

The high-quality skeleton parts of these two types stored in the High Tower Castle warehouse were not abundant, and within a few days, he had assembled and resurrected complete sets of Blue Bone Skeleton parts.

There were twenty-one ordinary Cobalt Blue Skeletons, mainly Heavy Skeleton Warriors and Dual-Wielding Skeletons, with a few Skeleton Farmers.

There were nine transcendent Sky Blue Skeletons: three Minotaur Skeleton Warriors, one Minotaur Skeleton Shaman, four Lizardman Skeleton Warriors, and one Lizardman Skeleton Shaman.

This resurrection greatly boosted Kurd City's strength. Twenty-one first-tier advanced Bone Spirits and nine first-tier intermediate Bone Spirits with dual powers raised Kurd City's combat ceiling.

"Lady Audrey, this is the home of the bankrupt merchant, Anthony."

While Medivh was immersed in resurrecting Blue Bone Skeletons, a group of black-robed figures crossed the Winter Mountains via mountain paths and arrived at a border town of the Gewalt Federation.

This group, led by Audrey and the Flame Skeleton Mage, was accompanied by Skeleton Knights and Skeleton Assassins.

They carried Medivh's mission and had a clear target, quickly locating a bankrupt merchant.

They crossed the Winter Mountains to open a trade route.

A bankrupt merchant was undoubtedly the easiest partner to control.

"Who are you? Whatever, take whatever catches your eye and leave!"

In the living room, Anthony was drowning his sorrows in alcohol. When he saw the black-robed figures enter, his alcohol-numbed nerves barely reacted.

After his business failed, creditors had already stripped the house of anything that looked valuable. Even a thief would curse and grumble upon entering his home.

He had nothing left, just a worthless life. He didn't care why these black-robed figures had come.

"Anthony, do you want to make a comeback?"

Audrey didn't speak; she had the Skeleton Mage question Anthony according to the dialogue she had prepared.

"Make a comeback?"

His alcohol-numbed nerves were sluggish. It took several minutes for Anthony's brain to process the words.

"You're willing to fund me!"

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Anthony's drunkenness vanished in his extreme excitement, and he asked eagerly.

"Of course. Sign this Magic Contract, and we'll give you startup capital and bring you orders."

The Skeleton Mage produced a Magic Scroll, which was controlled by a Mage Hand and laid flat on the table.

Realizing they were mages, Anthony grew even more excited—mages were all wealthy people!

This was a world of transcendence; business wasn't based on verbal promises or character. High-value commercial orders usually required notarization by the Merchant Alliance or signing a Magic Contract.

Anthony had once been a wealthy merchant and had signed many commercial Magic Contracts over the years.

He picked up the Magic Contract and read it carefully. The terms contained no hidden traps, though the conditions were rather strict.

"I'm willing!"

Anthony had nothing left. He would accept any harsh conditions—this was his chance to rebuild.

He bit his finger and pressed his thumbprint onto the Magic Contract.

The contract was established. The Magic Scroll burned, transforming into a mark that pierced through Anthony's brow and branded itself onto his soul.

If he violated the contract, this magical mark would claim his life.

"This is your first order."

After the Magic Contract was signed, the Skeleton Mage, as promised, tossed a large bag of money to Anthony—his startup capital.

Then a procurement list flew over, listing items such as rice and soybean seeds, common fruit saplings like peach, pear, and grape trees, common livestock like chickens, ducks, geese, sheep, and pigs, and common daily goods like cloth and ready-made clothing.

"Deliver the purchases here. You don't need to handle the rest."

The smuggling operation didn't require Anthony's involvement. He only needed to buy the items on the list and transport them to the location specified by the Skeleton Mage.

From there, a Skeleton Caravan would take over and haul the procured supplies back to Kurd City.

"Understood!"

Anthony immediately went to clean himself up, then walked out the door with confidence.

Behind him followed four black-robed figures—guards Medivh had given him, responsible for both surveillance and protecting Anthony's safety.

Those four black-robed figures were Skeleton Knights, their bodies encased in sealed iron armor.

Kurd City's spellcasters had made arrangements; the armor was equipped with detection and protection enchantments. Even if someone lifted their black robes, they still couldn't tell whether the iron cans held men or skeletons.

Besides the four Skeleton Knights, a Bone Spirit Assassin was also following in the shadows, helping to clean up the trail.

Anthony was highly efficient; he quickly purchased all the items on the procurement list and had them delivered to the designated location.

"This is your reward."

After checking the supplies and confirming there were no errors, Audrey took out the Knight Breathing Technique manual that Medivh had previously practiced and gave it to him as a reward for his obedience.

This was an item Medivh had given her, meant to win people over and make Anthony work more diligently for Kurd City.

"Thank you, Lord Black Robe!"

When Anthony discovered the manual was the Knight Breathing Technique, he was overjoyed.

