Chapter 192

The workshop's lamp was like a bright star in the night.

The wind howled outside the window; it was the typical weather of the Black Mist Forest—biting cold wind mixed with faint magic power fluctuations.

This strange wind made the skin of every creature passing by sting, as if being constantly pierced by countless invisible fine needles.

Luo En was focused on a new alchemy experiment in the laboratory, concentrating entirely on manipulating the amber liquid floating in front of him.

This was an improved type of "Mental Shield" potion, and he was trying to enhance its anti-pollution effect.

The Bloodline Altar would open tomorrow, and he couldn't waste any time.

"If I add the extract of Moon-Ghost Grass..." Luo En carefully dripped three drops of silver liquid:

"Theoretically, it can enhance resistance to pollution."

The liquid immediately reacted, emitting a slight "hissing" sound.

The color gradually changed from amber to deep purple, and then slowly recovered to a purer golden yellow.

【Material Transmutation (Proficient) Experience +1】

Just as he was preparing for the next test, Lady Lady Ailan's voice came through telepathy:

"Master, Prince Andre is visiting; he looks like he's in an emergency. His emotional fluctuations are very strong, as if something important has happened."

Luo En frowned slightly; being interrupted at this point made him somewhat displeased.

He carefully stabilized the experimental product before taking off his goggles and walking quickly toward the reception room.

As soon as he entered, he saw Andre sitting there, a change from his usual elegant composure; his face was anxious, and his hands were constantly rubbing his knees.

The golden vertical pupils kept contracting, showing his inner unease.

Luo En keenly noticed that his friend's attire was also not as neat as usual; the hem of his robe was wrinkled, and there was even an obvious tear on his left sleeve, as if he had rushed over in a hurry without time to change.

"Your Highness, what wind blew you here?"

Luo En asked expressionlessly, but he had already sensed that the situation was extraordinary.

Andre looked up, a flash of struggle in those vertical pupils:

"Luo En... I received a secret report from the Kingdom; Father's illness has worsened severely. It is said that he has begun coughing up blood and has had a continuous high fever, and even my grandfather, who is a high-level apprentice, has expressed helplessness."

He paused for a moment, his voice becoming lower:

"My eldest brother and second brother have already begun to assign their confidants in the army, my third brother controls the taxation of the southern district of the Royal Capital, and even my fourth sister, who has always been indifferent to worldly affairs, has begun attending noble gatherings... The royal family has already split into at least five factions, fighting openly and secretly. I... I am considering whether I should go back."

Luo En sat opposite him, his eyes becoming as sharp as a knife: "And then? What do you want to do if you go back?"

Andre bit his lower lip, hesitating for several seconds before opening his mouth:

"Perhaps... I should also strive for it? After all, I have successfully awakened the Red Blood Flying Dragon bloodline... If Father really can't make it, there must be an heir, I want..."

"Listening to your tone, why does it sound like you're asking for my opinion?"

Luo En sneered, a flash of disdain in his eyes: "Are you sure you really want to be King? Or is it because you're afraid of being dragged into it and forced to make a choice?"

"I..." Andre's face clearly showed struggle, his golden pupils contracting and expanding:

"To be honest, I'm afraid. My eldest brother and second brother have been trained as heirs to the throne since childhood; they have the support of the army and nobles behind them. Although I have awakened a powerful bloodline, besides that, I have almost nothing. I'm not even sure if I should go back and participate in this struggle..."

Luo En suddenly stood up, his face gloomy, a flash of cold light in his eyes:

"If you have this attitude, even if you go back, you'll be dead!

Do you think you can stay here for a lifetime without royal support? Do you think your brothers will let you go just because you don't fight?

In the power struggle of the royal family, there is no such thing as neutrality! Not fighting means being slaughtered!"

He walked to the window, turning his back to Andre, his voice cold:

"Participating in the struggle personally might lead to failure; but shrinking back means a one hundred percent chance of death.

I originally thought that after experiencing that near-death experience of bloodline awakening, you would grow to be more determined; it seems I overestimated your resolve."

"Luo En, you don't understand..." Andre said painfully: "I lack experience, and my resources are insufficient; going back is facing the tiger's mouth..."

"Lilia."

Luo En suddenly raised his voice, interrupting Andre's words: "Bring that special recording crystal ball, the one on the third shelf of the cabinet."

Lilia seemed to have been prepared for this request, only hesitating slightly before walking quickly out of the room.

A moment later, she returned with a dark red crystal ball about the size of a fist, holding it carefully with both hands, as if it were some dangerous item.

Luo En took the crystal ball and injected a trace of mental power.

The crystal ball immediately glowed with an ominous scarlet light, and a terrifying scene unfolded in the air like a 3D projection.

