Preparations

Sollivan smiled and extended his reddened hand once more, but this time his demeanor was completely different, and even his gentle smile carried a mysterious coldness.

"I want to make a simple deal: help me reach the ancient treasury in the forest, and I'll give you the ingredients. Also, you can take anything you like from there if we succeed."

Darnell looked at the outstretched hand and listened without showing any clear expression. But despite his calm appearance, he was struggling internally to make a decision. He hesitated a lot about the matter. Even though he had gotten his hands on a precious ingredient he desperately needed, he felt there was something off about the crippled young man in front of him.

'This person isn't normal. How is he doing all this? Who is he really? I need to be cautious. Those dead eyes of his are plotting something. And why does he want to reach the treasury in the first place? That's almost impossible.' His thoughts paused, and he showed a lost expression before his eyes regained their sharpness.

'This isn't a trap, but it could become one if I make rash decisions.' He made up his mind, then hid the small box in a pocket inside his armor over his chest. After that, he calmly extended his hand and shook Sollivan's, saying coldly, "I agree, on the condition that my life isn't put in danger. And let me make this clear: I'll help you, but if we get into trouble I can't handle, I won't save you."

Sollivan's smile widened, and he shook Darnell's hand firmly, replying with obvious happiness, "That's very straightforward. But don't worry, we won't die today." His gaze filled with confidence, then he quickly removed his smile and said, "Alright, since our deal is now in effect, you'll need to follow my orders to the letter."

Darnell's expression showed annoyance, and he wanted to interrupt, but Sollivan stopped him. "Just hold on and don't argue with me. Listen carefully to what I'm about to say because it will make things easier for us."

A strange smile appeared on Darnell's face, and he looked at Sollivan with amusement, as if watching a monkey perform tricks.

He didn't know why, but Sollivan's exaggerated seriousness and his noble way of speaking, which didn't suit his current situation, seemed funny to him in some way. So the slight resentment he felt disappeared, and he became amused by what was happening. Inside, he mocked, 'Let's see how far this joke will go.'

To him, getting the ingredients in exchange for such a task was worth the effort. However, he decided not to take things too seriously. The reason he followed Sollivan was his desire to uncover his true identity.

No matter what schemes he was planning, they wouldn't harm him. In his view, what could a crippled person do to an Arcane Master at the peak of the early Path Opening realm, who had previously been in the late Path Opening realm, making him different from ordinary Arcane Masters at his level?

Snap!

Sollivan snapped his fingers when he noticed Darnell's mind wandering. When he saw him regaining focus, he said, "First, I need you to bring me a barrel of thunder powder. It's clear there's a large stockpile in the storerooms here. Also, I want you to go out and head to the intersection near the Ringing Bell Tavern. There, you'll find a boy carrying some buckets.

Take the buckets from him and tell him to come back and bring the herbs. After he returns, bring him with you. Ah, I forgot. First, tell him you're here on behalf of Sollivan, and he'll understand."

Darnell raised his eyebrows in annoyance. "You want me to do all this? And what will you do while I'm gone?"

"I'll be in the restroom. So, could you bring me a chair? I don't want to crawl out."

Darnell looked at him with confusion, and after standing silently for a short while, he left without saying a word. Within a few minutes, he returned with the wheelchair, which was now shaking violently and making an annoying noise. The wheels were no longer stable, making it harder to maneuver.

Without receiving any help, Sollivan sat back in his chair before asking for directions and heading to the restroom, while Darnell left for the Ringing Bell Tavern.

With great difficulty, and after several minutes, Sollivan entered the restroom and sat down. Then he closed his eyes calmly and transferred his senses to Noctis.

While he took care of his business, he watched Darnell's movements and saw him meet Devlin, take some buckets and torn clothes from him, and tell him to return and bring the herbs. Then, he severed his connection with Noctis. In truth, he wanted to observe Darnell for longer, but he didn't want to waste the limited time he could maintain his sensory transfer.

After a long while, he finished his business and cleaned himself. He left the restroom and wheeled himself to the fortified room, which had been filled with several items.

Darnell looked at him with displeasure and grumbled, "It's been a full hour. Is taking care of your business that difficult?"

But Sollivan ignored him and looked at Devlin, whose nervous expression had relaxed, and praised him, "You did well. You brought everything I needed. It seems you were a little scared?"

"Yes, a little, Mr. Sollivan, especially when Mr. Darnell showed up. I thought something was wrong." Devlin stole a quick glance at Darnell and adjusted his answer so as not to reveal everything he felt.

"Wait, are you ignoring me?" Darnell scolded angrily.

"Quiet." Sollivan turned and looked into his eyes sternly, saying, "Yes, it's tough. So shut up now and do as I say."

"And you too, Devlin."

"Ah, alright." Darnell twisted his lips strangely.

