Pirate Kingship-Chapter 560 - 411 Morning Exercise with Whale Oil Base Fire

At one corner of the Royal Palace in the volcano hot spring city of Kahamaka.

Once one mastered "Flow State," their rest efficiency became transcendental as well. While others needed a full eight hours of sleep, they required only three, or even fewer, to fully rejuvenate their spirits. Reaching the realm of "Divine Sight" was even more exaggerated. They could rest sufficiently within the fragmented times throughout the day, and if Byron wished, he could continue working day and night without stopping. It could indeed be called the "Acquired Sacred Body of Workers."

Outside, darkness still prevailed. Having been thoroughly revitalized by the Prince of Night Demons the night before, Violet woke up quietly, an inner radiance making her glow. Aside from a slight soreness on her cheeks, every inch of her skin faintly radiated light. Outside the bedroom’s one-way transparent window, empowered by witchcraft, was a garden filled with all kinds of exotic flowers and plants fiercely blooming in the peak of summer.

The gentle rain began to patter down from the sky. Listening to the soft sound of rain made one lazy and unwilling to move a muscle.

A thought crossed her mind, and she opened the [Alchemical Workshop], an ability accompanying her Third Order Artisan status. This ability not only amplified an Artisan’s Alchemy but also allowed for the virtual realization of known material properties, saving a great deal of experimental materials and validating ideas anytime, anywhere. If Violet was willing to use the precious little Philosopher’s Stone in her possession, materializing her ideas directly into reality was completely feasible. Shadows of experimental materials fluttered, making the process faster than in the real world.

Violet reached the Fourth Order tipping point earlier than Byron and was more eager to break through to Fourth Order as well. Just as she herself said, "The things I like are expensive, the places I want to go are far, and the person I love is perfect."

Among the three at home, Byron’s promotion speed was breathtakingly fast, severely impacting her confidence as a genius beauty. Although Catherine had always been stationed at the International Port, acting as a stabilizing force, both the Mithril Knight path and the route of the Forbidden Book "Crown of the Giant Dragon" were viable with enough money. As long as she earned enough money, built her Dragon Nest, and took a nap inside, she could naturally ascend to a Third Order juvenile dragon, and eventually to a Fourth Order Mythical Creature—a young adult dragon. If one amassed "kingdom-rivaling" wealth, fulfilling the prerequisites for Fifth Order promotion was a piece of cake.

After briefly researching the Steam Engine, she returned to her favorite and most proficient field: military armaments. However, unlike before, she made a new discovery after receiving the "specific boiling point distillation extraction method for Whale Oil" from that Virtual Ship Spirit.

"Last night, I sleepwalked into the collective subconscious sea in my dream and got a bit of inspiration. This time, I can definitely succeed."

Previously, her research had always focused on primers, key inventions for her promotion to Fourth Order. Although she had successfully prepared Fulminate of Mercury, its properties were too sensitive, potentially leading to spontaneous explosions in areas with intense Source Tide fluctuations. The project had been stuck in a research impasse and shelved for a long time.

Now, she unexpectedly found that after Whale Oil underwent repeated distillation and purification, the most inert residue at the bottom of the distiller, when mixed with the Fulminate of Mercury provided by Byron in a specific ratio, showed great promise in resolving this issue. While ensuring sensitivity, this method would prevent accidental ignition.

Actually, their initial thinking had been somewhat misguided; not all inventions needed to completely exclude the transcendent. As long as an invention met the low cost and industrial replicability criteria, it could satisfy the requirements for promotion. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Violet felt that by following this line of research, she could certainly develop Whale Oil primers and Whale Oil percussion caps within days. This would initiate another revolution in firearm history, sweeping flintlock guns into the dustbin of history and ushering in the era of her cartridge firearms. This would be enough for her to advance to a Fourth Order Gunsmith and gain a unique Fourth Order transcendent ability from this great invention.

Clearly, the Sacred Golden Empire was now a realm of Scroll Kings; even on the same starting line, competitors would vie fiercely against their peers. Although this situation wasn’t conducive for individuals wishing to "lie flat" and relax, it was highly beneficial to the collective and the grander scheme of things—especially someone’s grand scheme. Moreover, under Byron’s guidance, they had already gained a head start in all aspects. The more time passed, the more terrifying the power unleashed by their industrial empire would become.

"Hmph."

The Gunsmith, immersed in her research, suddenly shivered. A full moon seemed to rise and fall in the room, its cyclic changes stirring a roaring tide.

