Vol.3 Ch.218 Sterilith Bloom and Royal Blue.


    "That''s peculiar..." Raiden said as he examined the fourth vial.


    "What''s the substance? Is it poison?" Rianna asked with curiosity.


    Raiden inhaled deeply, contemting how he would convey the news to the Queen. As his contraption continued collecting more of the yellowish liquid, he observed a blue-colored sediment forming in the fifth vial that really piqued his curiosity.


    "That''s quite peculiar," Raiden muttered as he quickly made his way over to one of his cluttered desks piled high with ancient tomes.


    He started looking through his books for answers.


    "Is it poisonous?" the Queen asked once again.


    "The yellow liquid is no ordinary toxin; it''s not deadly, but its origin eludes me. I could swear I''d encountered it before I arrived in this kingdom," Raiden muttered, flipping through the pages with a sense of urgency.


    "What about the blue sediment?" the Queen asked.


    "I have a hunch, but I need to make sure that the toxin is what I think it is. Just wait a little longer, please," Raiden requested, and Rianna got irritated.


    "Fine," the Queen huffed, crossing her arms in frustration.


    It took a few minutes, and the liquids stopped in all five of the vials. When it was all done, the fourth vial was almost full of the neon yellowish-green liquid.


    Raiden hurried over to the device and carefully took out the vial.


    "What is that toxin?" the Queen asked. Raiden examined the substance and then looked at his book on exotic substances.


    "Well... It''s an exotic toxin, my Lady," Raiden answered, and the Queen was interested.


    "What does that mean?" Rianna asked.


    "Poisons fall into two categories. The first type is standard poisons, which are easily detectable and can be countered with an antidote. The second type is Exotic poisons, which are much more challenging to counteract. It''s been many decades since I''ve encountered a toxin of this nature..." Raiden muttered as he lifted the vial into the light, and it changed to a neon yellow.


    "So it''s an exotic toxin," the Queen stated.


    "Absolutely, my Lady. When I was just starting out in the world of alchemy, I received an intriguing assignment to extract a unique toxin for a well-known brothel in the Marn Kingdom. This toxin had a fascinating impact on the reproductive organs of women. It was highly sought after by brothels and pimps as it rendered their workers infertile for a certain duration," Raiden revealed.


    Rianna maintained aposed facade, concealing her inner turmoil, yet a lump formed in her throat. The memory of Rya''s anguished countenance lingered in her mind—the moment when Rya divulged that she sensed a malevolent taint eroding Rianna''s very essence, a poison that the dark elf had purged from her with relentless determination.


    "Y-You said it can make a woman infertile for some time, correct? How much would... Haah... A business owner of that field need to use on a woman to ensure she remains infertile for a year?" the Queen inquired, her voice betraying a mix of concern and determination.


    <span ss="editText">Raiden, feeling puzzled, absentmindedly reached up and scratched his head out of habit before ambling over to a different workbench, carefully cradling the vial in his hand. With deliberate movements, he gingerly ced a Petri dish on the sturdy table, its clear surface pristine against the surrounding clutter. As he pondered the vial''s contents, his hand reached for an eyedropper resting nearby. With unwavering focus, he delicately squeezed a single drop of the noxious, swirling liquid into the center of the Petri dish, watching as it<span ss="aiText"><span ss="retryDeletionText"><span ss="undoDeletionText"> spread out <span ss="editText">a litt<span ss="aiText">le<span ss="retryDeletionText"><span ss="undoDeletionText">, like a drop of blood.


    "Watch closely," Raiden whispered, holding up the Petri dish to the Queen. "This single drop has the power to render a female human infertile for about a year... Give or take a few months. The duration varies depending on the woman, some may be affected for longer, and some for shorter periods."


    Rianna fixated her gaze on the vial, observing the eerie neon yellowish-green fluid contained within. It was hard to fathom that such a minuscule amount of toxin had the potential to inflict significant harm on a person''s body.


