The meeting place with Lia was about a ten-minute walk from Nathan's residence.
The floating island where the magic potion class was located bustled with activity.
Here, magi draped in magic robes mingled with warriors in short tunics, moving in pairs or small groups through the vegetation.
The academy seemed serene, as if untouched by the recent events.
Students walked, chatted, and laughed with the same calmness as always.
Lord Rudis had taken that box of resonance pills to see Dean Jones.
It was likely only a matter of time before the Resource Department triggered a wave of panic across the entire academy.
Nathan met Lia by a pond.
Lia's eyes were somewhat red, and although she was happy to see Nathan, she lacked her usual poise and appeared worn.
"Have you fully recovered?" Lia asked, her eyes fixed on Nathan.
Nathan nodded.
Lia continued, "I've been working on a magic potion that can counteract Blood Burning." "Oh," Nathan raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"I've only made a little progress. I rushed to prepare a few bottles last night; I'm not sure if they'll work." Lia said, handing Nathan four vials of blue potion.
"If it works, you won't be limited by using magic anymore. If something like last time happens again, you'll have more ability to protect yourself," Lia whispered.
The two walked side by side on the path, attracting many envious glances.
Here, people were very familiar with Lia.
As for Nathan, they had only heard of him.
So, when they saw the goddess of their hearts walking intimately with a blonde young man, they all speculated about who he could be.
"Was Professor Palin your mentor?" Nathan asked in a low voice after a moment of silence.
Lia's eyes showed confusion.
Nathan continued, "I've discovered some rather unsettling things. I'm not sure if I should tell you."
In truth, Nathan felt conflicted.
If Lia had never taken a resonance pill, it might be okay, but what if she had?
"Lia, is there a magic potion that can repel insects?" Nathan suddenly asked, struck by a thought.
"Why do you ask that?" Lia tilted her head, pondering.
"There are many ways to repel insects, not necessarily with a magic potion. The components of a magic potion are more complex than those needed for repelling insects, and a potion solely for repelling insects isn't very useful…"
Nathan cut off Lia's lengthy explanation, "Could you help me make some?"
Lia looked back and said, "Classes are over now."
"It's okay, I have a potion altar at my residence," Nathan said earnestly.
"Tell me what ingredients you need, and I'll get them for you."
Half an hour later, Lia was busy at the potion altar in Nathan's middle-26 residence.
Nathan stood by, assisting.
They were concocting an insect repellent potion.
It was a formula Lia had modified herself based on records from a Potionology book.
"This potion might be stronger and has a significant repelling and killing effect on most insects," Lia explained while expertly handling the process.
"It also contains ingredients to ward off evil, which works well against even smaller micro-organisms."
Nathan expressed his concern, "Would it harm people if ingested?"
"No, but it might cause diarrhea," Lia explained.
Ten minutes later, Nathan received a packet of white powder.
"This is enough for ten uses," Lia said as she wiped down the potion altar, looking quite pleased.
"But I'm really curious, what do you need this medicine for?"
Nathan dodged the question: "Lia, I'm hungry!"
"Shall we go out then?"
"No, I'd like to taste your cooking again. That goose liver last time was truly delicious," Nathan complimented.
Lia's face flushed slightly: "But I have classes in the afternoon."
"If it's about the credits, then you don't need to go," Nathan decisively made the decision for her.
Lia followed Nathan into the kitchen.
Nathan took out a bag of goose liver from the ice cellar and told Lia where to find some spices.
"I'll go buy some drinks and some other cooked food, I'll be back soon," Nathan said before hurrying off.
Ten minutes later, in the living room, Nathan poured half the packet of white powder into a bottle of soda water, gently shaking it until the white powder completely dissolved, then he screwed the cap back on.
Soon after, Lia came out of the kitchen with a plate of pan-fried meat and went back for the second dish.
Nathan suggested they eat in the courtyard.
Lia had no objections; after all, it was just the two of them wherever they were.
