??Under the soft glow of the gasmp posts, Bary walked through the cobblestone streets of the Uptown Quarter, heading toward his manor.
His mind was in utter chaos after what he had just witnessed. It felt like a big blow to not only his pride but also his abilities as a Herbalist.
In his hand, he tightly sped the vial containing the potion that Adam had just brewed. If he held it any tighter, it would shatter. Yet, he didn''t realize this.
He nced at it withplicated emotions - shock, admiration, envy, anger, and hatred.
His expression twisted hideously as he thought to himself, You dare insult me in front of the whole guild… I''ll make you pay for—
Suddenly, his thoughts abruptly paused when his surroundings started to transform, much to his shock and horror.
Bary''s pupils constricted when he saw the familiar streets, the buildings, the people, everything turning into smoke. The next moment, he found himself on a bloodied battlefield, littered with shattered weapons and mangled corpses.
"Eeekkk!" Bary stumbled in his footsteps andnded on his butt. His body trembled in fear, wondering what was happening to him.
Where am I? No, did someone cast a spell on me?! Impossible! The man thought incredulously.
He found it extremely suspicious that he was under the effects of a spell without him even knowing about it.
Then, out of nowehere, came the intense bloodlust and pressure, causing his heart to pound wildly inside his chest. He subconsciously turned his head and saw an enormous heap of corpses right in front of him.
Ogres, trolls, orcs, and magical beasts, their mutted corpses piled on top of each other and created a mound. Atop this mound, stood a ck-robed Magus wearing a pointy hat.
When Bary''s gazended on him, he shrieked in fear, "It''s you!"
Adam coldly looked down on him and muttered with sheer indifference, "You Herbalists are pathetically weak when ites to magicbat. Dealing with you guys is as easy as swatting a fly.
"Don''t make me have to kill you."
Bary''s teeth ttered in horror, yet he mustered whatever courage he could and spoke up, "B-But aren''t you a Herbalist too?!"
The next moment, the skies turned crimson, and drops of blood fell to the ground in a torrential downpour.
A malevolent aura started to emanate from Adam as he stood atop the mountain of corpses and grinned devilishly.
"Yes, but I''m also a Tyrant."
Bary''s whole body trembled when he heard those words. When he blinked and opened his eyes again, he was astounded to realize that he was sitting on the cobblestone street, under the shade of amppost.
He looked around in bewilderment, but the sea of corpses was nowhere to be found. Simrly, Adam was also nowhere near.
It was as if everything was a dream.
He recalled the tant threat he had just received from the raven-haired youth. The first thing that came to his mind was to report this to the authorities.
Better yet, he could take this matter to the Guild Leader and immediately have Adam expelled from the Herbalist''s Guild.
But then, he remembered how effortlessly he was put under that spell earlier. Knowing that Adam could have really taken his life without him even being aware of it, his veins were flooded with unprecedented terror.
Don''t make me have to kill you.
Adam''s words continued to ring inside his mind. Bary knew that if he really tried to mess with the youth in the future, he would really meet his end.
Instantly, he squished any ideas he had about trying to get revenge on Adam. He got to his feet in a flustered manner and hurriedly fled to his manor.
No! I must stay as far away from him as possible! He thought to himself in fear.
…
The next few days passed by without anything significant happening. Adam took this time to familiarize himself with Ravenfell.
At the same time, he also learned about the inner workings of the Herbalist''s Guild.
Being a guild member not only allowed him to directly buy raw materials from them at a significantly discounted price, but it also allowed him to sell his potions.
Moreover, he could also receivemissions from other affluent Magi and concoct potions for them. Of course, all the herbs and magical ingredients would have to be provided by them.
There was also the fee that he could charge these customers. Adam could decide themission fee himself, there would be no interference from the guild on that matter. Other than that, he also had ess to the tomes rted to the arcane arts and herbalism that the guild owned.
But the one thing that Adam liked the most was that he was given ess to theboratory inside the guild.
Thisboratory was countless times better than the one he had in his house back in Moon City. In fact, it was better than anything he had ever seen. Even Berger''s personalboratory paled inparison.
This was naturally a given. The Herbalist''s Guild was an independent organization that had branches all across the world. They had also amassed quite arge amount of wealth over the years.
So it only made sense that the guild''sboratory would be state-of-the-art. It had everything that a Herbalist needed.
On this day, the rays of the early morning sun gradually colored the sky in shades of orange and pink.
The surface of the Marian Lake was as calm as ever, reflecting the image of the grand castle beside it.
On the upper floors of the East Wing, inside Adam''s dorm room, the youth sat on the high-back leather couch directly facing the firece.
Valerian peacefully slept on hisp, purring from time to time. With one hand, Adam gently stroked the fur on the young dragon''s back, and with the other hand, he held an arcane textbook, reading it with fascination.
He could barely sleepst night due to the sheer excitement flooding his veins. Just as the rays of the morning sun seeped in through the arched windows and touched his face, he closed the book and ced it on the small table beside him.
Adam nced at the peacefulke outside through the window, his lips curling up into a bright smile.
"Finally, today marks the beginning of the academic year!"