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

Chapter 128 $1000 and Invited Expert

Then Evan took the initiative to report on the side effects of the Anti-Moon Potion and the Eclipse Potion.

Anti-Moon Potion: I hate silver even more now, and I hate the moon even more. I feel like the moonlight has become ugly.

Eclipse Potion: My arm was a little numb for a moment, but it has now recovered.

These side effects are not made up; they were genuinely discovered by Evan through his own testing.

The Eclipse Potion's effects were inferred from the symptoms of Gray's cursed and mutated partner.

After all, the side effects of this drug are mutated, while its positive effects are its conventional characteristics.

This theory has already been tested on the Bloodthirsty Seed Potion.

Byron nodded noticeably after listening, as if the symptoms were roughly as he had expected.

He picked up his pen and quickly scribbled in his notebook.

"Hmm, quite valuable data."

He looked up and asked, "Are there any other effects?"

Evan shook his head: "That's all. I'll tell you if there are any other effects."

Byron nodded in satisfaction and waved for him to leave.

After Evan left, the office door closed gently.

Byron leaned back in his chair and let out a low laugh.

"The plan is going smoothly. Now that the side effects have started to take effect, things will be easier from here on out."

Then his expression suddenly changed.

His facial muscles contorted in a way that was not normal for a human, as if another person had poked their head out from under his skin.

"How can you be so sure it worked?" Another voice came from the same mouth, its tone sarcastic.

"What if he's lying to you?"

His expression changed again, his brows furrowed, the corners of his mouth turned down, and a hint of almost obsessive arrogance flashed in his deep eyes.

"Idiot! These potions are a family secret! All the fools who tested them before have already acquired these traits. Now, only I know about these side effects."

"One is fabricated, two are fabricated; it's impossible for him to have guessed all the side effects of the potions at the same time."

"and--"

A sinister smile crept across his face.

"The true side effects of those two potions are not something an apprentice can perceive."

"By the time he realizes what's happening, hmph."

His expression changed again: "Don't forget your assistant who escaped—"

An arrogant face abruptly interrupted him, accompanied by a smug, sinister grin: "Shut up, you idiot!"

"I deliberately let that idiot out to lure out those bloodthirsty bugs!"

"Tsk tsk, they won't let any opportunity to defeat the sun slip by."

"According to Vic's report, the mutated potion should already be in their hands."

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While Byron was scheming, Evan, walking down the corridor of the teaching building, was also scheming.

He walked briskly, with his signature sunny smile on his face, nodding and greeting the students who passed by.

But what was on his mind was something else entirely.

"The Black Sun Wings trait is incredibly powerful."

"If you want to have a constant supply of potions, you have to play dumb and show weakness when necessary."

"Sigh! McCree and I ate too much during our first meal the other day, and we scared the other team away."

"Professor Byron, don't worry."

He smiled silently to himself.

"I won't scare you."

The daytime classes have ended. It's 5:30 PM.

When Evan walked out of the teaching building, two more progress bars on the panel were full.

You reversed the side effects of the Ironblood Potion.

Your memory has been improved. Your mental strength has been permanently increased by 0.03.

Your willpower has been increased. Your spirit has been permanently increased by 0.06.

Ivan looked at the data and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"It seems that the side effects of the potion absorbed through the rectum have indeed increased."

"The side effect of the oral Iron Blood Magic Drug was temporary insomnia. This time, the rectal-absorbed version has become a permanent reduction in willpower, and the reduction is not small."

Evan quickly summarized the current data patterns in his mind.

"The temporary potion absorbed through the rectum is almost twice as effective as the one taken orally, but the reversal time is only three times that of the regular one."

"Direct injection is twice as effective, but requires five times the time to reverse the effects."

"What about rectal absorption for permanent potions? Does it also have a similar multiplier effect?"

"You can try it when you have time and see the difference."

He made a mental note of this and then turned his attention to the second tip.

You reversed the side effects of the potion chain.

[Special Trait: Black Sun Wings +1%]

You'll be more alert when you see a black sun.

