Chapter 859: Chapter 647: Beautiful Future
Ice Calamity glanced at the glass of red wine, then at He Gaitou, and reached out to take the wine glass.
He wasn’t too worried about He Gaitou having ill intentions towards him. After all, he and He Gaitou had no grudges, and he wasn’t hiding from enemies in entering the ice prison.
He came to prolong his life.
"The possibility of He Gaitou poisoning himself is very low because the warden of the ice prison is right here."
Thinking about it, Ice Calamity felt a bit enlightened.
He examined the red wine in the cup, which had only a thin layer.
Ice Calamity: "My current miserable situation is entirely thanks to the magic potion [Beautiful Future]. To solve this issue, merely a Golden Level potion is insufficient. I’ve tried many times. At least a Holy Domain Level one is required."
"Magic potions are not enough, and this kind of magic dish is even more difficult."
Saying this, Ice Calamity couldn’t help but sigh deeply.
In order to survive and solve his predicament, he had tried countless things. His final hope was a Holy Domain Level magic potion.
However, obtaining a potion of such a level is extremely difficult. Ice Calamity, formerly at Golden Level, still failed.
To craft a Holy Domain Level magic potion requires a Holy Domain Level alchemist with deep alchemy skill.
Originally, Holy Domain Level mages are already rare, and to require them to have deep alchemy skill is undoubtedly even more challenging.
The Alchemy Guild of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom has strong power but does not have any Holy Domain Level alchemy mages.
Although the kingdom’s three Holy Domain mages include a royal archmage, they are not skilled in alchemy.
In fact, at the Holy Domain Level, market offerings become much rarer. Unlike the Golden Level, which can still be supplied as a high-end commodity.
Holy Domain Level products are very rare in market circulation, but at least they can still be seen.
Legendary Level items are virtually extinct.
If a transaction involves Legendary Level items, due to being too high-end and rare, it often reverts to primitive trade methods—barter.
He Gaitou remained silent, only urging Ice Calamity with his gaze. Because he knew: saying more couldn’t compare to Ice Calamity taking a sip.
Ice Calamity scrutinized the red wine in the cup, then cautiously and tentatively tasted a sip.
In an instant, he frowned deeply.
The taste was too strong; it was like he had drunk a mouthful of blood!
The rich, bloody smell filled his entire mouth, even merging into his bloodstream.
But in the next moment, Ice Calamity’s frown relaxed, and his eyes lit up.
It seemed the initial flavor was just an illusion; the overwhelming bloody taste suddenly transformed into the aroma of wine. The rich wine aroma was like a bath, drenching him from head to toe.
Every inch of his skin and every pore expanded, all enjoying it.
"Good wine!" he exclaimed.
Immediately after, the admiration on his face turned to shock.
He couldn’t help but reach out, covering his right hand over his chest, looking down in disbelief at his chest: "How is this possible?!"
"The effects of the [Beautiful Future] magic potion are actually dissolving?!"
The next instant, as if he had been electrocuted, he jerked his head up, staring intently at He Gaitou, shouting excitedly, "Quick, quick, tell me, what exactly is this wine?"
He Gaitou replied, "Worry Relief Red Wine, a fine wine from the Holy Bright Empire. Although it is only Golden Level, its ingredients are very high-end, one of which is Divine Blood."
"Divine Blood?" Everyone present was shaken.
"That’s right, and it can’t be ordinary Divine Blood; it must be the Blood of the Wine God. Only with this divinity can Worry Relief Red Wine be created."
"Precisely because of this, it possesses a unique efficacy, which is to dissolve extraordinary powers."
"Constant spells, constant divine skills can all lose their effect under Worry Relief Red Wine."
"The effects of the [Beautiful Future] magic potion you’ve taken are the same."
Ice Calamity stared stupidly at the wine glass again, "Divine Blood, Worry Relief Red Wine..."
Then he sighed and asked, "So, Lord He Gaitou, what do you want me to do?"
He Gaitou spoke directly, "Kill a person."
"Who?"
"Long Fu."
"Him?" Ice Calamity frowned again.
Although confined in the ice prison, he was not cut off from information. On the contrary, he knew a lot and was well-informed.
"Long Fu has slain Teng Donglang, defeating a Golden Level as a Silver Level, with remarkable combat power. I would only feel confident to kill him if I returned to the Golden Level," Ice Calamity said.
He didn’t refuse, saying this merely to negotiate terms.
He Gaitou shook his head, "If a Golden Level challenges him, he will most likely refuse."
"Precisely because you’ve fallen to Silver Level yet retain some Golden Level strength, we’ve found you."
Ice Calamity’s gaze flickered, falling into hesitation.
He Gaitou smiled, knowing his thoughts, "Worry Relief Red Wine is very precious; although merely Golden Level, its ingredients are too high-end."
"To tell you the truth, this wine comes from the Drunken Sect."
In fact, it wasn’t something He Gaitou could obtain.
He got it through a channel from Mei Lin.
All he obtained was this tiny sip of red wine, and it’s extremely precious!
