Merlin withdrew his consciousness from the Illusory World. He picked up the clothes he had prepared earlier, put them on, and only then turned to inspect the Nutrient Pool.
The Nutrient Pool had turned a murky green and no longer gave off that foul smell. He must have absorbed all the two hundred-odd ingredients he had added to it.
He also vaguely sensed that raising his Beastification level any further would require even more ingredients to prepare the Nutrient Pool. The quantities would be staggering.
"I need enough money. A thousand gold coins, or even two or three thousand, would be nowhere near enough."
Merlin knew that a Parasite's Nutrient Pool burned through money, but he had never imagined it would cost this much. Although Count Stanwen doted on him and granted almost every request, they had only just arrived in an unfamiliar place, and there were plenty of things they needed money for.
Moreover, the three hundred elite Heavy Guard Knights who followed Count Stanwen were a considerable expense in their own right. Giving Merlin a thousand gold coins was already quite generous. Asking Count Stanwen for even more was clearly unrealistic.
But Merlin had only just arrived in Sacred Dragon City and could not think of a better solution right away.
Unable to come up with anything in the laboratory, Merlin simply left and locked it behind him. This was his secret, and only Count Stanwen knew about it.
As soon as he returned to the hall, he saw Count Stanwen, who seemed to be looking for him.
"Leo, you're just in time. Come with me to visit Count Otadi."
Count Stanwen spoke to Merlin with a smile.
"Count Otadi?"
Merlin looked puzzled.
"Let's talk in the carriage."
Merlin could only follow Count Stanwen into the carriage.
Once