23. Seer Potion

In that moment, Angel's mind raced with countless thoughts.

Had she made a mistake, and this place was still Earth?

Had some country developed a writing system similar to the one from her world before she traveled through time?

Or...

She suppressed the excitement in her heart, picked up the pages on the table, and asked, "Mr. Neil, what are these?"

As she spoke, she realized her voice was a bit hoarse.

Old Neil, who was about to leave the cramped room with keys in hand, turned back to Angel upon hearing her question. Seeing the yellowed pages she was holding, he smiled and replied, "These are copies of notes by Emperor Roselle Gustav, featuring symbols he created himself. They have been circulated after his death. Some believe they are a complete set of esoteric codes, hiding endless treasures. However, according to my recent research, I have decrypted a small part of the symbols. Based on my speculation, it is likely a diary."

A diary? Emperor Roselle Gustav's diary?

Angel searched her mind for this unfamiliar name, quickly finding him within the memories of Cole Granger, because this figure was too famous, well-known in every household.

Merely the feat of overthrowing the original rulers of the Intis Kingdom, serving as the Chief Executive of the Intis Republic, and then transforming the republic into an empire to become emperor had already made Roselle a historical figure. Moreover, inventing the practical steam engine, initiating the Industrial Revolution which led the Northern Continent into industrialization, not to mention his role in the colonization era of the Southern Continent, all deeply impacted modern world history.

The memory of many inventions like "tarot cards" and "newspapers" gave Angel a strange sense of familiarity.

Could this talented emperor of the Intis Empire also be a time traveler?

This thought led her to find more evidence: various novels and plays from different eras on Earth, quotes from different countries, and creations and improvements in various fields.

It was unreasonable that all these creations and inventions came from the same person.

Adding the "self-created" symbols in her hands, which Angel could identify their origin, she could almost conclude that Emperor Roselle was also a time traveler from Earth.

And likely an Asian.

"Trying to decipher these texts?" Neil's inquiry brought Angel back from her thoughts.

She waved the papers in her hand nonchalantly, shook her head, and said, "Just curious, after all, it's Emperor Roselle's diary, I thought..."

"You thought you could find some secrets?"

Old Neil laughed, shaking the keys in his hand, "As one of the most famous figures of this era, his manuscripts have been studied by countless people. Each independent symbol on the manuscript might represent a different meaning, but unfortunately, no one has ever been able to truly decipher their meaning."

"You can continue trying here, I'll go and bring you the materials."

He seemingly didn't expect Angel to make any discoveries, thus he closed the iron door and left the room.

Angel's gaze returned to the three pages of the emperor's diary in her hands, attempting to find some pattern in the block characters. Unfortunately, apart from further confirming that the texts were in Chinese, she made no other progress.

At that moment, she only wished she was Chinese, or at least had chosen Chinese in her language courses.

These diaries might merely record mundane daily life, but they could also hide countless knowledge and mysteries, even...

Clues to return to Earth?

She then remembered that Emperor Roselle died in a court conspiracy-style assassination, perhaps this time-traveling predecessor never found his way home until his death.

Collecting her thoughts, Angel began to memorize the characters from the three diary pages in her hands.

Even if she couldn't decipher them now, she at least wanted to remember them.

————————

"Bang bang—"

A knock on the door woke Angel from her fully concentrated state of memory.

Utilizing the Beyonder memory that far surpassed that of ordinary people, she had already memorized the text of these three pages of the diary and was in the process of checking them one by one when the deep voice of Dunn Smith came from outside the iron door, after old Neil had left.

"Old Neil, are you in there?"

The captain had come to the basement as well... Hadn't he encountered old Neil on his way?

Angel put down the diary, opened the iron door, and saw Captain Dunn, wearing a top hat and a black trench coat, standing outside.

Seeing that it was her who opened the door, Dunn paused for a moment and asked in confusion, "Where is old Neil?"

Then, as if remembering something, he patted the top hat on his head and answered himself, "Oh, he went to fetch materials for you, right?"

Angel nodded, "Yes, I've got the bullets. He said he needs to go to the alchemy room and the... cha... Chanis gate to get the rest."

It was her first time trying to pronounce this tricky word, and she almost bit her tongue.

"I just came from the alchemy room, so he must be in the Chanis gate," Dunn glanced at the bullets on the table and quickly made a decision, "Old Neil is going to prepare a potion for Mr. Klein Moretti and might not have time to bring you the materials. I will go get the rest for you. Wait here for a bit."

Why does everyone make me wait here?

Angel frowned in thought.

Wait, preparing a potion? Klein Moretti?

