The two conversed over drinks.
It turned out that the man was a warrior from the neighboring Black Rock Village, named Carl.
He had recently gone through a bitter battle.
"What? You're saying Black Rock Village is finished?"
Hearing the man's account, Lynch was a bit surprised.
In the corner of the tavern, the air seemed to freeze a bit because of the man's words.
Lynch put down his glass, his brows furrowing slightly. "Are you saying Black Rock Village has already been breached by magical beasts?"
If that was true, the situation was terrible.
Black Rock Village was located to the northwest of Buena Village, acting as the first line of defense guarding the beast paths from the deep mountains. If it fell, Buena Village would be the next to face the brunt of the beast tide.
"It's not completely finished yet, but it's only a matter of time."
The adventurer named Carl gave a bitter smile, his scar-covered face revealing deep exhaustion. "The night before last, the first wave of the beast tide broke out without any warning. No, to be precise, it didn't look like a disorderly charge of wild beasts at all; it was more like... an army with a commander."
Carl's fingers gripped his glass tightly, his knuckles turning white:
"They know how to feint and flank. Our defense line was torn open with two gaps within half an hour. Although we desperately held them off, the village guard suffered heavy casualties. Over a dozen people are severely injured, and a few have been poisoned."
Speaking of this, Carl looked up, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at Lynch, as if grasping at the last straw:
"The healing medicine we brought was used up long ago. The priests in town charge too much, and the church's material allocation takes time... We can't afford to wait."
"Mr. Lynch, since you are the pharmacist here... do you have any extra hemostatic medicine and antidotes on hand?"
"As long as it works fast, even if the price is a bit high, we'll accept it!"
Looking at the tough man before him who was almost ready to kneel for his comrades, Lynch fell silent for a moment.
He was a pragmatist and didn't want to get involved in trouble, but he also knew that if he didn't lend a helping hand now, he would be the one out of luck once Black Rock Village was truly gone.
"I don't take advantage of others' misfortunes."
Lynch stood up, his tone steady. "Follow me. My house is right at the village entrance, and I just happened to make a new batch of medicine."
...
Ten minutes later, at Lynch's house.
Carl stood in the yard, watching Lynch bring out several large jars of medicinal powder from the storehouse.
It was a powder of an eerie deep purple color, emitting a pungent smell that made one's nose itch. This was the special medicine Lynch had ground from the mutated Buena Number One plant.
"Is this medicine usable?" Carl hesitated. As an experienced veteran, he had never seen purple hemostatic powder before.
"I can't say for sure about the exact effect, but it's roughly ten times that of ordinary medicinal powder," Lynch said casually. "And it comes with strong pain-relieving and detoxifying functions."
"T-ten times?!" Carl's eyes widened.
"I'll charge you ten silver coins per jar. This is the cost price, plus a little extra for my hard work."
Lynch quoted a price. This price was considered expensive for ordinary herbs, but if it truly had ten times the efficacy, it was practically a giveaway.
Without a second word, Carl emptied his money pouch, gathered enough coins, and handed them to Lynch.
"If this medicine really works, you are the benefactor of Black Rock Village!"
Carl hoisted the medicine jars onto his shoulder, his eyes full of gratitude. "I will remember this favor. If you ever run into trouble in the future, just mention the name of Carl the Skull-splitter!"
After seeing off the profusely thankful Carl, Lynch weighed the money pouch in his hand, feeling quite good.
Not only had he completed a business deal, but more importantly, if this batch of medicine could help Black Rock Village hold on, Buena Village could also enjoy a few more days of peace.
...
Night fell, and the cold wind howled.
The bedroom, however, was as warm as spring.
Felsy lay on the bed, her long silver hair spread out. Her mood tonight seemed a bit subtle; from the moment Lynch entered the room, her gaze had been following him faintly.
"Let's begin."
Lynch rubbed his hands together to warm them up and skillfully pressed onto her smooth back.
God-Level Massage Technique activated.
As the magic power penetrated from his fingertips, Felsy let out a comfortable soft hum, her tense muscles gradually relaxing.
"Husband."
