Free Web NovelChapter 298: Chapter 286: Bloodline Fusion Potion
"Princess Gloria."
After confirming that their surroundings were clear, the lady-in-waiting moved gracefully behind the blonde-haired young woman and asked in a low voice for instructions.
"What should we do next...?"
"Has my brother Lucius woken up yet?"
"Well..."
The lady-in-waiting shook her head slightly. She pondered for a moment before speaking cautiously.
"Given His Highness Lucius’s usual habits, he... should still be asleep at this hour."
"Sigh..."
As if realizing she had asked a foolish question, Gloria sighed softly, then strode forward decisively.
"To the Adventurer Guild."
"The Adventurer Guild?"
The lady-in-waiting frowned upon hearing this and subconsciously tried to dissuade her.
"Princess Gloria, given your station, it is already improper for you to be here in person. The Adventurer Guild is a rough place, filled with all sorts of commoners. If the ministers were to find out..."
"This is no time to worry about that, Mel!"
Gloria glanced at her lady-in-waiting’s somewhat tan face and took a deep breath, but her pace didn’t slow.
"This anomaly was originally confined to one area, but now it has spread throughout the entire Eastern Region. If this continues..."
Her words trailed off as her gaze fell upon the glass bottle clutched tightly in her hand.
The deep black, viscous substance inside the bottle seemed to sense something, squirming slowly and casting a faint, eerie glow in Gloria’s azure eyes.
"If we can’t find the source of this anomaly, it will eventually consume the entire Kingdom. When that happens..."
She let out a soft breath and didn’t continue, simply stating with conviction,
"According to my father, the King, the Adventurer Guild is full of skilled and unusual people. Even if they can’t analyze this liquid collected from the Land of Withering, we can post a commission there. I’m sure..."
Perhaps realizing her idea was a bit naive, Gloria said no more. Surrounded by her Guards, she gradually walked away and disappeared from view.
"So that was Princess Gloria. Why is she here instead of at the Church?"
"Who knows? We can’t afford to get mixed up in the affairs of big shots like her. Best to stay far away."
Hearing the merchants beside him whisper and quietly shuffle away, Roland narrowed his eyes slightly.
’Gloria... a Princess?’
’Does that mean she’s King Morne’s daughter?’
Withdrawing his probing gaze, Roland shook his head gently and stepped into the Alchemy Guild.
Contrary to what he had imagined, the interior of the Alchemy Guild was spacious and bright.
Countless glowing crystals floated in the air, casting a clear, cool white light that illuminated every corner.
The walls on both sides were divided into a series of open work stalls, each resembling a miniature curiosity shop.
Some Alchemists were carefully weighing glowing powders, while others watched over BUBBLING glass beakers, patiently recording the changes.
Customers could stop to watch, ask questions, and even complete transactions on the spot.
It didn’t feel like a formal guild, but more like a well-ordered marketplace of knowledge, filled with an air of wisdom and mystery.
Roland looked around with mild curiosity, strolling between the various stalls.
Before long, he had a few newly purchased Potions in his hand.
However, he didn’t drink them all down. Instead, he dipped a finger into one, took a drop, and tasted it lightly.
[Taste Empathy], activated.
Instantly, a massive flow of information flooded his mind.
Griffin’s Power Potion.
Main ingredient is an extract of an adult Griffin’s heart blood, mixed with Dragon’s Blood Moss, Rock Core Powder, and Secondary Earth Elemental Crystal Core Powder. It is created through high-temperature, high-pressure extraction and fused via Magic Power channeling.
’The effect is indeed significant, providing a substantial boost to Power for a short time, but...’
Feeling a warm current surge through his body, Roland gently shook his head.
’The price is guaranteed weakness after the effect wears off, with a slight chance of damaging one’s constitution.’
’A crude formula with obvious side effects. The cost-effectiveness is extremely low.’
Roland made his judgment in an instant.
He committed the ingredients and process to memory but completely dismissed the idea of using it.
Next, he analyzed the remaining Potions one by one.
’The Shadow Walker Potion claimed to briefly increase movement speed and reduce footstep noise, but the duration was too short. It also relied on a rare material called "Ghostlight Moss," making it difficult to replicate.’
’Another so-called Antitoxic Elixir didn’t live up to its name, only capable of neutralizing a few common, low-level biological toxins.’
’The rest of the Potions were much the same.’
’The Alchemists of the Golden Valley Kingdom seemed more focused on advertising immediate effects rather than the stability and safety of their Potions.’
Realizing this, the initial excitement Roland felt upon entering the guild vanished without a trace.
Just as he was about to leave, a peculiar scent caught his attention.
It was a complex odor, a mixture of the blood and tissues of various Demons, and it resonated faintly with the Dragon Blood flowing within him.
Following the scent with his eyes, his gaze landed on a remote corner of the hall.
Unlike the other stalls with their dazzling arrays of medicinal ingredients and glittering Potions, this one displayed all sorts of strange Demon body parts.
A Scale that flickered with faint lightning, a few vials of strangely colored blood samples, and even a meticulously preserved sharp claw.
The most eye-catching item was a small vial of dark red liquid, within which something seemed to be flowing with a life of its own.
The Alchemist behind the stall was hunched over, so engrossed in concocting something that he was oblivious to the surrounding clamor.
Just as Roland was drawn to this unusual stall, a man in clean robes with a potion-bottle emblem embroidered on his chest walked straight toward that corner.
"Old Danny!"
The man’s voice was loud, even a little...
Overbearing.
It stood in stark contrast to the surrounding Alchemists, who spoke in hushed tones even when hawking their wares.
As a result, even though Roland was standing some distance away, he could still hear their conversation crystal clear.
"You haven’t paid this month’s guild fee. I assume you understand the guild’s rules."
The man paid no mind to the stares from the crowd. Head held high, he rapped his fingers heavily on the counter, producing a dull KNOCK.
"Five Silver Coins. Not one less, understand?"
"But..."
Hearing this amount, the Alchemist called Danny slowly turned around, revealing a face as coarse as old tree bark, his eyes filled with astonishment.
"Uriel... sir..."
The old Alchemist wrung his hands, his face plastered with an obsequious smile.
"About the fee... could you give me a few more days? Besides... wasn’t last month’s fee only four Silver Coins?"
"What?"
The man called Uriel narrowed his eyes and snorted coldly.
"I say it’s five, so it’s five. You got a problem with that?"
"No, no..."
Danny waved his hands frantically.
"I just..."
"Enough!"
Uriel seemed too lazy to listen to any more nonsense and waved his hand dismissively.
"Danny, I think you should understand that I’ve already been more than generous with you."
"That so-called ’Potential Potion’ you sold last month nearly turned a customer into a Demon! All those Scales growing on his body..."
He seemed to recall the scene and couldn’t help but shudder.
"If I hadn’t smoothed things over for you, do you think you’d still be here?"
"Yes... I’m very grateful for your help."
Danny’s voice grew quiet.
"But as you know, my research requires a lot of rare materials. Those Demon samples and bloodline extracts..."
"I don’t care about your damn bloodline research!"
Uriel cut him off.
"Five Silver Coins, paid in full today. Otherwise, I’ll have someone throw all these... these monster parts of yours out!"
Uriel shot a disgusted glance at the Demon tissues on the stall and turned to leave.
With his departure, the once-tense atmosphere became lively again, as if nothing had just happened.
Roland glanced at the sighing Danny behind the counter, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
