Quadruple split.

Chapter 2926 Special Trial
Game time 17:19 PM
Blood Barbarian Territory, Skolk Stronghold, Alchemy Workshop 2nd Floor

"morning……"

With heavy steps and a weary expression, Mo Tan climbed the stairs and waved to the workshop owner, who was fiddling with a flask in front of the alchemy table: "I'm back."

"It's getting late."

As Luna casually lit the heating plate beneath the flask, she said without looking up, "Also, it's past time to say good morning."

Mo Tan twitched the corners of his mouth, plopped down next to Lysa's small alchemy table, and said listlessly, "Don't worry about the details, can you get me some refreshing drinks? I desperately need to be more alert right now."

"Oh."

Luna nodded slightly, then took out a black porcelain cup, poured more than half of the bubbling brown liquid from the flask into it, and then walked over to Mo Tan with the cup: "Here you go."

"Sorry, maybe I didn't express myself clearly. In the phrase 'energizing drink,' the emphasis was actually on 'drink' rather than 'energizing,' so I don't think you should just give me whatever you have on hand, after all... um?"

As Mo Tan took the cup from the other person, he muttered his opinions. However, when he realized that the steam on the cup was not some kind of irritating, radioactive, viral, or other weird and inhumane substance, but instead emitted a sweet and mellow aroma, he immediately widened his eyes and exclaimed in astonishment, "Coffee?"

"You're lucky."

Luna raised her hand and tossed a concentrated sugar cube into the cup in Mo Tan's hand. Then she walked back to her alchemy table and said without turning her head, "I originally planned to develop a booster potion with fewer side effects that could put people into a state of euphoria after taking it and keep their concentration at its peak for a long time. Unfortunately, the effect was not ideal."

Mo Tan: "...Huh?"

"The cup in your hand is the latest failure."

Luna smiled slightly, her tone as ethereal and dreamy as ever: "Although its side effects have been reduced to almost nothing, its positive benefits are now only comforting. There is no excitement, no improvement in concentration, only the most basic refreshing effect, and the duration is not ideal."

Mo Tan stroked his chin, thinking for a long time before hesitatingly saying, "Then... isn't it just coffee?"

"It's not coffee, it's [Luna's Special Brain-Boosting Stimulant 7th Generation]."

The girl stubbornly shook her head and summarized in a low voice: "In short—[Luna's Special]."

"oh oh."

Mo Tan nodded, seemingly puzzled but actually impressed, and then carefully took a sip.

And then—

【! ! ! 】

The aroma arrives before the temperature, and a delightful flavor explodes on the taste buds.

The first layer is the fragrance of flowers, like opening a window in the early morning and vaguely seeing a jasmine garden in the distance, making Mo Tan almost doubt that it was his imagination.
The second layer is acidity, a kind of fruity acid that seems to have been given life, able to lightly leap onto the tip of the tongue, like the bright, fleeting sweet and sour taste that bursts forth after biting into a ripe red cherry, gone in an instant but enough to make one's heartstrings tremble.

What follows is bitterness, like the lowest string of a cello being slowly pulled, settling steadily on the back of the tongue.

Then, the rich chocolate, the caramelized aroma of roasted almonds, and even a hint of cinnamon, surged up layer by layer, like the tide washing over the beach, repeatedly and gently cleansing the soul of Mo Tan.

Mo Tan closed her eyes and felt that the scent had a color—the red of autumn maple leaves, mixed with a touch of amber light. It didn't leave in a hurry, like a girl who had been standing at the door for a long time, hesitant to speak.

Finally, the acidity faded, but the sweetness became more pronounced, like the end of a piece of music, with the sustain pedal still pressed and the notes slowly dissipating in the air.

Like a memory you wanted to hold onto but ultimately had to let go of...

Beautiful, with just the right amount of melancholy.

"Luna—"

Mo Tan slowly opened his eyes and looked at the girl not far away who, although still facing away from him, had stopped moving her hands at some point and was as quiet as a statue. He made an ambiguous nasal sound and said slowly, "If you were willing to open a coffee shop, the Gold Coin Merchant Guild's [Canary], the Steam Consortium's [Steam Kung Fu], the Wanderer's Inn's [Misty Special Mix Shop], the Wealth Church's [Angel Heart]... would all go bankrupt within a year."

