Chapter 41: Alchemical Support Troops

Standing before Victor was a robust middle-aged man with solid muscles. His face was unremarkable, his expression wooden, and he wore a linen shirt and a leather vest—he looked every bit the ordinary farmer.

Yet Victor noticed several unusual details. First, his muscles were well-knit and symmetrical, lacking any signs of habitual labor—like a blacksmith who would have one arm considerably more developed. Second, his skin was exceptionally rough, as if a layer of callus covered his entire body. Victor was certain that even crawling through thorny underbrush, this man would emerge with barely a scratch. Finally, his bones appeared unusually large; his joints were a whole size thicker than those of common folk, indicating a capacity for bearing far greater loads.

Indeed, this was an alchemical auxiliary soldier with a physique of 10, spirit of 7, perception of 7, and life of 3.

After returning from the entrance to the Great Marsh, Victor had arranged for Nelson to lead his men on patrol across the entire territory. Once the members of the Battle Bear had dispersed, he secretly manufactured his first alchemical human in the cave.

The process took nearly ten hours. When the alchemical human opened his eyes, dawn was just breaking. Naturally, the newly made alchemical human wore no clothing, but Victor had already prepared garments, having stockpiled many supplies in the cave.

Obeying Victor’s command, the alchemical auxiliary dressed himself neatly. His movements were natural and fluid, without any mechanical rigidity, just like an ordinary person.

Victor breathed a sigh of relief. He had worried that the alchemical human would be obviously different from ordinary folk and unable to blend in among the commoners.

“What is your name?” Victor tried to question the alchemical auxiliary, wanting to gauge the intelligence of these creations.

“Master, my name is Busso,” the auxiliary said, bowing to Victor.

Busso’s natural voice delighted Victor. Natural movement, natural speech—this alchemical human was indistinguishable from a regular man, and Victor was deeply satisfied. He had expected the auxiliary’s wit to be limited and had even planned to have him pretend to be mute before integrating him with the population.

Victor’s greatest problem now was his lack of people under control. Alchemical humans who could seamlessly join the commoners would greatly increase the camp’s manpower.

“You’re called Busso? How did you get your name?” Victor asked curiously.

“Master, my name comes from my Will Side,” Busso replied respectfully.

“So you’re aware of your origins?” Victor was surprised by Busso’s calm answer; it seemed this alchemical human was quite conscious of his identity.

“Master, I am Busso, the alchemical auxiliary soldier of the 19th Legion of the Nairiel Empire. Your will is my mission.” Busso’s answer was resolute.

“Well then, Busso, tell me about your abilities.” Victor, a little exasperated, rubbed his forehead. Something about this felt odd.

Wouldn’t a person, upon discovering he was a manufactured tool, be terrified, angry, or collapse? Why did Busso accept it so naturally?

Actually, Victor was simply influenced by too many films. Later, the King would tell him as much.

“Master, I am loaded with three skills: planting, forging, and construction.” Busso, seeing Victor gesture him to continue, explained in detail, “First, planting. I know the cultivation and breeding methods for eighty-three types of crops. I can identify one thousand seventy-seven plant species, understand the habits of most animals on the continent, can tame and raise some of them, and possess fishing and hunting skills.”

“As for forging, I can make all kinds of standard imperial weapons and armor. I can also identify twenty-seven minerals and forge mithril, adamantine, and silversteel equipment.” Busso paused to point at a pile of silversteel ore in the corner.

“Wait! What is this?” Victor interrupted, pointing at the ore.

“Master, this is silversteel ore,” Busso answered after inspecting it.

“Nairiel Empire calls this silversteel? What’s its use—what are its properties?” Victor pressed, excitement in his voice.

“Silversteel is a crucial material for making silversteel equipment in the empire. Only elite troops are allowed to use silversteel armor and weapons; it’s highly prized. Through special refining methods, silversteel can be fused with other materials, bestowing them with metallic properties. For example, silversteel armor combines silversteel and leather, resulting in protective gear that is both light and durable. If some anti-magic materials are added, it can also resist certain elemental damage.”