She remembered the shy young man who had come to the Night Watcher headquarters with her in the carriage. Was he also going to take a potion and become a Beyonder person?

In her memory, the potions Cole Granger took were always prepared by himself and taken on the spot, but neither Cole nor Angel now had experience watching someone else take a potion from a third-person perspective. Hearing that old Neil was preparing a potion for someone, she was very interested.

"Can I watch? I mean, the process of preparing the potion."

Angel asked nonchalantly, pretending to be uninterested, but her disordered sentence exposed her real interest.

Dunn frowned and looked at Angel for a long time. Just when she thought she would be refused, those gray eyes shifted away.

"Come along."

After nodding in agreement, Dunn turned and left the room.

He actually agreed?

Angel quickly put down the manuscript of Emperor Roselle and hurriedly followed Dunn Smith, passing through the corridor they had come through, and returned to the crossroads.

As the two were preparing to turn towards the passage leading to the "Chanis Gate," the sound of footsteps, "tap tap," approached, and an elderly Neil, dressed in a black robe, came from the other end of the passage carrying a wooden box. Seeing two people standing at the junction, he startled and paused momentarily before relaxing upon recognizing them.

"Done, how did you come down here?" Old Neil greeted Dunn first, and without waiting for a reply, handed the wooden box to Angel, "These are the materials you need; they are all in the box. I brought extra of everything except for the star crystal. Could you check them yourself?"

Angel took the wooden box and opened the lid to look inside.

The small wooden box was divided into several compartments. Two glass bottles likely contained alcohol and etching solution. The glowing lizard scales were neatly stacked in a corner, the dry Screaming Grass was bundled up filling one compartment completely, and the star crystal was placed separately in a glass bottle, twinkling under the light.

She nodded; everything was in order.

Seeing the exchange completed, Dunn finally spoke, "Old Neil, go back to Chanis Gate once more to fetch a set of 'Seer's' potion formula and materials, and bring them to the alchemy room."

"Seer?"

Old Neil repeated the term.

"Oh, it's for that young chap Klein, isn't it? I didn't expect him to choose this path. I thought he would go for 'Sleepless,' although we have plenty of those here already."

Muttering to himself, he turned and walked towards Chanis Gate.

"Let's head to the alchemy room first; Klein is also waiting there." After watching Old Neil leave, Dunn said to Angel.

The two then left the crossroads again, heading towards the Saint Selena Church, walking along a long stone corridor until they stopped in front of a hidden door in the wall.

Is this the alchemy room? But why hide it behind a secret door?

Angel followed Dunn into the room, observing the secretive alchemy room under the gas lamp light.

Crucibles, test tubes, flasks, and cluttered tables and chairs—it looked more like an enlarged version of a home basement than the clean and orderly "official alchemy room" Angel had imagined. Klein Moretti, whom they had just said goodbye to upstairs, was standing in front of a table, looking around the items in the alchemy room. Hearing footsteps, he turned around, surprised to see the doorway.

"Captain, you've returned?"

"Old Neil has gone to fetch the materials for the potion. I met Miss Angel Granger on the way and brought her along... um, for observation."

Dunn pointed to Angel, briefly explaining.

Klein then noticed Angel standing by the door. He tipped his hat in greeting, "Miss Granger, we meet again."

Such formalities are troublesome... Too polite people are hard to get along with.

Angel thought to herself but politely returned the greeting.

After the greetings, Dunn stepped forward, cleared his throat, and said, "Let me introduce you two. This gentleman is Klein Moretti, a local from Tingen, a graduate of Khoy University. He was involved in a mysterious incident last week and has now joined the Night watchers."

Klein smiled slightly at Angel, greeting her again.

"This beautiful lady is Angel Granger, from the county of West Sivellaus, who recently arrived in Tingen City. She, too, was involved in a mysterious event and chose to join our ranks."

Angel extended her right hand to Klein, who hesitated for a moment before quickly raising his hand to shake hers.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Moretti."

"Likewise, Miss... Granger."

"Oh, how could I miss such a small gathering?" A deep yet lively voice came from behind Angel. She turned to see Old Neil, carrying a silver case in one hand and removing his round-brimmed felt hat with the other, bowing slightly.

"This witty old gentleman is known to all as Old Neil. You may also call him the keeper of the Night watcher's warehouse, a seeker of mystical knowledge, a voyeur in the darkness."

He dramatically raised the case in his hand.

"To the ladies and gentlemen, I present the 'Seer's' magical potion."

The alchemy room fell silent for a moment.

~~~

More Chapters in Patreon! Also throw stones at this FF if possible! Thank you!