Chapter 712
Professor Rasimi and the Blood Coral
The sweet scent lingering in the air gradually dissipated.
It was a scent that reminded Paul of lychee, burning pine resin, and warm rose wine.
As he slowly awoke from his hypnotic state, Paul felt an intense, burning heat on his skin, as if he had a fever. In contrast, his body felt incredibly weak, yet his will was remarkably clear.
His first instinct was to roll up his sleeves and look at his forearm.
The kiss marks that had been there for years were completely gone.
This symbolized the disappearance of the succubus curse that had been haunting him, like a nightmare.
He hadn’t escaped from being a blood slave. In fact, he was still under his master’s control.
It was precisely because of this that his succubus curse had been actively suppressed – that was his master’s doing.
Meanwhile, the young lady was curled up quietly in a corner of the sofa, sipping from a glass of rather potent fruit wine.
The crimson glow in her pupils deepened, making her appear even more enchanting.
Yet, despite being slightly tipsy, the strange, irresistible allure of a succubus that emanated from her seemed to have faded.
“Have you calmed down?”
The young lady’s voice was languid, like a cat’s. She looked at him from afar with eyes that already showed a hint of intoxication.
Paul was somewhat bewildered. “You… you’re not going to drink my blood?”
Even though he had seen many Children of the Moon, a sliver of a seemingly impossible thought crossed his mind: perhaps this Child of the Moon was a good person?
However, her next words dashed his hopes.
“What, do you want me to drink your blood that badly?”
She scoffed cruelly, speaking in a provocative tone. “I apologize, but I am quite picky about the appearance of my food. It needs to be of Eternal Saintess caliber at least – His Majesty the Pope would also suffice.”
Of course, no one would interpret her mention of an “Eternal Saintess or Eternal Pope caliber” literally.
The implication was that she found him ugly…
Paul was initially taken aback – after all, his master had always been fond of him. When he was seven or eight, she would even show him off to guests. He often suffered from anemia then, so his master would prepare him plenty of rich and nourishing food.
But then, Paul felt a sense of relief and realization, accompanied by a fleeting, faint regret.
This was the Child of the Moon he was familiar with.
As expected, there were no good people among the Children of the Moon…
At that moment, the gentle words of the young lady with long black hair stunned him—
“Although you should have obeyed me willingly while under my charm,” she said, “out of respect for your personalities, I’ve decided to question you only after you’ve regained your senses.”
She said this with a serious expression. “It’s best to tell me everything you know and not waste anyone’s time. You’ve already experienced my charm, so don’t expect to resist it.”
—Respect for personalities?
Paul thought he had misheard for an instant.
But looking at her solemn expression, he didn’t feel like she was lying. Besides, she had already controlled both of them. If she wanted to ask something, there was no need to wait until they were completely out of her control. The waiting time would have been enough for her to extract the information and throw them overboard.
…Could she be one of the rare Hengwo sect Children of the Moon?
Paul pondered in his mind. He subconsciously glanced at Dimit, who had just regained consciousness and was clutching his forehead, breathing heavily, and asked softly, “Are you alright?”
“I told you she’s a good person—”
Dimit’s first words upon regaining his senses made Paul instinctively cover his forehead with his hand.
…But it was fine. They couldn’t resist her anyway. Perhaps appearing more foolish would increase their chances of survival.
Unlike Dimit, Paul’s knowledge surpassed that of many nobles.
Because Paul had experienced the “Enchantment Lock” of a Fourth Tier Child of the Moon, he could clearly distinguish that this level of charm far surpassed the Fourth Tier.
Undoubtedly, it was the power of the Fifth Tier.
This meant that even if the other party wasn’t a Fifth Tier powerhouse, she was at least closely affiliated with one. Regardless of the specific answer, she was not someone a homeless stray like him could deal with.
“Your will.”
Paul placed his right hand on his chest, stepped back with his left foot, and bowed slightly. “I will answer truthfully, Miss.”
He performed an Imperial salute, a custom popular among the Children of the Moon, towards the lady whose full name he still didn’t know.
Indeed, the other party’s attitude visibly improved.
