The sun is high

"Sir, according to the check, there are a total of eight items in the list, and we can satisfy two of them. The rest are either on the danger list, or are too tricky and unpopular..."

The apprentice shrugged helplessly at Xiuge: "Although I know it's not a good question to ask...but I'm really curious, why do you need the ears of the earth dragon? To use them as ingredients?"

"Ingredients?"

This time, it was Shuge's turn to be confused.

The apprentice nodded: "As far as I know, there shouldn't be any way to use the ears of the earth dragon to make alchemy medicine, right? If you want to find this kind of thing, you should probably go to hotels and restaurants instead of here."

He gave Xiuge a strange look: "Maybe there will be diners with discerning tastes looking for this kind of thing."

Xiuge's eyebrows couldn't help but twitch. He didn't know much about the specific details of alchemy, and he didn't expect this situation to happen.

He coughed lightly, and then asked: "Then what are the two things that can satisfy you?"

"plz follow me."

The apprentice led Xiuge back to the corner and stopped in front of a table.

At this time, Xiuge saw that there were two boxes, one large and one small, on the table. The larger one was as long as a forearm, and the smaller one was as big as two palms.

The apprentice opened the smaller metal box and saw ten sharp fangs neatly arranged inside. Each of them was as long as a finger, and dark purple lines and grooves could be faintly seen on them, which looked extremely dangerous. .

"Here are the sharp teeth of a jungle short-tailed wolf. The venom glands are all intact. The number you requested is five. However, based on the material saturation principle of magic experiments and alchemy, we have doubled the number for you without authorization. We hope it can be helpful to you. Please be sure to wear gloves or use tools when handling them. If you use too much force, the venom remaining in them will spill out."

After Xiuge finished examining the teeth of these short-tailed wolves, the apprentice re-covered and sealed them, and then opened the long and narrow wooden box next to it.

Two emerald green vines intertwined and fixed with multiple magic threads appeared in front of him.

"The rhizome of the young killer vine is very intact, without any damage."

As he spoke, the apprentice took a thin wooden stick from the side and carefully inserted it into the wooden box.

Like snakes that were suddenly awakened from sleep, the two emerald green vines immediately began to twist violently the moment they were touched by the wooden sticks. However, those seemingly fragile magic threads pulled them apart. They were firmly fixed to the bottom of the wooden box, preventing them from making any more dangerous moves.

"Here, they're full of energy... You'd better be careful about the spikes on them when you use them. Once stimulated, these little spikes will stick out."

Seeing that Xiuge was very satisfied, the apprentice was a little relieved. He didn't know the background of the young man brought by his instructor, so he didn't dare to offend him casually. He pushed the two boxes in front of Xiuge. , and then said in a low voice: "In the list, the other items you want will be regarded as contraband in the next period of time, especially the 'body fluid of the foul dragon' and the 'eyeballs of the traveling spider'. …They are all important materials for making potent alchemical bombs.”

"Thank you so much!"

Xiuge thanked him softly. When he saw the other person's eyes staring at him and his expression flickering, he immediately reacted.

Several general-purpose silver coins that had been prepared for a long time fell into the opponent's palm as Shuge took things, and a happy smile immediately appeared on the apprentice's face. In Bolden, these few silver coins are naturally not considered much. Okay, but it can be considered a windfall.

Not far away, Master Krauts seemed to have finished his work, but at this moment he still upheld the arrogance that a river valley level mage should have. He did not come over to say hello to Xiuge, but looked towards him from a distance. He nodded.

"Okay, that's it."

Xiuge shrugged. He didn't want to expose the changes in his magic and the special nature of his magic here. Therefore, he did not use the hands of the mage to get things for him like the mage apprentices. Instead, he honestly put the two He picked up a slightly heavy box and walked outside with the teams carrying supplies.

In the visible future, these goods that were once exclusively for the nobles of Leyland District will be thrown into the huge furnace called war and shaped into weapons that can cause damage one after another. They will fight in the Kingdom of Votel The soldiers' hands bloomed with brilliance, giving death to all enemies.

However, Xiuge knew that at this moment, the mobilization scene of those plain countries must be even more thrilling - the Goddess Plain is really too rich, and all kinds of natural resources can be found in it, plus Merlinle and With such a powerful ally, their army will definitely be able to have richer and more diverse supplies, so the form of war may not be as simple as these confident young people imagine.

Shuge thought of the new wheel crystal gun he used when he was in Salem City. It was the work of the gunsmiths of the Kingdom of Delan. Facts have proved that the research and development of weapons in different countries is continuing. Judging from the current situation, the time advantage that new ordnance can gain for plateau countries is still uncertain.

Igor and Ellen had been waiting outside for a long time. Seeing Shuge coming out, they both breathed a sigh of relief, and then returned to the car together.

Ellen placed the two heavy boxes safely in the car for Shuge, and then asked: "Does everything seem to be going well?"

"Let's hope it goes well."

Shuge flipped through his newly acquired magic book: "But judging from the current situation, I'm afraid the pressure on the kingdom's army is not small."

"That's normal, sir."

Ellen sighed: "In fact, the first lesson we received when we joined the army was related to winning and losing in war."

"tell me the story."

The young bodyguard Igor, who was already sitting in the driver's seat, replied: "That is Marshal Zeke's philosophy. He believes that a qualified soldier should know where his limits are. He told us that soldiers play a vital role in war. The role of the enemy is actually limited. Nowadays...it is no longer the era in the past where victory could be won by relying on the morale and bravery of the soldiers."

Igor's voice sounded very low, even a little depressed.

So Shuge looked at Ellen beside him with a questioning look.

"It's St. Steele."

