Chapter 34: Ambush in the Sewer!
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“Compared with your identity as a Potion Master, it is your true devotion to the spirit of research in alchemy that I admire and revere most.”
“For instance... your recent research into extracting the essence of life from whale oil has shown me an entirely new chapter concerning life itself...”
“And besides... your achievements in the study of potion properties are equally admirable...”
When Zorn began seriously discussing specialized alchemical knowledge with the Potion Master, Vladimir soon lowered his guard.
As a professional alchemist—and an extraordinary being of the Potion Master sequence—he could easily tell that this young nobleman was no empty braggart.
He possessed a wealth of knowledge in both alchemy and potion studies.
Indeed, he even held many unique insights into the field of potions.
In other words... they were kindred spirits.
Before long, through their conversation, the Potion Master found in Zorn a sense of resonance—and a true confidant.
“The power of steam industrialization is driving the progress of the world.”
“The mysterious, uncanny, and grotesque forces of the supernatural are awakening, and growing ever more intense.”
“Potions are the catalysts and lubricants of supernatural power.”
“And elixirs are the crucial steps on the path of sequence advancement.”
“To use the power of steam to drive the development of industrialized alchemy...”
“This is of vital importance to every supernatural being of the entire era. It is also the key catalyst and path of advancement for sequences such as the Alchemist and the Potion Master.”
“In the tide of the Supernatural Steam Era, this will compose an entirely new hymn and carve an indelible sacred mark of tremendous importance.”
When the magnificent and boundless panorama described by Zorn unfolded before Vladimir’s eyes, his very soul trembled faintly.
In that instant, it was as though he had parted the fog that had troubled him for so long.
He glimpsed a road to truth—filled with thorns, hardship, and rugged terrain, yet one he yearned for with all his heart.
“Am I really going to waste my life consorting with aristocratic widows, drowning in the emptiness brought by pleasure and potions?”
“No!”
From the depths of his soul, Vladimir fiercely rebuked himself.
“I will use my own hands to develop potions and formulate elixirs.”
“With my recipes, I will add something truly potent to this world and make the mysterious, grotesque supernatural realm boil!”
“Hey, friend! Would you like a bottle of potion? It will let you swim through the depths of the ocean of mystery and the grotesque!”
“Even if the customer is a demon, I’ll sell him a bottle.”
“Amid the vast chronicles of potions and elixirs, I will compose my own songs and carve my own sacred marks!”
“This... is the supernatural path by which I touch elixirs and glimpse the hidden truths.”
...
As a Player, Zorn naturally understood the weight of alchemy and elixirs in the epic tapestry of history.
He understood even more clearly how potions and elixirs propelled supernatural power forward.
By carving his own sacred mark into the Elixir Chapter, Zorn would be able to absorb potions more effectively, digest elixirs more thoroughly, and expel their negative traits.
At the same time, he would be able to accelerate the digestion of his own essence and hasten his growth.
Furthermore, Zorn would help Vladimir develop more potion formulas and elixir recipes at an even faster pace.
He would turn him into a Potion Master who rode atop the roaring tide of the Steam Era.
Zorn was not worried about Vladimir betraying him, either.
He would influence Vladimir gradually.
As long as they remained friends, Vladimir would suffer no harm at his hands.
If he ever betrayed Zorn one day, then Zorn’s Authority of the Evil Spirit would become the spark that ignited his mutation.
After a very long while, Vladimir finally collected his thoughts.
By then, the sky had gradually darkened.
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“I apologize for keeping you waiting.”
He wore a warm smile.
“And what of our cooperation?” Zorn asked, narrowing his eyes.
“I believe we can discuss it in greater depth over dinner, don’t you?” Vladimir replied with a teasing smile.
“Oh! My dear Mr. Vladimir, Potion Master, I have already prepared an abundant dinner for you!”
Zorn rose happily and invited Vladimir, the Potion Master, to dine.
In the dinner culture of the Republic of Ostanton, agreeing to discuss matters in depth at the dinner table represented a sincere willingness to cooperate.
It signified a close and cordial partnership between friends.
That was precisely what Zorn most wished to see.
By the time night had deepened and the streetlamps had fully illuminated the roads, Vladimir had finished dinner.
Only after obtaining two detailed potion formulas from Zorn’s study did he depart, entirely satisfied.
Zorn saw Vladimir into his carriage and instructed Old Nero carefully. Only after the carriage vanished into the depths of the lamplit streets did he turn and walk toward the manor.
His cooperation with the future Legendary Potion Master had gone exceedingly smoothly.
An angel-round investment provided not only financial backing but also a foundation for their friendship. The latter was the truly crucial part.
Once the Potion Master had stabilized, all that remained was for the steam factory to begin operating. Then a steady stream of gold pounds would flow into his accounts.
