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

Chapter 98: Squandering all wealth to buy magic potions, then injecting them directly.

Richard nodded and said, "After you remember this, while I'm here to protect you, drink your share of the potion."

He tilted his head and pointed with his chin at the oil paper package.

Evan hummed in agreement, took the bag from the bedside table, and slowly untied it.

The glass bottle inside was quite large, three times the size of a typical potion bottle.

The thick, almost stagnant dark red liquid inside the bottle gleamed with an unusual sheen under the gaslight.

"It can push your bloodthirsty traits to another level."

Ivan nodded.

"Seventy percent belongs to others, and I only have thirty percent."

He held the glass bottle, his palm against the cold bottle wall, and a rather familiar thought instinctively surfaced in his mind.

Why don't you give yourself a syringe and try injecting it directly into a vein?

Anyway, he has the power of the Nine Dragons as a trump card. If something goes wrong, he can easily turn the tables.

The foundation of being a ruthless person is having strong enough drive to take action.

So he immediately said.

"Senior brother, let's forget about it for now."

"I can barely go out during the day now, but I'm afraid if I downed a whole bottle, I wouldn't even be able to step out of this door during the day."

"Keep it for now. Drink it when you have some free time."

Richard nodded: "Yes, that's true."

He flexed his wrists, making two clicking sounds, and stood up from the bed.

"Now that my injury is healed, I'll head out."

"I'm too big a target; I'll attract bad influences and could easily drag you down with me."

"As for that witch—"

He paused at the doorway, then turned and smiled at Evan.

"With the Phoenix Brotherhood gone, she's being hunted by the authorities and won't be bothering you for a while."

Evan nodded, then remembered something and quickly spoke up.

"By the way, senior brother, where can I get a gun?"

Richard raised his eyebrows, revealing a mouthful of large, yellow teeth from smoking.

"Take your investigator's badge to the Bolton City Police Department and pick it up directly."

"clear!"

After seeing Richard off, Ivan clutched the heavy bottle of Bloodthirsty Specialty Potion.

He had already clearly planned out the next steps in his mind.

"First, go buy a potion to increase your affinity with the sun, then use a syringe to give yourself a powerful shot."

He mentally reviewed the relevant plans.

"Let's improve our affinity with the sun first."

"Go to the medical school the day after tomorrow to go through the potion-making process with Dr. Forem."

The most important thing right now is to improve the Bloodthirst trait as much as possible while also solving the problem of overcoming sunlight.

The two scratches his senior brother left tonight that nearly killed him served as a wake-up call for Evan.

Time is of the essence; this place is dangerous.

Even an expert witcher like Richard can encounter unexpected situations.

"I wonder how long the side effects of the permanent potion will reverse—if that doesn't work, I'll buy a potion that directly increases solar affinity and try to get the Bloodthirsty trait onto my character tonight!"

"To prevent things from getting complicated."

Having made up his mind, he stood up and put on the sharp three-piece suit he had brought back from New Haven.

Then he took the newsboy cap, which he had bought for four dollars just two days ago, off the coat rack.

The hat is made of dark blue corduroy with a dark purple satin lining and leather trim, making it both stylish and warm.

In late November, the night wind blowing from the Atlantic Ocean in Bolton was quite chilly.

Under the streetlights, the white breath exhaled can stretch for half a foot.

But for Evan, who was in his early 8 o'clock condition, this little breeze was nothing.

He entered the dark alley, his steps as light as a cat's, gliding along the shadows of the corner of the wall.

Passersby might not even notice someone passing by unless they look closely.

Three blocks later, he arrived at the truly brightly lit part of Bolton.

Central Avenue.

At 7:30 p.m., while everything else was dark, this street seemed brighter than during the day.

The row of arc streetlights in the middle of the street was blindingly white, and on both sides stood rows of neoclassical red brick commercial buildings.

Behind each large glass window is a custom-made milky white glass dome, which makes every item displayed inside shine.

Cars of all models drove past from the opposite street corner, and well-dressed men and women laughed and reveled with a sense of luxury and debauchery.

"I never expected that a place selling magic potions would be located in a busy downtown area."

Ivan smiled.

He pulled his hat brim low, crossed the road at an angle, dodged two delivery trucks vying to turn right, and headed toward a pharmacy with a dark red wooden sign on the street corner.

The signboard is stamped with gold lettering: Angel's Hand.

On either side of the plaque stands a small, winged, bas-relief brass cherub, its shoes resting on a cluster of blooming irises.