Without further chatter, Sollivan took the bags of herbs and began sorting and adjusting their quantities. Then, he ordered Devlin to set up the four buckets he had brought. Calmly, he distributed the herbs unevenly and differently from one bucket to another.

After that, he ordered them to bring some sticks and water before crushing the herbs and mixing them together, producing several thick mixtures of varying colors. The process was a bit complicated, but his strict instructions made things easier for them.

Although they didn't fully understand what they were doing, they didn't disobey his orders. After letting the mixture ferment for a while, they brought more buckets filled with water and diluted the mixture by distributing and mixing it with the additional water.

When they finished, they had ten buckets filled with lukewarm water of varying colors: five buckets of a very dark green with a pungent, unpleasant smell, three buckets of a light green with a faint, strange odor, and the remaining buckets filled with blue water with no smell at all. Even Darnell, the Arcane Master with a strong sense of smell, was amazed when he realized this.

With curiosity and a bit of annoyance, he asked seriously, "What do we need all this for? We've wasted two full hours on this nonsense. Don't you want to reach the treasury?"

Sollivan turned calmly and stared into his eyes before replying with a strange smile, "Yes, I want to go to the treasury. But I also don't want to die. And this nonsense you see, you must realize what it is. A strong leader like you isn't so blind."

'Oh, I forgot. You are. Otherwise, how could you be tricked and accused of treason?' He mocked inwardly.

Darnell bent down calmly and sniffed one of the buckets filled with dark green liquid. After a brief moment of silence, he replied skeptically, "This is a beast irritant. As for the other liquids, I don't know what they are."

In the corner, Devlin stood silently and watched everything in astonishment.

He still didn't understand what was happening, but what he had heard so far filled his head with strange thoughts and theories. He wanted to ask Sollivan what was really going on, but he didn't get the chance because of Darnell's presence. In the end, he decided to suppress his presence and just listen.

"Heh, you're smart. Yes, that's a beast irritant. The light green liquid is a beast attractant. And the blue liquid is a beast repellent and concealer. So, listen carefully." He turned and looked at Devlin standing in the corner. "Devlin, you too, come closer."

"First, cut those cotton clothes into small pieces and soak them in the buckets. Also, spray yourselves with the beast repellent." Without paying attention to them, Sollivan wheeled himself over and bent down to pick up one of the buckets. He placed it on his lap and, with his hand, began scooping up the blue liquid and smearing it on himself.

He wet his hair and clothes, smeared his face, and didn't forget his wheelchair. After emptying two-thirds of the bucket, he placed it on the ground and looked at the boy and the fierce man who had been silently watching him.

"What? Didn't you hear me? Do it quickly. We don't have all day. We only have a few hours left until sunrise."

After a brief moment of hesitation, Darnell and Devlin carried out his orders.

They sprayed themselves with the beast repellent and emptied the remaining two buckets. Their clothes dripped, and their senses were slightly disturbed, but they didn't care much and continued working calmly and quickly. They tore the cotton clothes into small square pieces and placed them in the buckets. Within a few minutes, the buckets became slightly heavier as the cotton absorbed all the fragrant liquids.

When Sollivan confirmed that everything was in place, he raised his hand and scratched his chin. After a brief moment of thought, he ordered, "Darnell, bring me some swords and daggers. Also, get me another barrel of thunder powder."

Before Darnell could respond, he continued, "Ah, I remembered. For your information, you'll be carrying these buckets through the forest. I know they're light and won't hinder your movements."

Darnell shook his head in annoyance and scolded, "You've gone too far with your orders." Nevertheless, he left to fetch what was requested.

'Don't get annoyed. Everything is for the sake of the cure.'

He didn't like the idea of being ordered around by a weak cripple, but he had given his word and didn't want to break his promise. To calm himself, he thought of similar examples to his situation, like escorts and hired guards protecting weak individuals or valuable goods.

Thus, he headed to one of the storage rooms filled with weapons and ammunition, such as cannonballs, arrows, and even explosive barrels and fireworks.

He carefully selected some sharp swords and daggers, then carried a medium-sized barrel and returned to the fortified room.

He placed the items on the ground and pointed at Sollivan in annoyance. "I've brought what you wanted. Do you need anything else, Your Highness?" His words carried clear sarcasm, but Sollivan ignored it and picked up one of the swords, replying cheerfully.

"Well done. Now, clear the way to one of the hidden exits in the wall. And I suggest it be a blind corner so the guards and archers on top of the wall don't notice us."

"You know about that?" Darnell was slightly surprised, but he received no response. After standing still for a few seconds, he shook his head in disappointment.

"Alright, have it your way. Follow me." With coldness, he bent down and carried five buckets with his strong hands, walking quickly. He wasn't afraid of the buckets spilling, as the cotton pieces had absorbed everything, making the buckets more stable.

