Chapter 53: A New Dark Cuisine

Noah moved swiftly as well. Before long, she returned with a large supply of raw materials and two or three other items for Mu Rongxun.

[Sorcerer’s Elixir: A rare potion crafted by a master.]
[Star Rating: Five Stars]
[Effect: Restores one point of mana or energy every ten minutes, lasting for twenty-four hours.]

[Moon Silver Pendant: A magical accessory made primarily from moon silver ore.]
[Quality: Excellent Intermediate]
[Passive: Increases energy limit by 100, energy recovery by 20%]
[Skill: Lunar Infusion – stores moonlight, which can be used when needed to restore 100 points of health or energy; moonlight accumulates over three days.]

[Sorcerer’s Heart: The ultimate treasure for any mage!]
[Quality: Rare Supreme]
[Passive: Increases energy limit by 200, reduces spellcasting time by 20%, decreases spell consumption by 10%!]
[Passive Skill One: Watcher’s Oblivion – creates a layer of five invisible shields that automatically trigger when attacked.]
[Passive Skill: Source of Magic – increases mana recovery speed by 50%.]
[Skill One: Sorcerer’s Destruction – expends half of current mana to unleash devastating damage.]

Two pieces of equipment and a bottle of super rare potion were placed before Mu Rongxun.
It was his second time seeing equipment of such a rare grade, and this was of the highest caliber. Unfortunately, it was designed for mages. For him, its greatest use was in restoring mana and increasing his maximum mana. As for the last skill, he hadn’t tried it yet, so its effectiveness remained uncertain.

Both pieces of equipment were marked as “temporary loan,” granting him only usage rights. But that was already more than enough.
After all, the primary benefit of mana restoration lay in one’s own maximum mana capacity. With his mana limit suddenly increased by three hundred, his base mana recovery reached 13.6 per hour. Factoring in the seventy percent boost, he gained an additional 9.5 points of recovery, totaling twenty-three. The potion added another six points per hour, allowing him to restore twenty-nine points per hour—enabling the production of far more potions than before.

With all this, not only did his recovery speed change, but more importantly, his energy limit had increased by three hundred, meaning Mu Rongxun now had three hundred points of energy at his disposal.

With his energy reserves full, he wasted no time and began crafting.
He had done this countless times, so everything felt effortless. Except for one mishap when multitasking led to a change in heat and he failed to respond quickly—resulting in a single failure—every other attempt succeeded outright.

This time, he didn’t craft three hundred potions in one go. That would have been too impressive; it was best to take breaks and proceed gradually.
So when Noah returned, he had only made one hundred bottles, which already left her quite satisfied.
After all, Mu Rongxun alone produced three hundred bottles, far surpassing others.
Besides, considering he had previously exhausted his mana, it was understandable that he was slowly recovering and making fewer potions at the moment.

Over the following days, Mu Rongxun would craft some potions at intervals, but most of the time, he focused on his own affairs.
Even so, with a nearly thirty-point per hour energy recovery rate, his original energy, and the extra three hundred points, he managed to produce over a thousand bottles in two days while still conserving his reserves.

Since Noah visited frequently, sometimes he’d ask her a few questions in passing. Little by little, the two became familiar with each other.

After five days of intense battle, the saints guarding other regions arrived to help. Facing the assembly of thirteen saints, they activated the royal city’s formation, severely wounding the Blood Emperor. The blood clan fled in panic, two of their great lords fell, and the rest escaped.

The saints, however, were exhausted from days of fighting and unable to pursue, so the conflict ended inconclusively.
With no masters left to command, turmoil in the city subsided. The remaining blood clan were hunted down, and survivors could only hide, unable to threaten anyone.

Instead, the undead army outside the city became the greatest problem.
After so many days of siege, the royal city suffered heavy losses, yet the number of undead remained alarmingly high. The defense task was daunting.

What was worse, as casualties mounted and more people were wounded, the defenders grew increasingly fatigued and their condition deteriorated.
If things continued this way, it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.

Black fire attacks worked well, but couldn’t solve the root problem, merely delaying the enemy’s advance.

Fortunately, at that critical moment, the Fire Knight stepped forward. Drawing upon the city’s protective formation, he cast an unprecedented spell, instantly incinerating the area surrounding the royal city. The city itself was shielded by the formation and unharmed, but everything outside was consumed by the earth-shattering magic.

Ordinary people had once lived outside the royal city.
However, the undead were highly infectious, and after so many days of siege, their numbers kept growing. It was clear how they appeared, so collateral casualties were not a concern.

Though the undead were wiped out in one stroke, the area around the royal city was left a barren wasteland—scorched earth, devoid of life. Given the spell’s overwhelming power, nothing would grow there for the next twenty or thirty years. And the matter was far from over.

With so many wounded and dead, there was much to deal with in the aftermath. This was why Mu Rongxun and the others remained even after the fighting ended.

The undead had been eliminated, but the wounded still needed treatment, and demand for potions remained high.

There were merits to earn, so Mu Rongxun certainly didn’t mind.

Moreover, in the process, he invented a new dish.

He had been truly astonished when he first saw it.

He just lacked the materials at the moment; otherwise, he would have made more to sell.

He stir-fried the heart of the blood clan, creating a dish called Hot-Fried Heart and Liver. To his surprise, it became a new recipe, crafted in harmony with his unique talent.

Previously, whenever his talent combined with anything he made, the effects varied.
If there was already a recipe, it was fine, but the results with other miscellaneous materials differed—even with the same type of ingredient, the outcome wasn’t always the same.

He hadn’t expected to be able to create a formula himself.

Such good fortune naturally delighted him, especially since he now possessed a brand-new dish.

[Dark Cuisine – Hot-Fried Heart and Liver: Freshly cooked blood clan heart, truly worth tasting]
[Star Rating: Four Stars]
[Effect for self: Boundless vitality, permanently increases health by 100 points, boosts health recovery by 1%]
[Effect for others: Boundless vitality, permanently increases health by 100 points, boosts health recovery by 1%, but causes mild bloodlust, requiring periodic consumption of blood.]