Bayou couldn't help but marvel at their brilliant intellect.

Currently, Bayou is only about 50 magic crystals short of constructing the bone throne.

Let us try selling 100 to test the waters.

If it proves unsatisfactory, a price reduction or alternative methods will have to be considered.

Huang Fort initiated a trade.

Bayou's small listing on the marketplace caught the attention of other lords.

Slug, great leader.

You have no food left? Why only list 100 portions? Sky, has your castle reached full capacity? It seems you no longer require wood or stone.

Only trading in magic crystals.

Blank.

This is outrageous.

Did you think we were naive? Magic crystals are vital, and you only trade for one portion of food.

Scoundrel.

Zu gang lie.

My unit is the pig demon, and they consume a lot.

I fear they may devour me if I let them starve.

Brothers, I'll buy first.

Psychopath, if you have excess magic crystals, I can trade with you.

I have plenty of food.

Don't deal with this scoundrel.

We must collectively resist him.

Today, he dares to barter food for magic crystals.

And tomorrow, he will audaciously exchange food for spirit cores.

Let us not fall victim to his deceit.

Chapter 22.

Dark magic.

Bayou estimated that she had been berated for nearly half an hour before successfully selling all 100 portions of food amidst the furious outcries of numerous lords.

Fortunately, with billions of lords and a vast population base, the criticisms were inconsequential.

There would always be buyers.

With 100 magical crystals successfully acquired, she can now upgrade the barracks or construct the bone throne.

Bayou opted for the latter, a decision she had made previously.

as upgrading the barracks did not offer a favorable cost to benefit ratio.

Building the bone throne would yield a more direct enhancement to her combat prowess.

Special building blueprint bone throne.

Building level king level function one increases troop loyalty towards the lord.

Function two, within the territory, both the lord and troops gain a level of power effective below king level.

Function three, within the castle, the experience gained by the lord is multiplied by one.

Five effective below king level.

Construction materials 10k wood, 10k stone, 100 magical crystals, 10 spirit cores.

Construct the painstakingly gathered 10 spirit cores vanished in an instant.

If she felt no regret, only the spent cores held value.

Otherwise, they were no different from mere stones.

The Blackwater altar was located at the center of the castle courtyard, directly facing the castle s grand entrance.

Upon opening the door, one would enter the grand hall, where a throne fashioned from bones had now emerged at the far end, flanked by two skulls radiating an eerie glow.

The throne stood 2 m high, its overall hue a ghostly gray, arching at the top in an oval shape, with two bone swords crossed behind it, exuding an air of solemn authority.

A gray cushion adorned with intricate magical patterns lay at top the throne seamlessly integrated with it.

Bayou approached the throne and examined it closely, running her fingers over the cushion, uncertain of its material.

The seat of the throne was rather elevated, leaning on the arms of the seat, she managed to bounce up and twist her body to finally settle upon the throne, her small feet dangling below, unable to reach the ground.

After a brief moment of novelty, she leaped down, realizing that one need not sit upon the throne.

This special building merely manifested in the form of a throne.

It could just as easily serve as a table or a mirror.

The bone throne enhanced experience accumulation throughout the entire castle, excluding the territory beyond its walls.

As long as she remained within the castle, her rate of experience gain would be multiplied by one.

Five.

She accessed the system to review the information regarding her undead troops defeating wild beasts, disregarding the previous records.

As she eagerly awaited the interface to refresh and reveal the current experience gained from slaying monsters.

After 5 minutes of anticipation, the system notification finally appeared.

Your troops have successfully defeated a LV2 wild boar, earning 15 experience points.

Indeed, previously the LV2 wild boar offered only 10 experience points and now it had increased by five confirming the one five times multiplier to be accurate.

In just 2 days, Bayou had ascended to level six and with the one five experience boost reaching lord level on the seventh day seemed entirely plausible.

Now it was time to examine the enhancement effects of her weapons.

Companion weapon judgment scythe quality supreme level weapon upgradeable.

Soul condensation 12 active skill necromancy second tier dark magic first tier passive skill attacks inflict soul damage and withering effect fallen foes will be transformed into undead by you discerned indeed two notable differences one was the acquisition of a new spell of first tier dark magic.

This was relatively comprehensible as it resembled the magical capabilities of her left eye, albeit differing from summoning and transformation spells.

However, the concept of soul condensation left by you in a state of bewilderment.

What could it signify? A spirit? She felt as though she had stumbled upon something of profound significance, yet remained utterly ignorant.

Nevertheless, she dismissed her concerns, reasoning that it was undoubtedly of fortuitous development.

Presently, Bayou was intrigued to discover the abilities of the first tier dark magic.

Dark magic first tier skill black flame sphere.

A magical orb of black flame that incinerates all it touches, directed at enemies, consuming 10 mana points with no cool down.

A spell consuming 10 mana points seemed formidable indeed.

Of course, the skills acquired through the judgment scythe could still be unleashed without the scythe itself, albeit lacking the additional buff damage, such as transforming kills into undead.

Currently, only this passive effect would be impacted.

Perhaps in the future, more potent passive skills would emerge.

After all, the scythe belonged to Bayou, and she would master all its skills, including those it had yet to learn.

Additionally, any skills previously acquired by the scythe would also be within her grasp, such as the basic necromancy, but she would possess all summoning spells.

With her current mana pool at merely 50 points, it meant that casting five black flame spheres would deplete her resources entirely.

Bayou approached the castle gates, eager to test her newfound abilities.

The night enveloped the land with a blood red moon suspended overhead, casting an eerie crimson glow that dispelled a sliver of darkness from the magical realm.

During the night, formidable wild creatures could appear at random.

Their strength and loot doubled.

However, Bayou had been resting in the black water altar during the dark hours, oblivious to any system notifications.

Utilizing the spectral light of the moon, she spotted a withered tree not far from the castle.

This shall be my target.

She resolved with deliberate grace.

She raised her left hand, fingers spled, palm directed toward the decayed tree.

As her mana was expanded, a dark magic circle materialized before her palm from which a black fireball emerged.

With a swift motion, she launched the fireball towards the withered tree.

The black fireball emitted no light nor warmth.

Its surface ablaze with an uncanny black flame.

Boom! The fireball struck the tree, producing a muffled thud, creating a gaping hole in the trunk, the edges igniting with black flames.

Unlike conventional flames that consume wood, these black flames seemed intent on devouring the entire wither tree.

Within 30 seconds, the tree vanished entirely from Bayou's sight, leaving not a trace of ashes behind.

Bayou was taken back by the formidable power.

Indeed, the magic obtained for a mere 10 points of magical energy was well worth it.

It was akin to an artifact that could obliterate all traces, striking unseen and unheard, rendering even the keenest of detectives like Conan utterly baffled.

The enhancement of her own abilities, coupled with the augmentation of her weapon had undeniably propelled her strength to an unprecedented level.

This evening promise to be fruitful.

Dear compatriate, rest assured I shall soon avenge you.

He casting a glance at the time, Bayou noted that there was still some time before midnight.