Witch Troupe and the Undead

Moreover, Roach created several varieties of alchemical grenades, but in terms of craftsmanship, they all fell into one category: alchemical grenades. This made him think that his attempt to exploit a bug to quickly complete this great feat was probably thwarted.

"Huh? You have your own inventions?" Alchemists often make new inventions, but not often. For local alchemical societies, it is a great event. If you are a member of the society, you have the right to purchase the patent first. Even if you don't purchase the patent, it is something to show off during regional academic exchanges and a bargaining chip to get more funding from the headquarters in the capital.

"Hmm." "We provide a complete testing facility here. Would you like to use it? It's free, but we need to record the test footage." After all, words alone are not enough, especially since alchemists are all experts at forgery. Without some evidence, the other side won't believe it.

“Uh, sure.” Roach was still wondering where to test it when, coincidentally, the Academy provided a free testing ground. The process of submitting the finished alchemical bomb didn’t take long. After several alchemy apprentices checked the item and confirmed that the quality was fine, they paid Roach. The Academy’s purchase price for each alchemical bomb was 3 standard silver coins.

These silver coins were minted by the school itself, ensuring very high quality and amazing anti-counterfeiting capabilities—after all, coins minted by a group of counterfeiting experts and fake coin specialists have very strong value.

Each standard silver coin is roughly equivalent to 2.5 to 2.8 Luster silver coins. However, the Alchemist Society only mints silver and copper coins, not gold coins. The reason is simple: the value of gold coins is too high, and it is estimated that counterfeiting would be impossible to prevent. In fact, fewer silver coins are minted, while more copper coins are minted. The point is that if you dare to counterfeit, the time and effort cost outweighs the benefits.

Blazing glue costs 3 Luster silver coins and is purchased by the military. After all, the use of alchemical bombs requires professionals. The military purchases and distributes them to apprentices and trainee alchemists who assist in the defense of the city walls, as well as occult mages who can also use them.

The mages in this world aren't the kind who wear robes, carry staffs, and can only engage in melee combat after casting spells. After casting spells, they have alchemical bombs; after bombs, they have various magical tools and potions. When they run out of all their resources and have to fight in close combat, they also have magic swords and staves, which are similar to elemental lightsabers.

Blazing glue is the kind of throwing weapon used by militiamen, adventurers, and soldiers, so it's naturally much cheaper. However, considering that Blazing glue is a byproduct of refining alchemical bombs for regular alchemists, there's no need to worry about not meeting the required quantity.

The testing ground was located behind the tower, in a cave. The square underground testing ground was surrounded by a row of expensive magic crystal lamps, emitting a soft and bright light. The "lamp oil" used by the magic crystal lamps was the essence of secret source, so apart from the wealthy and powerful magic tower, even nobles had to use it sparingly.

Even the secret society next door uses torches, but here they use magic crystal lamps. The reason isn't that they have too much money to burn, but rather... every alchemist who comes to test their skills carries piles of flammable and explosive materials. If you light torches here, the society will probably explode every three days.

“You may begin.” Three formal alchemists served as witnesses: a magic tool maker, a craftsman, and a construct maker (arcane craftsman). Since Roach was testing new bombs and weapons, the potion maker and alchemist were absent. In addition to the witnesses, an arcane recording device was in the corner to record the images. With such multiple layers of supervision and precautions, cheating would be very difficult.

Roach first tested the grenade launcher, which had secondary explosive runes at the bottom of the cylinder, a layer of atmospheric essence in the middle, and then the ammunition.

"Bang!" A crisp explosion rang out as the secondary explosion rune transformed the atmospheric essence into a weak shockwave, launching the grenade. The moment it hit its target, another secondary explosion rune inside exploded, detonating the alchemical bomb.

"It has 5% more destructive power than a standard alchemical bomb, and the detonation timing is very precise. Considering the precise explosion and increased range, this alchemical weapon can be rated as the highest level among lower-tier alchemical weapons."

