Chapter 18: No Wonder She's So Skilled

Half an hour later, Rhode slowly closed the alchemy manual in his hands.

The manual contained a wide variety of potion recipes, as well as detailed records of each attempt at creating new potions.

Alchemy is an extremely complex art. Even a master of potions, after years of dedication, cannot guarantee success with every concoction. Creating new potions is even more difficult.

According to the manual, in order to develop the perfect Wolfsbane Elixir, the old witch had experimented on over a hundred ordinary people over the course of three years, failing hundreds of times before finally producing the perfected Wolfsbane Elixir.

Additionally, the manual also served as a diary, chronicling the life of this witch named Sansi.

She was born in a village called Sta, and her mother was a professional prostitute. Sansi's birth was the result of her mother failing to take proper precautions.

Sansi's childhood was far from pleasant. She was subjected to all kinds of abuse and narrowly escaped being drowned by her own mother multiple times. It wasn't until she accidentally awakened her magical powers that she finally fled her mother's grasp.

However, in some southern kingdoms, the existence of witches with magical powers was considered a taboo. The ruling class saw witches as symbols of spreading disease and disaster.

Once a witch's identity was exposed, they often met a tragic end.

For decades, Sansi lived on the run, making friends but also experiencing countless attempts on her life. Eventually, she became a potion master.

During one of her escapes, her lover was killed by an arrow from the kingdom's knights. Seeking revenge, Sansi arrived here and began developing a potion capable of destroying the kingdom—this potion was the Wolfsbane Elixir.

The perfected Wolfsbane Elixir not only transformed people into werewolves but also made them carriers of deadly poison. Anyone scratched or bitten by a werewolf would turn into a mindless beast, driven to kill indiscriminately.

Unfortunately, though Sansi succeeded in creating the potion, she never had the chance to exact her revenge on the kingdom. She died by Rhode's hand before she could do so.

It seemed fate wasn't on her side—after all, she had made the mistake of targeting him.

As for the rest, it was mostly as Rhode had deduced: the village chief was Sansi's puppet, and the rumor that werewolves feared fire was a lie she had deliberately told him.

Her true plan was to turn all of the unsuspecting villagers of Red Leaf Village into werewolves once the potion was ready, as a means of taking revenge on the corrupt kingdom.

There was, however, something special about Little Red Riding Hood's identity.

Little Red Riding Hood wasn't Sansi's relative. She was actually the daughter of Baron Oswid, whose entire family had been slaughtered by werewolves three years ago. Her real name was Britney, known throughout the kingdom for her exceptional beauty and grace.

Even before she reached adulthood, countless nobles, including the heirs of several counts, sought her hand in marriage. However, Baron Oswid had declined all proposals.

Sansi had kept Britney alive to use her as a tool to infiltrate the kingdom's upper society, waiting for the right moment to assassinate the king and plunge the kingdom into chaos.

To achieve this, Sansi subjected Britney to daily transformations with various potions. These potions enhanced her flexibility, strength, and even increased the water content in her body, making her skin more sensitive and tight.

Sansi meticulously groomed Britney into a perfect temptress, someone no man could resist, all with the intention of having her get close to the king.

After all, in the decadent and hedonistic aristocratic circles, if a noblewoman's prowess in bed could conquer all men, her reputation would spread throughout high society, making her the most sought-after gem.

Given the king's personality, he would never pass up the chance to indulge in such a rare beauty.

In the history of the kingdom, it wasn't uncommon for kings to have affairs with their ministers' wives. It was practically expected.

Unfortunately, Sansi's plans never came to fruition, and everything collapsed before it could even begin.

"No wonder I almost broke my waist..."

Rhode thought back to his earlier encounter with Little Red Riding Hood, recalling the incredible strength of her legs.

Even his ex-girlfriend, who had trained her inner thigh muscles for ten years, wasn't this intense.

It was as if something inside her was moving, trying to root him out completely.

If not for his werewolf-strengthened body, any ordinary man wouldn't have lasted more than three seconds.

It made sense now why she could endure the violent power of his werewolf form during their first encounter.

He had initially thought it was just natural talent, but it turned out to be the result of extensive training with potions.

"Alchemy truly is a marvelous thing."

Rhode muttered to himself before offering the diary as a sacrifice.

In the next moment, a flood of alchemical knowledge flowed into his mind as direct understanding.

When knowledge-based items are sacrificed, the information within them is immediately acquired.

Not only that, but the knowledge is fully comprehended, becoming Rhode's own.

Having already sacrificed the old witch and now this alchemy manual, the two sources of knowledge fused perfectly.

Rhode felt that his current potion-making skills were now on par with professionals who had spent decades mastering the art of alchemy.