Wizard: I crush legends with martial arts.

Chapter 110 The Other Side of the Count of Jürgen

Alphonse was well aware of Count Jürgen's caution.

He remained cautious, so he had his servants test the poison first.

This is quite reasonable. If a stranger came and was offered a random food, and the person dared to try it, they might just die from a cold.

"Hmm," Count Jürgen pursed his lips, nodding in approval, and said approvingly, "I've never seen such pure, crystal-like sugar before! I love this kind of flawless sweetness!"

"I'm glad you're happy, Your Excellency." Alphonse understood exactly what that feeling was like.

In modern society, because white sugar is so common, no one finds it strange.

In this other world, things are different.

Maple syrup has a slightly sawdy flavor, and the sugar blocks contain many impurities and have a strong taste, similar to brown sugar. Even honey has a slightly astringent taste.

Besides being sweet, white sugar doesn't contain any other flavors; it's just a bit bland.

However, this subtle sweetness creates a very different impact on first-time users.

Especially its appearance, pure and transparent, just like white snow.

"May I buy this snow sugar in bulk?" Count Jürgen asked.

"It's a pity." Alphonse shrugged. "The refining process of snow sugar is extremely complicated. It requires magicians to use magic to make it, which is why it is so precious."

"What a pity," Count Jürgen sighed. "I truly appreciate you offering such precious snow sugar as a gift."

As he spoke, he carefully poured some "snow sugar" from the glass bottle onto a small spoon, put it into the herbal soup in the cup, and stirred it a few times.

Taking a deep breath, she exclaimed with dramatic intonation, "What an enchanting fragrance!"

I took another sip. "This sugar brings out the aroma of the mint leaves perfectly, without affecting the taste! It's wonderful!"

The herbal soup can be sweetened, and there is a small silver jar on the table containing crushed sugar cubes for the guests to use.

However, the strong flavor of the sugar cubes can mask the flavor of the mint itself.

However, Alphonse still believed it was just Count Jürgen's psychological effect.

When Alphonse thinks of the flavor of white sugar and mint, the only things that come to mind are Wrigley's Spearmint and Extra gum.

What's so great about herbal soup? It can't compare to the sweet aftertaste and lingering flavor of tea.

Count Jürgen had already sung an aria, so Alphonse could only listen. He casually changed the subject, "Your Excellency, I heard that a ruin has been discovered in your territory?"

Count Jürgen nodded. "That's true. There are quite a few treasures found in those ruins. What, Baron Tartarus, are you interested too?"

"I was just curious and wanted to take a look," Alphonse replied. "And I'm also a little curious, Earl, why would you open such a treasure-filled site to mercenaries?"

"Initially, I also planned to explore it on my own, but I found that the ruins were unexpectedly vast, and there were countless monsters lurking inside, making it extremely dangerous. The soldiers I sent down have already lost an entire team." Count Jürgen sighed softly, "Sacrificing too many people is not the result I wanted. The gains I made also made me feel that it was not worth it. So I simply opened the ruins to the public and charged an admission fee."

After saying that, Count Jürgen smiled and said, "The gathering of a large number of mercenaries has also brought great benefits to the city's commerce. The prosperity of the territory is what I want to see."

"So that's how it is." Alphonse finally understood Count Jürgen's intentions.

That seems plausible.

"Baron Tartarus, if you're interested, I can issue you a warrant. You can just take your men there, and the captain of the guard stationed there will definitely not stop you," Count Jürgen said, offering a favor.

How troublesome can a place be if mercenaries can enter freely? It's probably just a matter of saving on the entrance fee.

But a thank you was still necessary, so Alphonse immediately said, "Then thank you, Earl."

After receiving white sugar as a gift, Count Jürgen's attitude became much more friendly, and Alphonse and his party were arranged by the butler to stay in guest rooms for the night.

At Alphonse's special request, in addition to Mia and Midio, the two soldiers and Tessie all had clean and tidy rooms available.

Anyway, the Count of Jürgen's castle is very large.

After settling everyone in, Alphonse gathered them together for a discussion.

After traveling for several days in a row, it's a good opportunity to explore the ruins and relax.

Treasure is secondary; it would be great if we stumbled upon it, but if we didn't, so be it. We can just enjoy the adventure and relax.

This is the first time I've encountered ruins in this fantastical world.

The two soldiers didn't need to follow; they stayed behind to guard the carriage.

Alphonse had originally intended to keep Midio along with him, so as not to have to look after another person.

But Midio, that mischievous boy, started causing trouble, and he also wanted to take an adventure.

This was something completely new and exciting that he had never experienced before.

Alphonse thought that even with a large number of mercenaries entering, there shouldn't be much trouble.

Let him take it; it fulfilled his wish.

The manor remained quiet at night, seemingly out of place with the hustle and bustle of Brightman.

Count Jürgen went to his study alone; he wasn't going to rest so early.

The "Snow Candy" gift box, which had previously been treated with great care, was simply placed on the bookshelf.

It was as if all their previous actions were an illusion.

Suddenly, a sinister, low voice echoed in the study, "That Baron Tartarus, I can't see through him. His soul is very strange, as if there are hundreds of vengeful spirits wailing inside him."

The dim, yellow light flickered slowly.

Count Jürgen was alone in the study, yet there was definitely another person's voice.

The voice seemed to come from within his shadow.

Count Jürgen showed no surprise whatsoever, as if he were already used to this bizarre sight.

"I can't tell the extent of his strength either. He looks like an ordinary person, but there's an unusual aura emanating from him, neither like battle aura nor magic. However, what interests me more is the half-elf female knight following behind him; she's very strong!"

Count Jürgen gave Mia a very high evaluation.

Then he smiled smugly, "It doesn't matter how strong they are. The stronger they are, the better. Once they enter that ruin, if they don't become nourishment, they will eventually become slaves to desire and be used by us."

A voice came from within the shadows again, "Just don't disrupt our plans."

"They can't do it. The races of this world have been too comfortable for too long. They've forgotten the nightmares of the past. Heh heh heh heh." Count Jürgen chuckled sinisterly, a laugh that was particularly chilling.

(End of this chapter)