Chapter 172 - 167: The Potion Took Effect
Time ticked by, second by second.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three minutes.
Velin stared at Mia, who was tied to a wooden chair, and said nothing.
The expected mental shock from resisting the drug never occurred. The subject did not descend into hallucinatory ramblings.
Nothing happened.
According to Master Valerius, the potion had been brewed with materials worth a full one hundred Golden Suns.
It was potent enough to plunge a giant troll into a dream state. Even the strongest mental resistance should have shown some reaction. At the very least, her will to resist should have weakened significantly. ’How can she be completely unaffected?’
Velin frowned and leaned in closer to observe Mia’s face.
Hers was a delicate face with a slender chin, which made her purple eyes seem exceptionally large.
On her forehead, two small bumps had pierced the skin—the underdeveloped horns of a succubus.
A few stray strands of hair stuck to them, giving her a fragile appearance that stirred a desire to protect her. She certainly had the foundation of her race’s natural charm.
But gradually, the face twisted in agony began to unconsciously, slowly, smooth out.
Her convulsing body relaxed, and her ragged breaths grew steady and deep.
A faint blush even appeared on her pale cheeks!
’This expression... it’s less like she’s under the drug’s control and more like... satisfaction?’
Mia felt the change herself.
The fiery, burning sensation quickly transformed into a warm current, flowing down from her throat, seeping into her parched veins and spreading through every organ in her body.
The hunger that had plagued her for years was actually easing!
For the first time in her life, she felt the tranquility of being "full."
Compared to Hector’s potions, his were like hard liquor—they could temporarily numb the cold, but a deeper emptiness and stinging pain followed once the effects wore off.
But this... this wasn’t liquor. It was food. Although it replenished her more slowly, it was far gentler.
She slowly opened her eyes. The original hostility in her purple irises had been replaced by shock and gratitude.
Velin watched her reaction, recalling Valerius’s theories on succubus physiology and that expensive list of ingredients.
An absurd conclusion began to form in his mind.
’Did this potion accidentally turn from a truth serum into an antidote for her congenital disease?!’
’I spent a hundred Golden Suns just to give her some relief?’
A flash of annoyance crossed Velin’s mind, but it was immediately overtaken by a stronger idea.
He assessed the situation. A failed interrogation, an unexpected medicinal effect, and... a test subject who was completely in the dark.
’She doesn’t know this was an accident.’
’She’ll just assume that I have the power to solve her suffering.’
Velin had considered telling her directly that he could fix her congenital defect, but empty words were unconvincing. No one would have believed him.
Besides, if he had performed the modification outright, there was a chance he would have gotten nothing in return.
This situation, though a complete fluke, had produced a better outcome than the truth serum ever could have!
"Can you... can you really make a more effective potion?" Mia’s voice trembled with a hope she dared not believe.
"Now, how credible do my words seem to you?" Velin schooled his expression, playing along with the girl’s misunderstanding to lay his trap. "I can indeed eradicate the defect in your bloodline."
That sentence held more power than any of his previous threats.
Mia’s first instinct was disbelief. Countless past deceptions had made her wary of any promise.
But the unprecedented warmth in her body was real, and the fading of her pain was real.
In that moment, the desire to live overrode everything else. The man before her might truly hold her only path to survival.
There was no loyalty between her and Hector to begin with, only mutual exploitation.
Besides, it was because of Hector’s damn mission that she had ended up in this predicament.
She made up her mind and asked, "What... what do you want to know?"
"Tell me everything you know—about yourself, and about that giant serpent."
"Okay... I’ll talk."
"I... I am a spy for the ’Shadow’ unit of the Blackrock Hand Merchant Guild. My codename is ’Purple Cat.’ That monster... we internally call it the ’Lord of Gray Marsh.’ I don’t know when it was born or how it took its current form. I only took over this assignment this year."
"What is your mission?"
"To periodically sneak underground, deploy a special Alchemy Potion, observe its condition, and record the data. Hector never let us access core intelligence. He only mentioned that when the time is right, the Lord of Gray Marsh will become his most powerful weapon."
"How many other Blackrock Hand members are in the area? Where is your stronghold?"
"I don’t know. After I complete my mission, I return to Stone Bridge City. Along the way, I pick up the potion that keeps me alive at a secret location. As for matters around here, I have no authority to inquire."
"Then what do you know about the Lord of Gray Marsh’s abilities and weaknesses?"
Mia paused, instinctively avoiding Velin’s gaze. "I only know a part of it."
She summoned her courage. "I will only reveal that information after you have truly solved my problem."
Velin looked at her, knowing she wasn’t lying.
"Fine," he agreed with a sharp nod. "Give me three days. I will prepare a procedure for you at the bloodline level."
He then turned and walked out of the cell, immediately finding Valerius, who was studying the scales of the Lord of Gray Marsh.
"I need the items on this list of materials, as soon as possible."
Valerius took it and gasped.
"Dragon Blood Crystal? Activated Coral? And... the glands of a Silver Moon Snow Mink? Velin, we don’t have these in stock... Some are extremely expensive, and others have no conventional use. What do you need them for?"
"Just a deal with a succubus."
Velin offered no further explanation and walked toward his study.
He needed to write a letter to Caroline, asking her to use the merchant guild’s power to deliver these materials to Newly Town, no matter the cost.
He also needed to invite her for a meeting. The Lord of Gray Marsh concerned the very survival of the territory, and he had to gather all available forces.
「Meanwhile.」
In a camp concealed by dense forest dozens of miles from Mist Spring Valley,
a world-weary, middle-aged man in black leather armor was staring at a row of crystal balls on the table before him.
The light in one of the crystal balls was growing dimmer and looked as if it could extinguish at any moment.
"Boss Yuri," a subordinate hurried in and knelt on one knee. "Black Water Camp... has also gone dark. The men we sent couldn’t send back any word."
The man snapped his head up, a harsh glint in his eyes.
"Something’s happened to Mia, too."
"There’s an unknown variable over in the Grey Marsh Territory. Mia knows part of the plan for the ’Lord of Gray Marsh.’ We absolutely cannot let her fall into enemy hands."
"Your orders?"
"Prepare the ’cleanup’ squad." Yuri stood up and walked to a map, his gaze falling on the small marker for Newly Town.
"Relay my orders. Find her. If you can’t bring her back..." He paused, his tone chilling.
"Then create chaos in the Grey Marsh Territory and eliminate her in the confusion."
"Let her and that entire Grey Marsh Territory burn to ashes."