Re: Evolution Online

As Liam continued with his second and third attempts to concoct the Devil’s Ice Pill, mistakes began to mount. Each time he thought he had followed Grakk’s memories perfectly, something went awry. The mixture would destabilize, ingredients would react unpredictably, or the pill would crumble upon completion.

“Damn it!” Liam exclaimed, wiping sweat from his brow. “Why isn’t this working?”

He stared at the array of rare herbs and materials spread before him, the remnants of his failed attempts littering the workspace. Despite having Grakk’s knowledge, experience couldn’t be transferred so easily and Grakk had honed his skills over several decades.

Liam closed his eyes and tried to rehash everything he had done so far. He completely immersed himself in the pill concoction. Soon, minutes turned into hours, and hours turned into days.

Finally, after two whole months had passed, Liam stared at the gleaming medicinal pill in his hand. The pill glowed with two different colors—blue and black—swirling together in a mesmerizing pattern that seemed to encapsulate the essence of ice and darkness intertwined.

He exhaled slowly, a mix of exhaustion and triumph evident on his face. “Finally,” he whispered. “The Devil’s Ice Pill.”

This wasn’t just any Devil’s Ice Pill; it was a perfected version, enhanced by the insights he had gained from Grakk’s memories and his own relentless experimentation. The dual hues indicated a balance of energies that surpassed the original formula.

Liam could feel the immense power emanating from the pill—a concentrated force that could significantly boost one’s dao progress, especially for those attuned to the ice or dark elements.

Concocting this pill was not easy. He had to travel to two different minor worlds and obtain ingredients by hunting down beasts and brewing their blood with rare herbs.

He even ended up searching for a particular rare herb for three days straight in a rotten land filled with toxic miasma.

Apart from that, he had slowly assimilated one soul wisp after another these past few days and obtained more and more of Grakk’s memories. He was a lot closer to fully forging the soul. It had taken tremendous effort to come so far, but it was all worth it in the end.

He was now confident about the quality of his pill which was crucial for the next step in his plan. The only problem was he hoped that he wasn’t too late.

Liam immediately cleaned himself up, put on a fresh set of clothes, and then headed straight toward the Eternal Sword Palace. Thankfully, his token had already been upgraded after submitting the first black ice rock so he was able to enter freely.

He walked over to the counter, and a new woman greeted him with a warm smile. “Welcome to the Eternal Sword Palace. How may I assist you today?” she asked politely.

“I’m here to see Lady Seraphine,” Liam replied. “It’s urgent.”

The receptionist glanced at the flashing system screen in front of her. “Do you have an appointment?”

Liam shook his head. “No, but I believe she’ll want to see me immediately. Please tell her it’s about the Devil’s Ice Pill.”

Her eyes widened slightly at the mention of the pill. “One moment, please.” She gestured for an attendant, who promptly headed toward the inner chambers.

“Please have a seat,” she offered.

Liam nodded and took a seat in the waiting area, his fingers drumming lightly on his knee. After a few tense minutes, the attendant returned. “Lady Seraphine will see you now,” he announced.

Liam sighed in relief. He was fortunate enough to come across this situation and he had already made ample preparations.

The only real flaw in his plan was the availability of these two people, Lady Seraphine and the sword palace elder Tristan. If he had already finished his work in the city and had headed out for secluded cultivation, then he wouldn’t have been able to meet with them for years even.

But thankfully, everything had worked out. Now only the last part was left.

Liam stood up and followed the attendant through a series of ornate corridors adorned with tapestries and glowing crystals. They arrived at a large wooden door carved with intricate runes.

“Please, go inside,” the attendant said before departing.

Liam took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Inside, the woman Seraphine stood by a window overlooking the palace gardens. She was a dignified woman with silver hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed to see straight through him.

“Dante,” she said without turning around. “Why have you requested a meeting? Did you find another source for the black ice rocks?” She continued to look outside and absent-mindedly asked. Even though she remembered his name, it was clear that she couldn’t be bothered with him and was thinking deeply about something else.

Liam paused for a moment as he assessed the situation. He was not a particular fan of being dramatic but it looked like he needed to directly put on a show for him to be taken seriously.

He let out a breath and then retrieved the small engraved box from his spatial artifact. As an alchemist, he hated doing this as some of the pill’s efficacy would be lost but the situation called for it. So he did not hold back and opened the box.

The next second, a chilling aura filled the room as the Devil’s Ice Pill revealed its presence. Frost formed on the floor, and a thin veil of icy mist began to swirl around Liam. The temperature plummeted, and the air crackled with potent energy.

Lady Seraphine turned sharply, her piercing blue eyes widening in surprise. “What is that?” she demanded, her attention fully captured.

Liam held up the pill, its blue and black hues shimmering mesmerizingly. “This is my version of Devil’s Ice Pill,” he stated calmly.

“During our last meeting, I managed to catch a glimpse of the medicinal pill Elder Tristan uses. I had an idea in my mind and I wished to gift the elder my version of the pill.” He smiled, already knowing his plan had worked splendidly.