Aluminum poison may be relatively unfamiliar to the alchemists of this era, but for the once glorious ancient civilization, it is a very vicious and effective means of assassination.

Merlin Avery quickly mixed a special solution with several bottles of finished potion in his satchel, and then let it sit for a while. When the potion inside the crystal bottle began to bubble and take on a corrupt dark green color, Avery nodded in satisfaction.

"This is a topical antidote, applied to Madame Veronica's wounds, it will have some relief effect and help me finally determine the composition of the toxin. ”

This temporary blended potion looks really weird and ugly, and the smell it emits is also incomprehensible. Chief Mentor Basten and President Herderland all frowned, and even Baron Edelman couldn't help but look at him suspiciously.

"It's just a temporary concoction, but there are some unexpected shortcomings. Avery scratched his hair a little embarrassed, explaining his abysmal-looking artwork, "But there is nothing wrong with the effect, as long as it is the Mithril Curse, this antidote will definitely have a noticeable effect." ”

Seeing Veronica's face grow paler and moaning in pain from time to time, even in a deep coma, Baron Edelman gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind. "Bring me a soft cloth. He commanded the maids, "I will personally apply potion to Veronica's wounds." ”

Seeing Baron Edelman's figure disappear behind the curtain, Chief Mentor Basten was the first to complain, "Master Iron, you are too reckless. The old apothecary shook his head repeatedly, his tone mixed with dissatisfaction and worry, "Your teacher may have taught us something about alchemy that we don't know, but that doesn't mean you should take such a big risk. ”

President Halderland smiled wryly and added in a much softer tone, "The Chief Mentor means to remind you that His Excellency Baron Thorn is not a man of easy talk, and even those of us who are high-ranking figures in the Apothecary Guild will still find it difficult to get a life guarantee once he is provoked. ”

Avery felt a warm feeling in his heart. Whatever the two older alchemists had in mind about the Iron Master, at this moment, they were indeed worried about a young man's reckless actions.

"Don't worry, you two, that bottle of potion will at least have some noticeable effect, if it doesn't make Lady Veronica wake up immediately. He smiled and explained to the two of them, "The Mithril curse is just a very uncommon toxin, and it's not very difficult to relieve......

There was a cacophony of joy that undoubtedly contained joy, and a maid ran out of the curtain and bowed deeply to Avery. "Thank you, gods, your antidote is very effective, thank you, Iron Master, Lady Veronica has woken up!"

Basten's chief mentor was so surprised that he almost knocked over his chair and stood up with agility that was not in keeping with his age, "The effect of the antidote is so amazing?" he shook his head in disbelief, looking at Avery with a lot of complicated emotions that he couldn't accurately describe.

President Halderland was no less surprised than the Chief Mentor, but his usual dignified and calm expression made him appear much calmer. "Master Iron, is Lady Veronica already in trouble?" he asked, in a tentative tone.

"It's just a temporary relief of some of the symptoms and some of the pain. Avery shook his head, "If it's just the Mithril curse, that bottle of antidote should be able to put Lady Veronica out of danger, but based on the overall symptoms...... I'm afraid it's not such a simple trouble. ”

The second maid ran out of the curtain, her expression less excited. "Master Tie, and the two mentors, Madame has vomited, and her face has become very bad again, Your Excellency Baron asks the three of you to give Madame a further diagnosis at once. ”

The three of them glanced at each other and hurriedly walked towards the white gazebo. Two handmaidens lifted the curtain for them, revealing Lady Veronica, half-leaning on the bed, and Baron Edelman, who was half-holding her in his arms.

Lady Veronica's appearance was very good, even if she had just woken up from a coma, her lips were purple and sweaty, and she was still so bright that people did not dare to look at them directly. With the help of Baron Edelman, she thanked the two old apothecaries in turn in a weak voice, and finally turned her attention to Merlin Avery.

"I'm the Iron Duke's daughter, Veronica Boston, Iron Master, and you're younger than I thought. She forced a smile, "In the name of the gods, please tell me...... How much time do I have?"

"Maybe decades, maybe hundreds of years? That's not a question I can answer, ma'am, only the God of Eternal Sleep can answer for you. Avery spoke softer than anyone else, "The main cause of your worsening injury has been found, and I happen to have a way to fix it." Now there is only one question, ma'am, how many alchemy potions have you stored in alchemy?"

"Probably...... 6 kinds. Madame Veronica thought for a moment, and replied with some uncertainty, "In order to get a good result in the hunt, I have made some good preparations in advance. Iron Ward, Rapid Elixir, Eagle Eye, Gift of Thorns, Wind of Deflection, and ...... There is another one, which I don't remember clearly. ”

"I guess it's an immortal life. President Hellland interjected, "From your wounds, Lady Veronica, I have extracted the ingredients of green steel. ”

"Green steel is the mildest alchemical metal known, so why would it cause such serious consequences?" Baron Edelman obviously knew a lot about alchemy, and was probably an excellent apothecary. Of course, no one knows exactly how many cards the Baron of Thorns has in the western frontier of the empire, which is the fundamental secret of the Coventry city-state's semi-independent status.

"The clean water that flows down from the sacred mountain is the source of life, cleansing the body and removing pain, but it can also kill people if it is poured into the lungs. Avery said as he pulled out a pair of special gloves with metal flakes embedded in his fingertips, "The Mithril Curse will nullify all alchemical effects in an instant, including alchemy storage, alchemy, and alchemical potions made from alchemy. Alchemical potions that have been reduced to metal powder may not all have bad consequences, but when a few are mixed together, they are the most complex and vicious toxins. ”

Her specially gloved right hand gently approached Lady Veronica's arm, and then a faint blue ripple rippled like a ripple. "Alchemy?" Baron Edelman's eyes quickly flashed with a glint of awakening, "I see, how come I didn't think of analyzing the nature of the toxin with the enhanced alchemy?"

