Chapter 31: Potion

Dunn Smith stared at Klein with his gray eyes for a full minute without

a word.

Klein did not cower under the pressure of the silence and his gaze. He

continued locking his eyes with Dunn.

"You must understand that once you consume the potion, there will be no

room for regret." Finally, Dunn spoke again in a deep emotionless voice.

Klein grinned and said, "I know, but I respect the voice in me."

First, Sleepless does not meet my requirements. It was the

same for Spectator which he heard from the Tarot Club based on

description. He was unsure when he would come into contact with other

Beyonder pathways. A slow remedy could not work for an urgent situation;

therefore, there was no need for him to wait. By the same logic, Corpse

Collector was eliminated as well, leaving the two choices---Mystery

Pryer and Seer.

Under the premise that potions of the same Sequence were equally

dangerous and him unable to obtain more information, as well as the fact

that both Mystery Pryer and Seer met his requirements, then regardless

of whether Emperor Roselle was making a passing remark or if he really

regretted not choosing Apprentice, Marauder, and Seer, it was enough to

tip the balance in his heart.

Furthermore, he could tell from the diary that as long as he figured out

the true essence of digestion and acting, he would be able to avoid the

negative effects the potion would bring to a significant extent. As for

the murmurings and illusory enticements that could drive people to

corruption and madness, he had already encountered that even without

being a Beyonder!

"Alright." Dunn stood up and picked up his halved top hat. As he put it

on, he said, "Follow me down."

Klein nodded and gave a gentleman's bow in gratitude.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Both of them ventured down, their footsteps

echoing through the silent and vast stairwell and passageway.

Klein suddenly felt gripped by anxiety as he tried to find a topic of

conversation.

"Captain, you mentioned that taking the potion would not directly give

me the corresponding knowledge on mysticism, that I'll only have the

qualifications to learn it. Then, where does the basic knowledge of

mysticism come from? Did our predecessors risk their lives for it or

obtain it via other means?"

Every time he went underground, he would find the air especially fresh.

Clearly, the ventilation was excellent. However, the occasional gust of

wind made one shiver.

Dunn glanced at him, the darkness in his gray eyes appearing abnormally

deep.

He answered calmly, "One of them is as you said, experimentation,

summarization, and enhancement. Second, being bestowed by the gods.

Third, heh. The dangerous murmurs that others can't hear do not only

growl and roar senselessly. At times, they will describe some matters

regarding mysticism. But according to what I know, people who truly

listen to the murmurs on a long-term basis have gone mad without

exception. Or they would fall to corruption and become monsters. Of

course, we must thank them. The notebooks they've left behind are

precious treasures in the field of mysticism."

Human lab rats? The underground passage's cold humidity made

Klein shudder suddenly.

Then, would my luck enhancement ritual which turned into "Social Network

Magic" eventually lead to similar effects due to the crazy and horrible

murmurs?

At the intersection, Dunn did not proceed toward Chanis Gate, nor did he

turn to the weapons, materials and archives. Instead, he took Klein to

the left and approached Saint Selena Cathedral.

Midway, he stopped. It was unclear what he touched to open a secret

door.

"This is our Nighthawks team's alchemy room. I will get Old Neil to

retrieve the Seer potion formula and the corresponding materials from

inside Chanis Gate. Heh, you have pretty good luck. The Goddess has

blessed you with her favor. We should still have the materials needed

for two Seer potions. If not, you would have to wait a long while." Dunn

pointed at the room behind the door. "Wait here. Later, watch Old Neil

concoct the potion. It's the most basic part of mysticism studies. Oh,

do not randomly touch things in there. They are either very dangerous,

expensive, or both."

With that said, Dunn added like before.

"Oh right, I forgot something again. Your becoming a Beyonder is a

result of you having to face danger and the need to find the notebook.

The meritorious deed was only a part of it; therefore, you will not be a

member of our team for the time being. You will still be a civilian

staff member with a corresponding salary. You will still do what I

instructed you to do previously. One additional thing is to learn more

about mysticism with Old Neil. You can arrange the time with him."

