Chapter 5, Lancelot (Part 1)
By the way, in the month you first arrived, I remember you have records of incoming and outgoing goods here. Could you let me take a look at them
Can you send me next month
Lancelot smiled slightly: "This is precisely why I wanted to bring it to Area 13. I have heard that the servants in Area 13 have the easiest duties; even while also serving as clerks, they still have plenty of free time each day to read those alchemical notes"
Gong Hao quickly nodded and said, "My lord, may I ask where you discovered this flower?"
He began to consciously prioritize learning everything related to magical plants
Every day, Gong Hao would spend two hours at the Alchemy Tower, diligently recording all the experimental data provided by the apprentices, while also eagerly absorbing the knowledge contained in the books.
To his surprise, in the laboratory on Purgatory Island, the earliest servant deliveries reached as high as forty to fifty individuals each month. However, as time went on, the number of personnel deliveries gradually decreased
But where exactly did they go? Gong Hao was eager to know the answer
However, in any case, you indeed have sufficient time. From now on, this flower will be entrusted to you. Take good care of it, as it is quite possible that this could be a new species
Gong Hao did not know who the other party really was, so he could only choose his words carefully, addressing them as "adult" and "you".
Gong Hao understood one thing very well: the growth of any life is related to its mode of existence. The closer a species is to its primitive mode of existence, the better it grows; conversely, the further away it is, the worse it grows. In other words, the better growth of the Crying Grass and the Enchanting Grass is likely related to this situation. If he could further deepen his understanding of the original ecology of these plants, it would certainly be greatly beneficial for cultivating these magical plants
Moreover, there is an extraordinarily bizarre coincidence—among all the dispatched goods, the quantities of blood puppets, undead puppets, and that thing called a spirit, are consistently the same each time, and they match exactly with the number of servants to be delivered the following month
It's nothing, Glaire, thank you for your kindness
Thus, the departure of these servants is indeed not as simple as merely poor performance
It is like this. I remember that every time the Liberty ship comes to deliver goods with the - diagram - book, we also need to send a group of people over to hand over this month's alchemical products to them
Lancelot nodded slightly and said, "That makes sense. This flower was discovered by me in the central area of Purgatory Island, where it grows in a swamp, accompanied by a level 7 spotted venomous python."
Looking at the newly arrived servant, Gong Hao suddenly remembered something
I just want to see how much contribution we have made to the empire over the years
Today, Gong Hao is engrossed in a book about the production of corrosive agents in the greenhouse. These agents are generally used to coat weapons, granting them the ability to penetrate armor. The production of corrosive agents is not particularly difficult; the challenge lies in ensuring that the weapon itself does not corrode after being coated with the agent. This requires applying a corrosion-resistant isolation layer to the weapon before the agent is applied. The greater the potency of the corrosive agent, the higher the requirements for the corrosion resistance of the isolation layer. This design, which combines the characteristics of both sword and shield, makes enhancing the efficacy of the corrosive agent a challenging problem.
Gong Hao shrugged and said, "I haven't seen the sea for a month. Being locked in this castle for a month has been utterly suffocating."
Yes
Gong Hao's heart beat rapidly and intensely a few times
It seems that this is the person Neil referred to, who can be mentioned alongside Andrew and Pierre as a great figure. He initially thought he was also an alchemist, but unexpectedly found out that he is a warrior
However, what terrified him was that none of the servants who had ever worked on Hell Island had worked here for more than one year
Even the best-performing servant is forcibly taken away after just one year of service
Considering that the Wind Whispering Continent currently seems to lack the capability for long-distance information transmission, it is highly likely that during each delivery, Purgatory Island has already informed the Free Ship of how many new servants they will need next time
Gong Haomeng looked up and found that a middle-aged man dressed in ancient, simple armor had unexpectedly appeared before him.
Gently closing the notebook, Gong Hao fell into deep thought
From that day on, Gong Hao placed the Bewitching Grass and the Weeping Grass together, and as a result, he found that the saliva secretion of the Weeping Grass had significantly increased, and even the materials provided by the Bewitching Grass and the illustrations had noticeably increased
I only wish to improve the work of the library
This also left many servants in awe.
