Chapter 397 - 393: Spoils of War
For the next two days, Duane and his men rested in the Star Sea Clan’s castle.
During this time, neither Duke Eldrin nor any of the nobles under him chose to pledge their allegiance to Duane.
This wasn’t because they were particularly loyal to the Akutas Royal Family, but because doing so offered no other benefit besides immediate release from custody.
After all, Duane was currently just a Hereditary Baron, and even Kais was only a Count. If they switched sides, would they be able to keep their Secret Realms and territories?
The answer was a definitive no.
Given the circumstances, it was better to remain imprisoned for a while. If the war took a favorable turn for the Akutas Kingdom, they might have a chance to ransom themselves. At that point, they would also earn the noble reputation of choosing death before surrender.
Or, to be more optimistic, what if the Akutas Kingdom survived the war? Could the combined strength of Duane, Kais, and Uriel truly hold the Starfall Islands for long?
So they preferred to remain captives. They weren’t lacking for food or drink, and it wasn’t a death sentence.
"Duane, the inventory of the castle’s wealth is complete. It’s astonishing!"
Baron Uriel excitedly sought out Duane. Seeing that Duane was engrossed in practicing magic, he didn’t continue speaking and instead stood to the side to watch.
In the courtyard, Duane was using the "Soul Stripping" spell on a chicken.
This was a Level 9 Magic that involved the soul. Its Spell Model was incredibly complex and obscure, and a single casting took a staggering eight minutes!
Although he had reached the Entry level with this spell, all his proficiency came from accumulated experience through failures, making the process incredibly arduous.
As a brilliant Arcane light flared, the chicken in Duane’s left hand rolled its eyes back and lost all signs of life. At the same time, a faint, light-blue, spectral image of the chicken slowly rose and came to rest in the palm of Duane’s right hand.
As a Level 6 Grand Mage, Baron Uriel couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread as he witnessed this.
He focused his gaze on the spectral chicken in Duane’s right hand. ’What exactly is that?’
Although he didn’t understand the spell, he could feel its terrifying nature.
Duane tossed the chicken’s corpse aside and then focused on casting the Will Infusion Spell.
This spell was just as difficult, if not more so, than Soul Stripping, as it involved more complex manipulations of the soul.
The casting lasted for six or seven minutes, stunning Baron Uriel who stood nearby. It was the first time he had ever seen a magic spell require such a long preparation time.
’On the battlefield, a spell like this would be impossible to cast. Then again, it doesn’t look like a combat spell.’
Finally, Duane completed the spell. He not only branded it with his own soul imprint but also infused it with a command to make the soul spin in place.
With a thought, the spectral chicken in his hand leaped to the ground and began to run around in circles.
However, a soul without a physical vessel to anchor it was in a constant state of dissipation. After just a few circles, the spectral image grew increasingly transparent before finally vanishing completely.
To preserve it for a long period, one needed to create an anchor for it—a Soul Vessel.
This point was mentioned in the manufacturing method for "Magic Energy Puppets," which Duane had obtained when he reached the Perfection level in his Basic Manufacturing Skills.
Now that Duane was a Level 9 Grand Mage and had mastered the two spells, Soul Stripping and Will Infusion, he could begin the manufacturing process.
Although the attribute panel had given him the blueprint for Magic Energy Puppets, this method could be used to create much more.
For example, by programming a soul, he could make it control the degree of energy output, even having it function as a sort of smart switch.
He came back to his senses and looked at Baron Uriel. "Sorry to keep you waiting. What were you saying just now?"
Uriel also snapped out of his daze and said excitedly, "What was that spell you were just using? The casting time was so long! The cost must be immense, right?"
Duane smiled and sat down on a nearby lounge chair. John, who was standing guard, picked up the dead chicken from the ground and handed it to a servant.
"It’s a Level 9 Magic, related to the soul. With my current ability, casting it once or twice is my absolute limit."
Baron Uriel was shocked. As a Mage, he knew the soul was an extremely profound subject, but he never imagined Duane could manipulate even that.
At this moment, standing before Duane, he unconsciously felt immense pressure, even though the other man had done nothing to cause it.
He wasn’t Count Kais, after all. Their relationship was more distant, so he couldn’t be as relaxed as the Count was around Duane.
Uriel didn’t press the matter of the spell. Instead, he held up the inventory list he had just received.
"The amount of supplies in the castle is staggering! To say nothing of everything else, there are a full five hundred Star Frost Swords, the specialty of the Star Sea Clan!"
Duane had once bought one of these longswords when he assassinated Baron Torre. A single sword sold for forty Gold Coins, making these five hundred swords worth a total of twenty thousand Gold Coins!
Although Kaelon, Raymond, and the others used weapons that Duane had forged with Meteorite Iron and a Blood-Forged Contract, which increased the power of their Combat Techniques by ten percent and were superior to the Star Frost Sword...
...no one would ever complain about having too many weapons suitable for Star Realm Warriors.
Baron Uriel continued, "Besides those, there are Gold Coins, Armor, Bows and Arrows, Crossbows, and more. The total value is probably over two or three hundred thousand Gold Coins!"
A slight smile touched Duane’s lips. "As expected of the former royal family of the Starfall Islands. Fire Source Castle’s reserves can’t compare to this."
Viscount Ugo Calvin of Fire Source Castle still hadn’t paid off his debts and was on the battlefield trying to earn his redemption.
Uriel said with a laugh, "Ugo is only a Viscount, and his family has only been prosperous for about twenty years. He’s a far cry from the Star Sea Clan."
Duane nodded, then changed the subject. "How much Mithril is there?"
The outer shell of a Soul Vessel required Mithril, and the transmission lines couldn’t be replaced with Jade Demon Vine, so they also had to be made of Mithril.
Therefore, he was more concerned about the quantity of this rare material.
"A lot!"
Baron Uriel said, "There’s a full twelve thousand pounds of refined Mithril, and over fifty-six hundred pounds of unrefined Secret Silver Ore!"
Hearing these numbers, Duane couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.
Now he wouldn’t have to worry about running out of Mithril.
"Duane, I’d like to take some of the Star Frost Swords to distribute among my subordinates. After all, the war isn’t over yet. Increasing their combat strength will help them survive."
As the Commander, all spoils were handed over to Duane. And as the public face of the Tripartite Alliance, both Uriel and Count Kais valued his opinion greatly.
"Of course!"
Duane said, "Weapons only have value when they’re being used. You can make the arrangements, just be sure to keep a record. However, the Mithril is very useful to me. I hope I can have a larger share of it in the subsequent distribution."
"I have no objections."
Baron Uriel immediately agreed. He was just along for the ride to get rich, and judging by the current spoils, he had already hit the jackpot.
Besides, Coral Island specialized in Magic Potions and had little need for Mithril. In contrast, Silent Shore and Black Forest Island had very different demands for the metal.
The two continued to discuss the spoils of the war when the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside. They both looked over and saw Baron Cruz, who was in charge of intelligence gathering.
"An urgent message from the Count!"
Cruz walked into the courtyard, handed a letter to Duane, and said with a grave expression, "Count Kudro has attacked Pigeon Tail Town. Baron Keldert has been captured."
"What?"
Baron Uriel leaped up from the lounge chair in shock. He had assumed it was news about the Akutas Kingdom, but he never expected it to be about an internal matter from their own Kingdom.
"Why would Kudro attack Pigeon Tail Town? Has he betrayed the Kingdom?"
As Duane read the letter, his brows furrowed deeply.