"You don''t have to worry about these small details, my lord. This is the least I could do. We couldn''t fight and protect anyone, so we''ll leave that to you. We should all focus on our strengths — mine is construction, and Lyncon''s is management," Druger said, taking a swig of his booze.


    Rain chuckled. "I''m not sure about the fighting part, but I''ll do my best."


    Since fusing with Chi, Rain felt his body be lighter, and his skill with a bow, sword, and shield improved remarkably. It was as if some of Chi''s fighting prowess had been engraved into him.


    Rain discovered that Lords could copy their troops'' abilities andbat skills once they fused with them.


    The best part? It was permanent.


    Though he couldn''t im to be on Chi''s level, he could certainly fight better now. Fusing with troops could enhance hisbat abilities, although it would exhaust the troops involved.


    His and Chin''s [Synchronization] had already reached MAX, allowing him to fuse with Chin at any given time.


    Rain decided to use this fusion to train with Thorgar and General Varlox whenever they had time, aiming to further enhance his fighting skills.


    It was crucial for him to grow stronger and learn to protect himself so that nothing like what happened to Chin would happen again.


    "Chin . . ." Rain muttered, his voice heavy with regret. "If only I hadn''t asked them toe with me to defeat the Hobgoblin King. Chin might still be alive today."


    Druger sighed and ced aforting hand on Rain''s back. "My Lord, you did what any leader would have done to protect his people. Chin knew that too, which is why he sacrificed himself for your cause.


    "Your decisions, no matter how small or big, no matter the oue, you must never regret them, or it would be a disrespect to those who sacrificed their lives for your cause. What you can do right now, my lord, is to allow yourself to grieve."


    Rain shut his eyes and allowed the tears to fall for Chin, releasing the grief he''d held back in front of his army. The moment of solitude was his chance to mourn fully, away from the eyes of those who looked to him for strength.


    =======


    The next morning, Rain had much to do, directing everyone and overseeing the rebuilding of their town. But right now, he arrived with Hana at theb where the healers, alchemists, herbalists, and crafters gathered.


    "You wanted to tell me something?" Rain asked.


    The head alchemist, ndra, a dryad, nodded. Though she looked young, her age already spanned hundreds of years, just like Druger. She had been traveling back and forth from the maind to the wastnd and had only returned a few weeks ago.


    "It''s about the bug that carried the coughing disease," ndra said seriously.


    Rain and Hana''s faces turned grim, the air thick with tension as they recalled that harrowing day. They had truly believed it was their end, but thankfully, Hana had found the cure, and Pup had discovered the bug.


    ndra adjusted her sses and exined, "That bug is called a Necrovenom Beetle. It''s a potentially deadly insect that killed millions long ago until the Hanamori found a cure. They''re extremely lethal and were thought to be extinct."


    "Then how did one end up here?" Rain asked.


    ndra shook her head. "I don''t know. They''re mysterious creatures, capable of thriving in anynd and climate. Their venom can instantly cause death if the victim is even slightly weakened, especially in the barren wastnd where no nt life thrives to provide a cure."


    She then looked at Hana. "Fortunately, Hana is here. You should all be grateful to her, or you would all be dead right now. Her race has always been skilled healers for hundreds of years, though there are only a few of them left because their bodies––"


    "Ah. Lady ndra, what else do you know about this Necrovenom Beetle?" Hana interjected, ncing briefly at Rain worried that he might know her secret.


    ndra nodded and went to her experiments, showing Rain a vial of very ck liquid. "This is the venom of the Necrovenom Beetle."


    Everyone instinctively took a few steps back, the potent venom reminding them of the horror they had endured.


    "Don''t worry, we already have the cure — the Amaranthine Blossom — so we''re safe here," ndra exined.


    Everyone present didn''t let their guard down. Though they had the cure, the excruciating pain made them never want to touch that poison again.


    "Anyway, this venom is extremely rare and nothing like it can be found at the moment, at least as far as I know." She stared at Rain seriously. "You understand what I mean, right?"


    Rain nodded solemnly. "We could auction it for arge sum of Soul Elixirs."


    ". . ."


    ". . ."


    Hana sighed. "My lord, you''ll cause arge pandemic if that happens to fall into the wrong hands."


    "She''s right, you know," ndra seconded.


    Chi, on the other hand, defended Rain. ''What do you mean? Are you questioning my lord''s suggestion?''


    Continue reading at mvl


    Rain cleared his throat and retracted his words, hiding his embarrassment with a serious face. "I''m only joking. Of course, I know that."


    "Good," ndra continued. "What I''m suggesting is that we can recreate this venom and use it on our arrows and des, or even deploy it as a bioweapon against our enemies. We''ll also reproduce the antidote so we''re covered if we ever get hit.


    While Amaranthine Blossoms aren''t extremely rare, it might take days or even weeks for our enemies to find the cure — assuming they don''t have a Hanamori among them. By then, they''ll likely be decimated by the venom."


    "I see," Rain nodded and crossed his arms. "That''s a brilliant idea."


    ndra secretly smirked. Got you! This was her chance to develop something extraordinary, a potent, very extremely rare venom she had always wanted to reproduce no matter what.


    "I''m d you think it''s brilliant, my lord," ndra stated. "So that means you will give me funding of 100L for materials and 100L more of Soul Elixirs to start production, right?"


    Rain''s mouth fell open. "W-what? 200L Soul Elixirs?!"


    "Don''t be surprised, my lord," ndra said beaming. "We need to construct theb, buy materials and equipment, and hire alchemists to produce thousands of these little vials. Production will take time since we have to start from scratch."


    Rain pursed his lips. "T-that much . . ."


    "Yes, that much," ndra said firmly. "I don''t n to work in a haphazard environment. I intend to construct a full-blownb, my lord, for the betterment of my research—I mean, for the betterment of our town."


    "Augh . . ."


    Druger sighed at the side. "Ah. ndra might seem shady, my lord, but you can trust her. She cares not for your money and only wants to experiment on rare things like this."


    "S-still . . . 200L . . ." Rain wanted to cry.


    "My lord," ndra stared seriously at Rain and grabbed him by both shoulders. "Ab is crucial to a town. It''s here that we develop cures, potions, and new bioweapons that would greatly aid you in your conquest and protection of this town."


    ndra''s passion made Rain''s lips tighten into a thin line, but he could do nothing but give a nod.


    "J-just make sure you reproduce the venom and the cure."


    ndra twirled and sighed in bliss. "Leave everything to me, my lord! Ahahahaha!"


    I-is this really alright? Rain thought to himself as he watched ndra twirled and danced in happiness.


    "My Lord! Come quickly! Someone''s here to see you!"


    The urgent call signaled the beginning of a new chapter in Rain''s life.


    *


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    || A/N ||


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