To confirm further, Adam asked Frianne to cast Locate Object.
The result?
Frianne looked utterly baffled, yielding no results. She even wondered if her lack of proficiency with the spell caused it to fail.
Adam, however, saw a prompt on his status panel, confirming the spell hadn't failed, Locate Object simply couldn't affect him.
"Should I try again?" Frianne asked, a bit embarrassed.
"You've already helped enough. No need." Adam replied with a smile, waving off the offer.
He was now certain that "remote scrying" Magic had no effect on him. Going forward, he'd only need to strategize against sensory-type detection magic.
"I ordered some food earlier. Feel free to enjoy it if you'd like."
"I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave." Adam said, a sheepish expression crossing his face as he stood.
"This restaurant may be small, but it's not cheap." Frianne teased, her golden eyebrow arching as she nudged Arche, who seemed restless beside her.
"I'll walk you out."
Arche shot to her feet, her cheeks faintly flushed.
Frianne watched Adam and the flustered Arche leave the restaurant, picking up a coffee-like drink and letting out an odd chuckle. "Who would've thought Arche would know such a charming guy?"
Outside the restaurant, Arche's blue eyes lingered on the ten gold coins in her hand, a trace of daze in her expression.
It suddenly hit her.
She still didn't know Adam's name. He hadn't introduced himself at all.
On the bustling street, carriages sped along the central road, while armored soldiers occasionally patrolled.
Being near the Imperial Magic Academy, this area was noticeably safer than others.
The sidewalks teemed with ordinary citizens, but there were also plenty of adventurers, their weapons slung at their waists or across their backs.
The closer one got to the central plaza, the more eccentrically dressed people appeared.
Adam's loose priest robe swayed slightly with his steps, concealing his arms, while the Invisible Hound trailed closely behind.
"I need to pick up the pace."
The thought echoed in Adam's mind.
Meeting Arche, whose future was so grim, only intensified this resolve.
Save her?
Adam had never entertained such a lofty notion.
Even his own future safety was uncertain.
If this girl needed saving, what about the 100,000 soldiers of the Re-Estize Kingdom, sacrificed in a single stroke? Or the people of the Holy Kingdom, slaughtered like livestock by Demiurge, their intelligence dulled by magic and raised as cattle?
Didn't they need saving more?
He wasn't a savior, nor did he aspire to be.
Adam didn't mind helping a few people along his path, but he wouldn't go out of his way for it.
As a player, one who could grow stronger through killing, he felt that refraining from wanton slaughter was already the highest respect he could show for life.
"Hm?"
Adam's steps faltered, and he turned to glance across the street, finding no noteworthy figure.
A trick of the mind?
As Adam moved on, a figure wrapped in a tattered gray robe emerged from an inconspicuous corner across the street, slowly raising their head.
Their veiled gaze followed Adam's retreating form, lost in thought.
The slender silhouette beneath the robe suggested a woman.
Over the next two days, thanks to Imina's discreet efforts, word spread that a mysterious alchemist in the noble district could heal severe injuries caused by disabilities.
The news caused a sensation among adventurers and workers.
Especially since the treatment was free.
If "free" were the only claim, these battle-hardened folks, who lived on the edge, would've been skeptical. They didn't believe in free lunches.
But the rumor clarified that "free" Meant volunteering as test subjects for the alchemist's experimental potions, which carried a risk of death.
This, ironically, dispelled much of their wariness.
Even so, no one dared to be the first to try.
The rumors grew fiercer, discussed in nearly every tavern, yet no one ventured to the noble district.
Until the third day.
Two plainly dressed individuals knocked on the gate of Adam's courtyard.
They were a father and son.
The father, barely in his thirties, had dark skin and stark white hair. His son, carried in a wooden basket, had both legs amputated.
The news spread like wildfire.
Adventurer and worker teams, who'd been watching closely, sprang into action.
So did various workshops, the Herb Guild, and even the Adventurers' Guild, sending representatives.
In the past, a mere Copper-rank adventurer wouldn't have warranted attention, but Adam was no ordinary adventurer, he was a highly skilled alchemist.
Investigations quickly revealed the father and son's identities.
They were farmers from a small village outside the capital. The son's legs had been broken years ago by a minor noble's whip.
Delayed treatment led to necrosis, forcing amputation.
Time ticked by.
Under the watchful eyes of various factions, the father and son finally emerged from the heavy brown gate near dusk.
They walked out.
The farmer's son had regrown his legs!
A wave of shock rippled through the onlookers. Adventurers and workers' eyes gleamed, this potion was practically a second life.
Death was one thing, but many feared becoming crippled far more.
The Herb Guild and potion workshops were equally stunned, their disbelief even greater.
In every pharmacist's mind, alchemy was merely a supplementary tool. Potions made solely through alchemy were of low value.
Even Adam's diluted Regeneration Potions, sold through Imina, hadn't fazed the Herb Guild. Their real interest was how he used ogre blood to create healing effects.
But now!
This miraculous potion that could regenerate limbs shattered every pharmacist's understanding.
It proved alchemy wasn't just an aid for crafting healing potions, it was an independent system!
The moment the father and son stepped out of the noble district, before most could react, a carriage whisked them away.
They reappeared the next day, leaving the capital. Clearly, someone had verified the potion's effects.
The following morning, as dawn barely broke, another knock sounded at the heavy brown gate.
Adam opened it and nearly jumped. A large crowd had gathered, some in lavish attire, others in plain clothes, and many robust adventurers.
Their common trait? Visible disabilities.
The noble district was typically off-limits to adventurers and workers, not by explicit rule, but because the environment clashed with their lifestyle.
Adam's gaze swept over the crowd, settling on the rear and flanks, where ten soldiers in fine armor stood scattered.
These were the guards who patrolled the noble district.
Unlike usual, they didn't disperse the crowd. They seemed only to prevent chaos, otherwise staying uninvolved.
Seeing this, Adam's eyes flickered. He shifted his gaze from the guards back to the hopeful crowd staring, each person watching him eagerly.
"One at a time."
Adam's expression was impassive as he uttered the three words.
The crowd froze, instantly grasping his meaning. The previously amicable atmosphere tensed.
But at that moment!
Clop! Clop!
Rumble!
The urgent sound of hooves and rolling wheels echoed.
A luxurious carriage, drawn by two horses, appeared in view, disrupting the tense mood.
The crowd at the gate saw the carriage show no sign of slowing. Faces darkened, but they reluctantly parted to clear the road.
Contrary to their expectations, the opulent carriage didn't pass by, it stopped right at the courtyard gate.
Click!
The wooden door swung open. A figure dressed as a butler stepped down first, respectfully placing a stool on the ground.
Then, a young man, about twenty, with golden hair and holding a ruby-encrusted scepter, descended from the carriage.
***
Every 5 reviews and 200 power stones, a bonus chapter will be dropped.
(5,10,15, 200, 400, 600, and so on then two bonus chapters will be dropped, 1 for 5 reviews and 1 for 200 power stones, so that's 2 bonus chapters!)
And if you want to read more than 50 chapters early, feel free to visit pat re on. com / Xelenea (remove space).