Luna turned to look at the avid coffee lover whose face was flushed, and said calmly, "I have no interest in studying coffee. That drink was just an accident because it failed."

"That wasn't an accident, but a touching encounter that almost brought me to tears."

Mo Tan carefully drank the second sip of [Luna's Special], and after a long silence, continued, "So, you really don't intend to use this talent to create something for the whole world..."

"I don't plan to."

Luna interrupted Mo Tan succinctly, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Ok."

Mo Tan shrugged, clinging to his last glimmer of hope, and asked, "So... will I still be able to drink this kind of special blend that can directly pierce my soul in the future?"

“I don’t like repeating failures, but it seems to be working on you much better than expected, so…”

Luna glanced at Mo Tan, whose face was full of expectation, and said calmly, "If you can guarantee that you will only drink... one cup a day at most."

Mo Tan immediately stood up, like a cannon fodder being inspected by a general, and shouted in a resounding voice, "Yes, ma'am!"

"Don't shout like Lysa."

Luna frowned slightly, picked up the watering can and walked to a row of potted plants next to Mo Tan. As she slowly began to 'water the flowers,' she commanded, 'If you don't want me to kick you out, sit down and continue drinking yours.'

"Okay, okay, no problem, no problem."

Mo Tan smiled obsequiously, then obediently sat back down, holding the cup of "Luna's Special" that had almost dispelled all his fatigue and gloom, and sipped it slowly.

"..."

Luna glanced at Mo Tan, then quickly looked away again, casually asking, "Did you have fun playing with the children?"

"Exhausted."

Mo Tan leaned back in his chair, weakly covering his forehead with his hand, and said with a wry smile, "Whether it was the women's gathering with all the strange gossip flying around, or the private chat with Princess Elfin afterwards, it was more tiring than a large-scale military mobilization."

Luna nodded and then asked, "Is there some trouble?"

"It's mainly about Erfen."

Mo Tan, who had no intention of hiding anything from Luna, rubbed his temples and sighed silently: "As for the general situation, it's actually..."

Next, Mo Tan spent about ten minutes explaining to Luna the previous chapter (crossed out), what Elfin had told him, and concluded this mind-blowing narrative with a long sigh.

“Oh.” Luna’s reaction was surprisingly calm. She simply nodded and casually asked, “So, Elfin not only learned the skills of a necromancer from the scales, but is also an apprentice Dawn Priest. That’s quite interesting.”

Mo Tan: "...Isn't your tolerance a bit too high? This shouldn't even be considered 'quite interesting'! Even Libra, this otherworldly person with a very high tolerance for things, was shocked after hearing this and kept asking me if I had picked up and eaten something dirty!"

"Ah."

Luna nodded slightly and agreed, "So you'd better not pick up anything to eat randomly. If you really want to eat something, you can bring it over and ask me first."

"Is that the point? Don't make me sound like someone who likes to pick up things from the ground and eat them!"

Mo Tan was so angry that she kept complaining, and finally slumped in her chair and said indignantly, "Don't you think this is outrageous?!"

“I’ve seen far more outrageous things, so something as outrageous as ‘being able to use necromancy and Dawn Magic at the same time’ isn’t enough to really surprise me… but it does surprise me to a certain extent.”

The alchemist, who seemed to be hiding many secrets, shook his head, unconsciously stroking the thick alchemy notebook at his waist, and said softly, "In short, I agree with your decision to allow Elfin to go to the front. Family is precious, especially her parents, who truly deserve to be remembered."

Mo Tan let out a soft breath and said in a dry voice, "But the problem now is that Elfen's situation is too special and too sensitive. I myself am a little conflicted about what position to assign her to."

"The military officer, perhaps."

Luna casually offered a suggestion, saying lightly, "Doesn't she know the Dawn Magic? Compared to the insignificant necromancy of the Balance Cult, Dawn Magic should be more helpful on the front lines, and she's also more suitable to stay in the rear and be protected."

