The Countenance of Rolin

Under the moonlight.

Ron instinctively reached out, touching his face.

The sensation was slightly cool, the skin a bit rough, and he could even feel the pores.

"Is this what Rolin looks like?"

"Truly a master of love… er, alchemy, this is incredibly lifelike, isn't it?"

Ron muttered to himself, his eyes revealing a sense of novelty.

According to the second piece of intelligence today, after he [clicked to expand], he obtained the origin and usage of the alchemical prop.

The creator of the mask was an alchemist named Harrington.

In his early years, he had a wife named Rolin, and the two were deeply in love.

Moreover, both were magicians, one skilled in alchemy and the other in magecraft.

Later, due to an accident, Rolin unfortunately passed away.

Harrington was overwhelmed with grief, unable to accept his wife's departure.

Thus, Harrington sought to resurrect his wife, but despite all his efforts, he ultimately failed.

However, in addition to researching resurrection magic, to alleviate his longing for his wife,

Harrington crafted a series of alchemical items related to his wife.

Among them was this mask with the ability to change one's appearance The Countenance of Rolin.

This mask could not only transform into Rolin but also into the likeness of other individuals.

At the same time, it could accommodate the facial features of up to nine different people.

Eventually, as Harrington's research yielded no results, his desire to resurrect his wife gradually faded.

In the end, Harrington decided to let his wife rest in peace, free from his own disturbances.

Thus, Harrington, with his belongings, arrived at his wife's birthplace Hippo Town.

After living in the wilderness for a while, to avoid being reminded of his wife, he left the mask inside a stone house.

"However, this old gentleman is quite interesting," Ron's gaze became somewhat peculiar.

"On the surface, he claims to have abandoned the mask to avoid being reminded of his wife.

"But in reality, isn't it just to show off and leave behind a love story between you and Lady Rolin?"

It's no wonder Ron speculated wildly; Harrington's actions were just too abstract.

If he truly didn't want to see the mask, he could have simply thrown it away or even destroyed it.

Yet, not only did he keep it, but he even filled it with a new energy stone!

It should be known that all alchemical props require energy to function.

This mask was no exception; its power source was an energy stone located at the center of the forehead.

Moreover, the magical array's pattern was bizarre.

If transcribed onto paper, one would find that it was actually a riddle carrying various hints.

The riddle was both simple and complex, and in general, it could be described with one sentence.

Who was the beloved of alchemist Harrington?

Ron, through daily intelligence, naturally deduced the answer in an instant.

However, if it were someone else wanting to activate this mask,

they would have to first follow the clues in the riddle to search for various hints.

Once all the clues were collected and the answer deduced,

they would then have to recite this answer as a spell.

While simultaneously lighting the magical array, this would activate the mask.

"Such a cumbersome process, isn't it just to ensure that whoever obtains the mask also firmly remembers the love between you and Lady Rolin?"

Ron was somewhat speechless and shook his head.

"Fortunately, I have the system's intelligence; otherwise, following your plan to search for clues first, who knows when I would have found it?"

Ron inwardly chuckled, but then his expression became somewhat serious.

"Nevertheless, I must thank you, Mr. Harrington; your mask truly solved my urgent need."

Ron silently expressed his gratitude, placed the mask back on the table, and bowed respectfully.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning.

Outside Hippo Town, in the Clear Spring Woods, on a narrow path.

A young man riding a horse was galloping towards this direction.

"Faster, just a little faster!"

This person was none other than Barto's eldest son, Nem. At this moment, his face was filled with anxiety as he continuously whipped his horse.

The night before last, due to the loss of the "Wild Wolf Breathing Method" notebook, Barto had fainted from anger.

He remained unconscious for an entire day before waking up around dawn today.

Thus, Nem hurriedly sought out Dr. Liton to check on Barto's condition.

It turned out that Barto had merely fainted from rage and was not seriously injured.

However, the wound on his leg had worsened due to the delay of another day.

Therefore, Dr. Liton informed everyone that if they did not seek treatment from a senior doctor or even a priest in Kula City soon, Barto might not survive more than a week.

Hearing this, Barto was filled with fear, and due to the worsening of his wound, he was unable to move.

Thus, Nem had to take on the responsibility himself, carrying gold coins to Kula City to request Dr. Gavin to come and treat his illness.

Although Nem was usually idle and did not engage in any serious business,

at this critical moment, he still mustered the courage to take on this responsibility.

So, he rode his horse towards Kula City.

To save time, he specifically chose the path through the Clear Spring Woods.

"Father, you must not have any accidents!"

Nem silently prayed in his heart. Although his relationship with his father was not deep,

he was not foolish and knew that all the family's financial affairs were managed solely by his father.

If Barto were to pass away from severe injuries, he himself would be completely incapable of supporting the vast family business.

Therefore, Nem sincerely hoped that Barto would recover soon.

So that his father could continue to oppress the common people and plunder wealth.

And he could then lie at home, continuing to live a comfortable life of idleness.

While Nem was riding and lost in thought,

he completely failed to notice that the road ahead was different from usual.

As Nem rode his horse between two large trees,

suddenly, a taut rope appeared on the road.

"Whoa!"

The horse, caught off guard, was directly tripped by the rope.

"Damn it!"

Nem on the horse also let out a cry of surprise.

Then, as the world spun around him, he was thrown backward and fell hard against a tree.

"The, the damn horse…"

Nem, in unbearable pain, cursed and struggled to get up.

At this moment, he had not yet understood the situation, thinking that the horse had stepped into a mud pit and unfortunately fallen.

However, as soon as he stood up,

he heard a fierce whooshing sound coming from behind his head.

Bang!

The next moment, Nem's vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground.

Seeing Nem unconscious, a thin, expressionless middle-aged man emerged.

He carefully observed for a moment, confirming that Nem was indeed knocked out.

Then, he squatted down and felt around in Nem's pocket for a while.

Afterward, he took out a purse.

"Barto, thank you for your and your son's wallets."

The corner of the middle-aged man's mouth curled up; this man was none other than Ron!