Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 18 A New Deal

Time passed quietly in the tranquil atmosphere, the darkness outside the window gradually faded, and a hint of dawn began to appear on the horizon.

Finally, as the first rays of morning light pierced through the curtains, Lillian stopped what she was doing.

On the table appeared several small crystal bottles, each containing liquids or pastes of different colors and textures.

She quickly put them all into her magical little bag.

"Is it done?" Green couldn't help but ask.

"No," Lillian replied crisply.

Green: "???"

Lillian clapped her hands, then looked at Green with a sly smile playing on her lips:

"I've given you the recipe and all the ingredients, so of course you'll have to make it yourself. I'm just using your place to take care of some personal belongings."

"..."

"If I'm not mistaken, you're playing me, aren't you?"

"I was demonstrating the process to you, didn't you pay attention?"

Green was speechless for a moment.

"Now," Lillian stood up, walked to the bedside, sat down, and crossed her legs.

"You can start now. Don't worry, I'll guide you. First, take out that small black porcelain bottle containing the 'Nightcrow Throat Bone Powder,' yes, that's it. Be careful not to spill it..."

Green was annoyed by Lillian's nonchalant attitude. But his anger quickly subsided.

He calmed down and thought for a moment.

Lillian was right. The deal only involved providing the recipe, without even including the materials, and there was no mention of helping him refine it.

The fact that the other party provided him with materials and was even willing to provide guidance was already considered extra compensation.

Having figured this out, Green took a deep breath, suppressed his distracting thoughts, and focused all his attention on the refining process.

"First pour in the water, yes, then add thirty milliliters of Black Abyss Demon Fish blood..."

"Five drops of black datura juice, stir clockwise three times as you add them..."

"Now put that scale in."

Every step requires precision and focus.

Green was completely focused, and fine beads of sweat gradually appeared on his forehead. He dared not be distracted in the slightest, because even a small mistake could lead to the loss of all his previous efforts or even unpredictable consequences.

Lillian stood by, sometimes offering brief reminders, sometimes observing in silence.

Half an hour later, Green carefully poured the approximately 30 milliliters of liquid into a prepared empty crystal bottle. The liquid rippled slightly in the bottle, emitting no odor, yet giving off a calm and mysterious feeling.

"Is that... all right?"

Holding the crystal bottle, Green asked somewhat uncertainly. The whole process went more smoothly than he had imagined, but the intense concentration had left him quite exhausted.

Lillian, unusually, refrained from sarcasm. She walked to the table, examined the liquid in the crystal bottle carefully, and nodded.

"Hmm, for your first attempt, it's not bad. At least it didn't explode or turn into something weird."

This is probably the highest praise she could give.

She immediately stood up, gracefully moved to Green's side, and whispered in a seductive tone, almost close to his ear, in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Once you drink it, you will truly step into the world of the extraordinary. Feel the flow of spirituality, glimpse the truth behind the veil... but—"

Her warm breath brushed against Green's skin, carrying a faint, inexplicable fragrance. This made Green's heart beat faster involuntarily, and he turned his head in confusion to look at Lillian, who was so close to him.

Lillian's eyes became strange and captivating as she continued in that soft, suggestive voice:

"Are you sure... you don't want to indulge your desires one last time before stepping onto this dangerous path? Like... enjoying the pleasures of being a normal man?"

Her fingers brushed lightly across the back of Green's hand holding the crystal bottle, her fingertips cool yet seemingly carrying an electric current.

Green felt his throat go dry, and his gaze involuntarily fell on Lillian's snow-white neck and delicate collarbone, the curves beneath her black velvet dress exuding allure.

True white...

A wave of intense heat instantly swept over his entire body; he could even hear the sound of his own blood flowing. A crazy thought screamed in his mind—

Quick! Push her down! Tear that annoying skirt off!

Lillian seemed pleased with his reaction, a slow smile playing on her lips, her voice growing even softer:

"After all...we'll be sisters from now on."

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Green's head, instantly extinguishing his burning desire and completely waking him from the daze of being dominated by instinct.

"Wh...what do you mean?"

Green jumped to his feet. "Sisters? You just said 'sisters'?"

Seeing his sudden clarity and even slight panic, Lillian couldn't help but chuckle, her voice carrying a hint of mischievous slyness.

"Yeah, sister."

She tilted her head, her black hair falling over her shoulders. "The Witch's Path, Sequence 9 'Assassin,' Sequence 8 'Instigator,' Sequence 7 'Witch'... Once you drink it and embark on this path, one day in the future, when you advance to Sequence 7, you will naturally understand."

After saying that, she winked. "Then, we'll be real sisters. Welcome to the future... 'Witch'?"

Lillian's casual "Miss Witch" exploded in Grimm's mind like a thunderclap.

Sequence 7...The Witch...

Someday in the future... you'll understand...

sisters......

These words, strung together, point to a chilling conclusion: when he drinks this potion and embarks on the so-called "witch's path," as he progresses through the sequence, he, Green, a man, will eventually... become a woman?!

He seeks power to protect himself and to gain a foothold in a perilous world, but certainly not to become another person, or even a person of a completely different gender.

He couldn't bear the price. Rather than becoming a "witch," he would rather rush out now and fight those Crimson Order members for three hundred rounds. Even if the outcome was death, at least he would still be himself.

A strong sense of resistance welled up inside him, and anger pounded against his nerves.

Without any hesitation, he suddenly raised his arm, about to throw the bottle of dark blue secret medicine that had just been refined and symbolized an extraordinary beginning against the wall!

"Why--!"

Just as the crystal bottle was about to slip from his grasp, a fair hand shot out like lightning and precisely grabbed his wrist.

It's Lillian.

"Let go!" Green whispered. "Are you kidding me?!"

"Calm down, you idiot," Lillian said in a deep voice.

"Do you know how much this little bottle is worth? The materials alone would be enough to keep you working yourself to the bone in the docks for years, not to mention the risks of refining it and my 'tutoring fee'! You think you can just throw it away like that? This isn't how you squander money!"

"valuable?"

Green almost laughed in anger. He glared at Lillian, "You're telling me it's valuable? If I drink it, I won't be myself anymore!"

"Who told you that drinking it would instantly turn you into a woman?"

Lillian rolled her eyes, flicked her wrist, and held the crystal bottle in her palm.

"Sequence 9 Assassin and Sequence 8 Instigator, neither of these sequences will change your gender. They simply endow you with the corresponding abilities, allowing you to gradually adapt to spirituality and touch the extraordinary essence."

"I refuse."

Lillian gently placed the crystal bottle on the table, then spun around and sat back on the bed. "Alright, how about we make a deal?"

"A transaction? What do you mean?"

Green frowned, watching Lillian warily. He had already made a deal with Prosperous Garden, and now another deal was popping up?

Lillian crossed her legs, lightly tapping her knee with her fingers, her face regaining its sly and nonchalant smile:

"Literally, it's a private deal between you and me. I can offer you an alternative path to a Sequence 9 potion, a path that... won't turn you into a 'sister'."

Green's heart skipped a beat, but remembering everything the other party had done, he remained vigilant: "What's the price?"

"The Messenger of Silence," Lillian uttered the word.