Chapter 164

Chapter 164

Inside the spacious, dust-free treehouse, bright sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm, golden glow.

"So, what brings you two here together?" Gu Zhaoxi, still wearing her signature half-mask, stirred an unknown liquid in her hand. She glanced meaningfully at the surveillance screen, which was held aloft by self-moving vines. "Especially you, Young Master—it’s not often we see you around."

The surveillance screen, nearly half the wall in size, was supported by four thick vines working in unison. At its high-resolution center sat a handsome young man, alone.

Eve, worried about leaving Lorca alone at the bar and potentially causing trouble, had hurried to find Gu Zhaoxi. She asked a familiar server to arrange a private room for him. Though not officially Gu Zhaoxi’s student, Eve was practically considered one, so the server quickly set up a separate space for Lorca.

The bar, a gathering place for alchemists, wasn’t as chaotic as typical establishments, but it certainly had its share of intriguing gadgets. Alchemy-driven curiosities abounded: self-filling glasses, fortune-telling books of questionable accuracy, and drinks mixed with strange potions. Before leaving, Eve had told Lorca to enjoy himself rather than just waiting around. Yet, he ended up sitting quietly, engrossed in a book.

She took one look and immediately understood: "He’s being too cautious, afraid to touch any of the things in your shop."

"Ordinary people unfamiliar with alchemy might be fooled by those little tricks, but someone like Lorca, who grew up surrounded by alchemical tools, can tell what they are at a glance," Gu Zhaoxi scoffed. "He’s just putting on an act."

Even familiar things can become risks. Besides, Lorca had only seen such items; he didn’t practice alchemy himself. Being cautious was wise, and Eve didn’t agree with Gu Zhaoxi’s biased assessment.

"Your hostility toward the Oliver family head is too strong," Eve remarked.

Gu Zhaoxi snorted. "They’re the ones who lost Louis. If I weren’t holding back, a little hostility would be perfectly normal, wouldn’t you say?"

She didn’t particularly care about Louis’s well-being—otherwise, she wouldn’t have allowed the Oliver family to imprison him in a tower for over a decade. However, as a five-star alchemist, Louis couldn’t easily die due given his connection to the Divine Realm—a situation neither Gu Zhaoxi nor other alchemists desired.

Eve had her suspicions about Louis’s whereabouts but lacked concrete evidence.

Considering she was carrying a spy-like Wall-Imprisoned Serpent, she changed the subject. "Let’s set Louis aside for now—the Oliver family will handle that. I wanted to ask: a few days ago, I recommended a friend to you. She was infected with Zerg venom but showed no symptoms. Did you examine her to find out why?"

"Are you talking about that redhead?" Gu Zhaoxi couldn’t recall Qin Mengde’s name but remembered the striking red hair, which stirred some distant memories. "She’s from the royal family, right? If she’s successfully inherited the Otto family bloodline, it’s normal for her not to react to Zerg venom."

Eve asked, "Why?"

"The Otto royal bloodline is unusual. Their ancestors descended from an ancient, powerful race. Though diluted over generations of mixing with humans, their genes are still robust enough that Zerg sequences can’t infect them. In fact, extreme toxicity can reverse into benefit—Zerg venom, though vicious, becomes valuable at the Royal Zerg level."

Gu Zhaoxi poured the thoroughly mixed dark green, murky liquid into a cup, where it settled like sap. A vine emerged from the wall, carrying a large pot of hot water, and poured it down with a sizzle. The liquid instantly turned a fresh, soothing light green, filling the treehouse with a grassy scent that felt refreshing just to smell.

A vine curled around one of the cups and offered it to Eve. She said, "Thank you," and the vine shyly coiled back, leaves trembling, before retracting into the wall. Its agility looked familiar to Eve.

But Gu Zhaoxi’s next words quickly drew Eve’s attention back.

"Royal Zerg venom isn’t a problem for the Otto family—it’s nourishment. The pain she feels is due to her human bloodline influence," Gu Zhaoxi said, holding her cup and chuckling. "I’ve already eased her symptoms and given her the relevant formula. She just needs to find a three-star or higher alchemist to prepare it. Now that the princess’s issue is resolved, what about you? You came all this way—you must have another purpose, right?"

"Yes... I’ve run into some trouble and wanted you to take a look."

Eve patted her sleeve, and a slender black snake slowly crawled out. Gu Zhaoxi watched with interest as the snake, under Eve’s direction, slid toward the door, turning into a shadow at the threshold and slipping through the gap. "Why are you carrying someone else’s spiritual state with you?"

"It’s a long story, and I was just about to bring that up," Eve said, first taking off her outer black robe, then pressing her fingers to the buttons of her shirt. "I’ve unfortunately fallen victim to a malicious plot and am under a very troublesome alchemical curse. I’d appreciate it if you could take a look."

Button by button, she undid her shirt and slipped it off, turning her back to Gu Zhaoxi and exposing a large portion of her skin to the sunlight.

Where there should have been smooth, fair skin, intricate blue-purple alchemical ciphers now covered her back like a demonic curse. The complexity and precision of the symbols, in the eyes of a high-level alchemist like Gu Zhaoxi, held a strangely mysterious beauty.

