Cloud of Suspicion

Inferior Healing Powder.

Though the name contained the word inferior, when pinched between the fingertips, the powder faintly shimmered with pale golden runic light. How could such an effect be described as inferior?

The moment the powder touched the skin, it felt as if faint, whispering sorcery was seeping into the wound.

When applied to shallow knife cuts, one could see the flesh being gently pulled together by invisible hands, forming pale pink new skin in just a few minutes.

Even deeper wounds would stop bleeding and clear out bruises within half an hour. That subtle healing energy seemed to even warm the surrounding air a bit.

Each 100g portion of the powder was mixed with the sorcery essence of ground healing moss and blood-stopping grass. When sprinkled evenly, it could cover a wound half the size of a palm.

In his memory, the potion shop in town sold it for 5 silver coins a portion.

But everyone knew that this inconspicuous powder harbored a simple yet mysterious healing ability that even ordinary wizards would envy.

Snape stood at the podium, tapping his fingertips against a black toolbox, his voice deep:

"Today, I will teach you the concoction of the Inferior Healing Powder. Even ordinary people can make it, so watch closely."

He took out twelve raw materials one by one, pausing to explain with each item he produced:

"Blood-stopping grass: crushing the leaves provides an initial hemostatic effect.

Healing moss: grows in damp, dark places and promotes skin regeneration.

Daisy roots: purifies water quality and removes the influence of impurities.

Foxtail grass harvested during a full moon: increases the powder's adhesiveness, making it easier to stick to wounds.

The brain of a one-year-old frog: alleviates wound pain.

Agave sap: naturally antibacterial, prevents infection.

Licorice powder: neutralizes the irritating properties of the raw materials.

Alum: acts as an astringent for the wound and accelerates blood clotting.

Wasp stingers: retains moisture, preventing the powder from drying and cracking.

Rat snake eggshells: increases the powder's stability and extends its shelf life.

Gromwell root powder: reduces inflammation and swelling.

Activated carbon powder: absorbs toxins from the wound."

He picked up a mortar and continued:

"The steps are very simple. First, grind the ten solid materials, such as the blood-stopping grass and healing moss, into fine powders separately, and mix them in a ratio of 1:1:0.5...

Then, add the liquid made by dissolving the agave sap and purified water crystals, stirring until there are no granules.

Finally, use a distiller to heat it to 80 degrees Celsius, maintain the temperature for 15 minutes, and then turn off the heat. What remains after distillation and drying is the powder..."

Lizer clenched his fists tightly, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it would leap out of his chest:

Ordinary people can make it!

If he could learn this, he could make a fortune selling the powder!

He stared intently at Snape's every movement, not even daring to blink, terrified of missing a single detail.

But as he watched, Lizer began to grow anxious:

The exact proportions of the raw materials, the fineness of the grinding, the precise heating temperature—he simply couldn't grasp these crucial details!

It felt like he was just a hair away from succeeding, yet he was doomed to fail.

He bit his lip, muttering in his heart, "If only I could know the exact formula..."

Suddenly, a familiar mechanical voice echoed in his mind:

[Observed the complete concoction process. Consume 40 energy points (80 silver coins) to analyze the exact formula and operational details.]

A surge of wild joy filled Lizer's heart, but it turned ice-cold the very next second.

He patted his pocket, feeling the mere 2 silver coins he had left...

His throat tightened, and a sense of urgency washed over him like a tidal wave:

I must make money as soon as possible!

Otherwise, this golden opportunity will slip right through my fingers!

This exhilarating potion class soon ended. As Snape walked out of the classroom, everyone was still immersed in various thoughts regarding the potion's formula.

At that moment, Lizer finally remembered something. Looking at Snape's retreating back, he discreetly tapped the frame of his glasses:

Detected residual energy: fire, darkness, and...

Necromancy!

!!!

Could it really be him?

How did I offend him?

Lizer felt that he truly hadn't offended Snape, but the man's reticent nature did make him seem like the type to resort to murder over a single disagreement.

