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overlord_ Welcome the Birth of the King_chapter_0277
Chapter 326
Chapter 276: Initiating the Ritual, Becoming the "Forest Sage King"
Re Loberu
In the bustling port city, a merchant ship was being loaded with supplies, preparing to set sail.
This was a merchant ship bound for the Holy Kingdom. At this moment, among the ship's cargo, in addition to the normal goods, there was an added shipment of Regeneration Potion.
Recently.
Ever since the famous Free Will Adventurer Team arrived in the city, the most profitable business had long since become the resale of Regeneration Potion.
The ship's owner was well aware that if he sold a precious and scarce potion like the Regeneration Potion in the Holy Kingdom, the profits would likely double.
The value of these potions alone was nearly equal to the profit from half the ship's other cargo.
After Enri handed over the potion shipment to the ship's owner, she breathed a sigh of relief. This was the largest sum of money they had handled so far.
She clutched a magic leather pouch tightly in both hands. Inside were a full 100 platinum coins, which, if converted to gold coins, would be worth over 2,000.
At this thought.
Enri gripped the pouch even tighter, glanced left and right at the crowded streets, and quickly hurried away.
The port was an inherently chaotic place. The transaction just now had been witnessed by too many people. An ordinary young girl holding such a fortune was a walking treasure trove.
However—
From beginning to end, no one targeted Enri. In fact, most people she passed showed goodwill, actively greeting her, and many even bowed.
The affordable potion had saved many poor people during this time.
There were only three people in Free Will.
Aside from the genius alchemist who rarely showed his face and spent most of his time in the inn researching alchemy, there were two other members people could see.
One was the cold-faced, foul-tempered Green Leaf Witch, and the other was the gentle and kind Enri. The primary sales of the Regeneration Potion were handled entirely by these two... or to be precise, by Enri.
This led to a situation where everyone from nobles down to merchants and commoners had to interact with Enri to obtain the Regeneration Potion.
Thus, the current scene unfolded. Anyone who dared to touch Enri would find themselves fed to the fish by the very merchants and nobles who had profited so handsomely, without the leader of Free Will even needing to lift a finger.
Power instills fear!
But only profit could compel the vested interests to actively maintain the status quo.
From the inn window.
Tang Zheng watched Enri on the street below, nervously clutching the pouch of money as she hurried back to the inn amidst a crowd of friendly gazes and people who actively cleared a path for her.
Enri herself didn't seem to notice that, in all likelihood, no one would dare try to steal the money.
"To drive people with benefits is far more silent and subtle than oppressing them with power, isn't it," Tang Zheng chuckled softly.
"I don't quite understand."
The Green Leaf Witch stood respectfully nearby, her bright yellow eyes filled with confusion.
Tang Zheng shook his head. "The Holy Kingdom doesn't have close ties with this kingdom. Our reputation here might not be very effective over there."
"Having these merchant ships transport the Regeneration Potion ahead of time to build our reputation for us will save a lot of trouble."
"I understand," the Green Leaf Witch said, a look of realization finally dawning on her face.
The corner of Tang Zheng's mouth twitched slightly. The things he had just mentioned were actually two separate matters.
After Enri returned.
Tang Zheng encouraged and praised her, then had an Evil Spirit Hound protect her before secretly using teleportation magic to take the Green Leaf Witch to a forest deep within the Great Wetland.
A thin white mist permeated the woods.
The damp air filled the Green Leaf Witch's nostrils. As she looked at the familiar, gloomy, dense forest before her, her eyes grew slightly dazed.
This place was once the territory of the Twin Witches. Now, she had been away for so long without realizing it, and this was her first time back.
She and her sister had once thought of escaping, but they had long since abandoned that idea, not just because of the strength their master had displayed.
But also because by following the person before her.
Their names would become even more renowned. They might even witness the birth of a figure like the Thirteen Heroes from the history of the various races.
*Her master possessed such strength and talent!*
Both the Green Leaf Witch and the White Mist Witch believed this deeply.
"Master," the Green Leaf Witch said respectfully, her bright yellow eyes filled with awe.
