Chapter3-The Peril of Being Watched

On the filthy streets, Sophia walked beside Ranch, curious about the origin of his potions. 

Could it be that Ranch... was truly a pharmacist? She didn't know the answer.

But this did not stop Sophia from expressing her contempt for Ranch, scoffing, 

"Ranch, you remain as foolish as ever. In a place as chaotic as the City of Crimson, revealing oneself as a pharmacist only invites trouble! Those people will throw you into a dungeon and force you to produce potions day and night, squeezing out every last bit of your worth!"

"Oh, anything else to say?"

Ranch turned around, suddenly stopping in his tracks. 

Sophia, moving forward out of inertia, bumped into Ranch, her ample bosom pressing against him, sending a tingling sensation through her body.

"Ranch, you did that on purpose!"

Sophia angrily accused.

Ranch, however, wasn't in the mood to admire Sophia's splendid figure, dismissively saying, "I understand the City of Crimson better than you do. I'm well aware that once that old man Colin realizes the magic of the Energy Reagent, he will definitely not let it go, nor will he let me go."

"Why would you still sell the potion then?" Sophia was perplexed.

To earn gold coins, of course! 

Ranch thought to himself, but he knew such a reason wouldn't convince Sophia. 

So, with a hint of mockery, he said, "While being known as a pharmacist does bring its dangers, it can also bring considerable profits. How about we make a bet, Sophia?"

"What bet?"

"I bet that old man Colin won't lay a finger on me. I'm confident he wouldn't dare!" Ranch spoke with assurance.

Sophia hesitated. She didn't immediately accept the wager but instead asked, "What... is the stake?"

"If you win, you can do whatever you wish with me. But if you lose, you'll serve me willingly once more. Honestly, your body is truly magnificent."

Ranch's desire-filled gaze angered Sophia. 

In that moment, she disregarded why Ranch could be so confident and agreed, grinding her teeth, "Ranch, you'll pay for this bet!"

"Will I?"

Ranch's mocking laughter only fueled Sophia's fury. 

Meanwhile, unnoticed by Sophia and anyone else, Ranch opened the system interface and deposited the five hundred gold coins he had just received.

Without hesitation, he purchased the Basic Breath Technique of Knight.

Instantly, knowledge about knights flooded his brain, becoming ingrained memories, as if he had truly undergone years of rigorous training to master the combat skills of a knight. 

Ranch glanced at his information panel.

[Current Information]

[Ranch]

[class: Knight Trainee]

[gold coins: 204]

[Attributes]

[Strength: 8; Spirit: 4; Stamina: 10]

[Rating: As a knight trainee, you have substantial room for improvement, but at least you're no longer a rookie at the mercy of others!]

With strength surpassing ordinary people by half and stamina double that of an average person, this level of power was not top-notch in the City of Crimson, but it was sufficient to handle most dangers. 

And this was Ranch's real plan.

As long as the first two potions he exchanged could be sold at a price of three hundred gold coins, he would not hesitate to exchange for the Basic Breath Technique of Knight, prioritizing the enhancement of his own strength. 

Ranch understood well that in this world, only personal strength could bring sufficient security.

Thus, when he initiated the bet with Sophia, the outcome of the wager was already predetermined, as it was impossible for him, now with the strength of a knight trainee, to lose.

And so it was.

Not long after Ranch returned to his residence, that old master Colin sent his butler to find Ranch, re-inviting him back to the manor, and without hesitation, paid three thousand gold coins to purchase the remaining six bottles of Energy Reagent. 

This time, the gold coins filled a small chest.

With a thought, Ranch transferred all these gold coins into the system.

[gold coins: 3204]

To Colin, Sophia, and the others, it appeared as if Ranch simply waved his hand and the gold coins vanished instantly.

A storage space!

The thought flashed through their minds simultaneously. 

Colin broke out in a cold sweat; anyone possessing such a treasure was clearly not someone he could afford to mess with, especially as he noticed a faint white glow emanating from Ranch's hand—a knight's hallmark.

This pharmacist was also a knight!