“You can call me Miss Crowley,” Alistair said helpfully, confirming the fragmented information Paul had overheard.
Then, “Miss Crowley” directly asked, “That slow-acting poison that can turn living creatures into undead… what is it? You two tell me, and supplement each other’s answers.”
“It’s a potion from the Twilight Path, invented by Professor Rasimi!” Dimit blurted out. “But I remember it’s already been banned…”
“—It’s called ‘Noose’,” Paul provided the more precise name. “It wasn’t destroyed because the Naval Department believed it might have wartime value.”
“…What?” Dimit blinked, looking at Paul in disbelief. “That’s not what you told me!”
“Because if I told you everything, you would surely have blurted it out,” Paul replied calmly. “So, the professor specifically instructed me not to tell you about the experiment. He didn’t want you to become our ‘anatomy teaching assistant’.”
Seeing the gray-haired youth scratch his head and sheepishly accept it, Paul couldn’t help but shake his head slightly in resignation.
If only you would deny it…
“—Anatomy teaching assistant?” Alistair straightened up with interest, asking curiously, “What’s that?”
“In the Spirit Tower, a ‘teaching assistant’ is actually a form of teaching tool. It’s usually a punishment used by professors when students fail to hand in their homework. Necromancy is typically used on the dead, but dead bodies don’t speak. So, if a living person could withstand necromancy and provide feedback, other students could more deeply comprehend the mysteries of necromancy.”
Paul explained, “As for anatomy… it involves dissecting oneself completely under the supervision of a professor. During this process, one must continuously explain each part to other students… Of course, the professor would reassemble the student in the end. However, I’ve heard of idiots who dismembered themselves to death – that professor had a sharp tongue, and the student panicked when he cursed, not knowing how to proceed, and ended up killing himself on the spot.”
“Among the ‘Ten Unluckiest of the Year’ who died last year, his was the most foolish way to die.”
“I don’t mind pain…” Dimit emphasized this point first, seemingly not wanting Alistair to look down on him.
Then, he beamed with silly delight and chuckled, “But I’ve completely forgotten last semester’s lessons!”
…I wonder what he’s so happy about.
Paul sighed helplessly.
He and Dimit were roughly the same age, but their life experiences were vastly different.
Although Dimit was also a Second Tier Extraordinary, his profession was that of a “thief,” common in alleyways and street corners.
His most skilled techniques were theft, stealth, pilfering, and lockpicking. He had met Paul, a model student, during one of his heists when Paul, also trying to steal something, had nearly been discovered due to his clumsiness.
As a necromancer of the Twilight Path, Dimit hadn’t even reached the First Tier yet. However, he had a cheerful personality and, as a Second Tier Extraordinary of the Adaptation Path, was very agile, possessing more strength than most necromancers. Thus, his mentor also “captured” him as a laborer – his primary duties usually involved cleaning and carrying things.
Unlike Dimit, Paul was a Second Tier Extraordinary of the Path of Love, a Scammer. If his master hadn’t been continuously draining his blood essence, preventing him from advancing too quickly, Paul would have already reached the Third Tier.
This was because, before he had even encountered necromancy, he had already touched the limit of the Second Tier of the Path of Love.
That was three years ago.
Undoubtedly, his master didn’t just treat him as a blood bag. She not only taught him the common sense of noble society, cultivated his various abilities, and imparted various knowledge to him…
This was because Paul, also following the Path of Love, had the potential to be transformed along the Path of Love.
And in order for him to complete the transformation independently, Paul’s Path Tier had to be lower than his master’s.
She wanted Paul to be transformed at the peak of his youth, at twenty years old, so she had allowed him to attend school – if he had advanced to the Third Tier at fourteen, there was a significant chance he would reach the Fourth Tier before twenty years old.
—In that case, Paul would not be able to become her “son,” but merely her “brother.”
His three years of study at the Spirit Tower had also turned Paul into a Second Tier necromancer.
Considering he was still under eighteen, this was already considered remarkable talent.
Paul’s current mentor, Professor Rasimi, used this reason to “borrow” Paul from his master – since he could no longer advance on the Path of Love, why not try the Twilight Path first?