That was a basement stained red with blood, the walls covered with all kinds of strange ritual runes, and a complex sacrificial magic array drawn on the ground.

In the center of the array hung a naked young man, his arms pulled apart by special chains, fixed in mid-air in a cross shape.

His eyes had been gouged out, replaced by two crystal balls flickering with strange blue light;

His mouth was fixed by some kind of metal device, unable to close, and a tentacle-like foreign object extended from his mouth, seemingly connected deep into his throat;

His entire skin was covered with dense, twisted runes, each rune moving slowly, as if it had life;

Most terrifyingly, his chest and abdomen were completely dissected, his internal organs exposed, yet he still showed signs of life, the heart in his chest cavity still beating weakly, and his lungs rising and falling slowly.

And beside this semi-living corpse, a female figure was using some kind of strange ritual dagger to carefully remove some glowing organ from the man's body.

Her movements were extremely precise, just like an experienced surgeon.

Every cut was just right, capable of keeping the victim's vital signs while extracting energy to the maximum extent.

Even more terrifying was that with her operation, the man's painful moans and weak limb twitches clearly indicated that he remained fully conscious.

"What... is this ghost thing?"

Andre's voice trembled, his face as pale as paper, a drop of cold sweat sliding down his forehead.

"This is Cynthia's 'little pet'."

Luo En's tone was calm, continuing to display this scene, which had a greater impact than any horror movie:

"Or rather, her 'energy container'. See? Those runes are not just decorations; they form a complete energy extraction circuit, providing a steady stream of life energy and pleasure to the master through endless pain and fear."

The scene in the crystal ball changed, showing a series of hair-raising scenes:

Different men were fixed in various terrifying devices, some were sutured with organs of alien creatures, some were injected with potions that made their skin transparent, their internal organs clearly visible;

Some were inserted with all kinds of strange pipes all over their bodies, radiating strange fluorescence;

Others were completely transformed, almost unrecognizable as human, leaving only a pile of wriggling flesh with human faces embedded on it, full of pain and despair.

The final scene was particularly terrifying—in a room, dozens of shriveled human husks were piled up in the corner like garbage.

Those things that were once human had been completely drained of life essence, their skin gray and white, their eye sockets hollow, leaving only a thin layer of skin wrapping the bones, without a trace of flesh and blood remaining.

Andre stood up abruptly, his body trembling constantly, his face pale, his eyes full of unbelievable fear.

"Is this... the fate if I am sent to her?"

After finally stopping his urge to vomit, he asked in a hoarse voice.

"No, you would only be worse than them." Luo En pointed coldly at the scene in the crystal ball:

"Cynthia especially likes men with status; she believes that those once-noble bloodlines contain more energy. You are a prince; she would let you 'enjoy' it longer and deeper."

He continued mercilessly:

"According to my observation, what she likes most is corroding the prey's will. Many of those people were allowed to retain consciousness at first, just to let them fully experience the whole process from pride to collapse. This satisfies her perverted desires more than simple physical pain."

Andre closed his eyes painfully, his nails digging deep into his palms:

"You deliberately kept these... just to stimulate me? These images... I might never be able to forget them for the rest of my life..."

"You think too highly of yourself." Luo En answered coldly, putting away the crystal ball:

"Initially asking for these records was to study her energy extraction ritual and magic array structure, especially those techniques that can keep prey alive for a long time, which are very valuable from an academic perspective."

He looked at Andre coldly:

"But indeed, I kept them to let you see the truth of this world.

There has never been a safe zone in this world, no neutral ground. If you don't fight, you will be swallowed.

If it weren't for me, you would already be one of those corpses, yet you are still hesitating whether to fight for what should have been yours?"

Andre was silent for a long time, the fear in his golden vertical pupils gradually replaced by another emotion—cold determination.

It was a ferocity that only a beast driven to a dead end would show.

"You're right." His voice was low and firm, carrying a trace of hoarseness: "I have no choice but to move forward."

He looked up at Luo En, his eyes already sharp:

"The supply of magic stone fragments from the royal family has been cut off for half a year; you should have noticed this long ago, right?"

Luo En nodded slightly:

"I inferred that the internal strife in your kingdom has reached a critical point. The resource chain is broken, and each faction has begun to accumulate power on its own, no longer transporting resources outward. This doesn't count as a bad thing for you—chaotic situations often create opportunities for outsiders."

"Did you collect the materials I asked you to find?" He suddenly asked.

"I brought them." Andre took out a complexly sealed brocade bag from his bosom:

"These things were not easy to find; I used up all my favors. Especially that last piece of 'Star Meteor Iron,' which is said to be extracted from a meteorite and is extremely rare."

Luo En took the brocade bag and quickly checked the contents: Star

Meteor Iron, blood mineral sand, sun-flame essence... each was a rare alchemy material, especially suitable for making alchemy items related to bloodlines.

