The pharmacists were chasing me.

The snow was like goose feathers floating in the air, falling all over the streets. The biting cold wind penetrated the gaps in the collars, making people exhale hot air, which turned into white mist.

The warm aroma wafting from the kitchen made people's appetites grow. Abner said happily: "My son is amazing! He is obviously a future genius pharmacist!"

The other person nodded and said, "My son is amazing! He can easily deal with that kind of guy!"

"My son is amazing!"

Mason separated the two of them with a sullen look on his face. Fayrel touched the corner of her eye sadly. Her body was made of light, and she could faintly smell the sweet fragrance of flowers.

"The child has grown up and no longer listens to his mother..."

"I didn't, but you've been saying this for two hours. I'm tired of it even if you guys don't!"

He felt a little shy and embarrassed at first, but then it became normal. After hearing this, Mason only hoped that the two of them would finish the conversation quickly.

Seeing this, Fayrel looked sad: "Dear, our child seems to have really grown up."

Abner held her arm, his expression equally sad: "Dear, let the child go when he grows up. He should have his own freedom."

"But I've only been with him for such a short time, I really don't want him to go out and hang out alone!"

Mason: “…”

The two of them chatted with each other, their affection was deep and there was a hint of teasing in their love. The chestnut-haired boy rushed into the kitchen as if escaping. Kuai was cooking and was startled by his action.

Mason made a gesture of silence with a bitter look on his face: "Let me hide here for a while."

The old woman looked outside and laughed, "Master Abner and Master Faile really love you."

Mason rubbed his cheeks in embarrassment. "That's true, but to be honest, it's quite stressful."

He still couldn't accept that they were his parents, after all, he was an adult in his twenties. But during this period of time, he gradually accepted that they were his family.

Kuai smiled and said, "It's a good idea to have this idea. Even parents and children should have a sense of distance, and don't take the other person's kindness for granted. Love is not about giving, but about giving and receiving."

She lowered her eyes to look at the pot in her hands, where the boiling cream and onion soup was bubbling. Unlike her age, she looked old, with wrinkles and age spots all over her hands. She spoke slowly, like a large floating dandelion.

"Most bloodline people have strange personalities and their way of expressing emotions is not normal, but I can feel that they love you. Besides, you are indeed the most talented pharmacist I have ever seen. After Earl Ya'an distributed the purification formula, all pharmacists went crazy for it. If I look for a teacher now, I'm afraid that no pharmacist in the whole city of Ya'an would dare to say that he is qualified. I'm afraid that my apprentice will graduate the next day."

This statement is...not an exaggeration.

As long as Mason wanted, there were many people vying to teach his vests, so he didn't even need to take the mere city of Ya'an seriously.

Mason said modestly, "I am here to learn the knowledge of the Bloodline. The potion is just a supplement."

Absinthe opened his mouth and was dazzled by these words.

It's just a side note, is it okay if you study it seriously?

"You...you will definitely become a master of potions."

This sentence is not a blessing, but a prophecy. There are many people in Ya'an who want to curry favor with each other. Kuai looked at the chestnut-haired boy with admiration. The latter stood straight, just smiled when he heard it, and helped her take the meal out.

“Knock knock.”

He had just put the meal on the table when he heard a knock on the door. Abner went to open the door, and the person outside asked politely, "Excuse me, does Mr. Mason live here?"

"What do you want with my son?"

The visitor was immediately overjoyed: "It turns out that Mr. Mason really lives here. I am Sinclair Kevin, a pharmacist in Ya'an City. I have some questions about purification drugs that I would like to ask Mr. Mason. I am willing to pay 600 rubles!"

"Okay, you fat guy, you want to get Mr. Mason's teachings for 600 lopies?" The person who came later was panting and pleading. When he heard this, he immediately got angry. "I'll pay 1,000 lopies!"

"You shorty, you keep competing with me, I'll give you 1,100 loppies!"

"You two are both broke, so don't embarrass yourself here. I'll give you 1,500 loppies."

"you...."

No one knew who leaked his address, but more and more pharmacists came to seek advice, blocking the door to his house.

The chestnut-haired boy came over, and the pharmacists were even more excited when they saw him. The boy had a hint of confusion in his eyes: "Thank you for your appreciation. As for the purification potion, the time and temperature are marked. Can't we make it just by looking at the formula?"

The pharmacists took a deep breath. The fat pharmacist who came first explained, "Of course not. It's impossible for anyone to be so precise. So it's useless to just know the time and temperature. You have to know why it's done this way so that you can adjust the variables according to the situation. There are many things we don't understand about this prescription, so we came to visit specially."

