Little Sa dared not disobey her and handed the black pear-shaped fruit to Rongchan. The Snake Scorpion Lady turned her wrist, and a silver dagger appeared in her hand.
She held her hands high above Cros's body, and with a swipe of the silver dagger, an opening appeared on the black fruit, and droplets of black liquid fell, landing on Cros's body.
The ice dissipated, and the black liquid seemed to be alive, quickly swarming around Cros's body. As the liquid continuously dripped, the black fruit became more and more shrunken, and the liquid turned into black filaments, wrapping around Cros's entire body.
Rustle rustle... a faint, dense, and small sound, and Cros's body was wrapped in these watery threads.
Little Chan squeezed the last drop of liquid out of the black fruit, leaving a translucent, pale black, "something" which she casually threw away.
The final drop of liquid fell from the air, "pop," the liquid merged, and a black watery filament suddenly sprang up from Cros's face, rising high, like a venomous snake!
It slowly arched its body, and the "snake kiss" gradually aimed at Cros's forehead.
"Hiss," an almost imperceptible black lightning bolt, and the watery filament had drilled into Cros's forehead. The stiff body suddenly shook, and with the intrusion of the filament, the black watery filaments wrapping Cros's body surged into his body from each pore in unison.
In less than a blink of an eye, all the black watery filaments had entered Cros's body. The body fell silent for a moment, and Rongchan began to count in her heart, "One, two, three..." If Cros didn't wake up after seven counts, then it meant the ritual had failed, and Cros would be a member of the underworld.
"Ah!" Cros took a gasp, suddenly sitting up.
Rongchan smiled knowingly, tilting her head, "You've finally woken up..." She had already counted to five, and she thought there was no hope.
Cros sniffed, "Such a strong smell... Lichdom fruit, you!" He glared at Rongchan, "You turned me into an undead!"
Rongchan was straightforward, "Yes."
"You!" Cros grabbed Rongchan's neck, four objects brought up a fierce wind approaching Rongchan's face.
Little Chan did not move, quietly watching him. The muscles on Cros's face twitched for a moment, and the sharp edge in his eyes continued for a full half-minute.
"I know you can figure it out for yourself," Rongchan said confidently.
Cros suddenly swung his hand, causing Rongchan to fall to the ground, her rough and cold knees hurting from the fall, and she groaned in pain.
"Sigh..." Cros sighed, "I understand your intentions. You need me, and I don't want to die either. You've gone to great lengths to find the cherished lichdom fruit for me, which is already wholehearted. What more can I ask for..."
He shook his head with a bitter smile, an indescribable sorrow in his expression.
Little Sa helped Rongchan up, and the Snake Scorpion Lady whispered softly, "Cros, I believe in you. With your genius, you will surely find a way to revive yourself. When that time comes, we will find a way to rid you of your lichdom, and we can still be together normally."
Cros smiled wryly, "Alright, I don't want to talk about this right now. You should both leave, I want to be alone for a while."
Rongchan didn't insist, she signaled to little Sa, and they both left slowly.
After the two women left, Cros's face suddenly changed, and he exclaimed, "Getting rid of lichdom, it sounds easy. If getting rid of lichdom was really that easy, why hasn't a single lich done it in thousands of years!"
...
Snow had covered the ground with a white blanket, and the tracks of the carriage wheels on a street in the rich and noble area extended forward in parallel lines. Following the tracks, Shala Agar sat in the carriage. A smug and sinister smile crept across her lips. The carriage bumped and swayed, making her foxy smile even more eerie.
Moments from before flashed through her mind...
"Your Highness, Prince, I have evidence that the Maris Principality has already pledged allegiance to the Third Prince."
"Oh, what evidence is there?"
"It's from today's competition..."
The white snowflakes fell, covering the wheel tracks, as well as the day's acts of wickedness in the Delson Royal City.
...
The breakfast at the Gezhi residence was perhaps the most magnificent breakfast on the continent, enough to astound even a gourmand.
Gezhi was used to Solgwillen's messy eating habits, as he was already very "restrained." In fact, when he first arrived, Solgwillen had a strange habit of tearing everything he ate. Now, he had at least learned that his front teeth could be used to bite into food.
"Sir..." a guard ran in gasping, "this is today's topic sent by someone inside the imperial palace."
Gezhi took the task paper while drinking hot sheep's milk. He absentmindedly opened the paper.
He only drank sheep's milk because of Shala. After all, he had given her the nickname of "cow," so Dinora strongly advocated changing all dairy products at breakfast to sheep's milk. Her reason was that "milk" made her sick.
