Chapter 238: The Newly Realized Danger

Chapter 238

The Newly Realized Danger

"Student Ellie?" A familiar voice rang out. Ellie was slightly surprised to encounter the other person here. However, given the kingdom’s emergency situation, it was not unusual for all capable individuals to be summoned.

A middle-aged woman approached Ellie with delight. They had not seen each other for several months and never expected to meet like this by chance today.

"Lady Celey."

"Yes, it is I," Celey smiled, her eyes conveying her sincerity. Previously, Celey had been the one who taught Ellie to master in concocting potions of perfect quality. As a result, they shared a significant bond. In the camp with the Red Plague, it could be said that Celey and Ellie were key figures in helping people.

Additionally, Celey had heard of Ellie through the inter-institute competition. Although she couldn’t attend the recent competition due to her duties, the news was highly popular among apothecaries. A first-year student at the Ares Institute, the disciple of the great Professor Medik, had already brought numerous awards to the institute in her first year. Celey couldn’t help but feel proud of her. Above all...she admired Professor Medik’s talent in nurturing disciples, which made her even more enthusiastic, despite the fact that Professor Medik didn’t actually assist much.

"I’m here on a potion-concocting mission. As a level 4 apothecary, I have to supervise level 1 and level 2 apothecaries in producing general potions. Your Professor Medik is likely secluded in the palace now, concocting high-level potions with other skilled individuals. Meanwhile, I’m stuck repeating the same potions over and over to meet the quantity needed. It’s incredibly tedious."

"And now...to speed up potion production, they’ve brought us to this 1st-floor city and leave us here. Maybe, they expect us to start concocting immediately as soon as students deliver the resources."

Apothecary Celey complained with frustration. For the past 2 weeks, apothecaries had been confined to their rooms, tasked with producing large quantities of potions. They were tasked with low-level potions. People often assumed that low-level potions were easy to make or could be produced in large batches. In reality, there was no such thing as easy in the dictionary of potion concocting. Whether it was high-level or low-level potions, it still required time and effort.

Celey didn’t complain to them. After all, the job of an apothecary was to make potions. It was better than being sent on a mission to hunt beasts like the students. She heard that in just the past 2 weeks, many students had been forced to withdraw due to severe injuries. Others were punished by completing missions in the higher floors of the tower with the soldiers because they couldn’t hunt beasts in time.

It could be said that a war had broken out, causing widespread suffering...

"And now, are you here to choose ingredients?" Ellie didn’t speak much, merely asking about what she saw.

She had always been like this. Others might prolong the conversation or incite more trouble, but Ellie didn’t want to do that with a friend. She knew that if she joined Celey in criticizing the palace, it might smooth the conversation. However, it would also escalate Celey’s emotions, potentially leading to a larger issue. Thus...changing the subject at the right time would help bring the sense of the other party back to a more reasonable state.

Celey let out a small sigh, knowing she was venting her negative emotions on the person in front of her. After all, the duties had to be done regardless, and complaining wouldn’t help much. Ultimately, she shifted the conversation to other topics with someone she hadn’t seen in a long time.

"Yes, 2 cauldrons exploded and need replacing," Celey shook her head. Not every student could make potions as well and as stably as Ellie. Many performed so poorly that several cauldrons had already exploded. The more they concocted, the more subpar potions damaged the cauldrons. Previously, they already had to replace several cauldrons, and now they needed to buy 2 more.

It was a shame, but Celey couldn’t let the lower-level apothecaries pay for the cauldrons themselves. The kingdom hadn’t provided funds for assistance in this situation. They considered it an emergency where everyone had to pitch in. So, if a cauldron exploded, they had to buy a new one with their own money, and yes...of course, that money meant Celey’s money.

"How much potion concocting is required for the cauldrons to be damaged like this?" Ellie raised her eyebrows slightly at Lady Celey’s words. The middle-aged woman sighed. Ellie’s suspicions were correct. Those apothecaries were known for their skill. Usually, if they were concocting low-level potions, the cauldrons wouldn’t explode easily unless there was a buildup of poorly concocted potion residue.

The amount of buildup each day depended on the daily potion production. Normally, when the cauldrons were not in use, they would clean and purify them. Even so...the daily production volume was so high that the cauldrons eventually couldn’t handle it anymore.

"Sigh, this is an emergency. Low-level potions are needed for all soldiers, so we have to work faster," Celey sighed.

"By the way, are you on a mission? I heard the institute assigned tasks to students. Some students have to deliver their missions to me. It seems you’ve been given a task other than gathering herbs."

"Yes, my group was tasked with gathering beast meat as supplies."

"Mmm, that makes sense. Food is as crucial to warfare as medicine. By the way, you’re not busy now, right?"

"No," Ellie replied, knowing that Celey’s question meant she probably needed help. And indeed, that was the case.

"Great, then come along with me for a while." The middle-aged woman gestured for Ellie to follow. Zoey remained quietly behind. She didn’t know the woman in front of her and didn’t understand what Duchess Ellie and the woman were discussing. However, it seemed they were talking about potion concocting that wasn’t taught in the first or second year.

It seemed Mentor Wint was right. Our Duchess Ellie was special, her abilities incredibly strong. It wasn’t just her title that required caution. With such potion-concocting skills, what would happen if villains kidnapped her and forced her to work tirelessly?