Since Alistair had asked him to tell everything, he didn’t hold back, revealing all this to Alistair and Dimit.
Coincidentally, Dimit surely had his mind full of doubts. This was a good opportunity to clear them up for him.
Normally, he couldn’t reveal his identity to others due to his master’s orders. However, his master also had another command: to surrender immediately if he encountered an insurmountable enemy.
Answer whatever they want to know, give them whatever they want. Show goodwill to powerful enemies and never engage in any form of direct confrontation – even if they ask for information about himself, just provide it.
“…What an interesting lady.”
Alistair’s lips curved slightly upwards.
She had never encountered an enemy this “sensible” in Avalon.
She had met those who instructed their subordinates to fight to the death, those who demanded absolute secrecy or eternal loyalty… but this was the first time she had encountered a doctrine of “surrender immediately upon encountering a stronger enemy, and betrayal is always an option.”
But this was also a form of wisdom.
For an Extraordinary of the Path of Love with strong desires, avoiding death for the sake of pride could effectively prevent offending those beyond one’s reach.
So Alistair pressed further, “Then, if I were to ask you… about her weaknesses? Would you tell me directly?”
“My master has never told me such things,” Paul stated frankly. “My master interacted with me deeply under the assumption that ‘I will definitely betray her in the future.’ To this day, I don’t even know her real name – she said she would tell me everything once I became a Child of the Moon.”
“Then what about her appearance? She couldn’t possibly wear a mask when she drinks your blood, could she?”
This question wasn’t from Alistair, but from Dimit, who asked it of his own accord.
Paul had already anticipated this question and replied, “My master has the ability to change her appearance, so her features were different every time she visited me. I only know she seems to be Fourth Tier… but even my mentor highly respects her.”
“I remember mentor calling her… Blood Coral.”
Following his master’s orders, Paul did not hesitate to sell out his master.
“…Blood Coral, hmm.”
Alistair’s eyebrows rose slightly in surprise.
She actually knew this codename.
She was one of the many daughters and lovers of “Red Phase,” closely associated with “Blood Diamond,” who was in contact with Minister Dross… rumor had it they were even sisters.
Alistair pondered for a moment and filed this information away.
She continued, “Tell me about the potion called ‘Noose’ – who is your professor, and why did he scatter this potion in international waters? Why does the Naval Department consider it significant?”
“This potion can transform people into a state similar to undead, like ‘living corpses’… It was initially invented as a ‘preservative.’ At normal doses, it would be expelled by the body even if ingested, making it a very safe preservative. When applied to corpses, it could keep them fresh for a long time. It was only much later that they discovered that by increasing its concentration, it could be used as a special, quite stealthy, slow-acting poison.”
Paul, being a model student, answered fluently and without hesitation. “When poisoned, the victim gradually feels an increasingly strong sense of suffocation. Hence, as a poison, its name is ‘Noose’ – if the toxin continues to accumulate, cognitive functions gradually slow down. In this state, people become foolish and irritable… and children born at this time are also naturally poisoned ‘quiet children’.”
“Because this drug is too stealthy and easy to obtain… many students would steal and sell it, self-purifying and selling it outside. The Spirit Tower banned the synthesis of this poison. Later, there was a concentrated destruction of the drug, and this year, even the preservative used as raw material was completely banned… Now we’ve returned to formalin, invented by Dean Forellin long ago.”
“And the military’s research project was to have us study… if trace amounts of this ‘non-toxic preservative’ were fed to marine organisms, and through their mutual predation, would they bioaccumulate and self-purify? If so, they could serve as a stealthy, undetectable weapon…”
Hearing Paul’s words, Alistair narrowed her eyes slightly, her expression turning serious.
A cold glint flashed in her eyes, causing Paul to shiver involuntarily and abruptly stop his narration.
“And your master?” she asked, her voice so calm it was terrifying. “In what capacity did she join this experiment?”
“…My master provided the tickets and the mission for us to come here.”
“But what she truly wanted was leverage over Professor Rasimi.” Paul replied softly.
(End of chapter)