Eve had examined the alchemy on her back in a mirror before. At her level, she could barely make out that the entire design was composed of various restraining spells—some targeting spiritual power, others aimed at specific limbs. Mixed in were modified counter-restraints and some original creations, likely carefully tested combinations by Agnes to ensure the alchemy affected Eve just enough without crippling her completely.

Though she knew these alchemical markings didn’t look benign, Gu Zhaoxi’s prolonged silence made Eve’s scalp prickle with unease. She ventured, "Master, have you figured anything out?"

Cool fingertips traced her back. After a long moment, Eve heard the woman behind her let out a soft laugh. "I have a good idea who left this spell on you. Coming to me won’t help—the only ones who can undo her work are her and that other person."

"...Alright. I didn’t have high hopes to begin with, but thank you for offering another option besides Agnes."

Even if the option of the Divine Realm Lord was practically useless.

Eve sighed inwardly and started to pull her clothes back on, but Gu Zhaoxi held onto her collar, stopping her.

"Don’t be in such a hurry. Aren’t you curious how I guessed who cast this?" Gu Zhaoxi smiled. "The material used to inscribe the spell contains Royal Zerg venom. To break the alchemy, you first need to find a way to neutralize the ink material."

"I’ll say it again: Royal Zerg venom is valuable. Don’t rush to remove the alchemy—perhaps you should try absorbing some of the 'good stuff' in it?"

***

The elevator door dinged as it opened deep within the bar.

After leaving Gu Zhaoxi’s lab, Eve draped the black robe commonly worn by alchemists over her arm. She stepped out of the elevator, followed a smiling server down two corridors, and pushed open the door to the private room. Lorca happened to set down his book and look up.

"All done?" he asked.

Eve nodded. "Let’s talk outside."

The bar was located in a prime spot on the capital planet. Outside, it was the weekend, and crowds were buzzing everywhere, discussing the recent high-profile car accident. Since the victim was a prominent imperial official and the upper echelons had been cracking down hard on corrupt nobles and officials, the incident remained a hot topic among capital residents even after some time.

As soon as Eve caught what people around her were saying, her expression shifted. She instinctively glanced at Lorca, carefully studying his face. Relieved to see no sign of distress, she relaxed.

Her robot-like scrutiny of human emotions was rare. Lorca, who had been lost in thought, was drawn back by her reaction. Walking side by side along the street, he asked with an amused smile, "What were you thinking just now?"

"I heard people talking about your family and worried you might feel upset," Eve said, pursing her lips. "You never say if something’s bothering you."

She wasn’t particularly sensitive in social matters, but around someone as perceptive as Lorca, she found herself paying more attention. If it were someone like Jessica, who’d loudly complain at the slightest grievance, Eve wouldn’t need to bother.

"It’s fine. I know everyone means well, and things at home are manageable. No need to worry too much."

"Besides, I’m not as fragile as you think. I used to get sick often and wore my emotions on my sleeve. Then one day, I woke up hazily from a headache and saw my mother sitting by the bed, looking exhausted as she watched over me. When she leaned in to ask if I was hurting anywhere, I suddenly felt terribly guilty. After that, I stopped showing my emotions so openly—it doesn’t help and only worries those close to me. It’s..." Lorca pressed his lips together, as if embarrassed by these memories, then smiled and looked down. "Never mind. Let’s talk about what you discussed with your alchemist friend earlier. Any results?"

Not really. In the end, it was unsolvable—even worse than Long Quan, who’d at least given her a potion to temporarily suppress it. Gu Zhaoxi straight up told her to try absorbing it.

Qin Mengde could absorb it because of her non-human ancestry. What did Eve have?

Though people often cursed her behind her back, it wasn’t the same as literally not being human.

"...Listening to her advice is better than hearing about your past, you poor thing," she sighed, aware that his illness had always been Lorca’s deepest sore spot—even after recovery, he rarely spoke of it. His sharing just now was a rarity. She shifted gears. "Sparti’s birthday is coming up. Will your family be attending?"

"Of course. It’s the Prime Minister’s grand birthday—besides the personal significance, there’s political meaning too," Lorca replied without hesitation. "We owe a lot to the Prime Minister’s support in dealing with those nobles close to the Crown Prince. In reason, the Oliver family needs to show some sincerity."

Eve remarked, "It’s really tough. With your family’s affairs still unsettled, you have to attend someone else’s celebration for the sake of your career."

She’d heard Mrs. Luo was off on some secret mission somewhere. Fortunately, Sparti was a widower, so his triumph wouldn’t rub too much salt in the Oliver family head’s wounds.

After a moment’s thought, she asked, "What do you think would happen if I brought Frank to the family head’s birthday?"

"Frank?" Lorca turned to her as if doubting his ears. "You want to bring the Prime Minister’s illegitimate son to his birthday celebration?"

And one who might not even be biologically his.

"Yeah," Eve said matter-of-factly. "He didn’t invite Frank. Each invitation allows up to two guests. If your Oliver family is already invited, I’ll bring Frank along."

"......"

"Why aren’t you saying anything? Do you think it’s inappropriate?"

Was there any part of this plan that was appropriate? Lorca pinched the bridge of his nose, lips trembling slightly. "...I’m thinking maybe I should find an excuse not to go that day."

Though Eve’s implication that she’d prioritize him was touching, Lorca wasn’t the type to get carried away easily—especially since her ambition was as potent as her sweet talk.

...The scene would be something to behold, and he didn’t dare imagine it.