Alchemical weaponry includes large arcane devices, such as magic cannons; arcane equipment, such as amplifying staves; and magical tools, such as enchanted longswords. It is divided into four levels: lower, secondary, higher, and master. Each level has some sub-scores, and the evaluation criteria are complexity and technical difficulty, not power and effect. For example, a city defense magic cannon with similar effect is also a lower level.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother have been captured by Master!

Next, Roach tested the effect of his [Secondary Energy Storm Arrow]. After activation, 64 secondary energy arrows were fired at an extremely short speed, forming a straight line of azure blue. Each arrow was not very powerful, leaving only a shallow mark on the target. However, because there was no recoil, the accuracy was acceptable.

A barrage of energy arrows struck a small area, carving a hole the size of a bowl into the target. The effect drew murmurs of amazement from the observing alchemists. This was not only because it was different from alchemical bombs, clearly a weapon that alchemists could carry, but also because the sheer number and speed of these magical missiles were astonishing.

"A magical artifact, or an arcane device?" An arcane device is a special magical artifact that can be powered by an external energy source and can operate on its own. Puppets, magical dolls, and magical cannons are all of this type. However, arcane devices are generally huge and must be operated through special runes.

Roach demonstrated the "Arcane Device," which served as an external energy source. He didn't mention that the device lacked an internal rune system and relied on the paradigm triggering ability of an arcane sorcerer to operate. Furthermore, it fired energy arrows instead of magic missiles. These two things seemed similar but were actually two different things.

Simply put, magic missiles are just simple magic blunt strikes, while energy arrows are actually elemental piercings. Getting hit by the former is similar to getting punched, while getting hit by the latter is similar to getting hit by an arrow. In addition, the properties of energy arrows will change depending on the essence you fill with your paradigm.

Roach can use Elemental Essence to turn it into Shock Arrow, Slicing Arrow, Burning Arrow, Explosive Arrow (Earth Attribute), and Freezing Arrow. He can also use Void Essence, which is less visible in the light, to turn it into Shield-Breaking Phase Arrow, Disruption Arrow that weakens spell resistance, or Gravity Arrow that is simply powerful and similar to Magic Missile.

Replacing it with Life Essence can turn it into Enhancement Arrow, Healing Arrow, and Necromancer Purification Arrow. Except when it is filled with Otherworldly, Spirit, or Death Essence, it is a normal Energy Arrow. Basically, changing the essence filling will change the attribute of the Energy Arrow.

That's just what they say, but this paradigm is half mystical damage and half physical damage. Its carrier is, after all, a sharp metal plate. If it were used to fire healing arrows, the healing effect and the damage effect would probably be equal. Well, in a sense, it's a torture artifact.

"It doesn't seem like a simple magic missile; it's more like a slightly modified version of a magic missile." For these professionals, they could still spot the subtle differences. However, Roach was using wind elemental essence, which is of the same attribute as a magic missile.

At most, it gives the impression that he made some kind of improvement to the missile staff, increasing the rapid-fire attribute at the cost of weakening the single-shot power, while also giving the missiles the attributes of slicing and piercing effects.

“Well, based on the difficulty and complexity, the initial assessment is that it is lower-level upper-class.” The magic tool master’s words were agreed upon by the others. “Considering the small size and uniqueness of this arcane device, I think we can adjust the evaluation upwards as appropriate. Upper-middle-class upper-class should be a more reasonable result.”

Can it be enlarged?

"Theoretically possible, but technically impossible," Roach answered honestly, and he wasn't lying. Technically, it wasn't feasible. With his learning progress and technical level, he wasn't yet at the point where he could make heavy energy arrows. If he could, this thing should be renamed "Cluster Element Rocket Launcher."

But if that were really the case, he would probably be seen as a thorn in the side or a piece of easy prey by various powerful figures, given his immense military utility.

"Hmm..." The architect nodded slightly, indicating that it couldn't be used for city defense fortifications. It seemed that it wouldn't impact the association's business; otherwise, he would have obtained the patent no matter what.

