The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Having lost even their last resort, the Duke's second son's face turned deathly pale.

“Since you know nothing, let me tell you,” Koman stepped forward, “According to the laws of the Empire, anyone who deserts their post while guarding the border will be executed!”

"Those who abandoned their troops and deserted as military commanders—"

"cut!"

The soldiers raised their weapons and shouted in unison.

"Those who disrupt military discipline and incite public anger—"

"Cut! Cut! Cut!"

This time, even the common people he usually looked down on joined in the cheering.

You can't kill—

"late!"

With a flash of sword light, the arrogant second son of the duke was instantly decapitated.

Koeman pinned his longsword to the unclosed head, then mounted his horse, raised his spear, and shouted:

"Gentlemen, follow me to reclaim our homeland!"

-----------------

Jegan didn't say much about the battle, only that Snowdrift Valley was still the territory of the Rafna family.

"According to custom, after defeating the enemy, it's time for reckoning. What methods did that Grand Duke use?" Wiener asked curiously.

Killing a fleeing general is indeed a way to boost morale in the midst of battle, but how could the duke, whose second son had been killed, let it go?

"The young master's crimes cannot be concealed. Even the Grand Duke had no choice but to personally plead guilty to His Majesty the Emperor."

“Where there is punishment, there must be reward. After being punished, the Grand Duke personally recommended Coman Laffner for merit and made him a count.”

"This move also completely bound the Lafner family to this Snowy Valley."

This is not hard to understand.

No one wants another killing machine to grow near their territory.

They dared to use even the Grand Duke's second son as a sacrifice, so what would they do if it were their turn?

If Coman were only a viscount, he would still have a chance to find a fief to settle in.

After being promoted, there are actually not many options left.

Other nobles wouldn't give up their territory for nothing.

After going around in circles, the Lafner family's fiefdom is still Snowdrift Valley.

However, this time it came at the cost of nearly half of Koman's soldiers and tribesmen's lives.

Having seen through the ugly faces of the nobility, Coman Laffner completely abandoned his plan to lead his people away from their homeland and settled down to manage his territory.

However, Count Coman did not foresee that even the richest mineral veins would eventually run dry.

"Uu——"

The sound of brakes interrupted their conversation.

"Looks like we've arrived."

Jegan led Vina out of the carriage and guided him into a meeting room deep inside the mansion.

The giant disc that Wiener had previously designed is now placed here.

“I’ll trouble Mr. Jegan to invite the Earl here,” Viner said.

Jegan nodded in agreement.

After confirming that no one else was in the meeting room, Venere took out a small knife from her ring and cut her palm.

The moment the blood drips onto the disc marks the completion of the final step.

Chapter 416 Glass Jar

The disc lay there quietly, and after absorbing Vena's blood, it emitted a faint glow. Even the magic runes that were casually drawn for decoration began to slowly rotate at this moment, transforming into a completely new form.

The transparent crystal at the top acts like a focusing lens, gathering the internal light and magical energy and projecting it onto the disc.

The emitted light did not dissipate in the air; instead, it gradually coalesced, eventually forming a huge three-dimensional image.

Mountains, glaciers, forests, and villages create a miniature version of Xuelugu Valley.

"Glass Jar:"

Equipment type: Special

Equipment Level: A

Usage Restriction: Limited to Xuelugu Valley

characteristic:

Magic Element Sensing: The glass jar can accurately detect the flow of magic element and biological activity around Snowdrift Valley, making it extremely strategic.

Race Identification: This equipment possesses a unique race identification capability, which can clearly distinguish the magical aura released by demons and humans, thereby accurately determining their race.

Wide-area marking: The glass urn possesses the ability to mark individual entities. The entity's magic flow will be continuously tracked and illuminated within the Snowdrift Valley.

-----------------

"As expected... even if it's not a weapon, it's fine," Viner murmured.

He didn't hold back; as long as you strictly follow the blueprints and have plenty of materials, you can make as many basic discs as you want.

Its coverage area is a hundred times that of the Demon-Seeking Compass, and the maximum number of enemies that can be captured has increased from one to five hundred. He even came up with a name for it: "Demon-Seeking Radar".

But after hearing Jegan's account of Corman Laffner's life, Wiener was moved and, while Jegan was away, tried to drip his own blood onto the disc.

With the addition of this final "ingredient," the "Demon-Sniffing Radar" transformed into this "glass jar."

At the same time, it transformed from a mass-producible "magic-specific detection equipment" into a unique strategic-level magical tool.

Wiener tried to lift it with force, but the disc, which had transformed into a glass jar, remained motionless as if it were firmly embedded in the ground.

"...It's a good thing, I guess."

Wiener said thoughtfully that he finally understood the meaning of "Snowy Valley Limited".

This at least ensures that the "glass jar" can only be used for defense and self-preservation, and will not be taken to the battlefield.

