After advancing to a first-tier intermediate mage, Medivh had greater mental and magical reserves, allowing him to refine Blue Bone Skeletons from bones that had been dead for longer.
Bones aged between four hundred and fifty and five hundred years yielded deep-blue skeleton parts.
He could assemble and resurrect ordinary Cobalt Blue Skeletons and Transcendental Sky Blue Skeletons.
These two types marked the limit of his assembly and resurrection abilities. Every time he brought one back, he ended up drenched in sweat.
An ordinary Cobalt Blue Skeleton became a first-tier advanced Bone Spirit as soon as it was resurrected.
A Transcendental Sky Blue Skeleton was born as a first-tier intermediate Bone Spirit with two transcendent powers.
Ordinary Cobalt Blue Skeleton parts and Transcendental Sky Blue Skeleton parts were things Medivh had already been able to refine.
There were only a few of these high-quality bone parts stored in High Tower Castle's warehouse. In just a few days, he had assembled and resurrected all the complete sets of Blue Bone Skeleton parts.
There were twenty-one ordinary Cobalt Blue Skeletons, mostly Heavy Skeleton Warriors and Dual-Wielding Skeletons, along with a few Skeleton Farmers.
There were nine Transcendental Sky Blue Skeletons: three Minotaur Skeleton Warriors, one Minotaur Skeleton Shaman, four Lizardman Skeleton Warriors, and one Lizardman Skeleton Shaman.
This resurrection greatly strengthened Kurd City. Twenty-one first-tier advanced Bone Spirits and nine first-tier intermediate Bone Spirits with two powers each raised the city's combat ceiling.
"Lady Audrey, this is the home of the bankrupt merchant, Anthony."
While Medivh was engrossed in resurrecting Blue Bone Skeletons, a group of black-robed figures crossed the Winter Mountains by a winding mountain path and arrived at a border town in the Gewalt Federation.
The group was led by Audrey and the Flame Skeleton Mage. A Skeleton Knight and a Skeleton Assassin accompanied them.
They had come with a mission from Medivh. Their target was clear, and they soon found a bankrupt merchant.
They had crossed the Winter Mountains to open up a trade route.
And a bankrupt merchant was undoubtedly the easiest kind of partner to control.
"Who are you people? Whatever. Take anything you like and haul it away!"
In the living room, Anthony was drowning his sorrows in drink. When he saw the black-robed figures enter, his alcohol-numbed mind barely reacted.
After his business failed, his creditors had already cleared out everything in the house that looked valuable. Even thieves would have grumbled and cursed if they broke into his home.
He had nothing left and nothing to lose, so he didn't care why the black-robed figures had come.
"Anthony, do you want to make a comeback?"
Audrey said nothing. She had the Skeleton Mage ask Anthony the questions she had prepared in advance.
"Make a comeback?"
His alcohol-numbed mind was slow to react. It took several minutes for Anthony's thoughts to get moving.
"You're willing to fund me!"
At the first glimmer of hope, Anthony's drunkenness vanished. He asked excitedly, overcome with joy.
"Of course. Sign this Magic Contract, and we'll give you some startup capital and bring you orders."
The Skeleton Mage took out a Magic Scroll and used Mage Hand to lay it flat on the table.
Realizing the other party had a mage, Anthony grew even more excited. Mages were all wealthy!
This was a transcendent world. Business wasn't done on verbal agreements and trust. For high-value deals, people usually sought certification from the Merchant Alliance or signed a Magic Contract.
Anthony had once been a prosperous merchant and had signed plenty of commercial Magic Contracts over the years.
He picked up the Magic Contract and read it carefully. There were no hidden traps in the terms, only some rather strict requirements.
"I agree!"
Anthony had nothing left. He was willing to accept any demands, no matter how strict. This was his chance to make a comeback.
He bit his finger and pressed it against the Magic Contract.
The contract took effect. The Magic Scroll burst into flames and became a mark that passed through Anthony's brow, branding itself onto his soul.
If he broke the contract, the magical mark would take his life.
"Here's your first order."
After the Magic Contract was signed, the Skeleton Mage tossed Anthony a large bag of money, as promised. It was his startup capital.
Then a purchasing list flew over. It listed common crop seeds such as rice and soybeans; fruit saplings such as peach, pear, and grape; common livestock and poultry such as chickens, ducks, geese, sheep, and pigs; and everyday goods such as fabric and ready-made clothes.
"Just deliver the purchases here. You don't need to worry about anything else."
Anthony didn't need to get involved in the smuggling. He only had to buy the items on the list and deliver them to the location specified by the Skeleton Mage.
A Skeleton Caravan would take over from there and transport the goods back to Kurd City.
"Understood!"
Anthony immediately ran off to get ready, then left with confidence.
Four black-robed figures followed behind him. They were Medivh's gift to him as guards, responsible for both keeping an eye on him and protecting his safety.
The four black-robed figures were Skeleton Knights, their bodies encased in sealed iron armor.
The spellcasters of Kurd City had made their preparations. The armor was equipped with detection wards, so even if someone pulled off their black robes, they still couldn't tell whether the iron cans contained people or skeletons.
Besides the four Skeleton Knights, Bone Spirit Assassins followed in secret, helping to eliminate anyone trailing them.
