A Poison Too Terrifying to Contemplate

No one would have guessed that Baron Morin's treasure was already in his hands.

Rein knew that if Quinn failed to find it, the person who had hired the assassins from the shadows would definitely not let the matter rest.

It was only natural that Quinn would come to question him again.

But that also meant the danger was drawing closer and closer.

The person behind the assassination attempt had not given up on finding the treasure. If they could not get it, they would surely try other methods. The threat posed by someone with that kind of influence was not something a mere Piscis could compare to.

So Rein understood one thing clearly.

He had to get the antidote as soon as possible and leave the Weasel Bandit Group!

Forcing Piscis to reveal the recipe was only the first step. The key was obtaining the finished antidote.

Quinn's godlike assistance as the leader had set things moving according to Rein's script.

Not long after the questioning, the leader sent someone over with a considerable amount of Mummy Skull Powder. It was finished material seized during some raid, so there was no need to grind and purify dried mummy skulls himself. It was ready to use straight away.

The materials had arrived, and Piscis no longer had any excuse.

The old man was still immersed in the joy of obtaining the Gold Potion Recipe. Though he was unhappy about being schemed against, he had no choice but to prepare the antidote.

Throughout the entire brewing process, Rein obediently stayed at the side, running errands and observing.

Piscis did not deliberately hide anything from him. After all, while the antidote for the Zombie Potion was much simpler than a Gene Potion, it was still not something an ordinary Potionry Apprentice could brew.

What could he possibly learn just by watching?

The techniques, the timing for blending the ingredients, the temperature control—those details were the truly difficult parts.

That was also the greatest difference between a formal Potion Master and an apprentice.

Without half a year to a year of practical training, a potion apprentice could not even remember the properties of the materials, much less actually prepare a finished potion.

Back then, Piscis himself had possessed decent talent. Even after studying the basics at the Royal Academy for over a year, his teacher had only then allowed him to begin working with finished potion formulas.

Sorting, purification, distillation, heating—all in one smooth sequence.

Every step was incomparably fluid. This was the potion-making standard of an experienced Two-Star Potion Master!

"When preparing potions, remember to be 'steady and meticulous.' The purification and extraction of materials in the early stages determine the potion's final effectiveness, while the reactions, fusion, and cooling in the later stages are key to the success rate. Without reaching One-Star Potion Master level, the chances of successfully making this potion are practically zero."

Piscis did not mind Rein staring intently at him. Instead, as he prepared the potion, he rattled off a large number of technical terms in explanation.

His words included plenty of advanced Potionry knowledge. Not to mention a Potionry Apprentice, even a One-Star Potion Master might not be able to fully understand it all.

Naturally, the old man had no intention of teaching Rein Potionry. Aside from showing off, he was mostly mocking Rein for overestimating himself.

Heh, just because you had seen the recipe and watched the brewing process, you thought you knew Potionry?

With you, someone who had only been an apprentice for a few days?

Hmph. Naive. Stupid!

The mockery at the old man's lips was as glaring as needles, but Rein's expression remained unchanged.

"Oh, Teacher, what you're saying is far too profound. You truly are a great Potion Master!"

"Good heavens, Teacher, your technique is so brilliant!"

"..."

While insincerely flattering him, Rein focused all his attention on Piscis's explanations.

Naturally, he was utterly confused by this profound Potionry knowledge. He had seen every technical term the old man mentioned in books before, but once they were strung together, he could not understand what any of it meant.

To put it another way, just because you recognized Arabic numerals, did that mean you could solve advanced equations?

Potionry was one of the most complicated fields of knowledge in this world.

Even if he could not understand it, he could still memorize it!

At that moment, the Mind Core had already recorded the entire potion-brewing process.

The order in which the materials were added, the heating temperatures, the reaction times, the concentrations—even the angle and frequency at which Piscis shook the test tube. Every detail had been recorded.

Watching the recipe earlier had only been Rein's first layer of insurance.

He had been afraid that Piscis might tamper with the antidote. Now that he had watched him prepare it in person, he finally felt relieved.

