Witch Troupe and the Undead

[To revive and continue the legacy of knowledge: to promote and expand a dead knowledge that is on the verge of extinction; 0/1]

My theory does not require God: I elucidate the objective rules behind occult knowledge and summarize them in the form of mathematical models; 0%

【I've discovered it! : Discovered and successfully created 10 previously unrecorded secret essence formulas; 0/10】

"..." Luo Qi had already figured out that all great achievements had a common characteristic: they were all things that ordinary people could not do, and only those achievements in words, deeds and thoughts could be called "achievements". In short, only achievements that ordinary people could not do could be called great achievements.

Livia didn't understand what Roach was thinking, but he had indeed made the most basic item, Power Essence, which meant that Roach could act as her magical assistant, well, the most basic kind, the kind commonly known as the bottle cleaner.

So the little witch tiptoed and reached out to touch Roach's hair as a sign of encouragement, and as a reward, she gave him the private room that was now in front of him.

However, a workshop room alone is not enough. Storage boxes and shelves for storing materials are also needed, as well as tools and containers for configuring and storing various solvents. A workbench for processing the secret source paradigm is required, along with a special environment and special containers for storing the secret source essence. Even cleaning supplies for cleaning and keeping the workshop clean are also necessary.

In Roach's view, the need for a magic workshop was no less than that for a chemistry laboratory, and considering that alchemy itself was the precursor to chemistry, it didn't seem to make any sense.

Besides these, there were heated furnaces, specialized alchemical equipment for distillation and dry distillation, reaction vessels for various gas-liquid reactions, and precise measuring tools such as balances, scales, and rulers. Some of these could be "conjured" by Livia for Roach using magic, but a considerable portion could not be "conjured."

Although Livia has a complete set of tools stored in an exquisite toolbox, and she can use magic to make up for any missing parts, Roach cannot learn her magic, and she cannot lend Roach the set of tools every time.

Upon realizing this, the little witch felt very troubled and worried, and a trace of worry was visible on her usually expressionless face.

"Where did you get these tools?" Roach looked at the exquisite alchemical tools in front of Livia. She had used this set of tools to make potions before, and most of them were imbued with some kind of magical effect, so they didn't look like ordinary objects. "Left by our teacher." She didn't quite understand why Roach was asking this.

"Then... what about the teacher?" "She's dead," Livia said calmly. She didn't have any particular feelings about death; everything dies eventually.

Whether it's people, small animals, or even things that are considered "dead" by ordinary people, they will "die" in her eyes. Since everything will die, then there is nothing special about death.

Moreover, for her, death is not something that cannot be overcome. She only needs to put the wandering soul back in and then reawaken the vitality of the body. If it were Roach, it would be a little more complicated. He would need to piece the body back together and repair it bit by bit, which would be a bit of a struggle.

However, for some reason, the teacher never allowed her to put the souls of living beings that floated out back in, including if the teacher's own soul floated out one day.

However, if the soul is not put back in, it will soon dissipate and will not go to the heaven or the underworld in the storybook. This is the first time Livia has encountered a soul like Roach that does not dissipate but is bound to the body and can be resurrected by simply sewing it up like a rag doll.

"Nalivia, do you know what your teacher got the tools from and where?" The little witch shook her head, indicating that she didn't know.

"Ah...it seems we'll have to leave here and buy them elsewhere. Livia, do you know of any towns nearby where we can buy these?"

"Hmm..." Livia ran to her room, and after a while, she came back with a crooked hand-drawn map, which depicted the surrounding terrain.

The witch's forest is shaped like a perfect semicircle. One end of the arc is the Deadwood Forest and the swamp, as well as the canyon. Outside the canyon is another semicircular forest, like a flat hourglass, with the canyon and the swamp forming the middle part of the hourglass.

Outside the forest, several place names are marked. Windcandle Village is the closest, followed by River Bend, with a river flowing between it and Windcandle Village. The furthest place at the far end of the map is a large circle representing a major city, marked "Leywood City".

As a map, this was the most rudimentary one Roach had ever seen; aside from the general direction, it offered almost no useful information.

