The laboratory was filled with an indescribable smell.

There was a mix of urine stench, some kind of burnt herbal residue, and various other odd smells, blending into a peculiar hellish flavor.

Herb scraps, overturned potion bottles, and some dried, unidentified liquid traces were scattered all over the floor.

Pale yellow steam floated in mid-air, carrying a hint of humid and ambiguous warmth.

Hillco wore gloves, covering his nose, his face full of disillusionment: "Tch, this is just ridiculous.

I'm a genius alchemy apprentice recognized by the Jade Federation, the future Great Alchemist, and now I'm here refining turtle urine?!"

His face was full of reluctance, yet he had no choice but to carry out this arduous task.

A few weeks ago, Lord Louis, who seemed gentle but actually had perverse ideas, personally issued this baffling experiment directive:

"Formulate a potion that can soothe male turtles' agitated moods and channel their mating instincts to induce gentle heating."

When he heard the task, the first thought that popped into Hillco's mind was:

Is this guy out of his mind? Is the great alchemy meant for this?!

But Louis carefully explained the importance of the potion.

"Winter is approaching rapidly, the Red Tide Territory has geothermal support, but what about outside? No geothermal, no resources, burning wood for warmth is just not enough..."

Thus, Hillco gritted his teeth and endured seven rounds of failure.

Sometimes the cauldron exploded, sometimes the table got burnt through, and once he almost blew up the entire laboratory.

Until yesterday, he finally extracted an element with a slightly intoxicating scent from a ton of female turtle excrement.

It was made primarily from female turtle urine, supplemented by several common yet hard-to-mix herbs, and finally processed through complex extraction and neutralization.

It simulated the pheromone of female Fire-backed Turtles, mixed with a mild sedative.

It could trigger the male turtles' mating instincts to generate heat without draining their vitality, and it would also soften their aggressive nature.

He gave this concoction an embarrassingly ridiculous name: "Turtle Charm Fragrance."

"I must admit, although this method is a bit low, the effect should be... well, reliable."

Hillco mused, looking down at his stained robe, and sighed: "I shouldn't have stolen that damn formula back then..."

He took off his gloves and opened the laboratory window, letting the cold wind in, which finally diluted some of the nauseating odors.

...

Outside the experiment field, the cold wind was biting, but the onlookers were enthusiastic, creating a particularly lively atmosphere.

"... It's finally starting." Hillco rubbed his cold-red hands, feeling unexpectedly nervous.

His gaze fell on the center of the field, where there was a large male Fire-backed Turtle, the subject of this experiment.

Its shell faintly emitted heat, and its sturdy limbs restlessly pawed at the ground.

On the other side, Louis was focused, hands behind his back, standing in the front row with Sif beside him.

The experiment officially began as several assistants slowly poured the "Turtle Charm Fragrance" into the distillation apparatus.

"Release the Turtle Charm Fragrance for the first round!" an assistant called, then quickly stepped back.

Soon, a faint yellow smoke slowly spread across the field, enveloping the massive Fire-backed Turtle.

A subtle scent instantly filled the air.

It was a mix of fishy, musky, and slightly strange herbal notes, causing people to frown.

"... Tch, this smell is disgusting every time I inhale it." Hillco wrinkled his nose, staring intently at the male Fire-backed Turtle.

Initially, the male turtle only slightly raised its head, seemingly confused.

But in less than half a minute, it suddenly became excited, stomping heavily on the ground and slowly approaching the fake female turtle set-up.

"It's coming," Louis said, full of anticipation.

The Fire-backed Turtle started circling around the fake female turtle, nostrils flaring with heat, its movements growing more frantic.

Finally, it leapt onto it and began...

Rubbing intensely, emitting a series of strange low growls.

"Ah...!" Sif covered her eyes, her cheeks flushed, yet she couldn't resist peeking through her fingers at this bizarre scene.

Then she sneakily turned her head, glancing at Louis from the corner of her eye.

But he was unfazed, completely unaware of the blush-inducing scene, as if he was merely watching a plain stone.

Soon, the Fire-backed Turtle's shell started glowing red, like roasted iron, faintly emitting heat.

"It has begun." Louis raised an eyebrow, stepping back.

Sif unconsciously stepped back a few paces, eyes glued on the working giant turtle.

The Fire-backed Turtle grew hotter, its shell shimmering with a dark red glow, twisting the surrounding air, with steam billowing in waves, raising the temperature of the entire experiment field.

"Standing too close can burn you," Louis cautioned in a calm voice.

The core temperature of the Fire-backed Turtle could reach seventy to eighty degrees, quite effective.

Sif bit her lip and nodded.

"Second exposure." An experimenter added a bit more potion.

This time the male turtle became noticeably more docile, resting quietly after rubbing instead of becoming agitated.

"This potion works faster than expected," Hillco couldn't help but grin, his eyes gleaming.

And after the third round of "Turtle Charm Fragrance" release, the steam release rate of the Fire-backed Turtle significantly decreased, and the heat released was not as strong.

"The gentleness... is indeed improving." Louis nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

He quietly instructed, "Try again, confirm if it allows close inspection."

A knight experimenter with Fighting Energy cautiously approached, and the male turtle only swayed slightly, showing no signs of aggression.

The experiment was a success.

"Very good, this experiment was very successful." Louis turned, looking towards the sneering Hillco in the crowd, "Hillco!"

"Here!" Hillco immediately straightened up, full of anticipation.

"I'll reward you with a hundred gold coins." Louis took a heavy pouch from the knight's hand and tossed it over.

"Ah!! It's so heavy!" Hillco nearly missed catching it, hurriedly exclaimed, "The Lord is wise! The Lord is generous! Hahaha, I'm set for this one!"

Complaints? What complaints? All forgotten!

Hehe, so sweet!

After a few days of intensive training, the twelve male Fire-backed Turtles of the Red Tide Territory were finally tamed and acclimatized.

The Red Tide Territory's Beast Taming Knight team quickly assembled, twelve tamed male Fire-backed Turtles lined up, their shell's deep red glow emitting faint warmth in the cold wind.

"According to the plan, assign three to each of the four new subordinate territories, ensure they arrive before the severe winter." Louis issued the instruction.

"Yes!"

The knights responded swiftly, beginning to load the Fire-backed Turtles onto special Cold Iron transport frames one by one.

Despite their heavy bodies and slow movements, even after being tamed, these behemoths were still somewhat "unruly."

According to the plan, each territory's Fire-backed Turtle will provide concentrated heating during the cold snaps, sustaining a warm environment for 3 to 5 days.

Once the energy blocks on their backs run out, they will immediately be sent back to Red Tide for reheating, then new turtles will be dispatched to replace them.

Although the method is a bit cumbersome, it is temporarily the best solution.

"It's really troublesome..." Sif couldn't help but mutter in a low voice.

Louis watched the turtles for a long while and said, "At least it can save many lives, but the numbers are still too few. The transport is cumbersome and breeding is not proactive... next year, we must increase the breeding efforts."

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