Chapter 19: The Dragon’s Blood and the Alchemist’s Choice

The green light quickly dissipated, but Gasla’s external injuries had mostly healed. The more severe wounds were beginning to scab over, and new fur was already sprouting on his back.

From Votila’s perspective, this healing magic was remarkably effective. The quality of this scroll also appeared significantly superior to those sold in shops.

Seeing that Gasla’s injuries were no longer serious, the girl’s expression relaxed slightly. She reached out and patted his canine head.

“Come on, let’s go see what became of that golem after it was burned.”

“Woof woof,” Gasla responded.

The crimson lotus by the lake had vanished at some unknown point, leaving behind only scorched earth. Small flames occasionally flickered amidst the charred trees surrounding the area.

Though it appeared devastating, the forest had not suffered widespread damage; only a small section of trees near the lotus’s center had been ruined.

Witnessing this, Votila couldn’t help but marvel once more. Had the girl’s control over magic truly reached such a degree? It was crucial to remember that the magic driving the spell was not from her own mana source.

As for the black monster from before? One could barely discern a humanoid lump of black charcoal within the crimson lotus’s scorched zone. No, rather than charcoal, it was more akin to a mass of black ash, still emitting white smoke.

“Ah, it seems to be completely incinerated,” the blonde girl lamented, standing before the monster’s remains. “It looks like nothing useful will be left behind.”

“Woof woof,” Gasla wagged his tail in agreement behind the girl, carrying her small black box in his mouth.

Noticing that neither the girl nor the dog seemed particularly interested in the monster’s remains, Votila leaped from the girl’s shoulder.

Votila believed that certain things within the monster’s body would not be so easily destroyed. He jumped to the ground in front of the girl, raising a paw to gesticulate at her.

Mulee Hua gazed at the gesticulating cat before her, her brow furrowed slightly, seemingly puzzled by what the small feline was trying to convey.

Votila gesticulated with great seriousness and effort, urging the girl to inspect the area thoroughly.

After observing the black cat intently for a long moment and confirming her understanding was correct, the girl raised an eyebrow and inquired, “Oh? Are you telling me to dig up the corpse?”

Though the phrasing felt a bit odd, that was roughly the intention. Votila gestured in confirmation.

“Hmm…” Mulee Hua pondered, staring at the monster’s remnants, then addressed Gasla: “Gasla, this glorious and arduous task falls to you.”

“Woof! Woof!” Gasla shook his head frantically, his expression clearly unwilling.

“Come on! Only you can handle this important mission. I’ll give you extra food tonight!”

Upon hearing the words “extra food,” Gasla’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he happily barked his assent. He scampered forward and began digging into the monster’s corpse.

Before long, Gasla unearthed a jumble of miscellaneous items from the monster’s belly. There were charred stones, carbonized bones, and other strange, unrecognizable objects.

Watching Gasla dig with such fervor, Votila realized that this fierce dog was seemingly immune to the residual heat left by the flames.

Just as Mulee Hua’s patience began to wane, a metallic *clink* sounded. Gasla trotted over, clutching what appeared to be a metal tag in his jaws.

*This thing is?!*

What surprised Votila was not the tag itself, but a single drop of viscous liquid clinging to it.

It was a drop of red liquid, intricately patterned with golden veins.

“What is this?” Mulee Hua took the tag from Gasla’s mouth. “Could this be the source of the golem’s ability to undergo a second enhancement?”

Mulee Hua did not recognize it, but Votila did. This drop of red liquid, teeming with golden threads, was his own blood.

A single drop of dragon’s blood, processed by human alchemists through unknown means.

It was so disfigured that Votila himself had almost failed to recognize it. Indeed, had it not been for the soul-deep bloodline resonance, Votila would not have identified it as dragon’s blood at all.

“What’s written on this tag?” Mulee Hua, however, first examined the tag that had not been consumed by the crimson lotus’s flames. “It seems to say, ‘Experiment Subject… 101’?”

*Experiment subject?* Yes, it was a test subject for human bio-alchemy experiments. Votila’s eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of coldness in their depths. Everything was humanity’s masterpiece, a true reflection of human evil.

Dragon’s blood was a supreme magical ingredient that every human alchemist coveted upon sight. Perhaps the girl before him hadn’t recognized the dragon’s blood, but Votila believed that if she truly possessed the potential of a top-tier alchemist, she could not fail to see the value of this drop of blood.

So, what would this girl do? This young human alchemist.

…

Votila’s claws slowly extended from his paw pads. His golden eyes once again burned with intensity.

Should even the slightest hint of abnormality appear in the girl’s eyes, it would not escape Votila’s notice.

Votila did not wish to see the outcome he predicted in his mind; it was rare to find a human in this world he found agreeable.

“Even the crimson lotus’s flames couldn’t destroy this drop of blood, could they?” Mulee Hua mused.

As the girl fell silent, Votila’s muscles slowly tensed. Through his golden eyes, he perceived a flicker of hesitation in her gaze.

*As expected… would it come to this?*

Votila was unwilling, and would not permit, his own bloodline to be wantonly manipulated by base and inferior humans.

*Then… if I were to ambush her from this distance, this human…*

Votila crouched slightly, his fingertips digging into the soil. If he so wished, his claws could, at any moment, rake across the girl’s unprotected, delicate neck.

“Woof!” As if sensing Votila’s hostility, Gasla immediately crouched in front of the girl, letting out a hostile bark.

Just before Votila could make a move, the girl stepped forward, soothed the fierce dog, and placed the tag in front of Votila.

“Nana, is this what you risked your life to obtain? It’s yours now. Please don’t leave my sight again, alright?”

*Hmm… this girl…*

Votila was somewhat taken aback, looking at the girl’s gentle smile before him.

*Yes, this girl, though human, did not possess the malice of other humans.*

*This monster was also defeated by her.*

*If not for her, he would have long since perished in the lake.*

*Not all human alchemists are villains.*

*Giving this drop of blood to this girl might be far better than it falling into the hands of others.*

Votila pushed the tag back, gesticulating with his paw, signaling for the girl to keep it.

In truth, from the moment this girl pulled him out of the lake, he could no longer claim this item for himself.

Mulee Hua: “…?”