However, Rhett couldn't be so complacent. Despite his trust in Hypaste, he knew it was unwise to rely solely on others for his safety. He decided to run a simulation.
[Would you like to start a Real Simulation? Each day simulated consus 1 Fate Point.]
"Yes, simulate one day."
As the surrounding area rippled with waves, Rhett felt a sense of calm and confidently stepped into the room.
The scene before him wasn't as he had imagined. There weren't nurous advanced alchemy instrunts on display; instead, a faint mist shrouded the room's deeper parts, obscuring the view. Only the area near the entrance, about a hundred square ters, was clearly visible, spacious, and bright.
Rhett removed his hat and greeted, "Mr. Hypaste, it's been a while."
"Marquis Rhett, indeed it has. Please, have a seat." Hypaste sat on a broad, luxurious chair, its back adorned with a ring of erald gems. A transparent crystal cup appeared in his hand, and as he concentrated, steaming hot tea materialized, which he then guided towards Rhett using his ntal energy.
Rhett took a small sip of the tea, and as he looked down, he heard Hypaste say, "Marquis Rhett, I heard from King Milan that the information last ti ca from you?"
"That's correct." Rhett nodded, knowing Hypaste was referring to the ti when the Blood God Cult Leader attacked the Circle Tower.
Hypaste said with interest, "I also heard about that mysterious individual. If you ever receive another ssage, try to bring the ashes of the paper. I might be able to study them."
"No problem!" Rhett agreed readily, though he ntally noted to dispose of such ashes even faster in the future, leaving no traces behind.
"But still, I must thank you for last ti. If not for your warning, the Circle Tower would have suffered severe losses against the Blood God Cult Leader's power," Hypaste said, shaking his head with a hint of lingering fear as he recalled the battle.
Back then, he had underestimated the Blood God Cult Leader's strength, and his decision to engage in close combat was almost fatal.
"You're too kind. An esteed organization like the Circle Tower deserves to endure," Rhett responded modestly.
Then, out of curiosity, he asked, "Mr. Hypaste, was the Blood God Cult Leader's strength truly that terrifying? Did he really master multiple Arcanes?"
"Indeed!" Hypaste's tone grew heavy, his expression serious as he replied, "That man's strength is indeed terrifying. From our battle, I estimate he has mastered at least three Arcanes! Specifically, 'Devour,' 'Deprivation,' and 'Invisibility.' These three were exposed during the fight, and he has clearly reached profound levels of mastery. Who knows if he has any other hidden cards!"
Three Arcanes—this was indeed terrifying... Rhett pondered. "It's likely that his innate talent was already exceptional, and perhaps the Blood Sprite provided additional support in mastering the 'Devour' Arcane, creating such a formidable adversary."
He sighed, "Mastering three Arcanes of the dark elent is rare, even among those in the Saint realm, isn't it?"
"In today's era, it certainly qualifies him as a powerhouse," Hypaste nodded. "What's more concerning is that his mastery of these Arcanes is quite advanced, especially the 'Devour' Arcane, which he has perfected. In battle, it makes him nearly invincible. If not for King Milan's near-perfect mastery of the 'Explosion' Arcane, capable of delivering a devastating blow, we might not have been able to seriously injure him."
It was well-known that King Milan was a fire-elent Saint Knight, but Rhett hadn't expected him to have nearly perfected the 'Explosion' Arcane, which explained his terrifying destructive power.
"Ahem, but that's all in the past. No point in dwelling on it." A trace of subtle embarrassnt flashed across Hypaste's face. While he acknowledged the Blood God Cult Leader's strength, it didn't an he enjoyed recounting the experience of nearly being defeated. He focused his gaze on Rhett and asked, "You seem to have co here with another purpose today?"
"Indeed," Rhett nodded, getting to the point. "Mr. Hypaste, not long ago, I acquired a Saint-level bloodline. I'd like to offer it to you in exchange for a bloodline potion."
"Oh? Which magical beast's bloodline?" Hypaste's eyes lit up, his tone eager. Saint-level magical beasts, whether their bloodlines were of Saint quality or their strength had reached the Saint realm, were incredibly rare. The scarcity of such materials was one of the reasons why Saint-level bloodline potions were so rare.
"The Earth-Drilling Sacred Beast!"
