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Chapter 204: My Eldest Grandson's First Magical Beast Kill
🕑 Added 2024-09-17 05:19:09 +0000 UTC"Property tax should be set at 1% annually, and commercial income tax doesn't need to be too harsh; a 10% rate will suffice," Rhett said without hesitation.
In the southwestern border city of Twilight City, property tax was also set at 1%, but commercial income tax reached as high as 15%.
The tax rates Rhett established for Dark Eagle City were slightly lower, but tax rates could be adjusted in the future. In the early stages of Dark Eagle City's development, a low tax rate was a necessary measure to attract foreign investment.
After discussing a few more details, Riley, holding his notebook, descended the stairs deep in thought.
Riley was the chief administrator of Dark Eagle City. Since the city’s establishment and initial progress, he no longer needed to travel for trade as much. His main focus now was perfecting the city’s business environment, a task requiring his full attention.
Rhett had full confidence in Riley.
After Riley left, Rhett returned to his room and spent some time admiring the sky outside his window.
With some free time on his hands, he continued writing Coiling Dragon for a while, eventually settling onto his bed for meditation.
Half a month later.
Morning.
In the first-floor hall of Dark Rock Fortress, Rhett had just come downstairs and was seated at the dining table, ready to enjoy breakfast.
He glanced around at the empty chairs, which contrasted sharply with the lavish breakfast spread, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "It’s quite empty today. It’s understandable that Thales isn’t here, but where is Riley? Only Tucker and Vanessa are here?"
At the long dining table, only Tucker and Vanessa sat to Rhett's left. After Rhett took his seat, Tucker slapped his forehead and said regretfully:
"Oh no, I forgot! Father, Riley asked me to tell you yesterday that he’s reached a critical point in his alchemy research and will be staying at the Alchemy Tower for two days. Clina has also gone with him."
Vanessa, dressed in a loose green robe, shot him a glance. "Oh, Tucker, when will you stop being so careless? I really hope our children won’t inherit this trait..."
Rhett smiled softly without saying a word and took a sip of hot milk.
After breakfast, Rhett mounted Firegrip, feeling the biting cold wind as he made his way to the Alchemy Tower.
He first visited the magic plant cultivation field.
The Frost Pine had grown to over ten meters tall, with oval-shaped leaves that emitted a faint glow in the winter, their white veins intricate and complex. The pale blue trunk was thick and sturdy, though many branches showed signs of being cut off—materials used by the Ranger Squad to craft apprentice longbows.
Now that it was over five years old, the Frost Pine’s tough yet flexible wood made it ideal for crafting bows to suit the strength of a Tier 1 knight.
Another type of tree, the low-grade magic plant known as the Rock Iron Tree, had grown for half a year. With the blessing of the Sand Spirit, it had effectively aged over a year, and its trunk was now as thick as a human calf, with fine branches sprouting from it.
Other water-based magic plants had also been blessed by the Snow Spirit, Nina. Over the past three years, the effects of this blessing had become starkly evident, with growth rates accelerating to about 2.3 times their normal speed, as Rhett meticulously observed.
In the central pool, the Frost Sunflower buds were preparing to bloom. By next year, they would produce another round of ice crystal seeds.
Everything pointed to a bright future!
After a brief inspection, Rhett left the cultivation field, satisfied.
At the Alchemy Tower.
As Rhett climbed the stairs to the second floor, a light screen suddenly appeared before him.
[Family member advances in secondary profession, Destiny Points +5]
Hmm? Rhett paused briefly, a slight smile tugging at his lips, then continued upstairs.
Knock, knock, knock.
He knocked on Henk's door.
Henk opened the door and, upon seeing Rhett, greeted him eagerly, "Good morning, my lord! You’ve come at just the right time. Riley has just finished brewing a low-grade poison and hasn't had a chance to test it yet."
Rhett stepped inside, smiling in surprise. "Really? That’s lucky!"
Henk quickly shook his head.
"It’s not luck, my lord. Young Master Riley is very intelligent and has a natural talent for alchemy. With his accumulated knowledge and persistent effort over these past few days, it’s no surprise he’s achieved this."