"Alright." Other than feeling a little disgruntled by the lack of a pay

rise, Klein was in full agreement with the rest.

According to Dunn, there was still the process of learning and grasping

one's newfound powers after consuming the potion. If he were to become a

formal member immediately and participate in paranormal missions, his

death was certain.

Dunn turned around and walked two steps towards the intersection when he

suddenly turned back.

"Another thing."

I knew it... Klein was already used to the "style" of his

Captain.

"We got something out of the Secret Order's actions," said Dunn with his

usual expression. "It's unlikely they will provoke you in the near

future, but don't be careless. It has to do with them being temporarily

unable to confirm whether the Antigonus family's notebook is important

to them. From what we discovered, they have preserved some of the

ancient customs and we can confirm that they are related to the Solomon

Empire and the corrupted nobles of that period."

"Got it. Thanks, Captain," said Klein as he exhaled.

This was also one of the reasons why he did not wish to wait, grasping

the chance of becoming a Beyonder in such a hurry!

As he watched Dunn leave and confirmed that he would not turn his head

to say more, Klein slowly walked into the alchemy room.

The room had long tables. There were test tubes, pipettes, scales and

crucibles. It resembled a chemistry laboratory from his previous life.

It was just more spartan and ancient.

Other than that, there was a huge cauldron, a darkwood ladle, a

translucent crystal ball, and other items. The Dark Sacred Emblem and

other strange emblems were visible everywhere. They gave the room a tint

of mystery.

Klein looked around with interest, but he was not stupid enough to touch

the things.

After a while, he heard footsteps. Old Neil carried a tiny silver chest

with complicated patterns. He was still wearing his unique classic black

robe that seemed anachronistic, matched with a felt hat with a rounded

edge of the same color.

"Lad, I never expected you to choose Seer." Old Neil put down the chest

and used his somewhat turbid red eyes to size up Klein. "Your

personality is just like mine when I was young. You just don't want to

follow the masses. Not bad. Light these few gas lamps and close the

door."

"Alright." Klein tried hard not to tremble as he lit each gas lamp in

the alchemy room. He made dim light rule over the place once again.

Tak! Tak! Tak! The secret door was closed. He turned back to

see the white-haired and deep-wrinkled Old Neil using a bunch of strange

tied tree branches to scrub the black cauldron.

"The concoction of a Sequence potion is extremely simple, at least for

Sequence 7 and below. There's no need for a special flame or any

additional ritual, much less an incantation. There's no need for one to

participate in it spiritually. All one needs to do is go according to

the formula's steps, add the precise amounts, and mix it. That will be

all." Old Neil's wrinkles seemed to bloom from his smile.

"For real?" Klein questioned in surprise.

This sounds as simple as my luck enhancement ritual...

Man, it's quite frightening when you come to think of it...

"Perhaps it's a gift of the gods. Praise the Lady." Old Neil drew a

haphazard circle over his chest.

Following that, he opened the silver chest and pulled out goatskin

parchment that exuded antiquity.

The yellowish-brown goatskin unfurled inch by inch, revealing words on

it. Klein looked from a distance and realized it was in Hermes, a

language he was very familiar with.

It was written in ink that resembled blood, seemingly having its

fluidity remain intact. But other than that, it did not seem

extraordinary in any way.

"Seer: 100 milliliters of pure water, 13 drops of night vanilla liquids,

7 gold mint leaves..." Klein silently recited the formula's content, but

the rest of it was blocked by Old Neil's wrist, preventing him from

reading it.

"Pure water is water that is repeatedly distilled. Thankfully, I made

some previously, so there's no need to waste time on it." While Old Neil

gave the introduction, he took a large sealed glass bottle from the

table with great familiarity.

He took off the stopper and poured about 100 milliliters of pure water

into the cauldron without much thought.

Klein did not dare ask, afraid he would affect Old Neil's concoction.

After all, he was the one drinking the potion.

