Chapter 34 : Clue to the Magic Potion

Li Wen instinctively tried to activate the Eye of the Transcendent and make a run for it.

Only after a second did she realize—the strike hadn’t been aimed at her.

If it had, she’d already be dead.

A young knight stood at the entrance, sunlight blazing behind him like a divine mantle, cloaking him in golden brilliance.

The glow cast his face into shadow, lending him an air of inhuman sanctity.

Granny Marsha, the goblin hag, licked her jagged teeth with greedy eyes.

“Pride and impulsiveness are sins clearly written in the doctrine. Young man, I’ve never tasted a holy knight before.”

“That’s not for you to decide.”

The eldest son of the Temple, Moriah Enoch, stepped calmly into the treehouse.

His knight’s sword still burned with flame, though not a trace of heat could be felt from it.

Li Wen had no desire to get dragged into a fight far beyond her means.

Whether it was Moriah or the goblin hag, neither was someone she could handle.

But Granny Marsha clearly wasn’t planning to let her stay out of it.

“Girl, if you still want the Shadowfall Potion, hurry up and kill this knight. Or at the very least, drive him away.”

Before Li Wen could respond, Moriah’s gaze, sharper than any blade, was already fixed on her.

“Shadowfall Potion? Are you an Ascendant of the Deepdark spectrum?”

Radiance and Deepdark were opposing paths—mutually exclusive, eternally hostile.

When the two met, one side had to fall.

Li Wen inwardly cursed.

Even now, that goblin was still trying to stir up trouble.

She really was born rotten.

Li Wen couldn’t be bothered to explain.

Instead, she clasped her hands in prayer and cast a Divine Tongue spell on herself.

Radiance was the perfect passport for those aligned with order.

Anyone serving it was seen as devout and pure-hearted—players being the sole exception.

Moriah, unfamiliar with the nature of players, dropped his guard the moment he saw her use divine magic.

His stern face softened into a warm, open smile, even though Li Wen’s outfit looked nothing like a devout follower’s.

“So you’re a fellow of the church. I’m Moriah, a humble knight of the Temple.”

Among those who served Radiance, it was customary to call each other brother and sister.

Though Moriah hailed from the Temple, he also worked for the Secret Church, and thus followed that tradition while outside.

“I just don’t understand why a fellow believer would need something like the Shadowfall Potion. After all, the Deepdark is our mortal enemy.”

Moriah’s tone remained friendly, but the tip of his sword subtly began to angle toward her.

No way to bluff past this, Li Wen sighed.

“A companion of mine has been afflicted by a strange curse. Crescent-shaped bite marks keep appearing on their body, and within seven days, it will be fatal.”

“The only known cure is a mixture of Clarity Elixir and Shadowfall Potion, which together form the antidote to lift the curse.”

Thankfully, Li Wen’s mind worked fast, and thanks to the patchy knowledge she’d absorbed from her past life’s strategy guides, she managed to come up with a solid answer.

“There’s a curse like that?”

Moriah frowned—not because he didn’t believe her, but because this seemed to lie outside the boundaries of his knowledge.

“It does exist, and that antidote really is the correct one. I swear on my alchemical knowledge. I even remember the curse’s name—‘Netherbite’… Strange. I haven’t heard anything about that curse since coming to Arthurian.”

As she spoke, Granny Marsha cast a deep, lingering glance at Li Wen.

Moriah nodded slightly, treating it as truth for the time being.

He raised his sword and pointed it at the goblin.

“In that case, hand over the potion. Don’t waste any more time—my fellow believer’s life is at stake.”

The goblin hag grinned and ignored him, scooping another ladle of stew from the cauldron.

She slurped it noisily, the thick yellow liquid dripping down her fangs and cracked lips.

“Even if you kill me, you won’t get the potion. It doesn’t exist anymore—it’s long lost.Maybe you’ll find traces in ancient ruins or long-forgotten relics, if they’re still intact.”

“Of course, I still remember part of the recipe…

But one of the key ingredients, the Duskroot, disappeared ages ago. Maybe it still grows in the far north of Arthurian.”

Moriah turned to Li Wen, who hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

At least part of what the goblin said was true—otherwise, she wouldn’t have come here to test her luck.

Fairies were notorious hoarders of treasure, and with lifespans far beyond human comprehension, they often kept things lost to the rest of the world.

It wasn’t unusual to find ancient relics hidden away in their collections.

Still, the claim about missing ingredients?

Li Wen suspected it was a lie.

Apparently, Moriah thought the same.

Without a word, he activated a divine spell.

In his pupils, candle flames flickered to life—so bright that the entire treehouse dimmed around him.

Li Wen gripped the Eye of the Transcendent in her hand and silently took a few steps back, preparing to flee at any moment.

“You have two choices. Speak the truth, or become fuel for the flame—burning forevermore.”

His voice rang with righteous force and conviction.

Even the brazen goblin hag hesitated, afraid he might suddenly explode into divine judgment.

With a dry laugh, she finally relented.

“I don’t have it… But that doesn’t mean I don’t know where to find it. There is one place—whether it’s rare potions or ancient materials, you’re bound to find something there.”

“Where?”

Moriah didn’t stop the spell.

The room darkened further, the flame in his eyes now so blinding it hurt to even look at him.

The goblin’s face twisted.

A shroud of black mist coiled around her.

“It’s in the underground ruins of the Black Forest! That place used to be an alchemist’s lab. The ingredients and potions you want—they’re bound to be there!”

“Now stop that damned spell, unless you want everyone in this room to die with me!”

Moriah ended the incantation immediately.

Li Wen, meanwhile, asked the crucial question.

“What is the Black Forest?”

“It’s this forest.”

Moriah frowned.

“Adventurers have been combing it for years. If there were secrets, they should’ve surfaced by now. Are you sure anything’s still there?”

Li Wen, however, was thinking about something else entirely.

That dwarf vendor had mentioned something about a dungeon.

She hadn’t thought much of it then, but now it clicked—that must have been the alchemist’s lab the goblin was talking about.

Perhaps the entire Fairy Market was built around the underground ruins.

Why else would so many extraordinary beings and well-informed common folk be gathered here?

Not to mention, the dwarf had actually produced a potion with the same recipe—Phantom Solution.

If the ruins held that, why not the Shadowfall Potion too?

“I understand now. I know where to go. Thank you both for your help.”

Let the holy knight and the goblin hag fight it out all they wanted.

Now that she had a lead, Li Wen just wanted to get out of here.

But just as she turned, Moriah blocked her path.

“The alchemist’s lab may be in ruins, but its dangers haven’t diminished. Many die there every year. For safety’s sake, let me accompany you.”

His voice was sincere, his expression earnest, and his reasons entirely practical—so much so that Li Wen couldn’t think of a single excuse to turn him down.