Nathan carried the pan-fried meat to a sweet osmanthus tree in front of the house.
At this moment, the weather was clear and crisp, making the small courtyard's scenery delightful.
Under the osmanthus tree, there was a small table and two wicker chairs.
The table was set with a few dishes and two bottles of cold drinks.
"Ah, when did this cat get here?" Lia exclaimed in surprise.
Nathan walked into the kitchen and found a tiger-striped lion cat jumping down from the stove with a piece of goose liver in its mouth.
"Big cat! When did you get here?" Nathan exclaimed with surprise, finding this creature's sudden appearance quite astonishing, "Did you come here with Master?"
Big cat glanced at Nathan and jumped down from the stove.
Nathan attempted to embrace it, but it deftly dodged his arms.
Wondering if his master had come, Nathan curiously looked around but found no one else.
Returning to the courtyard, Nathan sat down, while Lia placed some dishes on the ground for the tiger-striped lion cat, which started eating without any hesitation.
Nathan invited Lia to sit and poured her a glass of soda water.
Then, he ate a piece of goose liver pate, savoring it, while sneakily observing Lia's reaction.
Lia took a sip of the soda and slightly frowned, "Why does this drink taste a bit bitter?"
"Mine too, maybe too much sweetener was added," Nathan said, feeling a bit guilty.
Lia didn't press further.
Afterward, Nathan began to talk about his life in the Inspectorate squad.
Suddenly, a black beetle flew into the plate, crawled onto the food, and dragged a streak of grease along the edge of the plate.
Seeing the form of this insect immediately reminded Nathan of the previous incident.
He abruptly looked up, scanning the surroundings.
Everything in the courtyard seemed normal, bathed in warm sunlight, with a gentle breeze blowing, nothing amiss.
Still uneasy, Nathan got up to check outside the courtyard.
Inside, only the big cat continued to eat the goose liver.
Lia, with her hands propping her chin, seemed lost in thought, momentarily unaware of Nathan's expression.
Nathan stepped out of the courtyard.
In the next moment, more black beetles had swarmed over the garden wall, crawling into the lawn inside the courtyard.
Nathan, however, did not return.
In the courtyard, Lia sat at the small table.
Nathan's voice came from the entrance: "Did you see anyone suspicious when I went out to buy things?"
Lia didn't answer; instead, she bent down, took out a packet of yellow powder, and poured it into Nathan's cup.
She watched as the yellow powder turned into tiny insects, then quickly became transparent before sitting back down.
Moments later, Nathan returned to the table.
Lia was looking down, lost in thought.
Nathan's gaze fell back onto the plate.
Strangely, the beetle that had been there was gone, and the grease stain along the plate's edge had also disappeared.
"Sorry," Nathan said with a bitter smile, "I guess I was being paranoid."
After the previous incident, Lia had stayed with him for two days.
He had told Lia about the eerie aspects of the hight-60 floating island.
How terrifying those insects were.
Lia should understand his excessive nervousness.
He glanced around the courtyard, noticing nothing out of the ordinary.
The half-eaten goose liver was still on the plate.
"Where's big cat?" Nathan murmured, noting the creature's mysterious absence.
He lifted his cup and said to Lia, "Lia, congratulations on becoming an advanced potionologist. Whatever ingredients you need for potion making, count on me. Let's drink to this."
Nathan lifted his cup and drank it down in one gulp.
Lia raised her head and also emptied her glass of soda water in one drink.
Then, Lia looked at him, a sly smile appearing on her lips.
Nathan was startled, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Lia didn't respond but instead uttered a strange syllable from her mouth.
"What did you say?" Nathan couldn't make it out clearly.
The next moment, he felt a pain in his stomach and dizziness in his head, as a malevolent force carrying the weight of ages instantly spread throughout his body.
It seemed as though a dark power not his own was rapidly invading his body, rendering his arms and legs unresponsive in an instant, even his tongue tied in knots.
And the terror in his heart was like a wildfire set ablaze on a barren plain, unstoppable.