It's impossible for someone in the world to make perfect quality medicine every time, right? He wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead and pretended not to understand the true meaning of the other party's question.

"I see. I followed the recipe. If I can replicate it, it will be the perfect medicine."

This was the first time Mason had heard of this. As long as the pharmacists gave him the prescription, he could make it immediately. Thinking carefully, he realized that he seemed to have never failed. Every bottle of medicine he made was of perfect quality.

The fat pharmacist swallowed his saliva and looked at him with even more envy and hatred. Damn it, what kind of person is showing off? Is he really a human being!?

No matter! The fat pharmacist, not caring that he was already a senior pharmacist with more than ten years of experience, said respectfully to the newcomer in front of him who had just started learning: "Please teach me how to do this. I am willing to pay 3,000 rupees to learn!"

Other pharmacists were outraged and condemned that someone had sneaked away, and they also paid money to ask to become disciples.

Mason touched his chin and said with an idea: "I know more than one prescription, and I can teach you all of them. In addition to money, I want to reach a cooperation with you. My territory produces polluted plants. I will use my knowledge and raw materials to exchange for the medicine you make. After selling it, we will split the profits 50-50. How about it?"

This was undoubtedly a loss from a pharmacist's perspective, but everyone nodded without hesitation, and some even shed tears of gratitude.

Many pharmacists have superb skills, but they are unable to improve because they don't know more techniques and prescriptions. Now that such a great opportunity is in front of them, you'd be a fool not to accept it!

Seeing that they agreed decisively, Mason said with satisfaction: "We have a batch of edelweiss flowers recently. Anyone who knows how to make medicine with it can come in."

"Me! I can make antifreeze, which requires a lot of edelweiss as raw material. The sales are very good!"

"Bullshit, how much is your antifreeze potion? My frost potion is always in short supply, this batch of edelweiss should be given to me!"

The pharmacists, who usually pay great attention to their image, were arguing with each other until their faces turned red, and they almost came to blows to win the deal. Abner looked at them in astonishment, and then looked at the chestnut-haired boy. The latter had already returned to the house and called him to eat in a considerate manner.

The man stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"Dear, do you think it is possible that I am actually a potential business genius and that is why I passed on such a smart brain to my son?"

The woman glanced at him sideways and said calmly, "My dear, of course it's impossible. Otherwise, I would have changed into new jewelry long ago."

The corner of Abner's mouth twitched, and he said weakly: "My dear, I am not such a waste..."

The weak tail tone disappeared into the air, like a silent complaint.

…

Mason easily dealt with these pharmacists. He spent half of his time helping in the hospital and observing secret brew addicts, and the other half hanging out with Orih and others.

The snow kept falling, and the insect bloodline people were generally not very active. Ollie wore a new dress with a furry collar and cuffs, and looked as cute as a fluffy snow ball.

It took Mason several days to gain the other party's trust. With Ya'an's help, he integrated into the team and had a good exchange of feelings with old friends he had never met before.

Ten days later, a carriage stopped at the gate of Partington. The cold weather made the traffic very rare, and even the pharmacists crowded at the gate.

The pharmacists were in tears, wishing they could follow each other: "Mr. Mason, won't you stay for a while?"

"If we delay any longer, the road back will be blocked by heavy snow. I will come back when I transport the edelweiss. You must complete the task I assign you."

After hearing what the boy said, the pharmacist's sad expression became more real. They only thought there was a gap between the two sides, but they didn't expect the gap to be so big!

It turns out that there really is a kind of person in the world who can perfectly replicate the prescription hundreds of thousands of times, with every minute, every second, every millimeter, and every gram accurate, making everyone feel like a waste. Now everyone is practicing basic skills at home, striving to be able to complete all the steps with their eyes closed and to the exact second like the other person.

Ya'an, who came to see him off, put a wooden box into his palm with a dark face: "I asked you to come to Ya'an to study, not to kidnap my pharmacist."

"I didn't." The boy blinked innocently and put away the gift his father got for him. "I only took away a volunteer pharmacist apprentice."

"Don't think I don't know how special she is."

Yaan blew his beard and glared. If he really wanted to know something, nothing in Yaan City could hide it from his eyes. The pharmacist hid it very well, so much so that when the count knew the identity of Absinthe, he felt regret for the first time. If he had known that the other party was special, he should have rescued this little girl earlier and used her for his own use.

Unfortunately, it was too late, Kuai had already decided to leave. After all, they were his own people, so Ya'an reluctantly agreed to the other party, and at the same time increased the monitoring of bloodline people in the city to ensure that such incidents would not happen again.

