Chapter 395 - 315: The Road to Level Three 2
[Sheds its translucent membrane completely twice a year, in summer and winter; the process lasts only five minutes.]
[The membrane is about the length of an adult’s arm, as thin as a cicada’s wing, yet exceptionally tough.]
[The outermost layer of the membrane has fine, raised scales, naturally compatible with all Energy systems.]
[It is the best material for Energy Guidance.]
This was also something he had exchanged for during the Demon Hunting War, costing three thousand Merit Points per sheet.
It was now in his pile of materials, preserved by soaking in a special medicinal fluid.
Ian continued reading.
[Other Auxiliary Materials: Dew from the Moon Sleep Flower, the user’s own saliva, Essence Blood...]
There were more than twenty items in total, most of which were common materials.
In his few months on the Central Continent, he had already gathered them all, one by one.
But here, the recipe... came to an abrupt end.
The section that should have detailed the fusion ratios of the various materials, the processing sequence, and the key points of Refining... was too damaged. The frayed, worn edges made it completely illegible.
"How could the most critical step be missing?"
Ian muttered to himself.
The activation temperature of the Silent Jellyfish Condensate Core, the dissolution rate of the Void Crystal, the steeping time of the Turtle Dragon Snake Hide, the extraction purity of the Moon Sleep Flower...
An error in any one of these parameters would, at best, result in the loss of all the materials.
At worst... it could blow up half the Laboratory.
He looked at the dozens of materials piled on the stone table.
The almond-sized gel in the Crystal Box, the fist-sized fragment of Dark Silver Void Crystal.
The translucent snake slough soaking in a pale green fluid, and the various Auxiliary Materials sealed in jars and bottles.
Every single one had been hard-won.
Every single one could be the difference between life and death in his breakthrough.
’I need other recipes for reference.’
Ian stood up, his dark gray robe sleeves hanging low.
’Preferably... other elemental Balance and Stability Class recipes.’
He quickly returned to the surface. Outside, the sky was gradually brightening.
Morning light cut a pale golden sliver through a gap in the curtains.
"Time to go to the Justice Clan."
「Justice Clan Main Residence.」
The dark gray stone walls gleamed with a cold, hard luster in the morning light.
Two guards in silver armor stood at the entrance. Their auras were steady; both were Level One Wizards.
Seeing Ian approach, they both bowed.
"Honored Guest Elder Marcus."
Their voices were respectful, their eyes filled with clear reverence.
News of the Purification from a few days ago had already spread throughout the entire clan.
The man who could awaken the Clan Leader deserved such respect.
Ian gave a slight nod and stepped through the main gate.
He crossed the courtyard, went around the ancestral hall, and arrived at a reception room deep within the main residence.
Aidele was already waiting there.
She wore a deep purple Long Robe, her long hair pinned up with a simple wooden hairpin.
Her complexion was better than it had been a few days ago, but the fatigue in her features was hard to conceal.
The faint bluish shadows under her eyes were lightly covered with powder.
"Ian."
She stood, his reflection appearing in her deep cyan eyes.
Her voice was a few degrees softer than usual.
"Sit."
The two sat down on opposite sides of a long table.
A servant brought hot tea. The pale green liquid swirled gently in the porcelain cup, releasing a clear, bitter fragrance.
Ian didn’t touch the teacup. He got straight to the point.
"I need Tier Two or higher ’Balance and Stability Class’ Magic Potion recipes."
"Preferably two or three for reference."
Aidele didn’t ask any questions and simply nodded.
"Alright. I’ll use my Level Three Authority to retrieve them for you."
She raised her hand, her fingertips tracing a pattern in the air.
A pale purple Rune lit up in her palm, flashed three times, and dissipated.
This was the clan’s internal communication Witchcraft.
Having done this, she looked up at Ian.
A flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes. She pressed her lips together, then relaxed them.
Finally, she lowered her voice and spoke slowly.
"There’s something... I think I should tell you."
Ian looked at Aidele and nodded in response.
"A few days ago, when my father’s contamination erupted, the Burning Canyon... also had a large-scale eruption of Abyssal Energy."
Ian’s pupils contracted imperceptibly, but his expression remained unchanged.
Only his fingertips, resting on his lap, curled slightly.
"More than half of the Level Three Wizards from the great clans of the Seventeen Cities of the Eastern Border rushed to suppress it."
"Our clan’s Elder Soron and Elder Darcy were among them."
"As it turned out... the scale of the contamination far exceeded any previous record."
Aidele paused, her fingertips lightly tracing the rim of her teacup.
"Because the response was rushed, it nearly ended in a major disaster. At the critical moment, His Majesty Morning Star descended."
"He suppressed the contamination eruption and reinforced the seal."
"His Majesty said that for at least the next fifty years... there won’t be another major eruption."
She looked up at Ian.
The morning light from the window was reflected in her deep cyan eyes.
"When my father’s contamination erupted, the two Elders close to me just happened to be away."
"If it hadn’t been for you..."
She didn’t finish the sentence.
But Ian understood. What Aidele meant was... this was no coincidence.
The eruption of contamination within Titus, the eruption of Energy in the Burning Canyon.
The two events happened at almost the same time.
However, only he knew the truth. That was no ordinary Energy eruption.
It was the Level Five Mother attempting to break the seal after he had eliminated its offspring!
The arrival of a Morning Star Wizard meant the Central Continent had already taken notice of the anomaly here.
But...
With a flicker of thought, a line of text silently appeared on the panel in Ian’s Sea of Spirit.
[Soul Coordinate Lock Status: Blocked]
[Block Duration: Permanent (Unless Actively Exposed)]
Although the panel had blocked the tracking...
...on that day, the gaze that shot out from the depths of the Burning Canyon...
The dark purple vertical pupils, the densely packed Tentacle-eyes, and the cold sensation of being watched by a being of a higher order.
His Soul’s aura had been memorized.