Chapter 91: A Unique Potion
It wasn’t long before Abyss and his companions returned to the guesthouse without causing any disturbance.
Shodo Town was quiet in the dead of night. Its residents, exhausted from a day of hard work, were sound asleep. As they flew over the town on Little Fire Dragon, Abyss noticed a light on in Givia’s headquarters. Rebecca went to check on her.
Fortunately, Givia wasn’t working. Having consumed the fatigue-eliminating potion, she sat quietly in her room, reading a book of poetry. They were slightly surprised by her literary interests, but it made sense. As the leader of the Restoration Army, she lived a life of constant stress and pressure, with little time for leisure. Now, free from the nightly torment of nightmares, she could finally indulge in relaxing activities.
The Lord of Nightmares had claimed his plan was in motion. Abyss wasn’t going to be caught off guard. He summoned several undead ravens, stationing them around the headquarters. These ravens weren’t intelligent, but they obeyed his commands, alerting him to any unusual activity.
Satisfied with his precautions, he returned to the guesthouse.
The three girls, who didn’t require sleep, gathered in Abyss’s room, excitedly discussing Rebecca’s ingenuity.
“Rebecca, you’re so clever! Before I met you, I thought ABC was the smartest person in the world, but now I’m not so sure!” Leona exclaimed, showering her with praise. “You actually found a way to counter the Lord of Nightmares!”
Rebecca blushed. “It’s nothing, really. I just realized that potions don’t have to be liquids…”
Rebecca’s solution, of course, involved the ancient potion formula from the Alchemy Club, the one that could store Divine Grace. After some experimentation, she had perfected the formula, modifying it slightly, and had Flora test its ability to store her Divine Arts.
She hadn’t done this recklessly. She had consulted Abyss about the Nine Gods’ stance on the matter.
After their failed attempt to control him, the Nine Gods had adopted a laissez-faire approach towards Abyss, no longer interfering in his actions, hoping he would eliminate the Outer Gods who threatened Hai-Teweru.
Since they needed him, Rebecca deduced that they wouldn’t object to Flora using this special potion to store a portion of her divine power. After all, they hadn’t intervened when Flora used her powerful Divine Arts directly. Why would they care if she stored some of that power in a potion for later use?
Perhaps they would summon Abyss for a discussion if he tried to sell these potions, but simply storing Divine Grace should be safe.
With Abyss’s approval, Flora had infused the potion with her Divine Arts, and under Rebecca’s guidance, it had worked. However, it hadn’t worked with her most powerful spells. Perhaps the Nine Gods were unwilling to lend her such potent power to be stored in a potion.
Thus, Rebecca had created a supercharged version of the fatigue-eliminating potion—a potion that could completely erase a person’s exhaustion and awaken them, its effects amplified by Divine Grace. It even worked on undead, as long as they could withstand the holy energy.
Once the potion was perfected, Abyss had proposed using it to infiltrate the Ossi Kingdom palace and investigate the trees, which he suspected were connected to the Lord of Nightmares. Entering his domain directly would be dangerous, and this divinely empowered potion was their only chance of success.
But simply consuming the potion before entering the palace would be suicidal. The Lord of Nightmares wouldn’t give them the opportunity. The potion, which erased fatigue and awakened its target, only worked on those who were already asleep. If they fell asleep due to the Lord of Nightmares’ attack, how could they possibly drink the potion?
This challenge had inspired Rebecca. She had quickly devised a solution, creating special capsules and filling them with the powdered potion.
This way, the potion wouldn’t take effect immediately upon entering the stomach. It would activate only after the capsule dissolved. They could consume the potion beforehand, and it would activate automatically after a set time.
After some adjustments, Rebecca had determined the precise dissolving time for the capsules in both Abyss’s human stomach and their undead stomachs, perfecting the final product.
The Lord of Nightmares hadn’t anticipated this. He had assumed Abyss’s contingency plan involved Flora awakening him and had intended to surprise him by dragging Flora into the dream as well. But Abyss had turned the tables on him.
“Rebecca, there’s no need for modesty. We’re all impressed by your ingenuity,” Flora said, smiling, taking Rebecca’s hand. “Honestly, I always thought of potions as liquids. I never considered the possibility of a capsule form. If not for your innovative thinking, we would still be struggling.”
“I’m excited to contribute to our fight against the Outer Gods,” Rebecca said, smiling. “Traveling with Abyss is so thrilling! I never had such opportunities before.”
“By the way, Rebecca, I’ve been meaning to ask, what were those strips you added to the potion?” Abyss asked, his curiosity piqued. “I remember the ancient formula mentioned adding…”
“Don’t ask! Don’t ask!” Flora exclaimed, her usual calm demeanor replaced by a sudden panic, her face flushed crimson, as she covered his mouth with her hand.
“…?” Abyss was surprised by her reaction, but he obediently closed his mouth, not wanting to upset her further.
“Abyss, you mentioned compensating us, right?” Rebecca asked, winking at him, her voice slightly hesitant. “I have a small request. It might be a bit troublesome. Could you fulfill it for me?”
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