Chapter 29: Celosia's Counterattack
Inside the shabby wooden shack, the smell of roasting meat filled the air.
Sizzle.
A thick piece of meat was cooking on an iron plate over the furnace, releasing fat as it browned.
Elliott picked up a piece of golden wolf meat and put it into his mouth.
"Mm."
It was tough.
So tough that his jaw hurt, but the juices that came out the more he chewed tasted excellent.
More importantly, whenever the meat went down his throat, he could feel a faint warmth rising from his Mana Core.
'There's Mana in the meat too.'
It was only a mutated wolf, not even strong enough to be counted among Arcane Beasts, but its meat still seemed to have some nutritional value.
It filled his stomach and restored some Mana.
He could sell the hide later.
"That was good."
After finishing the meal, Elliott wiped his mouth.
Now that his stomach was full, his head began to work again.
'One-Star Adept, Third Stage.'
His cultivation speed had become noticeably faster recently.
It was thanks to the synergy between the Infinite Proficiency System and Painforged.
But human greed had no end.
Elliott was already starting to feel the limits of his current method.
'The medicine isn't working anymore.'
Perhaps he had developed resistance to the cheap Mana Gathering Pills from the Golden Dragon Apothecary.
Now, even after taking one, all he got was a stomachache. The amount of Mana he gained was barely noticeable.
If he wanted to break through to a higher stage, he needed better fuel.
However, buying higher-quality medicine continuously would be too expensive.
His aptitude was also too poor to rely only on medicine made by others.
It would be far better to make it himself.
Of course, for that, he needed an alchemical formula and an Alchemy Cauldron.
The cheap Bronze Furnace he currently used was enough for basic medicines like Blood-Staunching Powder.
But it was nowhere near good enough for higher-level pills that required delicate control of heat.
Arum, the owner of the Hundred Herbs Apothecary, had confidently said he would find a formula somehow.
Elliott only had to wait for that.
Perhaps Arum had become more motivated because of the Golden Dragon Apothecary.
The real problem was the cauldron.
A decent Alchemy Cauldron was not sold in ordinary stores.
It was specialized equipment used only by alchemists, so it was not widely distributed.
If he wanted an exceptional cauldron with high heat resistance and good Mana conductivity, he would have to commission one from a skilled Arcane Artificer or buy one of their completed works at a high price.
That was why Elliott had been saving money steadily for almost two months.
'The problem is that I don't have those kinds of connections.'
He could ask Arum.
But he did not want that merchant to find another weakness or put him under another debt.
That left only one choice.
'The Black Serpent Syndicate.'
There was one man there whom Elliott had become fairly familiar with.
He stood up and put on his outer robe.
+++
The Black Serpent Syndicate's Seventh Branch.
Elliott pushed open the heavy iron door and stepped inside.
Creeeak.
Thick smoke, the metallic smell of iron and blood, and the heat of the gambling tables rushed toward him.
At that moment, a familiar voice came through the smoke.
"Oh my, Sir!"
A familiar woman approached.
It was Celosia, the woman who had treated Elliott like a penniless debtor and coldly turned away from him during his previous visit.
Her attitude was completely different now.
"You came again? Why did you take so long? I thought my eyes would fall out from waiting."
Celosia spoke in an overly sweet voice as she blocked Elliott's path.
Her eyes gleamed greedily, like a bear that had found a jar of honey.
'What's with her all of a sudden?'
Elliott was confused.
Had she lost her mind?
The reason was simple.
During the past two months, Celosia had seen Elliott speaking comfortably with Acke several times throughout the branch.
'If even that difficult Acke treats him so warmly, he must have someone powerful behind him.'
His clothes might have been shabby, but there was clearly something valuable hidden underneath.
In any case, she had decided that becoming close to him could only be useful.
"The tables are good today. Do you want to play a round? I'll introduce you to an excellent seat."
Celosia naturally linked her arm with Elliott's.