“How are things with the steam factories?”
After entering the hall, Zorn looked toward Gronk, the old butler following behind him.
“These are the addresses of three steam factories, along with their respective prices. You can inspect them carefully tomorrow.”
Gronk handed Zorn the documents he had prepared in advance.
Zorn glanced over them.
A medium-sized steam factory that would originally have cost around eight to ten thousand gold pounds could now be purchased for approximately four to six thousand.
The price might fall even further if they waited a while.
But time was more important than gold pounds now.
Zorn had to establish the steam factory before the Evil Spirit Warlock advanced.
The advancement of the great boss, the Evil Spirit Warlock, was hardly comparable to that of an ordinary sequence.
Terrifying surges of evil energy.
A resonance with the evil god from the Origin of Calamity.
Cataclysmic phenomena guided by his own immense power.
All of these things would appear when Zorn advanced.
If he advanced without concealing anything, he would inevitably attract the covert covetousness of Ogran City’s most powerful grand nobles, the bishops and auxiliary bishops of the Holy Scorching Sun Church, experts from other cults of evil gods, and the evil spirits themselves.
Back when he had been a Player, Zorn had genuinely ambushed an evil spirit during its advancement, viciously stabbing it in the kidneys and making it drop an absurd amount of gold.
And he had done it more than once.
Now that it was Zorn’s turn to become an evil spirit, he would never give anyone the same opportunity.
His Star-Mark Fighter path could conceal part of the disturbance.
The roar and tide of the steam factory, along with the “corporate culture” woven collectively by its workers, would provide even more powerful cover.
During this period, Zorn would also activate rituals to enhance the effect.
If... a terrifying rat plague were to erupt and draw even more attention, that would be the perfect moment for Zorn’s advancement.
After pondering for a moment, Zorn spoke.
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“Uncle Gronk, I’ll settle on a price with those factory owners over the next couple of days. The factory should be able to open soon.”
“Follow the standards I gave you before and recruit workers from the public university district of Ogran City.”
Gronk hurriedly nodded.
“Understood, Young Master Zorn. I’ll go tomorrow.”
“Also, the underground corridors and many of the rooms in the manor need to be repaired. The rat catcher, Isaac, has marked them all.”
“Vanessa has already told me. I’ll find people to make the repairs tomorrow.”
Gronk’s answers always put Zorn at ease.
...
Before anyone realized it, the dusk had deepened into night.
Even Golo Long Street, once crowded with passing carriages, was sparsely populated now.
A blurred figure swiftly crossed the street and vanished into the dense woods of the greenbelt.
Then the figure skillfully lifted a sewer manhole cover, slipped inside, and quietly closed it again.
Moving beneath the cover of night was one of Zorn’s favorite activities. Darkness was like a perfect cloak of disguise.
With his growing familiarity and continued development during this period, Zorn had gradually begun to appreciate the enormous advantages of possessing two sequences.
The Fighter possessed unparalleled stability, balance, and agility in bodily movement.
The Evil Spirit Warlock, meanwhile, possessed astonishing powers of perception and insight, as well as immensely powerful supernatural spells belonging to the mystical and evil-god domains.
The combination of the two allowed him to fight at close range while also casting spells from afar.
Operating in the darkness was exceptionally convenient.
As Zorn climbed down the vertical ladder in the sewer, he could already sense faint, strange whispers rising beside his ears.
A cataclysm was writhing within the sewers. This place... was not safe.
But the more dangerous it was, the safer it became for an evil spirit.
A region touched by cataclysm was also the ideal environment for the growth of an Evil Spirit Warlock.
The effect of digesting offerings here was far better than doing so in his study.
An Evil Spirit Warlock naturally needed to construct an environment of death and mutation, a place of cataclysm.
Since such a place already existed, there was no reason not to make use of it.
This time, Zorn had entered the sewers partly to arrange a ritual trap.
More importantly, he wanted to investigate how far the mutating and writhing rat plague had progressed.
“Hmm?”
The moment he landed, Zorn slightly furrowed his brows.
He looked toward the walkway on the right side of the sewer.
On the ground lay ritual runes and sinister patterns outlined in blood.
The corpses of more than twenty gray rats were piled together like a small hill.
“This is some kind of sinister ritual, and it is still in progress. There’s someone else here!”
The instant Zorn’s thoughts stirred—
“Hssss...”
A sharp hiss, like a steel needle, pierced through Zorn’s ears and plunged straight into the depths of his soul.
At the same time, a gray, hazy figure suddenly emerged from the darkness and lunged at Zorn with tremendous speed.
Its razor-sharp fangs nearly touched Zorn’s throat in an instant.
It seemed that—
In the briefest of moments, the terrifying monster would claim the life of the young nobleman.
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