After Newwood’s expnation, Henwell finally feels some relief.

  Newwood urges him again, “Now you see how serious this is! I told you not to be so curious. Your job is to focus on growth—expand your territory, increase your influence. Leave the rest to me. I’m the market analyst; you’re the store manager. We each have our roles to py to get the job done.”

  Knowing how deep things go, Henwell decides to tweak his remaining two questions.

  He asks his second question: “How long until the prisoner uprising happens? What should I prepare for?”

  “Sixteen years. Like I said, build your strength and wait for the right moment. That’s when the big reshuffle happens. Whether you rise or fall depends on that moment.”

  Newwood adds, “Don’t worry too much. Even though you’ve faced off with Fury Spirit and the like, they have big limitations. They’re not as threatening as you think. As for the Northern Mountain Raiders and Quiet Forest Wanderers, they’re strong, sure, but only on par with your current army.”

  ”Plus, your troops benefit from the Civilization Aura, which can neutralize some of their special traits. Honestly, if it comes down to a straight fight, your army outperforms even the elite legions of the kingdoms.”

  Henwell catches the key point. “Civilization Aura has that effect? Then in fifteen years, my power will at least double. Will my Civilization Aura grow stronger too? Will it weaken those special units even more?”

  Newwood shrugs. “I don’t know, this isn’t my area. I’ve only heard from your peers. Since Civilization Aura depends on your faction’s development, the bigger you get, the stronger the aura should be. How much stronger? Maybe it doubles, or maybe it just increases by twenty percent. We’ll have to wait and see.”

  Henwell thinks it over. In sixteen years, Peace Haven’s popution should top six million. Its territory will surely expand at least twofold. He’ll have at least 150,000 elite field troops ready, plus a rge number of retired veterans. If he really pushes recruitment, he could muster hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers.

  If the nearby Ogiro Kingdom and Lumir Principality face major upheaval during the great prisoner riot, Henwell can cim the righteous cause of protecting the continent and march his troops into those countries.

  This will be a military operation with a just cause, one the Western Federation will definitely support.

  If luck’s on his side, Henwell could even annex both nations outright, or at least achieve significant expansion.

  All these moves will have the Western Federation’s backing and their endorsement afterward.

  Newwood’s cim that this will be a prime opportunity isn’t baseless. The key is having a strong enough faction and army by then. Otherwise, Henwell won’t even survive, let alone carve out a piece of that feast.

  Thinking it over, Henwell asks his final question, one that’s crucial for the future development of his power.

  “That so-called extraordinary body-strengthening potion… does it contain poison? Is it some kind of toxin that triggers the body’s potential?”

  Newwood rolls his eyes. “You finally figured it out? I’ve warned you several times.”

  Henwell looks confused. “Warned me? When?”

  Newwood gres at him with a look of disdain and raises a poisoned dart with fruit skewered on it. “You really think I enjoy eating poison? I was warning you that toxins are an essential part of becoming extraordinary. Opening that door is basically about using poison to stimute the body.”

  Henwell is speechless. He thought Newwood was just being crazy!

  Newwood continues, “Poison is only one method. There are others, special environments, for example. Natural phenomena like lightning or fierce winds, combined with specific conditions, can also open the door to extraordinary.”

  ”Poison is just more convenient and widespread. As for those body-strengthening potions, they basically use toxins to activate the body’s potential, with the will pying the leading role. But it’s not simple poison, the toxicity must be precisely controlled and banced with plenty of nutritional supplements.”

  “Also, physical condition matters a lot. Take the knight’s body-strengthening potion, for example. Each person can only absorb a limited amount. One dose every three months is normal. The more talented you are, the shorter the absorption time. But generally, there must be at least a forty-day gap between doses.”

  “Before using the potion, you have to train for a long time to push your physical condition to the limit of a normal person. Only then can the potion truly awaken your potential, ignite your will, and complete the transformation of your soul.”

  Newwood pulls out a vial marked with the Technical Research Institute of Peace Haven.

  “You’re heading in the right direction, but the path is yours to walk. I’m not going to give you the potion formu. That would not only affect your development but could also lead to some serious trouble.”

  ”Besides, I doubt you’ll mass-produce those extraordinary potions. The materials are just too expensive, especially for rge-scale production.”

  “I took a look around your Technical Research Institute. The research pace is pretty good. Don’t be afraid of casualties! You don’t realize that behind every extraordinary potion, there’s a mountain of bones piled up. If you can develop them within ten years, it’ll be a huge boost for your faction’s growth.”

  “As for extraordinary alloys, you’re doing well too. At least you have the basic ones. As long as you stay on the right track, results will come with time. When it comes to cost, I believe your side will find better ways to control it.”

  Peace Haven has developed three types of basic extraordinary alloys, with performance simir to Mountainsteel.

  In terms of cost, these alloys are only about one-tenth the price of Mountainsteel. That includes research expenses and early production stages.

  If they move to standardized mass production ter, the costs are expected to drop significantly.

  Right now, these alloys are still in early development and need multiple rounds of testing before they can be finalized as Peace Haven’s first mass-produced extraordinary alloys.

  Henwell’s pn is to avoid rge-scale production of these alloys for at least three years, they might not even finalize the formus until then.

  After three years, they’ll analyze all test data and various demands to select the alloys they need.

  Mass production and delivery won’t start until the fourth year.

  At this stage, Peace Haven doesn’t need rge quantities of extraordinary alloys or an equipment overhaul.

  This is actually the best path for Peace Haven’s development.

  Not everything good needs to be popurized immediately. It takes time, along with complementary technologies, to make it work smoothly.”