This guy, Salvatore… What did he manage to do?
It was rare to see this guy so excited. Even Annan was a little curious.
This guy…
He always lowered his head with his eyebrows frowned; he had a grumpy look due to the long-term lack of sleep, just like Gaara [1].
No matter what Salvatore was doing, he looked unmotivated and impatient.
But even though he was impatient and tired, he would still carry out his work orderly. Annan was pleased with that.
The corners of Salvatore’s mouth rose.
But no matter what Annan asked, Salvatore remained silent about the mystery.
Salvatore just urged Annan to put on clothes and follow suit into the basement to see for himself. “There’s no need to encumber yourself with clothing. The basement is somewhat warm. You don’t need to wear shoes, or else you have to take them off when you go down. Come on. Hurry!”
“Alright.” Annan couldn’t help but put on only two pieces of clothing and got out of bed.
This was the first time Annan entered Salvatore’s basement.
“Speaking of which, senior.” Annan felt a little cold, tightened his clothes, and asked casually, “As for your basement, is it there since the previous city lord took residence in this place?”
Salvatore, who walked quickly ahead, replied, “That’s right. It’s a temporary shelter connected to a private dungeon and storage room.
“After I arrived at the Freezing Water Port, I thought I wouldn’t need it anyway, so I connected the path. Well, Don Juan, if you want to use it, I can help you change it back to how it was before I leave.”
“No need, I probably don’t need this place either…” Annan shook his head, rejecting Salvatore’s kindness.
Why does he want a dungeon?
If Annan had to lock someone into the dungeon, it would be better for Annan to utilize that person to satisfy the curse condition of the month—getting his kitchen knife out and killing the person.
The dungeon wasn’t far from the storage room.
Pushing away the big picture frame, the two followed the steep stairs into the basement.
Stepping on the stairs barefoot, Annan was stunned.
The more he walked down, the more pronounced the warmth came from underground. It felt comfortable.
It feels like floor heating…
“What’s down there?” Annan asked, a little surprised, “Why is it so warm?”
“Because I set up a heat regulatory barrier. That’s why I ask you to put on fewer clothes.”
Salvatore replied, “Freezing Water Port is too cold, and the vegetables outside the house are frozen. At this temperature, many of my reagents will be denatured.
“The temperature at the door is relatively high, and the inside of the dungeon is colder than outside. It is used to store different types of reagents.”
After reaching the bottom, the two walked in the narrow and dark corridor.
Annan felt that the temperature here was about 24 degrees. It would get hotter the farther he went, and even the floor under his feet was a little hot.
He sensed the air movement through his skin and realized that the basement had good ventilation, not as airtight as a typical basement.
“This breeze…”
“I made four vents and let them circulate the air within. It also helps with discharging harmful and toxic gases.”
Salvatore quickly replied, “Without airflow, it will be dangerous to stay in the basement for a long time.
“I don’t have so many high-quality gems that can cover the entire basement with a heat regulatory barrier. So except for the places where the temperature is the most stable, the remaining barrier spots are placed where air flows in or discharges. With that, a complete airflow cycle is formed.”
With that said, Salvatore took out the key and opened the basement door.
Annan noticed that it was a strangely shaped, long-handled key.
The key was perpendicular in shape. Its handle was long, and the tip was thick and geometrically shaped.
Salvatore inserted the key to about ? of the key in terms of depth and then rotated it ? to the right. Later, he altered the depth of the key inserted as ?, rotating it 360° to the left. Finally, he inserted the key all the way in and rotated to the right for 180°.
The process felt like opening the door of a safe.
Annan subconsciously remembered the password to enter.
Annan was about to move forward, but Salvatore reached out and stopped him.
“Wait a moment,” Salvatore instructed.
With the dull mechanical sound of a click, the door opened inwardly on its own.
Annan looked up and saw that two copper balls were triggered by the mechanism and slid on the brass track as the door opened.
As the two copper balls reached the end and overwhelmed the seesaw, two smaller copper balls were shot out. After colliding in the air and changing their trajectory, the two smaller copper balls entered a new course. Until the end, four huge copper balls rolled slowly and pressed onto the four stone slabs on top of the four walls simultaneously.
“—You may enter.” Salvatore explained, “I have set up a trap here.
“Because there are some things inside that shouldn’t be known by others. I’m worried that someone will open the door via brute force or steal my key. So if you don’t correctly open the door, you will be killed by the mechanism after entering the door.
“Teacher Benjamin himself designed the core of this mechanism. The trap is capable of killing unwary Silver Rank ‘Gladiator’ or ‘Royal Knight.’”
Annan followed Salvatore into the basement. It had a large area, seemingly like a square. The walls on all sides were blazing with fire, illuminating the place.
All four walls were opened up. Only large platforms and tables were placed after each division. Silver lines were used to demarcate the place.
Not far in front of the duo was a barrier made with a red gem as the center. It was emitting a billowing heat wave, surrounded by water tanks made of brass. Those water tanks were like a city wall, with red liquid swirling and flowing inside.
On the other side, there were many bottles and cans, as well as various measuring cups and incomprehensible instruments.
Annan felt dizzy at a glance.
Noticing Annan’s gaze, Salvatore quickly explained, “I have labeled the areas in an organized manner. I only need to draw the barrier with silver and lead powder to prevent different curses from interfering with each other. There is no need to build a lead wall. Otherwise, it will be inconvenient even for me to go around this place.”
“Where are your things?” Annan asked obediently, “Can I touch the things here?”
“It’s fine. You can stroll around.”
Salvatore raised the corner of his mouth proudly, “Just see what you like and take it away.”
He quickly added, “But be careful not to burn yourself. Don’t touch the gem within the heat regulatory barrier. It’s scorching hot.”
Annan nodded.
He went to the table of bottles and cans first because there seemed to be several finished reagents on it.
It had a glass outer shell, a silver mesh pattern on the outside, and a bronze base. There was a golden turbid liquid flowing inside.
—It looked a bit like Minute Maid’s Juice [2].
When Annan picked it up, he was taken aback.
Because at this moment, a line of information emerged in front of Annan:
[Elixir (Type III)]
[Type: Consumables (Blue)]
[Description: The elixir with an upgraded formula can be formulated without using golden mistletoe, but the effect will be poorer.]
[Effect: Restore 100% Health (for those Bronze Rank and below); restore 20% Health (for those above Bronze Rank)]
Is this the crimson red health potion bottle typically found in-game?
Annan opened his eyes widely.
After coming to this world for so long, he finally saw what a health potion looked like!