Li Wen reflexively wanted to activate the Eye of the Transcendent and flee. Then she realized that sword strike probably had not been aimed at her. Otherwise, she would already be dead.
The young knight stood in the doorway, sunlight pouring over him from behind like a golden holy robe draped around him. His face was hidden in shadow, filled with an inhuman divinity.
Ghost Fairy Granny Marsha licked her jagged fangs, her gaze brimming with greed.
"Arrogance and impulsiveness are both sins written in the doctrine, young man. I have never tasted a Templar Knight before."
"That is not for you to decide."
Firstborn of the Temple, Moriah Enoch, calmly walked into the treehouse. His Knight Sword remained wreathed in flames, yet its temperature had not changed in the slightest.
Li Wen did not want to be dragged for no reason into a battle beyond her capabilities. Neither Moriah nor the Ghost Fairy was someone she could handle. But Granny Marsha clearly had no intention of letting her stay out of it.
"Girl, if you still need the Shadowfall Potion, hurry up and kill this knight. Driving him away would do as well."
Before Li Wen could speak, Moriah's gaze, sharper than any blade, stabbed toward her.
"Shadowfall Potion? Are you an ascendant of the Umbral Lineage?"
Radiance and Umbral were opposing lineages. And opposition meant an irreconcilable struggle to the death; when the two sides met, one of them had to die. Li Wen silently cursed her luck. Even now, the Ghost Fairy was still trying to redirect the disaster. As expected of an innately wicked creature.
Li Wen could not be bothered to explain. She immediately prayed and cast a Prayer Incantation on herself.
Radiance was the best pass within the camp of order. All who served Radiance were devout true believers, firm in faith and oriented toward the light. Players, of course, were an exception.
Moriah, who still knew nothing about players, immediately lowered his guard after seeing Li Wen perform a Divine Art. A gentle, cheerful smile appeared on his face, even though Li Wen's attire looked nothing like that of a believer.
"So you are a brother or sister of the church. I am Moriah, an obscure Templar Knight."
Followers of the various churches serving Radiance addressed one another as brothers and sisters. Though Moriah came from the Temple, he also served the Secret Church, so he used the same form of address when outside.
"I simply do not know what this fellow believer needs the Shadowfall Potion for. Umbral is, after all, our great enemy." Moriah's expression and gaze did not change, but the sword in his hand subtly angled toward Li Wen.
Sure enough, he was not easy to fool. Li Wen sighed.
"One of my companions was struck by an extremely bizarre curse. Crescent-shaped bite marks keep appearing on their body, and they will certainly die after seven days. We need to use Clearbright Elixir to neutralize Darkened Potion, then use that as an antidote to lift the curse." Fortunately, Li Wen was not slow-witted. She had seen plenty of miscellaneous materials in the Strategy Group in her previous life, so she was able to answer quickly.
"There is such a curse?"
Moriah frowned. It did not look as though he was unwilling to believe her, but this matter seemed to have reached the limits of his knowledge.
"There is, and the antidote is indeed prepared that way. I can swear it on my knowledge of potions. I remember that curse being called 'Netherbite'... How strange. Ever since I came to Arthur, I have not heard any news of that curse for a long time." As Granny Marsha spoke, she gave Li Wen a deep look.
Moriah nodded and provisionally accepted it as truth. He raised his Knight Sword and pointed it at the Ghost Fairy.
"In that case, hand over the potion at once. Do not delay my fellow believer's companion's life."
The Ghost Fairy grinned and ignored him, scooping from the cauldron again with her bowl and spoon. She savored the delicacy within, while thick, bright yellow liquid continuously dripped from her fangs and cracked lips.
"Even if you kill me, you still will not get the potion, because it no longer exists. It was lost long ago. Perhaps you can find traces of it in some ancient ruins and relics, assuming they have been preserved intact. Of course, I still remember parts of the formula, but Obscure Root, one of its main ingredients, has long vanished without a trace. Perhaps you can find it farther north of Arthur."
Moriah looked at Li Wen. After a moment of silence, she nodded.
At least part of what the Ghost Fairy said was true. Otherwise, Li Wen would not have come to the fey in the hope of getting lucky. Fey loved collecting treasures, and their lifespans were incomparably long. Many things that had long disappeared from the human world could still be found in fey treasure vaults.
But when Marsha claimed she only knew the formula and lacked the main ingredient, Li Wen was more inclined to believe she was lying.
Moriah thought the same, so he immediately activated a Divine Art.
Burning candle flames appeared in his pupils. They were so brilliant that the light inside the treehouse dimmed on its own. Li Wen gripped the Eye of the Transcendent in her hand and inconspicuously backed away a few steps, ready to flee at any time.
"You may choose to tell the truth, or become fuel for the candle flame and burn forever."
Moriah's voice was loud and righteous, without a trace of falsehood. Even the previously unconcerned Ghost Fairy feared that he might suddenly self-destruct, so she gave a dry laugh. "I may not have it, but that does not mean I do not know where to find it... There is a place where you can definitely find both the potions and the raw materials."
"What place?"
Moriah continued maintaining the Divine Art. Visibility in the room steadily declined, while the candle flames in his eyes grew fiercer. They had reached the point where merely meeting his gaze caused pain.
The Ghost Fairy's expression had already changed. She summoned a layer of black mist around herself. "In the underground ruins of the Black Forest. That was once the laboratory of an Alchemy Master! That kind of thing must exist in there! Stop that damned spell of yours! Unless you want everyone here buried with you!"
Having received an answer, Moriah immediately stopped casting the Divine Art. Li Wen, meanwhile, asked, "What is the Black Forest?"
"This forest." Moriah frowned slightly. "Adventurers have been exploring it for years. Even if there were secrets there, they should no longer exist. Can anything really still be found?"
Li Wen was considering something else. That gnome vendor had indeed mentioned a dungeon-like place earlier. Li Wen had not paid it much attention at the time, but now that she thought about it, it was probably the alchemy laboratory the Ghost Fairy had mentioned. Perhaps the entire Fey Market had been established around those underground ruins. Otherwise, why would so many extraordinary individuals and ordinary people knowledgeable about the extraordinary gather here?
Besides, the gnome had indeed produced Ghost Solution, a potion from the same formula. Since Ghost Solution could be found in the ruins, perhaps Shadowfall Potion could be found there as well.
"I understand. I know where to look now. Thank you both very much for your help."
The Firstborn of the Holy Temple and the Ghost Fairy could fight however they liked. Now that Li Wen had a lead, she only wanted to leave as quickly as possible.
But Moriah seemed to see through her thoughts and reached out to stop her.
"Though the Alchemy Master's laboratory in the Black Forest has become ruins, its dangers have never diminished. No one knows how many people die there every year. For safety's sake, let me accompany you."
Moriah's tone was sincere, his expression serious, and what he said was entirely reasonable, leaving Li Wen unable to think of a suitable excuse to refuse him.
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