    "H-How long would a female human be infertile with that much toxin?" the Queen asked, her gaze fixed on the vial containing the dangerous substance. Despite having a rough estimate, she felt a surge of unease and uncertainty bubbling within her.


    "This much!? Oh, geez..." Raiden muttered to himself, scratching the back of his head as he peered at the vial. Rianna caught snippets of his mumbled calctions as he pondered the contents.


    "A-hem," the Queen coughed to get his attention.


    "Oh, my apologies... I would need to measure it out for an exact number. But if I had to guess. That is enough toxin to keep a human woman infertile for ten or maybe fifteen lifetimes. Frankly, this amount of toxin might have killed a lesser person," Raiden answered.


    Rianna shivered as a chill raced down her spine, sending her blood running cold. The realization that so much poison hade out of her left her in disbelief, and now she was determined to uncover how she had ingested the toxin.


    Rianna inquired, "How exactly would someone consume this substance?"


    Raiden furrowed his brow and scratched the back of his head. "You see, this toxin, also known as Sterilith Bloom, can only be absorbed in the stomach. The catch is, it has a pungent taste that''s hard to miss," he exined.


    "Would the substance make someone vomit if they tasted it?" inquired the Queen.


    <span ss="editText">"<span ss="undoDeletionText">Believe me, just a sip of that pungent substance would make you want to spit it out, but it''s impossible to swallow it by mistake. <span ss="undoDeletionText">That''s whe<span ss="undoDeletionText">n the fifth viales into y," Raiden <span ss="undoDeletionText">exined, eyeing the vial containing a small amount of blue sediment.


    "And what makes this blue sediment so interesting?" Rianna asked.


    Raiden strode over to the vial and gazed at the Queen. "You''re looking at a very rare moss straight from the depths of the Twilight Forest deep inside of the Demon continent of Faeo. It''s got a vor that''s truly one of a kind, and its vor is unparalleled," he exined, leaving the Queen utterly astonished.


    "Are you saying it would make a woman forget about the taste of the poison?" the Queen asked.


    Raiden shook his head, "No... It''s used to mask the vor of anything foul or unpleasant to one''s tastebuds. I don''t know how you found this substance with both of these elements in it. But I don''t know if someone was trying to poison you with it."


    Rianna shifted her gaze to Raiden, who was intently peering into the Erlenmeyer sk, his eyes fixed on the cotton rag that once held the mucus. She pondered her response, then questioned him, "What makes you think that?"


    Raiden took the sk and put it into the sink. " Whatever this substance was, it was extracting or expelled from someone''s body. But I have not seen anything like this before. The closest thing was doing an autopsy on a human body that had been dead for a week. Or I would get lesser results with fecal matter from animals I''ve tested," he exined before looking at the Queen. "My Lady, do you have any idea who or what produced this mucus?"


    Rianna''s stoic expression didn''t waver as she nodded and said, "I have a pretty good idea. But I will keep that information to myself for now... If this moss can mask the taste of any poison, why hasn''t it been used more often to kill or poison others in power? Or at least royalty," she asked.


    "Well, do you know what the name of this moss is?" Raiden asked, and the Queen looked at him.


    "No... What''s its name?" inquired the Queen, her curiosity piqued.


    "Royal Blue," Raiden stated.


    Rianna raised her brow, "Royal Blue?"


    Raiden sighed, "If you''re asking about it, then you don''t know how hard it is to obtain. In fact, only a handful of people in this kingdom can get their hands on Royal Blue."


    Rianna frowned, "Why''s that?"


    Raiden gave a nonchnt shrug and began, "The legend of Royal Blue is shrouded in mystery. They say it all started when a majestic blue dragon perished eons ago, and from its remains, this extraordinary moss emerged...Now, I''m not staking my life on that tale, but it''s the only exnation for the rarity of Royal Blue that makes any sense, my Lady."


    "So, how expensive is the moss?" the Queen asked.