The order of Ya'an City cannot be destroyed because of the reckless behavior of one person. As a lord, he must defend the right of ordinary people to survive. Only bloodline people can fight against bloodline people. He is the sword of the people of Ya'an against the arrogant.

Olivia dragged Rambo to join in the fun. Mason got along well with them during this time. The blond-haired, blue-eyed girl came over and gave him a big bear hug: "Come and play again next time!"

Rambo stood behind and nodded without saying anything. Mason held Ollie and spun her around, making the little girl giggle. Then he asked, "Where's Vera?"

Rambo replied: "You came at the right time. You just happened to encounter her last period of stay in our team. She has already reported to the new place."

Mason smiled and said, "I thought you guys got along well."

The girl whispered to him innocently, "Yes. But she wants to atone her sins. We are taking different paths."

Mason's heart moved, and he didn't ask any more questions. He finally said goodbye to everyone one by one, turned around and got on the carriage.

Abner walked up to Ya'an, hugged her tightly, patted her on the back, and turned to get on the carriage.

The horse pulling the cart snorted, puffed out hot air from its mouth, and trotted towards the frosty road.

Ya'an stared at their backs until everyone else left, then she turned around and walked alone on the street.

He knew Yaan as well as he knew his own body. There were no pedestrians on the remote path, and Yaan had forgotten the last time he had seen snow like this. There was only one person's footprint left on the snow behind him, and after a while, it was unknown who sighed first.

"Do you remember when we were together at Darkside?"

A pleasant voice answered. His features were delicate and gentle, and he walked through the snow without leaving any trace. They looked at the heavy snow side by side, as if they were seeing the cold winter again.

"Who would forget that place? The Black Mist Frontier was a terrible place. Even the snow was black. It was freezing cold. Do you remember little Peter? He was the kid who vowed to make a career in the frontier. He died in the winter. Many of us didn't survive the severe cold that year."

"I remember that, too. I was lost in the fog and nearly froze to death. It was you and Abner who found me."

"You should be thankful that we were able to find you. After we returned, everyone was punished by the person in charge of the town. Especially Abner, who was given an extra beating for being stubborn."

"But I later bought a week's vacation for Abner, and you took care of him personally. It was during that time that you two secretly decided to spend your lives together and finally got together."

Yan pointed out the key point sharply, and Faile smiled: "Thank you so much."

The two looked at each other and laughed at the same time. As they laughed, they became quiet again.

"You received the transfer order, right?"

"Of course. Once the Black Mist counterattack plan is implemented, none of us can escape."

"Honestly, I don't want to go. Last time, we were well prepared for the Black Mist counterattack plan, but we ended up in a disastrous defeat. This time, only the Speaker of the Parliament has recovered from his injuries, and the twelve Round Table families are not complete. Can we really succeed? The situation has not improved. Why is the Parliament so anxious?"

Phailer showed a sad look: "Besides, Mason has finally recovered. If Abner and I go west, we will be separated again."

Ya'an was silent for a moment: "This is the duty of the nobles. Normally, only one person from a couple needs to go, but unfortunately your bloodline is Twin Flowers."

The Twins are a very strict bloodline, where both parties are connected in spirit and share the same thoughts. This makes Twins bloodlines mostly blood relatives or lovers who are inseparable.

Both parties can call upon their other halves from different periods of time to come and help them, which means that if the other party is of S-level bloodline, then you can summon other halves of SABCDE levels.

In addition, particularly impressive stages can be remembered multiple times, such as Abner, who can summon up to a dozen phantoms of Fayrel.

But its side effects are also quite strong. The Twin Flowers cannot be too far away from each other. If one of them dies, the other will go crazy and die. For all these reasons, the Twin Flowers are also one of the friendliest monsters that are closest to humans in appearance and thinking.

If they go to the Black Mist Border, the couple will inevitably be separated from their son. Bloodlines who have been to the West are the main targets of the call. They are powerful and experienced, and it is difficult to refuse without a good reason.

Yaan's expression softened: "I can help you..."

"No thanks." Faile shook his head, his voice low. "Someone has to go. One more person is better than one less."

Yaan remained silent, listening to her sigh: "The child has never been close to me, perhaps because Abner and I are not often at home, and we did not take care of him when he needed it. This makes us very unfamiliar."

"I don't know how to explain it. He was born with the Black Mist curse, and Abner and I blamed ourselves so much and kept looking for a cure. Did anyone ever ask us, is it really worth it?"

"But when I saw him open his eyes, I realized that this was the best thing I had done. Over the years, Abner and I had been tainted to such an extent that I almost hurt him when we first met. I feel so sorry."

