Chapter 204A- A surprise (Patreon)

A Surprise

Chu woke up and remained staring at the wooden boards above his head. Last night he faced a serious setback which nearly cost him the opportunity to become a Sersen. Luckily, he used the skills learned from the Tower to create a hastily drawn talisman.

Rising from the bed, he rolled the sleeves from his silken robe to display a sharp tattoo. The head of a Bitzer appeared in the middle, with its single staring eye. He ended up using a Tower Talisman but the effect proved worth it. Stretching his stiff muscles, a faint crackling emitted from his now sculpted body.

It didn't take long for Chu to dress in his chainmail armor and amble down to the workshop for breakfast. Trudging across the banks of snow, his sparkling steel armor glinted in the winter sun. The cold seemed to avoid his strengthened body which blasted out puffs of heat.

Entering the workshop, the first greeting was the boisterous conversations around the filled tables. The loud ruckus proved understandable, considering he now had an entire farm of more than thirty or so Sersens. The remainder of the lifestones had been carded to be brewed into potions to assist his magical development.

"Chu, you're here! Come see this!"

Ming shouted from across the center table. The teen raised his hand into the air while opening and closing his fingers. A crackling sound followed by the visible blue sparks of static electricity arched and dissipated into a ball. With a huff, Ming punched the air above, causing a ball of electricity to shoot out as if launched from a slingshot.

Boom!

The rafter shook as the wooden shingles blasted outwards, leaving a hole edged with a smoldering fire.

"Amazing! You really are a genius, aren't you Ming."

Miki replied while drinking a warm mug of water. Sparks generated within her eyes as she teleported from standing beside the table to the kettle at the far end of the kitchen. Pouring a cup of warm water, she reappeared at her initial position. The speed, however, caused the water to spill from the cup.

"Careful!"

Chu remarked. The words had barely left his mouth when he teleported next to her and waved his hand. A sweeping arc of electricity passed before his hand, evaporating the spilled water. Not a drop remained to land on his open palm. Only the rising vapors could be seen as proof of the previous scene.

"I know we are all keen to display our powers but we must keep it in check. It's only been one day so I am certain there will be more skills and abilities to unlock. While the others on the farm concentrate on improving their skills, we must also make time to enhance our magical abilities. Dyna, how is it?"

His eyes switched to the fiery redhead sitting at the end of the table.

"I have mastered the fireball spell. Last night I practiced casting the spell. I am able to hurl ten fireballs one after the other. They also explode in a circle of twenty feet in diameter. The distance is limited to half the range of a crossbow so I want to work on that."

The little girl replied while devouring a plate of warm stew.

"Good. By the end of the week, we should all harness our powers on the farm. Our goal is to take the Empire by storm. With a house of this many Sersens, few would dare to openly challenge us. This would make our merchant company expand faster."

"Will we be continuing our merchant plans?"

Lucy asked. Her position as the lone Sersen had been undermined but she held no grouse in receiving so many counterparts. Chu had fought with her to a draw using their skills which only made her even more impressed.

"Yes, our plans will continue. Now that we have power, there is no need to place ourselves in danger as adventurers. It's time to cash in on our success and concentrate on amassing a fortune."

***

At the end of the summer, Chu built three large warehouses. One handled the exclusive production of magnifying glasses with workers grinding and sanding the clear quartz crystal. Another warehouse dealt with the production of simple telescopes for use by scouts and the Military. The last and biggest, however, housed his printing division.

"Boss, we have received orders from the Tower to print a thousand books for interested adventurers. The Churches Union just placed another order for the leaflets you suggested. They want as many as we can provide, some with letters only to help educate the illiterate."

Old Hodge reported.

"As expected, the Church has seen the value of having a literate population. Send word out to Karst. We require illustrators, people who can draw pictures well. Drawings are a great way to harness our printing capabilities. Before the year is over, have Ming journey to Karst and buy a few more slaves. We will expand our printery to three buildings come winter."

Chu ordered. His merchant plan dealt with providing services for gold. The products he sold were in such a high demand that he had buyers practically lining up outside his farm. Of course, his fame also attracted a host of undesirables as well.

Dyna and Ming joined him, both of them covered in blood.

"We found another party of bandits seeking to waylay our caravans to Karst. They proved even more useless as the others. Dyna blasted half of them away with her fireball while I mopped up the rest."

"Hmm... They have been increasing their activity around the road. Lucy and Miki are out escorting Pick to the Capital with our products to increase our market. Have Toll increase his patrolling range around the farm. Escort any merchants who purchase wares from us to Karst. They can hire mercenaries out there to protect them the rest of the way."

Chu replied to Ming. Although it was open knowledge that all the residents of this farm were Sersen, Chu didn't want to stretch his defensive power. He narrowed his eyes as if remembering something.

"Don't forget to charge them a protection fee..."

****

Short chapter. Nice, sweet and to the point. Chu has finally achieved the task of becoming a Sersen. After 200+ chapters, he now wields power. How far will his overpowered skills take him? A long overdue April 1st Chapter. Sorry for the late publication.