“Stimulating one’s bloodline? Cough, cough, I have a bold idea.”
“No, you don’t.”
No sooner had he spoken than Genasar’s mouth was clamped shut by a hand.
Geli stared at him expressionlessly for a moment, then curled her lip with disdain.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning. You want me to refine a bottle, then drink it all yourself, don’t you?”
“Yeah, can’t I?”
“You’re a pureblood dragon—what would you drink it for? The principle of this potion is to overdraw the potential of the highest-grade trace of bloodline within. If you, a pureblood, take it—leaving aside whether it works or not—this is the only level you’ll ever reach in your life.”
“……”
Other people have just a thin trace of bloodline. When they overdraw that, there’s still room for growth in their other bloodlines. What’s overdrawn can serve as a stepping stone.
But for a pureblood beast, once overdrawn, it really is just depletion.
Besides, breaking through to Epic isn’t something you achieve with a single potion. Not only will you fail to advance, but you’ll spend your entire life stuck at Legendary because your potential is exhausted.
That might be enough for other creatures, but it falls far short of what Geli expects from him.
“Stop messing with these crooked tricks. If you want to get stronger, do it the honest way.”
“Oh…”
Genasar stopped arguing and focused earnestly on studying.
“This potion’s actually quite simple. You do it like this, and then like that. But remember, it’s only effective if your ancestors were exceptional.”
Under Geli’s guidance, Genasar quickly learned how to refine it.
And he successfully brewed a perfect-grade Reversion Potion.
Geli held the bottle of dark red potion, pondering it closely while remaining constantly alert.
“This shouldn’t explode again… right?”
The only problem was, nobody knew if it would explode, and even Genasar himself wasn’t confident.
“No idea. Even if it doesn’t explode now, there’s no telling what might happen after drinking it. But it shouldn’t be far off.”
After all, he’d already succeeded several times before—truth be told, it all depended on his mindset.
Compared to before, Genasar had released much of his negative emotions, so there was little chance of another explosion.
“Mm… can’t say for sure. It’s your first time making this kind of potion, after all. Best to find a few lab rats to test it on. Go have your lizardfolk drink some and see.”
Geli handed over the potion, but he refused to experiment on the lizardfolk.
“No way. They all call me ‘sir’—how could I use them as test subjects? I’ll just grab some random magic beast instead, or maybe…”
Before he finished speaking, Geli suddenly turned her head to the main gate.
“Oh, looks like your lab rats have arrived.”
A tiny black dot appeared in the distant sky—a demon eyeball laboriously pushing through the cold wind.
On its back, it was carrying the red-skinned demon who had insulted Genasar. The demon was already unconscious.
Exhausted, the eyeball demon nearly fell several times, but still managed to grit its teeth and push on.
“H-Help… help… help me!”
That shout seemed to drain the last of its strength. Unable to stay airborne, it dropped toward the ground.
Immediately, the cold wind seemed to form a giant hand that caught them securely and brought them to the front gate.
The eyeball demon knew Geli had saved it, and its taut nerves finally relaxed. Its vision darkened, and it fainted.
At that moment, their pursuers also landed before Geli’s gate.
“Crystal Sage, may I ask what purpose you have in keeping demons?”
Two men stood there, both dressed in immaculate clerical robes.
On their chests were golden crosses—plainly marking their identity.
Priests from the Holy Light Church, now sternly questioning Geli about the two demons.
“Earlier you said this had nothing to do with you, but we tracked those two demons right back here. Shouldn’t you give us an explanation?”
After their questioning, the great gate slowly opened a crack after a long silence.
As the two priests wondered if this was an invitation to enter, Genasar poked his head out from inside.
Grinning cheekily, he sidled up to them.
“Sorry, sorry! These two are my test subjects. I forgot to tell my master earlier, so it was all a misunderstanding. I’ll just take them back now.”
Without waiting for their response, he grabbed the two demons with his claws and turned to leave.
“Wait!”
One priest stepped in front of Genasar, pointing at the two demons and speaking righteously:
“If they’re only test subjects, then why were they calling for help? Are you plotting something?”
“……”
He’d hit the nail on the head. In his mind, Genasar cursed up a storm.
The matter of the demon treasure absolutely couldn’t be exposed—otherwise, it would be confiscated outright, and Geli’s reputation wouldn’t help.
When it came to matters involving heresy, the church was always domineering, and they always had their reasons. The excuse they used most often was that demons might tamper with the treasures, so the church should handle them for everyone’s safety.
“Pah! Think about it—if you were in their shoes, would you rather be killed by pursuers on the spot, or stay alive as a lab rat?”
Better a miserable life than a heroic death. The priest lowered his head, propping his chin as he pondered this logic.
He then stepped aside to let Genasar through.
But just as Genasar was warily passing by, the priest suddenly thought of something and stopped him again.
“Please wait a moment.”
“What now?”
Annoyed, Genasar turned back and saw, beneath the priest’s hood, a handsome face wearing a slight smile.
“You’re the Crystal Sage’s student? I’m a bit curious about your skills. Since these two demons are test subjects, could we observe your experiment?”
When he saw that face, Genasar frowned.
Tsk… He’d felt the guy looked familiar since just now, and his voice also rang a bell. Had he met this guy before…? Oh~™ it’s that thick-headed rookie.
Before his reincarnation, there had been a famously upright young priest in the Church named Jesiah.
He’d not only reported his superiors for swindling the people, but also busted several black market rings involving nobles.
In his previous life, Genasar had once been asked by a “good brother” to invite this guy to take an official post, but he’d refused.
Who knows how much time had passed since then—how was this guy still a priest? He hadn’t been promoted? He should at least be a Father by now.
“That’s none of your business.”
Sensing his intentions, Genasar cut him off coldly, but Jesiah seemed prepared for this and doggedly persisted, ignoring the rebuff.
“I’m just curious. The Crystal Sage hasn’t accepted a student in ages. I wonder what talent you have that caught her eye.”
“Get lost.”
Leaving those words behind, knowing Jesiah was just trying to fish for information, Genasar hauled the demons back inside.
Jesiah could only look helplessly at the gate as it closed again. The man behind him curiously edged closer.
“Teacher, is there something strange about that red dragon?”
He was promptly met with a glare full of disappointment from Jesiah.
“Let’s go.”
They left—but not completely.
Instead, they hid in the forest at the base of the mountain near Genasar’s tribe.
“Teacher, what are we…”
“That red dragon keeping demons is definitely not so simple. And with so many demons appearing recently, it has to be his doing. My feeling is… he’s searching for something. We need to investigate, in case there’s some serious threat.”