Chapter 811: Additive

In the thick mist, Lu Mi stared at the oil lamp, itching to light it and see what would happen.

In the end, he restrained himself and did not take that risk.

Unless pushed to a critical moment, and while all circumstances remained chaotic and unclear, Lu Mi believed any high-risk decision was unwise.

He also had no intention of taking the oil lamp away to exchange with Aunis. Medici for the "pus-swollen severed hand" head; since the Iron Blood Cross had left the lamp here unguarded, it meant they were not worried about its loss—or that they had many similar lamps, and losing one did not matter.

——Based on Lu Mi's observations, the pale yellow grease inside the lamp most likely did not come from the Iron Blood Knights or the Despair Witch, differing somewhat from corpse-oil candles, and was probably a blend of mid-rank "Hunter" and "Witch" substances.

"Though far less effective than corpse-oil candles, it should still function somewhat in places like the underground of Mora in the Fourth Era…" Lu Mi reached into the Traveler's Satchel.

Not lighting it, not taking it—did not mean he could do nothing at all.

He planned to add something extra to this oil lamp, so the Iron Blood Cross members would suffer an unforeseen accident during their ritual!

What Lu Mi pulled out were the aged blood powder of the Devil Wizard, ice-lime fish slices, the rage potion from the Night Wanderers, and the bark potion from the same source.

He arranged them on the half-height stone platform, took a little of each, mixed them together, and molded them into a brown "clump" the size of a human knuckle.

"What's this called? This is a cocktail!" Lu Mi chuckled softly, returned all materials to the Traveler's Satchel, then took out Mr. K's finger, sliced off a small piece of flesh, and wrapped it around the outer surface of the brown "clump."

This was preparation for the Iron Blood Cross's inspection—since the Iron Blood Cross primarily follows the "Hunter" path, they would inevitably check the lamp before use, confirming no anomalies, especially since the lamp had been unguarded for so long.

And in Mora, Lu Mi had no fear that using Mr. K's finger would trigger his awareness.

Looking at the small "clump" stained with blood, Lu Mi reluctantly scooped out a bit of semi-solid, semi-liquid pale yellow-red substance from his own corpse-oil candle and smeared it over the "clump."

Only double deception, combined with a similar but higher-tier and divine object, could possibly fool the noses and eyes of those "Hunters!"

When the "clump" had taken on the pale yellow-red hue, Lu Mi carefully examined the corpse-oil candle and comforted himself:

"Just a little less—shouldn't affect the number of uses…"

After stowing the corpse-oil candle, Lu Mi picked up the oil lamp, pulled out the wick woven from strands of black hair, and slowly sank the pale yellow-red "clump" into the semi-solid grease, positioning it precisely.

Seeing the pale yellow-red surface of the "clump" blend seamlessly with the surrounding grease as expected—its red hue fading until only a trace remained, deeply buried within the oil, leaving no trace visible from outside—Lu Mi exhaled, picked up the wick, and slowly inserted it into the semi-solid, semi-liquid pale yellow grease.

After repeated adjustments, the wick's position and condition finally met Lu Mi's requirements.

He could already imagine how it would unfold:

The lamp would first burn normally, with only a trace of divine corpse-oil mixed in—this would only enhance the ritual's effect, making Iron Blood Cross members sink deeper into the sensory experience.

This would last twenty to thirty seconds, after which the corpse-oil candle portion would ignite.

It would deliver ten to dozens of times the original lamp's covenant experience; for members with insufficient mental fortitude, it would be lethal.

Of course, this might trigger beneficial mutations in the remaining Iron Blood Cross members, but the amount of corpse-oil candle was minuscule, and combustion would rapidly spread into the chaotic mixture enveloping Mr. K's flesh.

What effect that would cause, Lu Mi himself did not know—but he was certain it would deteriorate.

"This one's the strong stuff," Lu Mi recalled the Southern Continent's assessment of East Baylan tobacco, smiling at the imagined Iron Blood Cross members.

Then he cleaned away all traces left on the oil lamp and gathered the broken stones from the scene.

Following the fading scent trails of different perfumes, Lu Mi found the correct path back to the basement crack through the thick mist and slowly left the area.

He immediately transformed into a shadow creature and slipped back to the Carnivore Bar, feigning sleep to guard against surprise attacks from Aunis. Medici, Gu Xin, and others.

At six a. ., Lu Mi was fully refreshed again.

He rolled off the bed, stretched his neck, and muttered sarcastically:

"Didn't come?

"Aunis and the others didn't come, nor did Vanack—do they think I have 'Teleportation,' am not on a special battlefield, or lack special items, so even if they ambushed me successfully, they couldn't kill me?

