I'm a Serious Student, I Only Drink Nine Potions a Day Chapter 42

The voice was low, almost scattered by the wind.

But Evan's ears, repeatedly enhanced by Aspirin, caught every syllable.

Professor Byron.

The name rippled through Evan's mind.

A renowned Master from the university's chemistry department. A technical consultant for the Byron Group.

And the Byron Group was one of the United States' most influential chemical industry giants of this era. The Aspirin he took every day bore this company's logo on its bottle.

"So Professor Pulis isn't the only one conducting drug trials?"

Evan's expression shifted slightly.

He had originally assumed that the potion in Gilbert's body was also Professor Pulis's handiwork.

But the moment Professor Byron's name surfaced, the whole picture became complicated.

There were at least two supernatural factions in this university using poor students as test subjects.

Then their potions...

Evan's hand quietly clenched in his pocket, pressing against the three small medicine bottles.

They were the "spoils" he had casually lifted from Gilbert's jacket's inner pocket while pinning down Gilbert's struggles after subduing him.

The security personnel carried Gilbert away on a makeshift stretcher.

His gaunt body lay limp on it like a sack of flour. Several guards frowned as they carried him, and one even instinctively covered his nose with his sleeve.

Evan stayed where he was and did not follow them.

He had to deal with the three bottles in his pocket first.

If Byron's people discovered later that Gilbert was missing his medicine and searched everyone nearby, he did not want to be caught red-handed.

"Thank you for saving Helen just now."

That clear voice rang out again.

Evan turned around.

A faint scent of jasmine mixed with the cold wind drifted to his nose.

Two female students stood about two meters away from him.

The girl in front was about five foot five, dressed in a fitted beige plaid wool dress with a dark brown cropped wool jacket over it.

On her feet were a pair of gleaming calfskin lace-up ankle boots.

She was exceptionally beautiful.

Her jet-black hair was secured behind her head with a ruby hairpin, with several loose strands falling beside her cheeks.

Her features combined the deep, broad contours of Westerners with the delicacy and poise unique to Easterners.

Her skin was as fair as fine porcelain, her cheeks slightly round with baby fat. Her lips were naturally pale red, while her eyes were dark and bright, their corners tilted slightly upward with an unmistakable heroic air.

She carried herself with ease, radiating strength and confidence from her very bones.

The girl beside her was far more timid.

She clung to the first girl's side, tightly gripping her sleeve. Her eyes were red, and tear tracks from her lingering fright remained on her face.

She wore a blue cashmere dress, now somewhat disheveled from the recent chaos, with several flecks of coal ash on her shoulders.

Her skin was fair, a few faint freckles scattered across the bridge of her nose. She lowered her head and sniffled softly.

She looked exactly like a younger sister nestling against her elder sister.

Evan casually waved a hand.

"It was nothing."

The leading girl stepped forward and extended her right hand.

"My name is Eldin Yousefka Hurst."

Her white, slender fingers naturally swept up a strand of bangs that had fallen over her forehead and tucked it behind her ear.

The movement was smooth and elegant, and in the lingering glow of the sunset, her entire figure carried an indescribable youthful beauty.

The necks of those poor boys in the distance stretched so far they looked ready to snap in the wind, their eyes completely glazed over.

"There have been many rumors about you lately." There was a meaningful note in Eldin's voice.

"After seeing what you did today, I realized that some people truly have very small minds."

One of Evan's hands still pressed against the medicine bottles in his pocket while the other reached out and took Eldin's soft hand.

It was only a polite handshake. He immediately withdrew his hand.

"I'm honored to receive your approval."

He gave Eldin a slight nod.

"But you should comfort this poor young lady first. After dinner, I still need to haul sacks."

With that, he removed the old newsboy cap from his head, gave the two girls a polite nod, then turned and left.

It was getting dark.

I still want to hurry back, take the medicine first, then go haul sacks at the docks.

No matter how pretty she is, she won't let me sleep with her or give me money, so what's the point of talking nonsense?

Evan was very practical.

Potions Specifically Designed to Counter Bloodthirsty Species

Eldin blinked her dark eyes.