"Will it work?" As Roach sat cross-legged on the ground looking at the map, Livia's little head came closer. A few strands of light golden hair fell from his cheeks, and her fair little hand rested on his shoulder. A rich but not cloying sweet scent of roses wafted from her side, enveloping him.

"Well, I can roughly find the location. Hopefully, these towns will sell it. Oh, and I'll also buy some ingredients while I'm at it."

"Ingredients?"

"It's something edible, at least it's better than eating fish soup or mushrooms every day. If we can buy some seeds, maybe we can grow some vegetables."

“Hmm…” Livia thought for a moment. “Livia wants some flower seeds.” As she spoke, she summoned an old book and showed Roach several pictures of flowers. “Could you make a few copies? You know, I’m not very familiar with these ancient scripts.”

"Okay." The quills lined up and jumped onto the incoming paper, quickly sketching the flower patterns on the pages, along with the flower names in Lusterian.

Why do you want these flowers?

"Yes, the potion needs it."

"What kind of potion?" Roach was just asking casually, because Livia usually only needed herbs from the forest and flower garden to make her potions.

"Hmm, these kinds..." An old notebook flew into Roach's hands, and the moment Roach opened it, his expression froze. He turned to look at the little witch beside him, at a distance where he could even see his own reflection in her clear, emerald eyes. "Do you know... what the names 'Desire Potion' and 'Enchanting Fragrance' mean?"

"To arouse desire and enhance charm?" Livia replied blankly.

"Do you know what type of desire you're arousing, or what kind of charm this 'charm enhancement' refers to?"

"Is there a difference?" The little witch tilted her head, her light golden hair falling down like a beam of flowing sunlight.

"........"

"Your teacher probably wouldn't let you grow these things before, right? And wouldn't let you make these kinds of potions either?"

"Mm!" The little witch nodded.

"Then she must have made quite a few of these kinds of potions, right?"

"Yes!" The little witch nodded vigorously.

The teacher often makes these potions, but never tells her what they're for. However, every time the teacher makes these potions, she becomes very rich and buys a lot of things. Therefore, she thinks they must be very powerful potions. Now she has the ability to formulate these potions, but unfortunately, she can't find the materials in the entire forest.

"Okay, I understand. If I find the seeds of these flowers, I'll buy them for you." Roach rubbed Livia's head. He had to admit, it felt really good. Her hair was as smooth as the finest silk. Unfortunately, the little witch didn't seem to like this gesture and reluctantly moved away.

Roach had made up his mind: if he found these flowers, he would inform the seller; if he saw a blonde girl trying to buy them, he absolutely would not sell to her. Ideally, these things wouldn't be available on the regular market, so he could return and confidently claim they were rare herbs growing in the Jedi Restricted Area, unavailable on the market.

"By the way, Livia, do you have any money?" Roach felt a little strange asking this at this moment, but what could he do? That civil servant named William hadn't even taken any money with him when he went out! There was everything on the corpse, except a single penny. Going out without money?!

"Money?" The little witch was stunned for a moment. Fortunately, her teacher hadn't completely failed to teach her what money was, nor had she left her without a single penny.

Chapter Seven: I, too, know a little about sticks and clubs.

Livia's teacher's name is Niel Riley, a somewhat tongue-twisting name. According to Livia, this name is not actually in human language, but in Elvish. This is because humans cannot pronounce many of the complex syllables in Elvish, so the simplified transliteration is this.

Niel Riley is a very learned arcane mage who also has some knowledge of arcane magic and alchemy. It can be said that Livia's knowledge of mysticism was all taught by her. However, unlike Niel Riley, Livia's use of magic has nothing to do with mysticism; it is more like an innate talent and ability.

It's almost like a racial instinct, just like how humans breathe. It can be switched to manual mode to actively control the frequency and rhythm of breathing, but in essence, it's a fully automatic behavior that doesn't require any advanced conscious control.

In other words, Livia can use arcane magic just like a normal arcane mage, but it's like using an excavator to cook—it's possible, but it's full of unnecessary showing off. She just needs to pick up the spatula with her hand. As for other arcane mages, they might think that Livia is the one with the amazing skill of using an excavator to cook.

