Chapter 221: Three Magic Potion Wines
In the woods outside the castle, after an hour of practice, Duane finally succeeded in casting the Summon Warhorse spell.
A three-meter-diameter Hexagram Array appeared on the ground. Amidst a brilliant light, the phantom of a skeleton slowly emerged, followed by muscle, fur, and a saddle, materializing layer by layer.
With an unnatural neigh, the warhorse reared up, bursting out of the array. The resulting storm of energy sent Duane’s hair whipping wildly.
"So cool!"
Duane couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
At this moment, a magnificent warhorse shimmering with silver light stood proudly before him.
It stood over two meters tall at the shoulder, its entire body covered in short, pale silver fur that refracted the sunlight with a cold, metallic glint.
The most captivating feature was the faint purple Magic Patterns visible beneath its skin—
These deep, arcane markings swam like living creatures, resonating with its eyes that burned with Arcane Flames and the dancing Magic Halos on its four hooves. It was as if they were connected to the world’s invisible Magic Net, constantly drawing upon the Arcane Energy within.
Duane’s heart pounded with excitement as he watched!
He leaped onto the saddle and took the reins.
Since their minds were linked, he needed no physical cues. With just a single thought, the magnificent horse beneath him began to charge.
The acceleration was so fast that Duane couldn’t react in time and was nearly thrown from the saddle.
If his regular black horse was a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated engine, then this Magic Warhorse was a roaring V8.
In the blink of an eye, it covered several dozen meters.
Even with trees, undergrowth, and steep slopes blocking its path in the mountain forest, the warhorse’s speed only decreased slightly, as if it were treading on flat ground.
Through their mental link, Duane knew the warhorse also possessed a trample ability. It could not only leap over ordinary obstacles with ease but also pose a significant threat to enemies.
If Duane were to become a Grand Mage and use the Arcane Resonance Spell, he could even make the warhorse enter a Phase Dash state, unleashing double its speed.
’On a battlefield, with a long spear or staff, I could become a god of war with a charge like this!’
Duane galloped on, soon entering Thorn Valley and leaving his Territory behind at an incredible speed.
At this speed, reaching the Secret Realm would probably take only an hour or two.
However, the warhorse did not last very long.
After about five minutes, its body disintegrated, dissolving into motes of arcane light that vanished into the void.
’Five minutes... I must have covered about ten kilometers!’
’With my current Magic Power, I can probably cast it three or four times.’
Although its duration was short and the cost was high, it didn’t diminish Duane’s high opinion of the spell at all.
Moreover, as his Skill Level increased, the warhorse’s duration would extend and the Magic Power cost would decrease. The combination of these two factors made it an excellent support spell.
Duane raised his hand and cast the spell again, mounting the newly summoned warhorse and galloping back to his Territory.
It was May first. He had another month and a half left on Black Forest Island, and he couldn’t afford to waste any of it.
Over the next few days, aside from studying new Magic in his spare time, Duane spent most of his time in the wine cellar, further processing the initially fermented beer to make it drinkable.
「Several days later...」
[Congratulations, your Basic Brewing Skill Level has reached Perfection]
[attribute points +0.5]
[Perfection Level Basic Brewing has brought you an Enlightenment. You have obtained the recipes for Qingming Medicine Wine, Intoxicating Honey Wine, and Deep Blue Enlightenment Wine. You have obtained the ’Harmony Magic’ Spell Model]
[attribute points +4]
’I reached the Entry level for Basic Brewing last May. It’s been about a year, and now I’ve finally reached Perfection!’
Duane wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Owington, I’m leaving the rest to you."
Now that he had reached Perfection, he once again abandoned his work midway, handing over the dozen or so remaining barrels of unprocessed beer for Owington to handle.
"Oh, of course, my lord! You can leave it to me."
The Male Servant was a bit puzzled, unable to understand why the Baron had suddenly lost interest in processing the beer.
Just a moment ago, his master had been working at it tirelessly and with great enthusiasm.
Duane left the cellar and began to examine the three new potion wine recipes he had acquired.
Qingming Wine Recipe: Basic Water Energy Essence, Jade Demon Vine Petal, Pale Fungus, and Malt Beer, compounded using Harmony Magic.
