Henry stroked his chin. He could discern the underlying meaning in Carl's words. Making that kind of potion was difficult, but not impossible—the implication was that it wouldn't be cheap.
As long as I can become a Great Knight, any price is negotiable.
Great Divine Grace, huh? I should think of a way to acquire some.
After bidding farewell to the two, Carl climbed into his carriage and took out the Great Divine Grace.
There were four units here, plus the five Lula had given him, making a total of nine.
Converting nine units of Great Divine Grace into Source Material could provide an amount of spiritual power or an enhancement to his Constitution that would otherwise require several years of arduous cultivation.
Once the water monkeys reach the shore and the Furious Potions are concocted, they'll be sold in Freedom Port, and Great Divine Grace will continuously flow into my hands.
Carl pursed his lips into a smile, a wave of exhilaration washing over him. The future looked bright, and his thoughts seemed more agile than ever.
Ayala gently pulled on the reins, stopping the carriage.
"Uncle Carl, it seems something has happened up ahead?"
Carl lifted the carriage curtain, his gaze sweeping forward. His brow furrowed before he could clearly make out the situation.
This fog... there's something wrong!
Focusing Battle Aura into his eyes, he found he still couldn't see clearly ten meters ahead. This was highly abnormal.
Ordinary fog shouldn't be able to obstruct a Great Knight's vision.
It wasn't yesterday!
Exiting the carriage, Carl walked forward. In a corner of the street, several figures were writhing on the ground, seemingly engrossed in some obscure activity.
Carl's footsteps faltered, his expression gradually darkening.
Ayala, having secured the carriage, hurried after him towards the corner, calling out, "You there! What are you doing?"
Her words had barely left her mouth when the scene before her startled her into a piercing scream, her face instantly turning deathly pale.
The figures sprawled on the ground were drenched in blood, several dismembered corpses scattered nearby. A woman's head had rolled to one side. Nearby lay a baby's corpse, its chest cavity hollowed out, and a severed arm half-buried in the mud.
Cannibals! Something is eating people!
Although she had witnessed many tragic scenes, the raw act of cannibalism still tested the limits of her endurance.
Ayala's voice startled the crouching figures. They turned, hissing strangely.
The 'monsters' before her possessed human-like forms and features, but their skin was a dark, mottled blue, and parts of their bodies were covered with fish scales. Their eyes, like cold blades, flashed with ferocity, madness, and bloodlust—devoid of any reason. They looked like creatures dredged from the depths of the sea; some were even entangled in seaweed, and all of them reeked of brine and decay.
"Ayala," Carl said in a low, tense voice, "come back."
Ayala's throat bobbed as she slowly retreated.
The creatures sprawled on the ground clearly had no intention of letting her go. One let out a strange cry as its body lunged forward with startling speed. They were lean yet powerfully built, possessing astonishing explosive power. Veiled by the thick fog, they shot towards her like arrows, making Ayala's breath catch in her throat.
However, she wasn't afraid. She knew she wouldn't be harmed.
An invisible wave of power surged from behind him, instantly blanketing the area and encompassing the attacking creatures. Lesser Force Field! Gravitational Distortion!
The charging creatures seemed to hit an invisible wall, plummeting straight to the ground.
After advancing to Advanced Wizard Apprentice, Carl could cast cantrips that allowed him to exert several times more force upon his opponents. He could now easily suppress even Knights. Although these creatures exuded a ferocious aura, they were, at most, Knight Attendants—their strength far inferior to that of a true Knight.
If I were to concentrate the power of my witchcraft...
Carl made a grasping motion with one hand.
An invisible force descended from the sky. The ground in front of them trembled violently and abruptly sank half a foot.
The creatures' bodies couldn't withstand the immense pressure and exploded on the spot, dissolving into a gory, indistinguishable pulp.
Carl withdrew his palm, his expression grim.
It not only affects vision, but hearing, perception, and even my spider-sense have become dull.
This fog... What in the world is going on?
"Let's go!" Carl strode forward. "Let's check the surroundings."
"Yes." Ayala nodded and turned to retrieve the carriage. This content belongs to novel~fire~net
"Forget the carriage," Carl said, shaking his head, his voice grave. "I have a bad feeling."
Although he hadn't studied astromancy or divination, the intuition of an Advanced Wizard Apprentice was still remarkably potent.
Here, well-ordered stone steps led up to old, elegant buildings constructed mainly from stone and wood.
Usually, the harbor bustled with ships constantly arriving and departing, their sails billowing and snapping in the wind, the air filled with the incessant shouts of sailors and boatmen. Ashore, goods were piled as high as mountains, with workers bustling to transport them. The port's commerce not only supplied the entire populace of Freedom Port but also provisioned other cities. The livelihoods of countless thousands depended on this very dock.
But now, an utter, deathly silence reigned.
The usual activity had vanished. Only shattered ships and pale corpses floated silently on the water's surface.
Buildings had collapsed, houses lay in ruins. The contents of warehouses had spilled out onto the ground. All manner of equipment, materials, and supplies lay strewn across the ground, tattered flags fluttering faintly in the sea breeze.
A noise came from somewhere.
A merman, caught in the act of devouring a corpse, raised its head. Its fish-like eyes swiveled, and then it suddenly darted forward.
More and more mermen emerged from various points along the dock. In moments, they formed a surging tide, rushing towards the residential district of Freedom Port.