Nirrell raised Livia because of her talent, which prevented her from living in the village. Her teacher's reason was that the ordinary people would be jealous of her strength and ability, so they moved to this woodland for safety.

Aside from occasionally selling potions and buying daily necessities, the teacher rarely went out. She died when Livia turned 14, apparently from illness. Although Livia described the incident as perfectly normal, Roach keenly sensed something amiss: how could a potions master die from a common illness?

Judging from the dozens of small gold discs in the purse left by Nellie Riley, this was definitely not a small sum of money. It's questionable why a potion master who could earn this much money would choose to live in seclusion in such a place, let alone die of disease.

"Wait a minute, doesn't your teacher ever cook?"

"Hmm?" The little witch was a little confused. "Yes, Teacher can make very fragrant pastries, and also potions that only require a little bit to fill your stomach."

Okay, now Roach knows who Livia learned to make that explosively flavorful thing she fed him at the beginning, and that it must have been really tough for this girl to grow up safely.

It's obvious that Neel Riley has absolutely no, not even the slightest, experience in raising human infants, not even what you've heard about! No, it's more accurate to say she has no experience caring for infants of any race whatsoever!!!

Now, it's time to step down and let Roach, who has at least seen online how to raise—no, how to care for—high-quality human offspring, take on this heavy responsibility!

Before setting off, Livia prepared some commonly used potions for Roach, including the [Dark Profound Despair Potion] he had drunk before. No, it was the [Healing Potion] and the [Regeneration Potion]. Apart from the difference in color and effect, these two potions tasted the same, both being the taste of [Dark Profound Despair].

There's a kind of beauty in drinking something that makes you want to live, but you can't help but choose death. It wasn't until later that Roach realized that this medicine... wasn't meant to be drunk; it was for external use.

As for why the witch fed him the medicine when he woke up, it was because his state at that time was, well, a state where there was no distinction between inside and outside.

Healing potions are used to directly and quickly heal wounds, while regeneration potions are used to reattach severed limbs. For the latter, the severed limb must be basically intact and not yet lost its vitality.

In other words, if a limb is reattached within 10 minutes of being cut off, a potion can be used to regenerate it. However, there will be a period of weakness lasting up to three months. It is best to immobilize the reattached limb with a splint and plaster cast until the bones and flesh have completely healed.

In addition, there are two types of antidotes: one for internal use and one for external application. The former is for food poisoning, and the latter is for bites from poisonous insects and snakes. Both are commonly used low-level magic potions.

Combat potions include a potion of strength and a bottle of protective incense. The latter, once opened, forms an invisible magical armor on the user, similar to scales.

Roach stored the medicines and money pouches in a rather old leather backpack, which was said to have been used by Teacher Livia. The backpack was made of high-quality calfskin and was very sturdy and durable. The straps could be automatically adjusted in length and tightness to ensure that it would fit anyone perfectly.

"Hmm, Roach, wait a minute." The little witch looked at Roach, as if she felt something was missing. So she stretched out her palm, palm down. In her world, countless sounds gathered together, noisy and chaotic, which made her frown unhappily. But soon, the sounds gradually faded away, leaving only heavy and hard whispers.

The ground cracked open in front of Roach, with soil and gravel churning and parting to the sides. Unaware of what was happening, small underground insects carrying their eggs scrambled away. Stones of varying sizes bounced and leaped from the ground, landing on the soft soil. Finally, some stones gleaming with a metallic sheen rose from the ground.

The stone shattered, and the metal parts spiraled upwards, forming a narrow Y-shape. In the middle of the Y, another piece protruded, eventually becoming a... well, let's just call it a sword-shaped metal rod.

"Hmm!" Livia opened her eyes, her cheeks slightly flushed from the exertion. "This, the weapon."

“Weapons…” Roach fell silent.

If we disregard the incredible technique of extracting iron ore directly from deep underground, separating the rock, and shaping the remaining pig iron, the weapon's appearance alone suggests that any scrap steel bar picked up from a steel mill would look more like a weapon.

Moreover, the weight of a pure iron rod (which he could hardly call a sword) was probably not very convenient to use, but seeing the little witch's expectant eyes, Roach finally carried the rather heavy iron rod on his back. At least it was better than a wooden stick, right?

