Chapter 69: The Young Fox Pretending to Be the Alchemist Mary

Thus, according to his usual practice, Venigo spent three days processing the materials, invoking the grace of the Lord of Wishmakers to bless his work. On the first day, he achieved a remarkable alchemical success, preparing all the materials through basic processing. The second day was devoted to extremes of luck: he crafted the prepared materials into semi-finished products or components, discarding those ruined by poor fortune, and retaining only those refined items that exceeded expectations during moments of exceptional luck.

The third day was the most crucial—the actual crafting. After wishing for “nimble hands,” he used Mary’s alchemy to finalize all the semi-finished goods and components. This time, Venigo created some things that even he found astonishing, as if inspiration had struck him, allowing him to produce works far beyond his usual skill while in a strange, almost dreamlike state.

“Enhancement Potion C, improved using the evil techniques of the Bleating Cult. After injection, it slowly improves physical constitution, though the side effects are unknown. Big Cat, would you like to try it?” Venigo shook the syringe in his hand, asking.

“I am an alchemical creature myself. It’s useless on me. Don’t you want to try it yourself, you useless thing?” Big Cat retorted decisively.

“I’m worse off than you... Not just alchemical potions; it seems I can’t gain any enhancement or training effects except for temporary boosts from equipment...” Venigo complained, “Could you loosen my restrictions just a little, O gods above the heavens!”

Honey herself was already a “finished product” of transformation, and her modifications far surpassed Venigo, who was little more than a half-baked, cheap imitation. Venigo thought Honey would not want to endure injections that would remind her of a painful past.

Sophie would not either—she was strongly opposed to bodily modification. Even Venigo’s mild enhancements she would not accept.

Thus, although Venigo had made a fine product, he could not find a test subject—or rather, a beneficiary.

He had made a number of similar things. The more he worked, the more he felt the Bleating Cult was a remarkable organization: for a group with the nature of a magical society, they dared attempt to use alien biotechnology for gene manipulation—and actually succeeded in producing a host of finished products. Though half of them were, in Venigo’s eyes, a waste of materials, their combat power was undeniable.

“I’ve improved the rune group magic array on the revolvers. The golden one will cause bullets to explode on impact, while the silver revolver increases the muzzle velocity. In addition, the special crescent-shaped magazine’s rune array lets me reload and eject rounds faster, and the rune on the loading device boosts my agility,” Venigo boasted.

“I don’t understand a word,” Honey replied simply and directly.

“Never mind, I shouldn’t have tried to explain it to you anyway...” Venigo hung his head, turned, and rummaged through his backpack to pull out two sparkling little objects, tossing them to Honey.

“What are these?” the little girl blinked her big eyes.

“Personal defense weapons,” Venigo explained. “Press the switch and the muzzle will emit a strong flash, blinding and briefly causing amnesia in anyone who looks directly at you. Considering your preferences, I made them out of sparkling, colorful glass.”

“That’s fun!” Honey was indeed delighted.

“Each use requires half a day to recharge, and you can recharge them five times in total,” Venigo reminded her. “Don’t waste them.”

“Got it!”

The flash gun itself could be used as a small hammer; the weighted handle with pronounced texture made for a painful blow if swung with force. Now Honey could finally discard her heavy nail hammer.

“Sophie, I’ve prepared these swordsman’s gauntlets for you—to protect your forearms, with a special structure to ensure flexibility.” Venigo turned to Sophie, who was lost in thought nearby. “They’ve been dipped in dragon blood and engraved with rune group magic arrays, enhancing endurance and allowing your stamina to recover quickly for prolonged battles.”

“Thank you,” Sophie nodded slightly.

“They’re called Dragon-Piercing Gauntlets, one of my more successful creations,” Venigo said with a smile.

As for Big Cat Cait Sith... Venigo had prepared a set of combat beast armor for it, to protect its vital spots and grant it stamina recovery and slow regeneration.

Thus ended the post-battle recovery. Next, at Sophie’s strong urging, Venigo agreed to Sir Tump’s request to further investigate the Bleating Cult.

Venigo noticed that Sophie seemed to have an unusual interest in the Bleating Cult. Yet since she didn’t mention it, he didn’t ask—just as Sophie never asked Venigo about his transformation abilities.

