Chapter 173 Discipline
AI Model: gemini-2.5-flash
Although Harris was still a bit worried, since the magic fluctuations of the tears of starlight had been shielded, the Abyss Sect probably wouldn't find them so easily.
"Where did this Silver Alchemy box come from? Silver Alchemy is a rare item that's hard to come by."
"Is it?" He guessed that this special material, capable of shielding magic fluctuations, wouldn't be cheap, but he hadn't expected it to be so precious.
"Lady Elicis gave it to me."
"Heh, you're quite lucky. Since Lady Elicis gave you such a precious item, she must have guessed that you've gotten yourself into quite a bit of trouble."
"Isn't that what friends are for—to help each other?"
Harris's eyes widened in disbelief. "You became friends with Lady Elicis?!"
Roger shrugged, his tone natural. "What's so surprising about that? She probably thought I was a good person, and I thought she wasn't pretentious, so we just got to know each other, and after a few interactions, we became friends."
Harris scrutinized Roger, as if seeing him for the first time.
"That's Lady Elicis… the First Court Diviner, and you just… became friends with her so easily?"
He paused, his voice tinged with incredulity. "Your knack for making friends sometimes truly baffles me."
Roger smiled, offering no further explanation.
"Has anything special happened in the territory recently?"
Harris shook his head. "Nothing special, just that Simon City sent a batch of fruit wine a few days ago. Are you planning to acquire spirits from other places to brew liquor?"
"Yes, it's such a profitable business."
Fruit wine and mead acquired from other places would cost at most 30 crystal coins a barrel.
With a cost of less than a hundred crystal coins, they could brew a catty of dragon breath flame that sells for 900 crystal coins.
It was simply pure exorbitant profit.
"This business is indeed profitable." Harris nodded in agreement, then earnestly reminded him. "However, as the reputation of dragon breath flame grows, it's hard to guarantee that no one will get jealous."
"Don't worry, outsiders won't know our true profits. They'll just consider this a product of Silver Alchemy."
And Silver Alchemy, in the eyes of the public, has always been a money-burning endeavor with no stable output.
Who would have thought they could make big money from it?
"That's a good way to cover it up. However, the intelligence networks of those large merchant guilds and nobles should not be underestimated. Over time, it probably won't remain a secret."
Roger pointed to the birdcage on the table. "With this Lie-Eating Warbler, the safety inside and outside the territory is somewhat guaranteed. Even if the technology truly leaks someday, we will have already accumulated enough capital and strength."
"Besides, wine isn't the only technology that can make money."
Recalling the tobacco seedlings he had dug up, he called a servant and instructed him to plant them in the backyard.
Harris looked at the unremarkable green plants, puzzled. "Is this the 'tobacco' you were looking for before? What's it for? Can it also make money like wine?"
"Of course. It can bring people a unique sense of relaxation and pleasure, just like wine; it's an addictive thing. In my hometown, there's even a saying, 'smoke and alcohol are inseparable.'"
For those tense nobles, scholars who need a pick-me-up, or wealthy individuals simply seeking pleasure, this would be an irresistible form of recreation.
"Moreover, once this thing becomes popular…" Roger took out a lighter and flicked it on. "This 'lighter' will also sell like hotcakes."
This lighter, unlike a fountain pen, couldn't be easily imitated by simply disassembling it.
The body could be easily imitated, but the special kerosene was not so easy to formulate.
"And this isn't just selling a product; it's creating a lifestyle. From the cultivation and processing of tobacco to the Supporting facilities pipes, cigarette cases, lighters, and even later maintenance tools, a complete industrial chain can be derived."
Harris listened, dumbfounded. He had originally thought it was just a new product similar to a spice, but he hadn't expected it to be the construction of a complete, interconnected system from production to consumption.
"I think you're a born businessman—no, a business magnate."
Harris exclaimed sincerely; he seemed to already see crystal coins flowing into the territory like a river.
"How on earth is your brain wired?"
Roger couldn't help but want to brag a little, but his gaze caught the Lie-Eating Warbler quietly sitting in its cage, and the words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back.
If he exaggerated even a little, he would probably be exposed by the little bird on the spot, and that scene would be too awkward.
He muttered to himself, no wonder this Lie-Eating Warbler was only popular for a while in history.
With it around, even bragging had to be done carefully, which was indeed quite a buzzkill.
"These are all outdated things from my hometown. I'm just borrowing from others."
"Your hometown truly is a magical place."
Harris sighed with genuine emotion.
As they spoke, the fed mages were led into the hall by Old John.
"Gentlemen, I need to register everyone first. Please state your name, the magic you specialize in, and most importantly, whether you came to my territory voluntarily and not under duress."
The ten individuals successively reported their names and the magic they specialized in. The Lie-Eating Warbler remained quietly in its cage until the last mage confirmed that he had come voluntarily, and the little bird did not issue any warnings.
It seemed this batch of mages had a "clean" background. Shakri hadn't tampered with anything.
Perhaps, as he had previously guessed, even if Shakri had a large organization behind him, he wouldn't casually use precious resources like mages as spies.
"Gentlemen, from today onwards, you are members of the Eyes of the Stars."
"The first rule of the Eyes of the Stars is that all members must unconditionally share their research findings for common study among organization members. I presume you agreed to this condition when you were recruited, otherwise you wouldn't be here."
The ten mages nodded one after another.
The person who recruited them had indeed explicitly mentioned this condition, and they had all agreed to it before coming.
For mages, publicly sharing their research findings was tantamount to handing over their life's work, almost taking their lives.
But they were already so impoverished that they were on the verge of starvation.
Once expelled by the Magic Association, they were branded as "traitors" and "heretics," making it almost impossible to engage in any respectable work, and even making a living became a problem.
In the face of survival, their so-called "life's work" seemed so pale and powerless.
Between survival and dignity, they chose to compromise.
Roger provided not only a place of refuge and a stable supply of resources but also gave them an opportunity to continue their magical research.
For these desperate individuals, this was an almost irresistible temptation.
"Second." Roger's voice deepened, his gaze sharply scanning each person. "Loyalty, absolute loyalty. The Eyes of the Stars will not expel you for your research content, but it will impose the severest punishment for betrayal."
"You have gained shelter, resources, and a chance to start anew. I do not wish to see anyone treat this place as a temporary stepping stone, or… leak the research findings of the Eyes of the Stars to the outside world, especially to the Magic Association, or any other force."
His tone turned cold.
"Once an act of betrayal is discovered, for whatever reason, no matter how far you flee, the Eyes of the Stars will pursue it to the end. At that point, death will be a luxury."