Knowing that Duchess Ellie could not only fight but also concoct extraordinary potions that ordinary people couldn’t, Zoey became even more cautious. Of course, if she knew there were over a hundred apothecaries in this city, she might feel embarrassed about her seemingly excessive caution.

"Since your mission is mainly to collect beast meat, you must be living in the forest, right? Your power level wasn’t that bad, after all. I’ve heard that the prince also received the same mission. Perhaps he’s cooperating with you?"

"Yes, that’s correct."

"Mmm, just as I thought," the middle-aged woman furrowed her brows, her expression turning serious.

"Is there something wrong, Lady Celey?"

"Of course. Normally, I don’t like to meddle in others’ affairs, but this issue is far-reaching and could affect this war..."

".............."

"I might be overthinking it, but 2-3 soldiers have been meddling with our potion-concocting group. They pushed us to concoct potions as fast as possible, which led to the cauldron explosions you know about. I’m puzzled why they’re in such a rush when the war hasn’t even started in full. Usually, there are plenty of reserve potions in the storeroom for times like this, but...those soldiers wouldn’t explain the real reason. They just insisted I hurry while I still had the chance."

"I have a bad feeling about this. Some of their words made me think...this city might not remain a stronghold for much longer." Celey’s eyes showed her worry. Ellie narrowed her eyes slightly at this.

Celey, being straightforward, wouldn’t speak without confidence. Perhaps she would prefer to say she was merely anxious rather than outright stated her belief that the city might soon be lost.

Typically, conquering a city involved a formal declaration to lay siege, giving those inside time to prepare for battle, and then fighting systematically. However, there were more sophisticated methods. In many inter-kingdom wars, people often pressured their opponents to lose the city themselves. For example...

"The fact that the prince is undertaking missions in a 1st-floor city is excessively risky. I don’t understand what the palace is thinking. Someone of his status should be hidden away in the palace or completing high-floor missions with numerous royal guards. Even though this situation has never happened before, they shouldn’t place the prince in the same position as an ordinary student, should they?"

"I worry that the prince, who is on a beast-hunting mission with you, might be targeted this time. What if Prince Jason is captured to pressure the Ares Kingdom into surrendering this city?"

"Don’t forget that in this 1st floor, the cities are very close together. The area is much smaller than the higher floors. Even if there isn’t a city from the Rhea Kingdom nearby, it doesn’t mean they can’t travel here. Or...what if they’re collaborating with other nearby kingdoms?"

The more Celey talked about this, the more worried she became. Ellie also saw the possibility of this scenario. It seemed likely that the city might indeed be lost if the enemy captured the prince as a hostage. In that case, the Emperor would be forced to sacrifice either the prince’s life or the city, both of which would be detrimental.

Being a prince was no easy task. While he had to deal with internal noble conflicts, it seemed there were also external forces looking to exploit him.

But...could the timing be too perfect? While the internal strife was underway, external forces were synchronizing their moves precisely. Moreover, the ones who had made Lady Celey so anxious were soldiers from within the kingdom. Could it be that...this was not just about a struggle for the throne but actual treason against the kingdom?!!

No! Or maybe they had been responding incorrectly all along. Even though the soldiers tasked with handling the prince were indeed assigned to assassinate him, what if they had already anticipated that the prince would manage? What if, after that, they turned their focus to monitoring the movements of the kingdom’s nobles and neglected the threat from other kingdoms?

"Initially, I worried that if this city were suddenly seized, the resources for potion concocting would be drastically reduced. But now, after meeting you and discovering that you are with the prince, I’m more concerned about you."

"Ellie, you are a very talented student and the sole disciple of Professor Medik. So, I would like to ask you to help with potion concocting as a special case. At the very least, if you could distance yourself from the prince, your safety would be greatly increased. Although they are only calling for level 1 apothecaries, I can request for you to be tested and promoted to level 1 right now. Are you interested?"

Celey was genuinely worried about Ellie. Initially, she took an interest in Ellie because she was Professor Medik’s disciple. However, after working together for a long time in the previous emergency camp, Celey realized that Ellie was a very good child. The two worked well together, and Ellie was professional and responsible, always completing her tasks. Celey particularly liked such children.

As for the kingdom, while there was genuine concern, they were significant figures who would eventually find their way out. Besides, if Celey’s suspicions were correct, the prince would need to be kept safe for leverage. But what about the others around him? They wouldn’t be safe at all.

"Thank you, Apothecary Celey, for your offer. However, there are many friends and seniors from my branch at the camp. Many of them are good people, and I don’t want to leave them behind."

"Mmm, I understand." Although she had made the offer, Celey had a feeling Ellie wouldn’t accept. She wanted to force the girl to leave, but if it were her, Celey wouldn’t abandon her comrades either. Their eyes met with mutual distress, and in the end, it was Celey who had to look away.

"Alright then, I figured you wouldn’t let others suffer while you survive alone. So...the best I can do now is to wish you safety and...if anything progresses or there’s any unusual activity, I’ll inform you right away."

"Be very cautious. If you can warn the prince to be on guard, all the better. It seems there are people within our Ares Kingdom who support the Rhea Kingdom. So, dealing with the prince wouldn’t be difficult for someone who knows his movements well."

"I understand. I will warn him to be cautious," Ellie responded earnestly, and Celey could only sigh.