The Alchemist's Guide to Flesh and Blood Ascension

The thousands of crystal towers in Stamok still glowed under the night sky, their lights reflecting off each other and creating a sea of ​​light.

At the edge of this sea of ​​light, before the bronze gates of Starmok, the atmosphere was so heavy it was suffocating.

"Sister Olivia, I must remind you... According to the newly signed covenant, no member of the Church carrying weapons or holy water is allowed to enter Stamock."

The mage in the dark blue robe who had reviewed Yunevo stamped a scroll of parchment with a "not approved" mark without any expression.

The nun sitting opposite the monk was in her early thirties, with delicate features but no color in her skin.

Beneath her pure white nun's robe adorned with gilded floral patterns, her clenched fists, their knuckles white, were hidden, suggesting she was still struggling.

"Mr. Thorin, we are simply looking for a missing cultist... The area where the young man was last seen before disappearing in Hart City is said to be where a Starmoke caravan passed through."

"I don't care about all that..." The mage shrugged, pulled a translucent crystal slice from his sleeve, and gave a mocking smile.

"You can go in, but please explain... why are eight out of the twelve people who applied to enter the city registered as 'Purifiers'?"

With a flick of his wrist, the list of items confiscated from the church was revealed: Holy Flame Armor Coating *4, Concentrated Holy Water *32 units of potion... and Tracking Holy Emblem *6.

The nun's breath hitched, and she was speechless.

"According to Article 7 of the New Testament, I now have the authority to call in an arresting squad to lock you in a cold, hard prison and fabricate some charge against you..."

A commoner's carriage, permitted to pass through one side, stepped through the bronze city gate, and the sounds of laughter and children playing could be heard from inside.

Sister Olivia rose and gave a slight bow to Inspector Thorin.

"Hmph... A wise decision, but you'll still have to wait outside for a day or two. Whether you get in or not isn't up to me."

"Are you kidding me?" The nun could no longer maintain her composure and glared angrily at the mage.

"A friendly reminder: any church members who trespass within a five-kilometer radius of Tus Academy... will be killed on sight."

The mage smiled slightly, tapped the table twice heavily with his fingertips, and sneered, "The incident at Tircol Academy... it certainly gave us quite a 'fireworks display,' didn't it?"

The nun's face completely lost its color.

……

"Ha, a bunch of clowns... Looks like the lecturer's identity has other uses after all."

With a rare moment of leisure, Yunevo stood on the second floor of the "Heisenberg" laboratory, holding a cup of hot tea, watching everything that had just happened through his [spiritual vision] on the tranquil orchid.

He finally managed to remove the bandages—thanks to the regenerative power of [Super Regeneration], his hand injury had actually healed within half a day.

The reason he hasn't demolished it yet... is firstly because Iseria won't allow it, and secondly because he doesn't want to attract too much attention.

Iseria pushed open the door to the second floor and naturally sat down next to Yunevo.

"Professor Marcus said... the church's squad was stopped outside the city, but the Mage Guild seems to want to let them in, apparently with other plans."

Yoniv seemed to be in a good mood. He first got up and made Iseria a cup of tea, then slowly said, "Norton must have given us a push, handing over some of the evidence to the headquarters..."

"The academy also took the opportunity to eliminate all 'potential' informants, after all, they absolutely hated the 'Colossus of Justice' incident..."

"Professor Lorenz was saying this at the professors' meeting yesterday," Iseria nodded, then put on a serious face and mimicked the professor's stern tone: "The place where the pursuit of truth is passed down must not be desecrated!"

"Then he also said something like... any improper action against faculty or staff will be considered a provocation against the college as a whole."

The situation was incredibly favorable. Yunevo finished the last sip of tea and smiled.

Not only did he receive information from official sources, but he also had civilian informants—commoners who had benefited from the "Heisenberg" pharmacy.

Many people's old injuries were alleviated or even cured by the miraculous potion, and the magical illness that plagued most mages was relieved... Even the elderly were able to sleep soundly.

In theory... he could stand brazenly in front of the city gate and give the middle finger to the church members who had not yet entered the city and were stationed outside.

And the other party could only grit their teeth and endure it.

But compared to the sense of security that such an environment brings, Yonivore clearly prefers the sense of security that comes from his own strength.

"We still need to move ahead, after all, the people in the church are always petty," he said, taking the opportunity while fetching water to hang a map of the ley lines below the Stamock School History Museum on the wall.

"Hmm...maybe they really will make some kind of noise that can divert most of the power, and then take the opportunity to sneak in," Iseria nodded in agreement.

Yunevo's fingertips hovered at the intersection of the three elemental ley lines, as if talking to himself: "The continuous depletion of the anti-magic stone's diffusion field by the elemental ley lines... and the periodic sealing array, theoretically, should be foolproof."

"Then... since everything is foolproof, why are you still worried?" Iseria asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Because I don't trust 'absolute certainty.' The late professor's records mentioned that... the 'Colossus's' activity would become abnormal at certain periods. What the church has concocted shouldn't be that simple."

He walked to the window, sighed, and realized that the undercurrents he had been drawn into had never stopped, and were only continuing in a different form.

"Iseria, the power that can truly protect yourself and others... is something you hold in your hands and can't take away."

The girl was silent for a moment, then walked to his side: "So...we need to go find that 'colossus' ahead of time, right?"

"Indeed... but this operation is riskier, and we need two more helpers."

He took out his communication crystal from his waist, and the projected light formed a gray mouse holding a crossbow, which then transformed into a broken sword with a tide pattern.

"Nichta, that guy who watches the shop for us isn't exactly a nice guy..."

"Hey, that big rat? I remember the magical energy fluctuations on it... it looked so complicated."

"A fourth-tier mage knows a lot, but he's not an expert in everything. His most important skill is his bizarre and wonderful magic crossbows... which might bring us unexpected results."

"Oh... then the other one must be Tedes, right?"

"That's right, he's participated in many trials, and his precise grasp of the Water Demon Source can be helpful at crucial moments..."

Ionevoy spread out a brand new parchment and wrote the four words "Operation Plan" on it in bold strokes.