Chapter 3365: Miraculous Physician (Part 20)

"Really?" Schiller was very supportive. He said, "I'm just a bit tired. If I could have a cup of hot coffee, that would be best."

"Magic potion effects are much better than coffee. Watch me." Wanda walked over to the material cabinet nearby, pulled open a drawer, selected several types of herbs from inside, placed them into a mortar, and ground them into a paste. She threw a portion into the pot next to her, mixed the juices of the other portion together, filtered them, and then poured everything into the pot.

As it boiled and bubbled, Wanda began to cast a spell. Magic light flew from her hands, landing in the pot and changing the color of the potion. A burst of herbal fragrance dispelled the unpleasant odor in the operating room, making both of them feel refreshed.

Soon, two cups of something that looked more like hot tea than coffee were brought over. Wanda clapped her hands and said, "Taste it. This is the best-selling magic potion in my shop. Every customer comes for a cup."

Schiller picked up the cup and didn't see any tea leaves. The tea was a lustrous blue; although it looked a bit uninviting, the aroma was indeed rich, smelling somewhat like a prepared medicinal tea.

Schiller took a small sip. The entry was a mint-like spiciness, and the icy sensation traveled straight from the tip of his tongue to his brain, making Schiller, who was warming himself by the fireplace, instantly sober up. Then came the bitterness of the herbs, but it didn't spread to the sides of his tongue, nor did it produce a sour sensation; a sweet aftertaste quickly welled up.

Schiller's eyes lit up and he said, "Delicious."

"Right?" Wanda brewed a cup for herself as well, then said, "I slightly improved the recipe myself to make the flavor less pungent. The customer response has been very good."

"I think you could also delve into these in reality," Strange said. "Easterners have already begun researching magical herbs. Perhaps soon you could be a genuine traditional witch."

"Really? Actually, I quite like the feeling of running a shop." Wanda sat on a small stool against the wall and said, "However, to reach the level of magic popularization in this world, I'm afraid it will take a few hundred years. I still want to pass the nursing exam first."

Just as the few of them were chatting while holding their tea, Schiller suddenly remembered something. He said, "Do you know what kind of magic potion can be made from Mandrake, Ambergris Flower, and Moonshade?"

Wanda's eyes widened slightly, her eyelashes fluttering. She held her cup and said, "These are forbidden drugs; they can't be bought on the market. These are all herbs that can cause hallucinations, and the magic potions concocted from them are also poisonous. Why are you asking about this?"

"Is that so? Then what kind of potion can specifically be concocted?"

Wanda thought carefully, but soon she waved her hand and conjured a thick book—the very typical kind of magic book, with a purple cover and metal edges. She began to flip through the book to look it up.

"If there is only one or two of them, it is generally used to concoct anesthetics. The anesthetic potion you are currently using should contain ingredients from these herbs."

"But if all three are used..." Wanda handed the magic book to Schiller to look at.

"Dream-Entry Potion?" Schiller looked at the Latin on it and said, "This potion can make people enter a dream? What does this symbol mean?"

"This doesn't just make people dream; the key is that they won't be easily awakened, and it can allow people to enter the deep layers of a dream." Wanda stroked the pages of the book and said, "This magic potion is very dangerous. Once taken, there is a possibility of never waking up again. However, it also has a corresponding antidote. Let me see... Sulfur, it requires sulfur powder to be used as an inhalable incense..."

Schiller seemed to have thought of something. He said, "Can only witches concoct magic potions?"

"Magicians can too. However, as far as I know, in this universe, true magicians are very powerful, have their own Mage Towers, and a large group of students, and are supported by the royal family; their numbers are very scarce."

"They usually regard magic potions as low-class things and also look down on witches; no magician will come to concoct magic potions. This work is generally done by witches, and it is a family inheritance. My shop was inherited from my mother."

"You said the police were chasing you because they mistook you for another witch? Do you know who that is?"

Wanda shook her head, but then said, "However, I caught a glimpse of the wanted poster they were holding. That witch also has red hair; no wonder they would mistake us."

"The last question, is it possible for a witch to be male?"

"Ah?"

"Didn't you say this is a race? Then is it possible for there to be male members?"

"Of course that's impossible. How could a witch be male?" Wanda said, somewhat speechless. "Males are called warlocks. There are no warlocks in this world, only magicians and witches who don't distinguish by gender."

Schiller snapped his fingers and said, "Natasha."

"What?" Strange looked at him and asked.

"The one working in the other ward should be Natasha," Schiller said.

Strange frowned slightly and said, "Although Natasha does have red hair, we can't conclude it's her based on just this one clue, right?"

"First, through the content of the dreams, we have already determined that this hospital has problems, so it's possible that not only we can see the encounter of those two children; other doctors can too."

"The three medicinal materials the other party wants are clearly for concocting the Dream-Entry Potion, and then using the potion to explore the dream."

"And generally speaking, only witches will concoct magic potions. Neither of us will, so we don't have this means of exploring the dream. Then it can probably be determined that one of the other party is female."

"Since we arrived here, the other players we have seen are all acquaintances from our universe. There aren't many red-haired females among our acquaintances; besides Wanda, there is only Natasha."

