novelraw Chapter 45 : Beastkin Prison, Tier 2 Alchemist
Chapter 45 : Beastkin Prison, Tier 2 Alchemist
Chapter 45: Beastkin Prison, Tier 2 Alchemist
Following the stairs downward, Leo saw faint candlelight.
As he stepped onto the lowest level, he began to hear rustling sounds coming from both sides.
He tensed up instinctively, because those were not sounds made by humans.
Under the dim candlelight, Leo saw that on both sides stood iron bars as thick as wrists, and behind them were one solid cage after another.
As Eve Sova led Leo forward, a massive claw suddenly shot out from the shadows.
The black claw stopped just a palm’s distance away from Leo.
He instinctively took half a step back.
Only then did he clearly see a large canine face behind the cell door.
“Don’t be afraid, that’s a Kobold.” Eve Sova waved her hand lightly.
Smack!
The Kobold let out a muffled grunt in pain and quickly withdrew its claw.
The two continued forward, and then—bang!
Leo saw a thick, scaled tail several meters long slam heavily against the cell door.
“That’s a Thunder Lizard.”
Eve Sova calmly led Leo onward.
In every cage behind them, a different type of Beastkin was imprisoned.
Leo had not expected that so many varieties of Beastkin were held in this dungeon.
It was also his first time seeing so many different kinds of Beastkin.
The two passed through the rows of cells and walked along a narrow corridor for dozens of meters. Suddenly, a small iron door appeared ahead.
Behind this door, it seemed there was another hidden chamber.
Eve Sova took out a key and inserted it into the lock.
With a creak, the iron door slowly opened.
A beam of light gradually widened.
Leo’s eyes widened.
Before him appeared a vast, brightly lit space.
“This is Blackstone City’s Tier 2 Potion Laboratory.”
“Potion Laboratory?”
“That old fellow Clarsen complained to Father the moment he returned, saying you disrupted the Training Room’s order. But after hearing about your bravery in this Beast Calamity, Father agreed to assign you here. For now, don’t go to the Training Room.”
Eve Sova explained briefly.
However, she only told Leo part of the truth.
In reality, although Eve Sova had not praised Leo much in front of him,
when Laforin returned, she had spent a full half hour praising Leo’s performance during the Beast Calamity in front of him.
At the same time, using the other Knight’s Squires as a backdrop, she subtly belittled them into seeming utterly incompetent.
Finally, as the instructor of the other squires, Clarsen could no longer endure it. His bald head flushed red with anger as he counterattacked, accusing Leo of disrupting training order in the Training Room.
The two instructors had nearly come to blows.
In the end, the Third Knight, Anthony, stepped in to mediate.
The result was that Leo was forbidden from entering the Training Room for half a year.
However, as a reward for Leo’s bravery, Eve Sova secured another placement for him.
A few days ago, after hearing that Leo had been earning money by shoeing horses, she realized his family circumstances were modest and had been looking for a way to help him find a part-time job.
This dungeon held many Beastkin and required manpower to manage them, allowing Leo to earn extra income.
As for whether he could go further and become an Alchemist, completely solving his financial problems—that would depend on his own efforts.
Eve Sova simply did not tell him all this, fearing it might hurt his pride.
At this moment, Leo looked inside.
The space was as large as a basketball court, with whitewashed walls. At regular intervals stood pure white candles.
Their combined light illuminated the entire area like daylight.
Moreover, Leo keenly noticed that the scent of the candles carried a calming medicinal fragrance.
Looking further, rows of iron tables were arranged neatly, covered with bottles, jars, and crucible-like instruments.
It resembled a massive chemical laboratory, with everything arranged in near obsessive order.
At that moment, Leo saw a tall, slender woman in a white robe standing at a distant table, continuously working with a crucible.
Seeing that she was busy, Eve Sova remained silent and simply waited.
Leo watched as the middle-aged woman set down her tools and looked up. On her pale face rested a monocle.
Though her age was evident, her makeup gave her a mature and intellectual charm.
She removed her gloves, walked to the door, and examined Leo.
“Hm? Looks rather sturdy and rough. Can he handle it?”
Leo looked at the woman and suddenly recalled that he had seen her on his first day in Blackstone City.
Laforin’s wife—Lady Manta.
But at that time, she had worn a noble gown and stood gracefully beside Laforin, completely different from how she appeared now.
“May I ask who this lady is?” Leo asked politely.
The middle-aged woman covered her mouth and laughed. “Hehe… ‘lady’? You didn’t recognize me, did you?”
“This is my mother. You may call her Lady Manta. The city’s only Alchemist, Green, is her assistant,” Eve Sova introduced.
Leo had heard of Green. He was a certified Tier 1 Alchemist, and nearly all potions in Blackstone City came from his hands.
Yet that Green was merely an assistant to the woman before him.
“My apologies, Lady Manta. I truly didn’t recognize you just now.” With Leo’s keen observation, how could he not have recognized her?
But women liked to be seen as youthful, so he took the opportunity to be polite.
Because he had already faintly sensed the possibility of a new class.
Alchemist? One of the Six Knightly Arts—Medicine?
“Hahaha, it’s fine, it’s fine.” Manta now looked at Leo more seriously. “A bit rough, but sharp-looking. Not bad, not bad.”
Seeing her up close, Leo noticed many similarities between mother and daughter.
Though they were mother and daughter, they almost looked like sisters.
In a good mood, Manta took out a glass vial filled with red liquid from a drawer behind her.
“This is a potion made using a Blood Goblin Blood Core. Its effect is roughly equivalent to ten jin of Level 1 Beastkin Meat.”
Leo did not expect such a generous gift upon their first meeting.
Ten jin of Level 1 Beastkin Meat?!
He knew that potions were more effective than Beastkin Meat, and that Green’s potions were only available to Quasi-Knights through merit exchange.
The black Tier 1 body-tempering potion he had used before had also come from Green.
Leo had never imagined that such a small bottle could be worth nearly one hundred silver coins.
And it didn’t even take up stomach space.
“Take it. This is to reward your bravery in this Beast Calamity,” Eve Sova said.
Leo was not yet a Quasi-Knight and could not obtain battle merits.
So as his teacher, Eve Sova had given him one of her spoils—a Blood Goblin Blood Core—as a reward.
“I heard from Eve Sova that you have a good memory.” Seeing how much Eve Sova cared about Leo, Manta became interested in him.
“Yes, Mother. He memorized the entire rhythm chart in just a few days,” Eve Sova replied.
Manta glanced at Eve Sova, the eye behind her monocle shifting slightly.
“In that case, I’ll be preparing Tier 3 potions for a while and won’t have time to teach him.
However, I need someone to take care of those creatures outside during this period.
I heard he’s good with horses, so he should be capable of this job. Five silver coins per month.” After saying this, Manta waved her hand, signaling dismissal.
This was her first time meeting the Knight Attendant Laforin had chosen for Eve Sova.
Her impression was quite good.
As for teaching him alchemy—
as a high-status Tier 2 Alchemist, she intended to observe him for a while before deciding.
On the other hand, Leo did not think too much about it.
Five silver coins was already quite a lot.
Lady Manta was indeed generous.
He already had many skills to train and was in no hurry.
Moreover, he was quite interested in those Beastkin.
Following Eve Sova back to the surface,
Leo bowed deeply to her. “Thank you, Teacher.”
“What are you thanking me for?” Eve Sova straightened her face and returned to her usual strict demeanor. “Alchemy is a highly profitable profession. Given your background, it’s indeed a very suitable path for you.
But remember— for a knight, the Breathing Technique and swordsmanship are the true foundation of strength. Do not put the cart before the horse.”