I'm a proper student; I only take nine kinds of potions every day.

Pulis gently swirled the liquid in the glass, and the dark red wine left a layer of residue that slowly slid down the glass.

"Yes. But I underestimated this guy's sharpness."

He took a sip of his drink, leaving a thin layer of red on his lips.

"Unsurprisingly, she has also set her sights on Arkham, hoping to expand her manpower."

"Should we retaliate?" the female assistant asked.

Priss shook his head: "The Witchers are not our enemies."

"Since the other party is so reckless, they can serve as a stepping stone for us."

He produced a letter: "Night Owl has brought news that the Arkham family is indeed in trouble."

"This year's invitation to return home fell to him."

The female assistant pursed her pale lips: "Master, what should we do next?"

He placed the wine glass on the armrest, his fingers lightly tapping the rim, producing a soft tinkling sound.

"As long as we can keep getting his blood, that's fine."

"Let Erdin contact him."

"These lowlife witchers are all penniless. Give them some benefits."

"It would be best if she could discover all the secrets of Arkham's body."

The female assistant nodded knowingly.

"clear."

She paused for a moment, her tone changing slightly.

"Master, Mr. Sap has sent word that he is short-handed."

Priss stopped tapping.

His brows furrowed, and a hint of undisguised disgust flashed in his light blue eyes behind his glasses.

There was a few seconds of silence.

"Let Ledo and the others go."

His voice was very soft, but every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

He clenched his fist, and the wine glass, which was resting on the armrest, was bumped by his elbow, causing it to slosh around and almost spill the dark red liquid.

"Just bear with it a little longer."

The fire crackled in the fireplace, its orange light casting deep shadows on his pale face.

"As long as we can overcome the sunlight, we will no longer have to grovel before it."

Chapter 25: Painkillers are truly a great invention

When Evan, clutching his stomach and pale-faced, walked back to Guding Street, it was already 7:30 p.m.

Old Tom sat on a low stool, a woman's leather boot tucked between his knees, still threading a needle in his hand.

He looked up and saw Ivan turning the corner from the street corner. A clear look of surprise flashed in his eyes behind his reading glasses.

Judging from the way Zach looked like he was about to eat someone alive, this kid should at least be missing an arm or a leg.

He returned unharmed.

Although his face was as white as a sheet of paper and he walked with a limp, he had all four limbs and could walk on his own.

"Are you alright?" Old Tom asked tentatively.

Ivan smiled, but the smile looked somewhat forced against his pale face.

"It's nothing, just a misunderstanding, it's been resolved."

Old Tom didn't ask any further questions. He nodded, then lowered his head and continued sewing the shoes.

Ivan turned and walked into the stairwell, then climbed up the wall while holding onto the railing.

The cramping pain in my stomach and the stinging pain from the bruises on my back created a double whammy. I had to grit my teeth and hiss as I climbed each step.

He pushed open the door and saw Mary.

She stood in the corridor, half of her face swollen high, the color having changed from red to bluish-purple, her right arm draped over her chest with that dirty scarf.

She was stuffing something into a cloth bag when she saw Evan push the door open and walk in; her movements froze.

"Damn sick person, how could you come back?"

Her voice was shrill and trembling, and her eyes were filled with astonishment.

In her mind, anyone who dared to offend Zack like that was definitely going to die tonight.

Having just ingested the Witcher's extraordinary abilities, Evan felt like his stomach was on fire and had no desire to waste any more words with this woman.

"Get out of here, you bitch. Leave the key behind."

His voice was cold and weary, like a piece of frozen iron.

"Go to the Gus gang, and you'll find out."

He doesn't have the ability of those gangsters to kill someone and then get away with it from the police.

But the Gus gang will soon find out what happened to Zack and his twenty-odd men tonight.

By then, Mary will naturally understand what has happened.

Upon hearing this, Mary's face turned deathly pale.

She stopped cursing and shouting.

She took two keys out of her pocket, placed them on the shoe cabinet in the hallway, then grabbed the half-full cloth bag and rushed out the door without looking back.

The footsteps faded quickly into the distance in the stairwell, like a wild cat whose tail had been stepped on.

Ivan closed the door and locked it.

The apartment fell silent.

There was no smell of smoke, no cheap perfume, no heavy breathing from men, and no muffled thuds of the bed hitting the wall.

Only his own breathing could be heard, along with the dull, burning pain in his stomach.

He walked back to the bedroom with a grin, plopped down in a chair, grabbed the aspirin bottle from the table, poured five or six white pills into his palm, stuffed them all into his mouth, and then rinsed them down with water.

Then he poured out two small, grayish-white pills from the bottle of mercury pills and swallowed them.

You have taken a mercury pill. Effect lasts: 6 hours.

[Effect: Syphilis rash slightly subsided.]

You reversed the side effects.

Your digestive ulcers have been relieved! 9% → 8%

Your brain nerve damage has been alleviated! 14% → 13%

Your oral cavity has been strengthened, and your physical constitution has been permanently increased by 0.001.

……

You have taken a large dose of aspirin. Effect lasts: 6 hours.

[Effect: Your pneumonia has improved, from 9% to 6%. During the course of the medication, your pain perception has decreased.]

You reversed the side effects.

Your digestive function has improved, and your constitution has been permanently increased by 0.001.

Your hearing has improved, and your physical constitution has been permanently increased by 0.001.

Aspirin takes effect in about ten minutes.

The burning sensation that spread from my stomach to my whole body was wrapped in a layer of soft cotton wool. It didn't disappear, but it became bearable.

The bruises on my back are no longer so painful, and I've gone from feeling "pain so bad I want to die" to "pain so bad I can still move."

"Painkillers are truly a great invention."

Ivan stood up, changed into the denim overalls and canvas shirt his father had left him, locked the door, went downstairs, and headed straight for the dock area.

It was already pitch black at seven o'clock in November.

The warehouse of Bryce Transportation Company was brightly lit, and workers were busy at work.

Evan walked briskly to the registration desk, picked up his employee badge, and pinned it to his shoulder strap.

Parker stood at the warehouse entrance, a pipe dangling from his lips. When he saw him arrive, he nodded but said nothing more.

But today, Ivan made a new request.

"Uncle Parker, I don't want hourly wages anymore, I want piecework."

Parker took the pipe out of his mouth and glanced at him.

Piece-rate system means you get paid for whatever you move, with no minimum wage but no maximum pay.

For the company, the more workers do, the better.

For workers, unless you are really capable, it's safer to take an hourly wage.

After all, it's your own body.

Parker did not object.

After all, the company's goods are never-ending, and the more his subordinates do, the more commission he, as the foreman, earns.

Then, over the next four hours, Parker's pipe went out three times, each time because his mouth was open too wide.

This young man is like a tireless machine.

Except for a 15-minute break for lunch, he didn't rest for a moment.

With four sacks on his shoulders at the same time, weighing 180 pounds, he still walked steadily.

Moreover, they were stacked neatly, with the bag openings facing inwards, layer upon layer, more orderly than many veterans who have been doing this for ten years.