Chapter 83: The Meeting

Gegale, who was struggling to digest the memories, had no interest in dealing with that apprentice. He had come to the Shadow Ring solely to meet Hughes; otherwise, he would never have set foot in such a place.

“I’ve found it!” Finally, in the apprentice’s memories, Gegale located where Hughes was. His serpentine body began to move swiftly through the Shadow Ring.

Hughes, meanwhile, remained completely unaware of all that was unfolding. He already felt his clothes growing damp with sweat; crafting even a low-level enchanted item was still a taxing task for a third-tier apprentice like himself.

“So this is the place?” Guided by the memory, Gegale soon arrived at the door to Hughes’s quarters.

“Do Not Disturb…” Gegale read the sign hanging on Hughes’s door and found it somewhat amusing.

“Does he really think this can stop me?” He eyed the sign with a smirk. It was just a dormitory door, not one of those within the Shadow Ring inscribed with spells to inhibit magic. Such a door might as well be made of paper as far as he was concerned.

Without revealing himself, Gegale slipped through the door and entered Hughes’s room.

“Hm? There’s an energy fluctuation!” The moment Gegale stepped inside, he sensed a peculiar surge of energy.

He followed the disturbance to Hughes, who was busily working at a lab bench, refining a low-level enchanted item.

Curiosity sparked within Gegale as he observed Hughes’s meticulous work. Even he could not quite make sense of what Hughes was concocting.

At first, Gegale thought Hughes was brewing a potion, but after glancing at the ingredients, he realized none were suitable for potion-making. This only piqued his interest further.

He had no intention of revealing himself. Judging by Hughes’s focused demeanor, he should not be disturbed, and besides, Gegale was keen to see what exactly Hughes was creating.

“Is that an enchanted item?” Gegale watched in astonishment as fluids and materials shifted and transformed under Hughes’s hands.

“This boy is full of secrets!” Gegale observed Hughes with growing fascination. He realized he had underestimated him. He had heard Hughes called the Shadow Ring’s most gifted alchemist in a century, which had already revised his opinion, but now, watching him craft enchanted items, Gegale was convinced there was far more to Hughes than he had imagined.

Hughes remained oblivious to the snake’s watchful gaze—his chip detected nothing amiss.

He was fully absorbed in a critical stage of his work. As the liquids in his hands began to merge, he downed several vials of natural essence and focus potions in quick succession.

Hughes had discovered that while the focus potion did not increase his mental strength, it did help restore it. Only someone like Hughes could treat a potion—coveted by many, yet rarely obtained—as a common restorative, consuming it at will to replenish his mental energy.

After several doses, feeling somewhat recovered, Hughes promptly resumed his intense concentration on blending the materials.

Gegale was startled at first when Hughes gulped down several vials of focus and natural essence potions, nearly speaking out to stop him. But seeing that Hughes had reached a delicate juncture in his work, he restrained himself. Moreover, Hughes didn’t look like someone who was acting recklessly.

“He must be used to drinking these,” Gegale mused, watching Hughes calmly down the potions and return to his work as if nothing had happened.

“No wonder he’s called a genius alchemist,” Gegale thought, his gaze drifting over the many empty vials scattered on the floor. Hughes was clearly not what he seemed.

So Gegale remained quietly in the room, his attention fixed on the materials melding in Hughes’s hands.

Hughes, completely absorbed, dared not let his concentration waver for even a moment, fearful that all his efforts might be wasted.

“It really is an enchanted item,” Gegale thought with some gravity as he watched the object in Hughes’s hands take shape.

He knew all too well the value of an enchanted item. Even a low-level one could rival the power of an official sorcerer.

From the moment he saw Hughes working, Gegale had suspected he was crafting an enchanted item.