Mandrake

The tall, thin figure reacted despite his fear.

He sprang to his knees, lunging at Lumian with a speed that seemed to leave a trail of afterimages.

He reached out with his right hand, which wasn't holding the strange wild grasses; his fingernails had all grown an extra length, covered with mysterious symbols and patterns, looking both hard and sharp.

The darkness surrounding Lumian seemed to come alive, Aggregation into jet -Pitch-Black chains that attempted to Entanglement him and confine him to his spot.

Lumian stared blankly at the rapidly approaching figure, letting out a soft "humph".

Two beams of white light shot out from his nose and landed on the target who had no time to dodge.

The tall, thin figure Past fainted and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The illusory chains formed by the darkness collapsed.

"Instead of running, they're thinking of attacking." Lumian, sporting a new face, shook his head with a smile.

He teleported directly using "Spirit World Traversal" to prevent the target from noticing anything unusual or dangerous beforehand. Once they were only two or three meters apart, the other party would be unable to escape or counterattack without being hit by the "Heng-Ha Art." The worst outcome would be mutual injury. Therefore, Lumian had the leisure to give a "greeting." If the other party was willing to cooperate and respond properly, he didn't necessarily have to fight.

This is just like a phrase that appears frequently within the "Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society":

Instill obedience through sound morals!

Lumian observed carefully for a few seconds, confirming that the tall, thin figure had indeed Past.

He squatted down and examined the strange wild grasses with blood-red roots, discovering that apart from their extraordinary plant-like spirituality, they had nothing else special about them.

Lumian thought for a moment, then lifted his tall, thin figure and shook it vigorously several times.

When the other person was about to wake up, he released his grip and took a few steps back.

Based on the battle just now, he preliminarily confirmed that his opponent was Mid-Sequence Beyonder in the "Apothecary" Pathway. According to Aurora's Witchcraft Notes, the Sequence 7 of this Pathway is called "Vampire," which means that every human who takes the Potion to advance will eventually become another race, and their life form will change.

Aurora had a fairly good understanding of the "Vampire '" general condition and abilities because the "Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society" had two so-called Sanguine, including That One member codenamed "Principal" in the "Academy" group.

Therefore, Lumian was able to determine that the target was a "Vampire" based on his reaction, speed, the sudden growth of sharp fingernails, and the dark, shackle-like magical abilities.

Since neither party is a "Psychiatrist" nor possesses any similar items, they are not true enemies. It is advisable to communicate amicably if possible.

The tall, thin figure jumped up immediately upon waking, warily surveying his surroundings. He spotted Blond Hair young man standing to the side of the gallows, dressed neatly with a smile on his face.

He instinctively wanted to launch another attack, but then he changed his mind and forcibly restrained himself.

The other party clearly had him under easy control, able to kill or sell him at will, yet did nothing, and instead woke him up!

This indicates that he has no ill intentions at the moment, and also shows that he has enough confidence in his own strength and is not afraid of resistance or escape.

The tall, thin figure recalled the opponent's sudden appearance and the strangely magical white light, and felt that even if it were Baron or viscount from the family, he could not have lost so quickly and without any power to resist.

Given that he had no idea what abilities those two beams of white light possessed or which Pathway they belonged to, he suspected that the Sequence of the person before him might exceed his expectations!

"What do you want to do?" the tall, thin figure asked in a deep voice.

Lumian was ready to use the "Heng-Ha Art" at any moment, but outwardly appeared relaxed.

"Are you Vampire?"

"Sanguine," the tall, thin figure emphasized.

Lumian looked up at the Crimson Moon high in the sky, smiled, and asked, "Which family?"

Although he had no idea how many families the Vampire were divided into or what their famous surnames were, that didn't stop him from behaving like an old Monster who had lived for many years and seen enough.

He sensed the other person's fear from the tall, thin figure's eyes, movements, and tone, and thus Acting.

As for who Imitation, he had no shortage of subjects, one of which was undoubtedly the old Monster Amon, who had lived for many years.

"I am from the Brujah Family." The tall, thin figure made no attempt to hide his pride. "My name is Lano Bruch."

What kind of family? Never heard of them before... Lumian nodded slightly and said, "The Brujah Family, huh."

He glanced at the strange wild grass in Lano's hand:

"What's this?"

"It's Mandrake." Lano figured that such a powerful Beyonder would certainly look down on a plant that could only be called a spiritual material, so he answered truthfully.

"Don't just answer one question at a time. Be proactive and explain what it's for and why you're digging it up. How am I supposed to maintain my image if you keep doing this?" Lumian thought to himself, his mind racing. "You came specifically to get it because this herb has some unusual effect on you?"

