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

Chapter 196 The Cunning Eldin, Twilight Rose Sanatorium

Aiden became quite excited and happy to see how concerned Evan was about the witch.

Without any hesitation, he then proceeded to explain in detail all the aspects related to the ceremony.

This includes precautions, related offerings, the drawing of the magic circle, and so on.

Finally, Aiden said with a serious expression, "Witches like innovative potion makers."

"Therefore, during the ritual, you take a potion that no one else has used before. Under the influence of this potion, you can better increase the success rate."

"Of course, if you can also offer this potion as a sacrifice while taking the medicine, the success rate will be further increased."

At this point, Aiden sighed, "I've had similar thoughts before, but they're far too dangerous."

"An unknown potion with no known main or side effects—taking it is tantamount to suicide."

Ivan quickly recorded the whole process, then immediately stood up and said, "Thank you for your help, Mr. Aiden."

"If I find any information or traces related to witches later, I will let you know."

Aiden nodded happily after hearing this: "Thank you so much! Please feel free to tell me anytime you encounter any difficulties!"

"I will support you without hesitation!"

Ivan grinned. "If my ritual is successful this time, please sponsor me some potion ingredients!"

Aiden immediately patted his chest and said, "Absolutely no problem!"

After saying goodbye to Aiden, Evan thought for a moment, then finally boarded the tram and headed to Lighthouse Hill.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Ivan, dressed in a sharp black suit, arrived at the outside of a spacious and magnificent aristocratic estate.

Looking around, the vast estate is centered around a fountain, surrounded by exquisite trees and lawns.

Although it has withered now, it still gives people a sense of grandeur and luxury when combined with the pure white snow.

Behind the fountain is a huge U-shaped standalone building, five stories high, with the main structure facing south and backing north, and two slightly protruding wings, each with a pointed tower.

The building is a typical example of Neo-Gothic style, with its dark gray granite walls exuding a sense of stability and solidity.

Each tall, slender arched window is inlaid with stained glass, shimmering with iridescent colors in the sunlight.

The entire building exudes an understated yet imposing aura, typical of old-money families.

At this moment, male and female servants hurried past on all the main roads of the manor and in the square in front of the buildings.

They were either carrying various plates or various tools.

As Ivan approached the door, a burly young man with a cold expression walked out of the guardhouse.

The young man's face was icy, his posture arrogant, and one hand was subtly placed on his waist: "Who are you? Do you have an appointment?"

"If you don't have it, get away immediately!"

Ivan grinned, his bright smile shining in the snow, and said, "Brother, I'm looking for Mr. Garp."

Upon hearing Garp's name, the burly man frowned slightly: "What's your relationship with Mr. Garp?"

Just as the two were talking, another voice came from inside the gatehouse: "Who's looking for Garp?"

At this moment, the burly man turned to the side, his voice softening considerably: "Boss, a student who looks like an innocent idiot."

Then Evan saw a familiar face, the blond security guard who had previously looked down on him and flaunted his car: Jack.

Jack came out and was overjoyed to see the honest-looking Evan. He laughed heartily and gave Evan a hug.

Merry Christmas, dear Arkham!

The two didn't meet often, and Jack had previously held Ivan in considerable contempt.

But after the New Haven incident, Jack had a very high opinion of and high respect for this student.

After all, he was one of Garp's trusted confidants, and he knew a lot about what happened back then, as well as Ivan's true strength.

Ivan smiled and offered his holiday greetings, then tentatively asked, "Dear Jack, I have some urgent business to attend to, and I was wondering if I could meet with you, Miss?"

"It won't take long, just ten minutes."

"I'm having some difficulties and I'd like to ask a prostitute for some help."

Jack pondered for a moment upon hearing this: "Miss is currently preparing for the festival, I wonder if she has the time."

F

Jack originally intended to refuse outright. Although he favored Evan, the difference in their social standing was simply too great.

But the next second, he remembered Garp's instructions to him, as well as the young lady's instructions to him.