The Knight Breathing Technique was monopolized by the nobility, making it difficult for ordinary people to access knight inheritance.

During his most prosperous days, Anthony had once participated in an auction for the Knight Breathing Technique on the black market, but the final price was beyond even his entire fortune.

Transcendental inheritance was the foundation of a faction's legacy; no one would casually sell their own Transcendental inheritance.

The Knight Breathing Technique had a special business model, with some people specifically selling Magic Imprints of the technique.

This sealed Magic Imprint could only allow one person to learn the Knight Breathing Technique, and the learner could not teach it to others.

This way, they made money without worrying about their Knight Breathing Technique being widely spread.

Most Wandering Knights on the market became Apprentice Knights through Magic Imprints.

Orthodox Knights were nobles and their vassals, though there were also a few non-noble factions that passed down the Knight Breathing Technique.

For example, some refugees from Odyssey were once vassals of the noble Pioneers and had mastered parts of the Knight Breathing Technique.

The Knight Breathing Techniques circulating on the market generally only had the first volume, or even fragments of the first volume, allowing cultivation up to the third rank at most.

Beyond that were the noble families. Factions that inherited the complete Knight Breathing Technique might not have been born nobles, but once they rose, they would be courted by the Noble Council and become nobles who monopolized the upper channels.

For instance, the knight inheritance Medivh gifted could only be cultivated to the first rank.

For those desperate for a path, they didn't care about such details.

With this inheritance, Anthony had hope of becoming a Transcendental Knight and gaining a longer lifespan.

Moreover, this inheritance was not a Magic Imprint; Medivh allowed him to pass it down to his descendants.

Even if he couldn't become a Transcendental Knight himself, his descendants still had hope.

From an ordinary person to a Transcendental Knight was a leap in social class.

Lord Black Robe had not only brought him the funds to rebuild but also taught him the Knight Breathing Technique—how could he not be excited, how could he not be grateful!

Medivh didn't rush into a second procurement; after receiving the supplies, the Skeleton Caravan set off on the return trip.

"Have you heard? Anthony is back on his feet!"

Anthony's large-scale purchases caused quite a stir, and soon all the merchants in the town knew he had made a comeback.

Anthony paraded his wealth through the market, naturally attracting attention, but those people were dealt with by the Skeleton Knights.

When they realized Anthony had knight guards, those who wanted to rob him gave up.

"Lucky bastard, I wonder what the backer sees in him!"

Some down-and-out merchants were green with envy!

They knew full well that Anthony's comeback was backed by a hidden benefactor.

Anthony had become the commercial agent for some faction.

Why did this opportunity fall on Anthony? If only it had fallen on them!

While outsiders gossiped, Anthony renovated his mansion and enshrined the Skeleton Knight guards.

Anthony was a smart man; through daily interactions, he knew these guards weren't normal, but he never pried into the true identities of the Skeleton Knights.

He enshrined the Skeleton Knights and reported everything to them.

Anthony knew his place, and the Skeleton Knights occasionally gave him pointers on practicing the Knight Breathing Technique, further winning his loyalty.

"Medivh, long time no see!"

The Winter Mountains were vast, and the mountain roads were difficult to traverse; the Skeleton Caravan took over half a month to return to Kurd City.

Having not seen Medivh for a long time, Audrey sprinted all the way to No. 1 High Tower Castle.

As Audrey ran over, Medivh raised his hand and cast a Cleanse spell on her.

He knew very well what this girl, reunited with him after so long, wanted most right now.

The Skeleton Mage didn't disturb Medivh, instead handing over various crop seeds to the Skeleton Farmers for breeding and various fruit saplings for planting.

Chickens, ducks, geese, sheep, pigs, and other livestock were sent to the Livestock District to be raised.

Cloth, ready-made clothes, and other daily necessities were stored in the warehouses of the Armory District.

After properly comforting Audrey, Medivh began planning the next phase of Kurd City's construction.

The Grand Nine-Grid, centered on No. 1 Nine-Grid, would maintain its original planned construction.

The Grand Nine-Grid would expand outward by one ring, and those sixteen outer Nine-Grid districts would adopt a different architectural model.

The sixteen outer Nine-Grid Districts retained the Central District and the East and West Reservoir Districts, while removing the Workshop District and the Graveyard District.

The four corner districts became the Agricultural District, where staple crops like rice, wheat, and corn were planted, along with cash crops such as flax and cotton.

The former Workshop District turned into an Orchard District, planted with fruit trees like peaches and grapes.

The former Graveyard District became the Livestock District, where pastures grazed cattle and sheep, and buildings like chicken coops and pigsties housed poultry and livestock.

The outer Nine-Grid Districts formed Kurd City's logistics zone. The Central District and city walls were not built in a hurry; the skeletons prioritized leveling and cultivating farmland and planting fruit saplings.

By next spring, these newly reclaimed fields would be sown with various food and cash crops, strengthening Kurd City's self-sufficiency.