Frost Toxin Formula (Third Update)

Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi's conversation was conducted through the Team Channel, Ahan, who was walking ahead, was completely unaware of it.

This is also one of the advantages of permanent team formation. As long as teammates are within a certain distance, they can secretly transmit information, similar to the "secret transmission of sound" in martial arts novels, without having to worry about being "intercepted" by experts.

Sealed wooden crates, resembling coffins, were unearthed from the ruins; many of the crates were smashed to pieces.

Ahan stopped in front of a wooden crate and opened the lid.

A faint stench of decay emanated from the wooden crate containing the body of a man.

Ahan examined the area carefully, Bai Xiaowen noticed that his thick eyebrows furrowed again.

"Is there a problem?" Bai Xiaowen asked in a low voice.

Ahan shook his head and said, "That's not right."

Bai Xiaowen gave him a perfectly timed, questioning look.

"I mean, this body isn't right," Ahan said thoughtfully. "This body has been stored here for several years. And the missing persons cases started in the last two months."

"That's impossible. A corpse that's been stored for several years should have decomposed by now," Bai Xiaowen questioned.

Despite being questioned, Ahan remained unperturbed. Instead, he picked out a small amount of pale yellow powder from the wooden box and said, "The secret lies here. This is ' Rot-Proof Powder,' a small contraption that many alchemists can make. It can prevent a corpse from decaying for years. Of course, it only works in a sealed environment. If the box is opened, the corpse will still decompose after a while."

Bai Xiaowen thought about it for a moment and then understood.

The decomposition of a corpse is caused by the proliferation of microorganisms. This Rot-Proof Powder should be a chemical substance that kills microorganisms. Moreover, in a sealed environment, moisture and air cannot enter, so there is no space for microorganisms to multiply, and the corpse will not decompose.

Spirit Realm alchemy can often be explained using scientific principles.

Although Bai Xiaowen understood, she couldn't show agreement. Instead, she feigned resentment and said, "Perhaps it's just this one corpse that's wrong. What about the others?"

Ahan smiled slightly, probably finding the unwilling young man quite interesting, and led the two to continue examining the corpses preserved in the other boxes. Sure enough, the corpses in these boxes had been stored for many years.

"This... how could this be? I thought that alchemist was the mastermind, and that Hodge Town could finally return to peace... How could this happen?" Bai Xiaowen murmured, looking completely lost.

Li Shuyi turned her face away, trying her best to control her expression.

Ahan, however, was completely fooled by Bai Xiaowen's acting skills. He patted Bai Xiaowen on the shoulder and said, "Actually, you don't need to be sad. Voodoo Cult is an evil sect by nature. Desecration the corpses of the dead and conducting forbidden experiments is a crime in itself. I should thank you for helping Hodge Town find and destroy this cancer of Voodoo Cult."

After a pause, Ahan continued, "Don't worry, I'll lead these fine young men on the patrol to thoroughly investigate the missing persons cases. I, Alexei Ahan, swear here and now that I will bring those criminals to justice and protect the people of Hodge Town."

Bai Xiaowen immediately said, "Sir, we want to participate in the investigation too! I won't feel at ease until these thugs are caught."

Ahan said with satisfaction, "I've seen your abilities from this raid on the Voodoo Cult's lair. I accept your membership."

Spirit Realm Rules Message:

"Hodge Town Alexei Ahan, the town's sheriff, agrees to your participation in the missing persons investigation."

"You have obtained a special item: Patrol Militia Insignia. With this badge, you can move freely in Hodge Town during curfew."

"You have been granted access to the sheriff's residence and to review files on missing persons cases."

Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi exchanged a glance, both seeing the excitement in each other's eyes. With this, the main quest was on track, and all that remained was to break through the impasse and solve the mystery, which was precisely Bai Xiaowen's forte.

Next, Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi went directly to Sheriff Ahan's house and enjoyed a sumptuous dinner.

Ahan's wife, Ginny, was quite beautiful and possessed the air of a well-bred lady. Ahan proudly introduced her, saying that Ginny was the apple of the mayor of Hodge Town's eye, gentle and intelligent, and had been pursued by many prominent young men in Hodge Town. Ahan had defeated more than a dozen rivals to win Ginny's heart.

Bai Xiaowen certainly didn't care about Ahan's wife; he was more concerned about what would come out of the treasure chest dropped by the mad alchemist Norton. After finishing dinner, Bai Xiaowen excused himself and asked to rest.

Ahan's house was quite spacious. He was a warm and hospitable man, and he had his wife, Ginny, clean out a spare room for Bai Xiaowen and her husband to stay in.

That evening, Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi sat facing each other and took out the Large Golden Treasure Chest that Norton had dropped.

Bai Xiaowen placed her hand on the treasure chest.

For defeating the Voodoo Cult alchemist Norton, Bai Xiaowen received Battle Rating of A and has three draw opportunities without missing a turn.

To be honest, this Battle Rating is a bit low, because Norton is an 8th-level Boss Tier while Bai Xiaowen is only 5th-level, a significant difference, and there's also the crucial hurdle of advancing from 6th to 7th level. However, considering the comparison of their strengths, the difference isn't more than three times, so achieving an S-Tier rating is somewhat unlikely.

Twenty golden cards flew out of the treasure chest, forming two neat rows that hovered in the air.

Li Shuyi picked one first.

"You have obtained a special item: Frost Toxin Formula."

[Frost Toxin Formula: Teaches you how to make Frost Potion. Requires Alchemist (Alchemist) level 7 to learn. Frost Potion Effect: Creates a frost-slowing field, reducing the movement and attack speed of all targets within the field (friend or foe). The reduction is related to your Alchemist (Alchemist) level; the higher the level, the greater the reduction. This effect dissipates 5 seconds after leaving the Frost Potion area.]

Bai Xiaowen's eyes lit up. "Not bad, not bad. It's just a pity that my Alchemist level is only 4.5 right now. I'll need to work hard for a while to reach level 7."

To level up as a secondary profession Alchemist, the only way is to accumulate proficiency by using a massive amount of potions.

Bai Xiaowen's focus wasn't on making medicine; he only crafted a few potions in his spare time to auction off to the Super God Potion Shop as a way to boost its popularity and advertise. Therefore, his Alchemist level remained relatively low.

Crafting perfect-grade potions grants an extra proficiency bonus, which is why Bai Xiaowen, this "unprofessional" half-baked Alchemist, was able to quickly reach level 4. As long as he focuses on making potions properly, becoming a level 7 Alchemist is not far off.