"Who is that? Such a handsome guy!"
"When did the Tower get such a high-level apprentice?"
"I haven't seen him before. Did he just get promoted?"
Soon, everyone in the Tower noticed Roy, who seemed to glow and stood out exceptionally.
He was impossible to ignore.
Most apprentices in the Wizard Tower were gloomy and reclusive, with many disfigured or disabled.
Busy with cultivation and studies all day, they had no time to care for or manage their personal appearance.
As soon as Roy appeared, he stood out like a crane among chickens, attracting a lot of attention.
"Hello there, would you like to be friends?"
A flamboyantly dressed high-level apprentice approached him. It was Bosi, the Tower's famous switch-hitter.
With a look of anticipation on his face, he couldn't help but lick his lips.
Roy's face darkened: "Get lost! Don't you recognize me, Roy?"
He never expected that excessive beautification would attract the same sex!
The effect was indeed a bit too strong.
"What, Senior Roy?" Bosi looked shocked.
He looked Roy up and down, and indeed, he could vaguely see some resemblance to Roy.
The effect of Narcissus Love wasn't to completely change one's appearance into something entirely unrelated, but to reshape one's image and temperament based on one's own soul and flesh.
So, although Roy's appearance had undergone a complete transformation, it still faintly carried some traces of his original self.
More importantly, the texture of his mental strength remained completely unchanged!
"Roy?"
"Is that Lord Roy?"
Everyone was also surprised, and upon closer inspection, they indeed noticed.
Bosi, both embarrassed and fearful, quickly apologized and ran away.
Several female apprentices, however, brightened up and gathered around: "Lord Roy, did you use a Beauty Potion?"
"Can you make those things?"
Many female wizards, by nature, also sought potions that could make people beautiful or keep them forever young.
This was a major branch of Potion Studies!
...
After dealing with the crowd, Roy left the commercial street and went to test Andov, Niya, and even Olinda and Milina one by one.
Everyone was greatly shocked.
Celine was also surprised: "You've already achieved extraordinary charm!"
"Good eye." Roy praised, in a great mood, "When I've figured it out, I'll help you tidy up too."
Celine pouted and didn't say much.
But the hidden hope in her eyes showed that she was quite interested in such potions.
After all, the skin she was currently wearing was left by Sophia, and the accumulation of various hormones and enhancers had completely ruined her appearance.
...
Two days later, in the library's reading area.
An apprentice approached respectfully: "Senior Roy, I have a lead on the alchemy materials you're looking for."
"Oh, what material is it?" Roy, flipping through a general knowledge book he was interested in, asked indifferently.
This person, named Canilla, was originally Balu's exclusive intelligence informant, quite skilled at gathering all sorts of information.
"It's about the 'Sacred Lake Crystal'..."
"Sacred Lake Crystal?" A strange light flashed in Roy's eyes, and he stopped, turning to look at him, "Tell me more."
In recent days, besides preparing the materials needed for "Narcissus Love," Roy had also been researching and planning to personally concoct another substance.
This held an even higher priority in his mind.
It was a type of Magical Potion belonging to the "Mana Essence Potion" category, designed to aid in the condensation of the Source of Magic.
The specific formula depended on the main materials he had on hand.
For instance, obtaining the Sacred Lake Crystal mentioned by this person would allow him to brew "Sacred Lake Blessing."
With other materials, he could create different potions.
...
"So, it's actually in the territory of the giants," Roy mused after Canilla, who had provided the clue, left. He sat down on the sofa in the rest area, deep in thought.
The main material he needed this time, the Sacred Lake Crystal, was a granular crystal that somewhat resembled coarse salt, containing rich magical substances and energy particles.
This material could only be produced in special regions imbued with ley lines and elemental forces, areas easily tied to the emotions of local intelligent beings, even worshipped by them.
Some believed it might contain something extra.
For example, something akin to the Mental Strength of faith!
"I... or rather, the innate talent of this body isn't particularly good!" Roy thought with a hint of lament.
"Even Sophia and Olen were deceived, thinking I had exceptional talent.
But in reality, my true strength lies in the soul of a transmigrator, my Alchemy Talent, and various potions.
Without drinking a potion, I'd revert to my original state.
Fortunately, there's no need to dwell on such matters.
Speeding up the preparation of Magic Stones is precisely for this grand purpose."
With these thoughts, Roy made up his mind to make the journey.
Thus, he began his preparations.
According to the clues provided by Canilla, there was a landslide-dammed lake formed two and a half years ago in the territory of the giants.
It was also born due to the influence of Chalkland.
Following the natural formation rules of Sacred Lake Crystals, it would typically take at least several decades, if not a century, to condense such a spiritual essence.
But due to the influence of ley lines and the infusion of vast amounts of Wizardry Energy in the surrounding area, the process was accelerated.
So, in just a year or two, it was highly likely to have matured.
...
A few days later, on February 15th.
Roy and Celine appeared on the highlands north of Gale Hills.
They spent some time bypassing the giants' settlement and, without alerting them, successfully located the lake mentioned in the intelligence.
"You stay on the shore and cover for me; I'll go down and take a look," Roy said to Celine after observing the terrain for a while.
Celine replied, "Maybe I should go down instead."
Roy countered, "Your injuries might not be fully healed yet, and my Mental Strength allows me to explore underwater much more conveniently than relying on your eyes."
Hearing this, Celine's expression became somewhat inscrutable: "But isn't this kind of task what a follower should do?"
Roy chuckled lightly at her words: "Don't take it so seriously. We're friends; the follower agreement is just to help you stay in the Tower!"
"Fr... friends?" Celine was slightly taken aback, showing a hint of surprise.
Soon after, Roy entered the water and began his dive to explore.
At this moment, he realized that the "Underwater Breathing Potion" and other items he had specially prepared for this exploration were actually unnecessary.
After the Blood Mercury replaced his original blood, such things were hardly needed anymore.
He felt that there wasn't much difference between being in the water and on land, but the underwater world was cold and desolate. After a short while, a vast underwater forest appeared before him.
(End of Chapter)