The Demon Marrow Factory

As the day of the bandit suppression campaign drew closer, Louis headed straight for the demon marrow factory near the mines, which also served as an alchemy workshop, with several knights carrying two heavy chests.

Silco and three newly arrived alchemy apprentices had built the factory.

Though called a factory, it was really just a few crude sheds, with alchemical equipment shipped from the Southeast Province arranged around them.

The conditions were rudimentary, but they were enough to establish the beginnings of a demon marrow refining process.

"My lord, you've come at just the right time." Silco leaned lazily against a wooden post.

With more skilled people now in the Red Tide Fief, he no longer had to work quite so hard. He looked a little more energetic than before, though he was still as languid as ever.

"The first batch of demon marrow has just been finished."

Louis immediately perked up at those words, his gaze falling on a heavy wooden barrel.

The barrel was filled with deep purple powder, its surface shimmering faintly. It looked fine and silky, with a hint of magical energy emanating from it.

Louis reached in and took a pinch. The exceptionally smooth texture against his fingertips prompted him to ask in wonder, "This is demon marrow?"

"That's right." Silco patted the barrel. "This barrel alone would fetch at least fifty gold coins on the market."

Louis's gaze shifted slightly.

Fifty gold coins was no small sum. It was enough to buy a hundred slaves or support two Official Knights for a year.

And this was only the result of a small-scale trial run.

The thought of the vast demon marrow ore deposits in his territory made Louis increasingly excited.

At the same time, however, he knew there were still many obstacles to overcome before they could truly begin large-scale production.

Mining demon marrow ore was dangerous in itself. The slightest mistake could trigger a collapse.

Moreover, they were still woefully short of both equipment and manpower.

This barrel of demon marrow represented their entire output for the past week.

"Well done."

Louis immediately took out twenty gold coins and handed them to Silco, then gave each of the three alchemy apprentices ten gold coins.

They all froze for a moment when they received the coins, then their faces lit up with excitement. This was a fortune to them, and they each expressed their gratitude to Louis.

"Thank you, my lord!"

A moment later, however, one of the apprentices muttered, "But where can we spend gold coins in a place like this?"

The others fell silent for a moment, then could not help laughing.

Once the laughter subsided, Louis turned to Silco to discuss business.

He patted the barrel and asked bluntly, "Silco, can this stuff be used to make Demonflame Bombs?"

Silco frowned slightly at the question and considered it for a moment before answering:

"Demon marrow isn't the only essential material for Demonflame Bombs. We also need ignition cores and other materials, none of which the Red Tide Fief currently has."

"I see..." Louis gave a light cough, then signaled the knights behind him to open the two heavy chests they had brought.

The wooden lids were lifted, and a powerful surge of magical energy washed over them.

The chests were filled with deep blue crystals.

These were the crystalline spikes taken from the Ice Armor Bear's body, and they radiated exceptionally powerful energy.

Silco and the three alchemy apprentices froze. Their eyes widened, and their breathing quickened.

"These... these are premium alchemical materials!" one apprentice exclaimed excitedly. "Used properly, they could be made into high-grade magical items!"

Silco came back to his senses and asked uncertainly, "You mean to..."

Louis patted a chest. "With these added in, can you make Demonflame Bombs?"

Silco stared blankly for a moment, then nodded dazedly.

But the next instant, he shook his head vigorously, looking incredulous. "No, no! That... that would be far too wasteful! Demon marrow is already precious enough, and you want to add Ice Armor Bear crystals?

"Using these two top-grade materials to make Demonflame Bombs... that would be an absolute waste!

"If these materials were used for weapons, armor, or magical items, their value would far exceed that of ordinary Demonflame Bombs!"

Louis merely waved a hand and said casually, "As long as you can make them. Get them done as soon as possible. I need them urgently."

Silco sighed. "Since you insist, my lord, we'll finish them as soon as we can."

"I need them by the day after tomorrow at the latest." Louis set a firm deadline.

The corner of Silco's mouth twitched. He wanted to say something more, but in the end, he merely shrugged helplessly and waved the alchemy apprentices over to begin their research immediately.

Louis stood to one side, watching the busy apprentices with keen interest.

Just as one apprentice carefully poured the deep purple demon marrow powder into an alchemical flask, the rapid pounding of hooves suddenly came from outside.

"My lord!"

A knight galloped in, dismounted, and dropped to one knee. "Duke Edmund's messenger has arrived! He's waiting at the entrance to the fief!"

Louis sighed. "What was bound to come has finally come."

He turned, straightened his cloak, and nodded to the knight. "Take me there."

Outside the Red Tide Fief's council hall, a knight in a deep blue cloak stood waiting.

He was an Official Knight, and his armor bore the crest of Duke Edmund's family. Clearly, he was no ordinary attendant serving as a messenger.

Upon seeing Louis approach, the knight immediately dropped to one knee and firmly repeated Duke Edmund's words:

"Lord Louis Calvin, His Grace Duke Edmund has ordered all lords of the Northern Frontier to muster their troops immediately and march to crush the Snow Oath rebels!"

With that, he took a letter bearing the duke's seal from his belt and presented it with both hands.

Louis accepted the envelope, opened it, and quickly scanned its contents.

The letter's tone was exceptionally stern. It specified the time of the muster and ordered every lord of the Northern Frontier to lead their troops to the assembly point in person.

Each lord was required to dispatch at least a stipulated number of soldiers. Any delay or defiance would be treated as treason against the empire.

At the end of the letter, Louis's assembly point was specifically listed as Snow Eagle City.

Snow Eagle City was an important military stronghold in the Northern Frontier, as well as Count Rivers's territory.

Count Rivers also served as the governor of Snowpeak Commandery, overseeing all the smaller fiefs within it.

The Red Tide Fief was nominally one of the territories under his jurisdiction.

However, frontier lords enjoyed tax exemptions, and the Northern Frontier was simply too vast.

Louis had yet to have any formal dealings with the count.

Louis folded the letter, looked up at the messenger, and said, "I'll arrive at the assembly point on time."

The knight saluted, then immediately turned to leave, galloping toward the next fief.

Only after the knight disappeared into the distance did Louis lower his head and carefully read the letter again, calculating how much time he had.

There were still a few days left to prepare before the campaign officially began.