I'm a proper student; I only take nine kinds of potions every day.

Chapter 127 It really is a black sun! Then I'll take advantage of it.

After reading for a while, Evan was just about to go to sleep when he found that he was wide awake.

It's as if someone removed the organ in his brain that makes him sleepy.

He looked down at the panel, where a new debuff was quite noticeable.

[Too much scheming: Insomnia, 24 hours remaining.]

Then he checked his own attributes.

Spirit: 3.84 became 3.825.

"Fortunately, after my physique improved, the side effects decreased, and the attribute deductions from the previous 48 hours were halved."

"Why!"

Ivan stared at the number, his expression gradually turning angry.

"The already impoverished spirit has now been further exacerbated."

"Alcott, you're a damn fool."

"When I get the chance, I'll wipe out your entire Theological Society!"

Since entering the extraordinary world and consuming so many potions, this is the first time my attributes have been reduced!

Unable to sleep, Evan could only turn around and pick up his book again.

Under the dim light of a kerosene lamp, time slipped away little by little with the rustling of turning pages.

When the time reached 12:30, a new prompt appeared on the panel.

You reversed the side effects of the Black Sun Potion variant.

You like the sun more now! Your sun affinity has been permanently increased by 4%.

[Special Trait: Black Sun Wings +5%]

Ivan put down his book and stared at the last line of text.

"The side effect of this potion is that it reduces the affinity with the sun. The black sun is the opposite of the sun, so logically it makes sense."

"But the key is the extraordinary attribute, which increased by 5% at once."

"This is no small amount. In other words, before it went out of control, this potion was originally intended to enhance the properties of the Black Sun Wings."

"Who made it?"

Hmm... I can't figure it out myself, I'll ask Gray tomorrow!

The police station on the other side.

Vic has finished interrogating Jack Alcott.

Unlike Evan, this place has a full set of lie detectors and a professional workshop that can suppress supernatural abilities.

Even Jack, who was halfway through his beast transformation, obediently and soberly confessed everything he knew under the suppression of those workshop rituals.

This includes the Silver Key, the legend of immortality, details of the battle just now, and the shady dealings he's done for Sapgan over the years.

After everything was over, Vic called Gray into his office, and the two had a short meeting.

Gray was someone he had personally trained. Although Gray was a lowly mage by origin, he was shrewd and knew every nook and cranny of the city like the back of his hand.

The most important qualities are honesty and loyalty.

He was the designated captain after Vic's promotion and is now his most trusted confidant.

"You must have seen the injuries on his body, right?" Vic asked.

Gray nodded: "I see. It's riddled with holes, like a terminally ill patient whose many organs have already failed."

Vic leaned back in his chair, his fingers interlaced on his abdomen.

"That Arkham is no ordinary person. Not only has he mastered the copper-ification of the Healing Church, but he also seems to be able to control some kind of disease."

"His physical abilities are frighteningly strong. What do you have to say about that?"

Gray stroked his chin and thought for a moment before speaking.

"Captain, I think this guy is quite good, very loyal. He has Dr. Armitage's endorsement, and a few days ago—"

He recounted how Ivan used bats to stand up for him.

That day in the abandoned factory, Evan threw the dead bat into Black's hands.

"He's probably not on the same side as the group that spread the virus."

Vic raised an eyebrow slightly: "Is that so? Interesting."

He paused for a few seconds before making a decision.

"In that case, since he's good at controlling diseases, let him investigate the virus line."

"Anyway, he and Sap have already fallen out, and he's good at this, so it's killing two birds with one stone."

He said with a slight upturn of his lips.

"It's truly a handy and sharp blade."

After hearing this, Gray hesitated, clutching his hat. "Let him go alone? He probably can't manage on his own, can he?"

"This kid is pretty good; he can be a great help to us in the future."

Vic shook his head, stood up, walked over to Gray, and patted him on the shoulder.

"You represent us and act alongside him."

A rare warmth flickered in his silver eyes.

"Keep up the good work, I'm about to get promoted. Your spot for becoming a master has been approved."

"Take this credit, and no one can take your position!"

