Translator: CinderTL
Although Roland could sense the powerful psionic energy surging within the mind flayer's blood, his current knowledge was insufficient to harness it.
At least, none of the ancient texts he had studied from Bronson's collection contained any methods for converting it into his own strength.
Vanessa, however, was entirely different.
Despite having met only once and exchanged only a few words, Roland's hand unconsciously drifted to the pouch at his waist, filled with Negative Energy Protection Potions.
Anyone capable of brewing such potions must possess alchemical skills far beyond the ordinary.
Rather than let the mind flayer's blood lie dormant in his possession, it would be better to entrust it to this witch for experimentation.
Moreover...
Recalling the wraith he had slain in the fishing village, and how the blood had absorbed those fragmented memories, causing it to pulsate with unstable energy, Roland felt a chill run down his spine.
This unknown substance was like an unstable bomb.
Who could predict when or where it might detonate, causing trouble?
Better to hand this potential hazard over to the witch and see what useful discoveries she could make from it.
Judging by the current situation, although it remained unclear why the witch had suddenly changed her attitude, Roland could discern that she harbored no immediate malice.
Having made up his mind, Roland nodded slightly and reached into the pouch at his waist. In the next moment, the bottle containing the mind flayer's blood was placed on the table with a soft clink.
As if sensing the change in its environment, the purplish-black liquid began to ripple slowly and uneasily as soon as it left the pouch, emitting waves of powerful yet uncontrolled psionic energy.
"Truly fascinating..."
Vanessa gazed intently at the seemingly living liquid within the bottle, murmuring in awe before picking it up for closer examination.
The playful glint in her eyes faded, replaced by pure curiosity.
"Miss Vanessa..."
Roland bowed slightly, addressing the witch who seemed to have forgotten him and his companions.
"Thank you for providing the potion. As for this mind flayer blood..."
Vanessa ignored the noble youth's words, simply taking the bottle and striding toward the wooden table piled high with strange instruments.
But Roland didn't stop.
"Whether you can refine it into the potion you mentioned or not, consider this my return for your generous gift. As for traveling together..."
Roland truly wished to avoid traveling with Vanessa unless absolutely necessary.
In this treacherous land, why bring along a mysterious and unpredictable woman brimming with danger?
Heaven knows what unforeseen calamities she might attract.
Just as Roland was carefully formulating a polite refusal, Vanessa spoke.
The witch, her back still turned, gracefully and precisely manipulated the mind flayer's blood without looking up.
"Mr. Roland," she said, "I imagine... if you wish to escape this mist-shrouded land, you'll eventually need a guide, won't you?"
She tilted her head slightly, her violet eyes glancing at him with a hint of amusement, a faint smile curving her lips.
"The area you're currently in is merely the edge of the Mistland. You haven't truly experienced the region's dangers yet. In fact..."
As she spoke, she poured the blood into a specially crafted crucible etched with runes, then added a viscous liquid that shimmered with an eerie glow.
Almost instantly, the purplish-black blood, which had been writhing like a living thing, stilled, becoming as inert as ordinary liquid.
With a delicate flick of her slender fingers, a cluster of ethereal blue flames ignited beneath the cauldron.
As the temperature rose, the liquid within began to churn and boil.
The witch's voice remained steady and calm, undisturbed by the commotion.
"One of the most fundamental effects," she said, gazing at the rising steam, "is to completely disorient you."
Vanessa's words silenced Roland.
The carefully prepared words of polite refusal he had been about to utter vanished from his lips.
For what she said was true.
In fact, while following Mason to the cabin, Roland had keenly sensed that as the fog thickened, the pervasive magic element seemed to form an invisible barrier, rendering his usually sharp senses dull and useless.
Worse still, the magic appeared to be actively disrupting his perception, making it exceedingly difficult to discern directions in the dense fog.
Pixie Tracy shared this feeling.
During the journey, she had whispered to Roland her suspicion that Mason was leading them in circles.