"A Saint-level earth-elent beast? Excellent. Let take a look at its blood." Hypaste stood up from his seat, clearly excited, and walked over to the alchemy table.
Rhett retrieved several large barrels of blood from his spatial ring and placed them on the table. Hypaste didn't seem to care that Rhett possessed spatial equipnt; instead, he approached the containers holding the blood and examined them. After a mont, he sighed with so regret:
"Ah, the preservation thod was inadequate. If it had been stored imdiately with top-grade equipnt, it would have improved both the success rate of the potion's creation and its quality."
"What should we do then? Has the blood lost its effectiveness?" Rhett asked, alard. He wasn't well-versed in the requirents for crafting bloodline potions and hadn't heard about needing special equipnt for storage. Moreover, Saint-level alchemists were incredibly rare, so such knowledge wasn't common in the market.
"Haha, it's not that bad. The blood is still within the acceptable range." Hypaste replied with a chuckle. He then took out a device Rhett had never seen before—a square, gray tal container with multiple oval compartnts inside.
With a deft motion, Hypaste activated the device. It emitted a soft hum, and the blood was quickly siphoned through gel-like tubes into the container. The walls of the oval compartnts glowed green, indicating they were well-suited for preserving the blood.
With a smile, Hypaste stored the container away and said, "If you're looking to exchange this for a bloodline potion, I can authorize a high-rank bloodline potion on account of your Erald Certificate."
Exchanging a Saint-level bloodline for a high-rank bloodline potion was a fair trade. Rhett had never expected to receive a potion of equal quality to the original blood. He then asked, "May I choose the elent of the high-rank potion?"
"Hmm, that's possible, but it might take a few years. Unfortunately, we don't currently have any high-rank bloodline potions at the Circle Tower. We'll need to gather the materials and create one from scratch."
Rhett nodded, initially intending to choose an earth-elent potion, mindful of the Tremor Sprite that could help others comprehend the Arcane of Vibration. With a bloodline potion, he could ensure one of his descendants possessed earth-elent talent.
However, rembering that this was just a simulation, he quickly changed his mind and asked, "What bloodline potions do you have in stock right now?"
"We currently have two potions suitable for mages: one fire-elent and one light-elent, both of mid-rank quality."
"Then I'll take the fire-elent bloodline potion," Rhett said calmly. He wanted to test what would happen if he ingested a potion of a different elent, even though history had shown that doing so was certain death. There had never been an exception.
Still, he wanted to see if he could gain any benefits before dying and whether the simulation would allow him to bring those back.
Hypaste stroked his chin and said, "Rhett, given your contributions to the Circle Tower, I could offer you a high-rank potion if you're willing to wait a few years. Choosing a mid-rank potion seems like a loss for you."
"Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Hypaste, but there's no need. I need it urgently," Rhett politely declined.
"Very well." Hypaste didn't press the matter. With a flick of his wrist, a potion that seed to contain flowing flas appeared in his hand.
"This is the bloodline potion of a Fla Giant Wolf. You may take it if you wish," Hypaste said.
"Thank you!" Rhett responded formally as he took the potion, pretending to inspect it closely.
However, to Hypaste's shock, Rhett suddenly uncorked the bottle and gulped down the potion!
Almost imdiately, Rhett's body began to convulse, and he collapsed to the ground, seemingly in great pain.
Hypaste was stunned, his eyes widening. Even as a Saint-level being, he had never witnessed sothing so bizarre—who would willingly consu a bloodline potion of a different elent? Did Rhett have a death wish?
"Damn it, Rhett, what are you doing?!" Hypaste exclaid, his face filled with panic. He was worried not only about Rhett's safety but also about the potential diplomatic fallout if Rhett died at the Circle Tower. While the outside world might not know, the higher-ups in the Kingdom of Gelin were well aware of Rhett's contributions. If he died here, what would they think?
"The only hope of saving Rhett now lies with Posais. I just hope that a light-elent Saint arriving in ti can save his life!" Hypaste's face shifted between hope and despair as he swiftly turned into a mist and vanished from the room.
anwhile, Rhett's body felt as if it were on the verge of exploding. The fire-elent potion surged through him like a rabid, fiery beast, wreaking havoc in his system, causing him unbearable pain and eliciting low groans.