    Raiden gazed at arger-than-life portrait of himself adorning the wall and slowly approached it. The painting concealed a secretpartment, which he promptly opened. Inside, he found a diminutive ss jar containing a powder of a serene cerulean hue. Its color resembled that of the fifth vial but possessed a softer tint. The jar seemed to contain only five grams of this mysterious powder.


    He strolled up to the Queen and dered, "Behold, the only remnants of the Royal Blue I bought many years ago."


    <span ss="userText">He carefully twisted the lid of the jar, the scent of aged wood and sweet spices wafting into the air as he did so. Delicately, he pulled out a small piece of paper from his workbench, the edges slightly frayed from age. As he turned to face the table, he unearthed what appeared to be the smallest measuring spoon the Queen had everid eyes upon. With extreme caution, Raiden scooped<span ss="aiText"><span ss="retryDeletionText"><span ss="undoDeletionText"> a tiny portion of the blue powder, which he dropped onto the center of the paper.


    "I stumbled upon this treasure decades ago at an estate sale. The family selling it had no idea of its value, and I managed to snag it for just a few silvers. I''ve kept it hidden all these years. You see this tiny half-gram of Royal Blue on this paper is worth a staggering two hundred fifty thousand gold pieces! Can you believe I had no idea of its true worth when I first bought it?" Raiden''s voice was barely audible as he revealed the astonishing amount.


    <span ss="aiText">Rianna<span ss="editText"><span ss="undoDeletionText"> stood frozen, her<span ss="aiText"> mouth f<span ss="editText"><span ss="undoDeletionText">a<span ss="aiText">ll<span ss="editText"><span ss="undoDeletionText">ing<span ss="aiText"> open in <span ss="editText"><span ss="undoDeletionText">utter <span ss="aiText">shock as she gazed at the <span ss="editText"><span ss="undoDeletionText">m<span ss="aiText">in<span ss="editText"><span ss="undoDeletionText">uscule<span ss="aiText"> heap of blue powder<span ss="editText"><span ss="undoDeletionText">id out before her. She strugg<span ss="aiText">le<span ss="editText"><span ss="undoDeletionText">d<span ss="aiText"> to <span ss="editText"><span ss="undoDeletionText"prehend the unimaginable value contained within<span ss="aiText"> a mere five grams of the moss<span ss="editText"><span ss="undoDeletionText">. This tiny quantity hel<span ss="aiText">d the potential to <span ss="editText"><span ss="undoDeletionText">purchase a small <span ss="aiText">kingdom.


    "<span ss="editText">T-Two hundred fifty thousand!? For only that much?<span ss="aiText"><span ss="retryDeletionText"><span ss="undoDeletionText"> Are you kidding me?" the Queen questioned, still in disbelief.


    Raiden nodded and presented the Queen with the shimmering powder, saying, "But it''s worth every coin, my Lady..."


    Raiden deftly seizes a copper kettle, its contents bubbling and releasing wisps of steam. With careful precision, he envelops the Royal Blue in a paper sheet, encapsting it. He ces the paper onto a specially designed teaspoon with a secure mp and lowers it into the simmering water. As the paper makes contact with the hot liquid, a remarkable metamorphosis urs. The previously inert powder magically transmutes into a vibrant green fluid, filling the air with the delightful aroma of ripe, sweet berries.


    After gently swirling the water in the kettle, Raiden retrieves two delicate teacups from beneath his cluttered workbench. Carefully setting them down on the worn wooden counter, he meticulously pours the steaming hot liquid into each cup, the fragrant steam rising and filling the room with itsforting aroma.


    "Close your eyes and inhale deeply. Can you sense the heavenly aroma?" he inquires.


    Rianna nodded her head slowly, her mind drifting into a hazy state as a wave of nostalgia enveloped her. She was certain she had encountered this familiar scent before, but despite her best efforts, she struggled to pinpoint where.


    "Y-Yes... It''s quite the aromatic scent," the Queen admitted.