At the very least, this iron rod is indeed sturdy and heavy. If you swing it, it can certainly leave a smear on someone's face, right?

Moreover, from the perspective of blunt weapons, Livia's weapon is quite good. At least the center of gravity is not off, the mass is generally balanced, and the surface is uneven and full of unruly edges. As a blunt weapon, when it hits someone, these edges and protrusions are additional damage-increasing components!

Roach had considered bringing the old horse along, but the old fellow looked disgusted and clearly wasn't planning on going on a long trip with him.

Luo Qi respected Old Ma, whose routine and lifestyle were like those of an old gatekeeper, and he had a vague feeling that he might not be able to beat this old man, even with the "magic sword" made by the witch.

Roach was already very familiar with the woods surrounding the witch's cottage. It was as quiet as ever, with only the occasional birdsong. There was no trace of any small animals in sight. Perhaps these small animals were timid and were frightened by him, or perhaps... there were simply no small animals around here.

Next, he would head to the Deadwood Forest. Judging from the map, if the scale of the distances between the various regions was correct, Roach estimated that it would take him about 2 to 3 days to travel there and back.

Since it takes about half a day to cross the forest to the Deadwood Forest in the canyon, and the forest outside the canyon is no smaller than the Witch's Forest, and could even be said to be larger, it can be estimated that a single journey would take more than a full day.

If you include the time spent shopping in town, Roach felt that five days would be more than enough, so he left Livia enough dried roasted anchovies and pickled mushroom strips to last her for five days.

The Deadwood Forest remained the same, except that Roach had cut down a small section of the dark gray and charred black dead trees to build the small workshop; the rest of the area remained unchanged.

Roach made a special detour to see William's burial site. The swamp had swallowed the bones perfectly, leaving no trace. There were no other people nearby who came to pay their respects or search for them. However, the bloodstains and footprints left by William had disappeared, probably due to insects or even smaller decomposers.

The path through the swamp was difficult to traverse. Compared to the magic sword staff, Roach felt that the lumberjack's axe that had been with him for a long time was more useful. At least it could cut down the thorny bushes to clear a path, and it could also temporarily process some wood strips and vines and bushes together to lay on the swamp as a temporary foothold to prevent himself from falling in.

By the time he crossed the swamp, it was already dusk. Beyond the swamp lay a dark, dense forest, with vines growing among the trees. Giant insects crawled in the shadowy corners of the giant trees. Here, Roach had to use the "insect repellent potion" made by the witch to drive away these giant centipedes and the like that would jump onto him.

Originally planning to camp at the outer edge of the canyon, Roach had to continue walking forward, enduring the soreness in his legs, because of these insects. After crossing a stream, the forest became relatively sparse, and the sounds of birds and animals became more and more obvious.

After searching for a long time, Roach finally found a clearing in the forest where he could set up camp. After clearing away the dead branches, leaves, and moss from the ground, he took out the high-quality wood branches he had prepared in the Deadwood Forest, piled them up to make a small campfire, and lit it with the collected dry moss as kindling.

By this time, the sky had completely darkened, and only the light of the campfire and the faint moonlight filtering through the leaves illuminated the forest. Unlike the Witch Forest and Beach, which were marked as "dangerous" on the panel, the "dangerous" label was no longer present in this area, and the progress of related achievements, which had been increasing, came to a complete stop.

However, this gave Roach a very uneasy feeling, as if something in the woods was watching him. He had to lean against a large rock, hold an axe in his hand, and remain quite alert, keeping watch over the firelight, until he could no longer suppress his sleep.

Meanwhile, on the beach, two small wooden boats rushed ashore, and several burly men with headscarves jumped off the boats, examined the footprints on the sand, and said, "Someone has been here before."

"Can you find any trace of the guy who got away?"

"This should be the direction. If we can't find this cargo, the boss will kill us!" The leader shouted at his men, "Search it! On land, that thing couldn't have gone far. Someone must have rescued it."

"Could it have run back into the sea? After all, this is..."