Both of them said that if Arkham contacted them, they shouldn't rush to refuse, but should inform the two of them first.

So Jack smiled and said, "Wait a moment, I'll ask around for you."

Jack then went into the gatehouse, and after about a minute came out smiling and said, "Miss agrees to see you, please come with me."

""

Soon, Jack led Ivan through the side door of the guardhouse.

Following the path beside me, I circled around the courtyard and entered through a small door on the left side of the building.

On the way, Jack, wearing a cashmere coat, looked at Evan, who was still dressed in thin clothes, with envy on his face.

"You young people are really healthy! You're not even cold wearing so little in the dead of winter!"

Ivan grinned: "Mr. Jack, you're not old at all!"

"I was actually cold too, but I was in such a rush that I forgot to wear clothes."

The two walked in through the side door as they talked, and then there was a straight corridor.

The corridor floor was paved with polished black and white checkered marble, which the servants had wiped so clean it looked like a mirror.

The walls on both sides are covered with emerald green wallpaper, and the wainscoting is made of dark walnut wood.

Ivan didn't have much of a chance to look around. After walking about ten meters down the corridor, he entered the second door on the left.

Inside is a rather private-looking reception room, about twenty square meters in size.

The room was sparsely furnished, but the furnishings were quite exquisite.

A low coffee table, flanked by two high-backed armchairs upholstered in deep red velvet.

At this point, high-end tea and snacks had been laid out on top.

Erdin was sitting there.

Today, Erdin is dressed in her finest attire.

The deep burgundy velvet dress cascaded to the ground, with delicate white lace trimmed around the neckline and cuffs.

The tightly fitted waist accentuated her dignified and upright figure.

Her black hair was neatly pinned up at the back of her head, with a few strands of hair in place with pearl hair clips, and a pair of small diamond earrings dangling from her earlobes.

But this elaborate attire only accentuated a face etched with exhaustion.

At this moment, Eldin had completely lost her usual youth and liveliness, as well as the allure and queenly aura she exuded when she transformed into a vampire that night.

She exuded an air of dignified rigidity and lifelessness, like a noble lady.

After Jack brought Ivan in, he nodded respectfully and turned to leave.

Aydin, looking somewhat tired, forced a smile and said, "Merry Christmas, Arkham."

Ivan maintained a very good distance and didn't even sit down.

After glancing around to make sure no one else was around, he blinked.

The intention is clear: Is this a suitable place to whisper?

Erdin nodded: "What is it? You can just say it."

Ivan cut to the chase, asking, "What do you know about witches?"

Upon hearing this, Erdin raised an eyebrow, and the weariness on her scarlet lips vanished, replaced by a teasing expression.

"What's wrong? Do you want to become a witch?"

Evan shook his head repeatedly, and finally said vaguely, "One of our female witchers has been captured by a witch, and we are currently trying to find a way to rescue her."

""

"I've found the ritual performed on the witch, but the details are still unclear."

Eltin nodded, and after a moment's thought, said, "If nothing unexpected happens, this witcher should have been captured and taken to the Twilight Rose Sanatorium."

Ivan blinked. "Twilight Rose Sanatorium? What kind of place is that?"

Elting sat there motionless and said, "This is a unique area within the Dream Realm."

"This area has no real owner."

"The original Twilight Rose Sanatorium was a mental hospital located in the north of Bolton City."

"At that time, the main responsibility was to take in a large number of unruly noble children, with the goal of transforming them into obedient and well-behaved children."

At this point, Erdin's voice carried a hint of fear and trembling.

"The method of modification is also quite brutal. They will directly use a needle, close to the top of the eyeball, and insert it diagonally."

"Then they smash an organ in the brain, and the child will become incredibly obedient."

Upon hearing this, Iven instinctively squeezed his legs together, thinking to himself, "This is literally shredding my prefrontal cortex!"

Elting continued, "Perhaps too much resentment and unvented emotions accumulated there, causing the material laws of that area to collapse and merge into the Dream Realm."

