When the plot-skips players into the game world

They quickly found the "Master Lars" room that was frequently used within the club.

As Aiwass entered, he felt a certain impact:

The space was draped in red fabric—beneath the solid-colored red cloth was another layer of red with a slightly different hue, and yet another distinct shade of red beneath that one.

The ceiling and the floor were white and black respectively. The only non-monochromatic decor in the room was probably the lights above.

The windows were open, allowing the cold breeze to flow in and flutter the red cloths, making them dance wildly.

It looked like layers of red dresses swaying with the breeze. The differences between each shade of red were as close as lipstick shades.

With the sunlight seeping in from outside and the lamp's perpetual illumination inside, it was impossible to discern any difference between them.

Shortly after entering the room, Aiwass felt his eyes grow tired. The omnipresent red fluttering at a high frequency was dazzling, and staring at the light bulbs was out of the question. Thus, he could only lower his head... His eyes were overwhelmed with green even when he closed them; the color wouldn't dissipate.

"This is Master Lars's private room; he often meditates here."

Mycroft closed the door and whispered, "He calls this the 'Green House'."

Aiwass clicked his tongue.

He realized that, perhaps, Lars's mental state wasn't very good...

Or rather… staying in a place like this for too long only made one feel more uncomfortable.

"Where are his belongings?"

Aiwass asked directly, "Let's finish up quickly and get out. This place is making me very uncomfortable."

"There was originally a code here, but I have already deciphered it for you in advance."

Mycroft spoke and reached out to tear down several pieces of the red cloths, "To prevent others from entering, I also took away the clues. That's why it looks so empty here."

After he did this, a knee-high box, silent and invisible until now, appeared in a corner of the room.

Aiwass asked, "Did you open it before?"

"No, I only found the hidden box. It was concealed using the Preservation Arts of the Path of Adaptation. It can't be seen unless specific draperies are unveiled... and if it's not visible, the code can't be deciphered."

Mycroft shook his head, "Master Lars was an Irisflower People spy, and one that could assassinate a minister. If I opened it and there was something inside that I shouldn't see, wouldn't it just cause problems for me? Whether I re-sealed it, hid it away, or reported it, it would all lead to trouble.

"Out of caution, it's better to find someone with a high enough status who can be trusted by the queen to open the box. I initially wanted to ask Miss Meg, but she has been unexpectedly untraceable lately..."

...He was so cautious.

Is Mycroft really that fearful of trouble? No wonder he's a high-end wage slave who comes to the Barrel Club at the same time every day, living a life as tranquil as a plant...

Clearly very smart, but too cautious...

Mycroft manipulated the safe in a specific sequence while explaining, "If the mechanism isn't opened in the correct order, the safe's internal trap will be triggered, destroying the stored contents... This type of Preservation Arts is commonly used in tombs or with confidential documents, and it's the reason I am sure the contents inside are of great value. Also, its presence proves that I have never opened it myself."

"Yes, I witnessed all that."

Aiwass confirmed.

Under his watch, Mycroft effortlessly decoded the box.

As if invisible chains shattered, the box opened on its own—the lock door was solid inside, with no keyhole at all. This meant that physical lock-picking was entirely useless; one had to either solve the code or forcefully break through with a spell.

Inside, there was a black, soft, left-hand glove with a wristband, a letter, a book, and a bottle of medicine.

Since Aiwass was not convenient in his wheelchair, Mycroft personally took these items out and handed them to Aiwass and Lily.

The moment Aiwass touched the glove, text appeared before his eyes:

[Dispenser of Shadows]

[Extraordinary Equipment (Light Purple)]

[Armor-Gloves]

[Feature: Pharmacist's Touch (Activated by Path of Adaptation)]

[Medicine Slot (1/3): Love Elixir (64%), None, None]

[Set: Eagle of the Shadow (1/4)]

["——Without morals, by any means necessary. Poison and medicine are both our sisters."]

Aiwass's gaze lingered on "Pharmacist's Touch," and then the text unfolded before him.

[This glove can be used to touch the skin or mucous membrane of the target, giving them a chance to acquire the effects of a pre-soaked medicine or poison, as if it had been applied to a wound; the longer the contact, the higher the probability of taking effect.]

[You can rotate the wristband to switch the active medicine slot, and a maximum of three different medicines or poisons can be stored.]

——Another piece from the Eagle of the Shadow set!

Aiwass was momentarily dazed.

Lily's set is almost complete, there must be some issue with that...

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Frankly, why don't you Irisflower People just send over the remaining equipment as well?

In the game, this equipment has the least significance, but the widest use. It's basically a gadget for creating mischief.

Its effect is to allow the unarmed off-hand to have a chance of poisoning the opponent upon striking. It can also be used to instantly gain the effect of a pre-soaked potion when it is inconvenient to consume potions.

Because the potion and poison effects obtained through this method are "loose-packed", a mixture originally effective for one minute might be split into six ten-second increments. This allows for certain potions, which could only be consumed once a day, to have their effects spread out.

