Lucian looked at Carrie's unwavering gaze and gave a nod after a moment's silence. "Alright, prepare yourself. Once we reach Cossay City, we'll begin the bloodline infusion experiment. You still have two days to change your mind, and I won't say a word if you do. But once it's done, there's no going back."
Carrie nodded firmly, her eyes showing not an ounce of fear but rather a deep-seated excitement.
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"Lilia! Lucian!" Stepping off the boat, Lucian saw Bennett already waiting at the dock with a few attendants. Compared to when they had last met, Bennett's group had visibly shrunk by five, and many of the remaining members bore visible injuries, clear signs that they had been through skirmishes on their way to Cosay Island.
Lucian and Lilia exchanged a surprised look as they noticed Bennett's headmaid, Fia, standing nearby. Due to a wound on her chest, she was unable to fully contain her magical aura, which now radiated the unmistakable power of a third-level apprentice.
"Fia managed a breakthrough in the heat of battle when her life was on the line." Bennett caught Lucian and Lilia's gazes, offering a quick explanation but little more.
"You encountered fae as well?" Lilia eyed Fia for a moment before turning back to Bennett, her hand subtly moving to the ragged doll, Edlyn, at her side.
Bennett nodded. "Yes, a small fae team led by a third-level Dryad apprentice. We took some losses." He glanced at Lucian and Lilia with sharp eyes, catching the "as well" in Lilia's statement.
Lucian added, "We also ran into a few fae, but they were only second-level apprentices." He then looked to Bennett, "Do you have any of their corpses? If so, I'd be willing to buy them."
"Sorry, I find them quite intriguing myself," Bennett replied with a casual shrug.
"Let's discuss Cossay Island instead," Lilia interrupted, her tone impatient. "I want to know if Cosay City is secure, and how the hell those damned fae knew exactly where to ambush us."
Her voice was icy as she scanned their team, giving off the fierce impression of an avalanche just waiting to happen. "We three are the only ones who knew our route, yet we were intercepted along the way. If someone leaked our plans, then I'd say it's time to dig out the mole."
The second-level apprentices present looked away, bowing their heads to avoid Lilia's gaze.
After a moment of thought, Bennett shook his head. "I don't think it's an internal issue. No one's had a chance to leave the group or communicate with outsiders. I'm more inclined to believe it's some type of unusual fae detection magic."
"The mist," Lucian suggested. "The fae have a natural affinity for certain elements of nature, so it's possible there's a variant who can use the mist for surveillance."
"Still," Lucian continued, observing his two companions closely for any subtle reactions, "the fae are unusually active—almost recklessly so. I think we should request backup from the Academy. If we had a formal mage with us…" He trailed off, watching for even the slightest flicker of response from Bennett and Lilia.
"No way! I'm against it." Lilia's reply was swift, nearly cutting Bennett off. Realizing her vehemence, she softened, adopting a more analytical tone.
"Think about it: if a formal mage does come, we won't be able to leave until everything here is resolved. We'd end up under their orders, risking everything and getting next to nothing in return."
Bennett eagerly agreed, further attempting to dissuade Lucian. "Exactly! Things aren't as bad as they seem, Lucian. Cossay City is still under our control. If the fae were strong enough to pose an existential threat, they'd have already taken it."
He added, "Besides, aren't you interested in obtaining some fae specimens? Miss this chance, and you might never get to study such creatures again."
Lucian nodded as if convinced by their arguments.
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Following Bennett's arrangements, Lucian and Carrie were housed in a spacious building within Cossay City.
The structure had likely been a wizard's dwelling in the past. Though the high-value runes and tools were long gone, the framework and setup were still mostly intact. After some minor organization and setup using prepared materials and devices, Lucian created a simple but functional laboratory.
"No wonder it's a prime source of Moonlight Moss. Here, it costs less than half of what it would at the Academy. If I can tap into internal sources, I could lower the cost even further, maybe to a third of the Academy's price…"
Lucian's eyes lit up as he examined a piece of Moonlight Moss, still glistening with dewdrops. With a steady supply of this material, he could brew Moonlight Praise, a potion to boost mental capacity, which would help him accelerate his mental cultivation.
For now, however, the moss wasn't for potion brewing but for the bloodline fusion experiment ahead.
"Lucian… I… I'm ready." Carrie's voice wavered as she stood at the door, clearly nervous.
"Good. Go on and lie down," Lucian said gently, taking out a small container of pale silver crystalline powder from his spatial ring.
This was all the essence he had managed to extract from the dryad's blood. Under Lucian's meticulous care, the crystals melted, transforming into a shimmering silver fluid.
Carrie lay down on a stone platform, her breathing quickened with apprehension.
