"What's wrong with him?" Christian asked as he rushed over. Menes was bleeding from all his orifices, but the odd thing is, his blood was purple instead of red. "What's going on?" Christian immediately freaked out as purple blood was beyond his medical capabilities, and if something happened to Menes, their team would fail the test.
Lucretia suddenly walked over to him, her gaze fixed on the purple blood. Her expression then morphed into anger: "By all that is unholy, this bastard is addicted to blue powder."
"Blue powder?" Christian asked.
"It's a drug that helps people increase their synchronization." However, Christian was even more confused by these words. "This is not the time for your ignorance. We need to do something, or he'll die."
"What can we do? Should I feed him a few more vitaseeds?" Christian asked. He did not wait for an answer and immediately tried it. Menes was unconscious, so he had to force-feed him, but the result was less than ideal.
"The bleeding seemed to have slowed down, but it hasn't stopped," Xin'er commented. "I'm afraid only a fix of blue powder can alleviate his situation."
"Why did that idiot have to use this thing? Even if he's desperate for his family's acknowledgement, doesn't he know he won't be able to hide the truth for long?" Lucretia was on the verge of ripping her hair out. They've made it so far in this stupid trial; now, they were about to be disqualified because of Menes' poor life decisions.
"It's so unfair," Lucretia complained. Christian ignored her as he tried to think of a solution. The limited information he could gather indicated that Menes was about to die, meaning their team would also be disqualified. He could not allow this since the third level of the library was the only way for him to find the book the crow wanted him to find and return home.
'I can't save his life, but I don't need to — I just need him to live long enough until the test is finished,' Christian thought. 'So, I need to put him in a state of suspended animation or cryogenic state.' A hint of wisdom flashed in his eyes.
"Lucretia, conjure a…Forget it. Accio!" A small pebble flew into Christian's hands, and he slowly tapped his wand on the rock, turning it into a beautiful silver necklace with an emerald gemstone.
"Vitae Exsurgo!" Christian changed as he pointed his wand at his forearm. A white light from the tip of his wand as he absorbed life energy from his body, stopping when he felt dizzy. He then closed his eyes, imagining that he was a luscious tree full of green leaves. One of his roots is then connected to the emerald gem, a gemstone that symbolizes life and vitality.
"It's your turn," Christian said as he looked at the others. Before they could react, he also used the spell on Xin'er first, only stopping once she was too pale, followed by Lucretia. "Take a vitaseed," Christian ordered as he infused the life energy into the gemstone.
"I need to put the necklace on him, so put him in a sitting position," he commanded, and despite the girls' weakness, they held Menes up until the necklace was around his neck.
"Bios Sundeo!" Christian chanted, and the emerald released a bright green light that entered Menes' body, linking the gem's life energy with his. The group saw immediate changes as Menes stopped bleeding.
"We're saved!" Lucretia exclaimed.
"Not yet," Christian rebutted, immediately dispersing her excitement.
"But he looks perfectly fine to me."
"Unless we keep providing him with life energy, he'll start deteriorating in a few hours."
"Life Energy? Don't we have a great source with us?" Lucretia said coldly while her gaze shifted to the towering troll. Christian wondered where this young girl had acquired such a brutal side, but he didn't dwell on it too much.
"Ebublio!" Christian created a bubble around Menes' body before using the Glacius Charm to freeze the bubble, encasing him in a block of ice. He immediately checked Menes' life energy deterioration.
"No, the freezing is accelerating the dissipation, not stopping it. I need to change the temperature." Christian had to unfreeze and freeze him a few times until he found the perfect temperature to prevent Mene's life energy from dissipating, thus achieving the feat of cryogenically freezing him with the support of the life energy necklace.
"Now, he's safe," Christian sighed in relief as he sat on the floor, breathing slightly heavily.
"So, he's saved?" Xin'er asked.
"He's not saved, but he won't die until after the exam as long as we preserve this state," Christian explained.
Xin'er sighed deeply.
"What? You feel sad for him?" Lucretia asked with a sneer.
"He's indeed pitiful," Xin'er admitted.
"He doesn't deserve any sympathy. He knew the danger of blue powder but still chose to do it."
"Why are you guys talking like he's going to die?" Christian asked.
"That's because he is," Lucretia replied bluntly. "People addicted to blue powder don't leave past 25 years old, and they'll die even sooner if their synchronization reaches 30%."
"What is this synchronization that you mention?"
Lucretia looked at him before giving him a glance of mockery for his ignorance. Then, she haughtily explained: "Arcane magic is the most crucial type of magic in existence, and a person's achievement is measured by their synchronization, from 0 to 100%. Unfortunately, Arcane Magic is the type of magic in which effort is useless — only talent matters."
"So, blue powder is the only way for people with poor talent to increase their synchronization?"
"Not exactly, but you could think it that way," Lucretia nodded. Christian was momentarily silent. If that were true, he could empathize with how desperate Menes must have felt — he probably thought he had no other way than this destructive approach.
"You said it's the most significant magic — aren't you exaggerating a little?" Christian asked.
"She's not," Xin'er added. "Arcane Magic is the key to receiving certification for many of the higher titles."
"This magic is so valuable just because of a library position?"
"Now I'm starting to believe you live in an isolated village or area," Lucretia commented.
"And you would guess correctly; now, answer my question."
"Titles like [Apprentices] and [Novices] mean nothing," Xin'er explained. "But once you get to the level of [Official Wizard], the certification you receive will have worldwide benefits."
"Worldwide?"
"That's right," Lucretia nodded. "Official Wizards and above can receive an annual income from any kingdom in the world, even foreign kingdoms they migrate to or temporarily live in. And the higher your position, the more wealth, status, fame, and power you have."
Christian frowned as he mulled over the implications of these words. "Wait, why does the library have such power? Shouldn't the Ptolemy Kingdom take charge of handing over these certificates?"
"That's because of the Curator," Lucretia said with a look of longing and worship.
"Him? What gives him so much power?"
"His strength, of course," she replied as if this were a matter of fact. "I once asked my father this question, and he told me the Curator was a wizard whose magical attaintments put him on par with the Gods. In fact, he's one of three wizards on this level, and that's why only three places in the world can provide these certificates, and all the kingdoms across any continent will accept them."
"I knew he was powerful, but I didn't expect it to be to this level," Christian muttered. Until now, his greatest aspiration was to become a wizard on par with headmaster Dumbledore or the Dark Lord. However, today, he may have found a new goal.
Christian opened his mouth to ask more questions, but Xin'er suddenly fell on her butt. "Are you alright?" He rushed over to check on her.
"I-I'm fine, just a little dizzy."
"Being drained of your life energy has some repercussions. We need to take a break," Christian explained.
"How about we check this door to see if there is a more suitable place inside?" Lucretia suggested.
"Good idea." Christian put Menes into the bag before supporting Xin'er through the door. He wanted to carry her, but he felt a little weak, and the Stamina Charm did not improve his situation.