Chapter 62: Breaking Bad

When Ivy and her group visited Ethan's residence, the Ragdoll cat still firmly occupied her position on Ethan's shoulder.

"What wind blows you folks here?"

Ethan squeezed out a smile, his hand instinctively tidying up his slightly disheveled hair to cover the awkwardness of being pounced on by the cat just moments before.

As expected, the physical stamina of an elemental evoker is still far too frail, to think he could be easily knocked down by a little kitty.

With a deadpan expression, Ivy pointed at the top of Ethan's head, "Your cat is shedding."

That imposing aura carried quite the majesty of a corporate leader inspecting partners' work.

"Meow!"

Miss Fortune seemed somewhat embarrassed as well. Before Ethan could fix his hair, she began fiddling with his locks using her paws. This scene left Beyond dumbfounded, as she discovered that the white cat was not randomly clawing at Ethan's head, but actually helping him groom his hair.

Using sharp claws like a comb—what breed of cat on earth could possibly be this smart!

The cat's eye color was also quite unique. She had never seen such a spirited cat even in the estates of the high nobles in the imperial capital who loved keeping felines. Therefore, she did something identical to Ivy: she tiptoed closer to Fortune, cautiously extending her hand toward her, "Meow-meow, meow-meow~"

"Slap!"

Naturally, she received the exact same treatment as Ivy. While helping Ethan groom his hair, the cat did not forget to spare a moment to smack the back of her hand.

The corners of Ivy's mouth curved slightly upward, while the golden retriever atop her head, whose tail was wagging furiously, completely exposed her mood—it seemed it wasn't that she lacked appeal to cats, but rather that Ethan's pet had a fickle temperament, and anyone other than Ethan who tried to pet her would inevitably earn a scratch.

"We happened to mention your stew while discussing work earlier, and the guild master even praised you as the stew king of those parts. The hunters really miss your cooking, and Sister Beyond had a sudden whim. Since she hadn't had dinner yet, we just came over together... You aren't busy, are you?"

Ivy gave a light cough, stating the purpose of their visit.

Beyond would never let herself miss out on any good food. Whenever she passed through a town during her military days, she always made it a point to taste the local specialty snacks.

"Not at all."

Ethan immediately caught on and said, "You came just in time. I was planning to cook anyway, so let's have stew tonight!"

"Thanks a lot." Beyond's face was full of anticipation. "Although it's a bit presumptuous to drop in uninvited, the thought that I might die at any moment makes me want to taste all the delicious food around here as quickly as possible. Oh, right, I brought you some souvenirs."

"Why are you suddenly saying things like that!"

Ivy reprimanded her once more. Although they were a generation apart, they got along more like friends. She then proceeded to introduce the souvenir to Ethan, "This is a firearm Beyond brought from the imperial capital, very suitable for you to use for self-protection."

It was a military firearm produced on the imperial defense industry assembly line, complete with twenty-five rounds of ammunition.

"You're too kind."

Ethan did not decline either, gladly accepting the gift from Beyond. At the same time, he appropriately showed concern for the teenage knight who had remained silent ever since entering the door, "Is he alright?"

Compared to when they met yesterday, a drastic change had taken place in Lance.

He looked like a flickering candle in the wind, entirely lacking the youthful spirit of a teenager. With his head hung low, merely standing by the doorway seemed enough to drain the last dregs of his life force.

"Oh, Lance? He's fine. I just had him run around the town ten times and perform five hundred sword-swinging exercises. He was hungry too, so I brought him along."

"I... am... fine. Thank... you for asking!"

His tone sounded nothing like someone who was fine. The current Lance looked like someone who had pulled all-nighters for an entire week leading up to final exams, barely scraped through, and then was suddenly dragged to run three thousand meters. The fact that he hadn't died of sudden cardiac arrest could itself be considered a miracle.

Ethan hadn't expected that the potion brewed by Miss Chloe would find a use so soon.

When he brought the potion brewed by Miss Chloe out from the kitchen, both Ivy and Beyond were shocked.

"Spirit-reviving Draught. Although it's a most elementary magic potion, it should be able to help him perk up."

Ethan took the initiative to introduce it to the two of them. This was the result of the joint efforts of Miss Chloe and the cat. Just as its name suggested, its function was to help the drinker regain their spirits. It was a potion most people had no use for; doctors in only a handful of clinics used this potion to treat certain psychiatric disorders.

Its market value wasn't high, especially in a place like Riverwood Town, classifying it as a luxury item with little practical utility. Ethan simply regarded it as an investment in Miss Chloe's alchemy career.

Of course, since this was Miss Chloe's craftsmanship being tested by outsiders for the first time, his heart was filled with the joy of seeing a child he raised finally achieve something. Coupled with the professional habits cultivated from entertaining clients at Hearthwood Bay, he began explaining in detail, "The herbs used to brew the Spirit-reviving Draught were all foraged by Miss Chloe herself from the mountains. They are entirely wild-grown with zero pollution or hazards."

"Miss Chloe? That little hen you mentioned?"

Beyond's shock was even more pronounced. She stared wide-eyed at Ivy.

She hadn't visited the imperial frontier in a few years—how on earth were the chickens here brewing potions now?

"Uh, she only started learning recently."

Ivy's expression was no better than hers. She had originally thought Miss Chloe was just acting on a whim and would give up halfway after a few failed attempts. Who would have thought that only a single day had passed, and Miss Chloe had already produced such a respectable result—at least judging by its appearance, the bottled Spirit-reviving Draught was indistinguishable from those she had previously seen in potion shops.

Hearing someone mention her name, Miss Chloe leisurely strolled over. Seeing people holding the Spirit-reviving Draught she had made, she proudly puffed out her chest.

"Cluck!"

She had great confidence in her own craftsmanship; this was the result of careful guidance from her cat teacher.

"Lance, hurry up and taste this. This is Miss Chloe's good intention."

Beyond immediately urged, "This is a rare encounter!"

"Tha-ank... you!"

Lance was still as listless as ever. Being an honest boy, he didn't doubt Miss Chloe's craftsmanship in the slightest. He took the Spirit-reviving Draught, unscrewed the cap, and chugged it down in one go.

Ivy's curiosity was overflowing, Beyond wore an expression of watching a good show, and Ethan's apartment was filled with a joyful atmosphere, allowing them to temporarily step out from the shadow of the Dream Blight—until...

Lance, who had drained the Spirit-reviving Draught in a single breath, suddenly gasped.

He held his breath, seemingly completely immersed in the head-spinning exhilaration.

Clearly, the Spirit-reviving Draught had worked.

His exhaustion was swept clean, except...

It seemed to have worked a little too well.

Lance kept his eyes tightly shut, the intoxicating sensation lasting for over a dozen seconds. Then, he let out an onomatopoeic grunt akin to "damn," his entire body shaking and nodding wildly with excitement, resembling a high-on-drugs addict experiencing a rush.

The atmosphere inside the apartment plummeted instantly to freezing point.

Beyond's and Ivy's gazes locked firmly onto Ethan at the exact same time.

That was unmistakably the look one gives to a criminal.