Tang Zheng nodded and led the Green Leaf Witch to a pre-prepared clearing deep within the dense forest.
This was also the place where he had last researched the "Wild Transformation" magic ritual. Thanks to the contributions of those few demi-humans, he now had a much clearer understanding of this magic ritual.
The entire magic ritual was quickly prepared.
"Stand in the center of the magic ritual."
"Yes, Master."
Without any hesitation, the Green Leaf Witch strode past various magical materials to the very center of the ritual.
In her hand, she held a heart the size of two palms, dripping with blood.
This was the heart of the Forest Sage King, Hamsuke.
Tang Zheng walked to the front of the magic ritual, took out several magic leather pouches from his waist, and retrieved the prepared flesh of the Forest Sage King.
He took it out and poured it all onto the ground, forming a pile of flesh half a man high. A thick, bloody scent spread out.
Crimson blood seeped from the flesh, staining the lines of the magic ritual.
The scent drifted on the breeze, instantly attracting the wild beasts and monsters from the depths of the dense forest. However, before these creatures could get close.
The Green Leaf Witch, the former ruler of this forest, let out a cold snort as a wave of magical power emanated from her body.
In an instant.
The commotion deep within the forest vanished without a trace.
Faced with the pile of flesh.
The Green Leaf Witch felt no discomfort, only a little confusion. The bloody scent was rather fresh, indicating the creature had died recently.
*Were the bones all gone?*
Looking at the pile of the creature's flesh and muscle, it didn't seem to belong to a boneless, slithering type of beast.
The bones of the Forest Sage King, Hamsuke, had long been absorbed and devoured by Tang Zheng's "Body Armament," which was why only a pile of flesh remained.
As for it being fresh?
Having been stored in his item box, it was naturally very fresh. Even being divided and stored in different magic leather pouches only created the outward illusion of having "died recently."
"Eat the heart."
Tang Zheng reminded her.
The Green Leaf Witch looked at the large heart in her hand, from which blood dripped between her fingers. A hint of hesitation flickered in her bright yellow pupils, but it quickly vanished. She opened her mouth and shoved it inside.
"Activate Ritual!"
Tang Zheng's expression turned serious. Standing at the edge of the magic ritual, he raised his hand and pressed it on the border, activating the magic ritual.
*Vmmm—*
A glow of magic power rose, and one by one, magical patterns spread out from the ritual, forming a blue magic circle on the ground.
The flesh of the Forest Sage King, Hamsuke, placed upon the magic ritual, began to dissolve at a speed visible to the naked eye, like snow under the sun.
The flesh flowed rapidly within the magic circle, transforming into streams of energy that converged along the patterns of the magic circle towards the Green Leaf Witch at its center.
"Hmph—"
The Green Leaf Witch immediately felt a pure and intense energy continuously pouring into her body. A wave of pain washed over her, and she let out a muffled groan.
*Vmmm—Vmmm—*
The Green Leaf Witch's own magic power reacted uncontrollably with this energy, flashing with a fluorescent green light.
As the flesh of the Forest Sage King continued to transform into energy and pour into her, the Green Leaf Witch's body began to uncontrollably expand and grow.
First, a thick brown fur appeared on the surface of her body. Then, the claws on her hands grew sharp, extending into long, black nails that continued to lengthen.
A tail covered in sturdy, snake-like scales emerged, rapidly growing longer.
"A mutilated body missing some of its parts won't affect the transformation process."
Tang Zheng calmly watched this scene, waiting for the Green Leaf Witch's transformation to be complete. "The prerequisite is that the missing part cannot exceed one-third of the original creature's body. Any more than that, and the process will be affected."
Through the experiments on the few demi-humans provided by Imina, he now completely understood the "Wild Transformation Ritual."
The creature's heart was the medium. Without first consuming the heart, the entire ritual could not be activated. Conversely, if one only consumed the "heart" without the creature's flesh.
Then the one being transformed would use their own flesh as energy for the transformation, a process that was bound to fail.
To reach this conclusion, one demi-human had to die three times before he fully understood.