Upon hearing this, Gray felt as if someone had injected a vial of adrenaline into his veins.

His eyes lit up instantly, he straightened his back, and punched himself in the chest.

"Yes, Captain!"

Vic nodded, turned around and walked back to the table.

"By the way! Regarding the Silver Key, send a telegram to our brothers in Newhafen and tell them to intensify their investigation."

He picked up the pen on the table and wrote a few words on a sticky note.

"As a second-level magical artifact, the Silver Key possesses its own consciousness. Given Arkham's carefree and impulsive personality, it's impossible for him to discover a key that has its own consciousness and can run on its own."

Gray took the note and sighed.

"Yeah! A guy who doesn't even know to perform a concealment ritual when taking potions, he's got no brains."

Sap Estate.

It was still that same dimly lit, windowless reception room.

The elderly Sap stood in the center of the room, slowly moving his body.

He is doing gymnastics.

The movements were slow and gentle, like an old crane stretching its wings by the water.

Each bend and extension of the joint was accompanied by a faint creaking sound, like a rusty hinge struggling to move.

When he was young, he would fall asleep with several beautiful women every day, always had cigarettes and alcohol by his side, drank whiskey like water, and smoked at least three cigars a day.

Now, with old age and declining health, all those bad habits have been completely given up because of the fear of death.

He made many efforts to prolong his life.

She does two hours of health-preserving exercises every day, takes various longevity pills, has had three heart replacements, and even had her own son's blood used for a transfusion.

However, it was all in vain.

Aging is like a slow but unstoppable hand, peeling something away from him every day.

In the silence, there was a knock on the door.

Three taps, with a steady rhythm.

"Come in."

The door opened, and a young man dressed in black walked in.

She was in her early twenties, tall and slender with delicate features.

His dark hair was neatly combed back, bearing a striking resemblance to his father in a photo from his youth.

She was wearing a well-tailored black three-piece suit with a small gold brooch at her collar, the brooch shaped like an eagle with outstretched wings.

"Father." The young man bowed respectfully, but not servilely.

Willens Sap, the fifth son.

From the time he started having affairs until now, Sap has fathered a total of fifty-four children.

Twenty-six of these secrets became the resources and nourishment he needed on his quest for immortality.

Currently, the eight sons and four daughters have the right to inherit the estate and can enter and leave the manor normally.

Willens, now 22, is considered one of the most promising of his many children; he is astute, cautious, and ruthless.

She was mainly responsible for handling various dirty chores that her father couldn't easily do on the table.

Occupation: Financier.

Backed by the strong financial resources provided by Sap, he became an expert at the age of twenty-two.

Sap grunted in response, without stopping his gymnastics movements.

"How is it?"

Willens' voice was calm: "It's a failure. Alcott has been taken away by Vic."

"I couldn't see the specifics clearly; the area was blocked by Vic's owl."

"However, what is certain is that the target has a strong physical body and an extremely terrifying self-healing ability."

Then, he said with a hint of doubt in his voice.

"But strangely, he was not afraid of the sun, nor did he seem to be afraid of holy water or silverware."

"I saw the blinding light from the explosion of the sacred bomb, and he stood at the center of the blast, completely unharmed."

"As for how Alcott fell from the sky, I vaguely saw that he was shot, and about five seconds after that, he began to fall uncontrollably."

Sap snorted and stopped his gymnastics routine, resting his withered hands on the back of the chair.

"He's still somewhat valuable; is the Silver Key on that kid?"

Willens nodded: "That's possible. The reason he's not afraid of holy water and silverware is likely due to the enhancing effect of the Silver Key."

They also possessed some knowledge of the secrets of the Silver Key.

He hesitated for a moment.

"But now that Alcott is gone, it seems the judge is determined to protect him to the end. Are we really going to have to completely break ties?"

Sap turned around, and a cold shrewdness flashed in his cloudy eyes on his wrinkled and age-spotted face.

Why must we break off all ties?

He slowly walked to the fireplace and stretched out his hands to warm them against the bright, hot flames.

"Isn't he short of money?"

"You take charge of this matter and give him a reason he can't refuse."

