The room fell silent, every alchemist’s face now a mix of shock and frustration. John Alderford’s expression darkened as he looked into Kent’s eyes.
“Are you certain?” he demanded, his voice laced with both desperation and anger.
Kent met his gaze, unfazed.
“Absolutely. And let me be clear, Lord Alderford: none of these so-called experts would have ever figured it out. Black Serpent’s Dream is exceedingly rare, nearly forgotten. I’d wager a thousand gold coins that none of them have ever heard of before today.”
He glanced around the room, letting his words sink in. He was clearly enjoying the moment.
“So, you can let them try all their outdated methods, or you can let me handle this. I’m the only one here with the knowledge and skill to create the antidote. But if you want your daughter cured, you’ll have to trust me completely.”
The alchemists bristled with anger, but none dared challenge him. Kent’s words held a confidence that left them uneasy—and John Alderford had to decide quickly.
John Alderford stared at Kent, his expression a mixture of hope and caution.
“You’re saying you can cure her?” John asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Kent nodded. “Yes. I can make the antidote. But it’s not simple. Black Serpent’s Dream requires a special remedy, one that must be prepared carefully and administered over several days.”
The other alchemists exchanged uneasy glances. They hated admitting it, but Kent’s confidence was unshakable, and none of them had a solution of their own.
John took a deep breath, steadying himself. “Fine. I’ll trust you,” he said, his voice firm. “Whatever resources you need, they’re yours. Just bring my daughter back.”
At this point, Master Yuan and co knew they had lost to Kent who looked even more smug at the moment. The only thing they can hope for is for Kent to fail so they can win back their dignity somehow.
Kent smirked, setting his teacup down with a soft clink. “Good choice, Lord Alderford. I’ll need rare ingredients—items that aren’t easy to find. Some are even dangerous to obtain.”
John nodded quickly. “Tell me what you need. I’ll make sure you have it.”
Kent rose from his seat, his voice low but clear. “Then prepare yourself. This cure won’t be cheap, and it won’t be easy. But if you follow my lead, your daughter will wake up within the next seven days.”
John Alderford nodded.
“Then take me to her so I can examine her current state,” Kent said. He moved forward, following John. However, before walking out of the room, he turned to face the fifteen alchemists.
“Remember this failure and know it was caused by the one and only disciple of Master James Hogan.”
With those words, Kent left with John Alderford, leaving behind a room full of angry alchemists. They could only grit their teeth and seethe in their anger, hoping he would fail to cure her in seven days as he had promised.
Deep down, though, they knew the chances of that happening were next to none. His confidence spoke volumes.
A few minutes later, Kent and John Alderford entered a new building where Cynthia Alderford and Unity were tending to Lilian Alderford’s beautiful, sleeping form.
“Who is this?” Cynthia immediately asked the moment her eyes settled on Kent.
“He’s the young man who thinks he can cure our daughter,” John said, making no attempt to show confidence in Kent.
Kent, however, smiled and said, “I am Kent, and I’ve come to examine your daughter if you don’t mind.”
Cynthia Alderford didn’t respond immediately and simply gestured for Unity to step aside so Kent could get a full view of Lilian’s current state.
Unity gave him a curious look, but Kent paid no mind to it. He walked closer, and because of the thin gown she was wearing, he was able to observe more than just her face. But he didn’t grow lustful, as one might think.
“As expected, like a sleeping beauty, she slept,” Kent muttered. A few seconds later, he turned to face three curious pairs of eyes.
He smiled and said, “Relax, everyone. She is not in any danger.” He stepped away from the bedside. “In fact, she might even be able to hear everything you all have said since the moment she fell asleep.” The three exchanged looks.
“So, can you cure her?” John Alderford asked.
“But of course. Now, if you can give me something to write on, I’ll provide the list of ingredients needed to prepare the antidote for her.”
Unity rushed out and returned a minute later, holding a scroll and a writing stick. Kent admired the items briefly, then began writing the ingredients.
He only needed six of the twenty-five ingredients he’d listed for the antidote. However, since he needed the extras for his own purposes, he decided to play it smart and earn something upfront.
“You can have your people collect these ingredients as soon as possible,” Kent said, handing the list to John Alderford. He then added, “Personally, I recommend a group of five soldiers with a leader named Steve. He’s a good one.”
John nodded and handed the list to Unity. “Find those five and have them collect these ingredients within the hour.”
Unity nodded and left with the list. Kent looked toward the sleeping Lilian and asked, “I know it’s none of my business, but who would want to poison her? The poison used is rather rare, so while they didn’t want to kill her, they certainly went through a lot of trouble just to put her to sleep.”
The husband and wife exchanged glances, but it was clear they had no idea why something like this had happened.
Lilian is a genius, admired by many. She quickly rose through the ranks, attaining the Peak Root Master stage when she was just 19, and she even became an Inner Sect Disciple at the Divine Palace Sect, one of the best sects in the Althea Kingdom.
One might wonder why someone like her would be poisoned to sleep rather than killed outright. The answer, however, is quite simple: they didn’t kill her because they couldn’t—or, more precisely, they failed to kill her.
The reason is straightforward: it’s because of her constitution. According to the data gathered by the tower, this was what was known about Lilian.
Name: Lilian Alderford
Age: 19
Bloodline: Dormant (Unawakened)
Constitution: Nine Life Divine body
Class: Mage
Cultivation: Root Master – Lvl 9/9
Physical Strength: 695
Spiritual Strenght: 1075
Mental Strength: 940
The Tower explained her constitution as one that allowed her to live nine times. This meant that even if she died, her cells alone would enable her to revive and continue living. It was a rare physique, and, well, perhaps some people had discovered it.
However, the Tower again made him know perhaps, that some people were after her Spirit Root and that if they managed to obtain it, they would be able to obtain both her talent and her Nine Life Divine body constitution.
Killing her with a lethal poison would have destroyed her Spirit Root, rendering whatever sinister plan they had useless. So, they used the Black Serpent’s Dream to put her to sleep while they prepared their next move.
Unfortunately for them, Kent had arrived like a knight in shining armor to cure her.
“That being said, I’ll do my best to cure her. Beauties aren’t supposed to sleep; they’re meant to shine as they walk about,” Kent said with a smile.
A few hours later, the last of the ingredients were brought in.