And this was just one of Tang Zheng's experiments.
For example.
Tang Zheng had a demi-human consume a "heart" normally, then used the corpse of another creature as a substitute, which resulted in failure.
Even with the same type of creature, if the "heart" was not the original creature's heart, it would also fail. During that process, the demi-human's body had simply exploded, killing it instantly.
The conclusion he summed up, to use a term from his previous life, was "rejection reaction."
A very interesting phenomenon.
It seemed like a simple magic ritual, yet it followed extremely rigid, or one might say, standard rules.
"Hmm?"
As Tang Zheng watched the activated magic circle before him, a faint blue magical light suddenly appeared in his eyes.
"What is this?"
He discovered that under his gaze, this magic ritual suddenly became clearer—the flow of magic power, the changes in energy within the magic circle, and so on.
What was happening?
He had seen the activation process of the "Wild Transformation" magic ritual more than once, but never like this.
Tang Zheng pondered deeply, a thought popping into his mind: *"Could it be that the [Magic Master] passive from my [Magic Transcendent] class is taking effect?"*
*The ability of this passive seemed to be "to easily master all kinds of complex and superb magical skills."*
*Boom!*
The blue light released by the magic circle suddenly brightened a degree, and the vibrating magical power returned to tranquility and dissipated.
Dust and smoke cleared.
A stout figure over two meters tall was revealed, covered in thick, hard, brown fur. Its two claws were extended, with sharp, black nails a meter long held before its chest.
Under the light filtering through the dense forest, they glinted with a metallic luster, even in the darkness.
*Crack!!*
Its slender, twenty-meter-long tail—far disproportionate to its body size—whipped slightly in mid-air. Each subconscious lash produced a sharp crack like a sonic boom.
Seeing this familiar figure before him.
A faint smile appeared on Tang Zheng's face. If he hadn't orchestrated the process himself, he might have thought the Forest Sage King, Hamsuke, had truly been resurrected.
"Master."
The Green Leaf Witch, now transformed into the Forest Sage King, felt an unprecedented power coursing through her body and let out a cry of surprise.
(end of chapter)
Re Loberu
In the bustling port city, a merchant ship was being loaded with supplies, preparing to set sail.
This was a merchant ship bound for the Holy Kingdom. At this moment, among the ship's cargo, in addition to the normal goods, there was an added shipment of Regeneration Potion.
Recently.
Ever since the famous Free Will Adventurer Team arrived in the city, the most profitable business had long since become the resale of Regeneration Potion.
The ship's owner was well aware that if he sold a precious and scarce potion like the Regeneration Potion in the Holy Kingdom, the profits would likely double.
The value of these potions alone was nearly equal to the profit from half the ship's other cargo.
After Enri handed over the potion shipment to the ship's owner, she breathed a sigh of relief. This was the largest sum of money they had handled so far.
She clutched a magic leather pouch tightly in both hands. Inside were a full 100 platinum coins, which, if converted to gold coins, would be worth over 2,000.
At this thought.
Enri gripped the pouch even tighter, glanced left and right at the crowded streets, and quickly hurried away.
The port was an inherently chaotic place. The transaction just now had been witnessed by too many people. An ordinary young girl holding such a fortune was a walking treasure trove.
However—
From beginning to end, no one targeted Enri. In fact, most people she passed showed goodwill, actively greeting her, and many even bowed.
The affordable potion had saved many poor people during this time.
There were only three people in Free Will.
Aside from the genius alchemist who rarely showed his face and spent most of his time in the inn researching alchemy, there were two other members people could see.
One was the cold-faced, foul-tempered Green Leaf Witch, and the other was the gentle and kind Enri. The primary sales of the Regeneration Potion were handled entirely by these two... or to be precise, by Enri.
This led to a situation where everyone from nobles down to merchants and commoners had to interact with Enri to obtain the Regeneration Potion.
Thus, the current scene unfolded. Anyone who dared to touch Enri would find themselves fed to the fish by the very merchants and nobles who had profited so handsomely, without the leader of Free Will even needing to lift a finger.
