The heavy warehouse doors slowly opened to both sides.
The candlesticks inside lit up in response, revealing rows of wooden shelves and neatly stacked chests from the darkness.
Isolde stood at the doorway, her gaze first falling on the right side, where the equipment left behind by the intruders was placed.
Isolde casually picked up a longsword, drawing it halfway to inspect it.
There were several noticeable nicks on the blade. It wouldn't fetch much if sold, but it would be perfect for peripheral personnel she might recruit in the future.
She sheathed the sword again and instructed, “Store the ordinary weapons and armor separately.”
“Keep the ones that aren't severely damaged, and dismantle the completely unusable ones for materials.”
Lia nodded. “Yes, My Lady.”
Isolde walked over to a spacious area and released all the chests from her ring.
The cargo left behind by the Treant King occupied a large area. Most of the crates had been eroded by roots and moisture; at a mere touch, wood shavings cascaded down from the lids.
The first chest contained several bolts of fabric.
The top layers had already rotted and turned black, emitting a distinct musty odor, but there were still two bolts near the bottom that were barely usable.
The second chest contained spices and dried herbs.
After several decades, most of their medicinal properties had already dissipated, leaving only a few wax-sealed jars relatively intact.
The third chest was neatly stacked with metal ingots.
Although a layer of rust had formed on the surface, the interior was not heavily affected, and they could still be used after being remelted.
The situation was similar for the remaining chests; less than thirty percent of the cargo was actually salvageable.
But with the sheer volume of it, even keeping just this portion was far more than she had anticipated.
Not to mention, the Treant King had left behind a large quantity of Immortal Hardwood. Whether for repairing Crow Candle Castle or rebuilding the old station outside, she wouldn't have to worry about a shortage of materials anytime soon.
Isolde took out the items from her ring one after another.
As the internal space gradually emptied, the dark-red gem on the ring slowly regained its original blue luster.
She placed three skill scrolls separately on the long table.
Lia stood quietly to the side. Isolde picked up one of the scrolls stamped with a fist mark and handed it to her.
“This is for you.”
Lia extended both hands and took the scroll.
“This is...”
Isolde said, “You haven't chosen a sub-class yet, and this skill is highly compatible with your body.”
“If you learn it successfully, it should help establish your path in the martial class.”
Lia looked down at the scroll in her hands.
【Martial Class Skill Scroll: Armor-Penetrating Heavy Punch】
She did not use it immediately, but asked once more to confirm, “Does My Lady not need it?”
“My power system is not suited for it,” Isolde said quite frankly. “Besides, there's no difference between you getting stronger and me getting stronger.”
She paused, then added, “Of course, ultimately it depends on whether you are willing to go down this path.”
Holding the scroll, Lia lowered her head slightly in respect.
“As long as it is My Lady's wish, Lia is willing.”
Saying this, she raised her eyes, her hazy single eye quietly looking at Isolde.
“Besides, the martial class suits me very well right now.”
“With greater strength, I can protect My Lady and more quickly eliminate the enemies in My Lady's path.”
Her tone was as calm as ever, without the slightest hint of reluctance.
“My Lady, I want to learn this.”
Isolde looked at her for two seconds. The "Coach, I want to learn" meme couldn't help but flash through her mind, and she smiled with amusement.
“Then learn it.”
Lia held the scroll, untied the knot, and pressed her palm against the center of the scroll.
Dark-red runes lit up inch by inch from the paper.
The scroll dissolved into several beams of crimson light, merging into Lia's body along her arms.
A faint grinding sound echoed from deep within her bones, and the puppet core hidden in her chest cavity vibrated along with it.
【Contractee Lia has mastered the basic skill: Armor-Penetrating Heavy Punch】
【Detected that the skill is highly compatible with the current body】
【Class inclination established】
【Primary Class: Aberrant】
【Sub-class: Martial Class】
Lia raised her hand, and as her fingers slowly clenched into a fist, a faint pop echoed in the air.
She also seemed a bit surprised, looking down at her fist.
Isolde picked out a cracked old iron shield from the pile of equipment and gestured for a faceless servant to secure it against the wall.
“Try it.”
Lia walked over to the iron shield. She didn't spend much time gathering power, merely drawing her right fist back to her waist.
In the next instant, her fist struck.
Bang!
A dull impact exploded in the warehouse, and the center of the iron shield instantly caved in.
The cracks that had previously only reached the edges instantly spread in all directions. The wooden stand holding the shield shook a few times, nearly toppling backward.
Lia withdrew her hand. Her knuckles were completely unscathed, without even a scratch on her skin.
“Good concentration of power.”
Isolde walked over and glanced at the dent left in the center of the iron shield. In terms of pure destructive power, this punch wasn't exceptionally exaggerated yet.
The true value lay in the skill's ability to concentrate Lia's naturally dispersed strength into a single point, specifically designed to shatter armor and hard shells.
Once her proficiency increased, the skill's effectiveness would grow alongside it.
“In the future, when you encounter high-defense enemies, use this move to smash open their shells.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
“I will clear all obstacles for My Lady.”
Isolde nodded in satisfaction and returned to the long table.
The second scroll was 【Shattered Blade Scatter】.
This was exactly the area-of-effect attack she needed most right now.