He continued walking as he spoke. "If this potion passes the test, Young Master Riley will officially be an alchemist from now on!"
"It’s all thanks to this alchemy manual. It’s given me so much inspiration," Riley said, stretching—a habit he had picked up from his father—before adding with a smile, "Father always said that standing on the shoulders of giants allows you to see farther!"
Henk's eyes lit up. "Standing on the shoulders of giants… to see farther?! That’s brilliant—worthy of the lord!"
Cough, cough. "Alright, let’s test this potion. I can’t wait to see the results!" Rhett pretended to be excited, a glint of anticipation in his eyes.
"No problem!" Henk walked over to Riley, watching as Riley carefully poured the liquid from the crucible into a vial using a funnel-like container. Henk leaned in for a sniff and commented, "The color and smell are consistent. Now all that’s left is to test its actual effects!"
Henk took the vial and led the two into an adjacent room.
There, a weary Firemane Dog lay on its side, its body covered in wounds and blood. Its condition was dire, clearly serving as a test subject.
This Firemane Dog was only at Tier 1, making it ideal for testing the poison.
Henk stepped forward, ready to pour the potion onto the beast’s wounds, but Rhett stopped him.
"Wait, Henk!" Rhett's eyes gleamed with an inexplicable light.
"Hmm?" Henk turned, puzzled. "Is there something else, my lord?"
"Hold off on the test for now. I need to step out briefly, and we’ll continue when I return."
Though unsure why the lord was making this request, Henk nodded without hesitation. "No problem. We’ll wait for you here."
As Rhett left the Alchemy Tower, he thought to himself: "Three years ago, I took my three sons hunting in the Dark Veined Hawk Branch. Back when Thales was still an ordinary person, he killed magical beasts with spears or by throwing rocks, using external tools. We counted those kills as his own, and they earned Destiny Points. So, poisoning a beast to death should count as well.
So, could I have three-year-old Dick pour the poison onto a severely injured, restrained magical beast?"
After considering the plan’s feasibility for a moment, Rhett saw no issue.
His eldest grandson, Dick, had inherited Tucker’s strong physique. Now he spent his days playing with toys in his room or running around wildly. Handling a poison vial shouldn’t be a problem.
The only challenge would be ensuring that Dick poured the poison in the right spot.
For a three-year-old just starting to develop cognitive skills, understanding such instructions wouldn’t be easy and would require repeated guidance.
But no matter what, it had to be done! "If successful, I could continue to harvest a significant amount of Destiny Points!"
Rhett’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
Now that all three of his sons were Tier 1 mages, killing a Tier 2 magical beast would only yield 1 Destiny Point.
Clearly, that was not very efficient! But if Dick performed the task, killing even a low-tier magical beast would yield 1 Destiny Point. And killing a Tier 1 magical beast would provide 2 Destiny Points.
Without a doubt, this would be much more efficient! Tucker's room.
At that moment, Dick, dressed in a small black coat, was toddling around, holding a wooden eagle and playing happily.
As Rhett entered and saw the scene, he smiled warmly.
"Little Dick, Grandpa’s here to see you."
"Father, you’re here!" Tucker, who had been frowning, lit up with joy upon seeing Rhett.
He rushed over, snatched the wooden eagle from Dick’s hand, and handed it to Rhett with a laugh. "Father, why don’t you hold Dick for a while? I need to go down for some training."
Vanessa, looking a bit concerned, added, "Father, I’ll come with you to help take care of Dick…"
"Don’t worry. With me around, what could possibly happen to Dick?" Rhett replied confidently. "I’ll bring him back in half an hour. Vanessa, you can stay and tidy up the room."
Vanessa glanced around at the mess Dick had made and sighed. "Alright, I’ll clean up first…"
At the Alchemy Tower.
Riley was surprised to see his father arrive with Dick in tow.
"Father, what are you doing with Dick? Don’t tell me he’s here to celebrate with me?"
Henk also rubbed his shiny bald head, puzzled as to why the lord had brought a child along.
Rhett maintained his smile. "Don’t forget our family tradition. Dick is now three years old—it’s time for him to experience the thrill of slaying a powerful foe."
