"Then you handle it," Carl shook his head. "I’m going to wander around the market and sell some things while I’m at it."
"Take care, sir." Ayala continued with her tasks.
Freedom Port, located near the Endless Sea, was abundant in moisture and humid in climate. It had been rainy and overcast for the past few days, which made the roads muddy. Moreover, the place was inherently dirty, with various kinds of filth mixed together, making it easy to step on something unpleasant if one wasn’t careful.
Carl lightly covered his nose and mouth, walking along the streets.
Something at the entrance of an alley caught his eye, making him pause before he strolled over and kicked aside a bamboo woven object on the ground.
Underneath was a corpse.
The deceased was small in stature, limbs curled up together, and his clothing had been thoroughly stripped off. Judging by his appearance, he likely wasn’t even an adult.
Some carrion-eating rats and maggots were feasting on the flesh, clearly not deterred by the presence of people.
Children without sufficient clothing were a common sight in Freedom Port, scavenging for food from piles of garbage to survive. Those who could get hired were few and far between.
Every day, people died here from diseases, waterborne infections, and brawls; death could not be more common. Yet, the population did not decrease. For decades, people from nearby areas had been moving in. The women of Freedom Port were like breeding machines: they had no means of contraception, and it was not uncommon for a family to have seven or eight children. Most of these children would die young, with the vast majority not living to adulthood.
Even the dead infants on the streets and alleyways were more numerous than the corpses of stray cats and dogs!
"Freedom Port?" Carl shook his head softly. The lives of the lower class were hardly worth calling lives; at best, they were mere existences, harsh and torturous. It was just like in Sigerno City, where every month in the textile mills, female workers died undeserving deaths, and who cared?
Fortunately, in either Sigerno City or Freedom Port, Carl led a rather decent life, not just an existence.
Footsteps came from the side; a group of people were chasing and fighting two young men. This too was routine in Freedom Port. Lacking any strong organization to maintain order, everything was chaotic.
"What are you looking at?"
One of them, noticing Carl’s gaze, scowled and charged at him with a machete. Without a word, he swung the weapon.
Carl frowned, caught the blade with his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, slapped the man.
The attacker’s body tumbled, and he fell heavily into the mud, one side of his face instantly swelling up like a pig’s head.
"What are you doing?"
"How dare you strike?"
The remaining few’s expressions changed. They paused their beating and, brandishing their weapons, circled around.
"What are you doing?"
Before Carl could react, a person rushed over from a distance and shouted at the group, "Are you blind? This man is a Pharmacist our Dragon King Chamber of Commerce hired for a hefty sum! I’d like to see who dares lift a finger against him!"
"..." Several of them paled. One sheathed his weapon, scratched his head, and gave a sheepish smile, "Oh, he’s one of our own! Just a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"
"Misunderstanding my ass!" The newcomer slapped him across the face, angrily retorting, "Open your eyes next time! And do you think you lot are so tough? Pharmacist Carl is also a Knight!"
"A Knight, sir!" This time, their faces drained of color, and their gazes held a hint of fear. A Knight! Even in Freedom Port, such individuals were exceedingly rare.
"Pharmacist Carl." The newcomer, who was corpulent, looked at Carl after scolding the others and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Sorry for the scare. I’m Yue Li, sent by the Dragon King Chamber of Commerce to maintain local security. If you need anything, just look for me."
The security of the Herbal Market was jointly managed by three parties, which explained why those men were so unruly earlier: they belonged to the management of the Dragon King Chamber of Commerce.
"Yue Li?" Carl looked at him. "I hope this doesn’t happen again."
He had insisted on joining a faction precisely to avoid such situations. If it can’t... then what’s the point of joining?
"No, definitely not." Yue Li hurriedly waved his hand; this person was someone important entrusted to their care from above. He immediately said, "Whoever dares to disrespect you, I will never let them off!"
"Let it go this time." Carl discarded the machete in his hand and asked, "I heard that the shop recently received a batch of Phantom Fish scales. I plan to buy some. Where can I find them?"
"Phantom Fish scales?" Yue Li blinked. "I’m not very familiar with the shop’s business, but a new shipment of goods has indeed arrived at a nearby shop. Please, this way."
Phantom Fish are special marine creatures whose scales can change color for camouflage. After death, their scales become multicolored and very beautiful, possessing a mild mind-confounding power.
「Divine Domain Fragment.」
Carl put down the scales and flexed his wrists. The Dharma Seal still has some uses.
Whether it was a minor spell field or armor that could cover the entire body, both required time to cast. The Steel Body Dharma Seal was different. It was on his body at all times.
Just now, catching the blade bare-handed was partly due to his strong physique and partly due to the confidence granted by the Steel Body Dharma Seal. This seal made his skin tighter, to the point where ordinary people swinging swords couldn’t even break through his defense. In emergencies, it was even more advantageous.
He refocused and looked to one side.
As the master of the Divine Domain Fragment, he could freely alter the environment here. For the convenience of refining potions, creating Demonized Items, and practicing martial arts and meditation, Carl had divided the area into a four-room, one-hall layout. Different things were placed in each room. One room was specifically for experimenting with creating Demonized Items.
According to the books, materials with Magic Power attributes have dominant characteristics that are not easily destroyed or changed. Merging these characteristics into a weapon, however, is relatively easy.
"CRUNCH... CRUNCH..." Carl operated a small stone mill, grinding the Phantom Fish scales into powder and carefully sieving out impurities.
The powder appeared transparent, but under light, it revealed a colorful, vibrant brilliance. If one looked at it for a long time, it was easy to become captivated.
This should be a Magic Material!
Merely changing colors could also be achieved by ordinary creatures, like chameleons or bamboo grubs. But influencing the mind was quite unusual. It likely possessed some kind of Magic Power.
"FWOOSH!" He pumped the bellows, and the flames leaped higher.
Carl held a dagger clamped in tongs, placing it in the forge and turning it occasionally to ensure it heated evenly. He was a novice blacksmith. Fortunately, having forged weapons with his father in his younger days and being able to precisely control his physical body within the Divine Domain Fragment made it easier for him to get the hang of it.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!" The sound of hammering resounded.
I really am destined for hard labor. Others have masters readily available, but I have to learn everything from scratch myself. Sigh!
Before long, "SWOOSH!" a plain-looking dagger appeared in Carl’s hand.
As he waved his arm, the dagger swayed, and in an instant, it was as if a rainbow spontaneously emerged. Beautiful, pretty, dangerous...
If one were to engage in combat with this weapon, it would be very difficult for the opponent to discern the dagger’s actual location, making it extremely easy to get lost in the halo produced by its movement.
A Demonized Item! Even with just a slight mind-confusing effect, there was no doubt he had personally crafted a Demonized Item!
Even if it’s useless against Wizards, as a special piece of art, it could be worth dozens of Gold Coins.
Carl pondered briefly, then turned his gaze towards the damaged broad sword and the phantom trident.
Besides these, there was also a pile of black stones. These were not ordinary black stones but black stones from beneath Black City, near the Forgotten City, and of higher quality. If forged into a weapon, its durability, toughness, and sharpness could all be enhanced.
Taking a deep breath, Carl walked towards the materials.