Ruthless and a man of few words—Snape was exactly that kind of person!

Thinking about it this way, even though he hadn't offended him, it seemed he had genuinely discovered his secret:

In his memory, it was nearly two weeks ago...

He originally had some doubts about potions he wanted to ask him. Not finding him in his office, he heard from an office mentor that he was conducting experiments in the potion laboratory.

As it turned out, the laboratory door was left slightly ajar. Through the crack, Lizer saw Snape with his head lowered, concocting some sort of potion. The liquid in the test tube emitted a faint purple glow.

Hmm, he seemed quite excited at the time!

The Krypton Gold ability had already sorted through these memories of the remnant soul. The more he thought about it, the clearer it became. Lizer remembered the sheer excitement on Snape's face back then.

This was a rare sight on the face of this cold, middle-aged man; it was like the excitement someone showed when seeing something they truly loved.

However, when Snape's gaze swept over Lizer outside the door, his expression changed instantly, looking somewhat panicked and guilty.

He hastily covered the experimental bench with a cloth, then walked out of the laboratory and closed the door behind him. What followed was a standard teacher-student conversation with Lizer.

But thinking about it now, Snape's gaze toward Lizer had been somewhat strange ever since, filled with a mix of guilt and wariness.

I am doomed!

Could it really be him?

Lizer rested his chin on his hands, sitting blankly in his seat deep in thought. For a moment, he wasn't sure if his speculation was correct, nor did he know what to do if it really was Snape.

He remembered that his Krypton Gold ability could perform deductions. Could it deduce the mastermind behind this murder?

Sensing Lizer's thoughts, the Krypton Gold system in his mind immediately provided an answer:

[Deducing the mastermind behind this murder incident requires the consumption of 20 energy points.]

Damn it!

It really can deduce it!

But...

20 energy points would cost 40 silver coins!

He touched the mere 2 silver coins left in his pocket, feeling bitter inside...

This evil, money-grubbing Krypton Gold ability!

Since he couldn't rely on Krypton Gold for the time being, he had no choice but to rely on his own wits.

As it stood, Snape seemed to fit Lizer's speculation of the real mastermind behind the scenes.

By the time he decided to take this speculation to the academy's communication room and report it to Gloria at the police station, the last class of the morning had already begun.

Mary walked into the classroom carrying her tools. Lizer had no choice but to suppress his panic and helplessness, trying his best to calm down and listen to the lecture.

Mary taught the Sorcery Common Sense class, which primarily covered the basic knowledge of sorcery. Here, the writing systems of this world must be mentioned: the common wizard script and runic script.

The common wizard script was similar to the simplified characters of Blue Star, used for daily communication, and held no special power.

Runic script consisted of textual symbols imbued with special power. Many sorceries relied on runic script to take effect.

This power of wizards was truly intoxicating...

According to Teacher Mary, even if one didn't become a wizard and couldn't unleash the power contained within these runic characters, the knowledge itself was power.

If one day you encountered an unfamiliar sorcery artifact or entered a dangerous sorcery array or forbidden area.

At the very least, you could deduce what kind of mysterious power it might unleash through the runic characters.

Today, Teacher Mary was teaching runic character combinations. She turned around, drew a few runes on the blackboard, and tapped them with her pointer, saying:

"This is the core of the zero-circle sorcery Wizard's Hand—the first Draw rune absorbs magical energy.

The second 'Move' rune pushes the object, and the third 'Hold' rune maintains the effect. Connecting these three creates the basic minor spell every beginner wizard must learn...

Her fingertips traced the runes, and suddenly the chalk on the podium floated up and spun in a circle.

"See that? You can grab small objects from a distance, moving them without even touching them."

This was a minor spell every wizard knew, but for ordinary people like Lizer, it was incredibly magical!

Lizer's eyes widened. He leaned forward, staring intently at the floating chalk.

So this is what witchcraft is like?

Making things move without touching them?

That is awesome!

But for Lizer, it was more than just magical.

A small flame seemed to ignite in his heart, making it pound.

