Kobold Wizard's Journal

Chapter 182 Time and Waiting

The next day, the blood rain lessened, but it was still falling sporadically.

In his small workshop, Luger had just finished refining a batch of purification potions. Standing by the window, he admired the Blood City, which was gradually becoming gloomy in the light rain. Under the thin mist, there was not a single person on the street.

He raised his arm again to examine his scales closely.

Strictly speaking, although they are small and not very hard, they can still be called dragon scales, at least in the laboratories of some short-staffed wizard apprentices, where they can be used as a substitute for dragon scales.

He still remembered what the enormous dragon scales looked like when he first saw them.

The radiance of the blood-red sun overhead would further enhance his dragonborn kobold bloodline, gradually bringing his so-called dragonborn identity closer to that of a true dragon. This was an excellent thing for him, but the process seemed incredibly slow, which was a major concern. He wasn't afraid the blood-red sun would have no effect on him; rather, he feared the current situation most. Being able to optimize his bloodline without resorting to the dangerous and reckless actions of bloodline wizards was like a godsend, but the thought of spending hundreds of years here to avoid the next stage of the curse was unimaginable.

It's not that he doesn't have enough time, but that would make him hesitate when faced with certain choices.

An option that is very good in some respects, but not good enough.

He longed to purify and elevate the dragon's bloodline in order to gradually deviate from that ethereal kobold curse and create gaps in his path to advancement.

When he parted ways with Karyu, the other made a prediction, stating that the curse was real and that its existence at least limited the kobolds' potential. He predicted that when Karyu became a first-circle wizard, he would encounter it, and it would block his path to becoming a second-circle wizard. He still held Karyu, the half-human, in high regard, just as he had hoped yesterday that his old neighbor was a reclusive master—because he had encountered a half-human, and in his mind, the half-human was a reclusive master.

The half-human offered him two solutions: one was to eliminate the source of the curse, and the other was to gradually deviate from the kobold bloodline in order to bypass the curse.

Before leaving, the half-human praised him for becoming a dragonborn kobold.

He couldn't leave the City of Burning Blood right now, and worrying about things so far in the future would only make him a laughingstock. But at least for now, it was certain that he wouldn't leave the City of Burning Blood. He just hoped that things wouldn't change so quickly.

Since this may be a long process, I sincerely hope that Uncle Lunser's apothecary shop can be saved, so that he can have a relatively stable environment where he can enjoy the sunshine while studying to become a pharmacist.

At the dinner table this morning, Ruger learned the time he hadn't asked about yesterday.

This was the second day of the bloody rain, but for old Lunser, it was the first day of torment.

The Blood Fortress gave them three days to ensure that no one was allowed to appear in this area after that, meaning they had three days to move. This area wasn't large for the City of Burning Blood, but it still had a considerable number of people gathered there. According to Laurencer, the vampires had even spent time investigating beforehand to ensure that there were no unapproachable individuals in this area.

Moreover, the statements made during that period were also a final test.

In the words of the vampires, the City of Burning Blood never belonged to anyone. They could guarantee that they would only occupy this area this time and would not expand further. Their words were a mix of soft and hard, and there was also a clan elder who had suddenly awakened.

Ruger suddenly noticed a figure dancing in the rain on the street. Before he could see clearly, the figure had already spun past the alley entrance.

He waited for a while, and then the figure reappeared. It seemed that the street corner in front of him had become her own stage.

Judging from the figure, Ruger was pretty sure that the person was his attic neighbor, Elena.

This mixed-race lady was probably just enjoying dancing in the rain. After all, when they last met, she already showed some characteristics of a bloodline infected person, so there was no need for her to try the Blood Fortress rumor that Jaxsay had mentioned.

Boom boom boom!
There was a knock on the door.

Ruger turned around in surprise.

Before he could even respond, old Lenser had already walked in carrying a large cultivation trough.

“As agreed last time, after you mastered the three basic fighter potions, I still haven’t taught you the Rage Fighter Potion. It’s been several days already. Before anything changes, let’s fulfill this agreement first, my good nephew,” old Lenser said with a chuckle. “Yes, Uncle,” Ruger said, “I’m really looking forward to it.”

Old Lenser didn't seem as depressed as he had imagined.

The little tree placed on the lab table twisted towards Luger. It was the same guy he saw every day at the stairwell. Whenever something moving came near, it would twist.

“This is the main material for today’s lesson,” Old Lenser said with a smile, flicking the sapling-like object with his finger. “Think about its habits, what parts of the plant it comes from, and it should be on your catalog.”

Ruger was naturally familiar with this little thing that wriggled around him every day.

It was like a daily reminder of the contents of the document.

This little guy's wriggling isn't a greeting, but a way to lure enemies. In the wild, it attracts small subterranean beasts that approach. There's a nest of ferocious symbiotic worms under its roots. As it wriggles, it secretes a sap to wake the symbiotic worms and get them ready to fight. The pungent sap acts as an alarm clock for the worms and also excites and incites them to fight.

Ruger then remembered the method of cultivating this little thing. Under old Lenser's watchful eye, he reached out and parted the soil. The sapling twisted as if to welcome him, and sure enough, he saw a wrapped jar under the roots, which was already more than half full of sap.

Old Lunser took the jar and began, as usual, to explain and demonstrate the refining process, but he only demonstrated it once.

They also habitually share interesting anecdotes and precautions about the Rage Fighter Potion.

The so-called Rage Warrior Potion can only be taken by those who have fully digested the basic Warrior Potion and successfully condensed their Warrior Mark. For optimal results, the user needs to keep their Warrior Mark lit for the duration of three breaths outside of combat; this greatly increases the chances of success.

Old Lenser also revealed a little trick: the Rage Fighter Potion is actually not suitable for those with fiery tempers, but rather for those who are usually quiet and seem honest. Not only is the success rate higher, but such people will also become more powerful after becoming Rage Fighters.

When rage surges within his chest, the warrior of fury will burn himself, transforming into a ferocious beast capable of tearing everything apart.

Of course, this introduction is very abstract; just understand the general idea. The main purpose is to make the potion easier to sell. Ruger doesn't believe that any raging warrior can tear him apart. After all, this is not the pinnacle of a warrior, but just a branch of advancement.

Knights and gladiators are often no match for wizard apprentices, mainly because their supernatural abilities are relatively limited. Unless a wizard apprentice only learns fireball spells, a little research into strange and unusual spells is enough to defeat powerful knights and gladiators. There was once a supernatural knight who charged with all his might but died from a friendly lightness spell cast by his opponent.

Not long after old Lenser left with the sapling.

Ruger then completed the first bottle of Rage Fighter Potion. After a short rest and some reflection, he made five more bottles, using up all the sap left by Old Lunser. The stingy old dog only kept less than a third of the sap, keeping the rest, which was said to be used to make a more valuable Berserk Potion.

Ruger still selected the two best bottles to keep, and the other four bottles were given to Old Lunser for evaluation before being taken away. To be able to successfully refine four bottles on his first attempt was quite impressive.

After a deep meditation, the view outside the window became even more gloomy.

Just like the atmosphere in Old Renser's Pharmacy now.

Although old Lenser appeared very calm, Ruger and Jaxel could still sense an indescribable sense of oppression. Perhaps it was the unintentional influence of old Lenser's extraordinary mental strength that revealed his true inner emotions.

It's been drizzling.

The City of Burning Blood seemed to have become a deserted city.

The drizzling rain continued for two more days, and the three days given by the vampires were spent in the blood rain.

(End of this chapter)