"It's an Earth Elemental Puppet!"
Everyone recognized what it was.
It was a temporary servant built on Elemental Summoning and puppetcraft, remotely controlled through a Secret Rune.
In essence, it was a mass of Witchcraft Energy that carried earth and stones along as it moved. But in the eyes of mortals, it was a terrifying monster.
A single one was enough to easily wipe out an entire squad of poorly armed mortal militia.
That was because both its physical constitution and strength were already comparable to a Low-level Knight. If it was infused with more Witchcraft Energy than the standard model, it could receive corresponding enhancements.
For example, a Reinforced Puppet or a large puppet could possess strength comparable to an Intermediate to Advanced Knight.
"Thankfully, this thing isn't very strong!"
Seeing that the other party was not very large and did not look particularly powerful, Renion breathed a sigh of relief and volunteered to deal with it.
However, the puppet was extraordinarily fierce. After blocking several attacks with the sword in his hand, he hurriedly pulled away, no longer daring to show off.
"It's a Reinforced Puppet. How devious!"
"Fall back while fighting. Let's head to where we hid the Necromancer Warhorses!" Roy said as he helped fend off the puppet's attacks.
It wasn't that he truly couldn't deal with the puppet. He was simply afraid of being held up.
Fortunately, he was wearing Swift Boots at that moment. After activating the Witchcraft Energy within them, he became as light as a swallow, making dodging, maneuvering, and harrying the puppet much easier.
After a bout of entanglement, everyone successfully mounted the hidden warhorses and gradually opened up some distance.
After more than half the night had passed.
The group had left the danger far behind and finally let out a long sigh of relief. Their taut nerves relaxed somewhat as well.
"Where did he go? He didn't follow us?"
"Looks like he really let us off. After all, his original target is more important."
"But it's still a little strange..."
"What exactly did they do to provoke Senior Oren?"
"He's an Elite Apprentice, after all!"
There was clearly something suspicious about the matter. While secretly lamenting their bad luck, the group could not help speculating.
"Perhaps they had some treasure or secret information."
"I've heard before that some apprentices like to abuse their strength and slaughter innocents."
"Besides, out in the wild, the Witch Tower doesn't care about anything. Everyone is left to fend for themselves..."
Roy said, "Forget it. Don't worry about that for now. Getting back is what matters."
"To avoid Oren intercepting us ahead of time along a route we have to pass through, I suggest we travel day and night and get back to the Witch Tower as quickly as possible."
"There's no need to rest anymore. Only inside the Witch Tower can we guarantee our safety."
"Isn't this a little too tense?"
Renion could not help laughing.
"You're always overly cautious!"
But after laughing, his body suddenly swayed, and he nearly toppled headfirst from his horse. "Not good. I... I feel a little dizzy..."
"How did this happen all of a sudden?" Everyone was shocked and bewildered.
"I think I've been poisoned!" Renion could no longer laugh.
Sailen asked in surprise, "Oren's witchcraft?"
After hearing that, everyone stopped. Their concern was tinged with a hint of fear, and they did not know whether it was safe to approach and examine him.
"Oren specializes in spells of the Poison Crafting type..."
"When did he poison us?"
Roy's expression also changed slightly. "I feel a little unwell too!"
"It may be a volatile toxin hidden on the puppet. Its effects aren't strong, but it's colorless and odorless..."
His physical constitution was superior to Renion's, and Witchcraft Energy was still active inside his body, giving him a certain resistance. He merely felt slightly nauseated and as though he might vomit.
But from this, it could be inferred that Renion's condition was much worse.
Sailen helped examine him and said, "These are indeed symptoms of poisoning, but we don't know what kind of toxin it is yet. We can only deal with it using Witchcraft Energy, or rely on physical constitution to endure it."
"I... I probably won't die!" Renion panicked. Before long, his breathing visibly became labored. "But I can't walk anymore!"
Roy stepped forward, used a small portable syringe to draw some of his blood, and then sensed it with Mental Strength.
"It should be the kind that affects blood circulation. His Blood Oxygen Content is extremely low..."
Renion hurriedly asked, "What do we do?"
Sailen suggested, "How about stopping to rest for a while?"
"Renion may not be deeply poisoned. He should be able to alleviate it through breath regulation."
Tigro, however, said, "That won't do. We can't stop. We should keep running."
"Renion, hang in there. Should we tie you to the horse?"
Sailen said, "If only we had an Antidote Potion."
Roy said, "I only know a little about Antidote Potions. I've never personally refined one..."
"And I don't have the materials on hand either."
"Neither do we, and we don't know how to refine one!" Andov and Tigro stared at each other, completely at a loss.
"Wait. Did any of you bring mercury?"
Roy suddenly thought of something and hurriedly asked.
"I happen to have a small jar. It was originally for preserving materials..." Sailen quickly replied.
Mercury, commonly known as quicksilver, was a natural Liquid Metal that existed in liquid form under Normal Temperature and Pressure.
It could dissolve in nitric acid and hot concentrated Sulfuric Acid. It could also dissolve many metals, such as gold and silver, to form amalgams. It could be used for preservation and medicine, while its vapor was extremely poisonous. It could also be used in certain offensive witchcraft.
Its uses were extremely broad, so it held extraordinary significance in alchemy.
Using quicksilver directly to make medicine was dangerous for mortals, because it was a heavy metal with severe toxicity to the human body.
But in the Wizarding World, there was naturally Supernatural Power capable of putting it to use!
"Give it to me!" Roy quickly built a crude, miniature Alchemy Platform beside the rocks and began working.
The attempt he was making was to fully utilize his newly acquired Bronze-tier Talent, Sulfur-Mercury Theory, to refine a special substance known as "blood mercury."
By mastering the knowledge of using Sulfur and Mercury to produce Zabir Magic Gold, the corresponding ability level increased by 1 when performing related operations.
As an ordinary apprentice, it was rare to master this formula unless one happened to specialize in the subject.
But after obtaining the Sulfur-Mercury Theory Alchemy Talent, he had grasped it instinctively without instruction.
And with the talent effect of "corresponding ability level +1," it was as though he had undergone endless tempering. The insights from countless experiments and deep research surged forth like instinct.
A moment later, Roy successfully produced a small jar of blood-red Demonic Mercury Paste.
The substance possessed mercury's distinctive metallic texture. However, under the influence of Witchcraft Energy and transmutation effects, it did not display its original silver color, but instead showed a deep crimson.
On closer inspection, it even emitted a faint glow from within the glass bottle.
He bled Renion to treat him while simultaneously injecting the corresponding amount of blood mercury.
After a while, amid everyone's astonishment, Renion swayed unsteadily and regained consciousness.
"How miraculous. I feel much better!"
Before you continue