Power instills fear!
But only profit could compel the vested interests to actively maintain the status quo.
From the inn window.
Tang Zheng watched Enri on the street below, nervously clutching the pouch of money as she hurried back to the inn amidst a crowd of friendly gazes and people who actively cleared a path for her.
Enri herself didn't seem to notice that, in all likelihood, no one would dare try to steal the money.
"To drive people with benefits is far more silent and subtle than oppressing them with power, isn't it," Tang Zheng chuckled softly.
"I don't quite understand."
The Green Leaf Witch stood respectfully nearby, her bright yellow eyes filled with confusion.
Tang Zheng shook his head. "The Holy Kingdom doesn't have close ties with this kingdom. Our reputation here might not be very effective over there."
"Having these merchant ships transport the Regeneration Potion ahead of time to build our reputation for us will save a lot of trouble."
"I understand," the Green Leaf Witch said, a look of realization finally dawning on her face.
The corner of Tang Zheng's mouth twitched slightly. The things he had just mentioned were actually two separate matters.
After Enri returned.
Tang Zheng encouraged and praised her, then had an Evil Spirit Hound protect her before secretly using teleportation magic to take the Green Leaf Witch to a forest deep within the Great Wetland.
A thin white mist permeated the woods.
The damp air filled the Green Leaf Witch's nostrils. As she looked at the familiar, gloomy, dense forest before her, her eyes grew slightly dazed.
This place was once the territory of the Twin Witches. Now, she had been away for so long without realizing it, and this was her first time back.
She and her sister had once thought of escaping, but they had long since abandoned that idea, not just because of the strength their master had displayed.
But also because by following the person before her.
Their names would become even more renowned. They might even witness the birth of a figure like the Thirteen Heroes from the history of the various races.
*Her master possessed such strength and talent!*
Both the Green Leaf Witch and the White Mist Witch believed this deeply.
"Master," the Green Leaf Witch said respectfully, her bright yellow eyes filled with awe.
Tang Zheng nodded and led the Green Leaf Witch to a pre-prepared clearing deep within the dense forest.
This was also the place where he had last researched the "Wild Transformation" magic ritual. Thanks to the contributions of those few demi-humans, he now had a much clearer understanding of this magic ritual.
The entire magic ritual was quickly prepared.
"Stand in the center of the magic ritual."
"Yes, Master."
Without any hesitation, the Green Leaf Witch strode past various magical materials to the very center of the ritual.
In her hand, she held a heart the size of two palms, dripping with blood.
This was the heart of the Forest Sage King, Hamsuke.
Tang Zheng walked to the front of the magic ritual, took out several magic leather pouches from his waist, and retrieved the prepared flesh of the Forest Sage King.
He took it out and poured it all onto the ground, forming a pile of flesh half a man high. A thick, bloody scent spread out.
Crimson blood seeped from the flesh, staining the lines of the magic ritual.
The scent drifted on the breeze, instantly attracting the wild beasts and monsters from the depths of the dense forest. However, before these creatures could get close.
The Green Leaf Witch, the former ruler of this forest, let out a cold snort as a wave of magical power emanated from her body.
In an instant.
The commotion deep within the forest vanished without a trace.
Faced with the pile of flesh.
The Green Leaf Witch felt no discomfort, only a little confusion. The bloody scent was rather fresh, indicating the creature had died recently.
*Were the bones all gone?*
Looking at the pile of the creature's flesh and muscle, it didn't seem to belong to a boneless, slithering type of beast.
The bones of the Forest Sage King, Hamsuke, had long been absorbed and devoured by Tang Zheng's "Body Armament," which was why only a pile of flesh remained.
As for it being fresh?
Having been stored in his item box, it was naturally very fresh. Even being divided and stored in different magic leather pouches only created the outward illusion of having "died recently."
"Eat the heart."
Tang Zheng reminded her.
The Green Leaf Witch looked at the large heart in her hand, from which blood dripped between her fingers. A hint of hesitation flickered in her bright yellow pupils, but it quickly vanished. She opened her mouth and shoved it inside.