    "Well, give it a taste. You should drink it while it''s still hot," Raiden insisted.


    Rianna''s gaze shifted from him to the delicate teacup resting on the saucer. She reached for the cup, lifting it to her nose to take in its rich aroma before bringing it to her lips. With a delicate sip, she savored the taste of the warm tea on her tongue.


    Once the green liquid touched her tongue, her eyes widened in surprise. She immediately recognized the sweet taste and scent. At the age of fifteen, she had just married Cyndre. Her sister-inw, Duchess Leandra Revelia, had invited her to a tea party to celebrate her bing the next Queen of Fiafyr. Leandra said her husband had purchased a rare tea leaf from the Lumen Fae continent, known as thend of the High Elves.


    Leandra had already savored a cup of her own before the party, and only one more cup remained. To the envy of the others, Rianna ended up with thest cup. Leandra promised to get more if she ever found the elusive tea leaf again. Despite Rianna''s persistent inquiries, Leandra never managed toy her hands on the rare tea leaf once more.


    Rianna never knew that she was poisoned by her own sister-inw that day. She never knew that she felt off because of the poison. All this time, she thought it was because she was getting used to Fiafyrian cuisine. All those times she miscarried, all the times she thought she was a failure of a wife for only giving birth to one child. It was all Leandra''s fault!


    Rianna then remembered how her sister-inw smiled at her after she had drunk that cup of divine tea. She told her the tea was very special and made the person who drinks it very healthy. She also told her the tea would help her conceive children.


    The way Leandra looked at her while sipping that tea would always remain vivid in her memory.


    The pieces of the puzzle fell into ce as her delicate fingers released their grip on the porcin teacup, sending it crashing down to the floor, where it shattered into a dozen scattered fragments.


    Raiden jumped in surprise, "My Lady!? Is something the matter?"


    Rianna''s breath came in short gasps. "N-No... Nothing''s wrong, Raiden. I think I had a vision," she lied through clenched teeth, her eyes fixed on the shattered cup at her feet.


    Raiden raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced. "Oh, is that so? I guess that happens from time to time when savoring something so divine," he remarked.


    <span ss="aiText">Rianna looked at Raiden, "<span ss="editText">How easy is it for one to a<span ss="userText">cquire<span ss="aiText"> the Royal Blue moss?"


    <span ss="aiText">"<span ss="editText">Obtaining Royal Blue might seem nearly<span ss="aiText"> impossible<span ss="editText">, b<span ss="aiText">ut there <span ss="editText">is a way to secure<span ss="aiText"> some from the north<span ss="editText">ern region<span ss="undoDeletionText">s<span ss="aiText"> of the continent. Royal Blue is <span ss="editText">a preciousmodity located in the Faeo continent, home to various demon races. It embarks on a perilous journey across the sea and through trade routes that span the continent. Legend has it that selec<span ss="undoDeletionText">t<span ss="aiText"> demon ns <span ss="editText">nurtu<span ss="undoDeletionText">r<span ss="aiText">e the moss, <span ss="editText">safeguarding it with utmos<span ss="undoDeletionText">t<span ss="aiText"> secre<span ss="editText">c<span ss="undoDeletionText">y<span ss="aiText"> and <span ss="editText">fierceness. Whispers even spea<span ss="undoDeletionText">k<span ss="aiText"> of assassins hired to <span ss="editText">trac<span ss="undoDeletionText">k<span ss="aiText"> down an<span ss="editText">d eliminate those who dare to pilfe<span ss="undoDeletionText">r<span ss="aiText"> their pr<span ss="editText">ize<span ss="undoDeletionText">d<span ss="aiText"> harvest."


    <span ss="aiText">"I see... <span ss="editText">so it is <span ss="userText">highly unlikely<span ss="aiText"> that someone in the human realm would be able to get their hands on Royal Blue unless they had powerful connections," Rianna stated.


