A warm breakfast gave Ashes a rare sense of tranquility. Life seemed to fall into a calm routine, but it was just an illusion. Life always moved forward.
Xio, who had been playing the role of 'Arbiter' unconsciously, had long since digested the 'Arbiter' potion and obtained the Sheriff potion formula from Ashes. Thus, while investigating for Ashes, she also attended secret gatherings in Backlund to search for materials.
Audrey was in a similar situation. She had fully digested her 'Spectator' potion and acquired all the spiritual materials she needed. However, the almost-extinct multicolored lizard was proving elusive despite her efforts and the help of 'The Hanged Man' to locate it.
In contrast, Fors was more fortunate. Although the Church of the EverNight Goddess had low-sequence potion formulas for almost all pathways, they focused on cultivating Sleepless, Corpse Collector, and Seer pathway Beyonders. They had large reserves of materials for these pathways, but not for others. Ashes could do nothing to help Audrey and Xio with their needs. However, as Ashes chose the 'Apprentice' pathway, the Church of the EverNight Goddess started collecting 'Apprentice' pathway materials. They collected more than just one set of materials, intending to cultivate 'Apprentice' pathway Beyonders in large numbers. Recently, over a third of the Beyonders cultivated by the Church of the EverNight Goddess belonged to the 'Apprentice' sequence.
Thanks to the Church of the EverNight Goddess, Ashes could easily gather a set of 'Trickmaster' potion materials for Fors, as long as she paid. The potion's value was often more than one and a half times that of its formula due to the expensive main materials. For instance, a Sequence 8 potion formula might cost 450 pounds, but any main material alone could cost over 300 pounds. As a qualified middleman, Ashes priced the complete potion at 800 pounds. Though Fors found the cost painful, she could afford it. The only problem was—
She hadn't fully digested her 'Apprentice' potion.
"It's not my fault!" Fors protested righteously from the sofa. "Digesting potions depends on fate, not like eating food that you can digest right away."
"You've been an 'Apprentice' for over two years," Xio retorted, rolling her eyes. "You learned the acting method last month. If you'd acted as an 'Apprentice' even a little this past month, you wouldn't be struggling with digestion now."
"I couldn't find opportunities to act as an apprentice," Fors muttered, blushing.
"Are you sure?" Xio countered. "You were a doctor before becoming an 'Apprentice.' Even though you haven't practiced in over two years, you could easily apprentice at a hospital or clinic."
"I remember Mr. Allen on the same street is an excellent surgeon. You worked at his clinic before. If you ask him, he wouldn't refuse."
"Don't, Xio!" Fors's face was full of anguish. Were they even friends?
Ignoring Fors's expression, Xio struck her palm decisively. "Let's go to Dr. Allen's house today and ask him to give you an internship."
Xio knew she still needed to search for the Beyonder materials for her potion, despite obtaining the formula. But Fors had both the formula and access to the potion, practically ensuring her promotion. Xio couldn't let Fors waste such an opportunity.
"Eh?!" Fors looked at Xio in disbelief. "You can't do this to me, Xio!"
"What do you think, Ashes?" Xio asked, ignoring Fors's plea.
"I think it's a good idea," Ashes replied after a brief pause, nodding slightly.
Fors's face turned ashen. It felt like the whole world was against her.
"There's no time to waste. Let's go now," Xio said, jumping off the sofa and keeping a close watch on Fors.
"How about we don't?" Fors weakly protested. "Xio, you have important matters to attend to, involving your father's honor. You can't delay your investigation because of me."
"I'll go to the clinic myself. Don't worry about me; focus on your own important tasks."
Xio hesitated at Fors's words. She indeed had a scheduled meeting this morning. But Xio didn't trust Fors's motivation. If left alone, Fors would lie around at home instead of acting as an 'Apprentice.' Her nature was to avoid action unless someone pushed her.
So, Xio decided to temporarily put her investigation on hold to take Fors to see Dr. Allen.
However, there might be a better way.
"Ashes," Xio turned to Ashes, who was quietly eating his sandwich. "Can you go with Fors to Dr. Allen's instead of me?"
"Xio!" Fors's eyes widened, her face full of distress. "Do you not trust me?"
"Of course, I trust you," Xio replied without hesitation. "It's precisely because I trust you that I need Ashes to help keep an eye on you."
Xio was certain that without someone pushing Fors, she would lay on the sofa all day. Fors wasn't entirely inactive before. She attended secret gatherings to obtain the 'Trickmaster' formula and literary salons to find someone to save her. But now, with access to both the formula and potion from Ashes, Fors had lost her drive and resorted to idleness. If no one pushed her, she'd lie around indefinitely.
If she couldn't be there herself, someone else had to give Fors a push from behind.
(End of Chapter)
75 Power stones= Extra Chapter only for this week