Rhett followed Julie up to the sixth floor, carefully observing as they ascended. He noticed that the Circle Tower had only seven floors in total.
Based on the fluctuating auras he sensed, starting from the fourth floor, many of the auras beca undetectable to him. Rhett inferred that the higher the floor, the more powerful and prestigious the inhabitants must be.
Julie suddenly stopped and began walking along a circular corridor.
Rhett followed behind, his expression thoughtful.
"Hmm? The sixth floor must be where the alchemy masters reside... the top floor should be for those in the Saint realm, right?" Rhett mused to himself.
As they reached a deep black door along the circular hallway, Julie turned and said:
"Lord Rhett, Master Nilu is inside, and the letter has already been handed to him."
"Thank you, Miss Julie."
Knock, knock, knock.
Out of courtesy, Rhett gently knocked on the door.
"Co in."
Rhett pushed the door open and entered the room, finding it surprisingly spacious.
However, a rippling crystal wall ten ters ahead blocked Rhett’s view.
As a result, he could only see about fifty square ters of the room.
An old man with blue hair sat on an erald-colored seat, three parallel wrinkles on his forehead, his skin pale. One hand rested on a staff, the other on his knee, as he gazed calmly at Rhett.
"Hello, Lord Rhett of the Kinnon Kingdom. Please, have a seat."
"Thank you." Rhett held his breath, not daring to be careless, and sat on a long bench near the door.
After a brief silence.
"Master Nilu, you must have read the contents of the letter by now." Rhett got straight to the point.
Master Nilu picked up the letter from the table and glanced at it, nodding lightly.
At that mont, Rhett noticed that the letter in the old man’s hand was no longer the ancient yellow it had been. The center portion, where the text had once been, had turned a pale blue, appearing slightly damp as if soaked in so kind of solution.
Nilu looked at the letter and slowly said:
"Indeed, this is a letter left by the pursuers sent by the Circle Tower. Only a few within the Circle Tower would know the formula used here."
"If it were anyone else, they would never have uncovered the hidden information on this paper."
"I still rember that those sent to capture him all carried this potion."
Rhett’s interest was piqued. "Master Nilu, what other information is hidden on the letter?"
"Hehe, that’s sothing I can’t tell you." Nilu smiled faintly as he turned to Rhett and asked:
"I heard that you also found so of Saul’s belongings. What exactly did he leave behind?"
Though phrased as a question, there was a hint of authority in his tone.
Rhett had no intention of hiding anything. After all, several people already knew about him consuming the bloodline potion, so there was no need for concealnt.
After a brief pause, he replied: "Saul left behind a bloodline potion of the Rock Lizard, two bottles of Moonlight Potion, one bottle of Black Raven’s Bane, and a ditation manual—‘The Furnace.’ That’s about it."
"Is that all?" Master Nilu squinted, his voice rising.
"Isn’t that enough?" Rhett was surprised, but outwardly, he feigned confusion.
"Aside from the bloodline potion, none of these seem particularly extraordinary. I swear, I haven’t withheld any information!"
Though a mid-level ditation manual wasn’t sothing common folk could obtain, it was hardly a rare treasure for the Circle Tower.
As for the Black Raven’s Bane, Rhett guessed it had been acquired through other ans. After all, Saul had been an important mber of the Circle Tower, with ample connections, so obtaining a bottle wasn’t out of the ordinary.
Nilu stared intently at Rhett for a few monts before murmuring, "You… are an Earth-elent Magister?"
"Yes."
"The bloodline potion… I assu you consud it?"
"That’s correct." Rhett nodded.
Master Nilu shook his head and sighed.
It was as expected—no one could resist the temptation of a bloodline potion.
The mont he heard about the discovery, he had no hope that anyone would willingly hand over such a potion.
After a mont of contemplation, Nilu said:
"Since you provided such valuable information, consider that bloodline potion as a reward from the Circle Tower."
Upon hearing this, Rhett purposefully showed a hint of disappointnt and, as if dissatisfied, said: "Is the reward ntioned in the letter really just a dangerous bloodline potion?"