"Now, my child has become a blood relative. I don't know when he will grow up to be someone I don't recognize. So I can't help but wonder, what can I leave for him? Let him remember me as an irresponsible mother?"

Faile tilted her head and smiled: "Now, I found the answer."

"I want my child to live a better life. So I have to go. If even I retreat, who can protect him from the dark fog?"

Yaan said in a low voice: "And I will stay. Yaan needs me."

"That's why we came to you. Please take care of him while we're away. No matter how smart he is, he's still a child."

"I will. Bring the child to me when you return."

"Then you must prepare a new gift."

Faile smiled softly, and her figure disappeared into the air with a wisp of dreamlike fragrance.

Ya'an stared at the empty side of him, half-smiled and half-sighed, "It's a deal."

......

The pages of paper were gently turned, and neat notes were written on each side. It was as if I could see the tip of the pen dipped in ink, recording what I saw and heard today under the dim light. At the end, it was like a dragonfly skimming the water, spreading a dark spot of rich ink on the paper.

【Research Diary Day 1】

【I came to the hospital to help today. The newly made sedatives were put into use, and it will take a few days to observe the situation. I took the initiative to join the medical bloodline to provide them with assistance.】

【Research Diary Day 2】

[Ordinary people who took sedatives showed significant improvement, but the effect on blood patients was weaker. New information was obtained by reading the case reports, and occasionally there were cases of sudden changes in the blood patients.]

【......】

【Research Diary Day 5】

[The hospital was very grateful for the large amount of medicine I provided, which earned the doctors' favor. The hospital brought in a batch of secret brews, which were said to be obtained from merchants and handed over to the hospital for destruction. I don't know why, but when I smelled it carefully, it felt familiar. Strange, I always felt that I had overlooked something. ]

【Research Diary Day 6】

[The blood vessels in the hospital had a mutation, but fortunately it was stopped in time and no casualties were caused.]

【......】

【Research Diary Day 10】

[I left Ya'an City today. It is confirmed that the secret brew has a negative effect on bloodline users. The drinker's emotions are extremely volatile and they lose control when strongly stimulated. The pharmacist's mutation is not an isolated case.]

Mason stopped writing and stared at the smudged ink for a long time.

The secret brewing appeared not only in the territory of Earl Ya'an, but also, according to the Chamber of Commerce, wherever they went to trade, there were traces of it.

No one knows who was the first person to sell the secret brew, but it spread like wildfire in cities. By the time it was discovered, it was already unstoppable.

Those who live in pain will inevitably seek pleasure, the bloodline wants to purify the pollution with secret brewing, and ordinary people indulge in the pleasure after drinking. Once you drink it, the rich aroma will capture the soul of the drinker.

The church immediately issued a statement, strictly prohibiting believers from drinking secret brews, and immediately removing them once discovered. The radical measures suppressed some people who were tempted to do so, but could not awaken the real addicts.

It became difficult to implement the order to various regions. Black merchants secretly sold the secret brew. Due to its high price, the most popular place at present is Partington.

This place has the most prosperous economy, the richest people, and the highest density of bloodline residents among all human beings, which perfectly meets all the needs of secret brewing.

Mason had no choice but to tell the people around him to be careful with the secret brew and never drink it, and then put the matter aside for the time being.

The carriage swayed and took several days to return to the territory. Mason had his last meal in the castle and set out on the road back to New Town with the team before the snow blocked the road.

Partington, Black District.

Even though the Black Forest Tavern has become the dominant force in the black area, some people still continue to risk their lives to resell. The ban never stops, and the blood in front of the tavern has dried into an indelible stain, but it cannot defeat the pursuit of profit.

The white-haired boy threw the body aside and wiped the blood from his palm expressionlessly. His scarlet eyes were filled with disgust.

Even the wild beasts in the wilderness know to submit to the strong and not cross the boundary. But humans will only challenge his bottom line one after another.

A flake of snow fell on his hair, then on his eyelashes and cheeks. The cold snowflakes did not melt, Bai seemed to realize something and looked up at the sky. The people around him shuddered: "It looks like it's going to snow heavily."

A mysterious premonition was triggered, and Bai turned around suddenly, seeing a black-robed merchant standing at the wall not far away, his black robe almost blending into the night.

He came and went without a trace, freer than the wind, and never left footprints that could be captured. Bai couldn't help but show joy on his face, and shouted "Master", turning from a cruel tavern owner into a tamed beast.

The black-robed merchant raised his head, his mask gleaming in the moonlight. The profiteer touched Bai's head, and his palm felt very warm.

Then he said.

"Shiro, it's the Edelweiss Festival."