Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 274 Restarting the Stars
When Su Mu returned to Cangmu City, Forrest was still working in the forest.

Since the arrival of the strongest swordsman, the demand for logs has increased significantly. Fortunately, there is Forrest, the master lumberjack, otherwise even with the construction, it would be impossible to recruit enough.

"Stop what you're doing and take a look at the newly acquired resources."

Su Mu handed the otherworldly mud to Forrest, who examined it carefully and used magic to sense it.

The material is initially very hard, but if infused with magical power, it can be transformed into a malleable building material with a wide range of applications.

"What a treasure! It's amazing that there's a material with such special properties. It's perfect for solidifying extraordinary buildings in places where magical energy is scarce. If we can master the structure and construction methods of combat buildings, we can even build recruitment towers in the wild."

As expected of an architect, he immediately recognized the function of the otherworldly mud, and judging from Forrest's words, he was very confident in carrying out field construction.

"The amount of otherworldly mud isn't much. Although there are still some abyssal altars that haven't been conquered, there's still very little. If you were to personally oversee the construction, how much mud would be needed for a barracks (a place to recruit swordsmen)?"

Judging solely from the materials, even if they chased him to the no-man's-land, they could only collect a maximum of 10 cartloads of otherworldly mud. During this pursuit of Grimar, Su Mu had already dismantled the altars erected by the enemy and only obtained about 6 cartloads of core materials. Even if he continued his northward expedition, he wouldn't gain much more.

Forrest thought for a moment and gave a rough estimate: "To build structures in the wild, we'll need other materials, and we'll also need to lay a solid foundation and reinforce the magic array, which will consume several times more than usual. In addition to the raw stones and gold coins for the barracks themselves, we'll also need a small amount of boundary stones and otherworldly mud."

If it's just a level 4 sword soldier battalion, I estimate about 8 cartloads of otherworldly mud would be enough. The higher the level, the more mud is needed.

Su Mu nodded, having a general understanding of the amount of resources Forrest had provided.

This amount of mud is sufficient for building Griffin Cliff. However, Su Mu wants to increase the production of swordsmen, since the strongest swordsmen are currently Kuraki's top-tier units, even stronger than the Arcane Prayer. Allocating more resources to them would not be excessive.

"Let Ivan and Wayne go north! Break through a few more abyssal altars and collect the otherworldly mud."

Faced with a cunning enemy, Ivan, with his defensive skills and Crimson Curse Armor, is the safest choice. Together with Wayne for reconnaissance and exploration, they form the best combination for heading north.

"How is the output of swordsmen?"

"This month is the month of demonic rage, and the effect of 'accumulating sand to form a tower' is increased by 50%. I will be responsible for replicating the strongest training ground here in Kuraki, while you will be responsible for the barracks in Langlit Castle. 71 strongest swordsmen can be promoted every week, and we have already accumulated more than 140 strongest swordsmen."

This growth rate is really not low. After all, one of the strongest swordsmen requires 900 gold coins and 1 log. Just recruiting them would cost more than 60000 spell power gold coins and more than 70 logs. The consumption is astonishing.

If it weren't for Maggie's financial acumen and Forrest's master lumberjack, they really wouldn't have been able to afford it.

Su Mu is often away fighting battles and it's unlikely that he can manage the Dream Finance Technique every day, so gold coins are still quite scarce.

But no matter how difficult it is, we still have to build up our army. With the war in the heartland about to begin, we must bring a sufficient number and quality of troops to participate in this great battle.

Having roughly grasped the situation, Su Mu went to the Magic Tower to find Sederlos.

This astrologer is now obsessed with stargazing, appearing detached from worldly affairs and seemingly on the verge of transcending the mundane.

Previously, as a sage, Cedrus devoted himself to the study of academics and knowledge, believing that his goal in life was to master enough magic and spell power within his lifetime.

Now, as they gaze at the stars above them each day, they gradually realize the insignificance of humanity. In the vast universe, the continent of Aether is but a drop in the ocean, let alone ordinary people like them.