"One bloodline potion isn’t enough for you?" Master Nilu frowned, thinking this man’s appetite was too large. Those who weren’t alchemists had no idea how much effort and difficulty went into creating a bloodline potion.
Suddenly, Nilu paused, his eyes narrowing as a mory surfaced.
"Lord Rhett, did you say the bloodline potion you consud was that of the Rock Lizard?"
He rembered sothing important.
Back when Saul had defected, he hadn’t just stolen one bloodline potion.
This information was never made public, and even Nilu’s own ntor had only ntioned it to him in secret, which was why it hadn’t co to mind imdiately.
Moreover, Nilu knew that the Rock Lizard bloodline potion was technically a failed product.
His ntor had personally told him.
For Earth-elent Magi, the best outco was physical disability; those less fortunate would et certain death.
So how did this man survive?
Could he be lying?
Did he consu a different potion?
"If you did consu the Rock Lizard bloodline potion, you should have gained so innate spells, correct?" Nilu’s thoughts raced, and he quickly asked, "Can you demonstrate them for ?"
"Uh… sure." Rhett was taken aback but quickly recovered. He focused his spiritual power and cast the Rock Armor spell.
In the room, Earth elents rapidly converged, forming a solid layer of armor over Rhett’s body.
"Rock Armor?!" Nilu exclaid in disbelief. As a master alchemist of the Circle Tower and one of the few privy to the details of Saul’s theft, he knew that three bloodline potions had been stolen—a Saint-level potion, a high-level potion, and a failed mid-level potion.
Although the failed potion had co close to eting the required standards, in alchemy, close wasn’t good enough. Compromise wasn’t an option.
He also knew that the Saint and high-level bloodline potions were of different elents. Only the mid-level potion was Earth-elent, the Rock Lizard’s bloodline.
"Did he actually succeed?" Nilu was stunned.
What could explain this?
Nilu scratched his head, unable to comprehend the situation. His ntor had recently gone into seclusion to work on a particularly challenging potion, and it would be several months before he erged. There was no way to disturb him now.
Rhett stood there, pondering.
Judging by Master Nilu’s reaction, it seed that successfully refining the Rock Lizard bloodline potion was a remarkable achievent?
So, Rhett asked: "Master Nilu, is there sothing wrong with the potion?" He even put on a worried expression for effect.
"Ahem, I’m not entirely sure. I just heard that the Rock Lizard bloodline potion produced at the ti was of poor quality." Nilu awkwardly cleared his throat before saying, "So, the fact that you successfully refined it does co as a surprise."
Rhett played along, nodding in agreent: "The refining process was incredibly dangerous. By the end, my body was bleeding, nearly on the verge of exploding."
"Luckily, I managed to pull through at the last mont. But even now, thinking back, it was a near-death experience."
Nilu glanced at Rhett with a complex expression: "In that case, if you have any other requests that aren’t unreasonable, I’m willing to fulfill them personally."
Given that the potion was a failed product, Nilu felt uneasy about using it as a reward.
But the fact that Rhett had succeeded in refining it?
As an alchemy master, Nilu understood bloodline potions to a certain extent, but his knowledge paled compared to his ntor’s. If he wanted answers, he’d have to wait until his ntor erged from seclusion to discuss the matter in detail.
Rhett stroked his chin and didn’t hesitate. Since benefits were on the table, he intended to seize them.
For him, there was only one thing he truly wanted.
"So… do you have any failed bloodline potions?" Rhett asked cautiously.
"Why would you want failed potions?" Master Nilu was taken aback. Could this man really believe that just because he succeeded once, he could refine another failed potion successfully?
Ridiculous!
Moreover, the Rock Lizard bloodline potion had been close to success. With other failed potions, the outco might be entirely different.
Rhett waved his hand, "Don’t get wrong. I wouldn’t consu it myself—I plan to use it as a poison against others."
Seeing how openly Rhett spoke of his sches, Master Nilu’s face turned cold. He waved dismissively in annoyance.
"I don’t have such things. I’ll give you ten bottles of Aurora Potion as compensation—take it or leave it!"
Rhett blinked, sighing inwardly.
Suddenly, a ripple spread through his vision.
