Potions, or rather alchemy, essentially refine the “miracles” of all things to nourish the body; it is also a form of cultivation.
As a Master Alchemist, Vivienne herself possesses a hundred kinds of wonders.
The effects of these “miracles” are varied, and hardly anyone has ever seen them all, which is why she has always been underestimated.
Enya was intently watching a large dark blue cauldron.
This cauldron was no ordinary vessel; it was engraved with intricate pale blue runes, forming one interlinked magical circle after another.
Brewing potions isn’t simply about boiling ingredients; it’s more like a special ritual that requires auxiliary tools such as magic circles to extract the “miracles” embedded within the materials.
Otherwise, if one could simply light a fire and brew a potion with miraculous effects, alchemists would be everywhere in the world.
Of course, in alchemy, the recipe and materials are one challenge; the other is the magical circles on the cauldron itself. A good cauldron is one that preserves the “miracles” attached to the materials to the greatest extent!
Enya sat not far from the cauldron, continuously radiating silver magic.
This magic flowed into the magic circle on the ground and was then transmitted to the cauldron. Inside, a silver flame roiled endlessly.
The few Black Anling Flowers burned to ashes under the silver fire, but within the ashes separated out a pure pale blue droplet.
As it fell and merged with a black liquid mass below that continuously swallowed and released light, in almost an instant, the liquid underwent a startling transformation.
The blackness faded, and the radiance was no longer concealed.
At that moment, Enya took out a bottle and used the Invisible Hand magic to gently siphon the liquid. The finger-length bottle was filled to the brim.
She sealed the bottle’s mouth with a special wooden stopper.
Then, with a flick of her fingertip on the stopper, silver magic lit up fine runes where the stopper met the bottle.
“Complete!”
Enya looked at the now quiet potion, exhaled softly, rose from her kneeling position, and left the underground room used for brewing potions.
Once upstairs, she saw Rosily sitting at the table, pretending to be lost in thought.
The moment Enya pushed the door open, Rosily noticed and quickly turned her head, pretending she hadn’t been watching Enya leave.
Enya played along, ignoring Rosily’s cautiousness, and walked over to her daughter, stroking her hair gently as she spoke softly.
“Rosily, you’ve been home for three days now. Do you want to go back to school?”
Rosily was silent for a moment before shaking her head quickly.
What was so great about that place? It wasn’t fun at all.
Although she felt a bit guilty toward Elqi, she thought staying at home with her mother was better.
Enya didn’t press Rosily.
She planned to send her daughter back only after Henna merged the City School and the Public School to implement the Academy System.
For now, she’d let the little one enjoy herself a bit more.
Enya passed by Rosily and opened the front door, which immediately lifted Rosily’s spirits.
Just as she was about to follow, she realized Enya had closed the door again.
Rosily pouted. Mom’s been home for three whole days but refuses to go out.
What was she supposed to do? She still wanted to catch the cheating cat.
Yes, it had already been three days!
During these three days, Enya hadn’t stepped outside.
She was recovering her Fourth Rank strength while monitoring Henna and her associates’ movements, as if watching a political drama unfold.
As for the potion… hadn’t it been finished well before the deadline?
Anyway, the potion was done.
Let the Goddess Priestess wait a little longer—she would appreciate how hard this potion had been earned and feel even more grateful to Madam Phil.
“What a lovely morning~”
“Mom, it’s already afternoon.” “Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Enya nodded and walked over to the stove.
She had been so absorbed in the drama that she nearly forgot her daughter’s lunch. What a sin, what a sin.
The current power distribution in Red Pine City was simple.
The Reformists, who supported Henna, were actually in the minority.
But among this minority were various Orders of Knights.
Henna commanded more troops, higher quality advanced forces, and was backed by Vivienne—making her a thorn in the side of the Northern States.
So the Conservatives had remained cautious like turtles.
On the Conservatives’ side were the Three Viscounts representing their faction, alongside many landlords and influential gentry with vested interests.
They had private armies in some number, plus all sorts of overt and covert gangs in Red Pine City.
They also had the Mist Lord Faith Cult as allies.
Both sides were at a near standstill. Without Enya—the outsider with unlimited resources and full map vision—no one could yet tell who would win or lose.
Each side also had hidden strategies.
Enya had not been idle these days.
As an invigilator, she openly favored Henna, directly showing her the opponent’s preparations through the Dream Realm.
If Henna didn’t achieve a good score after that…
Enya would just change the grades herself!
Red Pine City, Asades Castle, Lord’s Manor.
Henna sat atop the great hall. At this moment, she showed none of the softness that slipped through when she was alone, nor the gentle demeanor she displayed toward Madam Phil.
There was only the dignity and pressure of a leader.
Her splendid military attire intertwined silver and red.
Tall and slender, her deep wine-red hair framed a pair of sharp, commanding eyes. Her expression was meticulous, both elegant and imposing.
This perfectly suited her role as the Asades Lord standing above a million souls in Red Pine City.
