Chapter 243

Chapter 243

Time seemed to stretch endlessly before the crimson mist finally began its slow retreat. The skeleton, impaled by arrows and pinned to the wall, struggled twice but found no purchase. After all, a triangle is a rigid form; three long arrows, arranged in an equilateral configuration, had pierced its throat and both sides of its ribs, leaving it with minimal range of motion. Ultimately, it hung resignedly on the wall, its struggles futile.

From around the corner came the dragging, thudding sound of footsteps. Another skeleton slowly approached, cradling a necklace in its bony hands. A peculiar gun-shaped lighter rested in its pelvic cavity. With a press of the trigger, it ignited the wall-bound skeleton. In a flash, bright red flames consumed the skeletal form, leaving only the arrows stubbornly embedded in the wall. On the ground, a small, conical mound of white ash accumulated, topped with a tiny peak.

A necklace crafted from mithril was tossed onto the pile of ashes, its pigeon-blood-red ruby pendant gleaming conspicuously. It was at this precise moment that a miracle unfolded. As if guided by an unseen hand, the ash pile swiftly molded itself into a small humanoid shape, then grew at a visible rate. In an instant, the heap of ash transformed back into a tall, gentle young man.

A necklace fashioned from the Philosopher's Stone adorned his neck, his golden, slightly long curly hair framed a pair of somewhat vacant green eyes… who else could it be but Louis Oliver?

"Those wretched children."

After holding his tongue for so long, Louis finally regained his vocal cords. As he donned the clothes brought by the puppet skeleton, he grumbled, "They're always messing up my plans. I'll feed them all to that thing later."

The skeleton beside him clacked its jaws twice, as if in agreement with Louis. He let out a soft snort and strode towards the students lying unconscious on the ground.

The red mist contained a sedative he had prepared in advance. It wasn't lethal, but it was potent enough to keep everyone in a deep, oblivious slumber for a considerable time.

Louis crouched, his psychic power substituting for sight. As he swept across the ground, he lightly counted each person:

"One, two, three… eight, nine, huh?"

His heart suddenly skipped a beat. Incredulous, he counted again.

…Why were there only nine people? Where was the tenth?

-

Her head was spinning.

Eve sat up, dizzy and disoriented. She had no idea what that blood mist was; it had even managed to sedate a data entity. Her temples were still throbbing.

The cold, hard wall behind her brought a measure of clarity to her mind. Eve was about to ask how the others were feeling, but the moment she uttered "You guys…", she abruptly fell silent, staring in astonishment at the empty space around her.

Where were the others?

The mist had dissipated, and the people had vanished. The People's Hospital had reverted to its usual bright and pristine state. The fluorescent lights, though it was daytime, remained on. Through the frosted glass wall opposite, Eve saw her own reflection—the grim facade of an alchemist had fallen away. She was clad in a blue-and-white striped patient gown, her silver hair cascading over her shoulders, barefoot, appearing innocent and harmless.

"Did I enter another instance?" She suspiciously patted her face; the sensation felt somewhat ethereal, a standard holographic simulation touch. "The simulation system here actually decided to kick in now."

Uncertain of the others' whereabouts, Eve stood up, intending to explore and gather any useful information. Just then, her keen eyes caught a glimpse of a shadow emerging from the corner at the end of the hallway. A wisp of dark cloud suddenly appeared on the white tiles, expanding rapidly, followed by the familiar corner of a deep purple cloak.

Even before she consciously recognized who it was, Eve instinctively pressed her hand against the handle of the department door behind her. The moment she pressed, her hand passed completely through the stainless steel handle. Only then did she realize that her simulated identity this time was likely just an observer, an outsider, and thus the system had not granted her permission to interact with physical objects in the scene.

Nevertheless, she cautiously leaned back until her entire body seemed to melt into the wall like a puddle of water, completely concealing herself within it.

The owner of the purple cloak finally revealed herself fully. Agnes still appeared utterly inorganic, moving without a sound, as if hovering slightly above the ground. Eve held her breath. Although she was likely separated from this "Agnes" by a dimension, this alchemist presented so many anomalies—who would dare take the risk? No one would treat a Five-Star Alchemist, who already defied the laws of carbon-based lifeforms, as a normal person.

Agnes, however, seemed completely oblivious to Eve's presence, floating directly past her hiding spot. It was only then that Eve noticed a rough brown snakeskin bag trailing behind Agnes, with dark stains seeping from its seams. It, too, floated half in the air like a ghostly companion, and even Eve couldn't discern the weight or contents of the bag from the faint sound it made against the ground.

After a moment of thought, Eve concluded that Agnes truly seemed unaware of her, and she mustered the courage to follow.

Perhaps by tailing her, she could discover the whereabouts of the other students? The brown-stained snakeskin bag filled her with a sense of unease.

Just then, a loud crash echoed from the consultation room at the end of the hall, as if something had been violently thrown to the ground. Eve's heart stirred, and she quickened her pace even within the wall. Agnes, however, seemed accustomed to such commotion, or perhaps simply indifferent to the situation inside. The hem of her purple robe billowed like storm clouds, creating a stark contrast with the pristine white hospital surroundings. Watching her unhurried and elegant demeanor from a distance, Eve suddenly felt an intensely peculiar sensation.