Ellen explained for Igor: "It is facing the pressure of Merlin Lehe. According to several soldiers in the Chasseur Regiment, the officials of St. Steele are endlessly squeezing those people in order to expand the mining volume of crystal mines. Workers... In just one week, there have been many riots there, including Igor’s hometown.”

"..."

Hearing this, Xiuge could only sigh for the other party.

The Kingdom of St. Steele also has a long history. Because it is close to the cold north, there is a lot of frozen soil in the huge territory of the Kingdom of St. Steele. Its citizens have to spend more time and energy on maintaining themselves and the country. Because of the existence of a large number of crystallized minerals in its territory, Saint Steele is actually a major exporter of crystallized minerals in Van En.

Such a special country is destined to bear more pressure during this special period of time.

You don’t need to ask Shuge to know that the Kingdom of St. Steele must very much hope to use this upcoming large-scale war to get rid of Merlin Lehe’s influence on itself—at least to get the crystal mineral industry out of the control of the Legal Committee.

In many cases, St. Steele's people, who were already living less comfortably, naturally experienced greater pain.

"Mr. Sugar, where should we go next?"

Ellen's question brought Shuge's mind back to reality. He looked at the soldiers busy moving things outside the window and asked, "As I said before, go to a place where I can have a good rest."

"have a good rest?"

"It just allows me to sleep peacefully without being disturbed...Do you understand me?"

After listening to Shuge's words, Ellen couldn't help but frown. He didn't question Shuge's plans and arrangements, but the Leiland District was essentially a residential area for nobles. There weren't any common hotels here. Yes, it is also in the manors of other families...

Is it possible that as members of the Ernst family, they have to stay on someone else's property?

Ellen thought for a while, and then asked tentatively: "Mr. Sugar, if you don't have many requirements for a resting environment, maybe you can go to the store opened by my wife. It's quiet enough and has a loft where you can rest." .”

"Can."

Xiuge nodded with satisfaction, so the vehicle turned around and drove down the road.

Along the way, the three of them had their own ideas, but did not engage in any further dialogue.

This silence lasted until the vehicle arrived at its destination. Under Ellen's guidance, Shuge saw a bookstore called "Fir Forest". There was indeed a small plateau fir at the door of the store. There were also trees on the top of the fir. Some colorful decorations were made, which look very eye-catching and prominent on the streets dominated by dark tones.

Of course, it also looks very funny and cute.

"My wife loves the fir trees and my daughter loves the decorations...so that's how it came to be."

After Shuge got out of the car, Ellen sheepishly explained.

In fact, the store's decoration had been laughed at by his acquaintances more than once, and although it was all a good-natured joke, Ellen still made a habit of explaining it.

"To be honest, I quite like it. I will get tired of it if I see too much black."

Xiuge said sincerely, and then accompanied by the two of them, he took his things and walked towards the "Fir Forest" bookstore. When he came to the door of the store, Xiuge noticed that there was something on the fir tree. There is an ugly rag doll hanging on it. It can barely be seen that it is a male figure with a beard. Judging from its rough workmanship and rather abstract shape, this is most likely the masterpiece of Ellen's daughter.

"He always stayed at the manor and never came home, so his daughter hung this thing outside, saying it was a punishment for him. If you ask me, this should be a reward."

Igor whispered next to him.

He was obviously a regular visitor here, and Xiuge found that after arriving at the door of the store, Igor's mood improved significantly, and his originally tense face relaxed.

The bookstore is very warm. As Ellen introduced when we first met, this bookstore is actually more like a "book bar". There are not only bookshelves in the store, but also several desks, benches and independent window seats. In the corner, you can also see a small bar counter, where a woman about Ellen's age is busy making herbal tea.

There were several customers in the store, both men and women, ranging in age. They all stayed in their seats and read books carefully while enjoying the warmth brought by the fireless crystallization furnace and the fragrance of herbal tea.

The woman was obviously Ellen's wife. When she saw her husband bringing a strange young man to the counter, she stretched out her hand and pulled a metal lever next to the counter. With a faint sound, a burst of magic It immediately emanated from the counter and formed a simple and weak ritual field nearby.

"It's used for soundproofing, but the effect is not very good."

Ellen's wife smiled and explained, and then she asked Ellen: "What's wrong, dear, who is this?"

As soon as she finished asking, she noticed Xiuge's appearance, so she made an "oh" mouth shape in sudden realization.

Ellen pointed to the ceiling: "We need to use the attic."

"Yeah... little Kara should be playing up there..."

"It's okay, I'll take her down."

After communicating with his wife, Ellen led Shuge into the depths of the bookstore, and then the two of them stepped onto the stairs leading to the attic, one after the other.

For this cute little girl, it was of course a very happy thing to suddenly see her dad during the day. Although she was very reluctant to give up the small attic, after hearing that Ellen was willing to take her out to play in the snow, the little girl was very happy. Carla forgot everything.

Soon, with the attic door closed, Shuge finally got a secluded, safe and warm private space.

He stopped the flow of magic power in his body, and the tiredness that had been deliberately controlled before immediately began to revive. Within a few seconds, Xiuge couldn't help but start yawning.

"Such a family is really... enviable."

Shuge looked at the toys and children's books in the attic and couldn't help but shake his head.

He quickly set up the basic protection ritual that he had just mastered. After taking the children's toys aside on the bed, he took off his coat and slowly lay down with the two boxes, one large and one small.

"I hope there won't be any accidents this time. I don't want to destroy this bookstore..."

Xiuge muttered something silently in his heart, and then pressed the two boxes and closed his eyes. Almost instantly, he fell into a dream driven by sleepiness.