Chapter 194: Section 194: No Longer Alone


    The group hunted a flock of sheep and were poisoned by the Frost Element through eating the mutton.


    The symptoms of Cold Poison appeared in everyone, and Zi Di tried to save herself at the critical moment but failed.


    Reminded by Cang Xu, the group struggled and barely made their way back to where they had hunted the sheep, gradually recovering.


    With morale chaotic, a substitute young man stood up, “The situation is not yet beyond repair, don’t forget, we still have Miss Zi Di. She is not only a Mage but also a Pharmacist of extraordinary ability.”


    Zi Di had just taken a potion, but the incident where she fainted on the spot seemed to have been forgotten by the substitute.


    However, many who had witnessed this scene earlier spread the word during the return journey.


    ...


    Could she really do it?


    The substitute guaranteed forcefully, “Before, we didn’t know the cause of the poisoning, so it’s normal to have a misdiagnosis. Using pharmaceuticals always requires the right treatment for the specific condition. Now that we know the source, it’s a completely different matter! How could a mere flock of sheep trap us? Everyone, I still intend to lead you off this island. It’s too early to give up now.”


    A surge of emotion emerged in Zi Di’s heart.


    She had made mistakes—she had failed to detect the toxins in the mutton and mishandled the detox.


    Yet, even in such circumstances, the substitute still trusted her.


    That feeling of being trusted was genuinely wonderful.


    Gathered in the tent, the upper echelons were troubled by the poisoning.


    However, Zi Di had already grasped a spark of inspiration in her mind, using the pharmaceuticals onsite for an experiment and produced many small granules.


    She had uncovered the truth.


    Despite finding the reason, solving this challenge still depended solely on Zi Di.


    The others, including the substitute and Cang Xu, were of no help.


    Zi Di locked herself in the tent, facing the challenge alone.


    “Zi Di, you can do this, keep going!” The girl with purple eyes took a deep breath and began to attempt.


    After numerous failures, Zi Di was soon drenched in sweat.


    Failure continued, and success seemed far away, the pressure inside her growing.


    If she couldn’t solve this problem, they would be trapped here forever. Rejoining the main force or heading to the Alchemy Factory would remain just a wish.


    “You must succeed! For my father’s vengeance and the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce… Zi Di, you must solve this problem!” Zi Di gritted her teeth and persisted.


    Struggling alone into the deep night, Zi Di’s hand that reached toward the waist pouch suddenly paused.


    “No more pharmaceutical ingredients!”


    It felt like stepping into thin air, falling from a cliff into an abyss.


    For a while, she stood like a statue, frozen on the spot.


    Without these crucial ingredients, it meant complete failure!


    Despair and dismay engulfed Zi Di’s heart like a tsunami.


    She stumbled, nearly falling to the ground, barely holding back from crying out loud.


    “Calm down! Calm down!” She told herself in her mind, but tears flowed silently in large drops.


    She knew panic wouldn’t help her; she began to take continuous deep breaths.


    But deep breathing didn’t work.


    Her thoughts were a mess, unable to think.


    At that moment, she smelled the scent of pharmaceuticals from the substitute.


    Back on the dock, for safety, she had secretly sprayed a certain scent pharmaceutical on the substitute.


    Only Zi Di, who had taken a specific drug, could smell this.


    As Zi Di smelled this aroma, her spirit gradually calmed.


    She knew that while she struggled alone, the substitute had been standing outside her tent, guarding her.


    Suddenly, she felt: she was not alone.


    In this dire situation, someone still stood with her, struggling together!


    “He’s helping me in his own way… with all his might.”


    “He’s guarding me.”


    “He still thought I didn’t know…”


    “Though he is not a true knight, and though he might cause me trouble later, for now…”


    “It’s really nice to have you by my side.”


    Zi Di’s mood finally calmed, and she quietly wiped the tears from her cheeks. S~ea??h the N??eFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    “There’s still hope!”


    “Even though the key potion ingredients are used up, I can try using other ingredients as substitutes.”


    This was precious knowledge from the Barbarian scrolls.


    Zi Di, with no confidence and completely lacking experience, still found the courage to attempt it because of Lord Zhenjin.


    Another failure. Failure, and more failure.


    Continuous failures.


    Zi Di had lost count of her failures; she had become numb to the outcomes, so much so that when success finally arrived, she was still subconsciously ready to try once more.


    The next moment, Zi Di covered her mouth, looking at the liquid in the pharmaceutical bottle and shedding tears once again.


    She composed herself, tidied her appearance, and gently sniffed.


    The substitute was still there.


    Outside the tent, the sunlight brightened the east, and the morning glow filled the sky.


    Zi Di called out, “Lord Zhenjin, are you still there?”


    “I am,” Zhenjin immediately replied.


    “Then please come in.”


    As he entered the tent, the various strange smells became more intense, all rushing into the substitute’s nostrils.


    Yet the scent that came from him was tightly captured by Zi Di.


    Zi Di looked at the substitute, raising the glass bottle in her hand, “Mission accomplished.”


    Inside the bottle was a deep blue liquid, resembling seawater. Its surface was calm, but beneath lay a tumultuous undercurrent.


    After Lan Zao and the substitute took the medicine, the substitute’s face suddenly changed.


    Zi Di’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly approached with concern, “Is there something wrong?”


    “Nothing,” the substitute shook his head.


    “He seems to have hidden something from me. Does my potion have some drawbacks for Beastification People?” Zi Di couldn’t help but worry.


    She had considered the substitute’s Beastification People physique, but the key was that she couldn’t fathom the War Merchant’s methods of modifying Beastification People.


    The War Merchant represented the peak of worldly alchemy, while Zi Di was just a minor Black Iron Level Mage.


    That night, as the substitute fell into a deep sleep, he received another memory from Zhenjin.


    In the morning, he excitedly found Zi Di and whispered to her, “There’s good news—I’ve regained some memory. I feel my combat abilities will greatly increase because of this.”


    A happy smile immediately appeared on Zi Di’s face, “Lord, things will keep getting better.”


    “You’re right, I need to test this out. I will take my leave now,” the substitute said goodbye and left in high spirits.


    Watching his figure disappear behind the tent flap, Zi Di’s smile quickly faded.


    Such behavior from the substitute indicated he did not suspect Zi Di.


    However, this trust, aside from making the girl relax, added many complex emotions.


    “This memory is fake, I deceived him…”


    “Before he sees through the truth, he trusts me so deeply, fighting to protect and accompany me…”


    “If one day he discovers the truth, how will I face him?”


    “Stop!”


    “Zi Di, what are you thinking?”


    “He’s just a substitute! Just a tool. Before, perhaps your life was tied to his, but now the War Merchant is dead, and the contract no longer stands.”


    “If one day he discovers this secret, then just execute him!”


    “Remember, Zi Di, you need to be rational and focus on the bigger picture!”