Anthony worked efficiently and soon bought everything on the list, delivering it to the designated location.
"This is your reward."
After checking the goods and confirming that nothing was missing, Audrey took out the Knight Breathing Technique manual Medivh had once practiced and gave it to Anthony as a reward for his obedience.
Medivh had given it to her to win Anthony's loyalty and encourage him to work harder for Kurd City.
"Thank you, Lord Black Robe!"
When Anthony realized the manual contained a Knight Breathing Technique, he was overjoyed.
Knight Breathing Techniques were monopolized by the nobility, and it was difficult for ordinary people to get their hands on a knight's legacy.
During his most prosperous days, Anthony had attended an auction for a Knight Breathing Technique on the black market. In the end, the price had been more than his entire fortune.
A Transcendent Heritage was the foundation of a faction. No one would casually sell their own.
Knight Breathing Techniques had a special business model. Some people specialized in selling Magic Imprints of Knight Breathing Techniques.
A sealed Magic Imprint could only teach one person the Knight Breathing Technique, and the learner couldn't pass it on to others.
That way, they could make money without worrying about their Knight Breathing Technique spreading far and wide.
Most Wandering Knights on the market had become Apprentice Knights through Magic Imprints.
Orthodox Knights came from noble families and their vassals, though a few non-noble factions also passed down Knight Breathing Techniques.
For example, some of Odyssey's displaced people had once been vassals of noble pioneers and had learned part of a Knight Breathing Technique.
The Knight Breathing Techniques circulating on the market usually included only the first volume, or even just a fragment of it. They allowed practitioners to reach, at most, the third tier.
Beyond that were the noble families. A faction that possessed a complete Knight Breathing Technique might not have been noble by birth, but once it rose to prominence, the Noble Council would draw it in, making it one of the nobles who monopolized the path to the upper ranks.
The Knight Breathing Technique Medivh had given him, for instance, only allowed him to train up to the first tier.
People who had no other options didn't care about such things.
With this legacy, Anthony had a chance to become a Transcendental Knight and live longer.
Besides, this legacy wasn't a Magic Imprint. Medivh had allowed him to pass it on to his descendants.
Even if he failed to become a Transcendental Knight, his descendants would still have a chance.
Going from an ordinary person to a Transcendental Knight was a leap between social classes.
The black-robed figures had not only given him the capital to make a comeback, but also taught him a Knight Breathing Technique. How could he not be excited? How could he not be grateful?
Medivh didn't rush into a second round of purchases. After the goods were received, the Skeleton Caravan headed back.
"Have you heard? Anthony's back on his feet!"
Anthony had made such a big splash with his purchases that the town's merchants soon heard he had made a comeback.
Anthony had drawn attention by openly carrying money through the streets, but the people who targeted him were all dealt with by the Skeleton Knights.
When the would-be robbers saw that Anthony had knight guards, they gave up.
"Lucky bastard. I wonder what the backer saw in him!"
Some down-and-out merchants were green with envy.
They knew perfectly well that a backer was financing Anthony's comeback from behind the scenes.
Anthony had become the commercial agent of some faction.
Why had this opportunity fallen to Anthony? If only it had fallen to them!
While outsiders speculated, Anthony renovated his house and gave the Skeleton Knight guards a place of honor.
Anthony was clever. In their everyday dealings, he realized that these guards weren't ordinary people, but he never tried to uncover the Skeleton Knights' true identities.
He treated the Skeleton Knights with great respect and reported everything to them.
Anthony knew how to read the situation. 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 their roads difficult. It took the Skeleton Caravan more than half a month to make it back to Kurd City.
Having gone so long without seeing Medivh, Audrey raced all the way to No. 1 High Tower Castle.
As Audrey ran up to him, Medivh raised a hand and cast Cleanse on her.
He knew exactly what the woman who had missed him so much wanted most right now.
The Skeleton Mage didn't interrupt Medivh. Instead, it handed the various crop seeds to the Skeleton Farmers to cultivate, and the fruit saplings to them to plant.
The chickens, ducks, geese, sheep, and pigs were sent to the Livestock District to be raised.
The fabric, ready-made clothes, and other daily necessities were stored in a warehouse in the Armory District.
After giving Audrey a proper welcome, Medivh began planning the next stage of construction in Kurd City.
The Grand Nine-Grid, centered around No. 1 Nine-Grid, would proceed according to the original plan.
The Grand Nine-Grid would expand outward by one ring. Those sixteen outer Nine-Grid Districts would follow a different building plan.
The sixteen outer Nine-Grid Districts would retain the Central District and the east and west reservoir districts, while removing the Workshop District and the Graveyard District.
The four corner districts would be Agricultural Districts, where crops like rice, wheat, and corn would be planted alongside cash crops such as flax and cotton.
The former Workshop District would become an orchard, with peach trees, grapevines, and other fruit trees.
The former Graveyard District would become a Livestock District. Its pastures would be used to raise cattle and sheep, while chicken coops, pigpens, and other buildings would house livestock and poultry.
The outer Nine-Grid Districts would serve as Kurd City's support zone. There was no rush to build the Central District or the city walls. The skeletons would first level and cultivate the farmland, then plant the fruit saplings.
When spring came next year, these newly cultivated fields would be planted with various food and cash crops, improving Kurd City's ability to provide for itself.
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