Novels by Bader

Caelum felt he had expressed his suggestions as tactfully as possible, but watching the smile slowly fade from Celeste's face, he couldn't help feeling a pang of sympathy.At the end of his words, he gestured for Butterfly to pour tea and water, cleared his throat, and said:"This proposal is actually quite commendable, but right now, the Sterling family's few pharmacies are overburdened. Compared to the Hundred Herbs Pharmacy, they simply don't possess the conditions for outward expansion."And that was the reality.For a traditional pharmacy wanting to expand, it required not only physicians and apprentices capable of holding down the storefronts, but also a reliable supply chain of various medicinal herbs.It couldn't possibly compare to the simplified model of the Hundred Herbs Pharmacy, which mainly relied on herbal teas and common medicinal formulas.Training physicians alone wasn't something that could be achieved overnight, let alone consuming vast sums of silver to stock up o

Jace withdrew a small porcelain bottle from his bosom, smiling sinisterly as he whispered: "This is the Five Poisons Powder I've prepared for you. You only need to have your second brother ingest it continuously for seven days straight, and he will die quietly without a trace."Seraphina glanced at the porcelain bottle without taking it, still shaking her head:"You don't understand my meaning.""Even if my second brother dies without any clues pointing anywhere, or even if all clues point to the Sterling family, I will still be suspected."Jace's eyes flickered: "Is your father truly that suspicious?"Seraphina nodded: "Father never believes in unprovoked accidents, because he is an expert at orchestrating plans and maneuvers to look like coincidences and accidents.""Just like back then when he had my aunt married into the imperial palace—he used the occasion of the Emperor leaving the palace to arrange an accidental encounter between my aunt and the Emperor, allowing her to rise st

It wasn't hard for Caelum to guess what kind of mood Vesper was in right now.He figured she probably wished she could kill him at that very moment.Yet he wasn't worried at all.For one, his identity was sufficiently concealed.The only two who knew were Jared and Dabao; even Jace only knew of the existence of "Liu Five."For Vesper to pin down that "Liu Five" was him stood two layers apart.The difficulty wasn't high, but before Vesper could break through Jace's line of defense, Caelum had plenty of time to come up with a remedy.And the second reason was simple—Vesper wouldn't dare make a move against him.At least, not for the moment.With the prior incident of "burning the summer grain of the three prefectures" and that sum of three hundred thousand silver taels, alongside the Moon-Bright Tower and the covert guards, Vesper had too many misgivings."Hesitant and overcautious" would not be an exaggeration to describe her state.In short, Caelum had indeed placed himself on the che

Vesper's expression shifted slightly. While exchanging idle chatter with Caelum on the surface, she continued communicating in writing on the table.[Who are you?][Guess?][You are definitely not from the Liu family!][Why not?][What is your purpose in coming here?][Naturally, to burn the summer grain of the three prefectures.][You...]The two bantered back and forth for a long time, but Vesper managed to squeeze out zero useful information.It made her breathing ragged, her chest heaving in an exaggerated curve from sheer frustration. She had suspected Caelum hailed from the Valerius family.Yet all signs indicated that the Valerius family was still completely in the dark regarding the Moon-Bright Tower's plot.The Old Marquis even had the leisure to meddle in matters concerning the Hundred Herbs Pharmacy and the Valerius family's medical shop.The same went for the mutual market side; Celeste remained stationed there with no unusual movements.If Liu Five wasn't from the Valer

As luck would have it, the newcomer was Jared.At this moment, his attire was quite similar to Caelum's—both wore black robes, with a black iron mask hidden beneath their hoods.The only difference was that Caelum wore an additional black cloak and a conical bamboo hat on his head.Nevertheless, both of them paused for a moment upon hearing Jared's words.Only Vesper was slightly stunned, while Caelum immediately held his breath and hid carefully.Had Jared not failed to conceal his presence when he arrived, and had his eyes been focused solely on Vesper, Caelum would likely have been cornered by him as well.On the other hand, after recovering from her momentary shock, a charming smile instantly bloomed on Vesper's face. Shifting her gaze toward him, she coquettishly said:"I was wondering who was out here scaring people in the middle of the night, and it turns out to be Elder Jared~""Weren't you goi

Not long after,Caelum sent Silas to Chunyu Tower to look for Black Tooth, while he headed straight for the tailoring shop in the Western Market.The two split up, heading south and west respectively, parting ways on Kangning Street.Caelum quickly reached the outskirts of the Western Market, carefully avoiding Vane and other persistent investigators, and arrived at the residence directly behind the tailoring shop.The progress on what he had instructed Finn to do during the day was neither fast nor slow. The two storefronts of the tailoring shop hadn't been negotiated yet, but someone behind the residential property couldn't resist the high price and handed the land deed over to Finn the very same day.The place where Caelum stood was precisely that residence.It was just turning Hai hour.Although the rain had eased slightly, heavy clouds still blanketed the sky, and amidst the dim surroundings, it provided enough cover to shield his silhouette.Roughly two quarters passed,Caelum h