"Relax. The wooden stakes will hurt at first, but Silverthorn is naturally numbing. The pain won't last long," Lucian assured her, as he used several vines to secure her to the platform. He carefully placed a cushion of Moonlight Moss under her right hand, then picked up a sharpened stake and pressed it into her palm.
Carrie flinched from the piercing pain. Blood trickled down the grain of the wood, slowly soaking into the moss below.
"Almost done, hang in there." With practised ease, Lucian picked up more stakes, puncturing her other limbs in turn.
The four stakes pinned Carrie to the table. Her face had gone pale from blood loss.
"Lu…" Carrie's lips trembled, but she gritted her teeth, eyes regaining their fierce resolve.
"Last one." Lucian produced a longer, slender stake. This time, he aimed directly for her heart.
Carrie shut her eyes tightly.
Thump—the stake pierced her heart, and Carrie's aura dimmed rapidly as her life force weakened.
At that moment, Lucian began pouring the moon-fey blood essence into the upper end of the stake. Silvery liquid trickled down the grain, gradually staining the wood silver. Under its influence, the stake's tip sprouted a tiny green bud, which unfurled into a vibrant leaf.
The rest of the essence seeped down the grain and into Carrie's heart, merging with the faint traces of moon-fey bloodline already dormant within her.
Driven by survival instincts, her body didn't reject this foreign power. Instead, it welcomed the new strength, initiating a transformative process.
The heart was the first to change.
Ba-dump… Ba-dump…
Intricate silver patterns appeared on its surface, and its heartbeat grew steadily stronger. Slowly, it forced the embedded stake out as it pulsed with newfound vigour.
With her heart's transformation complete, the luminous blood began spreading through Carrie's veins, reaching her limbs and bones. Her skeleton, too, began to change, silver patterns etching themselves onto the surface as her marrow started generating this special moonlit blood.
"Uhh…" Carrie's furrowed brows gradually relaxed. Her consciousness, overwhelmed by the drastic change, drifted into a protective, deep sleep.
Lucian released a sigh of relief.
"Inspect," he whispered, spending 30 reverence points to verify her state.
[Subject]: Carrie Meyer
[Status]: Slumbering (Bloodline Fusion in Process; Estimated Time to Awakening: 10 days, 7 hours, 15 minutes)
[Level]: First-Level Apprentice / Transforming
[Details]
-Her dormant moon fey bloodline has been stimulated by the same-origin infusion, enhancing the degree of her atavism slightly. After fusion, bloodline concentration is expected to increase slightly beyond predictions (10.3% → 13.5%).
-The subject's body has sustained minor wounds from the procedure; specific treatment recommendations include…
Reading the results, Lucian exhaled deeply.
Although he'd remained calm during the experiment, his back was now damp with sweat. There had been some risk of death, particularly when Carrie's heart was pierced with the Silverthorn stake. If anything had gone wrong, he would have struggled to save her.
Fortunately, the procedure had been a success. The most dangerous phase was over. Carrie's transformation would continue over the next ten days, requiring no further intervention from Lucian. All he had to do now was wait.
He decided to keep himself occupied in the meantime. With a glance toward the remaining Moonlight Moss, he turned his attention to preparing potions.
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Carrie's consciousness drifted, detached from time and place. Eventually, she found herself in a kingdom nestled among towering trees.
"Where am I?" she wondered, gazing around in a daze. Everything felt vaguely familiar—the intricate designs on the ornaments and the delicately carved floral patterns.
"I… do I belong here?" Carrie lifted her hand instinctively. As she did, an invisible wave of energy radiated outward, and a dormant piece of wood hanging on the wall began to sprout tiny green buds.
"Did I just…?" Carrie gasped, staring in disbelief at her hands, then back at the newly sprouted wood.
At that moment, Lucian, busy sorting his materials, paused as two messages appeared before him.
[Congratulations! Your student Carrie has mastered the racial talent: Nature's Grace. You have acquired the modified racial spell: Nature's Grace (Mod.)]
[Congratulations! Your student Carrie has fully bonded with her racial talent, Nature's Grace. You have unlocked the Nature's Grace Bond!]
"What? This is possible?" The knowledge poured into Lucian's mind, and he instinctively traced out a complex spell model.
A soft hum filled the air as he activated the model with a wave of his hand.
A breeze touched the wooden bench before him, and from its edge sprouted a delicate, green tendril, pulsing with vitality.
"To bring life to the lifeless… this is impressive," Lucian murmured in admiration, marvelling at the newly grown twig.
According to the system, Lucian could only wield half the spell's power due to his human form. If Carrie herself used it, her effects would be even more remarkable. With such an ability, she could nurture rare magical plants.