Though the cabin soon came into view, this only confirmed Roland's intuition that something was amiss.
As for how Mason managed to navigate the fog, Roland didn't press the matter, but he suspected...
The experiments the witch had conducted on him were undoubtedly connected to this.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the hissing of the mind flayer's blood boiling in the cauldron, a deafening silence.
After a long pause, Roland gently shook his head and met the witch's deep violet eyes.
"You're right, Miss Vanessa. I do need a guide. So..."
His voice was steady and direct.
"What price must I pay for this?"
"Price?"
Vanessa's gaze remained fixed on the liquid swirling in the cauldron. She tapped her chin with a slender finger, tilted her head, and a faint smile played at the corners of her lips.
"Didn't I just say, Mr. Roland? Bringing me along is enough."
She turned, her voice deliberately soft and vulnerable.
"After all, this Mistland is so dangerous. A weak woman like me... utterly defenseless... wouldn't dare wander alone in the fog. So if we encounter any trouble along the way..."
She looked at Roland with innocent eyes.
"...I'll naturally have to rely on you to resolve it."
"A weak woman..."
Hearing her self-description, Roland's lips twitched involuntarily.
Though Vanessa had yet to reveal her full power, the bestial writhing of the vines outside the cabin alone proved that this witch was far from ordinary.
Since she had said so, Roland saw no need to press the matter and simply nodded slightly.
"In that case, Miss Vanessa, please allow us to return to our temporary quarters to gather some essential food and water before rejoining you."
"Food? Water? There's no need..."
As Vanessa spoke, she turned and opened a cabinet built into the wall.
Inside, rows of slender-necked bottles were neatly arranged, each filled with a pale green liquid.
"This potion..."
She picked up a bottle.
"Just one bottle provides an adult with several days' worth of nutrition and hydration. I'll call it... Concentrated Nutrient Potion, Mason."
Before Roland could ask any questions, she tossed a bottle to the noble youth who had been silently observing.
"Drink it."
Vanessa's gaze shifted to Roland, a mocking smile playing on her lips.
"Just so our Mr. Roland doesn't think... I'd poison him."
Before her words had even finished, the mind flayer blood, which had been violently boiling in the crucible, suddenly calmed.
Though the eerie blue flames still burned beneath the crucible, scorching its edges a faint red, the liquid inside seemed to have lost all its vitality, settling into a deathly stillness.
In the next moment, a wisp of pale purple mist quietly rose from the blood's surface.
The mist diffused into the air, carrying with it a pure and intense psionic energy.
Unlike the previously restless aura, this energy was utterly devoid of impurities.
"It's done..."
A satisfied smile curved Vanessa's lips.
With a gentle tap of her finger, the ghostly blue flame instantly extinguished.
Her gaze settled on the liquid within the crucible, now completely devoid of its inky blackness and shimmering with a mysterious purple hue. She nodded softly.
This peculiar transformation naturally caught Roland's attention.
"What exactly... did she just do?"
Recalling Vanessa's alchemy process, Roland frowned deeply.
Thanks to his skill, Basic Alchemy, he wasn't a complete novice in potion-making.
But Vanessa's methods defied every theory he knew.
There were no strict procedures, no precise timing, and no meticulous adjustments to the flame's intensity.
She had simply added auxiliary ingredients and ignited the flame.
The only truly unusual element was the ghostly blue flame that had spontaneously ignited.
The entire process seemed almost casual, yet...
Roland took a deep breath.
The air now carried a unique, refreshing fragrance—a scent only the purest potions could emit.
He slowly shook his head, concluding that this unbelievable result could only be attributed to Vanessa's alchemical mastery far surpassing his wildest imagination.
(End of the Chapter)
---------------------------------------------------------
Continue Reading (𝙆𝙉𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏) on CinderTL• ⓒⓞⓜ
Read Ahead to Ch372 • 𝕱𝖗𝖊𝖊 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖘 • No Login
🎉 10,000 Chapter Discount is Live. Ends June 2.
---------------------------------------------------------