"What about accessibility?" "Each arrow is actually individual and has to be hand-crafted." Roach confused two concepts. His statement might lead you to believe that each energy arrow is a hand-crafted, disposable miniature magical artifact, but in reality, his statement is two separate points:

Each arrow is indeed individual; and these energy arrows need to be hand-crafted. What he didn't mention is that the Secret Source Paradigm creates something called "Energy Arrow Rain," which requires crafting at least 24 arrows at a time, and with exceptional skill, up to 30+ arrows can be crafted in one go.

"Each one is separate?" The magician was dumbfounded. You really have a lot of patience. That last batch must have taken at least half a night to make and had a 100% success rate, right?

"Yes, but I simplified the original rune template, so it's not too difficult to create."

"Hmm..." Feeling slightly relieved, but still adjusted the level of Roche to the upper-level, because the technical difficulty, manufacturing difficulty, and complexity are all top-notch. This level is the internal classification of the Alchemist's Association, and its purpose is actually to price products and classify the difficulty level of learning this product.

"Can an apprentice do this too?"

“Apprentices…probably not,” Roach thought for a moment. Unless all their apprentices were Mystic Mage apprentices, it was unlikely.

"That's a shame." After the evaluation, Roach successfully completed his alchemist certification. He was certified as an advanced magic tool master and construct master, and was also granted the certification of apprentice alchemist due to his improvement of the alchemical bomb.

After all, someone who can invent new gadgets really doesn't need any more skill level tests; that would just be a waste of time. In addition, as an encouragement for new inventions, Rhodes received a reward of two Luster gold coins.

It's worth noting that the Alchemy Grenade rewards 1.5 gold coins, while the Energy Storm Arrow only rewards half a gold coin—because the higher the level, the narrower the applicable range, and therefore the lower the reward.

In addition, Roach's patent for the alchemical grenade launcher was sold for a rather high price. After all, for alchemists, alchemical bombs are the only means of attack, but the throwing distance and timed triggering mode are both problems.

Even though the alchemical grenade launcher and grenades were made using the paradigm of the arcane sorcerers, they could still be replaced by alchemical products. For example, after these professional alchemists obtained the blueprints and explanations of the principles, they quickly found products that replaced Roach's "unique secret runestones".

“Purple-gray schist can be used to replace the propellant. As for the fuse... we can still use a conventional fuse, only requiring some mechanical adjustments.”

For example, it could be designed like a clockwork mechanism, where the clockwork is wound up at regular intervals according to the distance when it is used. For some reason, there are no contact-activated fuses in this world. Perhaps an alchemist once made one and then blew himself up.

Regarding the ingenious idea of ​​launching one alchemical bomb or an explosive rune to launch another alchemical bomb, the alchemists glanced at Roach's face and all showed expressions of sudden realization and understanding—to invent such a thing and confirm the feasibility of the idea, experiments would definitely be conducted, and experiments would inevitably result in frequent explosions at the beginning, and Roach's appearance clearly indicated that he had been frequently bombed.

“Dessert…” Livia, who had been waiting outside for a while, wasn’t angry, because when Roach came out, he was carrying a bag of coins and had also completed his alchemist registration.

Although alchemists do not have complex symbols like the Arcane Triangle, they still have insignia that signify their identity. However, these insignia only prove that you are an alchemist, and have no other function.

After all, the person who can forge this must be an alchemist. So, whether it's real or fake, it proves that you are an alchemist. However, it doesn't come with any related benefits, treatment, or status advantages—it's roughly equivalent to a school badge, something you can only show off to commoners and some less cultured nobles.

"Hmm~" The little witch touched Roach's badge and nodded, feeling like her dog had won a prize in a pet contest, especially since it brought back a prize.

The desserts sold in the café on the first floor of the Fairy House Inn were flawless except for their high price, which opened Roach's eyes to a world he thought was a culinary wasteland.

The seemingly ordinary leaf-shaped cookies, baked to a golden brown, taste sweet and refreshing, completely lacking the crumbly texture of regular cookies; the colorful, flower-shaped soft candies are rich in sweetness and have a strong floral aroma. As soon as the little witch put one in her mouth, her emerald-colored eyes narrowed happily.

