Unable to repay my student loans, I had no choice but to work part-time as a demon hunter.

The Wild Hunt's feast involved a large number of extraordinary combatants.

Gordon would only venture out to investigate if he was fully prepared, ensuring he had sufficient information and adequate support. He preferred to return as a hero rather than die in the wild feeding crows.

"Arthur Gray, you know him?" Eve said with interest. "I've heard that once he enters the battlefield, everyone keeps their distance, partly out of fear of being his enemy, and partly out of fear of being his ally. You know that?"

"I know a little bit, but luckily I'm tough," Gordon pondered. "But he's very capable and reliable."

"I heard he's not in the city lately, which is unusual. He likes money and won't stay away from commissions for long. Unless it's to settle and digest the source material."

"It's not unusual for someone like him to get his hands on a few source materials."

"Did you help him refine it?" Eve's gaze fell on Gordon's face.

"It may be, it may not be. It's a big world, anything can happen," Gordon the shoemaker said.

Through the rising steam of the coffee, her golden eyes remained fixed on Gordon, gentle and quiet. That gaze always made Gordon feel uncomfortable; he usually enjoyed commenting on others and figuring out how to make money, and he didn't like being stared at like that.

She picked up the glass and took a sip, leaving a faint red lip print on the rim.

"Would you be willing to help me concoct potions?" Eve asked.

"Identification is one thing, refining is another."

"Am I not worthy of your trust, junior...?"

It depends on what kind of trust it is.

"Please speak."

"I believe you have the ability, and I believe you will fulfill the deal and your promises," Gordon put down his glass. "But I also believe that if the external interests are big enough, we might be on opposite sides."

Eve wasn't angry; her expression wasn't even surprised.

"It's alright. I have my own channels for refining it," she said.

"I must say, that scorching source will make you more lively and passionate," Gordon warned.

"I don't mind," Eve smiled. "I've always been a very warm person."

Gordon couldn't tell. He couldn't imagine when Eve would become so passionate.

At this point, Gordon thought of something else.

"Is the 'Pure Gold' quality the highest grade of Source Potions?" he couldn't help but ask.

"For ordinary people, yes. But in the eyes of true alchemists, pure gold is not the end. They believe that... there is an extremely rare color above pure gold. They call it crimson."

"red?"

"Like blood, and like flames. In that state, it's not just about preserving the activity of the source substance; it also exhibits a kind of initiative, purity, stability, and a state of oneness with humans, as if it were born to become someone's power."

Gordon found it more and more exciting as he listened.

He can now reliably provide the Pure Gold Elixir, so there is clearly another layer above the peak.

"How do you do that?"

"Call me 'senior' and I'll tell you."

"Ms. Grant..."

Eve smiled.

"Why are you so resistant? I'm older than you and I entered the academy earlier than you. Calling me 'senior' won't put you at a disadvantage, Gordon."

Her eyes held a hint of teasing and interest, clearly wanting to see when Gordon would give up.

"Calling someone by a name is tantamount to acknowledging a relationship... and once the relationship is confirmed, there will be unnecessary feelings of responsibility, expectations, and all sorts of emotional fluctuations."

"Then let's maintain the status quo for now." Eve looked at Gordon. "Sigh, I really don't know when our relationship will take another step forward."

"You said you'd tell me about Herfordshire, that you killed an ability user there?" Gordon quickly changed the subject.

"Yes. It's not a personal grudge." Eve gently stirred the coffee in her cup. "That man is a Source Hunter who does despicable things. He continuously lures hunters into his trap under the guise of 'treating pollution' and 'helping others check for Source diseases,' while secretly plotting to harm them and profiting from it. Members also disappeared at the Primal Knowledge Conference, and I found his hiding place."

"Then?"

"I burned down his house, burned everything, and made sure he was dead. Now he can no longer use the lie of 'testing for primordial disease' to deceive people."

Gordon remembered the smoky source material [thick smoke] generated by the birth of death. Eve's abilities were clearly related to fire and light. It seemed that its generation was perfectly suited to the conditions at the scene.

"I can also help examine source-related diseases," Gordon said, trying to be humorous, "but on the condition that Miss Grant accepts certain complicated conditions."

"Just don't call it a physical exam, or package it as a health management record," Eve chuckled.

"..." Gordon felt that his luck wasn't very good this time.

"Let's get back to the topic of potions," Eve said, looking at Gordon with interest. "The Hermes School believes that some people can see the truth of the world, using mortal wisdom to simulate the perception of gods, elevating their mundane minds to the point where they can understand the laws of the universe."

"That sounds like a difficult task to achieve."

"Yes, that's probably how skilled one has to be to elevate alchemy to the highest level and extract a crimson potion."

To understand the laws of the universe and to see the truth of the world? Gordon looked around.

He wasn't sure if he could do it, but he had to try.

"Alright. I'll see what I'm capable of. Also... I have a piece of source material, a tiny one, that can promote root growth in plants. Miss Grant, do you think it could be of any use?" Gordon thought of "roots that seek the air."

Eve's expression turned serious.

"I'm growing some calming herbs, which are the core ingredient for making calming remedies. They usually take three years to mature," Eve immediately thought. "This one can shorten the growth period."

"remuneration?"

"I can give you three bottles of calming potion directly. After all, if it grows, I won't lack raw materials," Eve said quickly.

They had been testing each other a moment ago, but now they suddenly found each other very agreeable, all because they had formed a cooperative relationship based on a single herb.

……

Back at the Kuroki Inn, the two went up the wide staircase to Eve's room.

She went to the balcony.

This was practically a miniature botanical garden, filled with all sorts of flowers and rare plants, neatly categorized and placed in different corners, each clearly labeled with one of the plants she had cultivated during this period.

Looking over, Gao Deng identified it among the many medicinal herbs.

This is a grayish-green seedling with slender leaves, only two inches tall, shyly waiting to bloom.

[Calming herb. Skilled at comforting others, but lives a very stressful life herself.]

Gordon traded out a faint source substance resembling purple roots, the tips of which were still slowly swaying, searching for soil that did not exist.