As for the last impression of the fight, all he remembers was that he had used all his strength, stumbled back to the clinic, and then lost consciousness completely. The reason why he insisted on doing this was to let those guys with ulterior motives see that he was still alive, still had the strength, and could continue to fight, so as to dispel the idea of the other party taking advantage of the situation and launching a new round of attacks.

As for how much of a false deterrent could work, or how much time it would buy Gavira and Ulez, it wasn't something that Zal could consider, for he wasn't even sure if he would survive.

The side effects of the gradual invalidation of the potion hit his body, and the moment the "Heart of Steel" that could no longer be maintained suddenly collapsed, all the sensations that had been stripped out seemed to be instantly expanded ten times and a hundred times and directly pressed into his body, and the sharp pain of his muscles being torn off inch by inch and the feeling of near-death weakness were like a hammer, smashing him into the boundless darkness, the darkness of almost death.

After that, nightmares that had disappeared for many years came to him again, some of them vivid and vivid, looking like frosted glass with soft light, most of them were memories of his youth, those that Zal thought he should have forgotten, but were only memories buried deep in his heart. Other dreams were fragmented, like silent fragments, constantly flickering gray-white images, turning into sharp blades in patches of blood expressed in deep black, slicing Zal's heart, leaving a bloody wound on it each time.

Sleep, many of the classical schools of thought on the continent of Eloring, have given it a very important place in their own theoretical system, and have described it as "one of the three ways to separate the 'self' from the real world". Sleep is where we hide from hurt and reality, and sleep can be used to "blur" time and distance us from what hurts us.

People tend to fall unconscious after an injury, and similarly, when they hear sad news, they often faint - this is one of the instincts used for self-preservation, and some people call this reaction "the first door".

Such is the case with Zal. Thankfully, he didn't stay in the "first door" for long before he was kicked out. After four full days in a coma, Zal finally reopened his eyes. But he found himself in a new "home" again.

After Zar fell unconscious, the old moon demon Ulez placed a large wooden barrel in the study on the second floor, and after briefly handling Zar, he soaked it directly in the potion he had concocted himself. In Ulez's words, the potion was effective in helping him recover from his injuries as quickly as possible.

For Zal though. Looking at this bucket full of milky white liquid, which directly lost the neck, there was a strange feeling of being treated as a specimen. But no matter what, he could feel that the wounds on his body were healing at a rapid pace, which had to be said to be a good thing.

Speaking of that fight, it became clear to Zal in a later chat with Ulez how badly he had been injured at the time. There were countless wounds on the body, and there were four or five axe wounds that were deep in the bones, and one collarbone was broken. Three ribs were broken, and the cracked bones were too many to count.

Faced with such an injury, the Moon Demon said that it was a miracle that Zar survived, and even when he came down from the second floor and saw the "blood man" on the floor, he had basically given up hope of treatment. But a miracle happened eventually, or in the words of Ulez, what kept you alive was the desire to survive.

The next few days were extremely calm, and perhaps it was Zal's approach that played a role. Or maybe because of something else, there wasn't another assassination. Gavira came to visit her a few times, and although she still looked cold and haughty, Zar could clearly feel it. The elves were much softer towards themselves, and Zar was amazed by the change.

Moreover, she found a "new" longsword as a replacement for Zal after losing her weapon.

It was a long sword made of gray metal, with a dull blade straight and sharp, and the twin blades at the tip of the sword were not the usual symmetrical form. Instead, it is a little slower and steeper at the same time, creating a dangerous and deadly sharpness. The sword groove was engraved with an ancient inscription, and Zar found that the words on it did not belong to any of the languages in his head.

Gently stroking the blade of the sword, you can clearly feel the antiquity and power precipitated by the years in the cold touch. As a forger who had been practicing penance for more than four years, Zar could almost instantly conclude that this was a rare good sword, and not even the half-elf Cadius might not be able to create a weapon of the same level.

Zal had asked Gavira what the name of the sword was. The elf popped out a syllable in her usual golden word, and she used the Elven language: "Sishua, the sword of the bloodless man's elegy"......

As for Grohl Bloodfist, Gavira said she had found no trace of the orcs, nothing other than the blood left in the broken wood. Zar could only remain silent about this, but he was sure that in the short term, the orcs would not come to trouble again. It can be said that he understands the way the orcs do it, but he is by no means sympathetic, because when dealing with opponents, sympathy is probably one of the most unnecessary manifestations.

During the time when Zar was injured, the clinic naturally closed its doors, saying that it needed to be cleaned and repaired due to the damage caused by the heavy rain, but this was just a way for the old moon demon to maintain a sense of mystery. In fact, they need a lot of buffer time to digest the effects of this battle, and at least until Zar can get back on his feet, the "Ulez's Disinfectant Knife" won't be open again.