The golden-yellow cakes covered with a layer of icing are soft and delicate, with a rich egg flavor. The icing on top is just right, with a slight tartness from the fruit, which balances the sweetness of the dessert itself.

The bitterness, sweetness, and aroma of honey herbal tea are perfectly balanced. After eating too many desserts, drinking this slightly sweet and fragrant herbal tea makes you feel much more refreshed.

"Yes!" The little witch nodded vigorously, deciding that she would come to eat here once a week, no, at least once a month. But when she thought of this, she looked at Luo Qi with her emerald eyes, her gaze full of expectation.

"Damn it! Damn it!" Roach made a cross with his hands. He ate almost 15 standard silver coins in one meal. It's okay to do it once in a while, but if you eat it often, you'll go bankrupt.

"Ugh~" Livia looked disappointed, but she knew that these desserts would definitely not be cheap, and she didn't have much money. However, she quickly thought of the workshops and shops on the street and seemed to have a new idea.

"You want to open a shop to sell potions and make money off desserts?" He shook his head.

"You want to open a dessert shop?" After thinking for a while, he shook his head.

"You want to open a weapons and equipment shop to make money off desserts?" After thinking for a moment, he neither nodded nor shook his head.

"You want to open an equipment shop to make money so you can open a potion shop and research desserts?" "Yes!" He nodded vigorously.

"What about the rent for the land, the shop renovation, the employees, and the raw materials?" The little witch was troubled, then gently kicked Roach, seemingly passing the buck to him.

"..." Roach turned his head and looked around. Tch, he didn't find any trace of the fart spirit, no, he didn't find any trace of Leslie. He couldn't leave this task to her to think about.

However, this happened a long time later. Anyway, the little witch didn't really like Hearth City because it was full of chimneys. She didn't plan to open a shop or live there. Instead, she planned to travel around and find a place she liked to settle down.

"Wow, I'm here to play with you guys again. Wait, you guys can really afford to eat like this~" Titania flew in through the window and sat down at the table. Today she was wearing a different dress, a dark green one-shoulder long dress with transparent gauze embellishments on the hem. A white ribbon was tied into a bow on the side of her slender waist, with two white ribbons hanging down at the end, fluttering lightly with her movements.

"Wait, don't pinch my wings~" Livia grabbed Titania's wings like she was catching a dragonfly, lifted her up, and placed her in an empty teacup on the table, gently tapping her head with her fingertips.

"Wait, I'm not your pet!" the fairy protested loudly. The blonde girl thought for a moment, then pulled out a small cookie and handed it to her. "Thanks~ Wait, don't think you can get away with feeding me."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Livia's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and took out a small, shimmering, golden-red crystal from the pocket of her skirt, placing it in front of the fairy.

"What is this? Candy?" The fairy picked up the crystal and examined it carefully. "Ah! It's a magic crystal!!!" She froze, unsure whether to throw it away or not. It was as if she were holding a time bomb, or in a sense, a bomb that could blow her into "fairy dust".

"Don't you like it?" Livia tilted her head and replaced the crystal with a colorless one. The fairy stiffened even more. What was just fairy dust had turned into a soft, ethereal light.

"I don't think she likes you very much." Roach helped the fairy take the crystal away and stuffed it into his own pocket.

"Ugh~" Livia looked dejected, but after noticing Roach's interest, she put a bunch of colorful things in his palm, all of which were various elemental crystals that Livia had extracted.

The physical manifestation of the corpses of elemental spirits. There are many arcane mages here, which means that various elements are being constantly consumed and transformed into this "corpse-like" state. Livia then collects them and uses crystal sand as a medium to turn them into these condensed crystals.

In a sense, elements do not truly die, but these elemental spirits do. Each time a spell is used, it signifies their demise. These "corpses" then transform into new elemental spirits after acquiring magic power, but they are no longer the same as before.

It is a good elemental catalyst and elemental bomb material. Roach kept these things safe for use in making his own arcane grenades, as well as alchemical bombs of other attributes. Now that he has the backing of the Alchemy Society, his arcane abilities can be used in the form of magical tools, alchemical bombs, and new alchemical weapons.

