Strong Acid Solvent

Chen Miemie had once heard a theory: Humanity was never a righteous or kind race.

He didn't have a deep sense of it, since he had a large human component and spent most of his time from a human perspective.

Today he heard another new idea he had never realized before: The witch race actually belonged to the evil faction!

This also somewhat contradicted his perception, because even though he never claimed the title, he had always carried the mark of a witch.

And the key point was that this came from the mouth of a high-ranking witch.

"Silence" didn't sugarcoat anything at all, speaking with the utmost bluntness:

"We witches belong to lawful evil. We are inherently self-serving and do as we please.

Before the Seventh Era, we were also a kind of aberration, an aberration hidden within cities. Our daily lives consisted of killing or being killed. We were the synonym for evil."

"Back then, there was no other way. After an entire era, you must have changed a lot by now."

"Silence" was very dissatisfied with Chen Miemie's word choice: "Young Master Miemie, mind your identity. It's not 'you,' it's 'we'!"

"Ah, right, right. It's 'we.'"

Only then was "Silence" satisfied:

"There have certainly been changes, but not much. Some old grudges remain unresolved, and conflicts of interest will never cease. Being a little evil isn't a bad thing. Evil doesn't bring about the extinction of a race—only weakness does."

"Are all witches bad?"

"Yes."

"Isn't that too absolute?!"

"Every witch brews potions. That is a witch's instinct, and the only way to grow stronger and advance."

"What's wrong with brewing potions?"

"Have you ever seen a shop or stall openly selling potions?"

Chen Miemie was taken aback. He really hadn't. Across two cities, he had never seen a single one.

"Silence" pulled back the veil: "Because potions are forbidden items that are not allowed to be brewed or circulated in the 99 cities.

In this world, only a few things carry the attribute of 'mystery': the seven, no, eight major races, aberrations, mysterious items, magic tools, and a few rare objects. None of these are man-made.

'Mystery' itself could never be created by any one race. So why can a tiny vial of solution from a witch possess mysterious power?

The answer is simple. The essence of potion brewing is plunder."

With that, there was no need for further explanation. As for who was being plundered, it likely involved anything with mysterious attributes.

Chen Miemie recalled Amber's earlier "joke"—if he didn't show up for the arranged meeting, he would be turned into a potion.

"Do you know 'Chenpi'?"

"Of course. Since 'Lady Chen Pi' fell to under ten years old, I started as her guardian."

Chen Miemie thought to himself: No wonder, even with no experiments to conduct, Chenpi still lived in the city library.

"I heard she no longer brews potions, and even sold her cauldron?"

"That's true. Lady Chen Pi doesn't need to improve her strength because it's useless.

But she didn't sell her pot. I subsidized her with some resources, and she gave me the cauldron. That's a precious treasure, and it's mine now."

Chen Miemie felt that was essentially selling it.

After the two got sidetracked for a while, they returned to the main topic.

"Silence" gave a suggestion:

"The person who issued the mission is hiding deep. I can't confirm their identity for now. I'm investigating, but I need more time.

You should be careful lately. If no assassin makes a move, they might act on their own."

"I understand. Thank you for your concern."

"Do you want to come stay at the library?"

"No, I still have things to do."

"Silence" didn't insist. With another gesture, a test tube floated over.

"Take this potion with you. If you encounter danger, smash it. Once the potion is shattered, every witch in the city will know your location, and those nearby will rush to rescue you."

"Amazing. Potions actually have the ability to be sensed. That's incredible."

"No, it doesn't have that kind of power.

This is a high-level toxic and corrosive acid solution. Once it leaks from the bottle, a mushroom cloud will rise within fifty meters centered on you. Everything in that range will be dissolved by the acid. There will be no survivors.

When the commotion is big enough, the whole city will know. The witches will understand the specific meaning even better."

Chen Miemie: ...

Good thing he asked. This thing was really dangerous. He would lock it up as soon as he got back, and not accidentally hurt his companions at home.

"Wait, what about me? Wouldn't I be the first to turn into acidic water?"

"You'll be fine. You've already taken the antidote."

"Where did I..." Chen Miemie realized. "Your cup of 'Silence Water'?"

"Yes."

Chen Miemie descended the stairs with a heavy heart. On the fourth underground floor, he saw Chenpi.

"Oh, what brings you here today? Does my commission have any progress?" Chenpi's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"How could it be that fast? I'm just here looking for inspiration."

"Then make yourself at home." Chenpi ignored him and went back to reading a stack of documents.

"I've already taken over the research. What are you still reading?" Chen Miemie leaned in.

"What else? There's a review meeting tomorrow. I'm going over the schedule. Such a hassle."

"You're on the review panel too? Why do you need to read the schedule?"

"I'm one of the judges."

"Based on you? You seem less reliable than the pawnshop owner on my street."

"Hmph, I may have lost my power, but my knowledge and judgment haven't faded much."

"Oh yeah? Test me. What's this?"

Chen Miemie pulled out the potion Silence had given him.

This was a dangerous item. Chen Miemie only brought it out, held it up for less than a second, and then put it away.

An ordinary person might not have even seen it clearly.

"High-level toxic and corrosive acid solution," Chenpi answered instantly.

"That impressive! To recognize it from that distance with just a glance. You do have some skills. Almost on par with me."

"No, I just recognize this potion. I have one too."

Chen Miemie's heart skipped a beat, a wave of fear washing over him. Back then, he had considered trying to kidnap the green-haired loli. Good thing he didn't.

If he hadn't been prepared and been hit with that strong acid, he wouldn't have died at night, but his clothes would have been destroyed, and he might have ended up running around naked. That would have been social suicide.

Having lived for thousands of years, even with most of her power lost, this green-haired loli still had countless trump cards up her sleeve. She was not someone to provoke casually.

The next day, in the Scholar's Academy's main lecture hall.

This was the venue for the review meeting.

At 9:30 in the morning, people began to file in.

Chen Miemie entered with "Qiao Ji" and sat in the third row, on the right side.

The audience allowed in today were no ordinary people. They were all impeccably dressed and exuded an air of distinction.

At 9:55, the three judges took their seats in the front row.

Chenpi was in the middle. On the left sat the great scholar, "Stone Speaker." The man on the right, Chen Miemie had seen before but couldn't name.

When Chen Miemie first entered the Book Sealing Pavilion, this bookstore owner had given him a book.

"Gongshu Key, who is the judge on the right?"

Gongshu Key answered without a second thought: "That's Mr. Kong, the leader of the 'Book Chasers'."

"'Book Chasers' is a society?"

"No, they belong to a special urban division tasked with recapturing books that have escaped their seals and then resealing them."