Effect: Grants resistance to the corruption from the Secret Realm [Ancient God’s Whisper] after being consumed.
’This is...!’
Duane’s eyes widened in shock, and his heart began to race.
’This is a special Magic Potion Wine brewed specifically for the Secret Realm!’
The realization hit him.
His suspicion was confirmed when he recognized two of the ingredients: Jade Demon Vine Petal and Pale Fungus.
The Jade Demon Vine Petal came from that special Green Vine he had planted in the castle.
And the Pale Fungus was the same white mushroom he and Kaelon had discovered while exploring the Secret Realm.
’Qingming Medicine Wine, resists the corruption of the [Ancient God’s Whisper]...’
What was this Ancient God’s Whisper?
A thoughtful look appeared on Duane’s face as he speculated:
’Could this so-called Ancient God’s Whisper be the reason why those Demon Beasts, and the people who followed Gaius inside in the early days, all went mad?’
The word "corruption" led him to this conclusion.
Duane was eager to verify his theory, but unfortunately, the Jade Demon Vine had only recently been planted and was not yet ready to flower.
’Since the Jade Demon Vine is a Magic Plant, shouldn’t planting it have unlocked a new Skill?’
He looked at his attribute panel, but there were no new Skills related to Planting.
Even cultivating more Hot Spring Mountain Tea only increased his Basic Planting Skill Level for now.
’It seems I need to raise Basic Planting to the Perfection level to unlock a Magic Plant Planting skill.’
He needed to get his basic skills to Perfection as soon as possible, but unfortunately, his time was limited.
Duane turned his attention to the other two potion wine recipes.
Intoxicating Honey Wine Recipe: Royal Jelly, Shadow Thorn Flower, Mid-Level Water Energy Essence, and distilled spirits, compounded using Harmony Magic.
Effect: Stimulates the potential within an Earth Tier Warrior, making body tempering twice as effective for its duration.
Deep Blue Enlightenment Wine Recipe: Wailing Root, Silver Leaf Mint, Mid-Level Water Energy Essence, and Blue Crystal Wine, compounded using Harmony Magic.
Effect: A wine brewed specifically for Middle-High Tier Mages, helping them enter a state of deep Meditation more easily.
Of these two potion wines, the former could help Earth Tier Warriors train;
the latter helped Mages enter a deep state of Meditation. On the surface, this greatly increased the speed of Magic Power conversion and restored Spiritual Power, but in reality, prolonged deep Meditation could also lead to growth in one’s Spirit.
Both the Intoxicating Honey Wine and the Deep Blue Enlightenment wine were rare Magic Potions and important resources for Duane to increase the strength of his subordinates.
’Shadow Thorn Flower, Wailing Root... I’ve seen both of these ingredients in the Secret Realm, too.’
The Shadow Thorn Flower was a black flower;
the Wailing Root was a root-like plant twisted like a fried dough twist, which Duane remembered vividly.
The three Magic Potion Wines made use of several Magic Plants he had discovered in the Secret Realm.
This confirmed his earlier suspicion—
Even a harmful, "undevelopable" Secret Realm contained useful things.
’The key to using Magic Plants that grow in a harmful Secret Realm must be the Harmony Magic.’
This was a Level 5 Spell of the Arcane Element, and it was extremely difficult to learn.
Its purpose was to harmonize the volatile reactions between different types of Magic Energy, allowing them to merge together gently.
Simply put, it neutralized and guided them to form new, stable substances.
’When I leave the island, I’ll have to purchase a batch of Level 4 Water Demon Cores or Mid-Level Water Soul Ore.’
These were the materials needed to extract Mid-Level Water Energy Essence, and he didn’t even have to think about it to know the price would be steep.
’And then there’s the Blue Crystal Wine. Although it’s a mundane item, it tastes excellent and is considered a high-class beverage, so it isn’t cheap, either.’
The six-thousand-plus Gold Coins he had on hand were likely not enough to raise the Skill Level of all three potion wines to Perfection.
’Looks like I’ll have to negotiate a new partnership when I visit Sea Cliff Castle.’
He might not have the money, but Count Kais certainly did.
Besides, some ingredients could be purchased from the Kennedy Clan’s shops, and if he bought in bulk, he might even be able to negotiate a discount.