NOVEL WEB chapter 95
Chapter 20、Another Undercurrent
The cold moonlight illuminated the scene, and the trees outside swayed gently in the breeze, casting ghostly shadows on the ground.
Outside the silent classroom of the ancient potion society, a graceful figure suddenly appeared.
Anna.
She seemed very anxious, not even taking the time to pull out her keys, and instead, she violently slammed her delicate body against the classroom door, forcing it open.
Stumbling into the classroom, she groped along the wall, finally pressing down on a movable stone brick near the inner side.
The sound of mechanisms activating echoed as the wall shifted, revealing a small compartment.
Inside the compartment were various potions.
Her gaze swept quickly, and Anna took out a bottle of green potion and a bottle of blue potion from the inner side.
She tore open the sleeve of her garment, which had been cut by the blade of the High Priest, exposing her left arm.
However, the exposed left arm did not reveal the fair and tender skin of a girl; instead, it evoked an involuntary chill at first glance.
Because it was covered in scales.
Dense, layered, pitch-black scales.
Snake scales.
Looking at those scales, a deep-seated disgust and hatred flashed in Anna’s eyes.
She took a deep breath, as if preparing herself mentally.
Finally, she made up her mind.
She picked up the green potion, opened the cap, and abruptly poured the liquid over her left arm.
Hiss!
In an instant.
It was as if strong acid had been splashed.
The black scales, capable of withstanding a blade, were rapidly corroded, sizzling and emitting white smoke.
“Hiss—”
At the same time, the excruciating pain instantly turned Anna’s delicate face pale, and cold sweat broke out all over her body.
She bit her silver teeth tightly, her ample chest rising and falling rapidly, and her right hand inadvertently crushed the potion bottle.
“Why… why has it suddenly worsened so severely?”
“Could it be that…”
Anna slammed her fist on the table and looked up.
The bright moonlight poured in, bringing with it an endless silence and chill.
It wasn’t over yet.
With her trembling hand, she took out a sharp dagger.
Slowly, she placed it above the scales on her left hand.
She paused for a moment.
Then, with a swift motion, the dagger sliced through the scales on her arm.
Blood gushed forth.
As the scales were scraped away, skin came off with them, leaving a gruesome sight.
Yet Anna remained meticulous, as if she had done this countless times before, scraping away each scale from her arm, bit by bit.
Until there was not a single scale left on her arm, she quickly poured the blue potion over it.
The wound healed at a visible speed, fair skin regrowing anew.
Before long, her left hand looked just like that of an ordinary girl, even more tender and pale.
Only then did she let out a long breath.
Not just from the dissipating pain, but also from the retreat of a certain desire that had nearly overwhelmed her as the snake scales grew.
A desire to consume something.
She leaned against the wall, slowly collapsing as if all her strength had been drained away.
In her unfocused eyes, a different kind of confusion flickered.
“No, I need to speed up, I must…”
In the ancient potion classroom, where only she remained, Anna whispered softly.
……
……
The clock tower.
Thirteenth level underground.
The mercury well.
“Wow, is this the most core area of St. Maria Academy?”
A man with a grotesque scar on his face looked around at the solemn and imposing structures, marveling like a country bumpkin entering the city.
“Tsk tsk, it seems like all these things are made of rare metals. They must weigh tons! Can I scrape a little back with me? Just a bit of scrap, and I wouldn’t have to worry in my next life.”
“Shut up!”
In front of the scarred man, a gaunt figure cloaked in black robes hissed.
“Also, don’t touch anything if you don’t want the security system here to be ground to dust.”
“Alright, alright, I won’t touch anything.”
The scarred man shrugged, looking quite innocent. “I’m not some unruly kid from a relative’s house; why are you so nervous?”
“…”
The thin figure walked silently ahead, a worn-out lantern swaying in his hand, casting a faint blue light that enveloped the two of them.
That faint blue glow was filled with a sense of deathly silence, yet after being enveloped by it, the surrounding security measures from countless intricate mechanisms seemed to lose their effect, ignoring these two intruders.
A long corridor, an immense silence.
As if finding the journey too dull, with nothing new to see around, the scarred face leaned in closer and asked the thin figure:
“By the way, are your companions alright? They’re supposed to lead those teachers away and hold up that imperial princess; it sounds like a very dangerous job.”
“They’re fine; they have their own plans to escape.”
The thin figure scoffed:
“Rather than worrying about them, you should worry about yourself.”
“Worry about myself?”
The scarred man was taken aback. “Why? With everyone drawn away, shouldn’t this be the safest place?”
“Entering is naturally safe, but isn’t the most dangerous time when escaping? After all, what we’re about to do is that.”
“That?” The scarred man was puzzled again.
“…”
The thin figure fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.
“You don’t know?”
“What do I know?”
“You don’t know why you’re here?!”
The thin figure was shocked.
“The High Priest sent me here.”
The scarred man scratched his head, asking innocently.
“He sent you here, and you didn’t ask him what you should do?”
“Well… as an excellent subordinate, isn’t it a necessary quality to ask less and do more?”
“…”
The thin figure suddenly felt a bit reluctant to speak.
He began to regret why he had allowed this group of crazy individuals to send someone to help him.
Although it was true that manpower was tight here, it still felt like bringing this guy along was a wrong choice.
But never mind.
At this point, even if this guy can’t be of much help, throwing him out as bait at a critical moment should still work.
“Since you don’t know, then don’t ask.”
The gaunt figure turned around: “Time is tight. If you don’t want to die, keep up.”
“Oh, oh.”
The scarred man nodded repeatedly and hurried to follow.
But as they walked, he suddenly remembered something and leaned closer to the gaunt figure, his expression serious as he asked:
“Speaking of which, since it’s so dangerous, you must have an escape plan, right? Like, at a critical moment, suddenly having reinforcements blow up the ceiling and come down to rescue us or something.”
“…”
“If there’s no Plan A, I think Plan B could work too. Like after we finish the bad deed, pulling out a teleportation magic scroll to send us away. Although I get dizzy from teleportation and always throw up afterward, I think it could still work in a pinch.”
“…”
“If Plan B doesn’t work, surely Plan C will!”
The scarred man’s tone grew anxious: “Like, at that time, calling down your big boss, that whatever month, to come down and wreak havoc. That should work, right?”
“…”
“No way, how can you do things without a plan? If Plan C doesn’t work, then Plan…”
“Shut up!”
Unable to endure the incessant chatter any longer, the gaunt figure shouted in frustration:
“The protection of moonlight has its limits! If you keep talking so loudly, what if someone hears us?”