Chapter Seventy-Five: The Cellar
When the ancient sage placed sulfur, mercury, lead, and copper into the stone egg, the direction of the world changed unknowingly.
Alchemy, known to the world, originated from the Ancient Hermetic School of the Golden Age. They believed in the connection between matter and soul, believing that the transformation of matter would lead to the sublimation of the soul.
Li Wen did not understand those secret texts long forgotten by history, but she knew that Ash Fire was one of the simplest, even crudest, among high-risk alchemical creations.
Its power ranged from igniting a fire that would extinguish in an instant to collapsing the walls of a large city, depending on its purity and quantity.
Although her tools were limited and she couldn’t purify it to an acceptable level, as the saying goes, quantity makes up for lack of purity. What one ounce of high-purity Ash Fire could do, ten ounces of Li Wen’s inferior version should also be able to achieve.
Li Wen possessed the “Dexterous Hands” trait and refined a sufficient quantity of Ash Fire in a short amount of time.
It was a black, crystalline powder that appeared unremarkable but was actually very unstable. Upon slight heating, it would cause a violent explosion, accompanied by gray flames that were difficult to extinguish quickly, hence its name.
Li Wen packed the Ash Fire into a sealed clay pot. Previously, this clay pot contained potent fire oil, all of which Li Wen had now used to refine Ash Fire.
After packing, Li Wen placed the clay pot on the ground. Moving away from it, she took out the Raven Feather Dagger and slashed it, unleashing the Spell-less Arc Light.
The brilliant blade struck the clay pot. In an instant, dim gray flames, along with an explosion, swept through the corridor. Li Wen had cast Prayer on herself beforehand, but the shockwave of the explosion still reduced her life to 90%.
When the smoke and dust cleared, the original corridor had disappeared. What appeared before Li Wen’s eyes was a blood-red crescent moon hanging high in the sky.
She was still outside the mansion, not having entered, and the large door connected to the circular corridor remained closed.
“It rejected you because you are not invited,” Grandma Martha said.
Rustling footsteps came from all directions. When Li Wen turned around, she realized she was surrounded.
Those surrounding her were the castle’s hired hands and servants. Their faces were stiff and pale, their eyes vacant like corpses.
“Then I’ll fight my way in.”
Li Wen said decisively. As she raised her hand again, the Raven Feather Dagger flashed with the Enchantment of Spell-less Arc Light.
The hired hands and servants rushed forward, but their fragile bodies were no match for the sharp blade, especially since it was a purple-quality weapon with the double enchantment of Spell-less Arc Light.
The blade easily sliced through flesh and bone. Almost no one could withstand a single strike from Li Wen. Soon, only corpses and severed limbs remained around Li Wen.
However, she soon discovered that an endless stream of servants was still pouring in from all directions, like a fearless army.
She didn’t know where the castle got so many people, but continuing to kill them would undoubtedly be a waste of time, as they seemed inexhaustible.
“Is there any way?”
She asked Grandma Martha.
“This mansion has been rejecting your arrival from the very beginning. Although I don’t know why, you clearly cannot enter by normal means in this situation.”
Wilson was hiding within this mansion. If Li Wen couldn’t get in, how could she kill him?
“Then are there no abnormal means?”
The Ghost Fairy chuckled, then soared into the air, cackling, “Go east!”
Li Wen didn’t ask why. Gripping her dagger, she followed the Raven and rushed out.
“See that well? Jump in!”
Li Wen saw it from afar, but there were too many obstructors along the way. They seemed to understand Li Wen’s intentions and rushed to block her regardless.
Although the Raven Feather Dagger was powerful, it was not suitable for this kind of grass-cutting situation. So, Li Wen took out a scroll. This was one of the spoils of war she obtained after defeating the Fire Mage: a Scroll of Flight.
Magic scrolls could be used by consuming Mana directly. However, characters other than mages could only use magic scrolls of a level corresponding to their own level, while mages could use magic scrolls of a level higher than their own.
Flight was a first-level magic that made one’s body lighter for thirty minutes, greatly increasing jumping ability and speed.
With the Scroll of Flight activated, Li Wen outran all obstructions in the blink of an eye, then flashed and jumped into the well.
It was a dry well with no water inside. Li Wen fell for about ten meters before landing.
Li Wen steadied herself. Her Emerald Star Cloak spontaneously emitted light in the darkness.
“Is this… the castle’s cellar?”
With the help of the cloak’s light, Li Wen finally saw her surroundings.
It was a narrow room, with the remaining space occupied by boxes and barrels filled with miscellaneous items, all covered in thick dust. It seemed no one had touched them for a long time.
Li Wen looked up. The well opening was directly above her, and through it, she could even see the dark sky. Fortunately, those death-like figures had not pursued her.
So, how could she get into the mansion from here?
Li Wen looked around, searching for a way out. The room leading outside had been sealed off, so she used the Raven Feather Dagger to break down the door.
After pushing the door open and leaving, she discovered that the cellar was much larger than she had imagined. There were barrels for storing wine and storage boxes scattered around. The air was filled with a complex mixture of musty and unknown scents, making one cover their nose and frown.
Li Wen moved slowly through the cellar, looking for a door or passage that led to the mansion above.
“How did you get in?”
A strange voice suddenly rang out. Li Wen followed the sound and found a shriveled old man lying in a corner of the cellar. His body was as thin as firewood, his limbs bound by chains, and the other end was nailed to the wall.
There was no light source in the cellar, so Li Wen hadn’t noticed him at first.
He looked ragged and covered in wounds. If not for the life in his voice and his sharp, indifferent eyes like a falcon’s, Li Wen would have thought he was close to death.
“Who are you?” Li Wen countered.
Seeing this, the other party let out a sneer and shifted his gaze. After a long pause, he said slowly, “I am a member of the Kingdom’s Fourth Knight Legion, the deputy to Sir Wilson.”
“So you were imprisoned here by him? By your master?”
“My master is not that little beast,” the old man continued, his voice casual, but his eyes held an unquenchable, deep-seated hatred. “I served his father, Captain Petrie Wilson, and continued to provide aid to the Wilson family after his death.”