"Don't you like it?" The little girl tilted her head and glanced at the fairy who was munching on a cookie. The fairy shuddered. "No, that's not what I meant, but I'm a living, breathing person! Don't treat me like a pet!"

"Hmm~ Hmm~" came a perfunctory sound. Then the fairy continued to scratch its head with its fingers and kept munching on the biscuit. This scene made Roach sigh involuntarily.

We could consider getting a rake for this gluttonous fairy, which would make a total of four people. His alchemical grenades and secondary energy storm crossbow are like sticks, and there's also a fish that's good at carrying things and doing odd jobs. Next, we just need to find a way to paint the horse white and hang nine rings on Livia's wooden staff, and that would be completely done.

"You rascal, you must be thinking about something weird again!" The fairy jumped onto Roach's shoulder and shouted into his ear, her warm breath making Roach's ear tickle.

"I'm considering whether I should make you a weapon that also functions as a tool."

"Oh, you're actually giving me a gift? How can I accept this?" The fairy became shy, but her expression didn't seem shy at all.

“That’s right. Since you all love planting flowers and plants, this is definitely a tool you can use,” Roach said, indicating that fairies would definitely need a grass rake, which would be useful for both loosening the soil and planting flowers.

"Oh~ what kind of tool is it~" Livia also showed a curious look. Soon, Roach drew a simple diagram. The little witch understood how to do it after taking a look, after all, she also grew herbs and flowers.

"Silver coins~" Roach took out a few standard silver coins. The little witch put the silver coins in her palm, and the silver wriggled and grew into vines, twisting into a slender handle, nearly 30 centimeters long, just up to the height of the fairy's chest. Then the end extended into a flower-like structure, and then opened up fine teeth, finally forming a standard curved rake like a Ruyi.

"This thing is so strange~" The fairy tried it out and found it quite handy. It could indeed be used when cultivating herbs and flowers, but it looked a bit ugly. The fairy thought for a moment, then poked a ball of radiance and threw it on.

Silver twisted and transformed again, the handle becoming a leaf stalk and the tip becoming a large leaf, held in the fairy's hand like an umbrella. "Hmm~ This looks much better."

"Hmm~ Hmm~" Livia nodded gently, indicating that it did look much better and was a better match.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: It doesn't matter, the witch will make her move.

Over the next few days, Roach kept making more and more Blazing Glue and Alchemy Bombs. He used the money he earned to buy various metals and potion ingredients through the channels he learned. The former was used to make Alchemy Grenades and Secondary Energy Arrow Boxes, while the latter was bought for Livia. She had become fascinated with how to make desserts using potion-making techniques. Roach, on the other hand, was not very optimistic about it. Since he wasn't the one considering the potions, it didn't matter to him.

"I can't eat anymore~" Leslie lay pale on the sofa. The girl with braided hair kindly brought her a cup of herbal tea, her face full of sympathy, because she had seen how Livia made the "dessert" with a bunch of strange ingredients.

"Mmm~ Is it good?" Livia squatted down next to Leslie and asked curiously, holding a notebook filled with her thoughts on improvement.

“It’s…terribly awful,” Leslie said seriously. She had considered telling the witch that it was delicious to get her to stop, but what happened? Not only did the witch not stop the experiment, she even improved it further in the direction of “delicious” as she had described. After trying something that tasted like a midnight nightmare, Leslie could only tell the truth now.

“I think desserts have their own way of being made, and you don’t have to apply the potion formula to them,” Roach, who came in carrying a large bag, advised. Livia’s face showed a displeased expression because she couldn’t cook, and Roach’s cooking skills… after comparing them with the level of the half-elf chef, could now be thrown in the trash.

"Besides, don't we have a new fairy? Let Titania cook!"

"Hmm!" Livia's eyes lit up, and the little fairy beside her trembled, looking at Roach with disbelief. "You can also have her teach you how to do it; you should be able to learn!"

"Mmm!" The girl clenched her fists into a "I will try my best" gesture, and two pink blushes rose on her delicate and pretty face, making her look exceptionally cute.

"Senior Luo Qi, where are you going with all this stuff?"

