Captured by the alchemy militia from the Everglades to the mountain fortress, Emerson claims to be the head of the hunt for Baron Thornton in the Eastern Three Provinces, and tells Victor the story of a newborn daughter who is mistaken for a wizard, whose mother was killed by her brother in order to protect her daughter, and the wizard's husband repented and fled to the Everglades with his daughter.

Victor values Imerson's abilities and is not interested in the truth of the story. It wasn't until Bertina showed unusual luck that he decided to find out what Emerson was doing.

Emerson and Bertina's abilities are very useful, and even if Emerson lied to Victor, he is not prepared to dig into it, but to try to close the loopholes. Three years ago, he found an excuse to let Barold go to the Barony of Thornton to steal the Thornton family's secret method of taming beasts, but did not allow Barol to participate in the process of the alchemy militia torturing the Thornton family's hunting master.

At this moment, Victor inquired coldly about the result, and the old spy also shook his head and said, "My lord, the matter is done, but I don't know the specific situation...... You'll have to ask Badu or read his report. ”

Barol is not a knight, and his heart rate changes and breathing rhythm cannot be concealed from Victor's perception, which is within the normal range and is not deliberately disguised.

Victor breathed a sigh of relief, Barol is a smart man, and the biggest problem of smart people is that they are curious, they want to know everything, they want to know everything. Emerson is now the head of the Randall family's hunting, and if Balor notices something unusual through this incident, for the safety of Emerson's father and daughter, Victor will no longer be able to let the old spy go out to do things.

"I'll see. Victor nodded, and asked in a deep voice, "Randall has many other agents sent over, how much do you know?"

The old agent's slightly cloudy eyes shone brightly, and he said energetically: "I have locked up 17 people, and I believe that as long as I keep an eye on these people, I can dig out those secret agents who have infiltrated the family while I am away." ”

Barrol's greatest hobby is to do secret agents, including infiltration and reverse osmosis. As for his level, Victor expressed pessimism, believing that he was still far from the secret agent cultivated by the Great Lord. But Barol insisted that his secret agent skills had been passed down from the Rand royal family, as his former master had been a vassal count of the Neowest family.

Victor didn't care if Barol could fight the spies of other forces, which in itself was a minor problem, like ants in the kitchen, all trampled to death, and would come again.

"I don't care what force the agent comes from, as long as I follow the rules of Randall's territory, I am my people...... Their descendants may become outstanding craftsmen or excellent soldiers. Victor smiled and commanded, "Keep an eye on them, try to find out which family they are loyal to, but don't touch them lightly...... I believe it will be used in the future. ”

"As you wish, my lord. ”

After a few more small talks, Victor sent Barol back to work and asked Renault to fetch the intelligence scroll written by the alchemy militiaman Badu.

After reading the torture record about the Thornton family's hunting master, Victor put down the scroll, and a playful smile curled up in the corners of his mouth...... Emerson really didn't tell the truth!

"Renault, prepare the Swiftbird mount and go with me to the Beast's Den. ”

The den is the place where the lord raises and domesticates the beasts, and is under the jurisdiction of the family's hunting chief. The Randall family has two dens, one dedicated to breeding beasts such as bears, wolves, tigers and leopards, and the other is a research place for Wizard Emerson to breed swift birds, war dogs, blue-eyed eagles, falcons, camel antelopes and war horses. As such, it is located in a secluded location, deep in the Lark Mountains on the western side of the territory, 77 kilometers away from the town of Pinghu, and is not connected by roads.

Victor took two alchemy militiamen, Renault and Shak, rode the swift bird, and arrived at Emerson's hidden beast den in just over two hours.

The two alchemy mastiffs with blue and black fur were the first to emerge from their hiding places, shaking their heads and tails to welcome their masters, but the three swift bird mounts exploded, and their throats made a warning sound, and they put on a fighting posture, refusing to take half a step forward.

After calming the swift bird and ordering the mastiff to remain on guard, Victor and the three of them walked through the wooded valley and heard the barking of the guard dog. The alchemical militia guard of the beast's den saw the comer clearly, drank the bluffing guard dog, bowed to Victor and said, "Good day, my lord." ”

Victor jumped off the swift bird, handed the reins to one of the guards, and asked, "What is Emerson doing?"

"The head hunter is conducting experiments in the swift bird nursery area. Do you want me to call him over?"

"Don't bother him, I'll just go over myself. Victor said with great interest. He was eager to see how the wizard experimented.

There is no defensive fence in the entire beast den, the houses are very simple, forty alchemy humans act as Imerson's assistants, and there are 8 alchemy mastiffs on the periphery to patrol and guard non-stop, in case of an emergency, the alchemy militia will cover Imerson's rapid evacuation to the mountain fortress from any direction.

Emerson is the most valuable asset here.

