Patrol Bureau Work, Digesting the Potion (7k)

Patrol Bureau Work, Digesting the Potion (7k)

The icy blade swept toward her like a storm. Idrila could feel her flesh splitting open, as though a sword edge would slice across her throat the very next second. Death was close at hand.

But she knew that what she needed most right now was endurance.

The [War] potion had always been violent. The blessing from the Lord of Strife arrogantly tested those who received it, ensuring that from the moment they drank the potion, they would have to endure the erosion of corruption—yet corruption was also part of the gift.

Just as the Fire-Chasers of ancient myth—

They had set out upon a long journey, pursuing the rebel king who had stolen the divine fire. They hunted him down and turned him into kindling.—

The enmity of the Fire Kings churned within the flames. The Flame Seed was reclaimed by the Fire-Chasers, but curses often followed them as well.

But in the end, this violent power was completely tamed, becoming yet another bundle of kindling on the Fire-Chasers' endless road.

Idrila knew that as long as she endured and weathered the harm of those invisible blades, she would successfully accept the power of the [War Overseer] and advance to Sequence 7.

She endured it.

Having long since completely digested the foundation left behind by the [War Chaplain], Idrila had enough leeway to draw upon sufficient spirituality to resist the corruption within the potion. As she fought back, the invisible blades gradually faded and fell still.

She could feel her torn flesh and tendons burning. The potion's power merged into her blood, then surged from it and overflowed, mending her wounds.

But at that moment—

She had clearly survived the corruption. She had clearly brought the potion under control. Yet a strange feeling rose from the depths of Idrila's heart.

She felt her mind growing hazy and her thoughts becoming chaotic. At the same time, even the potion that had just merged into her blood and been brought under control began to stir restlessly for no reason!

A sharp chill struck. Even in her dazed state, Idrila's spirituality frantically warned her that if she failed to block that piercing cold, the potion she had already controlled would inevitably go out of control. She would go mad and be corrupted into a twisted monstrosity.

But—what could she do?

She desperately tried to open her eyes and use the extraordinary abilities of the [War Overseer] to block that piercing chill.

But it was as if she had suddenly fallen into a deep sea hundreds of meters below the surface. An unimaginable pressure, in the mystical sense, suppressed Idrila's spirituality and left her unable to move an inch.

Idrila could only remain frozen there, despairingly feeling the freezing force that would send her out of control rushing toward her. Was she really going to lose control here without even knowing why?

This was the heart of the Society, and Mr. Ron was right beside her. If she lost control—yet just as the thought surfaced, she suddenly heard a subtle sound, like a bubble bursting. "Pop."

In an instant, the oppressive pressure on her spirituality and the chill vanished, as though warm sunlight had fallen upon her and driven away the cold at once.

Idrila opened her eyes and saw Ron stretch out a hand, seize an arrow of gray mist flashing with cold light, and crush it in an instant.

The icy gray mist trembled and dispersed. For a fleeting moment, Idrila seemed to see Ron lose all his magic power, becoming as ordinary as a mortal—

Yet in that instant, his spirituality exploded outward at incredible speed, profound and heavy as a star-filled night sky!

But it lasted only a moment. After swallowing that gray mist arrow, the power abruptly disappeared as though it had never existed.

Ron returned to how he had been before. The magic power of Sequence 8 glowed steadily within Magic Vision.

Idrila's chaotic thoughts had already calmed again. Looking at Ron now, she found him staring at her gravely, his eyes full of doubt.

Thinking back to her muddled state just now, as well as that inexplicable gray mist arrow, Idrila immediately realized what had happened.

"This is... the extraordinary ability that controlled me before?"

After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "Did you... use the power bestowed upon you by that lord?"

To ordinary people of the Potion Era, the incomprehensible might of [Fantasy Dissolution] truly differed little from the blessing of some hidden existence—

Ron nodded. "That's right. I used that lord's blessing once again."

"He blessed me so that I would not be confused by others or corroded by magic power. This is already the second time I've used this power on you."

He studied Idrila and asked in a grave tone,

"And this gray mist, capable of bewildering hearts and controlling thoughts, has appeared for the second time as well."

