Reincarnated as a bamboo rat, it begins its extreme survival struggle.

“My soul fire has grown stronger, though very subtly, but I can sense it. And…”

Acorn absorbed the drop of crimson essence with his bone revolver; this companion weapon always seems to have unexpected uses.

The enhancement effect of Crimson Light Essence can also work on skeletons like Acorn, which is worthy of its attribute that can work on legendary life forms.

The acorn that drank this substance not only received a slight enhancement, but the skeleton's soul fire began to burn fiercely, and his emotions became extremely high.

"Mr. Bell, I think I can sense what all those foods I've been seeing these past few days taste like! They all taste different!"

Acorn was extremely excited about the discovery, but Bell knew that the taste feedback Acorn perceived was wrong.

This is the side effect of drinking the Crimson Light Essence: hallucinogenic pleasure. For a being with such strong mental power as Acorn, he can get rid of this false state of pleasure with just a thought. After all, a single drop of Crimson Light Essence is not enough to intoxicate Acorn.

But Acorn wasn't in a hurry to dispel this state, after all, he was genuinely enjoying himself in this psychedelic state.

He squatted in the corner, chuckling to himself. Bell ignored him and prepared to try out the Crimson Light Essence, which had unique effects, herself.

With a spirit of research, Bell did not drink all the crimson essence at once, but savored it slowly drop by drop, feeling the changes in power within, especially the power of induction and enhancement.

Chapter 217 Foundation Remediation

As the essence of crimson light merged into his body, intense feelings of joy uncontrollably arose in Bell's consciousness, constantly shifting and changing form according to Bell's desires.

The 【Hypnotic Pleasure】state is why many powerful individuals who have consumed large amounts of Crimson Light Essence continue to purchase it, even though it no longer provides them with any improvement. These individuals are still willing to spend money to experience this sedative state.

"As the amount of Red Light Essence consumed increased, even I found it difficult to resist this false state of pleasure."

After experiencing it firsthand, Bell understood why the melancholy old man he had met in the tavern had been so dejected.

If the person who drinks the Crimson Light Essence is not strong enough and has strong psychological defects, they are likely to develop strong drug dependence symptoms after drinking the Crimson Light Essence repeatedly.

But for Bell, a mere state of "psychedelic pleasure" could not contain his will.

With a fleeting thought, Bell shattered the pleasant atmosphere that enveloped him and instantly entered a state of research.

The Crimson Light Essence melts instantly upon entering the mouth and takes effect remarkably quickly. In the blink of an eye, Bell's body experienced a slight swelling sensation. When applied to Bell, the physical enhancement effect of the Crimson Light Essence was stronger than when applied to other life forms.

As a primordial behemoth whose size can grow without limit, Bell receives additional bonuses when undergoing various types of physical enhancements, which is also the template advantage of primordial behemoths.

Compared to Acorn, who is a member of the skeleton race, the physical enhancement he received was negligible. After all, no matter how much enhancement a skeleton undergoes, it is extremely limited. In contrast, Bell's enhancement can start from tiny cells and gradually expand to his enormous body.

"The physical enhancement effect is good, and my mental strength has also increased to a certain extent, but the most crucial energy is this unique replenishing energy."

Filtering out the enhancement of physical and mental power from perception, an extremely subtle energy gradually became clear in Bell's perception.

If it were someone else, they might not even notice the generation of this power when they drank the Crimson Light Essence, but Bell's powerful mental strength of 300 points allowed him to completely perceive the subtle changes in his body.

Bell patiently observed this wisp of power flowing and changing within his body, watching it extend and explore within him until it finally appeared in the tiny part of his blood that Bell hadn't even noticed.

This power penetrated deep into Bell's blood and found the loophole in the combination of Bell's blood and magic.

Although Bell is a bamboo rat, he is not a magical beast. The magical power in his body comes from his profession as a bard.

However, to some extent, Bell's body also needs the way magical beasts store and utilize magic power, otherwise his magic power circulation will have subtle, imperceptible defects.

In the early stages, this flaw was not a big deal, since Bell himself didn't even notice it. However, when this flaw became enough to affect Bell's subsequent growth, it would be at least after Bell became a legendary powerhouse.

If that time comes, Bell will have to pay an even greater price to address this inherent flaw.

After all, level

The improvement is like building a skyscraper. When the building is already very tall, if you find problems with the foundation and want to fix them, the resources and effort required are incomparable to those before the building was even built.

This is also why the prodigies from powerful organizations and those who come from humble backgrounds develop in vastly different ways later on.

Those prodigies from top powers are raised by specialists from birth, and when they begin training, experts examine their bones and formulate corresponding training plans to ensure that their physical potential is developed to the limit.

It's not surprising that self-taught geniuses, who don't even understand how to eat a nutritious meal every day, face limitations in their later development.

For Bell, discovering the minor flaw in the fusion of his blood and magic at this stage is actually a fortunate thing, as early detection means early resolution.

"In terms of the current extent of repairing this defect, it would probably take another fifteen Red Light Essences to fix my magic fusion defect."

The reason why Crimson Light Essence is valuable is because of its ability to repair one's foundation. Even if the repair effect is relatively limited, it is still something that normal adventurers crave.

Without this foundational restorative function, the price of Crimson Light Essence would drop by at least two-thirds, and it wouldn't be so enthusiastically sought after.

"Since this thing is so useful, let me see what it's made of."

He poured out the remaining half of the Crimson Light Essence, and a halo of flames appeared on Bell's forehead. The flames enveloped the Crimson Light Essence, and [Fire-Loving Wisdom] entered full operation.

Like peeling back layers of an onion, Bell meticulously deduced the ingredients used to create the Crimson Light Essence, demonstrating the exceptionally powerful analytical ability of [Fire-Obsessed Wisdom].

