One week later, in the dining hall of the Lord’s Mansion, a long table was covered with a pristine white linen tablecloth.

Flickering candlelight made the fall-off-the-bone beef ribs look even more enticing. On silver platters sat honey-drizzled muffins and cheese, and the air was filled with the scents of wine, meat, and burning pine.

Everyone had arrived except for Velin.

"BURP!"

Ola Stonebeard stuffed a large piece of roasted meat into his mouth, gulped down a big mouthful of ale, and let out a rude belch. His reddish-brown beard was smeared with grease.

"Ha! I finally figured it out."

His booming voice echoed through the dining hall, successfully drawing everyone’s attention.

"Trying to stab those little things’ horns from the front is completely useless! The bastards’ Scale Armor is hard and slick!" he exclaimed, waving a beef bone excitedly and sending spit flying.

"But! If you have the swarm attack from the side, burrowing in at a tricky angle, you can pry open the gaps in their Scale Armor like opening a can and stab right into their soft flesh!"

He glanced around smugly, his eyes sweeping over everyone’s faces as if expecting applause.

"That girl, Sarah, is a good listener. She follows my orders to the letter. I tell her to go east, and the swarm never goes west."

Ola’s tone was filled with the pride of a man who had tamed a wild beast. "The two of us are the best partners now."

He believed he had completed the most crucial part. Without his Warrior’s intuition and Sarah’s swarm, this battle would be impossible to fight.

He was sure he’d found the key to victory, and he waited, expecting everyone to look at him with amazement or admiration.

However, the only response was the sound of Ryo nervously clearing his throat.

"Hey! Little Mage." Ola pointed at him with the beef bone. "What about you? This past week, have you cooked up anything useful besides meditating?"

Ryo flinched at being called out. He put down his knife and fork and began to speak, a little nervously.

"I... I followed Lord Velin’s suggestion and turned that specific sound frequency into a weapon."

"A weapon?" Ola’s brows furrowed, his tone dripping with skepticism. "With that little sound trick of yours?"

Ryo didn’t argue. From under his robes, he pulled out two metallic objects, each about half a foot long.

The objects looked like tuning forks, but their surfaces were covered in complex inscriptions that shimmered faintly in the candlelight.

"This is the Annihilation Tuning Fork. I’ve made two of them." Ryo’s voice gradually steadied. Speaking about his area of expertise, he regained some of his confidence. "Once activated, it uses the air as a medium to release a high-frequency sound wave within a ten-meter radius, enough to throw an adult giant crocodile into a state of temporary confusion."

Valerius leaned forward, stroking his beard, and regarded the creation with considerable appreciation.

"Oh, what a brilliant concept! To solidify a silent sound wave into a controllable magical item. Ryo, your understanding of aetheric conversion has already surpassed that of many so-called ’official Mages’."

Ryo’s face turned slightly red.

"It... it’s nothing."

Ola froze, staring at the two tuning forks and muttering something under his breath.

"A ten-meter range... Sounds like it could be useful." He pursed his lips, then took another swig of wine, trying to hide his surprise.

But he knew in his heart that being able to create a ten-meter-radius control zone on the battlefield was of immeasurable value.

"The Golden Sail Commerce Association spent a great deal of Golden Suns on those two little gadgets," Caroline added without looking up, leisurely slicing the roasted meat on her plate.

Ola realized that his own contribution might not be so unique after all.

"Hmph, wars are ultimately won with blades and axes!" Ola insisted sullenly. "Flashy things might be good for a scare, but they can’t kill a crocodile!"

He turned to Valerius. "Old man, what about you? Besides helping this kid make toys, you must have done something useful, right? And what’s the deal with Lord Velin?"

At the mention of Velin, the atmosphere in the dining hall changed subtly.

Valerius set down his wine glass, his graying eyebrows knitted together tightly.

"Velin... I don’t know how to describe it." The old alchemist’s voice held a trace of bewilderment.

"I went in to help him twice. In that isolation chamber, there was no alchemy bench, no experimental glassware—only soil and rows upon rows of culture dishes."

"He asked for the Entwining Vine seeds, which I can understand. But he also took the Original Blood Crystal, the Necromancy Potion, and some other materials whose purpose I couldn’t discern."

Valerius’s voice was very low.

"This isn’t Alchemy. Perhaps it’s his bloodline talent? In any case... I don’t quite understand it..."

In the end, he couldn’t find a definitive answer.

Everyone fell silent. Only the occasional CRACKLE of the candles could be heard.

The empty seat at the head of the table seemed particularly conspicuous now.

The silence made Ola uncomfortable. He turned his gaze to the ever-elegant Caroline and spoke in a gruff voice, "Silver-haired rich lady, you think just providing the money is enough? Don’t tell me I’ll be busy cracking crocodile heads while your people are too scared to even show up."

Caroline put down her knife and fork, dabbed her lips with a napkin, and shot him a mocking glance with her turquoise eyes.

"Crack their heads? With that axe of yours that’s only good for trimming a Gray Swamp Giant Crocodile’s claws?"

"You!" Ola’s face flushed red in an instant, his beard practically bristling. "My battle-axe is..."

"A decent, non-magical weapon," Caroline cut him off. "It’s good enough for cutting flesh and blood, but against a creature with the bloodline of a Titan Earth Dragon, chopping is far less effective than bludgeoning. Were you planning to see whose is harder, your axe blade or its bones? You brute."

"You..." Ola was choked speechless. He really hadn’t considered that problem.

"Your new equipment will let you last at least thirty breaths longer against the giant crocodile."

"As for a weapon, I’ve prepared one for you as well. A warhammer enchanted with Runes of ’Armor-Shattering’ and ’Heavy Weight’ will be delivered to you tomorrow."

At this, her almond eyes widened slightly. "It’s a loan, mind you, a loan! Don’t you dare break it. That thing is more expensive than your Baron’s Mansion!" Ola’s mouth opened, then closed again.

He snatched up his wine cup and took a large gulp, letting out a sullen grunt, which served as his acceptance of the life-saving gift.

Caroline paid him no more mind. She stood up, the sharp click of her high heels echoing on the floor.

She walked to the window, her graceful figure silhouetted by the moonlight. Her long, silver hair flowed like liquid moonbeams.

"The Golden Sail Commerce Association’s goods are all in place," Caroline said, swirling the red wine in her glass. Her gaze drifted out the window toward the mountain cliff where the Origin Association was located.

"But my ’wise’ partner, it seems, has yet to prepare his ’grand gift’."

Her tone was mocking, but it held more concern than even she herself realized.

Just then, the dining hall door was pushed open.

Velin walked in. He looked somewhat weary, his face a little pale, but his wine-red eyes were astonishingly bright.

He swept his gaze over the people at the table, a smile touching the corners of his lips.

"It seems I’ve missed dinner."

He also walked to the window, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Caroline, his back to the glass. His voice was firm.

"But no matter. We’ll soon be able to go to the Gray Sea Marsh and feast on the freshest roasted crocodile."