Wizard: My skills can be upgraded indefinitely.

The next morning, Ian specifically sought out Hank.

"Captain Hank, I remember you said that there are Rock Armored Demon Bears appearing near the Scorching Canyon?"

Hank was inspecting the wall when he heard the voice and turned around: "Yes, it can be seen occasionally in the 'Lava Forest' area south of the canyon."

That thing has thick hide and terrifying strength, and it even knows basic earth magic. Few people hunt it. Are you interested in it?

"I need its essence to configure something." Ian did not specify the purpose.

"The blood of other mutated beasts will also work. Do you know anyone in the camp who has any of that?"

Hank stroked his stubble: "Essence blood... This stuff is generally not collected by anyone except potion makers like you and a few people who practice special witchcraft. However, the new Anvil might know about it."

"anvil?"

"That alchemist who came with the wizard Eleanor."

Hank turned his head and pointed to the newly built temporary workshop on the east side of the camp.

"He is skilled in crafting and repairing magical artifacts, and often needs materials from various demonized beasts. His apprentices from Violet will go hunting in teams to earn contribution points. You can go and ask them."

After thanking him, Ian walked toward the workshop area, where the air was filled with the smell of burning metal and sulfur.

An unusually sturdy, dark-skinned figure was wielding a runic iron hammer, striking a metal component.

"Master Anvil," Ian greeted him when he had his next break.

The anvil stopped what it was doing, wiped its sweat, and looked at Ian.

"Potion Master? What's up?"

Ian explained his purpose.

"The essence blood of the Rock Armor Demon Bear?" The anvil's voice was deep and muffled.

"The blood from that thing congeals too quickly, making it very troublesome to process. We usually only need the leather and claws."

Iron Anvil paused for a moment: "However... a few days ago, 'Scarface' and his team went out on a reconnaissance mission and apparently injured one of them. I wonder if they collected any? Go ask him."

"Thank you." Ian nodded and was about to leave.

"Wait," Iron Anvil called out to him, his voice low and deep.

"Judging from your background in the Tower, you seem like a decent person. Let me give you a heads-up: after the fall of Violet, there might not be all the traitors left in the camp. You should understand what I mean..."

After saying that, Tiezhen turned around and continued to swing the hammer.

Ian's heart skipped a beat: "Thank you for letting me know."

Anvil said he was a good person because Ian hadn't been perfunctory when he was teaching Violet Potions, and perhaps that message had reached Anvil.

"An internal traitor?" Ian sighed inwardly. This was the same tone Hank had used, telling him to be wary of the family wizards.

However, this is something that cannot be prevented. In the Crimson Royal Court, there are many evil sorceries that use blood sacrifices to enhance strength. Many people, having no hope of improving their strength, cannot resist this temptation.

In the third cabin on the west side of the camp, Ian met "Scarface".

He had a hideous scar that ran diagonally across his face, and his gaze was extremely fierce.

Seeing that Ian was a potion maker and willing to buy the essence blood of various demonized beasts, offering various potions as payment, his attitude softened considerably.

"Semen and blood? There is some, but not much."

"Scarface" dragged a box out from under the bed. Inside were several cans of dark red, viscous liquid that smelled strongly of earth.

"The bear fell into our trap and bled a lot; we only had time to collect these."

Ian looked at it and estimated that he could extract about three portions of blood essence.

After some haggling, Ian traded six Lesser Healing Potions for all his essence blood, which were worth about 15 magic stones.

Scarface was quite satisfied; he hadn't expected that he could exchange this trash for potions.

"By the way," Scarface said casually as he put away the potion after the transaction was completed, giving Ian a word of advice.

"Before, someone from the Osborn family also came to me to buy my essence blood, but their attitude was extremely bad and the price was low."

"The Osborn family?"

"What does their family crest look like? Do you remember?" Ian's heart skipped a beat.

"There's a rock pattern on the cuff, it should be a rock, I didn't really notice it," Scarface replied after thinking for a moment, not entirely sure.

On the way back, Ian thought about what the others had said earlier.