Mo Tan nodded and said helplessly, "That's true in principle, but as for the accompanying priestess, she will inevitably have to come into contact with our Dunbua City army. Although everyone trusts me and will most likely not make things difficult for Elfin, the people of the various sects are still too sensitive to necromancers, and not just in terms of identity... Remember when Tianping first arrived? He was almost killed at the city gate."

"At this stage, I can help resolve the issue."

Luna turned to look at Mo Tan and said calmly, "Elfin has only been practicing necromancy for a short time, and most of her energy is focused on controlling those two [Soul Nightmares]. Even if the Holy Church Alliance is very sensitive, it would be difficult for them to detect the faint undead aura on her. If we add the improved version of [Radiance Powder] that I provided to the Allied Forces in Misha County... in most cases, it can cover it up."

Mo Tan thought for a moment and repeated, "You mean 'in the vast majority of cases'? What about the very few exceptions?"

"Philip Toland and Avery Davidson."

Luna said two names expressionlessly and said seriously, "These two people, you can tell, there's nothing I can do."

Mo Tan's lips twitched slightly: "...Those two are fine, I'll let them know in advance."

"Then there's basically no problem."

Luna nodded slightly, then added, "However... we probably can't keep it a secret for very long."

Mo Tan was taken aback again and asked, "Why?"

"Because Elfin will grow, so will her [Nightmare of the Soul]."

Luna walked slowly to Mo Tan and poured half a cup of [Luna's Special] into the cup in his hand that had been slurped empty at some point. She looked down at his somewhat bewildered eyes and said, "The turning point should be after she fulfills her wish, that is, after those two spirits have further 'evolved'. At that time, even my improved [Radiance Powder] probably won't be able to make those clergy ignore her."

Mo Tan, who had just relaxed, immediately tensed up again and hurriedly asked, "What should we do? Do you have any other ideas?"

"The problem is that if Elfin needs those two [Nightmare Souls] to grow, then they must be on the front lines, so I have no choice."

Under Mo Tan's reluctant gaze, the girl took the remaining half pot of [Luna's Special Concoction] and returned to her alchemy table, saying without turning her head, "So when the time comes, you'll have to ask Wang Yu for help."

Mo Tan was taken aback: "...Wang Yu?"

"As the Dawn Saintess, she should be able to help Elfin, who is also a follower of the Dawn Cult, to unleash his potential and further conceal his not-so-strong undead aura. Moreover, if I remember correctly, Wangyu herself also possesses some means to conceal the 'essence of power'."

As Luna crushed a few leaves into small pieces, she calmly said, "With her help, Elfin should be able to maintain his identity as a follower of the Dawn Cult. Of course, you can also ask Libra for help, since she has gone much further than Elfin on the path of necromancer and can achieve a similar effect."

Mo Tan narrowed his eyes and pondered, "As for the scales... that might not be suitable."

"Ah."

Luna put the crushed plant material into a bottle and nodded, saying, "That's what I was thinking too."

"In conclusion, thank you for your suggestions and special blend."

Mo Tan finished the last sip of his special drink, then lazily stood up and said with a smile, "I have a general idea now, and I'll think about it carefully later."

Luna didn't turn around, but simply said, "Okay."

Mo Tan stretched and said in a light tone, "Then I'll head back now..."

"Black Brahma!"

The next moment, accompanied by a scream, a beautiful catgirl sorceress rushed up from the first floor of the workshop and shouted, "Why didn't you check the messages!"

"A message? Oh, sorry, I was thinking about something, so I didn't notice..."

"Large-scale troop movements have occurred at Duantouya!"

"...White Lizard Hunter?"

"Yes."

What is the quantity?

"At least 20,000."

"Change the destination?"

"It's still uncertain. The last message our spies sent us was that they had discovered this transfer, and then there was no further news."

"...They're heading south."

"South? This way?"

"Yes."

"Why is that..."

"I don't know, but I can guess that the Evil Eye King's condition has probably undergone some kind of unsettling change."

Chapter 2917: The End