"After that, many monsters emerged from there, causing a serious supernatural incident."

"And while dealing with that area, a senior judge died there."

Ivan's eyes widened slightly: "The leaders are all—dead!?"

Erdin nodded: "The specifics of how he died and the cause of death are classified information; I don't know either."

"The outside world only knows that the Twilight Rose Sanatorium was subsequently completely expelled into the Dreamland."

"But the powerful order left by the judges has become integrated with that area."

"This has created a special area with its own independent rules."

Hearing this, Ivan nodded: "If I wanted to enter this area to rescue people, what risks would there be?"

After a moment's thought, Erdin said, "If you follow the rules of that area completely, there won't be any risks."

""

"I know several aristocratic ladies who returned safely from there; they had volunteered to go there for training."

"For them, the whole process was nothing short of a dream."

"There, they all became princesses, surrounded by guards, princes, and all sorts of servants—"

"As the core members, they needed to fulfill the qualities, conduct, and knowledge of princesses, and then they returned very smoothly."

"According to their descriptions, it was a very happy place, which made them feel that time passed quickly."

"They felt like they had spent 10 days there, but when they came back they realized that only one day had passed."

Ivan quickly jotted it down: "What does that have to do with witches?"

Eldin sighed, "Because the powerful one who died there was a witch."

"As far as I know, there are three witches there who keep the entire sanatorium running."

"And inside there are now more than two hundred students from all walks of life across the United States."

"They all underwent their own spiritual practice there; there were ladies, gentlemen, knights, blacksmiths, male servants, and female servants—"

"They are all different kinds of people, and about three-quarters of them are ordinary people who cannot sense anything else due to their clairvoyance."

"The rules there also prevent other superhumans and monsters from harming them."

"The remaining quarter are generally extraordinary individuals from various factions or noble families."

After a pause, Eltin's eyes held a warning: "That's not a good place for superhumans."

"I've heard that the chances of a superhuman surviving there are less than one in ten."

Evan nodded thoughtfully, and then briefly explained the contents of the ceremony.

"In other words, if the ceremony I received goes smoothly, I will be able to go directly to the Twilight Rose Sanatorium?"

""

Erdin recalled Ivan's ritual and nodded, saying, "Yes, this ritual is similar to what I described."

"The prerequisite is that you need to be selected."

Ivan stood up and nodded. "Thank you, Miss Hearst!"

"If you have any needs in the future, you can let me know at any time."

Just as Evan turned to leave, Erdin gave him a hint.

"I've heard you're quite knowledgeable about potions."

"From what I understand, if you are skilled at potion brewing, or have a talent for potion-related matters—"

"The chances of surviving there are very high."

"If you're going to hold a ceremony, you'd better bring your copper pot and a few potions that you might need."

At this point, Erdin instinctively wanted to stand up.

But the thought of having to redo the complicated skirt made her maintain her previous pose.

"It would be best to hide it in a place where they can't find it."

Upon hearing this, Ivan's lips curled up in a rather unrestrained smile.

"Don't worry, I'm quite good at this!"

After Ivan left, a tall, slender maid with a capable demeanor, dressed in a black and white maid's dress, came out.

The maid wore a white lace headband and had an ordinary appearance, but the composure she exuded in her every move made people feel that she was no ordinary person.

"Miss, what is this silly-looking witcher trying to do?"

The tone didn't sound like a maid talking to her mistress; it sounded more like two very close girlfriends.

With the help of a maid, Erdin stood up and said with a smile, "Maybe this is going to be quite a scene?"

"Isn't this a good thing? After all, if things get chaotic there, it will benefit us too."

The maid muttered after hearing this, "But Miss, isn't your good friend, Miss Mans, one of the owners there?"

Erdin laughed and said, "Silly girl, there are many kinds of friends."

"With a friend like you, we can confide our inner pressures and frustrations to each other."

"And some good friends—"

As Erdin spoke, a cold smile crept across his lips: "I can't wait for them to die!"