CHAPTER 99: CHAPTER 99: ELISE’S EXCITEMENT

Ethan stood still, reading Leo’s message, and took a deep breath.

The secret unit Leo joined seemed to handle supernatural events.

If they wanted to stop Veritas Snow Group from developing a new drug, it meant that drug might cause supernatural incidents.

Ethan tried to analyze it, but he didn’t have much information.

He tends to think about the worst-case outcome.

If that unit really blocks Veritas Snow Group’s new drug project, he’ll have to find other ways to extend his life.

Once Elise finds the [Blue Ice Potion Recipe], she can recreate it.

Then Ethan can use the [Blue Ice Potion Recipe] to make a deal with [Grinning Ghost].

He needs to get, from [Ghostfang]—the group [Grinning Ghost] is part of—potions that can strengthen his body and lengthen his lifespan.

Ethan also needs to look for the [Nine-Dragon Key], because the [Nine-Dragon Treasure Box] might hold potion recipes that can cure any disease and improve one’s talent.

He knew that if there was no way to cure his illness in the real world, he could only pin his hopes on Dawnfall Online.

Whether the potions in Dawnfall Online could be made in the real world was key.

Ethan took a deep breath. He needed to get back to Safe Zone 9527 as soon as possible and go to Elise to get the recreated [Blue Ice Potion Recipe].

He thought for a moment and sent Leo a few messages.

[Windchaser]: [Don’t panic. I still have three months. Try to get as much intel as you can first.]

[Windchaser]: [By the way, was your last disguise done by yourself or by someone else? Is there a way for me to get a disguise too?]

[No Sneak Attacks]: [Yes! I’ll send you a location in a bit. Go there and find a special effects makeup artist named Leon. He can turn you into a different person.]

[No Sneak Attacks]: Are you going to do something dangerous? I can help.

[Windchaser]: [Not for now. Your job is to get as much useful intel as possible.]

[No Sneak Attacks]: [Okay!]

[Windchaser]: [Stay safe. Don’t overlook any details. Don’t leave any traces.]

[No Sneak Attacks]: [Got it. I’ve got things to handle here, so I’m logging off for now.]

The only person Ethan truly cared about, besides himself, was Leo.

He didn’t want Leo to run into danger, so he made a point to warn him.

Just then, Serena, standing near Ethan, hesitated a bit, then suddenly asked: "Need help?"

She saw the look on Ethan’s face. In her mind, whether he was facing the many members of the Coffin Guild or that black monster from moments ago, Ethan never looked anxious.

When she walked over just now, he didn’t notice her at all. Something had to be weighing on him.

Serena looked at Ethan seriously and said, "If you run into any problems in real life, you can come find me."

Ethan glanced at her and didn’t take it to heart. He’d heard promises like this many times. If he believed anyone who said that, he’d be a fool.

During the deal, he only saw Serena’s promise to help in real life as a possibility—and not a very real one.

Ethan said to her, "Our cooperation is over. Ask Lucas how to send me the money."With that, he turned to leave.

Serena got anxious and quickly said: "Wait. I’m not in good shape right now. If we meet any monsters on the way, it’ll be dangerous."

"I’ll add 100,000 to your pay. Let’s go back to the Ice City base together."

Afraid he’d refuse, Serena followed right behind him.

When Ethan looked at her, she quickly smiled.

Serena didn’t realize she had already finished her class change and could leave on her own.

...

Ice City base.

Ethan led Serena through streets that were getting busier with players and stopped near the core building. He said quickly:

"Alright, this is the core building."

Serena didn’t even look at it. She looked at Ethan, took a deep breath, and said:

"Yeah, I need to go in and find the NPC who handles the class change quest. He came here from Safe Zone 9527. I..."

She didn’t know why she was rambling. She wasn’t usually like this.

In a hurry to get back to Safe Zone 9527, Ethan said, "Okay, I’m heading out. Remember to send me the 1.6 million."

After that, he turned and left, heading toward the station at the Ice City outpost.

Serena didn’t look away until Ethan was out of sight. With a pout, she muttered:

"I don’t believe it. My charm doesn’t work on this [Windchaser] at all!"

"If I’d known, I wouldn’t have toned down my avatar’s looks. Otherwise, I would’ve made [Windchaser] light up the moment he saw me!"

After grumbling a bit, Serena turned and walked toward a guard.

The guard was about to stop her, but Serena took out a pass and said, "Hi, I’m here to see Mr. Felix. This is his pass."

The guard nodded. "It is Mr. Felix’s pass. You can go in."

Once Serena went inside, the guard glanced in the direction Ethan had gone and muttered:

"Weird. Not only did that player survive, he even got stronger. That [Ice Spider Queen] in the Ice Pillar Zone isn’t easy to deal with."

"Does he have some rare talent?"

"Looks like I should treat him better from now on. Who knows, he might become a big name in the outpost."

...

In Safe Zone 9527, Ethan didn’t go straight to the [Tower of Fates]. Instead, he went to Elise’s item shop.

He had barely walked in when he saw Elise busy at the counter.

Her blue hair was tied up, and her dark blue eyes were glued to the notebook in her hands.

She didn’t even notice him until he walked up to the counter.

Ethan cleared his throat. Elise looked up at once and snapped her notebook shut.

When she saw it was Ethan, her eyes lit up. "You’re here! This [Blue Ice Potion recipe] really caught my interest."

"I have a feeling that in a few days, I’ll be able to make the [Blue Ice Potion]!"

Ethan listened and nodded. For him, that was the best outcome.

Right now, time is the most precious thing to Ethan. He can’t afford to wait while Elise slowly learns how to make the [Blue Ice Potion].

Ethan asked directly: "Have you finished recreating the [Blue Ice Potion Recipe]?"

Elise nodded, took an old notebook from under the counter, and put it in front of him.

Ethan picked it up, put it into his [Inventory], and checked the info.

[Blue Ice Potion Recipe]

[Quality]: Purple-quality

[Requirement]: Apothecary

[Effect]: When used, you can learn how to make a Blue-quality Blue Ice Potion in a short time.

[Note]: It only lets an apothecary learn how to make the Blue Ice Potion, and the failure rate is still high.

Usually, a recipe’s quality is one tier higher than the potion’s quality.

After all, a potion can only be used by yourself or sold to others, but a recipe means you gain the ability to produce that potion.

After getting the [Blue Ice Potion Recipe], Ethan told Elise to keep studying. He walked over to the sofa, sat down, and took out the [Sensing Pinecone] that [Grinning Ghost] had given him.

[Sensing Pinecone]

[Quality]: White-quality

[Requirement]: None

[Effect]: When crushed, it lets the "parent" that spawned this pinecone sense that it has been broken.

[Note]: It looks useless, but it does have a small use.

Ethan crushed it, then opened his watch and waited.

Soon, a prompt popped up on his watch: Player [Grinning Ghost] sent a friend request.

Without hesitating, Ethan accepted.

He didn’t rush to message [Grinning Ghost]. He waited.

About three minutes later, [Grinning Ghost] messaged him first.

[Grinning Ghost]: [I knew you’d contact me. You’re smart, and smart people always want more. They want to know more.]

[Windchaser]: [So, you really can make Dawnfall Online potions in the real world?]

[Grinning Ghost]: [Are you sure you want to know?]

[Windchaser]: [What happens if I do?]

[Grinning Ghost]: [You won’t have a peaceful life anymore. Like it or not, you’ll be pulled into shadows and storms.]

[Grinning Ghost]: [Your guess is right. The potions in Dawnfall Online can be made in the real world. They can give an ordinary person unimaginable power.]

Seeing this, Ethan finally let out a breath.