While everyone was caught in a heated discussion, inside a brightly lit room illuminated by four magic hurricane lamps...
A Nordic woman in her twenties with short white hair and a white lab coat sat at her magic desk, her legs crossed. She was looking at the introduction for 【Junior Potion: Talent Ascension (D)】 on the desk's display.
She wore a monocle over one eye and held a finger-length, white wooden object between her lips.
“A potion for talent ascension... now that is an interesting subject.”
Having said that, she glanced behind her at a slightly translucent, frosted cauldron that was currently emitting steam.
Surrounding the cauldron were numerous alchemy tools, and the shelves were lined with various jars and bottles.
At her elbow lay several books.
The titles of these books were almost identical to the ones on the bookcase by Lan Qingyou’s bed.
“It seems this world isn't as boring as I thought.”
With that, the woman stood up and walked to the cauldron. She reached out with her foot to shut off the fire on the alchemy base, then used a ladle to scoop up all the potion in the cauldron and pour it into a nearby sink, discarding it completely.
She then picked up a jar from the shelf containing magic creature materials soaking in water.
“I wonder what the recipe for a talent ascension potion is. It would be quite interesting if I could have a proper exchange with this Lan Qingyou.”
The woman then began to busy herself with her own work.
Elsewhere...
When the voice of the world will rang out, a certain man frowned and looked at the desk in front of him.
Sure enough.
A text identical to what the world will had just announced appeared pinned at the top of the desk.
He clicked on the potions tab and checked the quality.
“If this thing could be mass-produced, it would surely be a blessing for all of humanity, wouldn't it?” the man muttered.
“Though the restrictions look quite numerous—limited to specific people and specific grades. Still, if she can make a D-grade one, it’s highly likely she’ll be able to make C-grade or B-grade ones in the future. This is exactly the kind of talent we need.”
“Councilman, here is the document sent by the Council.”
As the man was muttering, a young man wearing a greyish-white robe walked in and handed a piece of paper to him.
The man looked it over, then raised his head to look at the youth.
“What is the Council’s stance?”
“The Council believes we still need to move as quickly as possible.”
Hearing the youth’s words, the man’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Right now, we have no power or mana to persuade anyone. Even in this situation, they want to rush?”
“Yes.”
“As expected, even in another world, those old fogies refuse to let go of the power in their hands and their pathetic status.”
The man let out a sharp, angry laugh.
“Do they really think Master Huang has more guns in his hands right now than the Four Great Families?”
“Uh...” The youth didn't know how to respond to the man’s words.
“Forget it, let’s leave it at that for now. Let them toss about. When the time comes, they’ll learn the hard way that the rules have changed.”
With a cold snort, the man handed the declaration document back to the youth.
Then, the man turned his attention back to the news about the talent potion on the magic desk.
...
“Lan Qingyou? Dad, this couldn't be talking about my cousin, could it?”
Inside a certain shelter, a thin man in his twenties looked at the scruffy, middle-aged man across the fire with a face full of confusion.
His words caused the two women nearby, who were replenishing supplies for the runes on the floor, to freeze.
“Impossible. Absolutely impossible.”
The middle-aged man paused his movements, shaking his head as he denied the young man’s words.
“I heard that girl was thrown out of the hospital by the doctors because she had no money for treatment. You know the reputation of the federal hospital; she’s probably been dead for a long time.”
The middle-aged man’s certain tone allowed the young man to breathe a sigh of relief.
Not just him—the two women, one older and one younger, felt the same.
After all, a clear conscience fears no knock at the door at midnight. This group was now terrified just by hearing the name ‘Lan Qingyou’.
Were they guilty?
No, they were simply afraid.
They were afraid that the person they had swindled out of an inheritance would make a comeback and settle the score with them.
“But we can't rule out the possibility that it’s her,” the older woman, with messy hair and dirty clothes, said as she tossed a piece of wood into the runes as a reminder.
“True. Regardless, it’s better to be careful from now on,” the middle-aged man agreed with a nod.
“Tsk, it’s a pity the other party hasn't spoken and we can't add friends across regions yet. Otherwise, we could see if this Lan Qingyou’s profile picture is the one we know,” the younger woman, who was also filthy and handing over materials, clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.
“Enough, stop talking about this. We don't even have a magic desk yet, so how could we check anyway?” The middle-aged man shot a glance at his daughter.
However, as they were discussing, a punk with yellow hair walked up. Without a word, he kicked the middle-aged man to the ground and began to curse at them.
“Hey! Old man! Don't stop what you're doing! Are you daydreaming?!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! My hands were just a bit stiff,” the middle-aged man said. He didn't get angry at being kicked; instead, he wore a face full of smiles, crawling on the ground like an old dog as he explained to the yellow-haired youth.
“Hmph, I don't care if they're stiff or not! Don't forget who was kind enough to take your family in. If the magic shield fails and we lose a level 3 shelter because of you yellow-skinned monkeys, you can look forward to facing the BOSS’s wrath!” the yellow-haired punk snorted, looking down at the four of them with an arrogant gaze.
“Yes, yes, yes. I guarantee that won't happen.” The middle-aged man thumped his chest repeatedly.
“Fuck, the mana tide is almost over. Get to work, or don't blame me for being rough.”
Leaving them with a threat, the yellow-haired punk gave the family of four a disgusted look before turning to leave.
“Damned Originalist...”
Only after watching the punk leave did the middle-aged man on the ground mutter under his breath.
But as soon as he finished, he turned and saw the other three members of his family staring at him.
Perhaps feeling he had lost face because of his actions just now, or perhaps because he was angry at how pathetic he had been, the head of the household reasserted his authority.
“What are you looking at? Get moving! Do you want to be punished by the BOSS?!”
There is a term called ‘a tyrant at home’.
The middle-aged man was now demonstrating this to its fullest extent.
Stung by his roar, the three who had been dazed immediately sprang into action.
Some passed materials while others performed the replenishment.
In short, the family of four busied themselves around the core of the magic shield.
They were terrified of being caught again by that yellow-haired punk or facing punishment from the BOSS.
They would leave this dump as soon as the mana tide ended!
Their family had had enough of life here.
Rate on N.U.