"Hmph, run back to the sea. Is the sea in Carrion Bay safer than the boss's ship?" the leader sneered. The name Carrion Bay comes from the fact that it is home to a large number of "carrion," a carnivorous fish that feeds on corpses and rotting flesh. So, if that's the case, what is the food source of these carnivorous fish?

"But Carrion Bay... that's no good place either! It's a weird place, a 'dangerous' level alien realm in the Adventurers' Guild!"

The so-called alien lands, also known as the barbaric lands, refer to regions outside of civilization. These are areas that have not been explored or cannot be explored for various reasons. This means that the terrain is either harsh, the land is barren, or the land is full of barbarians with explosive combat power, or... it is full of monsters.

As unexplored areas, these regions are naturally popular among adventurers, often filled with exotic cultures, ethnic groups, powerful monsters, ancient ruins, and treasures such as rare plants and minerals.

Based on the level of danger, these areas are divided into five levels, with the lowest level being the frontier, which is the area on the edge of the civilized world. It is a place where people can quickly retreat to their strongholds to rest and recuperate. It is also a place where barbarians live and there are generally unstable trade relations.

Then comes the perilous areas, characterized by harsh terrain or inhabited by numerous dangerous monsters, or both; followed by the perilous realms, meaning that entering this area is fraught with constant danger.

As for the "forbidden zones" and "restricted areas" above that, you can tell from their names that they are legendary places. It is difficult to be rated as such without hundreds of years of history where thousands of adventurers have gone there and never returned.

Therefore, the Dangerous Zone is the most dangerous area that normal adventurers and ordinary people have heard of. The high-grade slave goods that escaped from the ship were not the low-grade slave goods. As a guy who understands rhetoric and grammar, has read a lot of books, and is said to be a poet, he would definitely know what the Dangerous Zone means, let alone what the Scavenger Bay means. You should know that underwater in the Scavenger Bay is another Dangerous Zone!

"That guy is definitely hiding in the 'gap'!" When two dangerous areas are very close together, there is often a safe zone called the gap.

It's actually quite easy to understand. There may be lord-level monsters in dangerous areas, and these monsters have a strong sense of territory. If there were no gaps between them, they would definitely fight each other. In the end, several dangerous areas merged together to become a true "dead zone"—those who enter this zone must give up all hope of survival.

"This beach is the only narrow spot. Don't go too deep into the woods, just search around here! He can't hide for long!"

"Wait, I found hoof prints here! People live here!"

"In the cracks?" That's not surprising. There are always some adventurers who can get in but can't get out and end up being trapped in these places, eventually becoming no different from savages.

"Damn it, hurry and chase after them! That's the high-end stuff that Mrs. Polina specifically requested!"

Those adventurers trapped here, regardless of gender, have definitely been cooped up for more than a year or two. At this point, it doesn't matter whether they are male or female, human or even alive. But if they are ruined, it won't be fair to the buyers.

"Gurgle~" An old horse, with half of its hair gone, chewed on tender grass, swallowed its food completely, and then turned its head to look at the burly men who were clearly from Liangshan who were surrounding it. "Puff~" The old horse made a strange sound like a sigh, slowly turned around, and used its body to block the advance of these burly men.

"A horse? That thing should be nearby, let's go!"

"This horse..." Although it doesn't look very appealing, horses are strategic resources. Even an old horse can fetch a few gold coins.

"Let's talk about it after we finish our business," but the old man firmly blocked their path.

"It's quite intelligent. Never mind, let's kill this beast first!" Compared to the loss of that high-end product, an old horse is nothing.

However, just as these people drew their weapons, the old horse raised its body, its two front hooves high, its muscles twitching like a living thing, and its hair standing on end.

"Young man, don't get so angry, it's bad for your health!"

"Who is speaking!"

"It's already very late. Your noise is very unethical." The old horse reared up, its eyes burning like two flames. Its muscular chest gleamed like steel armor in the moonlight. Its forehooves split open into sharp claws, gripping a tree. The patterns on the tree's surface twisted into a strangely shaped face.

The tangled, twisted wood had transformed into a giant cleaver. Although it was made of wood, the wood grain on it resembled a human face with its eyes rolled back in some strange state, giving the impression that it was some kind of living creature, and one that was about to go wild.