Chapter 44

Tears streaming, the burst of energy didn't even result in a single increase in followers! Sigh, looks like I can't burst anymore in the future! Here, I want to thank Miss Xiaoyu for making the cover, thank you so much!

“Really?” Cook supported Lori as they arrived at the camp, only to see Conknee spitting out large amounts of dark purple blood.

“This is the poison entering the body, in this situation, at least a Master Alchemist or a Grandmaster Alchemist, and it must be someone specialized in antidotes, might be able to cure it.” Lori sighed.

“Cough... cough!” Conknee kept coughing, and with each cough, a mouthful of dark purple blood was spat out.

“Are you okay? You haven’t had an episode in the past two days, why is it like this today?” Cook asked anxiously. In fact, Cook was worried deep down that if the general died, the credit for the mission might not count.

“Probably due to the fever just now, which weakened her body...” Mike muttered, but as he saw the strange looks from the others, his voice grew smaller and smaller, and he finally shrugged helplessly.

“Shut up, the poison from the magic scorpion has nothing to do with physical weakness. If you don’t understand, don’t speak nonsense.” Lori glared at Mike and said irritably.

Cook checked Conknee’s condition. To be honest, Cook had some skills in emergency first aid, but when it came to poisoning, specialized knowledge was needed. However, Cook still secretly checked her pulse and found some differences from his own.

“What do we do now?” Cook stood up and asked Lori, as he really didn’t know where to start.

“Cough, cough, it’s fine. I used to cough up blood every day, but it wasn’t as severe as this time.” At this moment, Conknee’s coughing frequency had decreased significantly, and she said softly.

“Every day?” Cook and Lori looked at each other in confusion.

“Didn’t you stop coughing up blood the last two days and keep traveling? Could it be that you used to cough up blood every few days?” Lori asked softly.

“No, I almost coughed up blood every day. Hmm?” Conknee, reminded by Lori, suddenly remembered that she hadn’t had an episode in the past few days, and then she looked at Cook in surprise.

Cook, seeing Conknee’s look, immediately understood: “Using poison to counteract poison!” However, Cook, looking at Conknee’s condition, quickly waved his hands and said, “We can’t do that, I’m not confident.”

“What do you mean by that?” Lori didn’t understand and glared at Cook, asking.

“Haha, it’s just that after being poisoned at the banquet, it actually suppressed the magic scorpion’s poison.” Conknee explained simply, not wanting to go into detail because she started coughing again.

“Using one poison to neutralize another, that’s the skill of a Grandmaster Alchemist. I didn’t expect you, Cook, to accidentally stumble upon it.” Lori looked at Cook with surprise and admiration.

Cook quickly waved his hands and weakly defended himself, “Misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding. I don’t even know which poisons she was exposed to.”

“Several?” Conknee asked in confusion.

“Precisely four non-toxic substances, mixed into various drinks, wines, and foods. But if any two are consumed together, congratulations, you’re poisoned. So these four substances can have several combinations.” Lori explained, tilting her head, as Conknee had never understood the details of poisoning before.

“Wow!” Conknee looked at Cook in surprise. Having been ill for a long time, Conknee had some knowledge of poisons, but the method Lori described was something she had never heard of.

“Cook, can you prepare such a poison for me now?” But then Conknee saw hope. Being able to neutralize the magic scorpion’s poison was unprecedented. After a long pause, Conknee looked up at Cook with earnest eyes and asked.

“But... but...” Cook was hesitant.

“Cook, agree to it!” But Lori was eager to try. Like her grandfather, she was a mad experimenter. Just thinking about being able to create an antidote for the magic scorpion’s poison in this experiment would bring her great fame in the alchemy world.

“Sir, this is dangerous!” Cook said with a bitter smile.

“Hmph, you decide. If you don’t agree, you might die tomorrow, and that’s a hundred percent. If you agree, there’s a chance of a cure.” Lori huffed and said to Cook.

And Conknee nodded, saying, “I’m willing. Cook, can you bear to see me die like this?” Conknee made a pitiful face, with tears welling up in her eyes.

“Cook, give it a try!” Mitch encouraged from the side.

“Yeah, boss, give it a try. It’s such a beautiful woman, it would be a shame to let her die.” Mike, who always twisted good words, chimed in.

“Alright! I’ll give it a try.” Cook, seeing the looks from everyone around him, finally mustered the courage to say.

