Chapter 79

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Episode 17 - Professor Lunia [2]

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"Professor, do you know what the blood of a Phoenix King can be used for?"

Just as I finished asking my question, the atmosphere suddenly fell silent, and then...

"!!!What!!!"

Professor Lunia shouted in shock, moved her hands, and pressed them onto my shoulders.

"The blood of a Phoenix King? Why are you asking that? Don’t tell me... you have it? Do you possess the blood of a Phoenix King? Show it to me."

’What a reaction.’

I thought as I observed Professor Lunia’s emotions.

They were complete chaos, and honestly, it left me somewhat bewildered, but anyway...

I shrugged and answered her question.

"No, obviously I don’t have something like that. It was just a question, since I heard about the blood of Mythical Beasts from the first era that no longer exist, and the blood of the Phoenix King caught my attention."

At my response, Professor Lunia sat back down on the sofa.

Her breathing was uneven, but she soon calmed down.

"That scared me. I thought you actually had that blood. My God, I almost had a heart attack."

"..."

I didn’t know what to say about that.

"So, do you know anything?"

Still, I decided to press my question a little further.

Professor Lunia fell silent. In her emotions, I could sense some conflict, as if she were hesitant about saying something.

’Could it be some secret among Alchemists? Is that why her emotions are like this?’ 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

I wasn’t sure why she was hesitant to answer my question.

But Professor Lunia soon parted her lips and said:

"Normally, this is not revealed to anyone, since it is knowledge reserved only for Mythical-rank Alchemists like me, but you are my disciple, and in any case, you will inherit all of my knowledge."

So that was the reason. I didn’t know such a rule existed among Alchemists.

Fortunately, I became her disciple. Otherwise, she probably wouldn’t have revealed any of this to me.

"The blood of a Phoenix King can be used in two ways."

I began focusing on her words.

"First of all, if you drink the blood of a Phoenix King directly, there are two possibilities: one, you die within seconds; two, your heart could evolve into a Phoenix Heart. I’m not sure what exactly that heart does, but it definitely shouldn’t be anything ordinary."

Then she paused briefly and continued:

"Lastly, you could create a Supreme-Quality Elixir, one of the finest within that same Quality. That Elixir possesses several properties, but according to the records of an unknown Alchemist, it is said that you could directly skip one Star, obtain a second bodily reconstruction, evolve your Mana Circulation Veins, unlock a Trait related to regeneration, and increase your affinity with spirits, fairies, and other creatures born from Mana."

I couldn’t help but be astonished by her words.

A single Elixir could do so much.

But there was still something else I needed to ask.

"If an elixir is that powerful and its main ingredient would only be the blood, then what about the other ingredients?"

Professor Lunia shook her head.

"We don’t know. Only the possible effects of the Elixir are known, but aside from that, we know nothing else."

I slowly nodded, absorbing her words.

I have the blood of the Phoenix King. I only need to know the remaining ingredients.

But even so, even if I obtain all the ingredients, then what?

We’re talking about a Supreme-Quality Elixir, one of the highest quality within that rank.

’If you’re talking about Supreme Quality, then it should belong to the highest category, which means the crafting process would be insanely complicated.’

In theory, you would need enough ingredients and blood in case of multiple failures.

And the amount of blood I possess would probably only be enough for three or four attempts.

Not to mention the other ingredients; those would require far greater quantities.

’And every ingredient for a Supreme-Quality Elixir is incredibly difficult to obtain and find... besides, some of them might not even exist anymore.’

The Elixir is incredible and all that.

But simply creating it far surpasses my imagination.

I couldn’t create it, much less entrust its creation to someone else.

’Even if it’s Professor Lunia, I would still rather create the elixir myself.’

It’s not that I don’t trust her, but we are talking about greed.

No matter how much you try to avoid it, the temptation that Elixir would generate would be overwhelming.

Even Director Bernice would kill to obtain it, because maybe, just maybe, it could help her achieve a breakthrough toward 11 Stars, literally.

’Well, let’s leave it at that.’

I shook my head. In any case, I didn’t even know what the remaining materials were.

And as for drinking the blood, I don’t want to take the risk.

The Phoenix Heart is tempting, but there’s no telling what effects it might have.

So it’s better to forget about it. For now, the blood will remain gathering dust for some time.