In the hall stood Henna’s trusted confidants—her most loyal few.
A woman clad in black tight clothing; an old knight wearing heavy plate armor and carrying a greatsword at his waist; a middle-aged swordsman in rough cloth with a careless air; a just and upright young knight; the principal of Red Pine City Magic School; and an elder and a younger knight, each commanding the army and the city guard knights respectively.
The black-clad woman controlled the intelligence network, while the two school leaders—the principal and the Sword Master—were valuable high-tier combatants.
Sixth Rank was the highest force Henna could currently command.
If all else failed, Henna could call upon the powerful guardian who protected Mistress Ester.
That person would definitely help, though it would cost Henna a favor from Vivienne.
Knowing Mistress Ester well, Henna understood she wouldn’t spare gold lightly—but in a crisis, she had no other choice.
Having settled these thoughts, Henna began.
“Ahem, everyone.”
The group held their breath, waiting for her to speak. After scanning the room, Henna informed them of what would happen tonight.
The assembled exchanged glances, somewhat surprised.
The black-clad woman then detailed the intelligence gathered over recent days. After reading the reports, the old knight stepped forward.
“Looks like they really can’t hold back anymore. They’re giving us a chance.”
Henna had once considered wiping out all obstacles in one stroke, but the fighting had been too fierce.
On top of that, instability within the army and knight orders, and most critically, the Empire’s secret support had withdrawn, leaving only the private soldiers of the disloyal viscounts.
After purging the Fallen Asades herself and severing the Curse of Bloodline, Henna faced a devastated Red Pine City and had no choice but to pause hostilities.
Though this gave those vultures and hyenas some breathing room, Henna herself gained a brief period for recuperation.
Now, perhaps this was the continuation of the Dueling for Succession.
Henna placed the papers on the table.
“Our paths differ, but we must face them sooner or later. Let’s proceed according to plan.”
The black-clad woman distributed the papers, which were burned after being read. The two knights respectfully expressed their determination.
The elder Magic User gave Henna a slight nod.
However, the rough-clothed swordsman voiced some complaint about his assigned task.
“Isn’t it, He… oh no, my Lord!” “What is it?”
“Why do I have to protect a mother and daughter?”
Henna regarded this overstepping man with trusting eyes.
She smiled and said, “Alvin, I know you only stand tall when you see a peerless sword. So I trust you with this task.”
The old knight burst out laughing.
In contrast, the young knight still wore a stern face, the black-clad woman watched the scene amusedly, and the elder Magic User closed his eyes to rest.
Swordsman Alvin twitched the corner of his mouth and took his leave.
After everyone took their orders and departed, only Henna and the elder Magic User remained.
They went out onto the balcony, gazing at the entire Red Pine City, north to south, bathed in the setting sun.
Henna lowered her brows slightly and said,
“Teacher, I recently had… some dreams.” “Some?”
The elder was momentarily stunned, looked up at Henna beside him, then bowed his head in thought.
Instead of discussing the dreams directly, he spoke of unusual phenomena these days.
“I have walked through the entire city these past days and found that the natural magic—which should be chaotic and disordered—has shown a patterned flow.”
“Disorder is normal for magic. Order is abnormal.”
Henna picked up the elder’s words and fell into deep thought.
“Who could be behind this…”
Although the dreams had revealed secret information about the Three Viscounts, she still could not wholly count the dream’s creator among her allies.
To rashly assume someone lurking behind the curtain—faceless and unknown—as a friend would be foolish. So Henna could only speculate on that person’s intentions.
“If their ultimate goal will harm the millions living in this territory, I will do everything in my power to stop them. Teacher, please lend me your strength.”
The elder nodded.
Henna had once been a Magic User, but after being saved by Enya, she became a knight—a swordswoman who cut down evil with her longsword.
At this moment, Enya was lying on a lounge chair, watching the setting sun.
Rosily lay in her arms.
The girl’s head rested against the soft curve of Enya’s chest. She closed her eyes, savoring the warmth and quiet affection shared with her mother.
Caressing her daughter’s pale golden hair, Enya reached into her pocket and took out a silver ring. Her movement caused Rosily to open her eyes.
The girl looked up at Enya, then at the beautiful silver ring.
The ring was unadorned with gems, but finely engraved on its inner band was a chain of delicate pale gold magical runes forming a golden line.
“This is a Spatial Ring. You can use it to store things, easy to access anytime,” Enya said with a gentle smile, looking down at Rosily in her arms.
“Do you like it?”
“Mm… I do!”
Rosily’s beautiful orange-red eyes flickered.
Enya grasped her daughter’s small hand and slipped the ring onto her middle finger, then gently pinched Rosily’s soft little cheek.
Rosily smiled blissfully, clearly happy.
But this beautiful moment was abruptly interrupted by a sudden shout.
“Is Madam Phil here?”
“Is Madam Phil in?”
“Madam Phil, could you come out for a moment? We have something to discuss with you.”
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