During the half month he spent waiting for his Pioneer Knight status to be approved, Veylin's life seemed to return to the rhythm of his old laboratory: orderly, tightly scheduled, and focused on clear goals.
Count Lyman made good on his promise. A carefully bound volume of family notes was delivered to Veylin's study-the Klein Family Ancestors' Notes.
It contained a breathing technique for purifying bloodlines, along with dozens of complementary alchemical mixtures that could accelerate the purification process.
This was exactly what Veylin needed most. His system was like a black box: it told him how to do things, but never explained why.
The unanswered questions were driving Veylin, the researcher in him, mad.
These notes perfectly filled the gaps in Veylin's understanding of bloodline theory. He could try working backward, turning their empirical observations into genuine theoretical knowledge.
Veylin had a hypothesis: the "solutions" the system provided were not fixed, but optimal answers dynamically generated from real-time data on whatever it examined.
Everything supported this, from its initial recommendation to purify his bloodline and stabilize his soul to its prompt to activate his innate talent once his bloodline concentration reached the required level.
All he needed now was a controlled experiment.
That afternoon, Veylin had Lilia bring Xiaolan to his study.
The girl wore a blue-and-white maid's uniform.
Perhaps the tailor had not anticipated how much more developed she was than other girls her age. The dress stretched tightly over her, and as she breathed nervously, the buttons at her chest looked ready to pop at any moment.
She kept her head lowered, afraid to meet Veylin's eyes. Her hands nervously clutched her skirt, exposing a stretch of calf clad in a white stocking.
"Don't be nervous. Sit."
Veylin pointed to the chair across from him.
Xiao Lan sat down apprehensively, daring to occupy only the front third of the seat.
Veylin held the tip of his quill above a fresh notebook. "How has the exercise felt these past few days? The morning and evening jogs and breathing exercises I assigned you."
Xiao Lan looked up, then quickly lowered her head again. "M-my lord, my body... feels a little sore. Especially my chest..."
When she stopped, Veylin glanced up at her. "What's wrong with your chest? Didn't I tell you to report everything, no matter how small?"
Xiao Lan's face flushed bright red. "The bouncing makes my chest hurt a little..."
Veylin murmured an acknowledgment and quickly wrote a line in his notebook.
[Excessive movement of breast adipose tissue interferes with the stability of cardiopulmonary data. A supportive garment needs to be designed.]
"What about your heartbeat? Does it feel as though your heart is about to leap out of your chest when you run? Any changes in your appetite or sleep?" Veylin continued questioning her as he rapidly took notes.
"Y-yes, my heart beats very fast. I can eat half an extra loaf of black bread at dinner, and I sleep more deeply than before." Xiao Lan tried hard to recall every subtle change in her body. She did not understand why her mysterious master was so interested in such trivial things.
"Good." Veylin nodded and activated the system.
He looked straight at the [Stripping Potion] section. Sure enough, the supplementary ingredients had changed: [...Supplementary ingredients: 24 grams of powdered Newborn Mandrake rootlets, 1 Shadow Leopard heart, 5 grams of iris dew.]
My hypothesis was correct!
Basic endurance training alone had caused a slight adjustment to the formula. What changes would occur if he added strength, balance, flexibility, or even intelligence and logic training?
The thrill of crossing a forbidden boundary rose within Veylin. Another world really is better. No ethics committee, and I don't even have to go through the motions of getting an informed consent form.
As he looked at Xiaolan, countless experimental ideas flashed through his mind. His stare made her hair stand on end.
"All right, go and rest." Veylin waved a hand, his mind already absorbed in designing the next round of experiments. "Suspend your exercises. I'll give you your new tasks tomorrow."
Feeling as though she had been granted a pardon, Xiaolan hastily bowed and all but fled the study.
Over the remaining days, Veylin swiftly completed the preparations for his frontier expedition.
The first thing Veylin did was seek out Count Lyman's steward and purchase twenty grams of standard-quality primordial blood crystal powder from the family trading company at an internal price. It cost only thirty Gold Suns in total.
That Shipwreck Market really lived up to its reputation as a black market. More than triple the profit!
Veylin did not resent the Black Market merchant who had charged such an outrageous price. After all, merchants made their money from access to supply channels and information gaps.
Still, the incident opened up a new line of thinking for Veylin.
Next, he took on the role of a shrewd merchant, getting as much done as possible for as little money as possible.
At the labor market, he offered terms that others saw as practically an act of charity: no fees, travel expenses and food for the journey to his new territory, and land and temporary housing upon arrival. All they had to do was sign a ten-year labor contract and pledge thirty percent of each year's harvest to their lord.
He recruited fifteen families who had nowhere else to turn, fifty-two people in total.
At the Skullsplitter Tavern, where mercenaries gathered, he avoided the exorbitantly priced elites and hired the one-eyed Barrett and his rather unreliable-looking Grey Wolves squad-ten men in all-for one year.
Veylin paid a deposit of ten Gold Suns and promised to pay the remaining twenty after a year.
That amounted to an annual wage of three Gold Suns per person.
Finally, he spent all the remaining Gold Suns provided by Count Lyman and his father on finished potions produced by the family trading company: basic healing potions, stamina potions, basic antidotes... reliable commodities that sold well in any city.
Half a month later, at dawn.
In the biting spring wind outside Greenvein City's north gate, a somewhat shabby-looking party had finished assembling.
Four crude wagons loaded with supplies, ten listless Grey Wolves mercenaries, more than a dozen anxious families, and a blonde girl clutching a bundle as she followed close behind Veylin.
Veylin stood beside a wagon and said his final goodbyes to his parents and younger sister.
His gaze swept over his small party, which could fairly be called a ragtag force. There was not a trace of uncertainty in his eyes.
Ahead lay the unknown Graysea Marsh, a wilderness everyone regarded as a wasteland.
But to him, that vast expanse of saline flats was the first foundation stone of his future sprawling laboratory.
"Move out."
He spoke calmly and was just about to mount his horse.
"Wait! Sir Veylin!"
A rapid clatter of hooves approached. A knight bearing the Dawn Family's insignia galloped over and reined in before the party.
He glanced at Veylin and held out a letter sealed with wax.
"The count instructed me to make certain this reached your hands before you left the city."
Veylin took the letter, broke the wax seal, and unfolded the paper. Familiar, graceful handwriting greeted his eyes:
[Upon hearing of the journey you are about to undertake, I found myself deeply admiring your courage. I have enclosed a small sum for travel expenses, in the hope that it may offer some modest assistance along your way.]
[Furthermore, monsters roam the Graysea Marsh, and danger lurks at every turn. Please be sure to keep your blade sharp and remain vigilant at all times.]
[May the Lord of Everglory watch over you.]