Today's topic materials had been refreshed, and it was clearly marked at the end of the page: "Yesterday's entries cannot be reused. This repetition includes both style and function."
Miss Feifei was still grumbling about yesterday's competition, "Hmph, those three judges must be blind, to actually judge Laurent as the winner, it's impossible, they must have taken Shala's gold coins! Teacher, you have to be even more careful today."
Gezhi wiped his mouth with a napkin, "I'm going to see Dekmont now."
The snow on the main street of the city had already been cleared, but it was still white outside the closed gates. Just as Gezhi stepped out of the inn's gate, a carriage hurtled toward him. The wheels flung snowflakes, and the carriage stopped steadily in front of Gezhi. The door opened, revealing a stranger's face. "Master, what a coincidence, please come in for a chat." The stranger wore a friendly smile.
When Gezhi was momentarily puzzled, the person said, "I'm from the Third Prince's mansion." Gezhi could guess why the Third Prince had sent someone to find him, and he wasn't against befriending the powerful. Since he had to survive in this world, he had to adapt to the rules of the game. However, he didn't want to befriend powerful men like the Third Prince. Inauthentic, cruel, and murderous, according to the words of the Taoists, he was by no means a true ruler.
However, Ge Zheng did not show a silly expression. His face immediately turned cold, and he bluntly said, "Not going," sending the person back to his grandmother's house. Ge Zheng gave a helpless bitter smile and apologized, "I'm really sorry, I already made plans with someone else. It's not convenient today, I will definitely visit another day." The person was taken aback, Ge Zheng achieved a small victory, and then he left.
The middle-aged man on the carriage frowned, while the coachman held the reins tightly in his hand, his muscles tensed, resembling wriggling worms. His other hand remained near his seat, covered by a thin-bladed battle axe. The coachman menacingly suggested, "Sir, should I go and grab him back?"
"No need." The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and coldly snorted, closing the carriage door. "Let's go back."
Ge Zheng found Dekumont and explained his purpose. Dekumont expressed some dissatisfaction, "Master, at such a critical time, you should be at home researching alchemical theories, not going to see that Billmont. This is a competition, Master, if he loses, it's not your fault for the equipment."
Ge Zheng couldn't tell him directly that the magical beast equipment of the Third Prince was also crafted by him; otherwise, he didn't know how Dekumont would react. He felt extremely frustrated, realizing that it was just one million gold coins, and the trouble it brought was immense. It seemed that even selling items was not a simple matter. Especially for quasi-artifacts like this, it was crucial to know everything about their origins.
Selling to Gronia would be very safe and reliable, but selling the piece through the Adventurer's Guild this time had brought endless troubles. It seemed that his previous low-key approach was not wrong, at least it would not attract so much trouble. However, once in the royal capital, it was beyond his control; it was impossible to stay low-key now.
He insisted, "Don't worry about that, just take me there." Dekumont, feeling helpless, said, "Alright, but I don't know exactly where that kid lives, so we'll have to look for it slowly."
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Ge Zheng would probably not have believed that there could be such a dilapidated courtyard in the bustling and prosperous district.
A low door, two planks, with insects nesting in the old wood; the stone walls covered in moss, witnessing the cycles of life and death, leaving behind gray patches like the skin of a patient suffering from a skin disease.
If it weren't for the fact that it was winter, there would probably be some tasty green grass near the steps at the door that Miss Shala would be interested in.
There were about a dozen guards at the door, with swords hanging, unloading a box from a wagon. Billmont was not there, maybe because he was injured. Outside the door, only a half-grown girl was arguing with the soldiers. Ge Zheng and Dekumont were at a distance, and they couldn't hear very clearly. The soldiers said a few words, the girl responded, and then it seemed like an argument broke out as the soldiers placed the box on the ground, while the girl tried to rush forward, but the soldiers stood in her way.
Ge Zheng frowned, "What's going on? Let's go and have a look."
Dekumont and Ge Zheng had ridden on horseback today. Dekumont was dressed in a warm fur coat and wore a nobleman's silver fur hat on his head. He whipped the horse and sternly asked, "What's going on, why are all of you bullying a young girl like this?"
