...
Through the long, narrow, and curved corridor, a slightly larger brown-black door could be seen at the end.
The "mature" apprentice leading the way stopped in front of the door and carefully knocked three times.
The knocks seemed exceptionally Tuwu in the silent environment.
"Mage Seda, Gaode is here."
As the voice fell, the tightly shut door simply opened.
"Just let him in."
A low and grating voice drifted out from the room.
The apprentice leading the way responded with a respectful "Yes," then silently retreated.
Gaode cast his gaze into the room. The light inside was extremely dim, making it impossible to see the interior clearly. However, the oppressive aura was undeniably real, as if a dangerous beast lurked within, ready to devour him whole at any moment.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Gaode still strode in.
The instant he stepped into the room, the door silently closed on its own.
His vision first blurred, then was covered in a dim yellow haze.
As far as his eyes could see, Gaode noticed an extremely long wooden table. Scattered across it were parchments and various simple instruments: a scale for weighing, a mortar and pestle for grinding medicinal powders, and a wooden rack holding numerous slender glass bottles resembling test tubes...
To the left of the long table stood a massive bookshelf neatly displaying rows of books.
Near the right side of the table was a crucible, sitting atop a complex heating device.
Gaode's gaze quickly swept across the room, finally landing behind the long table.
There, in a high-backed chair, sat a man of unremarkable stature, his back facing him.
Gaode knew well that this was Mage Seda.
"Mage Seda." Gaode kept his eyes fixed on Mage Seda's back, leaning his upper body slightly forward by about fifteen degrees in a bow before returning to his original posture.
He wasn't familiar with the etiquette of this world, so he could only use the most common Western bow to express his respect for Mage Seda.
Upon hearing Gaode's voice, Mage Seda turned around.
Seeing Mage Seda's true face for the first time, Gaode felt a slight shock in his heart.
From the back, although Mage Seda wasn't tall, he didn't seem unusual. But from the front, what entered his view was an ashen, lifeless face that looked completely devoid of vitality, as if he was at death's door.
"COUGH, COUGH..." Mage Seda coughed twice and spoke weakly, "You've arrived, my good apprentice. I heard you woke up." A bizarre expression surfaced on his withered face, making him seem somewhat excited. "Quick, tell me, how do you feel right now?"
Mage Seda stared fixedly at Gaode, a flash of anxiety and anticipation deep in his eyes.
Mage Seda's question was entirely within Gaode's expectations. On the way here, he had long prepared his answer.
"Compared to before I took the Potion, there doesn't seem to be any change," Gaode shook his head, sounding "hesitant" as he added, "except for being unconscious for a while..."
"No change?" Hearing this, Mage Seda's expression immediately darkened, and his tone became much stiffer. "How could there be no change? Either you die, or... The only thing that shouldn't happen is no change!"
Seeing Mage Seda's reaction, Gaode's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of unease spontaneously arose.
However, he wasn't afraid of Mage Seda discovering that this body had changed owners.
To Mage Seda, apprentices like them were nothing more than consumables. He rarely paid any attention to their habits or personalities. By Nature, there was no reason for him to discover the change.
"Come here!" Mage Seda suddenly snorted coldly.
Putting on an expression of trepidation, Gaode hurriedly stepped forward, stopping only when his body was close to the long table. He lowered his head slightly, not daring to look directly at Mage Seda.
Mage Seda stared dead at Gaode, expressionless, not speaking for a long time.
Knowing that the man was displeased, Gaode wouldn't dare provoke him by speaking first. He sensibly remained still, waiting for the other party to initiate.
After a long time, Mage Seda still hadn't said a word.
The atmosphere was eerie. Gaode felt a bit anxious and slightly flicked his gaze upward.
"If you want to look, just look. Are you sneaking glances because you have a guilty conscience?" Mage Seda's gloomy voice instantly rang out.
Gaode's gaze froze. He then raised his head, let his eyes sweep across Mage Seda's face, and immediately averted them again.
Mage Seda looked at the subservient Gaode with a superficial smile, his gaze darkening.
The next instant, Gaode felt a sudden thrust from behind, shoving his body forward.
He was already close to the long table. Pushed like this, his entire upper body leaned forward with the momentum.
Then, as if he had anticipated it, Mage Seda extended his right hand and clamped onto Gaode's neck like a pair of pliers.
Mage Seda didn't use much physical strength, yet it brought Gaode an indescribable, immense agony.
The pain was so profound that it made Gaode nauseous, wanting to vomit, and almost caused him to pass out.
It felt as if Mage Seda's palm was covered in sharp spikes that thrust into his neck, pierced deep into his bones, and churned his marrow.
Of course, it was impossible for spikes to grow out of Mage Seda's hand.
Gaode understood that this was the effect of "Magic."
"Mage... I..." he said, his voice "trembling."
"After taking the Potion, do you truly feel no changes in your body right now?" Mage Seda repeated the question he had asked earlier.
"Yes..." Enduring the excruciating pain, Gaode struggled to answer.
Mage Seda frowned deeply. "It really is the truth."
After a brief pause, his voice returned to calmness. Loosening his grip, he let go of Gaode. "I doubt you would dare lie to me. You may leave."
"Yes..." Just freed from the intense pain, Gaode's body was still trembling slightly. He hurriedly responded with a "quivering" voice and staggered out of the room, fleeing the scene.
...
Inside the spacious room, Mage Seda was once again the only one left.
His withered face was indistinct in the shadows; no one knew what he was thinking.
"Phew..."
After a long time, Mage Seda let out a long breath to vent his frustration. His muttering voice echoed in the claustrophobic room.
"At least the test apprentice survived this time. This proves my direction is correct. Adding sage perfectly Neutralizes the medicinal conflicts between the other ingredients...
"But there is still a slight problem. Why is there no medicinal effect? Is it because the sage also Neutralized the Spirit Summoning Medicinal Properties of the Spirit Communication Bone Powder at the same time?"
Mage Seda truly didn't suspect Gaode of lying. Sitting high and mighty, he didn't believe these "ants"—whom he could crush with one hand—would dare play any tricks on him. Even if they dared, did they have the capability?
In the face of Magic, all schemes and tricks were futile.
Just now, he had cast the Trick "Torture" on Gaode.
[Torture] (Necromancy, 0th Ring):
Touch the target and question them while threatening them with a bizarre pain caused by Mana.
The target can choose not to answer truthfully, but the threat of pain will allow you to detect if they are lying.
...
Magic proved that Gaode hadn't lied.
"I'll replace the ten-year-old sage with five-year-old sage and try again!" Mage Seda gritted his teeth, finally making up his mind.
The reason he had to grit his teeth was that the primary ingredient required for his Potion, "Spirit Communication Bone Powder," was extremely expensive even for him.
Furthermore, Spirit Communication Bone Powder wasn't a conventional material. Even with money, it wasn't always available for purchase; it required waiting.
The Spirit Communication Bone Powder he bought last time had already been used up.
There was only one herbal shop in the city that regularly stocked a small amount of Spirit Communication Bone Powder, and he had long since bought it all out.
This herbal shop generally restocked once a month, and today was only the second day of the month. This meant there was nearly a full month left before the shop's next restock.
"A month... I can only wait...
"My time is running out...
"I must seize the time to break through and advance to a First-Ring Mage!"