Chapter 8: New Potion Formula
This time when Nimrod entered the "Country of Disorder," it was different from before. Previously, it was his consciousness, ethereal and formless.
Now, it was his "astral body," the sensations more real and richer.
His "astral body," as if his physical body magnified several times, immediately sensed a series of changes occurring in this black mist realm upon arrival.
The most direct feeling was the expansion of the illuminated area. A kilometer radius centered on him was now bathed in light.
He also felt that the entire black mist realm was actually inverted. Above was a ground-like surface made of obsidian material, and he was standing on it, upside down.
Nimrod understood in his heart: ["Country of Disorder"! Shadow of Order!]
He took a step forward. After a few steps, he adapted to the feeling of being on the other side of a mirror.
Nimrod arrived before the Blasphemy Slate and found that the areas corresponding to five new sequences had lit up, one of which was Sequence 8, the sequence corresponding to "Lawyer."
Sequence 8 "Savage" Potion Formula:
Main Ingredients: 1 Lung Spider's lung sac, 1 Ogryn arm pair.
Auxiliary Ingredients: Black Lhas-Felt 1100 ml, 1 Psychic Crystal, Mittal Steel 1100 grams.
Extraordinary Abilities: ...
Some might find it strange that Sequence 9 "Lawyer" advanced to Sequence 8 "Savage."
But Nimrod understood the logic: if appealing to the law yielded no results, one would inevitably resort to force, which was also a type of rule.
What caught his attention was that all the materials were shining, indicating that they could all be found on Voss-Toria.
The steelworks he had just occupied could produce Mittal Steel. Combined with the Black Lhas-Felt, he already had two auxiliary ingredients.
Psychic crystals often appeared in areas with active Warp energy and were used as psychic materials. The long "Age of Strife" was accompanied by Warp storms sweeping across the galaxy, so it was not surprising that Voss-Toria had psychic crystals.
He knew that Lung Spiders were a special type of spider in the Voss-Toria hive cities. The only slightly surprising thing was the Ogryn.
Did Ogryns live in this world?
Nimrod continued to examine the other four lit-up areas and found that they were all Sequence 9 potion formulas from other pathways.
Voss-Toria had all the potion ingredients for three of them: "Arbitrator," "Sleepless," and "Reader."
The "Cultivator" was the only one for which no potion ingredients could be found on Voss-Toria. Most of the materials for this sequence were crops like rapeseed.
Nimrod was not at all surprised by this. The ecological environment of this planet, which would be classified as an industrial world by the Imperium in the future, had long been destroyed.
[I can start collecting potion ingredients and training my subordinates.]
He noticed that the chainsword was not among the already unlocked potion formulas.
[Weapons are most likely potion ingredients for the "Warrior" pathway.]
Thinking this, Nimrod returned to the real world. He wanted to try something.
He drew the chainsword, held it in his right hand, and spirituality emanated from his fingers.
Returning to the "Country of Disorder" again, he found that the chainsword had also come to the black mist realm with him. He placed it on the ground.
The chainsword remained lying flat on the ground, not falling from this shadow realm.
Nimrod couldn't help but smile and sigh.
"After I advanced to 'Lawyer,' my Primordial Matter authority increased. I can bring items into the 'Country of Disorder.'"
"A must-have for the protagonist, a storage space!"
Nimrod immediately placed all the Black Lhas-Felt into the "Country of Disorder." He also ordered that one-twentieth of the forged Mittal Steel be sent to the control room every work cycle.
He also ordered the artisans to forge a set of armor made of Mittal Steel, based on his current size and prepared according to the physique of an average seven-year-old boy.
As a gene-sire, his development was much faster than that of ordinary people. Preparing for a seven-year-old was slightly larger, but based on his current growth rate, it would fit perfectly in at most a stellar month.
Just after giving the orders, Rolfslev arrived at the control room.
"Boss, the Arbitrator sent his men to deliver a message, asking you to see him immediately."
"His tone was stern. I think it's because you occupied the Magneto Steelworks."
Nimrod struck a thinking pose, lightly tapping his brow. Rolfslev's aura appeared dark—he was worried about himself.
"I understand."
Nimrod then got up and headed to the arbitration hall.
The guards at the entrance looked at him with a bit more vigilance. One of them said in a serious tone,
"Please leave your weapons."
Nimrod handed the lasgun and chainsword to his men. The two received the weapons with both hands, as if accepting a sacred task.
His expression was calm as he walked towards the arbitration hall, the sound of discussions reaching his ears.
"Let me see, let me see. I didn't see him last time I was on assignment. Is that the boy? He looks only five or six years old."
"Yeah! It hasn't even been two days since he killed 'Vulture,' and he's already taken down 'Iron Fist.' That old guy was a ruthless character. Important figures in the upper hive all knew him."
"That important figure above is the young master of the Fend family. I heard 'Vulture' was his man. He wouldn't be coming to settle accounts, would he?"
"What a pity. He was too hasty. If he had grown steadily, he would definitely have become a big shot in the future, maybe even ascend to the upper hive."
Although the lower and upper hives of a hive city were both part of the same structure, the gap between them was like a chasm. The dream of countless underhive residents was to become upper hive citizens. They figuratively called the leap in status achieved by riding the elevators thousands of meters upwards "ascension."
Nimrod caught the key information in the crowd's conversation: a noble from the upper hive was in the arbitration hall.
He secretly became more vigilant, while also developing more interest in the upcoming meeting.
Entering the arbitration hall, he saw a handsome blond boy, about fifteen or sixteen years old, sitting in the main seat, his blue eyes sizing him up.
His skin was not as dark as that of the underhive residents; it looked fair and healthy.
Nimrod keenly noticed that he was wearing a set of ornate, well-crafted power armor, which looked somewhat similar to the Arcadian Confederation armor, also in a Baroque style.
His carapace armor encased a powered exoskeleton. The helmet was completely covered by armor, with only bulletproof glass used for the heads-up display area for the wearer.
The armor had weapon systems mounted on the ends of both arms: a heavy bolter for ranged combat and a drill for melee.
Unlike Arcadian Confederation armor, this set did not have disposable rockets.
He also keenly noticed that this armor was unstable and difficult to maintain, and only noble families with the ability and wealth to maintain it could pass it down through generations.
[Are the nobles of Voss-Toria equipped this well, or is it because the Fend family has close ties with the Mechanicus and received tech support from the oilers?]
Nimrod couldn't draw a conclusion. The young master of the Fend family opposite him was the first noble he had ever seen.
Four guards stood behind the noble, wearing carapace armor and fully armed.
The young master of the Fend family didn't speak, but gestured to Dimitrov with his eyes.
Understanding, the arbitrator cleared his throat and loudly questioned,
"Nimrod, what exactly do you want? Isn't one foundry enough for you?"
"It's only been a few days, and you've already seized the Magneto Steelworks."
"Will you seize my position and take over the entire Hantexi Dome in a few more days?"
(End of this chapter)