Upon seeing the arrival of Dekumont, the soldiers hastily saluted, "Lord Dekumont, hello! It's nothing, we were just playing with the little girl. This is the prize money for Billmont's competition yesterday, 20,000 gold coins. We've delivered it and will take our leave." Dekumont had already guessed why they were in a dispute. Nonetheless, he was not concerned about it at the moment, being here only because Ge Zheng had asked him to help. So, he kindly tossed a money pouch from his pocket, around some tens of gold coins, and said, "It's tough for you in this heavy snow, take this and go to a bar."
The soldiers showed joy on their faces, "Thank you, my Lord." They laughed as they went away, saying, "Lord Dekumont is kind, but other nobles would surely whip us and not give any rewards..."
Ge Zheng understood that this was a way for Dekumont to win people's hearts, after all, he hadn't become the champion yet. Even if he were to become the champion, he would still need support to achieve great things.
The half-grown girl was struggling to drag the 20,000 gold coins into the yard, even though there was snow on the ground, for a frail girl like her, the task was quite heavy. After a short distance, she panted heavily, her face turning red due to exhaustion.
She looked somewhat similar to Billmont in her facial features, and her clothes seemed new and warm, indicating that she might have bought them recently.
"Let me help you." Dekumont felt awkward to let Ge Zheng do the work and jumped off his horse.
However, the girl was stubborn, and raised her chin defiantly, "I'm not a little girl, I can do it." Dekumont smiled, not really interested in the matter but had come just because Ge Zheng had asked for his help. Despite his kind intentions, he was rebuffed, so Dekumont rolled up his sleeves and said, "Alright, let's see you do it then."
Dekumont, from the imperial family, had also been through hard times. He felt that he was not much luckier than Billmont, having walked the same path. The girl released her hands, intertwined them in the air, and formed a strange pattern. A weak magical force gathered in the pattern, and the girl, visibly struggling, bit her lip.
"In the name of the wind god, bestow floating power upon you!" A burst of magical power shot out, and the wooden box slowly floated up!
The girl gasped for breath and gave Dekumont a menacing look, then pushed the floating box into the yard.
Dekumont was taken aback and couldn't help but laugh, "I underestimated this lass!"
"I'm telling you again, I'm not a little girl!" There was a roar from the yard. Ge Zheng burst into laughter.
The two walked into the courtyard, and heard a voice from inside the house, "Sophie, who are you talking to? I've told you so many times, a girl should be gentle. If you go on like this, how can I find a well-behaved husband for you?"
As the voice sounded, a person propped up the doorframe and slowly walked out, "It's you two." Billmont was a bit surprised, as he would not place the blame for his failure on Ge Zheng. Even without Ge Zheng's equipment, with the strength of the Third Prince, he would still have defeated him.
Ge Zheng was very clear about the division of responsibility for himself. He knew what he had to do for Billmont, and took the responsibility to heart.
"The little sister is rude, please come in!" Ge Zheng sat in the house and looked at the bare walls, saying, "I didn't understand why you showed no fighting spirit at the beginning yesterday, but now I have found the answer."
Billmont smiled bitterly and called, "Little sister, pour tea for the guests." The teacups clanked together, but Ge Zheng didn't mind; a girl like this should be clumsy, anything else would be strange. It was actually Dekumont who was a little amused by the scene and said, "Billmont, your sister will indeed need to find a well-behaved husband, otherwise..."
Before he could finish, Sophie pushed a tray into the room, giving Dekumont a fierce glare.
"Brother, those soldiers who came to give us money are so outrageous. They insisted on giving me a tip, saying they wouldn't give me the reward if I don't take it. Fortunately, this alchemist helped me." Sophie said excitedly.
Dekumont rubbed his chin then glanced at Ge Zheng: I don't look much worse than him, why is she so fierce to me despite my help, and is giving credit to Ge Zheng? It turned out Billmont quickly said, "Thank you both for your help. Oh, Lord Dekumont, you can appreciate my plight. I came for that 20,000 bounty, small nobles like me can't afford to offend His Highness the Third Prince."
Dekumont coldly snorted, "You didn't offend him, yet he's not willing to let you off." After a moment of silence, Billmont smiled again, "But I am luckier than other small nobles. No matter what, I made it into the top sixteen, and my life has improved significantly."
He lightly patted his left arm, "Although it's useless, it doesn't matter. From now on, I don't expect to rely on my martial skills."
Ge Zheng said, "This matter is also my responsibility. I know a priest from the Dark Temple, I want to ask him to heal your arm."
Billmont hurriedly said, "How can I blame you for this? Injuries are inevitable in the competition. Even though the equipment of the Third Prince was crafted by you, it's like blaming the blacksmith for forging a lethal blade."