"Uh…" Riley was at a loss for words and shrugged helplessly.
Henk, having heard of the Green family tradition, seemed to understand Rhett's intent. He thoughtfully handed over the vial of poison. "Alright, my lord, do you want Dick to pour the poison onto the Firemane Dog's wound?"
"Exactly!" Rhett took the vial but didn’t hand it to his grandson right away.
Instead, he found a similar-looking vial, filled it with water, and instructed Dick on how to pour it onto the Firemane Dog.
He spoke and gestured, trying to communicate his instructions to Dick.
"Grandpa, hehe."
Dick giggled happily, holding the vial but cluelessly splashing the liquid into the air.
Swoosh, swoosh. The water scattered everywhere, with only a few droplets landing on the Firemane Dog.
Clearly, the first attempt was a failure.
But one failure didn’t mean much. Rhett calmly guided Henk and encouraged Dick to try again.
Finally, on the fifth attempt, it seemed like Dick subconsciously understood what Rhett wanted him to do.
His small, soft hands tilted the vial, successfully pouring the liquid directly onto the Firemane Dog's wound.
Both Riley and Henk breathed a sigh of relief.
Rhett’s eyes brightened, and he pulled out a small piece of cheese from his pocket, feeding it to Dick.
Dick took tiny bites, smacking his lips and smiling innocently.
That smile resembled Tucker’s fivefold charm! Rhett paused for a moment, then quickly handed Dick the vial of poison, focusing his mental energy. If Dick made a mistake, he would intervene immediately.
As a Tier 5 Magister, Rhett was confident he could manage that easily!
Sizzle, sizzle.
As the black liquid poured out, a sizzling sound of corrosion followed, along with weak, feeble whimpers.
The Firemane Dog, which had shown no reaction to the previous attempts, suddenly trembled violently as the low-grade poison soaked into its body. Its fur bristled, and it let out pitiful cries.
"Eeya, eeya!" Startled by the sight, Dick tossed the vial aside and buried his head in Rhett's chest, crying out in fear.
"Haha, don’t be afraid, my dear grandson!" Rhett chuckled, gently patting Dick’s back with one hand while catching the falling vial with the other.
Before him, a light screen appeared.
[Family member kills a Tier 2 enemy, Destiny Points +2]
Rhett's heart leaped with joy! As expected, having his grandson administer the poison and kill the enemy counted toward the points.
He kissed Dick on the cheek, bursting into laughter as he envisioned an even brighter future.
Henk, not forgetting his task, crouched down to examine the Firemane Dog’s condition. Soon, he looked up excitedly and said to Riley:
"Congratulations, Young Master Riley! This bottle of Wither Poison has perfectly met the low-grade standard!"
Riley breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, a satisfied smile creeping across his face as he studied the liquid in the vial.
Henk, sensing an opportunity, added eagerly:
"Young Master Riley, if you dedicate more time to alchemy, you might become a mid-level alchemist even faster than Young Master Thales!"
"Well, let’s take it slow." Riley didn’t show much enthusiasm for the idea. He preferred painting, and beyond that, he aspired to reach the pinnacle of magic.
"I plan to try brewing Moonlight Potion next," Riley said after some thought. Moonlight Potion would help with his training and align with his goals.
"No problem. I have some experience with Moonlight Potion, so I should be able to help you avoid a few pitfalls," Henk replied confidently.
At that moment, Rhett, still holding Dick, suddenly remembered something and asked, "Henk, how is that White-Eyed Rat doing?"
Henk couldn’t help but smile. "My lord, it’s been over two months, and the little creature has bonded with me quite well. If it weren’t asleep right now, it would follow me everywhere."
Rhett nodded approvingly. "Good. In that case, prepare to tame it later."
Henk hesitated for a moment, then asked, "What about Thales' Ice Rat? It seems to be doing well too. Should we tame it as well?"
"No rush. Let’s take it one at a time!"
Riley, intrigued, followed Rhett out to the lawn outside the Alchemy Tower.
Rhett looked up at the sky and whistled loudly. A fiery red eagle swiftly descended, landing beside Rhett with a joyful screech, nuzzling its head against Rhett’s leg.
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