This pharmacy is quite large, with its front facade occupying two large display windows.

Even at 7:30 p.m., there were still many customers standing in front of the counter buying medicine.

This is one of the potion shops on the list that Dr. Armitage gave him.

It belongs to the Byron Group.

Among the various factions in the potion business, they are considered to offer relatively reasonable prices.

The moment Evan stepped through the door, the small brass bell on the lintel rang once.

A middle-aged female sales clerk behind the counter immediately turned around.

She wore silver-rimmed glasses and a white and blue work uniform, looking capable and efficient.

Her gaze lingered on Evan's suit and brand-new corduroy hat for less than a second before she promptly flashed a standard smile.

"Sir, what medicine do you need?"

Ivan smiled and said, "I want to buy some fast-acting elixirs."

Ms. Lucy paused for a moment, then her tone became quite cautious.

"—We have no magic medicine here."

"If you don't have any elixirs—something with dream-like components will do."

Lucy's eyes lit up.

She waved to the young woman next to her who had just started her night shift.

"Maggie, you take over for a bit."

He then gestured for Ivan to enter.

"This way, please."

Evan followed her and went through the wooden door at the end of the counter.

Behind the door was a narrow wooden staircase, the handrail polished to a shine from being rubbed by countless hands.

The second floor was a warehouse, filled with the smell of camphor and alcohol.

As soon as the stairs on the third floor turned, the lights suddenly dimmed.

At the top of the stairs, a middle-aged man in a well-fitting gray tweed suit stood waiting for them.

Lucy nodded respectfully to the man, then turned and went downstairs.

The middle-aged man took Ivan and gave him a very professional smile.

"Sir, where are you from?"

Ivan casually shoved the Miskatonic University investigator's badge over to him.

The middle-aged man glanced at it, then handed the documents back with both hands, raising his head slightly in a smile.

"Just call me a sales assistant."

He then turned and led the way, taking Evan to the third floor.

The layout of the third floor is quite simple. The entire floor is divided into a series of small, enclosed private rooms, and apart from the walls and wooden doors, there is nothing else to be seen on either side of the corridor.

Each door has a small bronze plaque hanging on it, with no numbers on it, only different shapes and patterns.

The middle-aged man pushed open one of the doors and invited Evan into a small room of about fifteen square meters.

The private room was decorated very simply, with a round table covered with dark green velvet in the center and two high-backed chairs.

"gentlemen."

The sales assistant didn't take anything, but asked with a smile.

"What medication do you need?"

Ivan sat down, leaning slightly forward.

"I'm relatively new to this industry."

"Is there a magic potion that can permanently increase one's affinity with the sun?"

The middle-aged man glanced at him and then smiled.

"Yes, sir. Yes."

He poured Ivan a small cup of hot tea and stirred it with a silver spoon.

"However, these kinds of potions with permanent effects are generally very expensive."

"And the side effects are quite significant."

Evan picked up the small blue-and-white porcelain cup.

"What are the effects, and how much does it cost?"

The middle-aged man smiled slightly.

"Light Potion. A high-grade potion that permanently increases affinity with the sun, a favorite among many knights and demons."

"The price is that seeing the moon will cause intense panic and a permanent fear of the dark."

He paused for a second.

"The price is $1,500."

Ivan paused slightly with his fingers holding the teacup, almost blurting out, "Why the hell don't you just rob someone?"

He coughed and swallowed the mouthful of tea.

"Anything else?"

"Daylight, Intermediate Potion."

"Permanently enhances solar affinity."

"The price is that you will be extremely afraid of monsters in the future, and you will enter a weakened state at night."

"The price is eight hundred US dollars."

Seeing that Ivan remained silent, the middle-aged man continued on his own.

"Sunflower Potion, low-level potion."

"Permanently enhances solar affinity."

"The price is fear of water, fear of the soul."

"The price is three hundred dollars."

Evan quickly did a mental calculation.

"I never expected that permanent results would be so expensive."

He hesitated for a moment.

"I want to buy more. Can you give me a discount?"

The middle-aged man had no expression.

"No bargaining."

Ivan turned his head and glanced at the attributes on his panel.

"Since the effects of the injections are generally quite potent—"

He was making plans in his mind.

"Then if I inject the Bloodthirsty Seed Potion, I might be able to directly reach two stages."

"My senior brother has been ambushed from behind."

"I must raise my skill level to the next level as soon as possible."

"In that case..."

He gritted his teeth and made a decision.

"Damn it, I can't take this anymore!"