“As Lady Frith’s intelligence suggests, I feel the Bleating Cult’s activities in this area are eerily calm. Do you think they might have some secret operation underway?” In the small meeting room of Prism Manor, Venigo spoke absentmindedly, gazing at a map.

“I always feel your thinking is completely different from normal humans,” Cait Sith interjected.

“Shut up, you’re a cat. You’ve no right to comment on normal humans,” Venigo laughed and scolded.

“Don’t bully my cat!” Honey glared, waving the flash gun in threat.

“Here,” Sophie pointed to two spots on the map of Blackshire.

“Hmm, let me see...” Venigo pondered a moment, then looked up. “The townsfolk disappearance incidents... The frequency is rising, almost like some curse?”

“Let’s take a look,” Sophie insisted.

“By the way, Fox Brother, did you throw away that needle you made last time?” Honey suddenly asked.

“No, I used it on the dog by the edge of the manor. Clearly, the effect was good, wasn’t it?” Venigo replied carelessly.

“That’s a relief. Honey would hate to be secretly jabbed with a needle someday,” the little girl said, patting her chest in relief.

A look of pain flashed across Sophie’s face and vanished. Venigo remained silent for a while, then patted Honey and smiled: “I’d never use that rubbish on myself, nor would I give it to you. Honey is our most precious treasure—we’ll take good care of you.”

“Those dogs...” Sophie asked, puzzled.

“Hmm, it worked—they got a bit stronger, and there were no obvious side effects,” Venigo nodded. “So our next journey is decided: to Blackshire.”

Even with the itinerary set, they could not depart immediately. Venigo always believed that “sufficient preparation is the surest path to victory.” Moreover, his abilities required adequate preparation to achieve their full effect.

What kinds of enemies and tasks would they face in Blackshire? This determined what equipment and materials Venigo should pack in his waist pouch. Additionally, possible situations and accidents dictated what he should stow in the backup backpack Ramen carried.

So, the task type, environment, his own and his teammates’ conditions... Venigo had to consider many factors to decide his loadout. After all, his “Imaginative Construction” depended greatly on his equipment.

Central Blackshire, the desert home to Thunder Lizards.

This was the necessary route into and out of Blackshire, but nearly all caravans and travelers avoided it from late morning to evening, choosing to pass through only at dawn or dusk.

Because of the Thunder Lizards.

These creatures loved to bask in the sun, so during daylight hours, one was more likely to encounter these fierce predators. Conversely, nighttime—when snakes and insects roamed—was actually safer, for these beasts tended to burrow into the sand and sleep.

“Should we lure out a Thunder Lizard? Its teeth, claws, and scales can be used to make weapons and armor,” Venigo asked.

Venigo, Honey, Sophie, and Cait Sith were walking along the desert’s edge—where wild monsters were sparse, and even during the day, encountering a group of Thunder Lizards was unlikely.

“Thunder Lizards operate as family units,” Sophie replied.

Her meaning was clear: you wouldn’t face just one, but a small group of at least two adults and two juveniles.

Venigo scratched his head, habitually checking his arcane device Azure Skies, the two revolvers at his waist, and the small tools clipped to his belt.

Preparation is the key to victory.

“There seems to be someone over there,” Cait Sith suddenly alerted.

Venigo responded, took out his binoculars, and Honey immediately pounced to snatch them, peering in the direction Cait Sith indicated.

“Don’t be silly,” Venigo protested.

“I think I’ve seen them before... Black long coat and trousers, red flame patterns at the edges, dark red halberd. Venigo, do you remember?” Honey handed back the binoculars, tilting her head.

“Yes, it’s them,” Venigo replied. “Probably an organization related to the Bleating Cult, perhaps a sub-group made up of Dark Priests and Dark Mages—a cultist militia.”

Sophie silently unbuckled her Blade of Contest, resting it across her shoulder, standing ahead of Venigo and Honey.

“The guy over there noticed us,” Venigo chuckled. “Is he a monster? He can see us from so far away.”

“He’s not watching us, but over there,” Sophie reminded. “Three Thunder Lizards.”

Venigo turned and saw a Thunder Lizard family—two adults and one juvenile—approaching calmly. Usually, those found at the desert’s edge belonged to weaker groups.

There were said to be three subspecies of Thunder Lizard, but they were hard to distinguish by appearance alone. Only by fighting them to the death could one truly sense the difference in their strength. He hoped these were not the most troublesome kind.