Thus, some alchemists take on a level of the Path of Adaptation profession for this very equipment. For them, it's like having three slots for short-term buffs that can be switched at will. This is much more useful than the chance of poisoning through unarmed strikes.

But in reality... perhaps there are other ways to use this equipment.

For example, drugging someone in advance while shaking hands... and so on.

...But a Love Elixir?

Aiwass's expression grew a bit more serious. He picked up the potion from the box and examined it carefully.

It looked like a perfume bottle. Its height was close to that of a thumb, and its shape resembled an inverted heart. Inside was a bright, sparkling pink potion.

Carefully opening the stopper, Aiwass took a light sniff. He smelled a faint, irritating scent, like cherry liquor. His heart immediately began to beat more violently.

He inhaled sharply, "It's the real deal..."

Unlike the "Affection" and "Mist of the Moon," the two Curse Poisons that Aiwass had previously confiscated.

This substance is forbidden not only in Avalon but also among the Irisflower People and Star Antimony. It is not an alchemical mixture made by an "Alchemist" of the Path of Balance but a Magic Potion concocted by a "Witch" of the Path of Love.

And as such, there are many counterfeits of the Love Elixir... after all, you can't report a fake purchase.

Its effect is simple, but the fewer the words, the greater the impact.

[Love Elixir⋅Level Three]

[Consumable-Magic Potion (Deep Purple)]

[Effect: Effective only when consumed by those at or below the third energy level. Upon drinking, one genuinely falls in love with the next person seen (Duration: 240H)]

A magic potion that can modify one's mind... even if it just temporarily works and has a strong irritant smell.

Usually, members of the Path of Love would use it for certain special rituals, to temporarily fall in love with someone... thereby giving a particular significance to the Sacrifice of Flesh or a Feast of Chaos.

Because of its characteristic scent of cherry liquor and a faint hint of earthy smell, it's quite identifiable. It would be very difficult to administer it without the subject's awareness.

But if combined with the "Eagle of the Shadow," it would become possible to medicate others through touch.

Master Yanis had already told Aiwass about that Priest girl's story.

Back then, Aiwass thought it was some bizarre romance-obsessed notion, to be dissected alive and still maintain affection after death...

Now Aiwass understood completely.

Such intense affection was precisely the effect of the "Love Elixir".

Aiwass opened the letter and found it to be one recently written by the Bone Sculptor to Miss Assassin.

In the letter, the Bone Sculptor, in a mentor's tone, calmly explained how Croix should handle the subsequent tasks if the Bone Sculptor's advancement on the Path of Dusk failed.

This piece of "Eagle of the Shadow" was supposedly Croix's reward for a successful mission. But it was temporarily stored here, and if Croix obtained it, she was to continue completing her mission.

He also discussed his experimental results—he had accidentally acquired this book and two potions, and intended to conduct an experiment. If the target could be killed and turned into a Spirit Servant before the effects of the Love Elixir wore off, then the affection effect could be sustained indefinitely.

Therefore, the Bone Sculptor surmised that the Love Elixir works on the soul, whereas the loss of the potion's effect is based on the physical body. Hence, the Path of Adaptation might be able to adjust the body to allow the Magic Potion to have long-term effects or to suppress the effects in a short period. He hoped Croix would report this book and his experimental results to the organization.

After reading the letter, Aiwass finally learned the true full name of Miss Assassin—Croix de Ciliere.

The Bone Sculptor instructed Croix to use this Magic Potion to approach the assassination target, and the remaining amount would also be her reward. If she used the "Eagle of the Shadow" to apply it, one soaking would consume one bottle of Love Elixir. It could likely be split into more than twenty separate effective occasions, each with roughly half a day's duration.

Aiwass even saw his own name on the task list. Marked beside it was "Prioritize seduction, establish goodwill, eliminate if the risk of identity exposure arises".

And the remaining book was also a personal birthday gift from the Bone Sculptor to Croix.

If Croix no longer wished to follow the Path of Adaptation, she could use this book to switch to the Path of Love.

Before handing it over to the organization, Croix was allowed to go through it first.

It wasn't a Codex Book that guaranteed skill acquisition after reading but rather a common book of mysticism. However, if one had sufficient talent, that would also suffice.

Aiwass's gaze turned to the book.

It was a thin volume with an embarrassingly taboo image on the cover, at a glance not a book of decent repute. It portrayed three scantily clad goddesses, each holding golden, silver, and copper apples, and casting lewd smiles at the "camera".

The three apples each dripped with gold, white, and pink liquids, flowing like liquor over their raised hands and dousing their bodies.

The book was titled "The Poisoned Apple of the Three Goddesses". Aside from the well-executed illustrations, it held no allure for Aiwass.

However, with the Path of Love...

After finishing the book, Aiwass suddenly thought and looked up at Lily beside him.

Her gaze seemed to be tightly captured by the book, becoming so obsessed that it was a bit vacant.

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