"It's an Earth Elemental Puppet!"
Everyone recognized its origin.
It was a temporary servant created using "Elemental Summoning" and "Puppetry" as the foundation, controlled remotely with an "Arcane Imprint."
In essence, it was a mass of Wizardry Energy moving earth and stones, but in the eyes of ordinary people, it was a terrifying monster.
Just one of these could easily wipe out an entire squad of poorly armed militiamen.
Its physique and strength were comparable to that of a low-level knight, and if the Wizardry Energy infused into it exceeded the standard model, it could gain corresponding enhancements.
For example, Enhanced Puppets or Large Puppets, whose strength rivaled that of mid to high-level knights.
"Luckily, this thing isn't too strong!"
Renien, seeing that the puppet wasn't particularly large and didn't seem too powerful, breathed a sigh of relief and volunteered to take it down.
However, the puppet turned out to be exceptionally fierce. After blocking a few strikes with his sword, Renien quickly retreated, no longer daring to push his luck.
"It's an Enhanced Puppet, how sneaky!"
"Fight while retreating, head to where we hid the Undead Warhorses!" Roy said as he helped fend off the puppet's attacks.
He wasn't actually incapable of dealing with the puppet, but he was afraid of being held back.
Fortunately, he was equipped with Boots of Swiftness. After activating the Wizardry Energy within them, he became as light as a swallow, making dodging and maneuvering much easier.
After a prolonged struggle, the group successfully mounted their hidden warhorses and gradually put distance between themselves and the puppet.
"For now, I'll let you go…
But I'll remember you!"
Olen's eerie voice drifted from behind, sounding both like an illusion and as if it were right in front of them.
Roy, sensing the faint remnants of mental energy, turned extremely grim.
But since things had come to this, he didn't say much and simply continued to press on.
...
Late into the night.
The group had distanced themselves from the danger and finally began to relax.
"That's good, he didn't continue chasing us…"
"It seems he really let us go. After all, pursuing his original target is more important…"
"How strange, what could they have done to provoke such an opponent? Senior Olen is an Elite Apprentice, after all!"
The situation was highly suspicious. While everyone lamented their bad luck, they couldn't help but speculate.
Roy said, "Forget it, let's not dwell on it. Getting back is our priority.
To avoid Olen ambushing us on the way, I suggest we travel day and night and return to the Wizard Tower as quickly as possible.
Rest isn't necessary anymore. Only inside the Wizard Tower can we ensure our safety."
"Do we really need to be this cautious?"
Renien couldn't help but laugh.
"You're always overly cautious!"
But after laughing, his body suddenly swayed, and he nearly fell off his horse: "Not good, I… I feel a bit dizzy…"
"How could this happen out of nowhere?" Everyone was puzzled.
"I think I've been poisoned!" Renien's laughter vanished.
Celine exclaimed in surprise, "Was it Olen's Wizardry?"
Hearing this, everyone stopped, their concern tinged with fear, unsure if they should gather around to check.
"Olen specializes in spells like 'Deadly Poison Crafting'…"
"When exactly did he poison us?"
Roy's expression also changed slightly: "I'm feeling a bit off too!"
It was likely a volatile toxin hidden within the automata, not particularly potent but effective due to its colorless and odorless nature...
His physique was superior to Renien's, and with the active Wizardry Energy within him, he had a certain level of resistance, though he felt slightly nauseous.
From this, one could imagine that Renien's condition was much worse.
Celine helped examine him and said, "It's indeed symptoms of poisoning, but we don't know what kind of toxin it is yet. Only Wizardry Energy can counteract it, or one could rely on physical endurance to tough it out."
"I... I probably won't die!" Renien panicked, and soon his breathing became visibly labored, "But I can't move!"
Roy stepped forward, using a small portable syringe to draw his blood, then sensed it with his mental energy.
"It seems to be the type that affects blood circulation; the blood oxygen content is very low..."
Renien anxiously asked, "What should we do?"
Celine suggested, "Should we stop and rest for a while? Renien might not be deeply poisoned and could recover through meditation."
Tigro, however, disagreed, "That's not advisable. We can't stop; we need to hurry.
Renien, hang in there. Should we tie you to the horse?"
Celine said, "If only we had an antidote."
Roy replied, "I only have a slight knowledge of antidotes and have never actually brewed one...
Moreover, I don't have the necessary materials on hand."
"We don't have any either, and we don't know how to brew them!" Andov and Tigro looked at each other, completely at a loss.
"Wait, does anyone have mercury?"
Suddenly, Roy remembered something and quickly inquired.
"I happen to have a small jar, originally used for material preservation..." Celine promptly replied.
Mercury, commonly known as quicksilver, is a natural liquid metal that exists in liquid form at room temperature and pressure.
It can dissolve in nitric acid and hot concentrated sulfuric acid, and it can dissolve many metals, such as gold and silver, forming amalgams. It is used for preservation and medicine, and its vapor is highly toxic. It can also be used in certain hostile Wizardry.
Its uses are extensive, making it of extraordinary significance in Alchemy.
Directly using mercury for medicine is dangerous for mortals, as it is a heavy metal with severe toxicity to the human body.
But in the Wizard World, there are supernatural powers that can harness it!
"Give it to me!" Roy quickly set up a makeshift small Alchemy Table with nearby rocks and began to work.
The attempt he was making now was to fully utilize his newly acquired Bronze-level talent [Sulfur-Mercury Theory] to brew a special substance called "Blood Mercury."
[Master the knowledge of using sulfur and mercury to generate Zabil Magic Metal; when performing related operations, the corresponding ability level +1]
As an ordinary apprentice, it's rare to master this formula unless one happens to specialize in this field.
But after acquiring the Alchemy Talent of [Sulfur-Mercury Theory], he had already become self-taught.
The talent effect of "corresponding ability level +1" made him feel as if he had undergone countless trials and deep studies, with insights emerging as instincts.
After a short while, Roy successfully produced a small jar of blood-colored enchanted mercury paste.
The object carried the unique metallic texture of mercury, but due to the influence of Wizardry Energy and the transmutation effect, it did not retain its original silver color. Instead, it appeared as a deep, crimson red.
Upon closer inspection, it emitted a faint fluorescence within the glass bottle.
While he was treating Renien by drawing blood, he simultaneously infused the corresponding amount of blood.
After a while, to everyone's astonishment, Renien swayed and gradually regained consciousness.
"This is incredible, I feel much better!"
(End of Chapter)