Chapter 5: Titanian

The morning wind brushed against the face, its slight moisture lending a sense of coolness. Strange animal cries echoed through the forest, perhaps from magical beasts or just ordinary creatures. To make up for his mistakes at the inn, Core Knight Yaxi led a team deep into the forest last night to hunt a magical beast for Felix. The price paid was a severe burn injury to the arm of a mid-level knight.

Those casting malicious glances at Felix were deterred by a force that transcended worldly matters, making the journey peaceful without a ripple of trouble.

Power in this world can be simplified into three tiers: money, authority, and one's own strength. Money can be exchanged for power through cunning means, and power can bring money even without clever tactics. As for personal strength, that's the hardest path, but if you are strong enough, you can even overthrow the world.

The spellcasters' disdain for money originates from this.

The creature Core Knight Yaxi hunted for Felix was a Blazing Tiger, a relatively common Level 36 magical beast. Its power is roughly equivalent to a mid-level mage capable of casting Level 40 elemental magic "Explosive Flame Bomb." The Blazing Tiger held out for six minutes against one Core Knight and 12 mid-level knights, injuring one with its "Explosive Flame Bomb" in a desperate counter-attack.

Magic is extremely powerful. A Level 13 elemental spell "Fireball" can even kill a mid-level warrior with no armor. Of course, killing a mid-level mage is even simpler; an adult male can finish the job with a single stab under the conditions of a sneak attack.

The Blazing Tiger's last stand blew apart the anti-magic heavy armor of that mid-level knight and reduced half his arm to a bloody pulp. The only silver lining was that the anti-magic armor absorbed some of the heat, making it possible for a low-level cleric to heal the injury.

Magical beasts are born from mutations and lineage, making them very rare. Learning how to harmonize magic cores is a mandatory course for all spellcasters. Simply put, you can eat the magic core, but only after treating it with a special potion.

Fairness never exists in this world; one can only maintain a crude balance.

The nobles have to deal with a myriad of complicated matters and even take time out to engage in 'interesting' activities with hungry, neglected women. They're not interested in pursuing "Eternity"; they just want some self-defense capabilities.

In short, thanks to potions and items, they need to spend just a little time each day to equal a whole day of hard cultivation for others. But as a trade-off, their chances of completing the "Elemental Transformation" when facing the "Silver Domain" barrier are close to zero.

The three main branches of "Alchemy" are Pharmacology, Puppetry, and Rune Engraving (i.e., enchanting gear). Pharmacology accounts for 85% of alchemists' income and is their fastest way to make money. Most spellcasters choose to minor in Pharmacology and Rune Engraving; those who specialize in Puppetry are very rare but incredibly powerful.

The flesh of magical beasts is extremely expensive, and meat permeated by elements has medicinal properties. Over 75% of magical beast meat has an added effect—that is, it's an aphrodisiac!

Whether they are warriors or knights, when pushing their physical limits, they must rely on magical beast meat as their main ingredient. The reason is simple: only magical beast meat can provide them with enough energy. 

According to the law of conservation of energy, it's difficult to replenish the vast amounts of energy they expend solely from regular meat. To break through their limitations, they must consume a lot of external energy. Not everyone can absorb the essence of heaven and earth, so eating magical beast meat becomes the first choice. One last point: for ordinary people, using magical beast meat not only has an invigorating effect but can also strengthen their constitution to some extent.

The reason the central knight did this was simple: guilt and compensation.

Felix accepted the central knight's goodwill and expressed his gratitude. In fact, when he was inscribing [Death's Touch], his body had already suffered some hidden injuries. For a spellcaster before entering the [Silver Realm], the only way to recover is either through external medicines or by eating magical beast meat as food therapy. The latter is obviously more suitable.

On his journey, Felix encountered several groups of adventurers and merchants. They all paid their respects to the tiger carcass that was 460 centimeters long, tethered to the back of the caravan. The knights who had accomplished this feat were met with awe. At one point, a merchant even tried to trade Felix's game for four thousand Caesar gold coins and three wagons full of exquisite furs. Felix graciously declined.

To ensure the freshness of the magical beast meat, which has a shelf life of up to a month, Felix even employed a constant frost spell. With about four days left to reach the imperial capital, this Blazing Tiger would be more than enough to feed the knights all the way to Titanian.

Felix mixed the brain and liver of the Blazing Tiger and ground them into a black powder. He also took an extra step to cut off the tailbone and soak it in strong liquor. These were the parts of the Blazing Tiger that had the most potent medicinal properties, which Felix intended to use for some alchemical experiments.

The magical core of the Blazing Tiger was a fire-red gem, roughly the size of a silver coin and diamond-shaped, containing elemental magic of around the second order. Whether used as a gem, embedded in a weapon, or concocted into a potion, it was a good choice. However, since Felix wasn't particularly focused on elemental magic, it seemed he could either experiment with it or directly exchange it for Caesar gold coins.

Due to their experience in the inn, the knights were deeply emotionally scarred. Nearly 60 mid-level knights, and even a central grand knight, had been simply knocked out with a sedative. The knights felt humiliated, their dignity trampled and their faith defiled. The sense of violation fueled their anger and made them more cautious. At that moment, they realized that the tricks and plots on the battlefield were downright noble compared to this!

On the afternoon of the fourth day, Felix finally reached Titanian, the shining pearl of the west and the heart of the Titans Empire. Looking at this towering and magnificent city, Felix was reminded of a phrase he had heard somewhere.

"I came, I saw, I conquered."

Felix slowly stepped off the carriage. He smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothing, and a graceful yet humble smile emerged on his handsome face. Under the puzzled gaze of the central knight, Felix quietly walked into the city, entering this arena intertwined with desire and ambition.

At this moment, he was a gift, a gift from the Fairmuth family to the Marchioness Elizabeth.

And he would be the most exquisite and splendid gift the world had ever seen.