The next morning, Ian made a point of finding Hank.

"Captain Hank, I remember you said there were Rock Armor Demon Bears near the Scorching Canyon?"

Hank was inspecting the surrounding wall. He turned at the sound of Ian’s voice. "There are. You can occasionally spot them in the ’Magma Rock Forest’ area south of the canyon.

"That thing has a tough hide, terrifying Power, and can even use simple Earth Witchcraft. Very few people hunt them. Are you interested in it?"

"I need its Essence Blood to concoct something." Ian didn’t specify what for.

"Blood from other Demonized Fierce Beasts would work too. Do you know anyone in the camp who might have some?"

Hank stroked the stubble on his chin. "Essence Blood... Aside from Magic Potion Alchemists like you and a few people who cultivate special kinds of Witchcraft, nobody really collects that stuff. However, the newcomer, Anvil, might know."

"Anvil?"

"He’s the Alchemist who came with Eleanor Wizard."

Hank turned and pointed to a newly built temporary Workshop on the east side of the camp.

"He specializes in creating and repairing Witchcraft Tools, so he often needs various materials from Demonized Fierce Beasts. The group of Apprentices under him, the ones from Ziluo, often form teams to go hunting for Contribution Points. You could go ask him."

After thanking him, Ian headed for the Workshop area. The air was filled with the mixed smells of burnt Metal and sulfur.

An exceptionally stocky, dark-skinned figure was swinging a Rune Iron Hammer, striking a metal component.

"Master Anvil." Ian waited for a pause in his work before stepping forward to greet him.

Anvil stopped what he was doing, wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked at Ian.

"A Magic Potion Alchemist? What is it?"

Ian explained his reason for being there.

"Essence Blood from a Rock Armor Demon Bear?" Anvil’s voice was deep and gruff.

"That stuff’s blood coagulates too fast, making it a pain to process. We usually just take the hide and claws."

Anvil paused for a moment. "However... a few days ago, ’Scarface’ and his group went out on reconnaissance and I think they injured one. I don’t know if they collected any. You should go ask him."

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

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

"Seeing as you’re from the High Tower and you seem like a decent person, I’ll give you a heads-up. After Ziluo fell... the traitors in the camp may not have all been rooted out yet. You should understand what I mean..."

After saying his piece, Anvil turned and began hammering again with his heavy mallet.

A chill went down Ian’s spine. "Thank you for telling me."

’Anvil said I’m a decent person because I didn’t just go through the motions when I was teaching the Magic Potion Alchemists from Ziluo. Word must have gotten back to him.’

’Traitors?’ Ian sighed inwardly. This was the same as Hank’s warning, telling him to be wary of the Wizards from the clans.

But it was something that couldn’t be completely stamped out. The Deep Red Royal Court had many evil forms of Witchcraft that used blood sacrifices to increase one’s Power. Many who had lost all hope of advancing couldn’t resist the temptation.

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

He had a hideous scar that slashed diagonally across his entire face, and his gaze was exceptionally fierce.

When he saw that Ian was a Magic Potion Alchemist willing to buy various types of Demonized Ferocious Beast Essence Blood and was paying with Potions, his attitude softened considerably.

"Essence Blood? I have some, but not much."

Scarface dragged a box out from under his bed. Inside were several jars of a viscous, dark-red liquid that gave off a strong, earthy smell.

"The bear fell into our trap and bled a lot. We only had time to collect this much."

Ian took a look. He could probably refine about three portions of Blood Essence from it.

After some haggling, Ian traded six Secondary Healing Potions for all the Essence Blood. The potions were worth about 15 Magic Stones.

Scarface was very satisfied. He hadn’t expected to be able to trade this "junk" for Magic Potions.

"Oh, by the way," Scarface said casually after putting the Potions away, the deal complete.

"Before, someone from some Osborne Clan also came looking to buy Essence Blood from me, but their attitude was terrible, and their offer was low."

"The Osborne Clan?"

"What does their family crest look like? Do you remember?" A thought struck Ian.

"It was a mountain rock pattern on their cuffs. I think it was a mountain rock, anyway. I didn’t really pay close attention," Scarface replied, thinking for a moment, not entirely sure.