"Idrila, I think you should seriously consider why this power has clung to you like a disease rooted in the bones—"

"Its range of influence is far too broad. What kind of sealed artifact does that Father Suul possess to wield such power?"

Ron frowned as he made his deduction.

"Is it that mask left behind by a Sequence 4 demigod of the [Trickery] pathway, or some other sealed artifact you don't know about?"

Idrila pondered for a moment, then shook her head.

"No. While the [Trickery] pathway is indeed exceptionally adept at manipulating people's hearts, and it is said that a Sequence 7 [Master of Persuasion] can influence the minds of others through words alone, I can still be certain that the demigod's mask could not possibly possess such power."

She spoke with absolute certainty.

"I personally witnessed the battle that nearly destroyed Evening Bell City, and I personally saw the enhancement the bishop received when he took out that mask. According to the bishop, because of that [Trickery] demigod's particular nature, his extraordinary characteristic did not exhibit the all-deceiving 'Trickery.' Instead, it gave its holder the power to break through the limits of the body."

"And this power, capable of crossing vast distances to influence others' minds from nowhere and even lure them into losing control, definitely does not exist within Evening Bell City's sanctuary—"

"Perhaps this power came from some sealed artifact Suul recently acquired, one I have never heard of—"

As she spoke, a trace of worry and sorrow appeared in her eyes.

"Maybe... that is why his temperament changed so abruptly, why he framed and controlled so many people, and why he intends to sacrifice them during the Fire-Chasing Ritual."

Suul's drastic change in temperament was related to this power?

Ron fell into thought, then suddenly asked,

"Fire-Chasing Ritual... You've kept mentioning the Fire-Chasing Ritual, but I actually don't know what it is."

"Can you tell me what the Fire-Chasing Ritual is for?"

"It is a custom that imitates the Fire-Chasing Journey of ancient civilization and is used to pray to the gods."

Idrila had long grown accustomed to Ron knowing nothing and calmly answered his endless questions.

"Back when Old Rodlandic was still a common language, when this land had only scattered city-states, it was said that a divine object called the 'First Flame' existed—"

"These flames were believed to be the radiance that illuminated the world. But a rebel king who sought to become a god usurped the divine fire, devouring and stealing the flames that lit all things for his own throne."

"From then on, heaven and earth fell into darkness. To reclaim the world's light, the heroes who chased fire slew the rebel king, recovered the stolen Flame Seed, and passed down the First Flame once more to illuminate the world."

"It is said that those Fire-Chasers who inherited the flames eventually became new gods. By imitating their ritual of slaying the rebel king and sacrificing blood and fire, one could receive their blessings."

But as she spoke, she shook her head.

"Still, that was all from the previous era before the Great Cataclysm. Similar stories and legends are sung across the land."

"But no one has ever truly profited from them."

"The [Fire-Chasing Ritual] gradually became a ceremony held only by a few churches—for example, the Scorched Earth Sanctuary."

"Every year at the end of the year, the sanctuary holds a [Fire-Chasing Ritual]. But it has always merely sacrificed death-row prisoners guilty of unforgivable crimes. Often, when there were no such sinners, only cattle and sheep were sacrificed—"

"At that time, the entire city takes part, singing hymns of [War] together and giving thanks for the gods' protection over the past year—but that is all."

After hearing Idrila's explanation, Ron rubbed his chin thoughtfully and guessed at part of the reason.

Could it be that Suul had gone so mad precisely because of this Fire-Chasing Ritual that supposedly allowed one to "receive a blessing"?

Ron had not forgotten what Idrila had been chanting when he first saw her atop the sanctuary tower—

[Great Sovereign of War, beating heart of strife, source of all conflict.]

She had been chanting [War]'s divine name and praying for his blessing!

But this clearly had not been genuine prayer. It was more like practice in advance. Father Suul had controlled Idrila and made her rehearse the prayers to [War] beforehand, intending to use her as a sacrifice to pray for [War]'s blessing to descend!