Gradually, a more potent force deep within his body began to suppress the fire-elent bloodline. This force was far more terrifying, overwhelming the fire-elent potion, which retreated like a beaten dog. But as it retreated, it continued to damage Rhett's body.
In the end, Rhett was on the brink of death, with the internal destruction still raging as his body's forces clashed violently.
He opened his eyes with a wry smile, thinking, "This was truly a reckless move."
This attempt had been a complete failure. The elental conflict within him was irreconcilable, leading only to damage and depletion.
He sighed inwardly and ended the simulation.
A hum resonated as the ripples faded, and the scene shifted, bringing Rhett back to reality.
[Real Simulation complete. Please select one attribute to retain.]
[1. Constitution]
[2. Battle Aura]
[3. ntal Energy]
"Abandon."
As the screen before him disappeared, Rhett faced Hypaste once more and decisively said, "In that case, I'll request an earth-elent bloodline potion."
"Leave it to . Once the potion is ready, I'll have soone inform you," Hypaste replied with a smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Hypaste."
"It's no trouble at all." Hypaste waved off the thanks, then suddenly seed to rember sothing and said, "Rhett, I've heard that you've been single for many years. You know, Julie is quite an excellent match—intelligent, elegant, passionate..."
Rhett's expression froze, and he quickly interrupted, "Mr. Hypaste, I just rembered sothing urgent. I must leave imdiately."
Hypaste sat back in his chair, chuckling as he watched Rhett's hasty retreat. He muttered sothing under his breath as Rhett's hurried departure brought a smile to his face.
When Rhett descended to the fifth-floor landing, he once again encountered Julie. She greeted him with her usual elegant smile, saying, "Marquis Rhett, are you leaving? Until next ti!"
Rhett maintained a calm expression as he waved, "Until next ti!"
Afterward, Rhett made his way back to the hall, gathered Tack, Taylors, and Dick, and left the Circle Tower.
As they distanced themselves from the tower, Taylors asked, "Father, did Master Hypaste agree to craft the potion?"
Rhett gently stroked the feathers on Firegre's neck and replied, "Yes, it will be a high-rank earth-elent potion, but we'll need to wait a few years."
Tack then inquired, "Father, who will you give the potion to when the ti cos?"
"Well... we'll decide that in the future," Rhett replied softly, thinking that he would give the potion to whichever grandchild showed the most promise.
Ti passed quickly during their travels, and by the ti Rhett returned to his territory, it was already June. The cicadas were buzzing incessantly, as if welcoming the return of the lord of the land. The lush green mountains and forests of the Dark Marked Eagle Range were a sight to behold.
At the entrance of Greenfield Manor, Svet stood by a small square flowerbed near the gate, watering a row of flowers with a red watering can. He sighed deeply.
"Master has been away for another half year. How many half-years does one have in life..."
Suddenly, he noticed a familiar shadow cast over the flowers—a silhouette he recognized instantly.
Svet quickly snapped out of his reverie, turning to see a fiery red figure gliding down the road in the distance. It was Firegre, carrying the master and young lord back ho.
"Wait, didn't Firegre usually cry out when it returned? Did it do so just now?" Svet was montarily confused, wondering if his aging ears or mind had missed the call.
He set the red watering can down on the lush green lawn and hurried along the gravel path to greet them.
Whoosh—
As Firegre landed, it stirred up another gust of wind, but this ti, Svet was prepared. He held onto his hat, preventing it from being blown away.
"Master, welco ho. It's so good to see you again." Svet doffed his hat and bowed deeply.
"Svet, long ti no see. You're looking well. But why wear a hat in this heat? Although... it does look nice," Rhett remarked as he dismounted from Firegre and glanced at the hat on Svet's head.
Svet looked around with so embarrassnt and replied, "To be honest, Master, I've noticed so hair loss over the past few months. To avoid any embarrassnt in public, I'm trying to make a habit of wearing hats."
"Oh, that's unfortunate," Rhett said sympathetically, silently considering that this world seed to lack redies for hair loss. Despite the existence of extraordinary powers, ordinary people often didn't benefit from them.
After so thought, Rhett suggested, "I once heard of sothing called a wig during my travels. Perhaps I could have one made for you, which might help avoid the hassle of wearing a hat in this heat."
"Thank you, Master!" Svet responded gratefully.
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