Chapter 109: A Research Breakthrough
After their heartfelt conversation, Abyss and Rebecca returned to their work. With Rebecca’s newfound trust, Abyss felt a shift in their dynamic. Their interactions were more relaxed and comfortable.
Rebecca had always been good at creating a lively atmosphere, even flirting with him occasionally, but it felt different now. Abyss could sense a genuine joy emanating from her, a subtle shift only perceptible to those who were attuned to emotions, or at least, intermittently attuned, like Abyss.
“Abyss, can you give me that black mud you saved?” Rebecca asked, her focus on extracting and refining the essence from the ground-up apples.
Abyss summoned his magical catfish and retrieved a small jar from its belly. It contained the black mud extracted from the Shadowling assassin he had killed, frozen solid with his ice magic. He thawed it carefully. Its temperature was incredibly low, almost -200 degrees Celsius, making it difficult to use in alchemical reactions.
“What are you planning to do with it?” he asked, handing her the jar, the thawed black mud emitting a foul, fishy odor.
Rebecca carefully poured it into a round-bottom flask. “I’m going to analyze the trees, fruits, and this black mud, all used by the Lord of Nightmares to create Shadowlings. This will give us some insights into their properties, allowing me to formulate several specialized potions to counter them. Something that can dissolve them on contact, perhaps. This will minimize casualties for the Restoration Army. And once the enemy witnesses their so-called experts dissolving into black goo, they might reconsider their allegiance, leading to a more peaceful resolution.”
Abyss nodded, agreeing with her assessment. Many soldiers in the Ossi Kingdom army were simply afraid of being labeled traitors, fearing repercussions for their families. Their loyalty to Kevin was questionable. After all, who would willingly serve a cruel and arrogant tyrant who had appeared out of nowhere?
Givia was confident in her ability to win over the Ossi Kingdom army because she believed they wouldn’t fight to the death against her. Once the Restoration Army gained the upper hand, many would switch sides.
And if Rebecca’s potion proved effective, those wavering soldiers, witnessing their supposed “experts” dissolving into black goo, would surely abandon Kevin.
Who would want to serve a king who replaced humans with monsters? Who knew who would be next?
“Be careful when handling these materials. I suspect they possess not just physical and magical properties, but also a divine aspect,” Abyss cautioned. “I don’t know what the consequences of prolonged exposure to this divine essence might be.”
“I think it’ll be fine. Your ghoul, Little Glutton, happily devoured those cursed apples,” Rebecca said, shrugging, then smiled at him. “But you’ve given me an idea. Perhaps I can extract some of the Lord of Nightmares’ divine power from this mud…”
“Be cautious. Let me know if you need my help.”
“Oh, right, Abyss, could you pass me that steel container over there?” Rebecca asked. “And don’t open it. You can’t see what’s inside.”
“What is it? You’ve piqued my curiosity,” Abyss said, using telekinesis to retrieve the container, but he refrained from opening it, respecting her request.
“It’s Flora’s personal belongings,” Rebecca whispered, although no one outside could hear her. “She doesn’t want you to see them, so you can’t.”
“I see. If you had told me that earlier, I wouldn’t have been curious,” Abyss said, nodding in understanding.
“If I had told you outside, Flora would have died of embarrassment. It’s something she always wears,” Rebecca said, giggling, covering her mouth with her hand. “And don’t tell anyone else, even if they already know. Or I’ll have to punish you on Flora’s behalf.”
“Understood, understood…” Abyss said quickly. “Ah, so that potion I drank earlier… some of its ingredients were…”
“Shh… Don’t say it!”
Rebecca began her work, her movements swift and precise. Abyss, with nothing else to do, helped her grind some ingredients into powder while contemplating their next move against the Lord of Nightmares.
Time passed, but they knew that time flowed differently within the laboratory. They weren’t concerned about wasting time. Rebecca, finally able to work at her own pace, filled beakers with various potions, her experiments progressing smoothly. Finally, she held up a small vial.
“Abyss, look!”
It was a transparent vial filled with a faintly glowing liquid. A tiny black dot, barely the width of a hair, moved within the liquid, as if struggling to break free, but the surrounding liquid held it captive, preventing it from spreading.
“You actually extracted the Lord of Nightmares’ divine power?” Abyss asked, his eyes wide with surprise. “That’s incredible!”
“Please store it in the magical catfish’s belly. For safety reasons, I’ve added a large dose of our world’s divine essence to the solution. If left unchecked, that black dot will dissipate quickly,” Rebecca said, handing him the warm vial.
Abyss nodded, summoning his magical catfish and placing the vial inside its mouth.
“By the way, Rebecca, I have a bold idea,” he said. “I think we can…”
He explained his idea, and Rebecca, her eyes lighting up, clapped her hands excitedly. “That’s a brilliant idea!”
“You think so too? Wonderful! Let’s start experimenting right away! If the Nine Gods object, I’ll handle them,” Abyss said.
“You might not be as smart as me, but you’re far more cunning,” Rebecca said, hugging him, her body warm against his chest. “You’re a genius!”
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