President Halderland couldn't hide his frustration and said with a wry smile, "It's not just you, Your Excellency the City Lord, but none of us have thought of it. There are very few pharmacists who also practice alchemy, and we are used to having professional prospectors analyze the composition of alchemy materials, and it has been a long time since anyone has done the analysis themselves. ”

"That's why your alchemy stagnates. Baron Edelman said coldly, "Perhaps for some ulterior reasons, the Apothecary's Guild did not disclose this secret internally, but almost all ancient families that can be traced back to the establishment of the empire know very well that only alchemists who have fully mastered the art of alchemy can hope to cross the Grandmaster's barrier." ”

As soon as the words fell, Baron Edelman raised his right hand, and a soft blue light bloomed from his palm. Although different from Avery with tin flakes for strengthening, Chief Mentor Basten and President Herderland were both aware of the unique fluctuations of standard alchemy.

"I see!" Chief Basten's performance was extremely intense, his hands clenched together with such force that all his knuckles showed a strange paleness, "I see! Genius, ha, genius! Fifty years of searching for opportunities, I wasted fifty years, those guys...... Those guys just look on the sidelines, as long as they give a little ......"

"Then I'm afraid the Apothecary's Guild will have to add an elder seat for you a long time ago. President Halderland's tone was a little low, "Your Excellency, Chief Mentor, you know, that's not what they want to see. ”

Basten's chief mentor was stunned for half a minute, and when he sat down, the sharpness and vitality that did not match his age were all gone. The old man sighed weakly, closed his eyes, and seemed to not want to say anything more, not to do anything more.

Both Baron Edelman and President Herderland looked sympathetic, but then their attention was drawn to Avery.

"Moti, the god of alchemy, is on top!" the young apothecary suddenly jumped up and swept the half-bottle of potions to the ground, "wipe off all those potions, and then wash the wound with water until there is no more pus with a sweet and greasy smell." ”

He commanded the helpless maidens in a loud voice, and then quickly turned around, "I made a mistake, Your Excellency, to act rashly without thoroughly ascertaining the patient's condition...... What kind of treatment did Lady Veronica have received, and why is the Mithril-cursed toxin so active, as if it had life?"

Baron Edelman's expression immediately turned blue, "Since noon, Veronica has undergone many treatments. At first, Sinhari performed bloodletting to cut open the wound, then bandage the wound and take oral antidotes, but Veronica's injuries did not improve, but gradually fell into a coma, so I sent someone to ask the instructors of the Apothecary Guild to come and consult. ”

"I arrived before evening, with a lot of alchemical potions, but I didn't rush to use them for Lady Veronica. President Heldland briefly recalled, and added carefully, "Chief Mentor Basten arrived two hours earlier than me, and gave his wife a neutralizing potion, all of which he personally concocted, which prevented the rapid progression of the injury, but did not solve the problem fundamentally. ”

"Neutralizing potion...... "Avery flicked his fingers anxiously, "is there any left?" ”

Chief Mentor Basten, who had been silent just now, suddenly snorted, took out a bottle of potion from his satchel, and threw it to Avery, "I don't think it should be a matter of neutralizing the potion, but ...... Iron Master, you might as well take a closer look. ”

Avery made an "sorry" gesture, opened the flask, sniffed it gently, pulled out a crystal test tube and poured a few drops, tested it slightly, and replugged it. "There is nothing wrong with this potion, but what about the residual liquid? Could someone have poisoned the potion?"

This speculation made the faces of many of the maids turn pale, but Baron Edelman did not care about their emotions, and ordered the Dallas butler to do so. The middle-aged butler was very efficient, and quickly collected all five used potion bottles and placed them in front of Avery.

Avery tested the residues in turn, and the liquid inside each bottle emitted a pure and peaceful glow, with no impurities, no toxins, and no ingredients that could cause abnormal reactions. Chief Mentor Deben Basten's techniques and techniques were almost perfect, and apart from not being able to cross the moat, he was no different from a master of alchemy.

It's a real puzzle. Avery was lost in thought again. The potion he had improvised had already removed the main threat of the Mithril curse, but it was too late, and if it was successfully detoxified in the afternoon, it would only be necessary to make up for Lady Veronica's weak condition, and then wait for the injuries to heal naturally.

But now, the threat of the Mithril curse has been lifted, but the strange toxins formed by those alchemy potions are extremely stubborn and cunning, and the composition of the antidote has changed, causing the original antidote to become a life-boosting potion that enhances the effect of the toxin.

It's like a toxin has wisdom and life.

Such a toxin was beyond Merlin Avery's power, or rather, beyond the reach of any mentor-level alchemist. In many ancient alchemy texts, there are records of toxin mutations, among which the mutation of toxins into toxins that seem to have wisdom and life is called "alchemy death", except for those most prestigious alchemy masters, there has never been a successful record of curing "alchemy death".

Whether it is an important minister of the empire who holds great power, or a powerful knight commander, or even a dignified king wearing a crown, once he is killed by alchemy, and he does not receive timely diagnosis and treatment from a grandmaster-level pharmacist, he will all lose his life. Such events have not only been recorded once or twice, so much so that in many historical works, the death of alchemy is also called "the justice of death".