Lano hesitated for two seconds, but ultimately succumbed to his inner fear:

"Yes, the potion made from it helps me through the Spiritual Tide State during the full moon."

Spiritual Tide State... Lumian remembered a passage from Aurora's Witchcraft Notes:

The "Principal" That One the "Academy" sought a solution to the Spiritual Tide State during the full moon at the "Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society," but to no avail.

According to That One Sanguine's description, a few years ago, after the ancestor of this ancient race awoke and reclaimed Authority from the "Goddess of Evernight," the condition of all members of the Sanguine became unstable during the full moon.

Unlike other Elder that would go mad or lose their Rationality because of this, this is actually an improvement. However, the sudden increase in spirituality, like a rising tide, still puts a great burden on the Vampire ' bodies. Some members even experienced hallucinations or suffered unnecessary dangers because their inspiration increased too much in a short period of time.

Lumian looked at Lano and asked, "Can Mandrake suppress the Spiritual Tide State during a full moon?"

"None of the Sanguine I know seem to know about this."

The entire "Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society" had no idea!

Lano made no attempt to hide his smugness:

"I was probably the first to discover that Mandrake are plants that grow beneath the Corpse hanged people, originating from some divine power of the earth."

"A spiritual plant from the earth's realm?" Lumian asked thoughtfully. "How did you discover it?"

Seeing that even such a powerful Beyonder didn't know the origin and use of the Mandrake, a smile appeared on Lano's face:

"Primordial One with a rumor that the plants beneath the Corpse of hanged people could cure various diseases. You know, every Sanguine is a ' Apothecary.' Although I didn't believe the rumor, I thought I could try it out, so I got some Mandrake to make a potion, and I found that it could effectively suppress spiritual fluctuations."

Rumors... more rumors? Lumian controlled himself and didn't frown:

Do you know where that rumor came from?

"I don't know." Lano shook his head. "In Trier, there are all sorts of rumors. Like in recent months, I was worried that the ignorant citizens' blind harvesting would damage the growth of Mandrake, but then a new rumor emerged that they've started chasing after Human Blood Bread."

Tracing the Source of the rumors in Trier was proving to be incredibly difficult... Lumian sighed inwardly, then asked, "Why did you bring the blood-stained soil from condemned prisoners to this side of the gallows?"

Lano boasted about his research findings:

"I found that Mandrake growing under the Corpse hanged victims are most effective, but there aren't always hanged victims. Watering the plants with the blood of other death row inmates also makes the Mandrake grow, although the effect isn't as good, it's enough."

Lumian nodded slowly, thinking of another question:

"Wasn't the name 'Mandrake' Primordial One just a rumor?"

When asked about his "profession," Lano spoke eloquently:

"This is a plant that was named a long time ago, but no one discovered its medicinal value. It was only used as a spiritual material, serving as a medium for certain spells..."

At this point, Lano suddenly paused:

"Why didn't my Ancestors, those great ' Apothecary,' try using Mandrake to concoct potions? They weren't limited to the knowledge inherent in Potion; they sought out materials based on principles and developed more potions using Library..."

"Perhaps they tried, but there was no spiritual surge at that time?"

Could it be that the spiritual surge brought by the full moon gave the Mandrake some kind of magical power? Lumian was neither a "Apothecary" nor Mysticism Scholar, so he could not draw any valid conclusions and could only make some guesses based on Lano's soliloquy.

He changed the subject:

"Why don't you report the effects of Mandrake to your elders? It would be of great value to the entire Sanguine."

Lano stammered, "There are still some problems with the potion I concocted. I don't know if it's because the toxicity of the Mandrake itself can't be truly neutralized. I plan to confirm this before reporting to my superiors. Only in this way can I undoubtedly obtain the opportunity to become Baron."

"What's the problem?" Lumian asked, partly out of curiosity and partly on behalf of the "Principal" of the "Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society."

Lano smoothed his medium-length black hair and said with a mixture of doubt and worry, "Every time I drink different potions made from Mandrake, it's like I've eaten poisonous Mushrooms. I see lots of flowers blooming on the ground, and many little people dancing in them, while Mushrooms grow all over my body."

"Each hallucination is slightly different, but there are often recurring elements."

Is it possible that your act of entering the hallucination first prevented the Spiritual Tide State from having any side effects, which is why you felt that the Mandrake could suppress this phenomenon? Lumian muttered silently.

Without asking any further questions, he activated "Spirit World Traversal" and disappeared from Lano's sight.

A Sequence 5 "Traveler" or someone with similar items? Lano breathed a long sigh of relief, roughly guessing why the other party had appeared beside him before he could react.

Coupled with the strange white light, such a character would definitely be considered powerful among those below the Half-God!