However, the one who received the blessing would certainly not be Idrila. As a sacrifice, she would surely die during the Fire-Chasing Ritual, and only Father Suul, as the ritual's officiant, could survive to accept the blessing.

And after receiving the blessing, Father Suul would presumably gain another chance to advance to a higher Sequence. How lamentable... was this what became of extraordinary individuals who had gone too long without an opportunity for advancement and completely lost their minds?

"Perhaps he simply went too long without earning enough merit for advancement and fantasized about sacrificing all of you through this so-called Fire-Chasing Ritual to pray for [War]'s blessing."

Ron shook his head and stopped dwelling on Father Suul. Instead, he looked at Idrila, who had clearly fallen into thought and was somewhat anxious after being frightened by that gray mist arrow, and reassured her.

"You don't need to worry too much. The fact that he chose to use this method to try to control you from afar proves that the Society truly is not something he can offend."

"The Lost Church we are going to afterward is the same. He probably does not dare invade the territory of any orthodox church. Father Suul failed to catch us when we escaped and can now only resort to these petty tricks. He poses no threat to our safety. We should be happy about that."

Ron lightly patted Idrila's slender shoulder and encouraged her in a relaxed tone.

"Instead of worrying about this, you should be happy and think about your advancement—"

"You are now a Sequence 7 [War Overseer]. Since you and Suul are both [War Overseers], what do you have to fear?"

That was true.

I'm already a [War Overseer].

Listening to Ron's reassurance, Idrila let out a relieved breath and completely discarded the faint idealized image of Suul she had held before.

They were both Sequence 7. Excluding the influence of sealed artifacts, Idrila was not truly much weaker than Suul.

And President Elvis would soon return. When that happened, there would be even less to fear. Seeing Idrila's expression relax, Ron chatted with her while calculating the forces they could currently employ.

A newly advanced Sequence 7, President Elvis returning tomorrow, and his own Lv.3 [Vector Manipulation], which he could use again after resting briefly upon returning to Ideal City—

Even if President Elvis chose not to act, Ron and Idrila alone should be able to defeat Father Harvey, shouldn't they?

After all, no matter how much foundation he possessed, he was only a Sequence 7.

If so, then as long as Ron returned to Ideal City to rest, the future of obtaining the Sequence 7 [Death] potion would be within reach.

Even so, Ron was not so impatient as to immediately return to Ideal City. Instead, he quietly waited until the next day, sitting at the bookstore entrance with the already anxious Idrila as they awaited the old President Elvis, whom Charles said would soon return. "Jingle, jingle~"

The brass doorbell rang crisply as an elderly gentleman in a navy-blue robe entered with a cane.

He had a kindly face and wore glasses. His long silver-white beard hung down to his chest, its tip curled into an elegant spiral.

His silver hair fell loosely around him, giving him an indolent air of simply taking things as they came.

The moment he entered and saw so many people sitting by the door watching him, he raised an eyebrow in puzzlement.

Very quickly, his gaze fell upon Idrila, and obvious delight appeared in his eyes.

But the next moment, he calmed down. Those gray-blue eyes, like seas of clouds gathered within them, scrutinized Idrila. His tone carried unmistakable wariness.

"Oh—a [War Overseer]?"

As he spoke, the gemstone pendant at his waist, resembling stars and moonlight, glowed unnoticed.

"Suul, I don't recall you having the ability to change your appearance. Selvis Bookstore does not welcome guests who hide their identities. Until you free our honorary member, do not appear before the Truth Society."

His tone was stern, and a faint light seemed to rise in his gray-blue eyes.

Ron could see the surging radiance of magic power around the old man—more intense than anyone Ron had ever seen!

Though they were all Sequence 7, neither Idrila, Harvey, nor Suul possessed magic power that shone more brightly than this man's!

"No—President Elvis, it's me."

Idrila shook her head and took out a glowing cross pendant made from a page of a book. "I advanced to Sequence 7."

Elvis adjusted his glasses and carefully examined the pendant. Only after confirming that the spirituality attached to it had not changed did his expression relax.

The glowing star-and-moon pendant dimmed. Elvis sat beside the others, set down his cane and top hat, and looked clearly delighted.