Yes... you did not." Gong Hao said softly
Thank you very much
Among all those taken away, the oldest was sixteen years old
A day later, Gong Hao found a record regarding the Enchantment Grass and the Weeping Grass in the library. The record did not provide detailed descriptions of the survival forms of these two magical plants, but it mentioned an interesting phenomenon: wherever there is Enchantment Grass, there will inevitably be Weeping Grass. The two never exist separately.
I just want to understand its living environment and habits. You know, if it is not an ordinary ghost face flower and can coexist with other magical plants, then I think I cannot treat it using the cultivation methods for ghost face flowers. Gaining as much knowledge as possible about its survival environment will be very helpful for my work
Gong Hao quickly put away the book and respectfully said, "My lord"
To be able to delve into the central region of the jungle on Hell Island, which is inhabited by powerful top-tier magical beasts, this person must undoubtedly possess extraordinary martial prowess
Alchemists typically do not place much importance on the collection of materials, as these tasks are generally carried out by apprentices or servants. Consequently, the records of these magical plants in the library are quite limited; however, Gong Hao still discovered many useful items for himself
Companion Demon Plant? This thought flashed through Gong Hao's mind
Xise. Gong Hao has come to find Xise once again
Central Region
According to the rules, Andrew will take away a group of servants whose work performance is unsatisfactory
For instance, the weeping grass does not always weep. On one occasion, he witnessed the weeping grass cease its crying, at which time a pot of alluring grass was placed beside it
"Ghost Face Flower?" Gong Hao exclaimed.
The Ghost Face Flower is a highly aggressive plant that can release a potent gas, effectively dealing with most living organisms. Alchemists use the juice of the Ghost Face Flower to extract powerful toxins, achieving remarkable results
No matter how deep the unknown fear within him was, Gong Hao had only one choice—to bury the fear and then work hard
Xise smiled and agreed, then he found the record at https://www.hetushu.com and handed it over to Gong Hao
A month has quickly passed
"No problem." Xise readily agreed
Hey, Glaire, I have completed my work for today, so you don't need to come and help me anymore
So far, the corrosive agents that can be applied to weapons can only be used to penetrate ordinary armor, having almost no effect on magical armor with good defensive capabilities
Lancelot waved his hand, and Ivor brought over a pot of flowers
A figure emerged behind the middle-aged warrior; it was an apprentice named Ivor. During these days, Gong Hao had been visiting the library daily and had become quite familiar with the apprentices, even having met Lord Pierre once, yet he had never encountered Hines. At this moment, Ivor said, "This is Lord Lancelot"
Earlier records are stored in the library, aren't you working there? You can go there to look for them
I hope I have not disturbed you. The middle-aged warrior, with a face marked by the passage of time, revealed a hint of a smile
West Sear, could you do me a favor
The days ahead became simple and monotonous
Why ask this
This enables him to collect a quantity multiple times greater than ever before
Speak, as long as it is within my capabilities
He noticed that these magical plants also have emotions; when he cut away a part of their roots or squeezed out their sap, they would exhibit signs of pain and fear. Conversely, when he took good care of them, they would express happiness and laughter
He is the one specifically responsible for capturing magical beasts in the jungle, searching for various exotic species, and bringing back any creatures that can provide valuable materials
Thus, Gong Hao became more focused on the exploration of alchemical knowledge. He tirelessly perused those collections, and when two hours proved insufficient, he secretly took some books out. Later, he even openly brought books back to Area 13 to read, as it seemed that the apprentices did not mind his actions.
What does this mean
Returning to the library, Gong Hao wore a serious expression
No, this is not an ordinary Ghost Face Flower. Lancelot shook his head and said: "It is known that the toxicity of the Ghost Face Flower causes its growing area to be desolate, with very few magical plants able to coexist with it. When I discovered this flower, I initially thought it was a Ghost Face Flower, but I couldn't understand why there were so many other magical plants growing around it. I suspect it is not a Ghost Face Flower at all." I discovered this flower, and I initially thought it was a Ghost Face Flower, but I couldn't understand why there were so many other magical plants growing around it. I suspect it is not a Ghost Face Flower at all.