In short, this period of recuperation became the easiest time for Zal during the mission, and he didn't even have to act as a surgical assistant. And, as the injury slowly recovered, everything was back in a good direction, at least for now.

In the afternoon, the lazy sunlight filtered through the gaps in the study curtains and fell softly on an arm resting on the edge of a barrel. If the bucket is a plump and fair-skinned lady, then the Moon Demon sitting on the chair next to it should have an even more wonderful expression. But unfortunately, he faced Zal.

"How long will it take me to get out of this barrel?" Zar asked, swiping his hand over the white liquid in the barrel, and though the movement was light, he could still feel a slight tingling in his arm.

The Moon Demon picked up the wine glass and took a sip. "It's going to be a few more days, right? It depends on how quickly you recover," he said, gesturing to the white liquid in the barrel, "but honestly, you should be glad." In the decades I have lived, I have not forgotten the recipe for this potion. ”

"Or else?"

"Otherwise, you just wait to die, no one on the 'Conviction Stage' can save you, no matter how tenacious your vitality is, it's useless!" Ulez smiled naturally. Then he asked, "I've seen the pill bottles you still have on the floor, which are Muscle Gel, Storm Vine Solution, and Bloodless Potion, right?"

"That's right, these are the three. Zal nodded.

Ulez listened. Hummed softly noncommittally. "If I could, I'd like to know what you did to isolate your body from pain after you left the clinic for the second time. The Moon Demon asked, "These three potions don't have this effect. ”

Zar was stunned for a moment, he remembered the "Iron Heart". After a little consideration, he still answered truthfully: "It is the result of mental power or mental training, which can abandon all emotions and prejudices and think more clearly and objectively." He paused. Continued, "Trained to the extreme, you can even control your brain, shield the sensations of your body, and reach a state of non-sensation in battle......"

A glimmer of light suddenly flashed in the moon demon's burgundy eyes, and he muttered to himself. "Is that really the case?" but he pulled the subject elsewhere, "how much do you know about Saint-Slard?"

"'Elemental City' Saint-Slan," Zar said with a smile, remembering Semar Dei, with whom he had fought alongside, "I have one." Kindness...... My friend, who once studied at the School of Magical Arts in Saint-Slan, is a very good 'Elemental Resonator'. He expressed it as tactfully as possible, omitting many things that ordinary people could not understand. For example, another thread of fate, such as different fate nodes, and even omitting everything about the "Ring of Sanctions", these are secrets that cannot be revealed.

However, Ulez is already very satisfied with Zal's performance. "If you know 'elemental resonance, then it's much easier to understand......" he nodded. Taking a long sip of his drink, Zal knew that now was not the time to interject. Putting the wine glass on the desk, the old moon demon let out a long breath, his eyes sinking into the hollowness of memory.

"It's been a long time since I've mentioned the story of St. Slan, sorry, but this is something I got over when I was an apprentice. He said, "The current Saint-Slim is not the Saint-Slim of the past, although this sentence sounds rather tongue-twisting, but it is true." Ulez paused, and continued in a structured voice: "More than two thousand years ago, in the Second Age, that is, in the Middle Ages, Saint Slan's power to perceive the elements of the Lord God of Wisdom, that is, the God of Wisdom, Ghafrel, split into two distinct factions......

"One of them is the 'Elemental Resonance School' that rules Saint-Slan today, and the other is the 'Materialization Theory School'. "The former believes that the caster is the transmitter of the elements, and how to release the perceived elements through themselves is the true use of the gifts of the Lord God. The latter believes that the caster should be the bearer of the elements, and how to strengthen the perceived elements is the true intention of the main god. ”

As he spoke, Ulez suddenly asked Zal, "Do you know how to judge the strength of a mage?"

"I'm sorry......" Zal shook his head, it was an area he had never touched.

The old moon demon stretched out two fingers. "The strength of a mage is always related to two conditions, one is the strength of the elemental resonance, which is related to the number of elements you can control, and the maximum strength of each element. The second is the level of mental toughness, which is related to how much elemental power you can withstand as a transmitter. ”

"Like pools and pipes?" Zal thought.

"That's right, like pools and pipes!" Ulez laughed a few times. "However, different schools of thought have taken diametrically opposite paths with the same theories, and they are getting farther and farther apart......"

Ulez took a deep breath and spit it out. "It was a time of madness, and it was a time of genius. According to the ancient scrolls, the mages of the 'School of Elemental Resonance' are frantically venting their perceived elemental powers, capable of destroying cities, filling rivers, tearing the firmament, and even confronting the angels of heaven and the demons of hell......"