"Bastard..."

It was Byron, who had also woken up early and had been quietly admiring the girl for a long time, causing mischief again. He leaned down to leave several kiss marks on the back of her neck, while his other movements didn’t stop for a second. He teased, "I’m also working hard. Everyone is working so hard; I can’t fall behind. Day and night, night and day, it’s truly arduous work. However, I’m doing this to help you train your concentration, and as a bonus, to complete the most critical task for the Lancaster Family and the Sacred Golden Empire. It’s worth a little hardship on my part. Also, Miss, I’ve heard that the stronger the essence of a creature, the harder it is to produce offspring. Just like in the natural world where tigers and leopards can only have a few cubs, but fish in the sea can spawn hundreds of millions of eggs. If we don’t work hard now, it’ll be even harder when we become Fourth Order Mythical Creatures in the future."

Although Violet was a Tower Sequence Artisan, driven by knowledge to dispel ignorance, she clearly lacked knowledge in this area. Blinking her increasingly bewildered large eyes, she said half-believingly, "Is that really the case?"

Byron nodded solemnly. "I am the ’Father of Healing,’ certified by the collective subconscious of humanity. If I say so, it is so. Trust me!"

Though he said this, he felt that with his expertise in the Black Sorcery of the Prince of Night Demons, resolving this issue shouldn’t be too difficult.

Violet was helpless. Could she really stop her diligent lover from doing what he considered "the right thing"? She wanted to focus on her research on Whale Oil primers, but her body’s instincts made her tremble more and more uncontrollably. She could only bite her lower lip and a strand of hair that dangled beside her red lips. Turning back, she gave him a captivating, sidelong glance. "Since you’re working so hard, why don’t you go find Catherine to help share the burden? She may be two years younger than me, but with her large bust and hips, she looks like she’d be good at bearing children. Don’t you know your own beastliness?"

"Catherine, she..." Byron initially wanted to say that his sister, with whom he’d grown up so closely they were like two peas in a pod, was too familiar; he could hardly bring himself to even think of undressing her. But as the words reached his lips, he remembered the other vacant Queen Rank. His rationale felt far too unconvincing, even to himself, so he swallowed his words. Who else could this rank be for, if not his sister? Was he supposed to wait for the Great Loyalist of York to take power and then form a marriage alliance with the York Family? How could he wipe them out completely then? He asked himself, could he ever agree to his sister marrying someone else? The mere thought of another man daring to harbor such intentions would probably make him want to unleash a full Fleet broadside right in that man’s face.

Moreover, since his sister had obtained the Forbidden Book "Crown of the Giant Dragon," she had begun transforming into a true Mithril Dragon, her physical state changing daily. Added to this was her increasingly powerful aura as a commanding businesswoman, developed after taking charge of the Commercial Empire. As a Dragon Knight, it would be truly abnormal if he hadn’t fantasized about a dragon’s... three hundred and sixty-five riding styles.

Violet felt an even stronger firmness from behind her and pouted. "Hmph, men and their duplicity. When we return to the Bantaan Archipelago, I’ll talk to Catherine for you."

Byron laughed awkwardly. "Ahem. Someone is coming."

His Divine Sight was precise enough to cover a radius of several kilometers. Even though this palace, prepared for the Molten Giants and the Son of the Sun, was extraordinarily large, he immediately detected the lady-in-waiting from yesterday approaching in the distance. Activity also began to stir in the main hall where Atahualpa resided. Clearly, the Prince, who had drunk a fair amount the previous night, was also awake and had assigned her tasks.

Seeing this, Byron didn’t stop; instead, he quickened his pace, wrapping his arms around the girl’s waist—seemingly delicate but actually full of strength. Violet also shut down the [Alchemical Workshop] and hurriedly began to cooperate with focused intensity.

After a long while, as light rain fell outside, "light rain" also started to fall in the luxurious bedroom. They changed their thoroughly soaked bedsheets and hastily bathed with summoned warm water. By the time the lady-in-waiting stood at the courtyard gate, quietly waiting for the distinguished guests to awaken, they had already dressed neatly, stepped out of their quarters, and pushed open the outer gate.

The lady-in-waiting promptly curtsied. "His Majesty, the Lord of Heaven, and Her Majesty the Empress, His Highness invites you both to breakfast."

Byron’s heart stirred. He knew breakfast was merely a pretext; the main event of this "royal succession" was finally about to begin.