"The path of heroes, embarking on a journey, with the goal of reaching the stars and the sea. Even with a tiny body, we can shake the world. This is the purpose of our cultivation of magic."

The nine-story magic tower holds the ultimate secrets of the world.

Standing on the observatory, Su Mu looked up at the starry sky and, unusually, uttered words of encouragement, fearing that Sederos might lose his fighting spirit after experiencing hardship.

Cedros smiled and said frankly, "Don't worry, my lord, I'm not that disappointed. Observing the stars is just a daily routine for me as an astrologer."

The western celestial bodies are dim and the nebulae are chaotically intertwined, suggesting an impending great war. Next month is likely to see war-related astrological events.

Although Cedrus didn't use astrology, he could still deduce the future based on some signs. With his rudimentary astrological skills, it would be difficult to change an area as large as the heartland, but he could manage to control the celestial influence over a city.

If the situation truly becomes evenly matched, having Sederos take action would be a good choice. Su Mu patted Sederos on the shoulder and handed him a holy bottle.

【Holy Blood Vial (Combo Treasure): Increases the maximum health of troops by 6 points, and gives heroes double the health and vitality.

Flesh Remodeling: All units gain 25% bonus health points and recover 30 health points periodically (maximum number of units affected = hero's spell power * 1000).

Commentary: Perhaps only the hero who wields it can command an invincible army.

A strange, brown bottle, from which flows incredibly powerful blood.

The effects of the Holy Blood Vial are surprisingly powerful. It not only provides the bonuses of each item, but also increases the ability to regenerate flesh and blood, and is even effective against non-living units.

As long as the injury doesn't kill, the patient will receive treatment after a period of time. On a large battlefield, this is comparable to treating hundreds of medical tents simultaneously.

With its bonus, many units that already have high health will become even more terrifying.

For example, the Vampire Prince, if he has 25% extra life, 30 life points recovery, plus his own vampiric talent, is practically an unkillable cockroach.

We can let Cedrus carry it for a while, and as he gradually improves his life abilities, we can give the Holy Blood Vial to Liliana, which should greatly enhance her abilities.

As for now, his promise stands.

Cedrus was initially surprised, then looked at the lord with gratitude, unsure of what to say.

When Su Mu said he would find a combination of treasures for him, Sederos trusted him, after all, the lord never broke his word. But the speed at which he gathered the Holy Blood Vial still exceeded his expectations.

In Cedrus's view, it would be lucky to obtain it within a year, and now it has only been a month since he became an astrologer.

"Use it with peace of mind, you don't need to say anything. Your becoming stronger is the best help to me."

Kuraki needs an astrologer!

After saying that, Su Mu left the tower to avoid causing Sederlos too much emotional turmoil.

Cedros hung the blood vial around his neck. A burning sensation spread to his skin as the vial slowly melted and flowed into his chest.

A surge of life force swept over him, and the lingering weakness disappeared. Sederos once again felt the hero's powerful physique.

[You have broken through the bottleneck of your life, freed yourself from the shackles of magical power, gained +1 defense, and rediscovered the wisdom of alchemy.]

[Elementary Alchemy Wisdom: Enables mastery of all types of level 3-4 magic (can be learned even without elemental mastery), allows inheritance of alchemical knowledge within a magic guild, and the creation of corresponding magic scrolls.]

Cedrus looked up at the starry sky and saw a previously dim star in the east gradually brightening, restarting its journey in a world of glittering stars.

He once felt that he would never be able to find his original talent again. That pain was worse than death. He was tormented day and night, living in fear. Even with his strong will, his confidence was about to be completely worn away.

Even now, having reclaimed what was rightfully his, Cedrus is incredibly calm. He will remember the past suffering and the story of how easily geniuses can be broken.

He will remember who offered timely help in his time of need, giving him a second life.

A gentle evening breeze blew, and he felt a slight itch in his nose; the hazy stars seemed to shine even brighter.

I am deeply grateful for your continued support today, and I hope that one day I will be surrounded by admirers and repay your kindness.

Loyalty increased to 100!

(End of this chapter)