He resolutely raised his head.

"Give me one bottle of premium and one bottle of mid-range."

For a moment, the middle-aged man opposite him, who was so professional that he was almost impeccable, was clearly stunned.

"You said—"

A genuine look of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Buy, two kinds?"

He simply couldn't understand it.

This potion, whose sole selling point is "permanent solar affinity," has a rather limited scope for what it can be used for.

Even some knights who worship the sun to the point of near madness could not use two at the same time.

Because this is enough to render any ordinary superhuman useless.

Ivan hummed in agreement.

He pulled out a wad of cash that he had withdrawn from the bank in advance from his inner pocket.

The previous $2,460 (some of which I spent in the last two days) has been instantly reduced to $160.

Although the middle-aged man still looked puzzled, a smile visibly spread from the corners of his eyes.

After all, he gets a commission on orders at this price point.

"Okay, sir, please wait a moment!"

His tone suddenly became warmer and more heartfelt.

Taking advantage of a lull, Evan asked another question.

"These two potions aren't corrosive, are they?"

The middle-aged man shook his head.

"Of course not."

"Only a few eccentric witchers would make potions that are corrosive."

Ivan finally felt relieved.

A few minutes later.

A small leather box was placed respectfully on the table.

The sales assistant slowly opened the box lid.

Inside were two glass potions placed side by side, one large and one small.

Inside the large bottle was a pool of thick liquid burning with light and fire, as if the bottle itself were a furnace sealing the flames.

Inside the small bottle was a pool of pure white, almost sacred, luminous liquid, its light soft, like milk.

Both bottles are significantly larger than typical potion bottles.

"Please take this."

The sales assistant pushed the box in front of Evan with both hands, her smile lines completely relaxing.

"Sir, if you need anything else in the future, please feel free to call me."

He handed the bronze medal on his chest forward.

"My name is Bill."

"Just give me my name at the front desk and I will provide you with the best service."

Evan hummed in agreement and put the box into his inner bag.

"I see."

Carrying the two bottles of the huge sum of money he had just acquired, Evan thanked Bill and went back down the stairs to the first floor, squeezing into the night and the crowd.

After leaving the Angel's Hand, he didn't go home immediately. Instead, he walked two blocks along Central Avenue and turned onto a side street where the lights were dimmer.

I stopped in front of another local pharmacy with a white sign and a red cross to buy syringes.

There were two types of syringes from this era.

One type is a new glass syringe imported from the Prussian Empire, priced at four dollars.

Another option is a nickel-plated brass syringe, priced at one dollar.

Ivan pointed almost without hesitation to the nickel-plated brass one.

Every little bit saved counts; the extra money can be used to buy medicine.

Today he truly witnessed just how outrageous the price of potions really is.

He put the syringe and a small roll of sterile gauze into the small oil paper bag, turned around, and strode towards home.

When he returned to the red-brick apartment building on Guding Street, he did not go upstairs immediately.

Instead, they walked half a circle around the shadows on the side of the building.

After confirming that there were no suspicious people around, I went upstairs to go home.

Upon entering, he bolted the door shut behind him and then hung the old chain lock back on.

The curtains were drawn tightly shut. The demon hunter scanned the area inside and out, confirming that there was nothing unusual on the walls, under the bed, or behind the wardrobe.

He then released his secondary brain, letting it crouch and guard the door crack.

Everything is ready.

Evan sat down on the edge of the bed, opened the leather box, and laid out the two bottles of potions and the small nickel-plated brass syringe on the bedside table.

He took a deep breath.

"Start with the intermediate level."

He picked up the bottle containing the Daylight Potion, which glowed with a soft white light, unscrewed the cap, inserted the nickel-plated syringe into the bottle, and steadily drew out the liquid.

He rolled up his left sleeve, found the bulging blue vein in the crook of his elbow, and pierced it with a click.

The enhanced skin can block many club attacks.

However, it still has no effective resistance to such an extremely sharp needle.

Ivan held his breath and pushed the entire tube in—

In an instant, a violent wave of dizziness struck.

Along with dizziness, Evan felt very hot, and then he vaguely saw a monster opening its huge mouth to eat him.

I was completely powerless to resist, feeling utterly desperate and helpless.

Just then—

You have been injected with the complete Daylight Potion.

[Warning: You will receive an additional 100% of the drug's effect. However, the reversal time will be extended five times.]

[Effect: Your solar affinity is permanently increased by 40% (from 20%).]

Does this reverse the side effects?