"Activate Ritual!"
Tang Zheng's expression turned serious. Standing at the edge of the magic ritual, he raised his hand and pressed it on the border, activating the magic ritual.
*Vmmm—*
A glow of magic power rose, and one by one, magical patterns spread out from the ritual, forming a blue magic circle on the ground.
The flesh of the Forest Sage King, Hamsuke, placed upon the magic ritual, began to dissolve at a speed visible to the naked eye, like snow under the sun.
The flesh flowed rapidly within the magic circle, transforming into streams of energy that converged along the patterns of the magic circle towards the Green Leaf Witch at its center.
"Hmph—"
The Green Leaf Witch immediately felt a pure and intense energy continuously pouring into her body. A wave of pain washed over her, and she let out a muffled groan.
*Vmmm—Vmmm—*
The Green Leaf Witch's own magic power reacted uncontrollably with this energy, flashing with a fluorescent green light.
As the flesh of the Forest Sage King continued to transform into energy and pour into her, the Green Leaf Witch's body began to uncontrollably expand and grow.
First, a thick brown fur appeared on the surface of her body. Then, the claws on her hands grew sharp, extending into long, black nails that continued to lengthen.
A tail covered in sturdy, snake-like scales emerged, rapidly growing longer.
"A mutilated body missing some of its parts won't affect the transformation process."
Tang Zheng calmly watched this scene, waiting for the Green Leaf Witch's transformation to be complete. "The prerequisite is that the missing part cannot exceed one-third of the original creature's body. Any more than that, and the process will be affected."
Through the experiments on the few demi-humans provided by Imina, he now completely understood the "Wild Transformation Ritual."
The creature's heart was the medium. Without first consuming the heart, the entire ritual could not be activated. Conversely, if one only consumed the "heart" without the creature's flesh.
Then the one being transformed would use their own flesh as energy for the transformation, a process that was bound to fail.
To reach this conclusion, one demi-human had to die three times before he fully understood.
And this was just one of Tang Zheng's experiments.
For example.
Tang Zheng had a demi-human consume a "heart" normally, then used the corpse of another creature as a substitute, which resulted in failure.
Even with the same type of creature, if the "heart" was not the original creature's heart, it would also fail. During that process, the demi-human's body had simply exploded, killing it instantly.
The conclusion he summed up, to use a term from his previous life, was "rejection reaction."
A very interesting phenomenon.
It seemed like a simple magic ritual, yet it followed extremely rigid, or one might say, standard rules.
"Hmm?"
As Tang Zheng watched the activated magic circle before him, a faint blue magical light suddenly appeared in his eyes.
"What is this?"
He discovered that under his gaze, this magic ritual suddenly became clearer—the flow of magic power, the changes in energy within the magic circle, and so on.
What was happening?
He had seen the activation process of the "Wild Transformation" magic ritual more than once, but never like this.
Tang Zheng pondered deeply, a thought popping into his mind: *"Could it be that the [Magic Master] passive from my [Magic Transcendent] class is taking effect?"*
*The ability of this passive seemed to be "to easily master all kinds of complex and superb magical skills."*
*Boom!*
The blue light released by the magic circle suddenly brightened a degree, and the vibrating magical power returned to tranquility and dissipated.
Dust and smoke cleared.
A stout figure over two meters tall was revealed, covered in thick, hard, brown fur. Its two claws were extended, with sharp, black nails a meter long held before its chest.
Under the light filtering through the dense forest, they glinted with a metallic luster, even in the darkness.
*Crack!!*
Its slender, twenty-meter-long tail—far disproportionate to its body size—whipped slightly in mid-air. Each subconscious lash produced a sharp crack like a sonic boom.
Seeing this familiar figure before him.
A faint smile appeared on Tang Zheng's face. If he hadn't orchestrated the process himself, he might have thought the Forest Sage King, Hamsuke, had truly been resurrected.
"Master."
The Green Leaf Witch, now transformed into the Forest Sage King, felt an unprecedented power coursing through her body and let out a cry of surprise.
(end of chapter)