Felsy suddenly spoke, her voice somewhat languid. "That adventurer today... why did you sell him such potent medicine? And at such a low price, too."
As a witch, although she had been in the room the whole time, she had heard the transaction in the yard loud and clear.
That mutated herb contained extremely overbearing laws of life; even in the Demon Realm, it would be considered a strategic material.
Lynch actually sold it so cheaply to a group of humans he didn't even know?
"It wasn't just selling; it was more like half-selling and half-giving it away," Lynch explained casually while massaging her shoulder blades.
"Why?" Felsy was puzzled. "For the sake of so-called... kindness?"
In her understanding, the law of the jungle was the rule of the world.
What did the life or death of Black Rock Village have to do with them?
"Kindness? Maybe a little bit. But it's mostly for our own sake."
Lynch smiled, increasing the strength in his hands a bit, and accurately kneaded away a knot next to her spine.
"Think about it. Black Rock Village is to our northwest, right between the deep mountains and Buena Village."
"If they hold the line, most of the magical beasts will be blocked over there. We'll only need to deal with a few stragglers, and we can continue living our lives comfortably."
"But if Black Rock Village falls, hundreds and thousands of magical beasts will drive straight in, rushing right to our doorstep. When that time comes, will we still be able to peacefully enjoy a massage in our room like we are now?"
Speaking of this, Lynch sighed:
"This is called 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'. Spending a little money and giving some medicine to have others help us withstand the pressure—this deal is very cost-effective."
Lying on her pillow, Felsy's eyes widened slightly.
If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold...
Having others help us withstand the pressure...
So that was it!
A gleam of strange light flashed in Felsy's eyes.
She originally thought Lynch was just purely soft-hearted, but she didn't expect this man's vision to be so far-reaching.
He treated Black Rock Village as a natural barrier, using just a few jars of medicine to exchange for a mercenary army that would fight to the death to guard his gates.
What an astute strategic layout!
What a ruthless method of rulership!
As expected of the man she had her eyes on; although he seemed mild on the surface, the wise and cunning blood of a Demon King flowed in his bones.
"So... that's how it is."
The corners of Felsy's mouth curled up into a proud arc. "Since it's for our peace... then you did the right thing."
"Right? I told you I'm good at managing our livelihood."
Lynch chuckled, unaware of what kind of far-sighted mastermind his wife had imagined him to be in her head.
He looked at the system panel.
That progress bar stuck at 0.99% finally jumped under tonight's massage offensive.
Ding!
Congratulations to the host!
Through your unremitting efforts and exquisite techniques, the bodily functions of the World-Destroying Witch have successfully recovered to 1% of her peak period!
[Her mana circuits have been initially connected, and the fire of life has been reignited. Now, she has evolved from a fragile glass doll who could be blown over by a breeze into an ordinary young girl who can at least jog a few steps!]
[Advancement Quest Completed!]
[Host's Tier Upgraded!]
[Current Tier: Tier 2 (Mana-Abundant Elite)]
[All Stats Increased by 20 percent! Maximum Mana Cap Doubled!]
Buzz—
A warm current instantly erupted from Lynch's heart, surging wildly through his limbs and bones.
Lynch felt as if his body had shattered some unseen shackle. His hearing grew incredibly sharp, to the point where even the faint sound of snowflakes touching the ground outside the window was clearly audible. The mana within his body had transformed from a trickling stream into a rushing river, surging endlessly.
Tier 2!
Lynch was ecstatic.
Although a Tier 2 individual was still a mere rookie in a world teeming with powerhouses, this was tangible, solid progress!
This meant he could cast Blood Shield more frequently and run much faster whenever he encountered danger.
"What's wrong?"
Sensing that Lynch's hands had suddenly stopped and his body temperature seemed to have risen significantly, Felsy turned her head in confusion.
"It's nothing. I just suddenly feel, well, full of energy!"
Looking at the breathtakingly beautiful face so close to his own, Lynch was in a fantastic mood.
"Felsy, to celebrate... ahem, to consolidate the healing effects, how about we extend our session by another half hour tonight?"
Felsy looked into his sparkling eyes. Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she did not refuse.
"...It is up to you."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
