Wizards: Starting as a Potions Master!

Chapter 11: The Sacrificial Hand and Father Louis

Over the next three days, Su Nan continued to use the Sacrifice Hand potion, while also working overtime to refine the werewolf curse conversion potion messenger version.

At least 10 bottles need to be refined.

Since the transformation into a werewolf amplifies the strongest emotion of the transformed individual, Su Nan must ensure that the ten hounds remain utterly loyal to him.

Because if the strongest emotion of the ten hounds is not loyalty to themselves, but other emotions, they are likely to get out of control.

Fortunately, hunting dogs are much easier to control than people.

Three days later, Su Nan finished using three bottles of the Sacrifice Hand potion, and a blood-red inverted cross pattern appeared on the back of his hand.

However, if Su Nan wishes, the pattern can automatically become invisible, only appearing when it is used.

Su Nan was about to test the sacrificial hand when someone barged into his study.

There was a knock at the door, and after obtaining Su Nan's permission, Father Louis from the territory entered.

Father Louis was a religious nobleman in the territory of Baron Peter, and also a member of a remote branch of the Peter family, who also shared the surname Peter.

The nobility itself is divided into secular nobility and religious nobility.

In theory, religious nobles, such as abbots and priests of monasteries under the church, are not allowed to have legitimate children or wives.

Therefore, it was easy for secular nobles to arrange their branches into religious nobles.

This also prevents the territory from losing control in religious matters.

For a long time, the territory has been largely protected by Father Louis, because he is the leader of the Peter family in terms of religious power in the territory, and thus he has been able to control Maple Leaf Town time and time again by using religious power.

To prevent Maple Leaf Town from going too far.

At least, this prevents Maple Leaf Town from openly taking action against Su Nan.

Father Louis, an elderly man, looked at Sunan and said, "Lord Sunan, I have recently heard some strange rumors in the territory."

"Some people say they often hear wolves howling in the middle of the night."

Su Nan raised an eyebrow, giving him a look that said, "This is nothing strange." "Uncle Louis, what's so strange about this? It's probably just... a pack of wolves has entered Baron Peter's territory."

Louis was, after all, a member of the Church of Storms.

Su Nan couldn't determine his stance.

Father Louis frowned. "That's really not surprising. There are more wolves around my church, Pera has become younger, and so has Warwick."

"I'm not stupid."

"So for months I kept asking Pera about the secret to her youthful appearance, and she always made excuses to avoid it. But each time the reason was different, and in the end, they even contradicted each other."

Father Louis suddenly looked up at Su Nan, a glint of shrewdness appearing in his aged eyes. "I've heard before that you're researching witchcraft, sir."

"Does this mean we've finally achieved something?"

Father Louis was somewhat agitated, so he coughed a few times. "Lord Sunan, lords from all over the land have more or less joined secret gatherings in private. Some have even joined the cult of the Mad Sea Goddess, the antithesis of my Lord Storm Lord, in pursuit of things like youth."

"I'm not that fixated on this. In my eyes, family is more important than faith."

"If you... really have something that can bring you back to your youth, don't forget your uncle."

Su Nan lowered his head, deep in thought.

In fact, Father Louis had really helped me a lot. Ever since I transmigrated to this world, I had basically relied on him to deal with the situation and avoid the aggressive behavior of Maple Leaf Town.

But Father Louis was, after all, a member of the Church of Storms.

The Church of Storms has been issuing new witch hunt documents almost every year since twenty years ago.

As you can imagine, they hunted mostly ordinary people.

This demonstrates the Storm Church's resistance to witchcraft.

Father Louis sat down, somewhat excited, and said, "Even if your things are truly useful, then I have many friends who will need them."

"If it really worked... just how powerful would our Peter family be?"

"We can get in touch with all those counts, dukes, even the king, and the cardinals in the Papacy."

Upon hearing this, Su Nan immediately understood that he absolutely could not reveal the werewolf curse conversion potion to Father Louis.

It's not that Father Louis might betray him.

Rather, it was Father Louis who wanted too much.

But when someone wants too much, it's usually when they mess things up.

I am currently developing rapidly.

Prematurely attracting the attention of many high-ranking members of the Storm Kingdom would be tantamount to suicide.

To put it bluntly, when you lack the ability, if you try to get close to those in power, you'll only become a piece of their pie.

Rather than the people who can sit at the table and share the delicious food with them.

Su Nan thought for a moment and said to Father Louis, "Uncle Louis, you're really overthinking it. How could something like witchcraft exist? Even if it did, I wouldn't dare to study it."

"I bear the responsibility for the Peter family."

"How can I study witchcraft and endanger the territory? Uncle, once the church deems me a heretic, legally, heretics are not qualified to be lords."

Father Louis snapped back to reality as if he had been doused with cold water.

He stared intently at Su Nan and said, "Yes, the family's interests come first. I was too reckless; I shouldn't have let someone of your status get involved in these matters."

"Lord Su Nan, your considerations are very reasonable."

"You've really grown up. Let's leave it at that for now; it seems you don't quite trust me."

Father Louis stood up, turned, and walked towards the door. "But Su Nan, I know you've been very busy lately, but you should go see your cousin Julia."

"Julia has been very worried lately. Besides, Julia is your father's brother's daughter; you should pay more attention to your family."

Su Nan suddenly remembered that Julia Peter was a distant relative who had temporarily sought refuge on his estate.

She had inherited a tea plantation and a small villa that came with it from her father, but it was also seized by her father's subordinates.

In fact, what happened to him and Julia is quite common in the Storm Kingdom today.

After all, the entire Storm Kingdom has only existed for a little over fifty years, and it is parasitic on a fragment of a two-thousand-year-old declining empire that was forcibly destroyed.

After one or two generations, the retribution came.

Our fathers and grandfathers forcibly took control of this land, dismantled the military district system, and established a feudal system here.

However, this kind of rule is merely a facade, lacking cultural foundation and legitimate legal basis. These contradictions will erupt in the next generation and the generation after that.

Either a capable descendant emerges to resolve these conflicts and thoroughly assimilate these territories, or an administrative explosion occurs, directly spitting out what was previously swallowed.

After bidding farewell to Father Louis, Su Nan left the study and prepared to go to the living area on the other side of the castle to see his cousin Julia.

But when he reached the castle's armory area, he suddenly stopped at the entrance of the warehouse. He turned to look at the huge wooden door in the brick wall and heard the sound of someone rummaging through the chests and cabinets inside.

"Who's inside?"

The sounds inside the warehouse suddenly ceased, but Su Nan could still hear some slow footsteps moving towards the door.

"Has a thief broken into the house?" Su Nan thought, raising his left hand.

(End of this chapter)