"The Osborn family, huh! It's quite unexpected to hear news about them here."

He recalled the intelligence he received when Kenner first returned, which mentioned that a bloodline wizarding family was investigating Nolan.

Although I paid some attention at the time, the war immediately disrupted my plans, and I lost interest in continuing the investigation.

"A storm is brewing!"

Ian calmed his mind, took out the blood essence he had just bought, and began to refine the blood essence using the "Bloodline Refining Technique".

Bloodline Refinement Technique Proficiency +1

Bloodline Refinement Technique Proficiency +1

Bloodline Refinement Technique: Proficient (308/400)

The proficiency level only increased by 2 points when the liquid in the vessel emitted a putrid smell.

Three sparkling blood essences, like blood diamonds, flew up from the vessel and were collected by Ian.

"That's really expensive!"

This witchcraft is as complex as advanced witchcraft, and it's also a major consumer of magic stones.

People from poor families and those with poor aptitude simply cannot master this witchcraft.

……

half a month later.

In the evening, Sterling suddenly summoned all the senior apprentices in the camp to the central stone tower.

This includes the newly arrived wizard Eleanor, Bronzebeard, Anvil, Scarface, and other remnants of the Violet army.

Excluding the two official wizards, the total number was eighteen, making them an extremely powerful force.

The atmosphere in the hall was somber, and the red cross representing Violet Highlands on the map on the wall was particularly eye-catching.

Sterling's fingers traced the area surrounding the "Forge" camp.

"I called you here to let you know some things."

Sterling's voice was steady, but it carried a chill.

"The Crimson Court's 'Blood Bat' and 'Shadow Assassin' factions are infiltrating the western part of the Scorching Canyon and have already made sporadic approach to our camp."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"The front lines can't take care of this area, so we need to solve it ourselves and clear out the spies in the surrounding area."

Ordinary reconnaissance teams are no longer able to detect any information from that area, and they don't even know if the Crimson Royal Court has already established a camp there.

He didn't say he would investigate personally, there must be an unspeakable reason.

Eleanor sat to one side, her empty sleeves hanging down.

"Although the apprentices I brought are remnants of a defeated army, they are still capable of fighting. Bronzebeard has repaired a ballista, so there are no problems with defense. Now is the perfect time to take the initiative to clean up."

The rune crossbow is extremely powerful, and if the timing of its use is well-timed, it can even pose a threat to formal wizards.

Copperbeard's voice was still booming: "One ballista has been repaired, but the energy core takes time to recharge, and it's not easy to move, so it can only be used for defense."

"Can we repair another one?" Sterling asked, glancing at Bronzebeard.

"We don't have enough materials, so there's nothing we can do for now."

Bronzebeard's answer disappointed Sterling, but there was nothing he could do; after all, this wasn't the Tower.

"I've decided to split into two elite teams, each led by two senior apprentices, to go to the western canyon to gather intelligence. Who's willing to go?"

The room was completely silent; no one spoke up.

Last time we encountered a complete "Blood Bat" squad, it almost caused the camp to collapse. Although reconnaissance is not a direct confrontation and the enemy numbers are not that many, what if it happens?

The Crimson Court's "Blood Bats" and "Shadow Assassins" are no ordinary opponents; they are the court's most elite reconnaissance units, filled with many highly skilled individuals.

If they were to encounter such a situation, it would be tantamount to having their names written on the death list in advance.

Sterling's cold gaze swept over the faces, some solemn, some evasive.

"Since no one is willing," Sterling's voice broke the silence, devoid of any emotion.

"To ensure fairness, let's decide by drawing lots. Hank, go and prepare the lot-drawing container."

A lottery?!

All the apprentices' expressions changed, and their breaths even stopped for a moment.

Ian's heart skipped a beat. He was a potion master and shouldn't be involved in the lottery, but it was hard to say.

He sighed inwardly, "It was supposed to be a logistics base, so why is there a risk of going to the battlefield?"

But this is the reality of war, constantly changing and ruthless, catching people off guard.