"And what about the 'materialization theory school'? They use 'mental toughness' to constantly forge their own **, making it as hard as rock, hard as steel, and even able to withstand all the elements in his blood, under their skin, rushing endlessly...... They have been described as: The gods who walk on earth...... They objectified themselves and used their bodies as the deadliest weapons......"

Zal's shocked expression froze on his face. A chill whipped at his skin, but the Moon Demon's words weren't over yet. "This controversy is not destined to be resolved peacefully, it is not destined to ...... A war between right and wrong has been fought in the great city of magic, and one fight is a full three hundred years...... The irascible elemental swept the vast land. The undulating dust even obscured the sun's rays, and no one remembered who threw the first magic that caused the war, but many who survived remembered the outcome of the war......"

Ulez drained all the drinks in one gulp. "The 'Materialization School' was defeated, and with the end of the Second Age, the entire school was completely destroyed, and all the remaining believers were shackled and locked in the 'Demon Shattering Prison' under the ruins of St. Slan's until they died...... But did the 'Elemental Resonance School' win? No, they didn't either...... In the Third Age. That is, in the light of the new calendar, they found that no matter how hard they worked, their elemental resonance level could no longer reach the previous height, and they could no longer ......"

"And what about the deeds that have passed away, slowly being forgotten, and finally dissipating into the dust of history......" Ulez's voice grew lower and lower, slowly, to a halt.

Zar rubbed his cold, stiff cheeks and swallowed hard. "And then?" he asked.

And then, the new Saint-Slan rose again. No one wants to talk about those things anymore. Ulez sighed, and suddenly looked up at Zhal, "But, in the labyrinthine library of Saint-Slan. I found something interesting, well, very interesting. ”

"What's that?" said Zar, sitting up straight from the barrel, he wondered too much what Ulez had discovered in his youth.

Ulez's burgundy eyes radiated a frenzied glow. "An incomplete training technique of the 'Materialization Theory School'!"

"What do you mean?......" Zar was stunned, a little unable to keep up with the other party's rhythm.

"I can tell you. ”

Zal's body quickly slumped. "Thank you. Really, but I don't have the power of the God of Wisdom at all......"

"Ha, it doesn't matter, the perceptual element is a talent, you don't have it, but you have 'mental toughness', don't you?" Ulez's words made Zal stunned, "I don't know where you learned the 'Iron Heart', but this training method can indeed effectively improve 'mental toughness'. ”

The old moon demon paused and continued. "But I'm sorry, there's no way I'm going to teach you St. Slan's 'Mental Toughness' training, even if I'm long gone. He said, "However, I can tell you that the technique of the 'Materialization School' to manipulate the body does not violate the rules of the 'Elemental Resonance School'." ”

"Really?!For the sake of the Lord God, can you teach me?!" Zar clutched the edge of the barrel and exclaimed, it was an unexpected surprise.

Ulez nodded in the affirmative. "Of course, in fact, this should be just a low-level skill of the 'materialization theory school'," he said, "Your 'Iron Heart' is to use the brain to control the senses, and this skill is to use the brain to control the muscles more delicately, in other words, to extend the 'mental toughness' to your flesh and body, out of the realm of perception." ”

Ulez said, poking himself in the arm. "First one piece, then several pieces, then a muscle group, and finally the whole body. He said, "Strip your muscles from your body and use your brain to manipulate them separately to make them burst with more power and reaction speed! The effect is like 'storm vine solution', but the side effects are significantly smaller." ”

"Really, can you do this?......" Zar tried to use his mental power to make contact with a muscle in his arm, and shuddered slightly with difficulty while his limbs did not move. "Something like this?......" he looked at the old moon demon with some frustration.

"Hahaha...... That's right, that's what the scroll says!" Ulez laughed and nodded, "It looks funny, but you're healing anyway, and there's still plenty of time to practice, aren't you?"

"Okay, but thank you very much, you don't have to bother teaching me. "Zar is very grateful that whether he can complete the training or not, it is a rare reward.

The old moon demon laughed enough, slowly changed to a serious expression, and said extremely seriously: "Promise me, don't tell anyone about this skill, no one can." ”

Zal pressed his palm to his chest. "Yes, please rest assured, I swear by my blood and my life that I will not divulge it to anyone. ”

"Whew...... Okay, I hope it can help you in future battles......" Ulez muttered as he pouted, "Drink less potions, that kind of thing is always harmful, and when it makes you more powerful, you will only pay more ......"

"Thank you......" Zar thanked again, but as if he remembered something, he asked, "What's the name of this trick?" or, is there a name?"

Ulez's brow furrowed, as if remembering, and soon, an Iroshi phrase came out of his mouth. "Its name is, 'Death's Wish'......" (To be continued.) )