Colin was shocked by his own realization, puzzled why Ranch had not shown this before.

He was testing!

Yes! The pharmacist lord was testing them earlier!

Colin felt increasingly convinced of his speculation.

He respectfully escorted Ranch and Sophia out of the manor and then instructed his butler to bring an additional thousand gold coins, handing them to Ranch with a bow, 

"Mr. Pharmacist, thank you very much for your potion. This is an extra token of my gratitude. If there are any more potions, I—Colin Rein, would be very eager to collaborate with you!"

"Very well. If there are more potions, I will have my maid inform you first. Sophia, let's go back."

Ranch's arrogance did not provoke any resentment from Colin; rather, it solidified his belief that Ranch was a master of potions. 

After all, that Energy Reagent was truly miraculous, allowing him to endure an hour, experiencing an unprecedented level of pleasure, something no other potion he had used before could achieve.

However, neither the departing Ranch nor the manor's master, Colin Rein, noticed that one of the maids had stealthily slipped out and, after evading detection along the streets, entered an inconspicuous house.

"Lady Charles, Colin Rein encountered a pharmacist today," the maid said, kneeling devoutly on the floor.

"A pharmacist? In the City of Crimson? How intriguing!"

Out of the darkness, a tall, gaunt middle-aged man appeared, his sunken eyes eerie.

The man known as Lord Charles muttered to himself, "Could it be that this pharmacist also heard about the Dragon Corpse and came to the City of Crimson? No, I cannot let anyone interfere with my plans... that pharmacist must die!"

Then, Charles vanished back into the darkness.

...

Ranch's arrival in the City of Crimson wasn't too long ago, just about a month in total. He rented a room in the slums, paying three gold coins a month.

"Sophia, isn't it time you fulfilled your promise?" In the rented room, Ranch sat on a chair, his burning gaze sweeping over Sophia, inducing an odd sensation in her.

Recalling the bet she agreed to in her anger, she realized she had fallen into Ranch's trap. 

Yet the thought of Ranch's loathsome member entering her body again made her feel nauseous.

Now, her strength had recovered. Even if she refused, Ranch could no longer overpower her, confident she could evade that strange spray.

"Be careful!" Just then, Ranch suddenly shouted, pulling Sophia towards him. 

A twisted figure appeared, wielding a sharp dagger. 

Sophia broke out in a cold sweat, realizing that if Ranch hadn't pulled her away, the sharp dagger would have already stabbed into her body.

"What is this creature?" Ranch asked, his expression grave as he stared at the distorted figure.

He was dressed in servant's attire, but his entire figure was eerily distorted, his limbs twisted as if forcibly turned inside out, causing extreme discomfort to behold.

Sophia calmed down, picking up a wooden stick as an impromptu weapon, and explained, "This is a common tactic of necromancers, called reanimation of the dead… They can turn recently deceased individuals into corpse puppets. Corpse puppets feel no pain and possess strength far beyond that of ordinary humans; they only cease their movements after achieving their objective of killing. It seems, Mr. Pharmacist, you have indeed become a target."

"Let's move!"

Ranch was undisturbed by Sophia's sarcastic tone, grabbing a chair and hurling it towards the creature. 

Leveraging his knightly combat skills, the chair struck the creature's head accurately but failed to produce any substantial effect.

The creature, wielding a sharp dagger, chopped the chair and Sophia's wooden stick in half, even leaving several wounds on both of them.

"This won't do, we can't keep fighting like this!"

Realizing the formidable strength of the corpse puppet before him, which was beyond his ability to contend with, Ranch immediately purchased the last two bottles of Energy Reagent from the system store. 

He drank one bottle himself and handed the other to Sophia, then said, "We need to flee, get out of here!"

After consuming the potion, Sophia felt her strength returning and nodded at Ranch.

They both hurriedly ran out of the house, heading towards the outskirts of the city.

However, the corpse puppet was not only incredibly strong but also possessed other special, stealthy abilities.

Just when Ranch and Sophia were hundreds of meters beyond the city gates, it suddenly appeared, thrusting its dagger towards Ranch's abdomen!