The Alchemy Militia escort led Victor into an open-air hut, and Emerson was chanting to a female swiftbird: "Baby, work hard, you must lay the egg whole...... Note that it is a whole egg, not an eggshell. ”

The swift bird lying in the grass nest was clearly a different creature, its feathers on its back and wings completely shedding, revealing its black skin, a cluster of white bone spurs in the middle of its wings, which tended to evolve towards claws, a beautiful tail feathers replaced by a hairless tail that resembled a snake's tail with a hook at the end, a huge axe-like beak full of tiny teeth, and a pair of eyes that were blood-red and bloodthirsty.

"Alien creatures?"

Victor suddenly spoke, and Imosen, who was engrossed in his attention, was startled, and then his face changed greatly, and he exclaimed: "Kill it quickly!"

The alchemy militia next to him raised and fell, and the fine iron scimitar pulled out a sharp arc of light, and the head of the alienated swift bird suddenly fell, and the red blood gushed outward. Victor's mind moved, and the air flowed rapidly, forming a barrier, and the splattered blood flew to the side like a blood-colored rainbow. Imerson didn't care about his surprise, and said in a loud voice: "Quick, quick, quick, take out the eggs." ”

The alchemy militia overturned the corpse of the alienated swift bird, used a sharp iron scimitar to cut open its belly, and the long deerskin gloved hand reached into the abdominal cavity that was still wriggling, and took out two huge eggs.

The alchemy militia did not need to be greeted by Imerson, but consciously and quickly scraped off the slime on the surface of the eggshell with a dagger, and then wiped it with a towel soaked in water until the eggshell no longer rose and smelled pungent white mist.

Obviously, this wasn't the first time he'd done it.

Emerson stretched out his finger and gently poked the eggshell, and said with palpitations: "Fortunately, the eggshell is not soft yet, so it shouldn't be a big problem...... Cux, send these two eggs to Hatching Nest 4, be careful, don't break them!"

The alchemy militia took the egg of the Alien Swiftbird into a container, and turned to leave the hut with it.

At this time, Renault was beside Victor and asked, "Hunting master, why don't you salute when you see the master?"

Imerson's excited expression froze on his face, and when he turned his head to see Victor's dark gold eyes, he turned into panic, and as soon as his knees bent, he was about to kneel half-way.

"You don't have to be polite when you're working. ”

Victor reached out and put his arm on his hand and asked with a smile, "Imoson, are you...... What are you doing?"

Flattered, Emerson became frowning again, ripped off the towel covering his mouth and nose, and opened his mouth to introduce his research, but he didn't know where to start, and finally held back a word.

"...... lay eggs. ”

I saw that I knew you were laying eggs, and I didn't see you and thought you were a pig slaughterer...... Victor sneered in his heart, and looked the wizard up and down again.

He wore a fine linen shirt, an oil-canvas apron, a hood, and a towel on his face, and if he carried a pig-killing knife in his hand, he would be no different from a butcher led by Randall.

Considering that Imerson is engaged in forbidden research and can't confide in outsiders, the alchemy humans around him are more and more wooden than the other, and it is normal for him to hold back his words, but he can't figure it out for a while. Victor thought for a moment and asked, "What is the purpose of laying eggs?"

Imoson's eyes lit up and he gushed out, "My lord, I'm trying to improve the strength of the Swiftbird's muscles and bones...... In the past, I used breeding, feeding and training to breed stronger and more ferocious swift birds. But this can't change the bone and muscle structure of the bird, especially the hollow bones, which severely limits the bird's weight-bearing capacity and ability to resist hits. I don't think the birds need to fly at all, and it doesn't make sense for them to lose weight from thin skeletons, so it's better to let them grow hard bones. So, I selected fifteen females, slightly alienated them, changed their body structure, and then used their eggs to try to hatch hard-boned swiftbirds. ”

Victor asked curiously, "Didn't you say that alienated creatures can't have children?"

"That's right!" Imerson said excitedly, "Alien creatures absorb fetuses as part of their bodies, and I've experimented with pregnant wolves and guard dogs, but none of them have been successful. But the chicks of the swift birds are bred in vitro, and their appearance is protected by a layer of eggshells. ”

"Although the Alien Swift Bird also secretes mucus in its body and melts the eggshell, and the first 6 Alien Swift Birds all failed, I can control the Alien Swift Bird and order them to lay their eggs. In this process, the Alienated Swift Bird is able to suppress and absorb the bird's egg instinct, and no longer produces a large amount of mucus......"

Emerson paused, shook his head regretfully, and said, "Unfortunately, the body structure of the Alien Swift Bird has changed, and there is no way to lay eggs at all...... We had to kill the females and take out the eggs artificially. Even if the alienated female dies, their flesh is still alive and will still absorb the eggs. Due to our inexperience, many of the eggs were melted and only 5 were left with not very intact eggs. ”

"I'm not sure if these eggs will hatch into new chicks...... I think eggs laid naturally have a better chance of hatching. ”

"The swift bird just now has the least degree of alienation, and there is hope that it will lay eggs on its own. I was ...... when I controlled it Something went wrong, and the eggs had to be retrieved manually......" Imerson said with chagrin. He can control the alienated creatures, but he can't accurately control the alienation process, and he doesn't know when he will have to wait until he wants to get an alienated swift bird with a birth canal.