[Pay-to-Win Ability Triggered: Listened to a complete rune combination. Consume 50 energy points (100 silver) to directly acquire the learning method for 'Wizard's Hand'!]

100 silver was more expensive than the inferior healing powder, but Lizer didn't feel like it was a bad deal at all!

This was the only chance for an ordinary person like him to touch the threshold of witchcraft!

He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms.

No matter how difficult it was, he had to scrape together this 100 silver!

This Pay-to-Win ability was his hope!

These mysterious powers and knowledge drew Lizer in deeply as he listened carefully to Teacher Mary's explanation.

When he found this ambiguous knowledge exceptionally difficult to understand, the Pay-to-Win system gave him another surprise:

[Through attending class and coming into contact with partial rune knowledge, consume 1 energy point to analyze this knowledge and directly output the data stream into the memory sector.]

Awesome!

This Pay-to-Win ability was simply a little cheating artifact. It could even help him learn and understand these mysterious, obscure witchcraft concepts!

When Mary finished class, Lizer still threw an investigate skill at her back:

Energy detected:

Wind, Non-attribute, and Necromancy!

Holy crap!

What is going on?

Is Mary the killer?

Instinct told Lizer that the gentle Teacher Mary was even less likely to be the killer than the reticent Snape.

But it was very difficult for her to have residual necromantic energy in an environment like the academy. How could her residual necromantic aura be explained?

According to his memory of Mary, she shouldn't be using necromantic witchcraft powers!?

Was it a coincidence, or was there another reason?

Lizer felt things were getting more complicated. Now he wasn't so sure Snape was the killer, and he couldn't even rule out Mary?

Was there another possibility: the killer had considered the police's potential investigation methods, and this was all part of the killer's setup!

This anti-reconnaissance planning ability was simply outrageous!

It looked truly professional!

During the lunch break, a greatly puzzled Lizer frowned and went to the communication room.

Connecting to the police station's communication node, he could tell that Gloria still took this case very seriously.

As soon as she heard Lizer was calling, she rushed to the police station's communication room.

"How are things on your end?"

Lizer sighed, his tone slightly downcast.

"It is weird! Both teachers I met this morning had residual necromantic auras. Snape is one thing, but it is highly unlikely for Mary to come into contact with undead auras."

Gloria wasn't very familiar with the academy's instructors. She said:

"Normally, unless one is a wizard specializing in the necromancy faction, ordinary people rarely come into contact with necromantic auras. Also, we secretly investigated the visiting wizards, and none of them had residual undead auras."

The police station's efficiency was truly high. Lizer couldn't help but thank her:

"Thank you guys! Personally, I think Mary is unlikely. As for Snape, well, I think he is suspicious. Two weeks ago..."

Gloria had the police officer next to her record it. She tapped her fingers on the desk and, out of professional habit, warned Lizer:

"My experience tells me that the truth might be hidden in the impossible. Regardless, you need to stay safe. Do not go alone to places that could easily give the killer an opportunity."

The crisis of death was suffocating, but this warning warmed Lizer's heart a little, giving him the strength to continue investigating the truth.

The two exchanged information and guesses about Snape and Mary, all of which needed to be verified one by one.

After ending the call, Lizer returned to his dormitory to get a good rest.

Although a young man had vigorous energy, staying up all night still required some rest, especially when the day could hardly be described as merely thrilling.

Lizer fell into a deep sleep in his dorm. Outside, the whistle for witchcraft training blew...

He woke up with a start. The pain in his body had subsided a lot, but he was still a bit stiff. He took out his pocket watch and looked at it:

Damn it!

Exactly two o'clock in the afternoon. Class had already started!

The afternoon was combat skills class. Because combat skills training took a long time, there was only this one class in the afternoon, starting at two o'clock.

Lizer hurriedly got out of bed and ran towards the training ground in his memory...

"Huff! Huff! I am sorry, Teacher Felina, I was too tired and overslept."

His classmates were already in class, so Lizer had to brace himself and apologize to the teacher.