"Heh, you're too hesitant, too cautious. Now I have shadows again, fear no sunlight, and can block one fatal strike…"

Lu Mi pulled back the curtain, gazed at the brightening dawn, and turned his eyes toward the books from the Church of Knowledge, placed in the corner of the desk.

He instinctively felt a headache, frowning.

He resisted reading, resisted learning, sinking into an indescribable struggle.

If there were only these few books, Lu Mi would be highly motivated, reading them seriously and attentively, ignoring all distractions—but the thought of finishing these and still facing three entire bookshelves of books and thousands of exam papers filled him with despair, making him unwilling to begin.

After a dozen seconds, Lu Mi rubbed his temples, sighed, and muttered silently:

"Forget it. Since '0—01' was sealed by the Church of Knowledge, I should respect knowledge a little.

"Besides, I have nothing else to do right now—I need to wait for Aunis and Zhu Li to take further action, to uncover opportunities and directions…"

Lu Mi sat down, leaned back in his chair, and placed his feet on the edge of the desk, adopting a comfortable yet precarious posture to read the books designated by Heraberg.

He had already read the first two or three chapters and found nothing noteworthy; this time he intended to study them deeply.

As he read, Lu Mi's expression gradually changed.

He became immersed in reading, nearly forgetting time, until Les knocked and told him breakfast was ready.

"Alright." Lu Mi nodded, set down the book without any outward sign of disturbance, and rose to leave the room.

As he neared the door and saw Les had already turned toward the stairs, he half-turned, glanced back at the books on the desk, and his face showed a look of stunned uncertainty.

These books truly contained vital knowledge!

He was currently deeply studying one, and had skimmed the others—but had already found numerous details matching those in the '0—01' sealing records, accompanied by even more detailed explanations!

"If I truly finished reading all three bookshelves and passed the exams, I might truly find a way to approach '0—01' from within the overall sealing mechanism, and use the sealing's principles to protect myself when touching that artifact…"

"Knowledge is power, knowledge is wealth, knowledge holds all answers…" Lu Mi withdrew his gaze, his eyes glinting with swirling thoughts as he entered the corridor and turned toward the stairs.

The problem now was that such knowledge would clearly cause contamination, just like the '0—01' sealing records—Lu Mi feared that the more he mastered, the closer he drew to '0—01,' the more likely he would become its puppet.

"Also, if I keep reading these books with intense focus, Aunis, Zhu Li, Gu Xin, Vanack might suspect and borrow a few from the Church of Knowledge too—then I'd lose my head start… I need to wander aimlessly each day, clash with them, set traps, outwit them, and pretend I'm just reading out of sheer boredom…" Lu Mi's face slowly broke into a smile.

He descended the stairs and fixed his gaze on Zhu Li, seated on the high stool before the bar.

The "Witch" wore a white shirt with a black skirt, appearing quite demure—but as she ate Les's ham-and-tomato sandwich, she gently swayed her waist, making the stool spin.

She glanced back at Lu Mi, then continued speaking to Les:

"I only seek to reclaim what I've lost from other men when my emotions are especially bad; normally, I'm merely jealous or hostile—why do they still have what I've lost?

"But you—your cooking has conquered me. I accept your right to keep that thing, as long as you don't come near me when I'm exploding emotionally—I won't do anything to you."

Is this one reason why "Witches" turn their lovers into "Witches"? Lu Mi sat beside Zhu Li and smiled at Les:

"What were you two talking about?"

Les licked his lips and said:

"She asked if I was curious what 'Witch' meat tastes like, cut off a small piece for me, grilled it—it was delicious, rich in fat, chewy meat—and then we got onto the previous topic."

Lu Mi glanced at Zhu Li and noticed the bulge of bandages on her left shoulder, with faint bloodstains on her shirt.

So real… one dares to cut, the other dares to cook—you two's mental states and inner worlds—I'm truly inferior… Lu Mi grunted, and asked Zhu Li directly:

"What scheme are you hatching now?"

Zhu Li's face showed two faint dimples:

"I want to learn cooking from Les."

Her expression was full of longing and anticipation.

To cook for Salsist? You "Witches"… Lu Mi shook his head and focused on his breakfast.

…………

Trier, Memorial District, Aoluosaijie No. 9, Apartment 702.

Fueranka received a reply from the "Judge" Lady, which began:

"Mr. 'Star' agrees to provide potion recipes and extraordinary materials in stages regarding Amadina, but he requires no money or resources—only your assistance on certain matters."

"Me? What can I help Mr. 'Star' with?" Fueranka fell into thought.

(End of Chapter)