"Oh, I never expected it really was Little Ily. It seems Kurt safely delivered the letter to you?"

"So Kurt was that messenger... No, he did not deliver it to me."

Idrila muttered, shook her head, and pointed to Ron beside her.

"The reason I was able to escape was entirely thanks to Mr. Ron—"

"Oh? So this gentleman delivered the secret letter to you?"

Elvis looked at Ron. He had not expected this unfamiliar face to become the greatest help in Idrila's escape from the tower.

"Then Kurt is now—"

Elvis asked instinctively. Ron omitted the matter of pretending to be an Angel to deceive Kurt and simply explained Kurt's situation. "He is probably still trapped in the Corpse-Limb Prison of the Scorched Earth Sanctuary—"

After hearing Ron's words, Elvis's expression quickly turned serious. "If Kurt is currently in the Corpse-Limb Prison—children, I do not think we should continue chatting here."

He gripped his cane, shook the snow from his scarf and top hat, and stood up again.

"I'll go bring him back right now. Kurt is not like Little Ily. He is merely a Society member and has no reason to be detained by Suul."

No! He absolutely could not go!

Seeing how confident Elvis was, Ron immediately knew that he had no idea about the demigod mask.

After all, that was the Scorched Earth Sanctuary's own secret. If Elvis truly trusted in his strength and rashly tried to rescue Kurt, he would be walking straight into danger himself.

Idrila naturally understood the danger as well, but since they were not inside the "door," she did not dare mention secrets openly and could only try to dissuade him indirectly.

Fortunately, Elvis was a clever man. Seeing Ron and Idrila's hesitant expressions, the old gentleman, who looked quite wise, immediately understood what they meant. He brought them to the underground hall and entered his office.

Only then did Idrila dare to tell Elvis about the demigod mask in detail—

Taking the opportunity, Ron also briefly described Father Harvey's commission and explained the peculiar gray mist that might be the source of Suul's power.

After carefully learning the current situation from Ron and Idrila, Elvis sat at his oak desk and thought quietly for a long time.

After a while, he looked at Idrila and Ron and spoke seriously.

"If Suul possesses a sealed artifact formed from the extraordinary characteristic of a Sequence 4 demigod from the [Trickery] pathway, then I do not think this matter will end so simply."

"As for Suul's problem, I do not actually know much. I merely happened to discover that he was slandering and imprisoning innocent extraordinary individuals, and that he had controlled Little Ily, causing you not to visit the Society even once for more than a month. Though I can infer from his actions that he is connected to the Fire-Chasing Ritual, whether he truly seeks [War]'s blessing may still require further consideration."

"After all, [War] does not grant blessings so easily. According to the descriptions in many texts, if one wishes to receive [War]'s blessing, no choice is better than participating in a war and earning military merit."

As he spoke, he sighed, helplessly removed his glasses, and wiped them.

"We cannot figure it out through guesses alone. I will report this to the Society in Fog City and send a letter to the sanctuary's Tribunal as well. For now, this matter is beyond what we can handle."

"As for the other matter you mentioned—"

He shook his head and said seriously,

"I am the president of the Evening Bell City branch of the Truth Society. Before Father Harvey displays genuine hostility, I absolutely cannot act against him."

"Though I will protect you from behind the scenes and ensure that you do not truly encounter any danger—"

As he spoke, he looked at Ron and said tactfully,

"But I must tell you, Mr. Ron—although Father Harvey may seem difficult to approach, he truly is a good man."

"I believe there may be some misunderstanding between you and him. Perhaps we can discuss this after completing the commission. Perhaps it truly is only my misunderstanding, but in the end, it still depends on Father Harvey's conduct."

Ron shook his head, ending the subject.

He knew Elvis wanted to ease his opinion of Father Harvey, but Ron did not actually care about that.

Whether it was a misunderstanding did not matter. What Ron had always cared about was not whether Father Harvey was hostile, but whether he could obtain the Sequence 7 [Death] extraordinary potion.

The reason Ron had not returned directly to Ideal City but instead waited until now was to secure Elvis's promise.