Instructor Felina was wearing a light green training suit today. The fabric was thin and clung tightly to her body, outlining her slender yet firm waist and well-proportioned long legs...

Her cuffs were rolled up to her forearms, and her exposed skin glowed with a healthy honey luster under the witchcraft lights.

She had her hair tied in a high ponytail with loose strands hanging by her ears. Beads of sweat on her forehead slid down her jawline to her collarbone, but she wiped them away carelessly with the back of her hand. Her eyes were as bright as a light-tempered sword.

The cold wind of the Snow-Flying Month made people's faces hurt, but she wore only a single layer without shivering. The power hidden in her thin frame would make even senior wizards wary.

Teacher Felina always spoke with a smile, her voice like the wind blowing through silver bells. During training, her movements were as sharp as a cheetah's. The students secretly called her the Green-Clad Goddess.

Lizer stared at her action of rolling up her sleeves, his heart suddenly beating a bit faster.

He always felt that when Teacher Felina smiled, even the light from the witchcraft lamps became softer.

Lizer knew this was the lingering influence left by the original body's owner. The original owner had clearly always had a secret crush on this gentle and lovely instructor.

Teacher Felina looked at Lizer, smiled radiantly, and said, "Student Lizer, pay attention next time."

Then she took two steps back, her posture suddenly standing as tall and straight as a pine tree.

"Today we will continue teaching the basic knight training method. Let's first review the [Steady State Breathing Method]: Inhale through your nose for four seconds down to your dantian, hold your breath for two seconds, then exhale through your mouth for six seconds. Every breath must coordinate the chest and abdomen. Long-term persistence can slowly improve your physique and endurance."

She demonstrated as she spoke, her hands hanging naturally by her sides. As she inhaled, her chest slowly expanded; as she exhaled, her waist and back sank slightly.

"Next is the [Basic Straight Thrust]: When gripping the sword, keep a fist's distance between your hands. Aim the tip of the sword at the bullseye ahead. When exerting force, let your waist and abdomen drive your arms. The tip must be as steady as a straight line. The requirement is that every thrust must hit the exact same spot."

This knowledge was all present in Lizer's memory, and these two skills existed in his Pay-to-Win panel.

Lizer followed suit and assumed the posture. Just as he completed a standard straight thrust, a cold mechanical voice suddenly sounded in his mind:

[Basic Knight Swordplay practice detected. Proficiency +0.3]

His heart stirred, and he thrust out three more times in succession. The notification chimes sounded continuously:

[Proficiency +0.2]

[Proficiency +0.3]

[Proficiency +0.2]......

When he stopped, his ability prompted again:

[Basic Knight Swordsmanship (Novice): Current Proficiency 68/100.

Prompt: Upon reaching maximum proficiency, consume 100 energy points to advance to the Adept level.]

[The Adept level will unlock an additional strength bonus and faster sword-drawing speed.]

Just as Lizer began to wonder about the skill levels, the Pay-to-Win system provided a timely answer:

[These basic skills are divided into four levels: Novice, Adept, Expert, and Master.]

[After reaching the Master level, the skill can be deduced, optimized, and altered.]

As Lizer practiced, he secretly glanced at Felina, which made him think of Deputy Chief Gloria at the police station last night.

Both were stunning beauties with exceptional figures and looks. If he had to rate them, both would easily score over 95 out of 100. If he had to point out the differences between them...

Deputy Chief Gloria was highly capable, carrying a hint of untamed wildness, along with the strong, authoritative presence typical of a police officer.

Felina, on the other hand, gave off the comforting vibe of an older sister next door, as refreshing as a gentle spring breeze.

Fair maidens are naturally sought after by gentlemen; both women were incredibly alluring and made one's heart yearn for them.

Hopefully, a girl like her wasn't the murderer.

With this hope in mind, he gently tapped his energy detector. The runes on it flickered to life:

Energy Display: Wind, Non-attribute.

Thank goodness!

At least that beautiful little expectation of his hadn't been shattered.