Devlin also bent down and wanted to carry the remaining buckets, but Sollivan stopped him, "Wait a moment."

Devlin quickly raised his head and looked at his master with curiosity and confusion. "What is it, Mr. Sollivan?"

But he didn't answer. Instead, he looked at the sword in his hand for a moment, then tossed it lightly toward him. Devlin hastily caught it and looked at it with astonishment and fear. He felt the smooth, good-quality leather sheath, then quickly raised his head and stared into his eyes, "This?"

With a faint smile, Sollivan replied, "Carry it with you. You might need it. Although I hope that won't happen."

Devlin's body trembled slightly, and he felt a bit of fear, but he didn't let it take over. With eyes full of determination, he fastened the sword to his waist with a thin rope attached to the sheath, quickly picked up the buckets, and ran to catch up with Darnell.

Sollivan understood why he had done all this and sighed.

'I didn't want to drag him into this mess. But there's no one else I can rely on. What a pity.' He turned calmly and looked at the door of the fortified room.

'He's a really good kid. Despite his intense fear and ignorance of what's happening, he decided to follow me.'

Sigh.

He let out another sigh and cleared his mind of everything. With coldness and sternness, he summoned the black book. He looked at the dark cover for a moment before opening the inner space.

Calmly, he placed his bag, the remaining swords and daggers inside, and also placed one of the barrels filled with thunder powder. After confirming that all his belongings were safe, he hid the book and carried the remaining barrel of thunder powder, securing it tightly on his lap. Then he left the room and followed Darnell's path. He had already ordered Noctis to stay in his shadow, so he wasn't worried about losing track.

Due to the damage to his wheelchair, his control over it had become very poor, and the noise increased. However, he wasn't too bothered.

But a faint glimmer of hatred appeared in his eyes. He didn't like the idea of people destroying his things. He hated sitting in the wheelchair because of his disability, but he didn't hate the wheelchair itself, as it had made his life easier in some way.

Because his strength had increased slightly, his speed was faster than usual. He moved quickly through the long corridor, and after covering a short distance, he noticed a guard lying on the ground.

The guard had fallen with his back against the wall, his right hand gripping the sword hanging from his waist. It seemed he hadn't had enough time to draw it, as he had fainted immediately. Despite the strange sight, Sollivan didn't care and continued on. Even after finding more guards in a similar state, his only reaction was to smile strangely and mock, 'Darnell must be really annoyed now'

He had expected some guards to block their path and become suspicious of them.

But seeing how Darnell dealt with them improved his mood. This meant Darnell had cut off all his escape routes and could no longer back out now. He had lost his standing among the guards. However, it was clear that his heart couldn't bear to kill the soldiers he had served with for a short while, so he settled for knocking them out.

Thus, after a short while, he reached a part of the corridor that curved sharply at an unusual angle.

The wall surrounding the city was shaped like a semi-circle, but there were several sharp angles in a few specific places. At the corner ahead, there was a small metal door six inches thick. Fortunately, it was open. Through it, a cold breeze brushed his face. Calmly, he pushed his wheelchair and entered through the door, which was about the size of his chair.

There, he found himself in another fortified room, at the end of which was a stone door the color of the wall, partially opened. Darnell stood firmly and looked through the open part, observing their surroundings with extreme caution, while Devlin stood behind him, confused as usual.

Darnell turned and looked at Sollivan angrily, his teeth clenched. "Get ready. We're going out now. There are a few trees nearby that we'll use as cover so the archers don't spot us. So, Sollivan, we'll carry you so you don't slow us down and reveal our position." He turned coldly and looked at Devlin. "Boy, you'll help me. I hope you're not as weak as your companion."

Devlin was annoyed by this, but Sollivan didn't show any clear expression. All he did was point to the stone door and say, "Let's go."

Screech!!

Quickly, Darnell pushed the extremely heavy door, but he didn't show any strained expression. Not because of his strength, but because the hidden doors were designed to open and close easily and quietly from the inside, and they couldn't be opened from the outside.

After passing through the gate, Darnell closed it quietly with a faint hesitation, while Sollivan watched him with hidden mockery. Then, they all looked at their dark surroundings with extreme caution.

When they confirmed they hadn't been spotted, Darnell and Devlin carried the buckets with one hand before each of them stood on one side of Sollivan. They took a deep breath and grabbed the armrests before lifting the chair and running at full speed. Their running was slightly stumbling due to the sticky, wet ground, but because they used the light-footed technique, they didn't lose their balance or determination, and their speed increased after a few steps.

Their eyes remained fixed on the trees ahead as they crossed the open, exposed area. Because of this, they didn't see Sollivan's strange smile filled with amusement. Slowly, he moved his lips as if saying something inaudible.