By the time Allen left the chief's residence, it was already late. Allen headed directly to the main castle hall and prepared a simple dinner, much like he did at noon. The bonfire in the hall flickered, and the witchers were busy drinking and talking, creating a lively atmosphere.
After politely declining a few invitations from acquaintances to join their banquets, he found a quiet corner to sit. While chewing on his bread, he pondered over the information he had heard that afternoon. Though the atmosphere at the afternoon meeting had been tense, the situation of the Wolf School was much better than Allen had imagined.
Contrary to his previous assumptions, their enemies were primarily two groups: King Henselt of Kaedwen and the male sorcerers from Ban Ard Academy.
From the conversations between the chief and several master witchers, it was clear that the male sorcerers, represented by Ban Ard Academy, had conflicting interests with the witchers of Kaer Morhen's Wolf School. They had also had conflicts with the school in the past.
On the other hand, although King Henselt harbored some hostility, his main aim was to control the Wolf School, viewing them as an armed group he could potentially align with.
In fact, as long as the Wolf School was willing to hunt elves for him, they could form an alliance with him. Allen shook his head, dismissing this idea.
Neutrality was the school's unchanging creed.
None of the master witchers, including the chief, would agree to the king's demands.
"The king might be worth negotiating with, or he might not be needed at all."
Allen mumbled to himself, taking another bite of bread.
The king seemed to want the witchers to kill elves, but in reality, he appeared to be searching for something, or trying to force someone out by causing the elves' deaths. So the key was what this thing or person actually was. As long as this key point was found, whether it was helping the king fulfill his wish or aiding his enemies depending on the situation, the Wolf School would have options.
But if even the king couldn't find it, where should he start?
Allen sighed.
His strength was still too low. If he were strong enough, he wouldn't need to ponder so deeply to find a way to survive. If the school's power were stronger, they wouldn't be seen as mere prey by the king.
"Sigh~"
"Wishful thinking is useless; it's better to plan what to do next to avoid the school's destruction."
Clearing his mind, Allen took another bite of bread and set his next goals. First, find out what the king was searching for and why he was so hostile towards elves. Second, improve his own strength. Third, enhance the overall strength of the school.
The first point was important but heavily reliant on luck, and he didn't even know any elves. He could share his analysis with the chief or the sorceress and let them investigate first. However, they were probably already looking into it, so it would just serve as a reminder. If there were no results by the time he left Kaer Morhen, he would gather information during the apprentice dueling competition.
The second point involved hunting monsters. The rewards from hunting drowners were no longer significant. He could target Foglets and ghouls, as well as the Drowner King that would appear fifteen days after the Conjunction of the Spheres.
The third point mainly focused on potions. For instance, gradually making Cat-Eye, Killer Whale, and drowner heart essence potions available to the school's witchers. However, this should not be rushed and should involve some exchange from the school or the witchers. Unconditional contribution could devalue the formulas and lead to excessive demands.
With a clear plan in mind, Allen finished his dinner and headed towards the alchemy room in the south tower.
...
Downstairs of the south tower,
Allen did not rush upstairs. The drowner heart essence formula required Alchemy level 4 to unlock. He planned to level up downstairs before going up.
He opened the Witcher's Journal with his mind.
[Ding! Your skill: Alchemy LV2 has been upgraded to Alchemy LV4]
Whoa!
The experience required to upgrade from LV4 to LV5 quadrupled.
Ten thousand experience points equated to a thousand small experience orbs.
The rewards from killing Old Speartip and the Drowner King together only amounted to thirty-four experience orbs, equivalent to three thousand four hundred small experience orbs.
Allen suddenly had a premonition. Currently, he was worried about leveling up too high and reducing monster hunt rewards. Once his skills were leveled up, He might face a shortage of experience orbs, preventing skill upgrades.
With his level too high, he wouldn't gain experience orbs from common monsters. Ultimately, he would have to hunt powerful large monsters for experience orbs and treasure chests.
"Suppressing levels isn't a long-term solution; it's time to consider my specialization direction." Allen thought.
At this moment, A vast amount of alchemical knowledge was being transmitted into his mind, the speed of information transmission gradually slowing. Having upgraded many times before, Allen knew this was a sign that the alchemy upgrade was nearly complete and headed towards the alchemy room.
Suddenly,
"Buzz~ Buzz~"
The Wolf Medallion buzzed violently.
Allen's vision went black, a sharp pain pierced through his eyes as if hundreds of steel needles were stabbing continuously.
"Ugh!"
"What's happening?"
Clutching his eyes tightly, He suppressed a scream of pain and instinctively switched to Wolf Medallion vision. Four-colored light enveloped him.
Allen had an epiphany.
The chaotic magic was modifying his eyes.
After a while, The pain in his eyes subsided. The Alchemy level 4 upgrade was complete.
---------
On the second floor of the south tower, Allen had just reached the door.
"Creak~"
The door opened on its own. Allen was not surprised; he had already made an appointment with the sorceress in advance. The alchemy room looked the same as always. Plush red carpet, brightly colored oil paintings. Lace curtains adorned the cold stone windowsill. But after experiencing a life-and-death trial, Allen found this place particularly endearing.
"Mary, I passed the trial!"
Smelling the familiar scent of orange and clove, Allen smiled and greeted Mary, who looked over. The girl sitting at the alchemy table was very happy to see him, almost half-rising from her seat. Then she suddenly remembered something and sat back heavily, resting her chin on her hand, looking away from him.
Allen scratched his head, unsure of what he had done wrong, and instinctively looked at the sorceress sitting on the alchemy table.
"Mary is angry with you for not coming to see her first after the trial ended yesterday."
The sorceress crossed her arms, her smiling eyes glancing between the two young people.
"Teacher!"
Mary blushed and raised her voice, a rare occurrence in front of the sorceress.
"Alright, alright, I won't say anymore."
"Sorry, right after the trial ended yesterday, my companions dragged me off to celebrate." Allen explained.
He sat down at the alchemy table behind Mary, noticing she still looked indifferent. So, after a few seconds of thought, he respectfully pleaded a few times, "Forgive me, Lady Mary."
Sure enough, the girl was quickly appeased and shyly asked about his trial experience.
Moments later.
Vera, seeing that they had talked enough, asked: "What brings you here today? Brewing potions or attending an alchemy class?"
"Brewing potions..."
Before he could finish, a surprised, slightly pained voice came from behind.
"Huh!?"
....
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
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94. Jealous Mary.
95. What Do I Have to Pay?
96. Clap! Clap!
97. Silver Sword, Drawn.
98. New Monster.