Heimarian Odyssey

Chapter 257: Botanian Essence

The Three Western Isles had gathered an army of around 10,000 Magisters and 100,000 Ritters above level one. There were tens of billions that inhabited the three continents, so the population of strong lifeforms that stemmed from it was a great feat. Or at least, in comparison to the low-rank planes, the amount of level-one lifeforms from the Three Western Isles was greatly above average. They even had level-four lifeforms too.

Centauria, where an invasion was currently progressing, was also a low-rank plane. However, it only had two level-four lifeforms, which happened to be the two Centaurian gods.

Airships would depart the Sanctum tomorrow, bringing more than 1000 Magisters above level one and near 10,000 high-rank Lehrlings to the spatial fortress as scheduled. The airship was a product of alchemy that possessed better structural stability and battle potential than the floating ships. Yet, its production and fuel were incredibly expensive. The Sanctum rarely dispatched large transport vessels as such apart from important events like the planar war.

Once Molly was done with the last two slaves, Locke took in the unfamiliar sight of an empty transfer zone with a sigh. Slaves that filled the warehouse to its brim had all been carried away by a relentless flow of floating ships within a month. Though new slaves were quickly brought in again, Locke had nothing to do with them anymore since they were replenishments for the latter half of the war. Both Locke and Angelina would leave the Sanctum on an airship tomorrow afternoon.

“Which battlezone are you assigned to, Locke?” Molly wiped away beads of sweat that dotted her forehead. Strengthening soul imprints on the slaves was a difficult task, or else she wouldn’t have gotten the job with so many high-rank Lehrlings here.

“Battlezone 17.” Locke grinned, revealing a row of pearly whites.

The Sanctum and the Hall of Knights had devised 50 battle zones for the planar war; 20 belonged to the Sanctum while 30 belonged to the Hall of Knights. Based on the allocation, it was evident that the knights would hold a pivotal role.

“Ah, I see. Good for you.” Molly was envious. She was assigned to battlezone 9; the closer to the frontlines, the higher the danger.

Locke offered a smile, not daring to say anything else. The arrangement was courtesy of Angelina and Locke’s association with the Sanctum. Since Angelina was a gifted Lehrling, she was naturally valued by Grandmeisterin Carla. Plus, Grandmeisterin Parlina had thought of her as a grandchild. The protection of two level-one Magisters had made it simple to fetch her a low-risk placement. No one dared to comment on it since Carla and Parlina would be fighting from the 17th zone with their Lehrlings as well. Locke was able to receive the same treatment as the Faustian princess had sought her mentor’s assistance. On the other hand, Carla too had heard plenty of good things about him from Ashar so she figured that it wouldn’t hurt to help him out too.

“May luck be with you.” Molly lightly tapped his chest armour and waved him farewell.

After today, their presence was no longer needed at the wartime transfer zone and new Lehrlings would soon replace them. It was time for them to return to their rooms for some rest in anticipation of the incoming war.

“You too!” Locke smiled. Molly’s capabilities were superior to his. While they were of the same rank, Lehrlings were capable of more destruction than Knechts since they could cast spells and manifest tough barriers, which was the main explanation behind the huge gap between casters and knights. In addition, Molly’s potential was greater than her high-rank Lehrling peers so it hadn’t been difficult for Locke to admit his inferiority. He had only been a high-rank Knecht for about a year, and it was already impressive that he could improve himself to be above average among his peers. Currently, he was almost as strong as the group of spellbane knights he met in Princeton.

On the eve of their departure, Locke ran a meticulous check on his possessions. He owned a huge variety of potions; some were for stamina recovery, some were to mitigate physical damage while some gave a temporary power boost. The potions commissioned from the alchemy shop had been received in good condition too. They were indeed splendid. The blood of the level-one lifeform had been used to make some of the highest quality potions Locke had ever encountered. The speedy dragon potion could increase one’s speed and agility by threefolds for half an hour while the iron body potion could increase his resistances by twofold permanently. Despite the permanence promised by the latter, Locke had decided to use it only when his capabilities plateaued.

Apart from potions, he owned a huge bunch of magic items as well, most of it being magic scrolls. With the ten high-rank magic scrolls he had, Locke was guaranteed to become a pseudo caster capable of mass destruction. This was where the major bulk of his wealth had gone to; these scrolls had almost exhausted six months worth of his savings. When used well, the sheer concentration of elemental essence should be sufficient enough to destroy more than 10,000 enemies. Locke already had a head start in his kill count of more than hundreds during his five years of military service.

Most low and mid-rank fire spell scrolls in his ring were practice creations by Angelina. The wind-element scrolls, on the other hand, were purchased by Locke. No one would’ve thought that a Knecht could enjoy such treatment at the Sanctum but Locke was actually quite popular among the mid and low-rank Lehrlings; almost a quarter of the student body had heard of his name once.

The rest were magic equipment meant for daily necessities. He had learnt plenty about survival from his extensive participation in foreign battles and the same knowledge could be applied for survival on foreign planes.

All Locke knew about Botania was limited to information released by the Sanctum. Botania was a relatively minor plane of impressive completion with no level-four lifeforms on it. Its natives were docile plant-like creatures that stood at 1.6 metres to 2 metres tall on average and loved to absorb sunlight. That being said, perhaps its passiveness was the driving factor behind the involvement of knights and casters below level one. The botanian essence it produced made for an important resource to Zauberia; it could elevate element compatibility among the casters while aiding in the repair of internal damages sustained by the knights. The life-lengthening essence was highly desired by everyone.josei