Through the thin silk, the softness of her full chest pressed openly against his arm.
A sharp thrill ran through him.
"Or would you rather have some tea with me inside? I prepared something very special."
Celosia breathed warmly beside his ear.
Her fingers moved along Elliott's arm and brushed across his chest.
For a moment, Elliott was flustered.
He was still a man.
It was impossible not to react to her soft skin and heavy fragrance.
However, the calculating greed hidden in her eyes was far too obvious.
'Unbelievable. She really decided I'm an easy target.'
A mischievous smile appeared on Elliott's lips.
Celosia expected him to blush, panic, or pull away.
Instead, Elliott moved first.
Tap.
Rather than removing her arm from his, he grabbed her waist.
It was firm, flexible, and narrow enough to fit in one hand.
Celosia's eyes widened.
Elliott pulled her toward him.
Their bodies pressed together without any space between them.
He stared down into her startled eyes and whispered.
"Why do we need to go somewhere else?"
Elliott pushed one leg between hers and pressed his lower body against her without shame.
Heat passed between them through the thin fabric.
He twisted the corner of his mouth and deliberately put a crazed look in his eyes.
"A closed room sounds boring. A corridor like this, where everyone passing by can watch, is more exciting. Don't you think?"
In any civilized place, doing something like this would have put him in chains.
But this was the lawless world of Adepts, where morality meant little.
Elliott felt Celosia's shoulders twitch and celebrated inwardly.
'That got you, didn't it, you fox?'
It was a small revenge for the way she had ignored him before and now tried to play with him.
He was certain she would panic, push him away, or run off with a red face.
But Elliott had miscalculated.
Celosia's eyes trembled for a moment.
Then they curved into seductive crescents.
Instead of pulling away, she wrapped both arms around Elliott's neck.
Then she boldly stood on her toes.
Her red lips covered his.
A short but intense wet sound echoed through the corridor.
"...?!"
This time, Elliott's eyes widened.
It was an attack he had not expected.
Something soft and hot touched his lips and pulled away.
For that brief moment, his mind went completely blank.
Celosia licked her red lips and smiled.
"Was that more to your taste?"
She tapped Elliott's lips with one finger.
"You have unusual preferences, but I'm not the type to back down."
Her hand slowly moved toward the tie of her robe.
The cloth already barely covered her.
She looked ready to pull it loose and throw the whole thing away.
"Should we do it right here, Sir?"
Provocation was answered with provocation.
Madness was answered with greater madness.
Celosia did not even blink as she returned Elliott's challenge.
"...Enough."
Elliott raised both hands and hurriedly stepped back.
This woman was serious.
If he continued, they might really end up doing something in the middle of the Black Serpent Syndicate's corridor.
"No. I want to continue."
"Stop."
When Elliott raised the white flag, Celosia released the tie of her robe and burst into laughter.
"Oh, how boring. You started like a tiger, so why are you ending like this?"
She lightly tapped Elliott's chest.
"Sir, you're more innocent and cute than I expected. You only pretend to be a dangerous wolf."
Elliott cleared his throat and tried to calm the heat in his face.
If he let this fox-like woman drag him along any further, she would strip away everything he had.
"Ahem. Where is Acke?"
Elliott changed the subject.
Celosia did not remove the smile from her lips.
She pointed with her chin toward the entertainment district outside the building.
"He's probably at The Drunken Adept House, or drinking in the alley beside it."
"A drinking house?"
"Yes. He loves alcohol. He's probably drinking in the middle of the day with a few courtesans."
Celosia gave him a puzzled look.
"You didn't know? Even the cats around here know how much he loves drinking."
Her eyes narrowed.
Perhaps Elliott's relationship with Acke was not as close as she had thought.
Or perhaps he was pretending not to know.
Elliott ignored the searching look in her eyes.
He turned around without hesitation.
Celosia seemed about to whisper something else from behind him, but Elliott waved his hand and left the branch.