“Haha! Alright, Conknee, I think we need to sign a contract.” Lori smiled and said to Conknee.

“What kind of contract?” Cook asked from the side.

“Do you want to be hunted down by Conknee’s family?” Lori tilted her head and asked.

Cook immediately understood. This was probably a liability contract, something like Conknee voluntarily accepting the experiment. Cook didn’t ask further.

Cook watched as Conknee and Lori whispered to each other, occasionally glancing at him. Finally, Lori returned with a happy expression, while Conknee looked strange.

“Now, I need to ask you a question. Please think carefully before answering. What did you eat at the banquet? This is very important.” Cook asked once the contract was signed.

“A glass of carrot juice and a glass of raspberry juice. That night, I only drank these two juices.” Conknee answered without hesitation.

“Hmm, what about the quantities?” Cook nodded and continued.

“I finished the glass of carrot juice, and I drank about a third of the raspberry juice.” Conknee recalled and said.

“Alright! Rest for a bit.” Cook left Conknee and started calculating by the fire.

Cook calculated while recalling in his mind: “The carrot juice contained Material No. 3, which I remember clearly because I was curious that carrots could be used as juice. The raspberry, I think, was Material No. 4, or maybe No. 2? Raspberry juice, raspberry juice.”

“Little Bad, do you remember which fruit we put in the raspberry juice?” Cook asked, picking up Little Bad.

“Hmph, hiding loot, I won’t tell you even if I know.” Little Bad huffed and said.

“Yeah, don’t tell him. Hiding loot, I hate such people the most.” Big Mouth chimed in.

“Alright, alright, when we get out, these two things will be yours.” Cook said helplessly.

“Then what about the rent?” Little Bad asked with wide eyes.

“Rent?” Cook’s face turned green. When did Little Bad learn about rent?

“Hmph, don’t think I don’t know. My former master had to pay to sleep with other women, just like renting a house. Different women had different prices, just like different house sizes.” Little Bad explained confidently.

“Alright, one gold coin, no more, or I’ll go to Big Mouth.” Cook was thoroughly impressed by Little Bad’s reasoning.

“One gold coin, but with interest.” Little Bad’s response left Cook speechless.

“Interest? Hmm, interest, then how about you eating my food?” Cook glared irritably.

“You also promised me two bear ears.” Little Bad, held by the ear, defended loudly.

“Alright, one gold coin and two silver coins, total!” Cook said, half-laughing, half-crying.

Little Bad finally smiled in satisfaction and asked, “What does the raspberry look like?”

“It’s about this big, pointed, the one you said was very sour, with honey added.” Cook explained after a moment’s hesitation.

“Hmm, it’s this fruit.” Little Bad pointed to one of the wild fruits in Cook’s hand. Cook had prepared many of these as self-defense tools, stored in several leather pouches.

“Alright, it’s No. 2. The wooden barrel for mixing juice is about fifty pounds, and I put four wild fruits in each barrel. Each wild fruit is about 100 grams, and a glass of juice is about 500 grams. So, based on this quantity, we can calculate the amount of poison Conknee consumed at the banquet.” Cook wrote the numbers on the ground with a stone, calculating. This was the simplest way to calculate the potion ratio, not just mixing the two poisons in a 3:1 ratio. It also depended on the dosage, and the simplest method was to use the amount Conknee drank at the banquet.

Cook held the only goose-egg-sized crystal bottle with dosage markings. This was discarded by Cassie after drinking the healing potion, and Cook had secretly kept it, knowing that such a bottle cost several gold coins. Cook wrapped the two fruits in cloth, squeezed out the juice, and mixed them in the correct ratio. He also used a silver spoon, making it two tools.

“Damn, this boss is too ruthless, keeping everything.” Mike watched as Cook pulled out various odd items from his pockets, amazed.

“Scared of being poor!” Mitch explained, a bit embarrassed, while Little Bad and Big Mouth looked defeated, realizing there were still hidden items.

“Haha!” Lori laughed, but she was shocked. She had glanced at the numbers Cook wrote on the ground and couldn’t recognize any of them. She didn’t think Cook was just scribbling.

“Damn, the concentration is too high. Mike, give me your water pouch.” Cook looked at the yellowish-brown liquid in the crystal bottle and realized the concentration was too high.

“Boss, boss, this is a two-gold-coin water pouch.” Mike, seeing the girls staring at him, complained.

“It’s not like I’m taking it, just borrowing it.” Cook snatched it and said irritably.

