A Step Away

Adam held the strand of sinless bloodline power, carefully examining it, and finally confirmed the entire process Alva used to create the elixir of immortality.

Given the right conditions, he too could produce the elixir.

However, it seemed that this elixir was far less useful than anticipated.

"It appears the sin and bloodline power are separated, but in reality, they are still connected," Adam mused as he

brushed Alpha's fur.

"It's just that the connection has changed from direct to indirect, mediated by the curse," Adam was sure that if Purdo died and could no longer restrain the absorbed sin, the sin and bloodline would merge again through the curse.

Such a fusion would likely cause even greater problems.

In other words, what seemed to be pure bloodline was still under the bondage of sin.

This implied that Alva's elixir of immortality was similar. Although Alva achieved immortality, it was at the cost of Anthony having to constrain the existence of sin. Without this, Alva's immortality would end.

"So, Teacher Anthony endures this pain to maintain his life."

Anthony was once a monk and a noble. He couldn't stand living as an aberrant.

For someone as gentle as him to transform into a vampire, needing to consume others' blood to survive, he would have likely ended himself long ago if not for certain reasons.

Friendship, perhaps, was something Anthony valued more than life.

Anthony was excessively pessimistic and passive. He often bore all the pain silently rather than addressing the root causes.

Adam didn't agree with Anthony's approach but could understand it.

In his past life, Adam heard a saying: some people spend their later years healing from childhood, while others use their childhood to warm the rest of their lives.

Shia and Purdo were the former, one succeeded, the other failed.

Anthony was the latter. His happiest times were climbing the academy walls with friends to watch the sunrise.

Yet, some things were still unclear, like Anthony's role in the elixir's creation.

Anthony used "we" when discussing the elixir, but considering his nature, he likely took on much of Alva's actions upon himself.

"Teacher Anthony has the support of the Shadow Tower. If the curse breaks, will the sin in his body return to Alva?"

"Or will it absorb Alva's immortality?"

Adam shook his head, shifting his thoughts: "Dog needs results, so I'll give him some."

"Having tasted sinless bloodline power, he'll crave sinless immortality even more." To Adam, Dog was already ensnared by his bait, and now he would fully support him.

After a brief thought, Adam fell asleep.

The next day, Adam took a carriage to Dog's house.

At the same time, a group arrived in the Roya slums.

Aiden, with a stalk of dogtail grass in his mouth and his hands behind his head, strolled through the slums as if sightseeing, his eyes noting the surroundings.

"Let's go to the South District Church first," Frela exhaled deeply. After being away so long, returning to Roya made even the manure and sweat-filled slums feel a bit welcoming.

"Then I'll visit... the Boku family." Mentioning the Boku family, Frela's expression darkened slightly.

"To see Adam Kobo?" Aiden happily mentioned the name, an amused smile on his face. "Adam? What an interesting name."

"Adam might not be the same Nesser," Frela first nodded seriously, then quickly shook his head. During the return journey, he had learned many things from Aiden.

For instance, the existence of the Tears of God ritual and the werewolf named Nesser with a scarred face.

All these led Frela to associate Adam with this.

Adam's face always seemed to have some marks, hidden by his bangs. Frela wasn't one to observe such details.

Thus, Frela couldn't immediately conclude that Adam was the Nesser Aiden mentioned.

Aiden glanced sideways at Frela, patting his shoulder comfortingly. The humor in his eyes gradually turned serious.

Upon hearing that Adam had contacted the church through Frela, Aiden was almost certain that Adam was indeed Nesser.

In the monastery, Aiden was probably the only one willing to interact with Nesser, making him the most familiar with Nesser after spending years together.

According to Frela, when he left Roya, Adam had already contacted Alva and seemed to be registering as a magician.

With Aiden's understanding of Nesser, if Adam was indeed Nesser, the power he had developed during this time would be beyond expectation.

"Maybe this chase won't be so easy," Aiden thought, then smiled again.

He noticed some gazes following them, recording their features before quickly disappearing into the crowd.

Aiden pondered this.

The observer hurried to the Suk Chamber of Commerce's base to report. Shortly after, Will wrote the information on a slip of paper, stood by the window, and scattered some bread crumbs.

A light yellow bird soon flew over, tilting its head at Will.

Will quickly rolled up the note, placing it in a small wooden tube tied to the bird's leg.

With a regretful glance at the bread crumbs, the bird turned and flew away.

As Adam stepped off the carriage, he saw the light yellow bird approaching. He extended his hand, and it landed on his finger.

Due to the puppet avatar's uncertain return from the smuggling site, Adam had left a few birds at the Suk Chamber of Commerce for communication.

Although they hadn't undergone biological modification, Adam's influence had made these birds increasingly intelligent, capable of assisting him with various tasks.

Unrolling the message, Adam glanced at it and then crushed it.

The worst had happened, but he was prepared.

Adam calmly walked into Dog's house, where he found the aging Dog.

He no longer appeared as robust as before, his once upright posture now somewhat hunched.

Dog's eyes couldn't hide his urgency at Adam's arrival.

"I hope this is good news, Mr. Adam," Dog rasped.

"Of course." Adam extended his hand, revealing a small bottle containing something that Walker immediately sensed.

"Is this the elixir of immortality?" Dog stood, eyes full of fervor, his heavy breathing making him look on the verge of collapse.

"Give it to me!" Dog reached for the bottle.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dog, but please calm down," Adam said, signaling Walker to stabilize Dog.

Though dissatisfied with Adam's misleading words, Walker placed his hand on Dog, using his life force to steady the trembling old man.

"My experiment has been half successful. This potion can indeed grant some immortality and has removed the sin power, but it still alters the bloodline," Adam explained. "Using this potion will transform one into a werewolf-like creature, though no longer an aberrant."

"In other words, I'm only one step away from creating a true elixir of immortality."

"What's missing?" Dog asked, finally calmed by Walker.

"A ritual," Adam replied seriously.

"Alva sparked a war for his ritual to successfully craft the elixir. Now we have a similar opportunity."