“Ivan, there’s movement.”
That night, Pearney contacted Ivan through the Secret Method Seal.
Ivan hadn’t expected that someone outside would actually contact Pearney, and even more absurd, that they managed to do so. He wondered if it was because Toyennes had allowed it.
“What did he say?”
Pearney replied, “Billerie asked me to find a way to interfere with or destroy the castle’s defensive array. He thinks too highly of me, I really don’t know what he’s thinking, I’ve suddenly realized he’s also a bit unreliable.
I had no choice but to tell him about your situation, saying your apothecary skills are outstanding and Toyennes values you, allowing you to concoct potions in a lab, and that you have a pass token and password, which might be useful to him.”
Upon hearing her words, Ivan’s face darkened.
“You sure betray people quickly.”
“Wasn’t the reason you told me so that I would pass the information to Billerie?”
“What do you think?”
He could picture Pearney acting innocently; she truly was of noble birth.
Pearney said in surprise, “You wouldn’t be thinking of giving me the token and having me find a way to pass it to Billerie, would you? You all think too highly of me—I can’t do it.”
Previously, that was indeed Ivan’s plan; he certainly couldn’t hand it over to Billerie himself, as neither party knew each other. Unfortunately, Pearney had suddenly become savvy and did not perform as expected.
What now? Of course, he had to find Lahr.
“Go ahead and be proud. You messed this up; see if Lahr will lock you up again. We don’t have a second rescue agreement between us.” Thinking of the thief on the island, Ivan put away the Secret Method Seal Bead and ran out of his dwelling.
He bumped into Pearney, who had also just run out. She hurriedly took a few steps and grabbed him.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well, I didn’t say I wouldn’t give it to Billerie before. How about I wait for him to contact me again, and tell him we formed an alliance, and I could give him the token and password?”
“No problem, but I still have to inform Lahr.”
Ivan turned and reported the news to the little green winged snake.
The little green winged snake personally took the Cloud Fog servant and ambushed Ivan’s house, hoping to catch the potential thief.
The night turned out to be a waste, and the little green winged snake left Ivan’s house huffing in anger.
Suddenly, Justine rushed over, her expression frantic and rushed.
“Ivan, it’s bad.”
“Who died?”
Seeing her breathless state, Ivan thought someone had died from a curse.
Gasping for breath, Justine said, “It’s Laurie, and also Glen, Charlene, Feyen, just those four—”
Hearing this, Ivan’s eyes widened, dead? That—was hard to believe, sending shivers down his spine.
“Laurie led them in escaping from the castle, didn’t get far before they were captured by the Cloud Fog servant, and they have already been escorted back, what should I do now?” Justine finally caught her breath and spoke the rest.
With one person dead and another severely injured from the second batch of eight who landed on the island, now four were captured, and Ivan moved to the right. That left only Justine unharmed, staying in the left dormitory area.
This left her quite disoriented.
Ivan glared at her, “The main function of the castle’s runes sorcery array is surveillance; it’s normal that they were captured. You didn’t make a mistake, just go back and practice diligently. If any trouble arises, find a place to hide, and wait for things to calm down before coming out.”
Justine sensed the implication in his words, “Is something going to happen soon?”
“Maybe, but don’t wander around unnecessarily, your little arms and legs would just make you easy prey wherever you go.”
Ivan had noticed before that Justine hadn’t even reached 2nd Class as an Attendant in Breathing Method practice, clearly not putting effort into it, though he wondered why.
Justine was still worried, “But, but—”
“Here, this is for you. I’ll contact you if there’s anything,” he said.
Ivan picked up a palm-sized beast hide and handed it to her, teaching her how to use it. It was a scrap material found in the laboratory, engraved with his own Secret Technique Seal.
After calming Justine, Ivan headed to the laboratory after dinner.
As usual, he needed to refine the Endurance Ginger Potion and also observe the nurturing of insect eggs.
In the following days, Billerie did not contact Justine again. The little green winged snake guarded Ivan’s house every night, ready to catch the thief. Upon hearing this, Eckerz also became more vigilant, paying extra attention to Ivan’s house, prepared to avenge the confiscation raid.
Ivan, on the other hand, slept very soundly.
“Damn it!”
On the fifth day of the little green winged snake guarding Ivan’s house, before dawn, its roar woke Ivan from his sleep.
Ivan saw the little green winged snake leaving furiously, the Cloud Fog servants swarming to follow it.
M-V-L
After daylight, Ivan did not see the little green winged snake the whole day. It also did not come to guard at night, and he did not know what had happened.
He did not know that Toyennes’ material depot had been stealthily robbed, losing many items, and even Toyennes himself did not notice any abnormalities; the situation had escaped Toyennes’ control.
Also on that day, the insect eggs that had been incubating for about ten days became significantly active, and most of the insects emerged from their shells, adding a new field [Biology Expertise] to the membrane of light.
Bubble leeches, a type of blood-sucking leech with strong lifeforce, capable of spitting bubbles.
Ivan had read about bubble leeches in Toyennes’ experiment records. Indeed, bubble leeches have a tenacious lifeforce; they can survive on damp shores and trees even away from water, with bubbles being key to maintaining their body’s moisture.
Their individual lifeforce exceeds that of common insects.
Bubble leeches have a strong survival ability, and while they are used as a medical ingredient, they cannot be used as an offensive tool.
The next day, Ivan successfully concocted his first Endurance Ginger Water.
Endurance Ginger Water could replenish physical strength and lifeforce; perhaps it could be useful against the Curse of Demon’s Resentment. He acted with extreme caution, and after failing eleven times, he successfully concocted one Endurance Ginger Water.
Ivan was very satisfied with this; he knew where his shortcomings lay. It was due to not having learned a systematic and comprehensive sorcerer’s apothecary method. His current method was unorthodox, derived from what Old Orio had taught him, snippets from prescription books, and his explorations.
[Apothecary Skill: lv3 (290/300)]
[Energy Particle Skill: Lv1 (72/100)]
Whether it was an unorthodox way or not, experience points did not lie. Apothecary Skill had been steadily increasing, and he was about to advance to Level 4.
“I wonder what ascending to Level 4 entails? I hope there are no trials.”
According to his understanding and analysis, Level 0 is the entry point, Level 1 to 3 is either the apprentice or page class, and Level 4 should be the Knight Class or Sorcerer Class. If compared with cultivation levels, Level 4 would be something to look forward to.
Thinking this, Ivan was exhilarated and began concocting the next Endurance Ginger Water.
The second attempt was successful.
The third attempt was successful.
[Apothecary Skill Experience Point +5]
[Apothecary Skill Experience Point +5]
[Apothecary Skill: lv4 (1/1000)]
This time, his efficiency was particularly high. Out of four attempts, two were successful, thus advancing his Apothecary Skill to Level 4. The Small Light of Wisdom brought him into a wonderful state, where his knowledge review became deeper and more meticulous.
It enhanced his proficiency in concocting Endurance Ginger Water, Physical Strength Potion, Nutrition Potion, and Ocean Blue Potion to new heights.
“So, there really is a Light of Great Wisdom; 8 minutes, 10 times the intellect and spirituality—terrifying indeed.” He silently praised the Academic Prodigy panel in his heart. In some areas, he should have surpassed most pharmacists at the apprentice stage.
As recorded in the Science of Everything Concepts, pharmacists among sorcerers should be called Apothecary Skill practitioners, equivalent to Enchanters, Runes Array Masters, and the like, with their status subtly ranking first.
Now, the island was like a powder keg, just lacking a spark. With a Light of Great Wisdom by his side, perhaps it could be useful at a critical moment to protect his own safety.