Mike, seeing what Cook was doing, backed away and muttered, “This is poison, boss, who would want it?”

Cook filled the water pouch with clear water, opened the crystal bottle, and dripped a tiny drop into it. He had to estimate, but since the contract was signed, he decided to treat the live horse as a dead one.

“Alright, drink a small mouthful first. If there’s no reaction in a day, drink one mouthful every day.” Cook handed the water pouch to Conknee and said.

Conknee trembled, holding the water pouch, and asked weakly, “How much is a mouthful?”

“Whatever, but preferably a small sip.” Cook shrugged.

“Okay!” Conknee, with a bitter smile, knew her own antidote had strict dosages, not a drop more or less. She hesitated and took a small sip.

About half an hour passed, and Conknee indeed didn’t cough again. Cook was relieved, and Lori smiled and said, “Cook, congratulations, you’re now an alchemy apprentice.”

“Alchemy apprentice?” Cook scratched his head, as he hadn’t taken a bath yet and his scalp was itchy. He was confused about this profession.

“Yeah, a very powerful profession.” Lori couldn’t help but marvel. Cook had some talent in alchemy. She had been observing him closely. After all, she was also an alchemy apprentice. Although Cook’s potion-making seemed clumsy, Lori could see his thought process, which was a sign of talent.

For example, mixing two materials well, preferably in liquid form, a less talented person would simply crush the fruits and stir them, but Cook knew to use a double layer of cloth to squeeze out the juice, which also served as a filter. This was a sign of both thought and talent.

As for the final poison Cook prepared, Lori thought of dilution but didn’t mention it until Cook was about to give it to Conknee. She was impressed that Cook also knew about dilution. The dosage of the diluted potion had some flexibility.

“Really!” Cook asked excitedly.

“But no matter how powerful, you’re still my magic servant.” Lori, seeing Cook’s excitement, couldn’t resist teasing him.

“Of course. Sir, I’m going to take a bath, I feel uncomfortable all over.” Cook said matter-of-factly.

“Go ahead, I need to meditate.” Lori, mentioning meditation, was eager to try the mental force weaving Cook had mentioned.

Cook took a quick bath, only ten minutes, washing both his body and his clothes, though they were already quite worn.

“Mitch, start meditating too.” Cook saw Mitch playing with Little Gray, named by Lori. Mitch didn’t object, and neither did Cook.

“Alright, watch Little Gray for me.” Mitch handed Little Gray to Cook and sat down to meditate.

Cook, looking at Little Gray’s pink nose and fluffy appearance, found it very cute and couldn’t resist petting it. Little Gray lay on its back contentedly, and before long, Conknee sat next to Cook.

“Cook, are you really the son of a farmer?” Conknee found Cook increasingly mysterious. Alchemy apprentice, magic apprentice, warrior apprentice—almost covering all three professions. His performance and knowledge of adventuring also intrigued her.

“No!” Cook showed his white teeth and said two words.

“I thought so, how could a farmer’s son...” Conknee sighed in relief.

“I’m the son of a fisherman!” Cook held back a laugh and said seriously.

“Fish... fisherman?” Conknee was left speechless by Cook’s answer.

After a long pause, Conknee asked softly, “Cook, do you want to become a magus? With your triple mental force and awakened wood elemental aura, you’re suitable to become a magus.”

“Magus?” Cook asked in confusion.

“Combining magic and aura for maximum attack effect. It’s not just magic or just aura, but a coordinated attack method.” Conknee smiled and explained.

“Hmm? Isn’t it the same whether I practice magic or aura?” Cook didn’t understand.

“Haha, haha, it’s about the magus lineage. Are you interested?” Conknee, seeing Cook’s curious look, raised her head proudly and asked.

“No interest, I’m just a magic servant.” Cook, looking at Conknee’s smooth, long neck, grinned and answered.

“Huh!” Conknee almost fell into Cook’s arms and asked in surprise, “Don’t you have any ambitions?”

“I do!” Cook looked at Conknee and nodded.

“Just to take you back and wait for the empire to reward me as a noble.” Cook continued.

“You, you, you!” Conknee, angered by Cook, stood up and walked away. She didn’t notice that when she left, Cook’s expression relaxed.

“Sigh! A mature woman!” Cook, looking at Conknee’s back and certain parts, sighed, muttering. In fact, facing a mature woman like Conknee, Cook felt quite pressured.