Victor didn't feel guilty about ruining Imerson's important experiment, another question swirled in his mind, and after a moment of silence, he said, "If the Alienated Swiftbird changes the strength of its bones, then its eggs before the alienation will also change accordingly?"

Emerson chuckled in his heart, rubbed his hands, and said with a smile: "My lord, I'm not sure...... This is an attempt, and if you succeed, you can get a stronger Swiftbird Warbird. ”

"I don't blame you for sacrificing 15 adult females...... It is a good thing to be encouraged to devote yourself to the cultivation of swift birds. Victor smiled and asked, "Why didn't you combine your witchcraft talent and cultivate the Swift Bird before?"

Imerson smiled awkwardly and explained, "My lord, I didn't dare before, but now I'm bolder and want to be favored by you. ”

"Because, now that I am the Royal Highness of the Kingdom, I have the ability to protect you?"

Imerson's expression changed, and after a while, he said calmly: "Yes, I used to be afraid of being arrested and purified by the church, and I didn't even dare to go to the church to worship, and I was afraid of revealing my flaws, so I had to go to the church to attend morning prayers and evening prayers, but nothing happened, and Father Miller praised my piety...... I was now afraid that His Highness would dislike me for being useless, so I had the courage to experiment with my sorcery. ”

After listening to the wizard's statement, Victor shook his head and said, "These are all appearances, not causes. You used to live with Bell in a wild swamp, without clothes and food, and busy all day long for food and clothing. Now that you're pampered, you don't have to worry about survival, and you can't help but want to study your extraordinary abilities. ”

"To put it simply, you're curious. Victor stared at Emerson with burning eyes and asked with interest, "So, what is the principle of your alienated creature?"

Imerson's heart tightened, and he felt the majesty that could not be refused, and said respectfully: "My lord, through this period of research and experimentation, I have found that I always change the soul state of animals before they become alienated and completely obey my will. ”

"How do you change the souls of animals, and what do you change them to?" asked Victor in a deep voice.

Emerson thought about it carefully and hesitantly explained: "I can't tell you exactly how it changed...... This is the talent of witchcraft, close to instinct, and if I had to describe it, it should be 'infected'...... That's right, it's infestation!" he nodded vigorously and raised his voice, "In my eyes, almost all animal souls are red, like a hot flame. However, the brightness and color of the soul flame are different for different animals, some are dim, some are bright, some are orange, and some are crimson...... All the creatures that have been alienated by me have their soul flames become the same brightness, the same color...... I suspect that is the brightness and color of my soul flame. ”

"...... not. Imerson was silent, and stealthily swept his gaze over the alchemy militia beside Victor.

Victor was secretly amused, Emerson had always mistaken him for a powerful wizard hiding by his side, and that both the alchemical mastiff and the alchemy human were the work of that wizard, and he was afraid that he would also be controlled by the mysterious wizard.

"Stand down and go away. Victor waved off the alchemy militia beside him and said lightly: "You can say it." ”

Imerson lowered his voice and said a little nervously: "Your Highness, I have also discovered that your ferocious wolves are completely different from ordinary creatures, and their soul flames are dark gold. I was hurt by peeking into their soul flames...... I have to warn you that I can control alien creatures because of soul infestation, and your ferocious wolves are probably in a similar situation to my alienated creatures...... They are controlled. ”

Nonsense, uncontrolled alchemy creatures, what use am I going to create them?However, the principle of Emerson's soul fire infection, controlling alien creatures and my soul fire division, and controlling the alchemy tower is the same...... This also confirms some of the conjectures that the ancestral gods split souls and created blood descendants, such as the binding force of the Hydra lizard on the lizardmen...... The principle of soul infection in Imerson's alienation sorcery seems to indicate that the soul form is transformed, and the bloodline laws are all activated, presenting a chaotic and disorderly mutation, evolving into another life form...... Does this mean that the difference between an alien like a barbarian and a human is a difference in the structure of the soul? Wizard Tofowen discovered the primitiveness and diversity of the laws of human bloodline, so is it because of the stability of the soul? If the soul form of a human is changed, will the human being become a creature in other forms? Elves, barbarians, or barbarians are all human beings?

What is it that has changed the structure of the human soul without causing a chaotic mutation in the human bloodline?

Victor gathered his thoughts, focused his eyes on Imerson's face, and said with a friendly smile:

"Kuks, Renault, and Shak are all arcane warriors carefully cultivated by the family. You don't have to worry about their loyalty, and you don't have to worry about your own safety...... If you are loyal to me, I will grant you wealth, status, power, and even more longevity and youth. ”

Emerson hurriedly half-knelt on the ground and said loudly: "Your Royal Highness Randall, I am grateful for your protection and acceptance, and I swear allegiance to you!"

With an elegant smile on the corner of his mouth, Victor said lightly, "Should I believe you?" Baron Thornton's ...... Ma Corin. ”

When Imerson heard Macorin's name, his knees went limp, and he fell to his knees.