"Star-spotted grass, fiery red tree roots, floating grass nodules, white jade scorpion venom..."

Once the raw material components are analyzed, Bell can deduce the formula for the Red Light Essence by analyzing the proportions of each component.

The potion-making experience and knowledge he had accumulated while analyzing those magical potions in the bamboo forest came in handy at this moment.

"Apart from the crimson marrow, the other medicinal materials are not uncommon. Although some of them are very expensive, fortunately, they only need a few strands when preparing the crimson essence."

To prepare a dose of Crimson Light Essence, excluding the Crimson Marrow Liquid, the cost is approximately 650 gold coins. This cost is not high compared to the astonishing price of Crimson Light Essence.

The only thing that intrigued Bell was the cost of the raw material called Crimson Marrow.

Of all the ingredients in the Crimson Essence recipe, there was only one ingredient that Bell didn't recognize. He was only able to deduce that this ingredient was Crimson Marrow Fluid through the description in [Information Insight].

It seems that this thing should be the core raw material for making Crimson Light Essence in Crimson Water City. The reason why Crimson Light Essence cannot be reproduced elsewhere is because this important raw material is missing.

Looking across the entire continent, there are quite a few advanced and legendary pharmacists. I believe many people have been curious about the Crimson Light Essence and tried to replicate it, but they all failed due to the lack of this raw material.

Most apothecaries are unable to replicate an effective potion product if they lose a crucial ingredient.

Even if exceptionally talented pharmacists create potions with the same or even better effects than Crimson Light Essence using other methods, their production costs will never be lower than those of Crimson Light Essence.

Chapter 218 The Secrets Beneath Chishui City

"This is interesting. It seems that finding the raw material for this Crimson Marrow Fluid should also be added to my to-do list."

Bell added a side quest to his schedule: to search for the Crimson Fluid, if possible.

To navigate Chishui City, Bell needed a new identity. In this big city, Ning's identity as a wealthy gunslinger wouldn't be of much use and would be easily exposed.

This time, Bell is going to play the role of a high-level pharmacist who sells special potions. He has analyzed so many potions that he has mastered a large number of potion formulas. After becoming more proficient, Bell will be able to create various potions with good effects.

In addition to being a "Senior Pharmacist," Bell also has special tools unique to him to assist in potion making.

Among the block items that Bell can craft are the brewing stand and the cauldron, two items specifically for making potions.

Although Bell didn't know where to get the Flame Rod, it didn't dampen his enthusiasm for making potions.

"However, before creating a new identity, I need to have my own base. Only after the supplies are properly stored can I proceed with my plans smoothly."

Bell plans to dig vertically downwards, just like he did in Azure Star City, using the rule-breaking ability of block items to go all the way down to rebuild an underground base in a place unknown and difficult to explore.

To do this, Bell first needs to have a fixed residence in Redwater City, like the Edu family in Azure Star City, so that he can come and go as he pleases.

After all, you can't stay in a hotel every day; there are many things that are inconvenient to do in a hotel.

However, the problem is that buying or renting a house in Chishui City is not an easy thing. You need to obtain an identity certificate from the city guards. Simply put, you need an ID card or temporary residence permit. Tourists are not eligible to buy or rent houses.

If Bell hadn't used his VIP status to rent a house through the Black Gold Merchant Guild, he wouldn't have been able to find a quiet place to stay undisturbed in such a short time.

The VIP status of the Black Gold Merchant Guild was far more useful than Bell had imagined.

The residence that the Black Gold Merchant Guild found for Bell perfectly met all of Bell's needs.

Although located on the outskirts of the city, close to the suburbs, the surrounding scenery is beautiful, and it is secluded with few people.

"To put it simply, this is the dead end of the world, with hardly any food stalls around, but it suits me just fine."

With this permanent residence, Bell immediately entered the room, quickly pried open the floor tiles, picked up a pickaxe, and began digging vertically downwards.

Given Bell's drive, it's not impossible that he might dig a basement or even find oil to attract the US military.

But as Bell was digging deeper, his previously unnoticed lucky streak had already begun to take effect.

The luck attribute of a normal person is not included in the statistics of [Information Insight] because it has no ability to cause a chain reaction.

People with slightly better luck will have a luck attribute displayed, while people with very good luck will usually have two points of luck attribute, such as Bear Grylls who doesn't have any luck bonus.

Luck attribute

These three points are enough to trigger a chain reaction of events through a series of coincidences.

Like the underdeveloped hero Bell encountered, he possessed five points of luck, making him a true chosen one in a world with a lower potential.

The mysterious seashell that Bell possessed added a bit to his luck, triggering a chain reaction of events by chance.

Bell wanted to obtain the Crimson Essence so that he could create his own Crimson Light Essence to compensate for his magical deficiencies.

This wish, influenced by fluctuations in luck, came true at an astonishing speed.

Unable to find housing independently in Redwater City, Bell turned to the Black Gold Merchant Guild for help. Coincidentally, the Black Gold Merchant Guild arranged for Bell to stay in this suburban residence, just as he was looking for what he needed.

And right below Bell's residence lies a secret base highly related to the crimson fluid.

If Bell could think of building a secret underground base to cause trouble in a place unknown and difficult to explore, the rulers of Chishui City long ago could have thought of it too.

Many people have thought about building bases underground, but the main reason why few people have adopted this idea is that excavation is difficult and there is little profit in building an underground base. Therefore, basically no one will dig a base hundreds of meters deep underground.

To put it in perspective, 100 meters is the height of a 30-story building. Digging out a 30-story building deep underground is a complex and massive undertaking.

Only a city like Chishui City, which produces important strategic resources in a highly clandestine manner, would build a secret underground base seventy meters deep.