She stood there, stunned.

According to the script she had expected for this kind of situation—

A poor boy like Evan, when a wealthy young lady of her status took the initiative to speak to him and offered her hand—

Should have immediately shown immense respect and excitement, tried every possible way to say a few more words, and leave a good impression on her.

How had this guy just... walked away?

Hauling sacks?

Hauling sacks were more appealing than I was?

Helen, the girl behind her who was still sobbing, also lifted her head and stared in surprise at Evan's retreating back.

Evan did not look back.

He walked straight toward Lane and John, who stood at the edge of the field with envy and regret written all over their faces.

"It's almost dark. If we don't leave now, we'll miss the tram."

Lane stared fixedly at Evan, lowering his voice as he spoke in an almost reverent tone.

"That's Miss Hurst! A great aristocrat from Britain!"

"So many middle-class students send her flowers, court her, write love poems, and they can't even touch her shadow!"

"My God, what were you saying? Hauling sacks? You... you completely ruined such a precious chance to talk to her!"

John eagerly added from beside him.

"She rides to school in a car every day! Do you know what a car is?"

Evan shrugged, his tone calm.

"No."

John stomped his feet in frustration.

"The kind automobile tycoon Durant rides in!"

Evan curled his lip.

"I only know the kind Chennault rides in."

"Who's Chennault?" John froze.

Evan slung his backpack over his shoulder and did not answer.

"School's over, brothers. Time to go home."

Amid the envious sighs behind him of "What a waste of an opportunity," he quickly left the field.

He could not stay here any longer.

The school security had already carried Gilbert away. Sooner or later, they would discover that he was missing three bottles of medicine.

On the search list, he—the heroic rescuer from earlier—would definitely rank among the first few suspects.

The safest place to hide medicine was in his stomach.

The poor boys left on the field still wanted to approach Eldin and at least make themselves familiar to her.

Unfortunately, Eldin had already turned away, linking arms with Helen as she headed toward the academic building.

Her straight back looked especially cool and aloof beneath the setting sun.

"Ah, Arkham really doesn't know how to seize an opportunity."

Several students could not help sighing, already imagining themselves in Evan's place.

If they had been standing there, they would definitely be chatting and laughing with Miss Hurst by now, exchanging addresses.

Evan took out a five-cent coin and squeezed onto the clattering tram.

By the time he returned to Gooding Street, it was already half past six in the evening, and the sky was completely dark.

Streetlights flickered on one after another, their dim yellow glow dyeing the road a warm orange.

Evan went upstairs, took out his key, opened the door, and locked it behind him.

The apartment was so quiet that he could hear his own breathing.

He entered the bedroom, sat by the table, and lined up everything he had gained today.

Five bottles from Pulis. Three bottles lifted from Gilbert.

Eight bottles in total.

Evan stared at the eight small glass bottles for several seconds and decided to smell them first.

After all, he had the Power of the Nine Dragons. At present, only two dragons were displayed on his panel—Demon Hunter Characteristic and Copper Pill.

A few more dragons would not matter.

Every additional potion he digested meant a deeper understanding of this world's supernatural system.

He carefully compared them and discovered that the three bottles he had taken from Gilbert were all the same medicine. The bottles were identical, so they seemed to be a three-day supply.

Evan picked up one of them first and pushed open the wax seal with his thumb.

A pungent, spicy smell immediately rushed out.

He instinctively leaned back, and the fumes made his eyes sting slightly.

"What the hell is this? Chili water?"

As his nose caught that scent, the familiar whisper rose in his mind once more.

This time, it was another unfamiliar yet precise piece of knowledge.

"Night Sound Pepper. One of the materials used in potions.

It mainly grows in damp, shadowy rock crevices near Bloodthirsty Species nests. Its roots absorb the excrement left behind by Bloodthirsty Species as nourishment.

It possesses a powerful hemolytic effect. After consumption, it can temporarily enhance one's sense of smell and muscle strength."

"Made from magical chili peppers?"

Evan muttered inwardly.

He weighed his options.