While she had always found Agnes's species highly suspicious, never before had she felt such a strong sense of incongruity emanating from her.

In truth, Eve had always harbored suspicions about these Grand Alchemists. Louis aside, even Gu Zhaoxi, with whom she had a relatively good relationship—Eve had a basic guess about her true species. The same went for Long Quan.

But Agnes was different from them. No matter what, Gu Zhaoxi and Long Quan at least exuded a distinct "human" quality. Even if mixed with the bloodlines of other species, they weren't like Agnes. When any normal person saw her, their first thought wouldn't be admiration for her exquisite beauty or any external achievements, but a strong sense of "not of our kind, their hearts must be different."

Those non-human qualities, usually hidden by deliberate imitation and lost in the throngs of people, stood out starkly in the specific setting of the hospital—amid the serene, pure white light reminiscent of heaven and the faint, lingering scent of disinfectant. Eve's gaze, sharp as a scrutinizing blade, effortlessly peeled away all disguises, acutely perceiving the subtle clues of her true species from "her"—or rather, "it."

Her lower body, indistinct and tangled, resembled some ancient creature. Just as Eve was inwardly startled, Agnes halted. Her face was calm yet weary, her hands clasped before her abdomen, every movement imbued with an inexplicable reverence, like a high-ranking court official gliding through palace halls. The door slowly opened automatically before her, and simultaneously, the violent commotion in the consultation room finally ceased.

"Blind man, what's your problem?" Sure enough, the familiar, irritating tone emerged as soon as she spoke. Agnes stepped inside, surveying the pens and papers strewn across the floor and the overturned tables. "There aren't as many resources here for you to squander as there are in the Oliver family. You'd best control your inferior emotional impulses."

"Who are you trying to fool?"

Louis couldn't be bothered to argue with this non-human entity. What did she know about emotions? She had sailed through life smoothly, even mastering alchemy with ease, and her teacher was the greatest being in the universe. No alchemist could remain indifferent to that. The mere thought made him seethe with jealousy.

Irritated, he swept his golden hair back and got straight to the point: "Where are the required sacrifices?"

Agnes stepped aside, revealing the lifeless snakeskin bag behind her: "Grade A."

"You killed them again?" Louis, who had just barely calmed down, glanced at the motionless bag and felt his blood pressure surge. "How many times do I have to tell you? It doesn't like dead ones. It's not like you can't brainwash someone and bring them here by force. Do you have to bring back a dead body every single time?"

Agnes: "Yes, I did it on purpose."

Louis: "..."

He began to suspect that she was deliberately trying to sabotage him, perhaps even get him killed while feeding the Queen.

Agnes, however, paid no attention to his emotional fluctuations. She drifted gracefully to the only armchair in the room that Louis hadn't damaged and sat down, indifferently asking, "Is your ritual ready? It's been almost a month. I've already paid you in advance. If you can't produce results soon, I'll have to seek equivalent compensation from you elsewhere."

"Ready… it's mostly ready, but the conditions are hard to meet," Louis scratched his hair irritably. "But I've calculated that we still need at least ten living Grade A or above humans—emphasis on living—and they need to be fed all at once in a single ritual. Even with high-quality sacrifices, I haven't figured out how many lower-grade ones would be needed to make up for it if we mix in inferior sacrifices."

"Do you know how hard it is to capture Grade A individuals?"

"Of course I do. They're registered talents everywhere, either serving as dogs in mansions on the capital planet or as alpha wolves in military camps. But anything below this grade is almost ineffective for It. Qualitative change, qualitative change, do you understand?"

"......"

Agnes remained expressionless, but her eyes held a faint, unique killing intent—the kind only a service provider feels toward a client. Even Louis noticed it. He twitched his eyebrows, and his survival instinct finally overpowered his pride. Just as he was about to explain that he wasn't deliberately causing trouble, Agnes cut him off.

Eve quietly leaned to the side, observing the conversation between the two in the consultation room. A sense of foreboding crept into her heart.

"One week," Agnes said without expression. "I'm returning to the capital planet. I'll be out hunting this entire week and won't have time to worry about you. Next week on this day, I'll bring twenty Grade A individuals back. This time, you absolutely cannot fail."

Her tone was calm, but her eyes were terrifying, carrying a sense of reckless abandon. "This matter won't stay hidden for long. Once Gu Zhaoxi and Long Quan find out, even the Alchemist Association won't protect you. So you'd better keep your head clear."

"What about me this week?" Louis couldn't believe she was abandoning him at such a critical moment. "I can't suppress It on my own."

"Of course, use that to feed It."

Agnes glanced at the snakeskin bag on the floor, her tone mocking. "When you're starving, no one cares whether the food is fresh or not. Having something to eat is better than nothing. Every living being is the same. But It might also go out to hunt on its own. If you're scared… you could always try making yourself inedible?"