On the way back, Ian mulled over what the others had told him.

’The Osborne Clan, heh! To think I’d hear about them here. What a surprise.’

He recalled the intelligence Kenna had brought back upon his return, which mentioned that a Bloodline Wizard Clan was investigating Nolan.

Although he had taken note of it at the time, the outbreak of the War had immediately disrupted his plans, and he hadn’t had the mind to pursue the matter further.

’A storm is brewing!’

Ian focused his mind, took out the newly purchased Essence Blood, and began refining it into Blood Essence using the Bloodline Purification Technique.

[Bloodline Purification Technique Skill Level +1]

[Bloodline Purification Technique Skill Level +1]

[Bloodline Purification Technique: Skilled (308/400)]

By the time the liquid in the vessel began to give off a putrid smell, his Skill Level had only increased by two points.

Three sparkling, diamond-like drops of Blood Essence flew out of the vessel and were collected by Ian.

’This is so expensive!’

This Witchcraft was as complex as a High Level Witchcraft, and it was a massive drain on Magic Stones.

Someone with a poor family background and little aptitude would never be able to master this technique.

...

「Half a month later.」

That evening, Sterling suddenly summoned all the High Level Apprentices in the camp to the Central Stone Tower.

This included the newcomer, Eleanor Wizard, as well as Copperbeard, Anvil, Scarface, and other members of the Ziluo Remnant.

Excluding the two Official Wizards, there were eighteen people in total, which constituted a formidable force.

The atmosphere in the hall was heavy. On a map hanging on the wall, the red X marking the Ziluo Plateau was particularly conspicuous.

Sterling’s finger traced the area around the Furnace camp.

"I’ve called you here to update you on the situation."

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

"The Deep Red Royal Court’s ’Blood Bat’ and ’Shadow Stab’ divisions are infiltrating the area west of the Scorching Canyon. Some have already been spotted sporadically near our camp."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"The front lines can’t spare any attention for us, so we need to solve this ourselves and clear out the surrounding scouts.

"Our regular scout teams can no longer gather intelligence from that area. We don’t even know if the Deep Red Royal Court has already established a camp there."

He didn’t say he would investigate personally, which meant there was surely some reason he couldn’t mention.

Eleanor Wizard sat to the side, her empty sleeve hanging limply.

"My Apprentices may be the remnants of a defeated army, but they still have the strength to fight. Copperbeard has repaired a Crossbow Cannon, so our defenses are sound. Now is the perfect time to proactively sweep the area."

A Rune Crossbow Cannon was extremely powerful. If timed correctly, it could even pose a threat to an Official Wizard.

Copperbeard’s voice was as booming as ever. "We’ve repaired one Crossbow Cannon, but the Energy Core takes Time to charge. It’s also not mobile, so it can only be used for defense."

"Can you repair another one?" Sterling looked at Copperbeard.

"Not enough materials. There’s nothing I can do for now."

Copperbeard’s answer disappointed Sterling, but there was nothing to be done. This wasn’t the High Tower, after all.

"I’ve decided. We will form two elite teams, each led by two High Level Apprentices, to go scout the western canyon for intelligence. Who is willing to go?"

The room fell silent. No one volunteered.

The last encounter with a full Blood Bat squad had nearly routed the entire camp. While reconnaissance wasn’t a fight to the death and the enemy numbers wouldn’t be as large, there was always the ’what if’.

The Deep Red Royal Court’s Blood Bat and Shadow Stab divisions were no ordinary opponents. They were the Royal Court’s most elite reconnaissance units, filled with masters.

Running into them would be practically a death sentence.

Sterling’s icy gaze swept over the faces before him, some solemn, others evasive.

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

"To be fair, we’ll decide by drawing lots. Hank, go prepare the lots."

Drawing lots?!

The faces of all the Apprentices changed, their breath catching in their throats.

Ian’s heart skipped a beat. ’I’m a Magic Potion Alchemist, so I probably won’t have to draw lots... but you never know.’

He sighed inwardly. ’This was supposed to be a logistics base. Why is there a risk of being sent to the battlefield?’

But this was real War—merciless and ever-changing, always catching people off guard.