"Then unleash your financier talents and trap him in a debt trap."

He turned his head, his cloudy eyes reflecting the firelight from the fireplace.

"By then, he won't have a choice."

Willens' lips curled up slightly after hearing this.

"Understood, Father."

He bowed, turned and walked towards the door, quietly leaving.

Sap stood alone in the dim light, his withered fingers stroking the leather on the back of the chair.

"The Silver Key, Immortality."

He murmured softly.

"No matter who controls you, you will eventually come to me."

Everything has a price.

"Everything has a price!!!"

Ivan stayed up studying until dawn.

A 24-hour sleep deprivation buff isn't a big problem.

Although his mental strength is now much lower than his physical strength, it is still three to four times that of a normal person.

"On the bright side, I got an extra night to study."

Never engaging in internal strife, Evan always manages to find the bright side even in difficult situations.

As dawn broke, the reverse effect of the Eclipse Potion took effect.

You reversed the side effects of the Eclipse Potion.

[Special Trait: Black Sun Wings +0.5%]

[Your self-awareness has improved. Mental strength permanently increased by +0.06.]

Evan looked at the line of text and understood.

"As expected, Byron's side is connected to the Black Sun."

"This Eclipse Potion is made using a diluted version of the Black Sun Wings, and its side effect is a decrease in self-awareness."

"A classic tactic is to lower the target's self-esteem, gradually making them more compliant, confused, and easily controlled."

"Looks like this guy's skill level isn't much higher than Pris's; it's just the same old thing in a different guise."

Thinking of this, Ivan's lips curled up.

"Since that's the case, then let me take advantage of you and make a good profit."

I got dressed and went downstairs.

It was still a sixty-cent appetizer breakfast, then I took the tram to school.

Morales didn't bother him any further. The guy seemed to have returned to his previous good student ways, attending classes on time every day and taking careful notes.

I've just been spending more time staring blankly at the sky outside the window every day.

At noon, Ryan found Evan.

"Are you alright?" Ryan asked.

Evan could hear the concern in his voice.

But at this moment, this concern seemed to be suppressed by the Iron Blood Potion, making it feel incredibly cold and unfeeling.

Ivan smiled and nodded: "It's alright. How was your night watch yesterday?"

Ryan nodded: "It went quite smoothly. The rats in the city generally don't dare to mess with the night watchmen of our Healing Church."

""

Evan nodded, then asked casually.

"Do you remember the name of the first place we tested drugs together?"

Ryan blinked, thought for a moment, and then shook his head: "I forgot."

However, he didn't care about that now, and said loudly.

"I've moved on; the past shouldn't hold me back anymore."

"Oh, by the way, Professor Byron is looking for you."

As Evan followed Ryan toward the teaching building, he sighed inwardly.

One of the key indicators of cognitive decline is memory loss.

That place was Burton Children's Hospital, and the time was three months ago.

The medication I took was phenobarbital.

Ryan has forgotten all about it now.

A person's self is maintained by memory; if memory is blank, then there is no self to speak of.

Copper Elixir is gradually erasing Ryan from existence.

In silence, Ivan walked back into the fifty-square-meter office.

As soon as he entered, Byron frowned.

"What's going on? Didn't I tell you not to take any other potions?"

Evan sighed, looking helpless.

"Professor, I can't help it. Alcott attacked me yesterday."

"If I don't eat, people will die."

Byron jumped to his feet upon hearing this: "Jack Alcott?"

Evan nodded: "Yes, I killed my son, and now the father is here. I killed my father, so what if my ancestors come after me?"

Byron scrutinized Ivan, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"You defeated Alcott?"

Evan coughed. "I just lent a hand; Captain Vic did most of the work."

He noticed that Byron was completely unaware of what had happened the previous night.

This indicates that Vic's information blockade was effective, or that Byron's intelligence network had not yet infiltrated the special operations team.

Now that he knew the other party had ulterior motives towards him, Evan had no intention of telling the truth.

Byron nodded knowingly after listening.

"I knew it, how could you possibly beat an expert?"

"Alright, come back in a couple of days when you've recovered more."