With old President Elvis's protection, Idrila having just advanced to Sequence 7, and Ron himself—

The Sequence 7 [Death] potion was now within reach.

As long as they completed Father Harvey's commission, Ron would certainly obtain the Sequence 7 [Death] potion. Whether he had to become enemies with Harvey along the way would not affect the final outcome.

Everything was ready. All that remained was returning to Ideal City to rest.

This trip to the Potion Era had left Ron completely exhausted. He had worn down nearly all the settings of the Superpowered Era to their limit—

It was time to return.

Watching over Idrila's advancement had taken an entire day and night, and Ron needed a proper rest as well.

With that thought in mind, Ron tapped the handbook screen and selected [Enter World Save].

[Current World Saves: Superpowered Era, Potion Era (loaded)]

[World Save "Superpowered Era" selected. Joining world—]

Ron's vision went black for a moment.

The next instant, the familiar room appeared before him. He sprawled lazily across the bed, removed all his settings, and charged the Ability Amplifier—but instead of resting right away, he picked up his phone and browsed job listings. Even with the [Death] Sequence 7 Potion within reach, Ron no longer dared to drink it unprepared like before.

After watching Idrila drink the [War Overseer] Potion and suffer so many cuts from invisible blades, Ron had fully realized the risks one had to endure when consuming a Potion.

Even Beyonders like Idrila, who had long since fully digested their Sequence 9 and Sequence 8 Potions, would suffer such injuries. If Ron kept advancing mindlessly without caring about digestion...

Then it probably would not be Beyonder Loss of Control holding back the growth of his Personal Reality. He would lose control completely and be twisted by the corruption within the Potion into some kind of death monster!

So, while his settings were being repaired, Ron planned to honestly digest the Potion through the acting method, avoiding the awkward situation where he would not dare drink a Potion to advance because he had failed to digest it completely.

But things did not go as he wished.

Early the next morning, Ron yawned hugely beneath his dark circles, staring at the job listings on his phone in despair.

Noah Pharmaceuticals. It was all Noah Pharmaceuticals!

In Ideal City, corpses were considered a precious resource, so professions such as "Gravekeeper" and "corpse handler" were closely tied to pharmaceutical companies. And Noah Pharmaceuticals, which monopolized Ideal City's pharmaceutical industry, also monopolized every crematorium and cemetery!

Ron spent the entire night searching, yet he could not find a single similar job opening unrelated to Noah Pharmaceuticals—

At first, Ron refused to believe it and called Ms. Irina, only to be told that when Heavenly Hearing Media had tried to enter the funeral industry years ago, Noah Pharmaceuticals had easily crushed them in the market.

So, although jobs like Gravekeeper and corpse handler did not have particularly high barriers to entry, Ron still could not secure a safe position.

And Noah Pharmaceuticals—how could Ron possibly go work for Noah Pharmaceuticals?

Leaving aside the contract issue with Heavenly Hearing Media—even if Heavenly Hearing Media truly agreed, Ron would not dare gamble with his own life!

For all he knew, on his first day working at Noah Pharmaceuticals, just hours after his personal information was entered into the company system, he might end up dead inside because of a "workplace injury." Could I only go to the Potion Era to complete my acting and digest the Potion?

Just as Ron was feeling helpless, an incoming call suddenly popped up on his phone.

He answered it. Xia Zhi's somewhat weary voice came from the other end.

"Good morning. How did you sleep last night?"

"Pretty well," Ron replied instinctively, then realized what Xia Zhi was calling about. "Wait, you've already wrapped up the case over there?"

"That's right. I just accompanied the forensic department while they examined the corpse, spent the night in the morgue, and wrote up some case reports. There's nothing going on for the moment..."

Xia Zhi yawned and forced herself to stay alert. "So, what do you say? Do you have time now?"

"Can't say whether more trouble will come up later, so I'm planning to get you hired by the Patrol Bureau right now—"

Before she could finish, Ron interrupted her.

"You said... the forensic department? The morgue?"

He had caught the key point in Xia Zhi's words, and the drowsiness in his mind vanished at once.

"Xia Zhi... does our Patrol Bureau need a Gravekeeper?"