Busso’s explanation astonished Victor. The seemingly useless silversteel was actually a precious metal, and his territory had vast deposits—two veins already confirmed. He had been depressed about this before.

“Master, this silversteel ore is of excellent quality, reaching the highest imperial standard,” Busso said, squeezing the ore admiringly.

“Alright, continue with your abilities,” Victor said, gently massaging his temples, attempting to calm himself. The silversteel ore wasn’t going anywhere.

“Yes, Master.” Busso put down the ore and respectfully continued, “I can manufacture all kinds of standard ballistae, catapults, battering rams, war chariots, warships, cargo ships, large transport vehicles…”

Victor stared blankly as Busso rattled off his skills; so many surprises had left him numb.

“Stop! Stop! Tell me about your construction skills,” Victor interrupted the auxiliary’s endless recitation.

“Master, I can build four types of standard imperial castles, three types of fortresses, standard ports, as well as stone and brick walls. I can also fire bricks and tiles.”

Busso’s mention of brick-making caught Victor’s attention.

Most farmers in this world could make bricks, but their bricks were too brittle, not even as sturdy as iron oak. Fortifications built from such bricks couldn’t withstand a knight’s attack, and brick-making was labor-intensive, so it was rarely used for castles or fortresses.

But Busso was an alchemical auxiliary of the Nairiel Empire; perhaps his bricks were different.

“Busso, are your bricks sturdy? Can your brick walls withstand much force?” Victor asked expectantly.

His territory was fertile but lacked stone, which was why the York family could only build a symbolic miniature castle.

If Victor wanted to construct a baronial castle in accordance with Gambis Kingdom standards, he would have to purchase stone from other lords—something he currently lacked the funds and manpower for.

“Master, my bricks meet the first-class imperial standard. Walls built with these bricks, at over four meters thick, can withstand large catapult attacks,” Busso explained honestly.

As an alchemical lifeform of the Nairiel Empire, Busso was unfamiliar with the era’s technical level, so Victor’s questions confused him.

“What materials do you need for bricks?”

Busso’s answer pleased Victor. If the bricks could withstand catapults, their strength was sufficient for castles. Yet, if imperial bricks were so strong, perhaps their materials were unusual—after all, brick-making wasn’t exactly high-tech.

“Master, to make first-class bricks, I need clay, charcoal powder, and golden thread grass. For top-grade bricks, I also need silversteel slag and iron powder.”

Clay and charcoal powder were no problem, but what on earth was golden thread grass?

“I understand,” Victor said, nodding.

The auxiliary had brought Victor so much vital information that he felt overwhelmed; he needed time to digest it.

“You need food, right? How much do you eat?”

“One portion of imperial standard military rations each day.”

“You need clothes, right? Oh, yes, you do.”

“If Master requires, I can go without.”

“...”

“Do you need a mate? I mean... a woman?”

“No, that function is absent.”

“Excellent! Very good!”

The camp suffered from a severe gender imbalance—a growing issue. The commoners frequently fought over women, forcing Victor to dismiss two village leaders, and the single Battle Bear mercenaries were also becoming restless. Victor was quite troubled by this.

He had even asked the King if female alchemical humans could be made. Unfortunately, the King informed him that Alchemy Tower No. 7 had no female templates.

That made sense—alchemical humans made for war would hardly use weaker female templates.

After a detailed conversation, Victor concluded: Busso was a master capable of finding food, building houses, and crafting tools.

Yes, a true master! Every skill Busso possessed was at the master level.

There’s a saying: a real man, even if thrown into a desert, can build a city.

Victor thought, except for not being a real man, Busso fit that saying perfectly.

“Busso, remember two things! First, address me as ‘Sir’ from now on! Second, never speak of the Nairiel Empire again! From this moment, you are a newly joined free commoner in the camp. Understood?” Victor ordered solemnly.

“Yes, Sir!” Busso’s Will Side ensured absolute obedience.

Victor led Busso out of the cave. The patrolling guards saluted Victor, showing no suspicion toward Busso.

In these days, Victor personally met every new free commoner joining the camp. After a thorough interview, he would designate a village leader to take them away.