Isolde unfurled the scroll. Dark-green blade patterns floated up from the paper, rapidly shattering between her fingers and turning into streaks of fine light that entered her body.
A vast amount of unfamiliar mana flow pathways rushed into her mind.
【Skill learned successfully】
【Obtained basic skill: Shattered Blade Scatter】
Isolde walked to the open space outside the warehouse. A few faceless servants quickly brought over several discarded wooden boards and set them up scattered in front of her.
She raised her hand and channeled her mana according to the pathways she had just acquired.
Dark-green light rapidly condensed in front of her palm. Dozens of tiny shattered blades hovered before her, and with a forward press of her wrist, they shot forward simultaneously.
The frontmost board was struck repeatedly, its surface instantly marred by seven or eight cracks of varying depths. The boards slightly further out on either side were only hit two or three times.
The one at the very edge was left with only a faint scratch.
Isolde took a look at the results.
The damage was indeed not very high; a single shattered blade was not even as strong as an ordinary arrow.
However, its advantage lay in its wide coverage area and rapid casting speed.
It was sufficient for dealing with large numbers of low-tier enemies or clearing a space when surrounded at close range.
She condensed the shattered blades once more.
This time, several translucent 【Mana-Conducting Threads】 extended from her fingertips, wrapping around a few of the shattered blades.
The moment the shattered blades shot out, she lightly flicked her fingers.
Three of the blades, which would have otherwise flown past the board, underwent a tiny deflection in mid-air and grazed the edge of the wood.
It was only three blades, and the change in direction was minimal, but they were indeed controllable.
【Skill linkage detected】
【Mana-Conducting Thread can exert a minor pull on Shattered Blade Scatter】
【Current control limit and deflection angle are influenced by Spirit and Mana-Conducting Thread proficiency】
Isolde looked at the new marks on the wooden board, a trace of satisfaction appearing in her eyes.
Low base damage was not an issue.
Once her control over 【Mana-Conducting Thread】 increased further, she might be able to make the shattered blades turn a second time in mid-air, or even bypass frontal defenses to attack targets behind them.
Even if she couldn't do that yet, this skill had already patched up her shortcoming of lacking an area-of-effect attack.
As for the last scroll, 【Substitute Puppet】, she chose not to learn it for now.
The skill itself was not particularly dangerous.
The real danger lay in her idea of using Soul Threads to replace the original puppet skeleton, hoping to break the limitation of only being able to replicate her current appearance.
If such a modification failed, the cost might be more than just mana.
It was safer to wait until she had prepared test materials and a secure environment before attempting it.
Isolde rolled the scroll back up and put it into her ring, which now had vacant space.
Returning to the warehouse, she took out the yellowed manuscript she had bought from the old merchant.
As the pages unfolded, the densely packed sewing techniques appeared before her eyes once more.
【Complete skill inheritance detected】
【Common Class General Skill: Sewing】
【Learn?】
Isolde selected yes, and the words on the paper began to glow with a faint white light.
Line after line of text peeled off the paper, surging into her fingertips along with the slightly crude diagrams beside them.
This experience, which would normally take several years to master, was quickly organized by the system and integrated into her memory.
At the same time, the 【Mana-Conducting Thread】 inside her body reacted slightly.
Fine threads extended along her fingers, tracing several stitching trajectories in the air on their own.
【Detected high compatibility between the skills "Sewing" and "Mana-Conducting Thread"】
【Basic skill is undergoing adaptive transformation】
【Obtained special life skill: Mana-Thread Sewing】
【Effect: Allows cutting, stitching, and repairing using ordinary threads or Mana-Conducting Threads. When using special materials, the mana within the materials can be retained and guided during the sewing process.】
【Currently craftable: Ordinary clothing, leather goods, basic soft armor】
【Currently repairable: Ordinary clothing, low-tier leather armor, partially damaged magical fabrics】
【Limitation: Crafting magical equipment requires corresponding patterns, special materials, and attribute material enchantment.】
Isolde raised her eyebrow slightly. It was exactly as she had thought.
She picked up a completely torn leather bracer from the side.
With this level of damage, even if an ordinary tailor repaired it, it would be difficult for it to withstand the strain of battle.
She raised her hand, and several Soul Threads emerged from her fingertips.
One secured the edge of the leather, two took the place of needle and thread, crossing from both sides of the tear, while the remaining threads reinforced the bracer along its original stress directions.
The entire process required no physical pulling of the leather on her part.
All the threads moved simultaneously under her control.
In just over ten seconds, the torn-open split was stitched back together.
The stitches left on the surface were extremely fine; without careful observation, one wouldn't even be able to tell that it had once been completely torn apart.
Isolde bent the bracer, and the repaired section did not split again.
More importantly, the Soul Threads had left a subtle mana pathway inside the leather.
As long as the material itself could bear it, she could continue to infuse mana into it.
The effect on ordinary leather was not prominent.
If replaced with high-tier magical beast hide, special silk threads, or attribute-infused fabrics, the results would be entirely different.
In the future, not only could she craft better-defending clothing for herself, but she could also repair cloaks and soft armor damaged in battle.
Isolde set the repaired bracer aside.
The old merchant would probably never have imagined that a sewing manuscript he wrote for his granddaughter would turn into such an ability in her hands.
Rate on N.U.