"So, what happens with the blood of a Great Ancient with King status?"

Professor Lunia pressed her lips together.

"I don’t know. There are no records of anyone obtaining the blood of a Great Ancient, much less using it in a potion or elixir. Perhaps I should ask Director Bernice; she knows more about the Great Ancients than anyone else."

I gave a slight nod.

’I suppose that’s true.’

Well, at least I have the blood of two Mythical races and the Soul Essence.

According to my master, drinking the Soul Essence right now would kill me.

’There really are things that require me to be strong before I can consume them.’

In any case, it seems there will be another bloodline gathering dust for now.

Perhaps in the future I’ll find some use for both bloodlines, although I already have a small plan for the blood of the Great Ancients.

’Mhm, but is it really okay to blackmail a 10-Star?’

I don’t know, I’ve never heard of anyone trying it before.

Though I suppose I would be the first.

Shortly afterward, I got up from the sofa and said to Professor Lunia:

"Then I’ll be leaving."

Professor Lunia nodded and said:

"Of course, dear. And come to my office every day after class, alright?"

"..."

Honestly, it makes me quite uncomfortable when she calls me "dear"; it’s not a word I’m comfortable with.

Without saying another word, I left her office and quickly got out of there.

’Coming here every day after class is going to be exhausting.’

With a sigh, I continued walking.

The day when the final part of the first Chapter would begin was drawing closer and closer.

On top of that, I also had to prepare myself to complete the story of the Fallen Maiden.

***

Somewhere within the Academy.

Inside a room where silence reigned, every eye was fixed on a device.

Shortly afterward, the device reacted, and a screen appeared before the group.

An old, raspy voice echoed throughout the room while the group remained silent, their emotions fluctuating in different ways.

Some felt fear, while others felt respect.

The man standing at the center of the group, the leader, listened to the words coming from the other side of the screen.

"A new mission will be assigned to you."

The voice reached the ears of everyone present.

In silence, only the leader spoke:

"What mission are you assigning us, Leader?"

The old man’s voice replied:

"It is an easy mission, or at least it should be for people like you, but it is also extremely important."

The old man’s voice turned icy.

"Destroy the Memory Gate of the Fallen Maiden. That will be your mission. And kill the cadets who enter as well, no matter who they are, even if they belong to the Five Houses."

"When you mention the Fallen Maiden, are you referring to that woman people speak about?"

The old man’s voice confirmed the leader’s words.

"That’s right. The first leader from that era died at the hands of that woman. The Unique Trait she possessed is extremely dangerous if it ends up in the hands of a highly talented cadet. That is why this mission is important."

"But, Leader, aren’t there rumors that conquering that Memory Gate is impossible?"

The Memory Gate of the Fallen Maiden was known as one of the Memory Gates that had never been conquered.

Aside from it, there were others as well.

But in general, the Fallen Maiden’s Memory Gate was easily one of the three most difficult Memory Gates to conquer.

That was why the leader of the group present, who knew more or less about the subject, asked that question.

It was a reasonable doubt even for those seated around him.

Then, the old man replied in a monotone voice:

"That is correct, but the Oracle recently confirmed that there is a high possibility it will be conquered this time. That is why the mission must be completed no matter the cost."

The old man’s words shocked the group when he mentioned the "Oracle."

The reason they had been able to prevent others from discovering the location of their main base was thanks to the Oracle’s warnings. The Oracle always relocated all the villains whenever their hideout was at risk of being discovered.

’If the Oracle says so, then the Fallen Maiden’s Memory Gate might finally be conquered.’

If that were true, then the villains would once again face the danger of the Fallen Maiden’s Unique Trait.

And that was something even the higher-ups wanted to avoid.

’I must complete this mission.’

Finally, the man asked:

"Leader, what reward will I receive if I complete the mission?"

The old man’s voice fell silent for a brief moment before speaking:

"A Cube of Chaos, thirty thousand merits, three free passes to cancel any mission, and..."

The old man paused briefly before continuing:

"You will be allowed to take your revenge. That will be the entirety of your reward. Any objections?"

The leader of the group swallowed hard and replied without hesitation:

"No, sir. I am satisfied with that reward, so I will meet your expectations."

The old man nodded and said:

"I expect good news, not your corpses."