"13 drops of night vanilla juices. This can be extracted and stored as

an essential oil ahead of time." Old Neil took out a tiny brown bottle

from the silver chest and with a pipette and dripped 13 drops into the

cauldron in a relaxed manner.

A faint but easing fragrance emanated, making Klein feel an abnormal

sense of peace.

"7 gold mint leaves..." Old Neil picked up a silver patterned can and

removed its lid. With his bare hands, he picked up a few leaves and

scattered it into the cauldron. He caught a whiff of a fresh and

stimulating scent.

"4, 5, 6, 7. Perfect." Old Neil chuckled and looked at the potion

formula on the goatskin. "3 drops of poison hemlock. This isn't

something you should drink randomly. It can cause your entire body to

numb to the point of death. In ancient times, it proved to be the best

option for committing suicide."

It's not like I'm silly... Klein lampooned.

Old Neil changed pipettes and dripped the poison hemlock into the

cauldron. The mixture caused a strange smell that freshened one's mind.

"9 grams of dragon blood grass powder." Old Neil took his time to reach

his hand into the silver chest and pulled out a transparent test tube.

There was some deep black powder inside.

He used a beaker and a scale to measure 9 grams of powder and poured it

into the cauldron. He then stirred the mixture twice with the darkwood

ladle. The laidback process of making the concoction made Klein a little

worried.

"In fact, the materials from before were just supplemental. The exact

amount doesn't really affect the final outcome. Should I put a little

bit more?" Old Neil made a joke. "The last two is what's crucial. The

amount can be slightly lowered, but it cannot be too far from the

requirement, or your 'enhancement' can fail. Oh, the quantity cannot be

any more, even just by a bit. If so, you will have to be treated for

mental problems. It's not impossible to die immediately."

Klein immediately tensed up as he saw Old Neil pull out a black glass

bottle from the silver chest.

"Lavos Squid's blood, 10 milliliters. This kind of squid is considered

an extraordinary biological species. It is clearly mutated. It is

covered in mystery. Its blood will rapidly break down under sunlight and

lose its unique qualities. It has to be stored in opaque material." Old

Neil's tone no longer sounded relaxed. He quickly and carefully

retrieved 10 milliliters of blood with a test tube.

The blood was blue like the sky. From time to time, it produced illusory

bubbles as though it was connected to the spiritual world.

"After pouring the blood inside the test tube, the remaining drops are

ignored as a form of precaution," whispered Old Neil.

The moment the blue blood entered the cauldron and made contact with the

liquid from before, it produced bubbling sounds. The surrounding light

was dyed with a light blue tinge, making Klein feel a strange sense of

distance but also familiarity.

It felt like the feeling of being in a mother's womb. It elevated a

human's soul.

"The final item. Star Crystal. 50 grams." Old Neil's voice sounded in

Klein's ears, jolting him awake as he looked at the table.

In the old gentleman's hand was a piece of extremely pure crystal.

Furthermore, the crystal appeared gelatinous, as though it was jelly

from Earth. It lacked hardness.

Under the blue light's illumination, it reflected bits of light as it

seemed to contain a resplendent void of stars within.

"This is excellent material for the creation of divination crystals...

Just a little less in consideration of any mistakes." As Old Neil

measured, he used a tiny patterned silver blade to extract the crystal.

"Pure water, night vanilla, gold mint leaves, poison hemlock juice,

dragon blood grass, Lavos Squid blood, and Star Crystal make up a

Seer..." At that moment, Klein could not help but recall the formula.

With everything done, Old Neil poured in a few blocks of Star Crystal

into the cauldron.

Sizzle!

Illusory fog instantly spewed forth, turning the alchemy room into a

blur.

Klein seemed to see a vast array of stars amid the fog and felt like he

was being observed by an invisible existence.

A few seconds later, the fog dissipated. Old Neil used the darkwood

ladle and scooped out some sticky dark-blue liquid. It had strange

characteristics---gooey and inseparable. Not one bit was left in the

black cauldron.

The dark-blue liquid was poured into an opaque cup before Old Neil

pointed at it.

"It's done, your Seer potion."