After finishing, Schiller revealed a slightly gloating smile, then said, "Natasha has always been unimpressed by magic; now it's her turn to be a witch."

"A Soviet witch..." Strange shook his head and said, "It's hard to imagine what she could do."

"Why are all the people we are matched with in this game acquaintances?" Wanda sipped her tea and said.

"Probably to let us adapt to the game." Schiller actually didn't know the reason, but he felt it shouldn't just be his side like this; perhaps everyone who was matched for a two-player dungeon for the first time encountered acquaintances.

And there are many benefits to matching acquaintances together, the most important of which is that it can omit the process of testing each other and understanding each other, and just start working.

To put it civilly, it's to let players put more energy into exploring the plot. If Schiller and the others encountered players from a strange universe, then when they met, they would inevitably have to spend a lot of time fishing for information from the other party and understanding what kind of person the other party is. But if they are old rivals from the same universe, there is no need to waste time.

Like when they encountered Stark before, once Schiller determined it was the Tony Stark from their universe, Schiller wouldn't spend time thinking about what Stark would do after leaving here, and he betrayed him without any psychological burden; anyway, if he was caught, Steve would find a way to save him, and it would be a waste not to take the bounty.

After listening to Schiller's speculation, Wanda nodded and said, "That does make a lot of sense. But Natasha should have a teammate, right? Who would her teammate be?"

"Batman," Schiller's expression finally became a bit more serious. He said, "And the most difficult Batman to deal with."

Strange sat up straight and looked at Schiller, asking, "How so?"

Schiller shook his head and said, "You don't need to understand him, because the difficulty of every Batman exceeds your upper limit. How difficult he is doesn't matter anymore."

"Besides, this is a restricted dungeon; everyone is basically an ordinary person with no power to truss a chicken, and he can't do anything to us either."

"That's not necessarily true," Strange said. "If Natasha is a witch, then she has attack means that exceed ordinary people. If she suddenly hits us, that will be enough for us to suffer."

"In terms of being a witch, I am still more professional," Wanda held her teacup and said. "Although my magic consumption is high, as long as I rest for a period of time, I can recover. And she may not be as good at concocting magic potions as I am, otherwise she wouldn't have chosen the Dream-Entry Potion with such high risk."

Strange and Schiller both looked at her.

Wanda pointed her finger at the magic book in Schiller's hand and said, "Actually, there are quite a few other potions that can achieve similar effects; although they aren't as good as the Dream-Entry Potion, the risk is also much lower."

"Most importantly, the raw materials for many other potions aren't that hard to buy. I really don't know how they got the Mandrake. That thing was a very scarce forbidden drug in my mother's era, basically only existing in auction houses. Even a Great Mage would have to put in some effort to get it."

"In other words, you can make a potion with similar effects, but cheaper and safer?"

"Yes. However, if you really want to explore the deepest layer of the dream, you still need to risk using the Dream-Entry Potion; its effect is irreplaceable."

Wanda put the teacup aside and said, "Since they have already chosen to use this potion, it proves that the plot in the dream is more critical to them. We don't need to deal with them either; we just need to explore the plot."

"Although that's what you say, you still underestimated the difficulty of Batman," Schiller said. "He will preset everyone else in this world as his enemy. If you don't have something that can deter him, then even the defensive measures he takes against you may cause big trouble."

When he said this, the door was knocked, and the Bear Caretaker came to deliver goods.

The big pile of things Schiller ordered were all placed at the door. After the Bear Caretaker left, the three of them moved the boxes stacked to the ceiling inside together.

"What are these?" Wanda asked, somewhat puzzled.

Strange also stared at that pile of things. He looked at the metal tools in the box and said, "I can still understand these, but this..."

He turned his head to look inside the box against the wall; inside were many bricks, and in a larger box next to it was clay powder, as well as some sand and such.

"These are all things that will be used later," Schiller dragged the boxes to the fireplace and said, "Didn't you notice that the fireplace in our room is very special?"

Wanda and Strange both looked at him.

"What kind of flame can burn an adult, bones and flesh included, to nothing in less than half an hour?"

Strange was slightly stunned. He really hadn't thought about this problem before. After all, he wasn't as professional as Schiller in destroying corpses and evidence; he had never burned a living person, so how would he know how long it takes to burn a person?

But hearing this, Wanda showed surprise. She said, "You mean, this fireplace burned an adult to nothing in half an hour? That's impossible!"

Seeing Strange turn his head to look at her, Wanda said, "I worked in a crematorium, specifically responsible for picking up bones in the furnace. Crematoriums use professional equipment, and it still takes a long time to burn. Just such a small fireplace..."

Wanda looked at the fireplace and shook her head. She leaned over and tested the temperature with her hand, saying, "This temperature doesn't meet the standard either."

"That is the problem," Schiller said. "This shows that this might be a magic flame, and the efficiency is far higher than we imagined. Since that's the case, wouldn't it be a waste not to make good use of it?"

"... What do you want to do?" Strange narrowed his eyes and looked at him.

"It's very simple," Schiller smiled and said, "Create the last means for modern humans to protect themselves."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 3366 =====