Footsteps sounded outside the door shortly after; it was Jegan leading Earl Feld.

To Wiener's surprise, Sigurd followed behind.

As they entered the conference room, their eyes were immediately drawn to the images projected onto the giant disc.

Feld had witnessed the methods of military mages before; some of them were skilled at using illusions to construct military sand tables for commanders to make strategic deployments.

Even the best of the best simulation sand tables look like children's toys compared to the miniature projection of Xuelu Valley in front of us.

Building such a simulation sand table requires a massive amount of geological exploration data and a large amount of human resources.

This miniature projection encompasses almost every corner of Snowdrift Valley, even including those secret areas that the finned spheres cannot access.

It can be said that whoever possesses this "glass altar" will have no secrets left in front of Xuelu Valley.

How could Feld not be alarmed?

“You have certainly given me a pleasant surprise.” Feld suppressed his astonishment with great composure. “Could you please tell me about this item?”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Vener said, pointing to the disc. “This object is called a glass jar. As for its specific use, Lord Feld will know once he pours magic into it.”

Feld nodded almost imperceptibly, walked slowly to the glass jar, placed his palm lightly on the edge of the disc, and slowly poured in magic essence.

As the magic essence flowed in, the glass jar began to rotate slowly again, and the three-dimensional image in the air changed accordingly.

An invisible wave emanated from the glass jar, seemingly capable of penetrating all obstacles.

After the wave swept over the four people, four blue dots of varying shades appeared on the 3D image.

The fluctuations did not stop; they continued to spread outwards, and the light spots on the image became increasingly dense.

Without needing Wiener's explanation, Feld understood that these points of light represented every resident of Snowhill Valley.

When the surface of Xuelu Valley is fully illuminated by the light spots, the miniature image begins to reveal new content from the bottom.

"Underground..."

Wiener blurted it out.

Every household in Xuelu Valley has a cellar underground for storing goods and food. However, at this moment, the depth of the survey has clearly exceeded the scope of an ordinary cellar.

"It's an underground mineral vein."

A glimmer of understanding flashed in Sigurd's eyes.

The glass jar seemed to have no intention of stopping, and continued to dig deeper.

Based on the height proportions of the Lafner Palace, Wiener roughly estimated that the depth of the probe was at least several thousand meters.

This is well beyond the detection range of the Demon-Seeking Compass.

"drop!"

Accompanied by a warning sound, the first red dot finally appeared in the image.

Immediately afterwards, as if they were bamboo shoots after a spring rain, a series of alarms echoed in the conference room.

"Beep be ...

The rapid frequency made Wiener abandon his attempt to count.

"...This means a large demon army has been ambushed right beneath Snowdrift Valley." Vina was somewhat shocked.

Although he made the glass jar himself, the result still exceeded his expectations.

Although those red dots weren't very deep in color, in terms of magic element content, they were only slightly stronger than those of the craftsmen in the smelter.

But when these tiny points of light gather together in such a dense cluster, anyone who sees them will feel a chill run down their spine.

“Snowy Valley makes a living from mining. With so many people going down into the mines every year, have they never discovered anything unusual?” Viner frowned.

The density of the red dots is somewhat abnormal.

Jegan hesitated for a moment, then secretly glanced at Feld, seemingly waiting for his judgment.

“There’s nothing left to hide,” Feld said in a deep voice.

After receiving instructions, Jay revealed Snowdrift Valley's biggest secret: "The mineral veins in Snowdrift Valley were already depleted a year ago. The minerals currently being traded and used are simply stockpiles accumulated over the years."

Having already suffered a heavy blow due to its mineral resources, Xuelu Valley naturally understands the principle of not flaunting its wealth.

Even in years when mineral prices are low, they strictly control the amount of ore exported, even if it means the entire tribe has to tighten their belts.

The purpose was to prevent outsiders from determining the actual output of this century-old mine.

This seemingly pointless persistence is actually a last resort.

When the resources necessary for survival are controlled by others, even if more ore is produced, it will only become an excuse for the other party to further lower the price.

Sell ​​four-tenths, use three-tenths, and store three-tenths.

No matter how carefully they planned, the depletion of the mine was an irreversible fact.

Starting a decade ago, annual ore production has been unable to meet the demand for consumption and trading, forcing them to use some of their inventory to fill the gap.

Last year, there was absolutely no harvest.

Even if they can continue to live off the blessings of their ancestors for another ten or eight years, what happens after that?

Without sufficient mineral resources, Xuelu Valley loses its neutrality.

And the First Princess of the Empire, Edel, was the lifeline they grasped at.

Just as Wiener was processing this astonishing news, the images on the miniature sand table changed again.

Amidst the vast expanse of red lights, a dazzling blue light suddenly appeared.

The blue dot of light flashed at an extremely fast speed, and the dozens of red dots around it were wiped out in an instant.