Upon seeing this, Ivan was startled.

"Good heavens! Professor Byron is really cunning."

"Besides the usual side effects of a solar eclipse combined with a lunar reversal, the core issue lies in the chain of distortions; they're setting a trap for me here."

He quickly deduced the scenario in his mind.

"The effect of the reversal is that you are more alert when you see a black sun, but the real side effect is that you will feel dizzy when you see a black sun."

"It has no negative effects on a daily basis, and I am completely unaware of it."

"But once they see a specific black sun, they will become dizzy and lose the ability to move."

"This is a trap triggered under specific conditions!"

"Byron is already figuring out how to capture me!?"

At that moment, a sigh of emotion flashed through Ivan's mind.

"I have to say, this professor's level is indeed higher than Pulis's. Pulis directly attacked with force, while Byron slowly boiled the frog in water."

"I need to find out more details about Byron from Dr. Forem when I have time, so I can make plans as soon as possible."

With a thought in mind, Evan jumped onto the clanging tram and headed straight for the Bolton City Police Department.

The car was still crowded and filled with various pungent smells.

Twenty minutes later, Ivan entered through the side door again, walked through the dimly lit corridor, and arrived at the side room that resembled an archive room.

The dignified middle-aged woman at the door already recognized Evan, and gave him a professional smile as he approached.

"Mr. Arkham, this way please."

She led Evan through the door on the right, and after passing through the corridor, they arrived once again at the office area full of life.

But this time, there were three unfamiliar faces in the office area.

At the leftmost workstation sat a middle-aged woman dressed in a respectable brown late autumn outfit, with a dark wool coat. On her desk, an incense stick was lit, and the smoke from the incense formed an unnatural ring.

His eyes were slightly closed, and the pages of the book in front of him were turning automatically.

Evan's spirituality told him that a special being was rapidly flipping through these books.

The Moon Path, the Psychic.

At the workstation diagonally opposite, a blond young man was leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed.

He was in his early twenties, wearing a stylish leather jacket, riding breeches, and gleaming leather boots.

He exudes an aura of "I'm handsome, I'm arrogant."

He was holding a glass bottle, but instead of water, it contained a burning flame.

He skillfully handled the bottle of fire in his hand, his posture relaxed and composed.

The path of the sun, the demon.

The last one, in the far corner, is a middle-aged man in an ordinary police uniform, who is doing a handstand.

The two hands supporting the ground no longer resembled human hands; ten fingers extended numerous gray-green roots that spread across the floor, like an upside-down tree taking root in the floor.

He muttered to himself in a low, rhythmic voice, as if he were talking to something under the floor.

The Tree of Life path, tree spirits.

The moment Ivan walked in, all three of them stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him.

The blond, devilish youth whistled, a playful smile playing on his lips.

"Vice Captain! The experts are here!"

Gray strode out of the inner office and put his arm around Evan's shoulder.

"This way!"

He didn't introduce the three of them, but led Evan directly into Vic's office.

The room was lit, but the curtains were drawn tightly, and no sunlight could get in.

As expected, the owl, skilled in the darkness, doesn't particularly like sunlight.

Vic sat behind the table, his pale face appearing even more bloodless in the cold yellow light of the lamp. He nodded to Evan, gesturing for him to sit down.

Gray left and closed the door behind him.

Vic took a flat wooden box from under the table and pushed it in front of Ivan.

"This is your reward."

Ivan opened the box.

The first thing that catches the eye is a stack of bright green banknotes.

He grabbed them all at once, his thumbs flying across the edges of each banknote.

$1,011.

Vic said, "One thousand is the bounty for capturing Alcott alive this time, and eleven is the payment you made for helping us deal with the potion aberration last time."

As he collected the money, Ivan asked, "Isn't it a bit too little?"

"I even made two thousand from killing Alcott Jr. before."

Vic calmly said, "That's because Dr. Armitage has a wide network and takes care of you. Normally, you would only receive about $1300 from the organization."

"Besides, last time you earned money from spoils of war, but this money is an incentive bonus for internal officers, not a bounty for external personnel."

