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

Richard casually stuffed the three medicine bottles into the inside pocket of his jacket and patted his chest to make sure they were safe.

Then he pointed to the wooden chair opposite the sofa.

"Come here and sit down. I'll tell you about the rules you need to follow from now on."

Evan obediently sat down, his back straight, looking serious.

Richard extended his right hand and raised one finger.

"First, don't provoke the official superhumans. Getting targeted by them will cause a lot of trouble."

"If you have the ability and charm to build good relationships with them, it's a good choice."

Ivan nodded.

"Then how do I identify it?"

Richard chuckled.

"No need to identify it. You'll recognize it when you see it."

"Those guys are so proud of their status that they practically want to have 'I'm an official' written all over their foreheads."

The second finger.

"To gain more knowledge, you need to encounter more monsters."

"Witchers aren't made by reading books; they're forged through countless life-or-death battles."

"You know how chaotic this city is, but a significant part of it is caused by inhuman beings."

"I'll give you a letter of introduction; you can take it to the tavern and find some monster-hunting jobs."

"While increasing my professional knowledge, I can also earn some extra money."

"As for danger, you don't need to worry too much. Your professional instincts will tell you what you can and can't fight."

Ivan nodded vigorously.

"it is good."

The third finger.

"Don't transform in front of ordinary people. Be prepared to conceal your identity before taking action."

Richard's tone became unusually serious.

"The higher-ups can allow outlandish thieves in strange costumes, but they won't allow supernatural phenomena to manifest in front of ordinary people. That's the deadline."

"If you violate this rule, you will be punished by the law and the rules set by the Supreme Court. The consequences will be very serious."

Ivan felt a chill run down his spine and mentally repeated the rule twice.

The fourth finger.

"The last one."

Richard's tone carried a hint of helplessness.

"We often receive mandatory deployment orders from the authorities. In some dangerous and malign supernatural events, they use us as cannon fodder to scout ahead."

"In this situation, if you can run, then run. If you can't run, then spend money to bribe them. If they're uncooperative, then beat them up badly."

Ivan frowned.

"The first rule... isn't it supposed to be not to provoke them?"

Richard countered with a question.

"Which is more important, trouble or life?"

"life."

Richard nodded.

"If you encounter someone you can't beat, then you can only accept your bad luck."

Evan sensed a sense of helplessness that had been suppressed for many years in that last sentence.

He didn't ask any further questions, but carefully reviewed the four rules in his mind.

Then he remembered something else.

"By the way, senior brother."

"The reason my tram was late today is because a rich girl stopped me when I was leaving school."

"She invited me to be her bodyguard tomorrow at a football game in New Haven. I always had a feeling this guy had something to do with Price."

Richard raised an eyebrow.

Tell me more.

Evan recounted the entire story of his several encounters with Elting, starting with Gilbert's outburst on the playground a few days earlier.

Richard listened and hummed in agreement.

"There should be a connection. But the fact that the girl can see sunlight indicates that she is not a bloodthirsty race."

He tapped the coffee table with his knuckles.

"Generally speaking, situations where coincidences and the timing of events can be predicted so accurately usually involve the involvement of a prophet."

"This girl might be someone Pris is using, not necessarily an accomplice."

"The Hearst family... is a very prominent family in Britain."

"The family's traditional profession is knighthood. They don't get along with the Bloodthirsty race, but they have no grudge against our lineage."

Ivan frowned.

"Should I still go?"

Richard hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"If it were anywhere else, I would advise you not to go. But New Haven is a place you can visit."

"The University of Michigan has an office there. Hill is currently on a business trip there."

"You can go there now and have Hill take you to the University of Michigan office to get an investigator's identification."

"If you have time, have her train you in some basic common sense."

"How to perform the ritual, how to break the curse, how to make a simple amulet..."

"After you come back, find a detective agency with police qualifications to work as a detective. It will make things much easier in the future."

After a moment's thought, Evan asked the question that was on his mind.

"What if that Alcott attacks me?"

Richard shook his head.

"It's not that bad."

"Your ancestor, that immortal witch, is your death warrant, but also your talisman."

He paused for a moment, his expression becoming extremely serious.

"No one dares to gamble on what strange thing is hidden in your bloodline."

"Pris tested you for half a month, feeding you all sorts of potions, and only made a hasty move because you took the Witcher trait."

"That playboy doesn't have the guts, nor the brains."

"The more mysterious you remain, the less likely they are to make a move against you."

"Just like Priss said in his letter—this is your chance."

He paused, then said encouragingly:

"Junior brother! You've already defeated that cunning and shrewd [expert] Bloodthirsty race, Priss. That trash is no match for you."

"You're too passive right now! The opponent has already taken the initiative, so we need to take the initiative as well."

"They've even cursed us, how can we tolerate it?"

"Given what happened last time, if he really wanted to attack you, would you be able to avoid it by being too far away?"

After listening, Ivan agreed.

The last time he was plagued by misfortune, he didn't even know that it was Alcott who was behind it.

Richard patted Ivan on the shoulder, his tone full of heroic spirit:

"He has the Theosophical Society behind him, and you have us behind you."

"Let me put it this way, even though they look down on us, these factions don't dare to provoke us witchers easily."

"Those who have nothing to lose are fearless. They're a large and powerful family; let's see who can't take it first!"

Upon hearing this, Evan immediately recalled the impatience and helplessness on Pulis's face when he faced Richard.

He immediately acknowledged Richard's confidence.

This led Ivan's strange thought process to a rather inappropriate analogy:

As long as I'm a pile of shit, no one wants to step on my head.

Besides, the Witcher isn't shit, it's a landmine!!

If you're not happy, try stepping on me a couple of times and see!

Richard continued, "Making good use of this noble lady will make it easier for you to get close to Alcott's circle."

"This piece of trash who fools ordinary people, find a chance to give him a good beating!"

Hearing this, Ivan felt a surge of warmth and confidence.

Indeed, I am no longer an ordinary person, but have become an extraordinary one!

You want to mess with me?

After a few potions, you'd better not let my blood touch your skin!

He picked up the female assistant's extraordinary abilities from the table and handed them over.

"Senior brother, could you help me refine it into a magic potion? My first trait is to obtain the immortality of the Bloodthirsty race."

Richard weighed the sweet potato in his hand and asked, "Have you thought it through?"

"Superhuman self-healing and immortality are indeed tempting. But the weaknesses are also obvious."

Ivan grinned.

"There's no way, senior brother. I'm in a hurry right now. I don't have time to be picky."

Richard thought about the blacked-out words in the letter and sighed.

"That's true. Then I wish you can overcome the sun."

After the conversation ended, Evan arranged for Richard to stay in the secondary bedroom that Mary had previously occupied.

The bed sheets were changed two days ago, and the quilts were freshly aired.

As soon as my senior brother entered the room, he started snoring evenly almost the moment his head hit the pillow.

Evan walked into the washroom and turned on the cold water tap.

Icy water gushed from the rusty pipes and splashed onto his shoulder.

He closed his eyes and let the water flow over his forehead, cheeks, neck, and chest.

The water pipes in the old apartment building had no insulation.

In mid-to-late November, the cold water temperature is only about 5 degrees Celsius.

A large amount of water poured on the body would feel like ice to the bone for a normal person.

But at this moment, Ivan felt a pleasant coolness.

The blood in his veins was so hot it felt like it was boiling, continuously providing him with plenty of heat.

The new body's strength and extraordinary nature were amplified to the extreme by the ice water at this moment.

"This is an extraordinary physique!" Evan clenched his fist, filled with emotion.