As long as Clarissa and the others didn’t realize it, that was enough.
Actually, she didn’t go to such lengths as Kael had imagined. She didn’t add any poison or any additional ingredient to turn the Elixir into sothing bad. It was simply a fake.
Zora was sure that once they tested the potions, Clarissa would surely jump out and claim that the Elixir of Tranquility had no effect at all, declaring it to be fake and using that to ruin her reputation.
With their limited brains, that was probably the only move they could think of.
Since Clarissa wanted to call Elixir of Tranquility fake, Zora would simply give them a fake Elixir of Tranquility.
Let them dig their own pit and jump in.
As for who people would ultimately believe, she already had her answer prepared.
And Morgana’s appearance at the auction? That was clearly Cassian’s doing.
Studying the refining thod of Elixir of Tranquility?
If the formula were truly that easy to decipher, it wouldn’t have been in the hands of the Immortal Guild in the first place.
Prince Kael’s gaze drifted to Shihtzu beside Zora. The crown mark on its forehead had already vanished, now indistinguishable from an ordinary contracted demon beast.
A glint of admiration appeared in his eyes.
This woman’s thods really were endless. The more he saw, the more impressive she beca.
anwhile;
Clarissa and Silvan held the Elixirs of Tranquility in their hands, their expressions unconsciously lighting up with excitent. For spirit warriors, this potion was nothing short of a priceless treasure.
Adrian trailed behind the two, his mood far less cheerful. A trace of frustration and gloom lingered on his face.
The three of them had clearly submitted identical bids, yet Zora had chosen Clarissa and Silvan instead of him.
This was the first task Gabriel had personally entrusted to him, and he had failed to accomplish it. If Gabriel thought he was incapable, his future prospects would be bleak.
"Clarissa," Silvan said with a frown, "the third potion ended up with Morgana. What should we do now?"
According to their original plan, all three Elixirs of Tranquility should have fallen into their hands.
But no one had anticipated Morgana’s sudden appearance.
With one potion in her possession, their sche to sar Zora imdiately ran into trouble. Everyone knew they had deep grudges against Zora.
If they claid the potions were ineffective while Morgana declared otherwise, who would believe them?
Clarissa’s expression darkened as well. After so much effort, they had finally found a way to force Zora into a corner. How could everything collapse at the final step?
"How about we go test the waters with Morgana?" Clarissa suggested after a mont of thought. "If we offer her so benefits, maybe she’ll agree."
Silvan nodded. "Yes, let’s probe her attitude first."
anwhile, Morgana Frost, having obtained the Elixir of Tranquility, was hurrying back without delay. With so many people watching, she needed to deliver the potion to her master as soon as possible.
Just as she was about to leave the area, soone suddenly stopped her.
Morgana froze for a mont. She was already preparing to invoke her status as an alchemist to intimidate whoever it was, only to discover it was Clarissa and her group.
A hint of doubt crossed her eyes. "What do you want?"
Clarissa smiled and stepped closer. "Miss Frost, we ca because we’d like to ask for your help."
Morgana frowned. "Help with what?"
"I wonder," Clarissa said softly, "if Miss Frost would be willing to sell that Elixir of Tranquility to us."
Morgana glanced at her, then shook her head without hesitation. "No. This potion is useful to . If that’s what you’re here for, you can stop right now. I won’t sell it."
Disappointnt flashed through Clarissa’s eyes, though Morgana’s response was entirely within her expectations.
As an alchemist, Morgana lacked neither wealth nor resources. There was no reason for her to part with such a potion.
Morgana turned to leave, but Silvan and Adrian were still blocking her path.
Her brows knitted together in irritation. "I’ve already made myself clear. What else do you want?"
Clarissa hesitated briefly. Since buying the potion was impossible, she could only try another approach.
If it worked, all was well. If it failed, she could always deny everything later.
Lowering her voice, Clarissa said, "I wonder... how does Miss Frost feel about Zora?"
Morgana looked at her, puzzled. She didn’t quite understand where Clarissa was going with this.
Had the conflict between Zora and the Refining Pharmacists’ Association already spread?
Although many people had been present that day, none of them were students from the academy. The news shouldn’t have circulated yet.
"If you have sothing to say, say it plainly," Morgana replied coldly. "I’d like to hear exactly what you’re trying to get at."
If Clarissa thought she could threaten her, she was gravely mistaken.
"We do have so grudges with Zora," Clarissa, however, said quietly, lowering her voice, "so we’re hoping Miss Frost can help us... tell a small lie."
As she spoke, Clarissa carefully explained her plan, all the while watching Morgana’s expression for the slightest change.
She knew very well that the chances of success were slim. Still, this was her last gamble, and she had to try.
If it worked, all the humiliation she had suffered recently would finally be repaid in full.
After listening to Clarissa’s words, Morgana was first startled, then secretly delighted.
She had already known during the auction that Clarissa and Zora were at odds. What she hadn’t expected was that Clarissa would devise such a thod to deal with Zora.
But... this thod suited her tastes perfectly.
"Miss Frost," Clarissa continued, her tone tinged with helplessness, "I know this puts you in a difficult position, but we truly hope you can help us.
"If you want compensation, you can na it. As long as it’s within our ans, we’ll do our best. If Zora hadn’t gone too far, we wouldn’t resort to sothing like this."
She deliberately played the part of the aggrieved victim. Clarissa believed that most won instinctively disliked soone as dazzling and striking as Zora.
Morgana’s lips curved upward in a faint, smug smile, a trace of malice flashing in her eyes.
That damned Zora... she hadn’t even gotten her revenge yet, and soone else had already co knocking.
Perfect.
She was eager to see what kind of expression Zora would wear once this matter spread.
When that happened, her so-called reputation as a genius refining pharmacist would surely crumble.
"I agree," Morgana said with a soft laugh.
Clarissa froze for a mont, then her eyes lit up.
"I don’t need any compensation," Morgana continued casually. "I’ve never found Zora pleasing to the eye anyway. If I can help you with a small gesture, why not?"
"As long as it makes Zora suffer, I’m happy to help."
Clarissa and Silvan exchanged glances, excitent blazing in their eyes.
They had expected convincing Morgana to be extrely difficult, perhaps even requiring a hefty price.
Yet she had agreed so readily, without asking for anything in return.
Only then did Clarissa realize that Morgana, too, harbored deep resentnt toward Zora.
In that case, they were practically standing on the sa side.
"So Miss Frost has long disliked Zora as well," Clarissa said with a light laugh. "That woman is simply born to be detestable."
"Don’t worry," she added confidently. "This ti, we’ll definitely make Zora unable to stand her ground."
As Clarissa’s words fell, Morgana and the others exchanged looks, each of them wearing a satisfied smile.
*
While Morgana and Clarissa were busy plotting in the shadows, Reesa and Baldwin were carrying out Zora’s instructions.
They located the three individuals nad on the slips of paper and brought them to the special enrollnt dormitory.
Alistair wore a face full of confusion and disbelief.
As Nigel’s friend and roommate, he had long coveted the Elixir of Tranquility. He had originally planned to rely on his connection with Nigel to approach Zora directly, only to hear later about the public auction.
For several days, he had scraped together points and demon crystals with everything he had, confident that his offer was more than sufficient.
Yet he had still failed.
Just as he was sinking into disappointnt, Reesa and Baldwin suddenly appeared, found him, and brought him straight to Zora’s door.
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