"The undead army is approaching. The vanguard has already broken through the outermost line of defense. In other words, we're about to enter a siege," Roach said, preparing to go to the city gate to check the situation and see if he could take the opportunity to escape.

"I'm going too!" Leslie jumped up, leaving Livia and Titania staring at each other (seriously).

Outside Hearth City, the area had been transformed into a battlefield that combined elements of World War I and the magical world. Rows of crafted spirit crystals were arranged on wooden platforms between the trenches, and once activated, they would connect to form a series of field barriers.

Among these crystals are low platforms made of stacked wood, which serve as places for adventurers and archers to launch ranged attacks. Groups of adventurers are carrying arrows and stone projectiles, while several knights ride their warhorses across folding crossbridges, which allow knights to launch attacks without having to jump over numerous trenches.

Unlike the trench warfare of World War I, these trenches were not fortifications, but traps used to ensnare the undead. Most undead are stiff and lack intelligence, and these trenches can cause them to fall directly into them, thus consuming a considerable portion of the low-level undead forces before they are filled in.

At intervals along the trench, there was a double-eared terracotta pot. Roach knew the defenders' tactics just by looking at those pots. They were filled with blazing glue. When the undead filled the trench, adventurers on the bridge-like platforms between the trenches would throw in alchemical bombs to detonate the blazing glue, setting the entire trench ablaze and killing the undead inside.

The humans fought on the trenches and the platforms and high ground between them, using their height advantage to easily attack the undead's weak points—the heads. Further back in the position, Roach saw several catapults erected, their ammunition consisting of double-eared ceramic flasks filled with incandescent glue. In front of the catapults were makeshift wooden towers, clearly bearing runes and traces of alchemy.

The wooden towers are the workplace of the occultists, where they manipulate elemental and life forces to buff allies and kill enemies. The distance between each tower was carefully calculated by the alchemists.

They won't interfere with each other, and can unleash powerful arcane spells together when necessary. Although the calculated results differed slightly from Roach's, they have completely moved beyond the era of reckless, chaotic fighting.

"It's much more organized than I expected."

"Master Roach, you also understand war?"

“I don’t quite understand, but I can tell that your positions weren’t set up randomly. All the equipment and locations have been meticulously calculated. War is an art of calculation. Those who calculate more are more likely to win than those who calculate less, let alone those who don’t calculate at all.” Rhodes roughly translated the “Strategic Calculations” chapter of Sun Tzu’s Art of War in a somewhat inaccurate way.

Unfortunately, his Lusterian is still quite broken, so expecting him to translate classical Chinese into a faithful and elegant language from another world is really wishful thinking.

“You are too modest,” said the middle-aged man, who was wearing a magnificent suit of armor and a blue cloak with fur trim. His well-manicured mustache twitched. “Your words should be heard by those young guys at the military academy. They are still living in the past, where a war was decided by bravery and honor.”

"You even have a military academy!?" Roach was shocked. This meant that the country's military strength, at the very least, meant that high-ranking officers were no longer reliant on the family traditions of noble knights and personal prestige, but rather on systematic military theory research and teaching.

"Huh? Don't you have that over there?!" Now it was the unfamiliar middle-aged man's turn to be shocked. "Then how do your nobles educate the next generation? How do they train their knights? And how do they research extraordinary warfare techniques?"

"...Yes, I just didn't expect your place to be so advanced."

"Hmph~ The Stoll Empire isn't the most advanced country in the Spiral Realm, but it's not the most backward either. How could you have such a thought?"

“Spiral Realm?” Roach silently noted down this new term, a combination of the words “spiral,” “repetition,” and “world.” He would have to find out its exact meaning later. Then, citing the difference in regional styles, he inquired about the military academy in Hearth City from Viscount Carius, the city's defense commander and lord.

The Imperial Military Academy is not a single academy, but rather the name for all legitimate military academies within the Empire. There are not many of them; generally, there is only one per province. However, the eastern province of Luster is somewhat special, as it has three, located in Lywood County, Sharp Fortress, and the provincial capital, Valley City.