"Very good." He nodded with satisfaction and put away the brocade bag: "Wait here."

"Wait." Andre called him: "What do you intend to do?"

Luo En stopped, as if evaluating something:

"These materials, plus some I collected myself, are enough to forge a set of weapons and armor suitable for you. Although the time is a bit rushed, the basic functions should be guaranteed."

He turned and entered the laboratory, leaving Andre and Lilia in the reception room.

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy for a time; Andre's gaze drifted from time to time to that dark red crystal ball, his eyes filled with fear and disgust.

"Your Highness Andre... would you like some tea?"

Lilia asked softly, breaking the silence: "It can help calm your mood."

"Thank you." Andre managed a smile: "I do need something to wash away the images just now..."

Lilia poured a cup of mint tea and handed it to Andre:

"Teacher... when you first met him, was he always such a... direct person?"

Andre took the teacup and smiled bitterly:

"He wasn't like this before. When we first met, he was a spendthrift who only thought about enjoyment. No one would have thought he would become the calm, almost cold person he is now."

He took a sip of tea, his eyes carrying memories:

"But I think this is the real him. When he no longer pretends, no longer hides, his essence is like this..."

"Teacher is actually a very good person." Lilia suddenly spoke, refuting firmly:

"Because he values you very much, he would use such a special way, even not hesitating to stimulate you with those terrifying images."

Andre nodded: "I know. Because of this, I must pull myself together."

More than two hours later, Luo En came out of the laboratory, clearly exhausted but with satisfaction in his eyes.

He held two items in his hand—a longsword flickering with deep red light and a silver-white breastplate.

"This is a parting gift I prepared for you." Luo En handed them to Andre: "Weapon and armor."

Andre took them carefully and immediately felt the extraordinary energy radiating from these two items.

The longsword felt warm to the touch, as if it could sense his bloodline fluctuations; the breastplate carried a sense of reassuring stability.

"These..." Andre looked at the two items in surprise: "How did you finish them in such a short time?"

"Star Meteor Iron itself has strong energy conductivity, and the other materials were just to enhance the resonance between the items and you."

Luo En explained briefly, as if this were nothing difficult:

"When the sword was refined, I added some of your blood extract, which has already established an initial connection with your bloodline; it will become increasingly compatible during use and will eventually amplify your power; the breastplate mainly serves for protection, especially against spell attacks, and can win you a chance for a counter-kill in an emergency."

Andre gripped the longsword tightly, feeling the warm energy flowing within it, just like holding a tamed raging fire:

"Luo En, this is too..."

"This is the last help I can give you; I also have to set off to do my own things."

Luo En interrupted him, his voice exhausted:

"Next, you must rely on yourself. After returning to the Kingdom, you can act in my name—'Sixth in the sequence, ally of Luo En Ralph.' This can bring you a certain amount of prestige, especially among those nobles who understand the wizarding world."

He looked straight into Andre's eyes:

"But remember, this is just an external halo; the real struggle still depends on your own strength and strategy. No one will willingly submit just because you know a high-level apprentice; everything needs to be fought for by yourself."

Andre took a deep breath and straightened his back:

"I understand, Luo En. Thank you for your help all along... I won't let you down."

"Go, future King." Luo En revealed a rare encouraging smile:

"Forge the crown with your own hands; don't let it fall onto someone else's head. And don't let all my investments go down the drain; that would be a bloody loss to the extreme."

Andre nodded solemnly, put the sword and armor away carefully, and performed a formal knight's salute to Luo En:

"My friend, I promise you, when we meet next time, I will no longer be that hesitant Thirteenth Prince."

After seeing Andre off, Luo En dragged his exhausted body back to the laboratory, preparing to continue his unfinished work.

Lilia followed lightly behind, her face carrying worry.

"Teacher, you have been working for more than ten hours; you need to rest for a while."

Luo En shook his head, continuing to mix the potion he had interrupted earlier:

"There is no time; the trial of the Bloodline Altar is just around the corner, and I must complete all preparations."

"Do you really think Prince Andre can succeed?" Lilia couldn't help but ask.

Luo En stopped his movements and pondered for a moment:

"This depends on himself; all I can do is give him weapons and motivation. Whether he can seize the opportunity depends on himself."

"What if he fails?"

"Then it proves I misjudged the person."

Luo En's tone was cold, and he began to work again: "Everything is natural selection, but this guy's confusion has already been swept away by me."

He stopped his work and looked up at the deep night sky outside the window:

"He has experienced the edge of death; once such a person is determined to move forward, they can often erupt with unimaginable power."

Lilia looked at the teacher's thoughtful profile and exited the laboratory lightly.

(End of chapter)