At least from what he could see, the old man had followed the procedures in the recipe and had not played any tricks.

Was he finally about to get the antidote?

Rein felt faintly expectant. Only once he had the antidote could he truly rest easy and plan his next escape attempt.

The antidote for the Zombie Potion was not particularly complicated, especially for an experienced Two-Star Potion Master.

After roughly half a shichen, Piscis finished preparing the vial of purple potion.

"This is the antidote. Once you drink it, the toxins in your body will be completely removed. From now on, study Potionry properly by my side."

"Yes, Teacher."

"..."

They had not completely torn off their masks yet, so the act had to continue.

Without thinking much about it, Rein picked up the vial and gulped it down.

But not long afterward, the excitement in his heart immediately turned cold.

Because the status display projected by the Mind Core onto his retina showed that the toxins in his body had not been completely removed. Their outbreak had merely been delayed!

Warning: Unknown toxin invasion. Estimated to be fatal in 1094 days, 23 hours, and 44 minutes.

"What's going on? Didn't you say the toxin would be removed? Why is there... still a toxin warning?"

Rein's heart sank as he looked at the countdown displayed by the system.

Could that old bastard Piscis have tampered with the antidote?

That could not be right. The entire brewing process had followed the recipe. When had he done anything suspicious?

Besides, the old man had no motive.

Previously, the poison flared up once a month. Now it had become once every three years. What was the point?

Was he not afraid that, if Rein discovered this little trick, he would turn hostile and reveal the secret to Leader Quinn, leaving them both with nothing?

Such a foolish move was definitely not something that old schemer would do.

Could there be some other hidden reason?

This sudden development threw Rein's plans into disarray.

The antidote he had painstakingly obtained was actually still just a "reprieve potion" that delayed the toxin's outbreak?!

Piscis noticed something slightly strange in Rein's expression and asked doubtfully, "What's wrong?"

Rein composed himself and probed as if he knew nothing. "Teacher, is this really the antidote for the Zombie Potion? Why do I feel like nothing much has changed after taking it?"

If he had not possessed the Mind Core, he truly would not have discovered there was a problem with the antidote.

"Heh. What kind of change were you expecting?"

Piscis raised an eyebrow.

Being doubted made him somewhat displeased. "You have already awakened as a Transcendent. You should be able to sense that cold force in your body has disappeared, right? That is the sign that the poison has been removed."

Thinking that Rein was simply habitually suspicious and wanting to avoid further trouble, he added, "If you do not believe me, you can ask the other old members of the group. They all took the same antidote."

"Teacher, you misunderstand. I do not mean anything else. I just feel that this surprise came a little too suddenly."

Rein did not think Piscis looked like he was lying. It seemed as though he genuinely did not know that this antidote only temporarily suppressed the poison.

Though he could not rule out the possibility that the old man was deliberately deceiving him and had superb acting skills.

But after thinking it over, Rein felt that if the old man wanted to control him, he surely had more clever methods. There was no need to play underhanded tricks with the antidote.

Yet the fact that the toxins had not been removed remained. What exactly was going on?

Was the poison's incubation period three years?

Eh... had Piscis not joined the Weasel Bandit Group three years ago?

Suddenly, a flash of insight crossed Rein's mind.

And when he connected all the clues together...

The implications were terrifying!

If everyone had taken this kind of antidote, then it meant that the Zombie Potion in the bodies of the vast majority of the Weasel Bandit Group had not been removed at all. It had merely been temporarily frozen, including the older members!

Now that the three-year period was nearly up, the first group to have taken the antidote would begin dying one after another. The truth definitely would not stay hidden.

Faintly, Rein felt that this matter was far from simple. Everywhere he looked, there was the scent of a conspiracy.

But... what exactly was Piscis trying to do?!

Recommendation votes are extremely important for a new book, so please cast some, everyone~ And thank you all for your tips and support as well. I still have not finished repaying the Owed Updates from the tips on my previous completed book, and I am ashamed. I do not have much confidence in this one, but there should still be extra updates for Ten Thousand Reward tips. Your goodwill is received; a hundred coins is enough.