"The Drunken Sect? The Wine God of the Holy Bright Empire? I’ve heard Drunkard Port has become this deity’s parish?"
"That’s right. During this National Ceremony duel, the Drunken Sect is making a big move to spread their teachings. They have sponsored heavily, supplying two thousand tons of wine for free to the residents of the capital. They are also involved in the state banquet, and this Worry Relief Red Wine is the wine used at the banquet, extremely rare. I was fortunate to obtain some samples by chance. Do you want to buy it? It’s almost impossible!"
Ice Calamity’s expression faltered, his fantasy shattered.
He-cloak chuckled lightly and continued, "Of course, you can inquire further later."
Ice Calamity nodded, "I will."
In his heart, he already believed He-cloak’s words.
Thus, he could only rely on He-cloak’s channel.
Even if he attempts from the Drunken Sect after the National Ceremony duel, it will be very difficult. After all, the main ingredient is the Wine God’s blood, and just this determines that the quantity of Worry Relief Red Wine will be extremely rare.
It’s not due to excessive consumption of divine blood; it’s obvious the Wine God’s blood must be diluted multiple times before participating in the production of Worry Relief Red Wine.
The key issue is faith.
The Drunken Sect is not an alchemy mage, not a normal guild, but a sect.
They worship the Wine God. How could believers drink the blood of their object of worship?
This is great disrespect!
This wine is destined to be a scarce item, selling too much of it would shake the faith in the Wine God.
"In this situation, I actually have nothing to negotiate about anymore," Ice Calamity quickly realized the true situation in his heart.
He was also straightforward and agreed with He-cloak directly.
He-cloak clapped and laughed, "Good!"
Then, he turned to the warden of the Ice Prison, "I ask the warden to clear a space, so I can personally verify Ice Calamity’s actual combat prowess."
"After personally inspecting him, I’ll also prepare suitable gear for him."
Concerned with his ten thousand gold coins, the warden of Ice Prison naturally cooperated fully.
Inside the Ice Prison, there’s a small dueling field where everyday prisoners and guards settle their conflicts.
Thus it can also be seen how prevalent the dueling atmosphere is in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
Soon, several people reached the dueling field.
Ice Calamity rubbed his fists and strode to the center of the field.
He-cloak’s expression was solemn, ready for combat.
The warden of the Ice Prison sat by, observing.
The two engaged in combat.
For a time, fighting energy clashed, shadows flipped. Back and forth, the sound resonated like thunder.
The combat prowess displayed by Ice Calamity was indeed strong, significantly exceeding Silver Level.
Moreover, his strategy was fully mature, with matching combat skills, and his combat experience was rich, his combat skills and martial arts were quite sophisticated, seemingly ingrained in his bones.
There were also areas of improvement, like his combat rhythm that had some issues.
Often during attacks, there would be sudden incongruences, with sections abruptly missing.
The three present all knew the reason for this.
Ice Calamity had downgraded from Golden Level to Silver Level, many of his Golden Level combat skills couldn’t be used at Silver Level.
The key point was the characteristic of the fighting energy.
Golden Level fighting energy can condense out of thin air, many Golden Level combat skills were developed because of this.
The most classic example is the Flying Combat Technique.
The vast majority of flying combat techniques rely on Golden Level fighting energy to propel the fighter for movement.
Silver fighting energy lacks the characteristics of Golden Level fighting energy, making some combat skills ineffective.
When He-cloak started to exert pressure, the previous equilibrium was immediately broken, and Ice Calamity fell to a disadvantage.
The reason they were previously able to go back and forth was mainly that He-cloak intentionally gave way, focused on defense, aiming to clearly observe Ice Calamity’s actual combat force.
After a period of inspection, He-cloak knew exactly Ice Calamity’s situation.
"Ice Calamity has strength, but after downgrading, he hasn’t focused on improving his combat capabilities."
"He maintained a certain level of training but didn’t adjust his combat skills or tactics."
"But these can all be changed."
"He can try to find Silver Level replacements for the combat skills he’s familiar with. If unable to find, equipment can be used to compensate."
After exchanging a few more rounds, He-cloak gradually intensified his offense, causing Ice Calamity to be completely overwhelmed, looking quite distressed.
"Any more tricks? Show them as much as possible," He-cloak advised, "So I can give you the most appropriate gear and provide maximum assistance."
Ice Calamity hesitated for a moment, then shouted, "Then please be extremely careful, He-cloak, this move might injure you."
These words piqued He-cloak’s and the Ice Prison warden’s interest.
In the next moment, Ice Calamity stepped back slightly, suddenly slapped his chest, activating the alchemy brooch on his chest while using the combat skill—Frost Aura!
This combat skill was originally a Golden Level skill, but with the help of the alchemy brooch, Ice Calamity could barely execute it.
In the next moment, centered on him, an aura rapidly expanded outward.
"What is this?!" The Ice Prison warden’s pupils contracted sharply.
"Not good, dodge!" He-cloak also sensed danger and had no intention of resisting, directly retreating explosively.