However, Victor did not include the new free commoners in the labor points system; they worked as ordinary commoners.

The earliest followers welcomed this arrangement and were even more devoted to their lord.

Victor didn’t need so many vassals, nor did he wish to challenge the established lordship system—at least, not yet.

“Fetch Dean for me,” Victor instructed a guard.

Soon, Dean arrived. He was the village leader on rest today, and, hearing the lord wanted to see him, hurried over.

“Dean, this is Busso, a new commoner. He’ll join your group,” Victor said.

“I’ve spoken to Busso. He knows many plants and has extensive wilderness survival knowledge. Starting tomorrow, your group will handle gathering and hunting. If you discover any valuable new crops, I’ll reward you generously.” As Dean was about to leave with Busso, Victor gave further instructions.

Victor hoped to find the golden thread grass Busso had mentioned in his territory, so he subtly assigned the task to Dean and Busso.

Hearing Victor’s words, Dean’s gaze toward Busso grew eager. He knew the lord greatly valued new discoveries and innovations. Old Buck, a member of Group Four, had received the lord’s reward for getting the earth lizard to lay eggs. Each member of Group Four got one thousand labor points, and the leader and Old Buck received five thousand each.

One thousand labor points meant an acre of land! The other groups were envious.

Victor explained the group rewards as “team spirit,” though Dean never fully understood. Since then, however, every village leader began to value talented members instead of suppressing them.

After Dean happily left with Busso, Victor returned to the cave.

“King,” Victor connected to the tower spirit in his mind.

“Sir, I am here.”

“King, do you know what it feels like to have a five-hundred-gold-sovereign alchemical auxiliary?”

Before the King could answer, Victor continued, “Powerful. Incredibly powerful!”

“Sir, the alchemical auxiliary is merely the basic unit,” the King’s gentle voice echoed in Victor’s mind.

“No, no, I mean the Nairiel Empire is too powerful. Not to mention silversteel equipment and special bricks—just the skills loaded into the auxiliary’s Will Side make Busso a master craftsman. It’s simply... like...” Victor found himself at a loss for words.

Victor’s astonishment was understandable. Building castles, for example: most farmers had built castles, but Victor knew it was no simple feat.

First, a castle required an excellent architect to design, plan, and manage the project. Relying solely on commoners, no great and sturdy castle could be built.

Architects needed highly specialized knowledge and held elevated status, often noble scions from the White Tower. After spending vast sums and years training, they could finally qualify.

Yet Busso, made by Victor at the cost of five hundred gold sovereigns and ten hours, possessed knowledge and skills others spent decades acquiring—and he had many other abilities besides.

“Sir, I notice Busso’s skills and knowledge are standardized—meaning these are the accumulated wealth of the Nairiel Empire. If viewed from the empire’s perspective, you might not be so shocked,” the King said quietly after a pause.

It understood Victor’s unease: a man might feel pleased to find a few hundred coins, but a whole sackful could be overwhelming.

“King, can you find the reason for the Alchemy Empire’s fall?” Victor steadied himself and asked gravely.

He could not fathom what power had caused such a mighty empire to vanish without a trace.

“Sir, this alchemy tower is isolated. I lack further information. But notice: the auxiliary’s knowledge and skills are loaded, and their lifespan only fifteen years. This means alchemical life has no creativity. If an empire loses creativity, its demise is inevitable,” the King replied.

Victor did not get the answer he wanted, but he felt the King’s words were true.

Perhaps the advent of alchemy tower technology had caused the upper echelons of the Nairiel Empire to indulge in pleasure and lose their drive.

A single person’s lack of creativity might not matter, but for an empire, it spelled doom.

Victor’s gaze flickered.

If not for the King residing in X-3, the alchemy tower would never have been activated. The Will Side loading of alchemical creatures was eerily similar to X-3’s skill loading.

All these coincidences made Victor feel as though an immense shadow hung over him, and he was deeply entangled within it.

He severed his connection to the King and sat in silence for a long while. Gradually, a plan took shape in his mind.

Perhaps this was feasible.

Victor smiled, then turned and left the cave.