"After all, it's Gray and his crew's job to capture Alcott, and a thousand dollars is a lot for them."

After hearing this, Ivan said, "Thank you, boss."

Then he saw the second thing in the box.

An arm patch.

On a black background, blue and white lines outline the shape of a shield.

In the center of the shield is an eagle with outstretched wings, clutching a scale in its talons.

"Identity verification by a Bolton City Police Department specialist," Vic said.

"With this, and your status as an investigator at Miskatonic University, your authority in the secular world will reach the level of a criminal investigation expert."

"And you can handle the tasks we assign you independently without our assistance."

"As long as the requirements are met, we won't interfere with anything else."

Ivan's eyes lit up, and he said happily, "This is a great identity."

Vic nodded: "Of course, let's put it this way, there are only six people in the entire city of Bolton who have this identity, including you."

"Each of them is a leader in their respective field."

He paused for a moment, his tone becoming more serious.

"Of course, this also means responsibility. From now on, you will need to prioritize helping us with any tasks related to potions."

"Otherwise, I will lose this position and honor."

Ivan grinned. "Understood."

He put the armband away and looked at the third item in the box.

A bird folded from a US dollar bill.

Just like the one Gray used before, the creases are precise, and the curves of the wings are lifelike.

Vic said, "If anything important happens, you can contact me directly using this little bird."

Evan picked up the little bird, turned it over in his hand, and asked curiously.

"Aren't you afraid that Sap might be eavesdropping on this little bird?"

Vic said calmly, "He's not the only factory owner in Bolton."

Evan said "Oh," and carefully put the little bird into his inner bag.

After receiving the benefits, Vic leaned forward slightly.

Those silver eyes locked onto Evan.

"You should know about the virus investigation that Dr. Armitage and your colleague Richard are investigating, right?"

Evan nodded: "Yes, I've done some research too. I've even dealt with a member of the Nijogda family who's connected to the Red King's laboratory."

Vic raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh? You handled that woman on Hain Street?"

Ivan smiled and said, "It wasn't really a matter of dealing with it; the woman disappeared afterward."

Yes, it really disappeared; it disappeared into his stomach.

Vic nodded: "Yes, it really disappeared, as if it vanished into thin air."

He tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

"Recently, the virus that causes loss of consciousness has spread more severely, and the authorities have begun to take it seriously."

"I've heard you seem to be quite knowledgeable about diseases."

At this point, Vic's tone softened, and his silver eyes fixed on Ivan with the patience of a hunter observing its prey.

Ivan met that gaze with his usual sunny and cheerful smile, without any shadow or evasion.

"Yes, I can absorb some viruses, and I can also inject viruses."

"The illnesses Alcott had yesterday were sown during our first encounter."

He knew that as he came into contact with more and more people and forces, his true nature could no longer be concealed.

Deliberately concealing information will only arouse suspicion and hostility.

It's better to be open about it and selectively tell some of the truth.

After listening, Vic smiled, a smile that was much wider than yesterday's.

"I appreciate your honesty, Arkham."

"To be honest, I haven't seen a superhuman like you who has chosen such a dedicated path for their superhuman traits in a long time."

"This ability is a good match for your career plan as a medical student."

"I can even see a miracle healer about to be born in Bolton."

Ivan smiled. "Thank you for your praise. May I ask what kind of task I have?"

Vic nodded and said, "Since you can handle the virus, I hope you will work with me on the investigation directly."

"I can provide you with ample resources and assistance, as well as all the information we currently possess."

He tapped the table twice more with his fingers.

"We could even provide your faction of witchers with ample funding to help us investigate this matter."

Ivan's smile remained unchanged, but he felt inexplicably nervous inside.

"Why does this thing feel like it's about to get out of control?"

Vic offered too good a deal.

Resources, funds, data, and manpower are all readily available.

He even asked himself to bring his other fellow disciples in as well.

But Evan knew very well that there's no such thing as a free lunch for idiots. (Not a typo)

Once they take on this job, they are no longer free witchers.

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