    "Yes, unfortunately. If there''s any supply of it on Agon, it''s definitely being kept under wraps,"<span ss="aiText"> Raiden answered.


    <span ss="aiText">The Queen<span ss="editText"><span ss="undoDeletionText">''s mind was a whirlwind of contemtion as she carefully proc<span ss="aiText">es<span ss="editText"><span ss="undoDeletionText">s<span ss="aiText">ed Raiden''s words. <span ss="editText"><span ss="undoDeletionText">Her thoughts swirled as she absorbed the information, meticulously gathering every detail to craft a strategic course of action to confront<span ss="aiText"> the tr<span ss="editText"><span ss="undoDeletionText">eache<span ss="aiText">rous Revelias.


    <span ss="editText">The Queen <span ss="undoDeletionText">gazed up at Raiden <span ss="undoDeletionText">with a piercing stare and uttered, "I need your assurance that everything discussed here will remain confidential," she demanded.


    "Absolutely, my Lady. But I do hope to bepensated for the Royal Blue that brought you such enjoyment," Raiden replied with a nod.


    The Queen gazed at him with a glint in her eye, "Oh, but of course. You shall be handsomely rewarded for allowing me to savor the essence of Royal Blue."


    "Excellent. You may count on my loyalty, my Lady. You have nothing to worry about," Raiden said.


    "I''ll make sure someone from my husband''s Treasury Department will give you the money within the week," Rianna said.


    Raiden nodded eagerly, "Is there anything else your Majesty desires from her loyal servant?"


    <span ss="userText">Rianna shook her head, "Not at this moment,<span ss="aiText"><span ss="retryDeletionText"><span ss="undoDeletionText"> but I will contact you if the situation changes. You''ve been a great help, Raiden."


    Raiden grins, "I might not always express it, but it''s always a delight to see you, your Majesty."


    Rianna then turns to leave. Her jaw clenched tightly in anger, her knuckles turning white as she balled her fists. How could Leandra do this to her? Memories of the countless heartbreaking miscarriages flooded Rianna''s mind, each one a painful reminder of the anguish she had endured because of Leandra''s actions.


    Leaving theboratory, she stepped out into the dimly lit hallway of the Pharmacy, her fists clenched in frustration. With determined steps, she made her way through the echoing halls until she finally reached the back door.


    As soon as she emerged from the doorway, Nelumbo and her guards were filled with panic. One of them swiftly draped their cloak over the Queen to shield her from view. Rianna was so lost in thought that she forgot to put on her cloak, which was still in Raiden''sboratory.


    "Your Highness! It would be best if you weren''t going outside without a disguise," Nelumbo scolded the Queen.


    Rianna was caught off guard by her forgetfulness, "O-Oh right. Thank you, Nelumbo."


    "It''s my job to keep you safe, my Queen. Let''s get you out of here. I don''t want anyone else to recognize you," Nelumbo whispered to Rianna.


    The air crackled with tension as the Queen swiftly made her way into the servant''s carriage, nked by eight of her loyal guards. With a resolute sp, Nelumbo shut the ornate carriage door and agilely ascended to the top, riding in "shotgun" while another vignt guard took the reins in the driver''s seat.


    The horse-drawn carriage gracefully lifted off, gliding smoothly down the cobblestone street. Nelumbo cautiously scanned the surroundings, relieved to find no indication of prying eyes. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she nced over at the vignt guards through the tiny window, whose watchful eyes remained fixed on the Queen.


    "Where to, your Majesty?" inquired the guard sitting in the driver seat.


    "Bring us back to the estate... I have an apology to make," Rianna dered as she reclined on the plush carriage seat. The guards remained silent, choosing not to inquire about the Queen''s actions.


    The horse-drawn carriage made its way through the bustling streets, finally arriving at the grand estate. The sun had not yet set, and it was a tranquil four o''clock in the afternoon. Overwhelmed by the day''s journey, she felt the urge to refresh herself before the uing dinner with her beloved son and his soon-to-be bride.