Ge Zheng said, "I understand your reasoning, and I also don't want to dwell on my fault. However, I won't be held responsible for everything. What I want to do is to help you heal your arm, nothing more. The rest, you'll have to rely on yourself."
Billmont was still trying to refuse, knowing that to heal such a damaged arm would cost a lot of money. Sophie rushed in and said, excitedly, "Thank you, Master. My brother refused to spend money on treatment, saying he would save it for my education and to get treatment for my mother's eyes..."
The difficulty of treating such an arm was even greater than that of regenerating limbs. To seek treatment from a high-level priest, it would cost at least thirty thousand gold coins.
For Billmont, every single gold coin was well planned; if he lost thirty thousand, his plans would be immediately disrupted. Moreover, he planned on starting a business and not to fight anymore. Once the injury on his arm was healed, his daily life wouldn't be greatly affected, so he decided not to seek treatment. No matter how much Sophie persuaded him, Billmont refused to go for treatment.
...
Ge Zheng arrived late for yesterday's alchemy competition; today, he was even later. Fei Fei sat in the carriage, somewhat perplexed, and asked, "Teacher, it's a lot of time, why did you wait until now to go?"
Ge Zheng solemnly replied, "Yesterday, that cow's lackey won, and didn't get a chance to ridicule me on the spot. She definitely won't miss the opportunity today. But I won't give her that chance. I don't believe that I'll be late, and she'll still be waiting outside the lab for me."
At noon, he had the goods he had ordered from the Adventurer's Guild's consignment shop delivered. Originally, it was a simple process of receiving the goods and paying for them, but Ge Zheng deliberately procrastinated, making it clear that he had no intention of participating in the competition on time.
Ge Zheng's judgment was correct. Sala and his group waited until the competition began, gloating over the situation, and then left.
When Ge Zheng arrived at the Royal Laboratory, he checked the time and found that there was still an hour and a half. He had already thought out today's design, so time was not a problem at all.
In just one hour, Ge Zheng completed his work and then played his old trick: "Guards, I don't have enough materials..."
The guards didn't say much and brought him another batch. However, a dozen minutes later, Ge Zheng's voice rang out again: "Not enough materials!"
The guard muttered, "The products he makes are not of good quality, yet he wastes so much..."
The quality of these raw materials was extremely high. In the future, he would have to make a living in the city of Delson. The city's prices were high, so any savings were worth it. Moreover, it wasn't just a small amount - in the past two days, the materials he had scavenged, if converted to market price, would be worth nearly ten thousand gold coins.
The match selected for today involved two unfamiliar participants. Although the Fourth Prince of Meijie was eager to help his son, just as Ge Zheng had guessed, he didn't dare to be so blatant. However, he would never help his son's opponent, so the two selected participants for today did not have the strength to win.
Before the match, the work of the three masters was sent to the Royal Chief Alchemist for inspection. If the use of materials beyond the given proposition was found, the qualification would be immediately revoked.
After the inspection, the three pieces of equipment were sent to the arena.
In fact, today, Ge Zheng thought a lot, specially refining a flash ring for one of the two contestants, a magician. With this ring, one could cast magic below Level 3 instantly, without the need for an incantation.
Such a work, placed anywhere in the continent, would cause a frenzy among the magicians. But the magician he made it for was blind... he actually didn't choose his work!
Neither of the two contestants chose Ge Zheng's work—he now remembered that at the beginning, he was worried that selecting a good alchemy piece would give the selected contestant a bigger advantage, affecting the fairness of the competition. Now it seemed that he needed to worry not only about the contestants but also the alchemists. If you encountered two blind fellows, not participating in the competition would lead to your elimination.
Ge Zheng now stood in a corner under the arena, feeling very frustrated, watching the magician on the stage with a faint blue aura of magic, enjoying the battle with the warrior across from him.
He knew Sala was definitely nearby, watching him with the kind of gaze he didn't like. However, how could he deal with such a magician?
His ring could cast Level 3 magic instantly, but that idiot chose a bracelet that increased speed—could a magician's speed enhancement be faster than a warrior!
Ge Zheng didn't know that his defeat in yesterday's match had led the magician to look down on him from the bottom of their hearts, so upon seeing Ge Zheng's work, they simply disregarded it.
This alchemy competition was without any suspense. Ge Zheng was defeated, and Laurent won again. The morale of the Aga Kingdom was high, and Ge Zheng left the competition early—he was not afraid to face failure head-on, he just didn't want to give a chance to an unfair winner to show off in front of him.