[Real simulation ended. Please select one attribute to retain.]
[1. Constitution]
[2. Battle Qi]
[3. Spiritual Power]
"Three."
Before making his requests earlier, Rhett had used the real simulation to ensure he could maximize his gains.
As the screen vanished, he sighed. "It seems it’s indeed impossible to obtain a bloodline potion from the Circle Tower, even a failed one."
Perhaps if he were powerful enough, this wouldn’t be an issue.
But that would be a paradox. If he had such overwhelming strength, why would he need a bloodline potion?
It’s like having a $50 voucher for a Rolls-Royce—if you can afford the car, who cares about $50?
"Hmm? What’s your request, Lord Rhett?" Master Nilu repeated, seeing that Rhett hadn’t spoken.
Rhett snapped back to reality, deciding to change his request. "Could I have your personal alchemy notes?"
"That… isn’t possible. My notes contain the Circle Tower’s alchemical heritage, which isn’t within my personal authority to share." Master Nilu shook his head.
After several attempts to negotiate.
In the end, Rhett left with the recipe for the Aurora Potion.
Of course, in his mind, he also morized:
The formula for Silver Frost Potion, a mid-level battle qi potion, Starlight Potion, a mid-level antidote, Phoenix Fla Potion, a mid-level healing potion, Manro’s Blood, a mid-level poison, and other recipes.
Using the real simulation, Rhett had successfully gathered all of Master Nilu’s alchemical knowledge that wasn’t part of the Circle Tower’s secrets, significantly enhancing his territory’s alchemical foundation.
After leaving the Circle Tower, Rhett wandered through the market but found nothing that particularly interested him.
Then, he mounted Firegrid and set off on his return journey.
"This trip was truly fruitful."
After Rhett’s departure, Master Nilu waved his hand, dismissing the curtain that had divided the room.
The once-misty, semi-transparent wall vanished, revealing several cauldrons filled with bubbling liquids.
Nilu shook his head and tucked the letter into his robe, ready to return to his alchemical work.
However, the door to his room suddenly opened again.
"Lord Rhett, do you still have—" Master Nilu frowned, thinking Rhett had returned, but when he turned around and saw who had entered, his expression changed drastically:
"Master Hypastor, you’re here!"
At the door stood the head of the Circle Tower, Hypastor. His erald eyes, black glossy curls, and square face exuded a faint pressure. Dressed in a multicolored coat, he looked every bit as noble as he was.
He spoke coldly: "I heard there’s news about that traitor, Saul?"
Master Nilu respectfully handed the letter to the tower master and replied: "Indeed, a minor noble from the Kinnon Kingdom found so of Saul’s belongings and the final words of the two knights we sent after him."
"Only a Rock Lizard bloodline potion was recovered?" Hypastor’s expression remained unchanged, showing little interest in the century-old defection.
"That appears to be the case. And strangely, that unqualified potion was successfully refined by Rhett. Truly curious." Master Nilu shook his head, murmuring, then looked at the tower master with a glint of curiosity in his eyes and asked: "Great Master Hypastor, I’m deeply intrigued—how could a re minor noble and Fifth-Level Magister successfully absorb that bloodline potion?"
"Perhaps… it’s related to his soul strength." Hypastor said indifferently before adding, "But that’s not important right now. I’ve reviewed the letter’s contents—if Saul only left behind the Rock Lizard potion and so of his belongings are still missing, along with his body, there’s a strong possibility he faked his death."
"The high-level Blazing Tiger bloodline potion and the Saint-level Windwing Unicorn bloodline potion… If soone refined those over the past century, they wouldn’t remain obscure figures."
"Therefore, keep an eye on any erging Fire or Wind-elent magi in the Kinnon Kingdom."
Master Nilu pondered for a mont before replying, "Understood. I’ll send people to investigate."
"Hmm. And be cautious—it’s the Kinnon Kingdom. Don’t do anything reckless."
"Rest assured, I’ll handle it diplomatically."
After leaving the Circle Tower, Rhett took another stroll around the market but found nothing of interest.
So, he mounted Firegrid and began his journey back.
"This trip has been incredibly rewarding."
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