I leaned back in my chair, the leather creaking softly under my weight, as I studied the woman standing before me. Captain Mareona held herself with a rigid, military poise, yet there was a flicker of something familiar in the set of her jaw and the sharp, attentive light in her eyes. It took a moment for my mind to sift through the memories of the past six years, back to the early days when my grandmother had sent a contingent of four hundred soldiers to ensure my survival in this desolate state."You look remarkably like Captain Ela," I said, my voice cutting through the silence of the office. "Tell me, what is your connection to her? Are you perhaps her mother? Or given the lines of experience on your face, perhaps her grandmother?"The mask of military stoicism on Mareona’s face shattered instantly. A vein throbbed visibly on her temple, and her eyes flared with a sudden, indignant fire. "I am her younger sister!" she barked, her professional composure momentarily eclipsed by pure

To the common observer, four years is a period of slow, rhythmic change. But within the borders of the Secluded State, these years were a whirlwind of divine intervention and industrial revolution. I had long ago realized that borrowed strength was a deceptive comfort; a sword lent by another can be reclaimed, but the strength forged in one’s own meridians is the only true sovereignty. Thus, while the world moved on, I anchored myself within the heart of the Spiritual Land, a sanctuary that had transitioned from a hidden valley into a fortress of unparalleled sophistication.Under my directives, the transition was surgical. I had tasked Elder 1 and Elder 5 with a monumental architectural feat: the creation of a base that would serve as both a sanctuary and a laboratory. I demanded that the true heart of our power—the scientific facilities—be buried deep underground, hidden from the prying eyes of heaven and earth alike. I wanted a self-sustaining ecosystem protected by a multi-layered

The atmosphere within the governor’s grand office was thick with a tension that felt almost physical. Three days had passed since the silver and white mists of the system’s summoning had receded, and the reality of my new cabinet was beginning to set in. I sat behind the massive mahogany desk, my fingers steepled, watching the silent play of power across the room. Across from me sat the "Three Legends"—Lynch, Nel, and Holt—their faces etched with the fatigue of two years of relentless labor. Next to them stood the three scholars I had chosen to remain in the city: Elder 2, the stoic elven mistress of agriculture; Elder 4, the calculating human master of economics; and Elder 5, the dwarven architect whose eyes seemed to constantly measure the structural integrity of the walls.The silence was broken by Old Nel, who, true to his lecherous nature, was staring at Elder 2 with a look of undisguised, pathetic longing. His eyes wandered over the elegant curve of her elven ears and the poised

The shattering of the talent stone had left a ringing silence in the clearing, broken only by the heavy breathing of the three legendary nobles. Old Holt looked at the sparkling obsidian dust at his feet, his eyes wide and shimmering with a mixture of reverence and absolute shock. He looked at me as if he were staring at a god descended from the heavens. I knew you were special from the moment I laid eyes on you, My Lord! he exclaimed, his voice cracking with emotion. But this... this is beyond anything recorded in the annals of history. You possess the greatest talent that has ever graced the Vermilion Empire!Old Nel, ever the one to boast once his fear had subsided into pride, puffed out his chest and looked at the others with a triumphant smirk. Hmph! Forget the empire! Nel shouted, gesturing wildly. He has the greatest talent in the entire world! Even those pampered prodigies from the Central Continent, who think they are the darlings of the heavens, aren't fit to carry our Lord’

The passage of time is a fickle thing; to the idle, it is a slow decay, but to those with a kingdom to build, it is a fleeting currency. Two years had bled into the tapestry of history since I first stood upon the broken gates of the Secluded City. Now, as I sat perched upon a thick, gnarled branch of an ancient oak tree that guarded the perimeter of my estate, I looked out over a landscape that had been utterly transformed. The air no longer carried the stagnant scent of fear and poverty that the Lamonia family had cultivated like a toxic crop. Instead, it was filled with the vibrant, chaotic hum of a burgeoning metropolis.I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the sensory data wash over me. I could hear the rhythmic clanging of hammers from the newly established industrial district, the distant shouting of merchants in the central square, and the steady marching of boots that signaled the changing of the guard. The Secluded State had undergone a metamorphosis that defied every law

The stench of the dungeon lingered in my nostrils as I ascended the stone stairs, the silence of the underground replaced by the chaotic symphony of a city in the throes of a violent rebirth. Veldora followed a step behind me, his expression unreadable, while Kurma trotted at my side, occasionally licking his chops with a disturbing sense of satisfaction.I had missed it. The grand spectacle of the siege, the clashing of steel on the battlements, the dramatic fall of a corrupt regime—all of it had happened while I was stuck in a damp cellar watching two divine beasts have a snack. I looked at Veldora with a flash of genuine disappointment.Are you happy now? I muttered, my voice echoing in the narrow corridor. I missed the entire show. My first real battle, and I spent it listening to those two screaming for mercy. Now, all I see is a massive game of hide-and-seek played by an entire city.Veldora offered a small, apologetic bow. My Lord, the quality of a meal is often determined by t