However, the seed of the bloody orchid, after being buried, has not shown any signs of emerging from the soil. More than ten days have passed, and not even a single sprout has appeared, which has left Gong Hao deeply troubled
The man is clearly not a puppet, but a true warrior. He has long brown hair and carries a longsword at his left waist that shimmers with magical light. His armor is marked with dark streaks of blood, and you can even feel the immense killing intent emanating from him, a chilling presence that commands respect without anger.
Of course, the majority of Gong Hao's time is still spent in the greenhouse. He continues to meticulously study the various magical plants within, observing their living habits, behaviors, and preferences as he did before
The records are not classified documents and are not difficult to find
Why
Gong Hao carefully examined the entry and exit records from the past six months, but his attention was primarily focused on the personnel movements.
"So what is it?" Gong Hao asked curiously
Over the past month, whenever Gong Hao had some free time, he would help Xise with various tasks, thus fostering a rather good relationship with her
After watching for a while, he frowned and said, "Do you only have the last six months' worth?"
Gong Hao thought for a moment and then turned back to Xise, saying: "Oh right, Xise, please don't tell anyone about this, okay? I suspect that Lord Andrew does not appreciate people who ask too many questions, and I do not want to provoke his anger"
Gong Hao was engrossed in analyzing the various components needed for the preparation of the potion and the isolation membrane, considering their proportions, when a deep voice suddenly sounded beside him: "You are quite diligent."
In other words, at least ten days prior to the transportation of the servants, the Freedom had already known how many servants were needed on Purgatory Island
Why?
The apprentices in the Alchemy Tower were astonished to find that Huigleir had mastered the location of the library's collection in less than three days, to the extent that later apprentices only had to speak up, and Gong Hao would promptly retrieve the books they needed
He began to quickly search for all personnel entry and exit records of Purgatory Island over the past twenty years
The flowers grow in a most peculiar manner, blooming in a way that resembles human faces, yet their appearance is grotesque and terrifying, occasionally baring their teeth and extending a blood-red tongue.
This time, a total of twelve individuals were taken away, and on the same day, the Liberty also brought in twelve servants
In other words, they predetermined the number of servants required, and then selected the batch of servants with the poorest performance for that month based on this number
Gong Hao quickly bowed again: "I have met Lord Lancelot"
Indeed, Andrew did not take Gong Hao away, but instead left him to continue working.
I thought you only knew about work. "Sisse laughed heartily: "Alright, no problem, I will arrange for you to go deliver goods with others next month... the Dead Sea is not a pleasant sight.
Oh, that is truly unfortunate
Through these records, Gong Hao discovered that he could completely optimize the cultivation of the forty-two magical plants in Area 13. He began to experiment, and the results were almost immediate.
He remembers that the Freedom sailed for five days before reaching Purgatory Island, while Hugh Glair was bought by the golden-armored warrior Chaklay and boarded the ship seven days ago. At that time, he and Fink were the twelfth and thirteenth to be purchased by Chaklay. This also means that Chaklay at least spent three additional days searching for young servants that met his preferences
The Brent, who had once bullied Xiu Yi and Fen Ke, was taken away
The magical flora is the fundamental condition for the existence of all magical beasts and magical insects. Many magical beasts have become extinct due to the destruction of their natural ecosystems, which has caused them to lose their habitats. If these magical plants can be cultivated on a large scale, restoring the glory of alchemy in the future will not be a dream
He finally understood what Lancelot was responsible for here
The number of books in the library is so vast that he will never have to worry about finishing them one day
Work is sometimes the best way to forget everything. Perhaps he was inherently fascinated by these mysterious sciences, to the extent that when he immersed himself in research, he would always forget everything, including those alarming speculations.
The work efficiency in Area 13 has significantly improved; tasks that previously required five hours to complete can now be finished in just two hours. Although Gong Hao still needs to go to the library every day to do record-keeping, he actually has more leisure time now.