Chapter 22: The Root of the Ailment

Votila naturally recognized human script, having known it since its time as a dragon. However, Votila was puzzled as to why Gasla also understood human writing, considering Gasla was merely a dog.

‘Could this fellow also be the reincarnation of some intellectual lifeform, just like me?’ Votila wondered.

As these thoughts crossed its mind, Votila noticed the book’s edge was nearly tattered. It seemed this particular page had been turned frequently.

Suddenly, Votila felt a wave of relief.

‘Of course,’ it mused, ‘this page must have been shown to Gasla often by their owner, allowing the dog to memorize it, rather than actually understanding the words themselves.’

Dismissing these extraneous thoughts, Votila focused on the page’s contents:

“Congenital Mana Imbalance Syndrome, also known as Spiritual Foundation Deficiency Mutation. The etiology is unknown, but the magical community holds three mainstream views:

First, the mother experienced a strong mana impact during pregnancy, leading to a congenital deficiency in the fetus’s spiritual foundation.

Second, the fetus was subjected to a curse of some kind.

Third, consanguineous marriage.

Several other theories exist regarding the cause of this syndrome, but they are less widely held and will not be listed individually due to the book’s scope.

Those afflicted with this syndrome possess an incomplete spiritual foundation from birth and are unable to generate mana themselves.”

‘Unable to generate mana themselves?’

Votila recalled Mulee Hua having mentioned numerous times that she herself could not produce mana.

Without mana, one could not become a spellcaster. Without mana, she was treated as useless by her classmates at school and ordered to withdraw by her teachers.

Without mana, she was forced to rely on expensive magical consumables when using spells.

That skill, which nearly crippled her hands after a single use, must have been a compromise born from her inability to wield mana.

‘So, this was the reason she couldn’t use mana…’

Votila had been unaware until now.

“Individuals with a deficient spiritual foundation must not approach mana sources casually. Should they do so, different symptoms will manifest depending on the degree of the deficiency.

In mild cases, contact with ordinary mana sources produces no obvious symptoms.

However, when exposed to high-concentration, chaotic mana sources, a life-force depletion syndrome will occur due to the disparity in mana concentration between the spiritual foundation’s interior and exterior.

In severe cases, one must not approach any mana source whatsoever, as irreversible life-force depletion will occur, leading to a high risk of death.”

Votila did not know what a ‘spiritual foundation’ was. However, it certainly understood the words ‘life-force depletion.’

The crystal scroll was a mana source, and Votila was certain Mulee Hua would know of her own condition. Therefore, ordinary mana sources should pose no threat to Mulee Hua.

The only remaining possibility was the so-called high-concentration, chaotic mana source.

Votila’s gaze swept towards Mulee Hua. On the girl’s bedside table sat a transparent glass tube, within which shimmered a single drop of red liquid streaked with golden纹理.

As Votila’s vision sharpened, it could sense the immense mana contained within.

‘So, you are indeed the culprit!’

Votila leaped onto the bedside table, bit down on the glass tube, and flung it out the door.

Having completed this, Votila returned to its original spot and continued reading.

“There is currently no known cure for this syndrome. While an academic authority once proposed the possibility of reshaping the spiritual foundation, no successful cases have ever been recorded.”

‘No complete treatment? That means it’s an incurable disease.’

Votila continued reading the book’s contents. The subsequent sections only detailed methods for treating life-force depletion caused by proximity to mana sources; indeed, there was no mention of a complete cure.

‘This is truly troublesome,’ Votila thought, vexed. ‘To think such a terrible thing happened due to a moment of carelessness.’

That drop of dragon blood had been given to Mulee Hua by Votila, and it had never imagined such a consequence.

Mulee Hua’s life force was steadily draining away. If no action were taken, she would become a cold corpse before daybreak.

The book clearly described methods for treating life-force depletion. There were many approaches, the simplest requiring only a high-tier spellcaster to lock the leaking life force with their mana.

Votila felt a headache coming on. In this remote little town, late at night, where was it supposed to find a high-tier spellcaster? Even if one existed, Votila was merely a cat; how could it possibly bring such a person here?

‘This method is unfeasible. Discarded!’

The next method required a low-tier spellcaster, along with some auxiliary magic…

There was indeed a low-tier spellcaster, but if Votila were to seek that person out, it would likely become a sacrifice in their magic circle the very next second.

Moreover, that person couldn’t even manage a simple swiftness spell; asking them to perform a high-difficulty task like saving someone would likely only hasten Mulee Hua’s demise.

Therefore, any method requiring external assistance was discarded.

Only one simple method remained, requiring an ancient alchemical potion.

The potion was named the “Time-Limited Foundation-Building Decoction.” Its basic principle was to use the potion to create a temporary external spiritual foundation, thereby locking in the leaking life force.

Upon reading this, Votila couldn’t help but twitch its eye.

It was merely a cat, not an alchemist! Even if it knew this potion could save someone, what good was that? It didn’t know the potion’s formula, let alone its manufacturing method.

“Woof! Woof!” Seeing Votila’s apparent despair, Gasla quickly flipped the book to the next page.

Tucked within the back of the page was a handwritten manuscript. The script was delicate and elegant, suggesting it belonged to a girl, yet it didn’t resemble Mulee Hua’s handwriting.

Votila had seen Mulee Hua’s penmanship before; it was much more forceful and vigorous.

‘What is this?’

The handwritten note contained a potion’s formula.

This was the recipe for the temporary Foundation-Building Decoction. Votila noticed the words “Improved Formula for Time-Limited Foundation-Building Decoction” written at the top of the manuscript.

“This adaptation revises the ancient formula according to new drug usage guidelines, preserving its medicinal properties while removing uncommon, replaceable materials.”

“Required materials: Redstone Crystal Core, Hetero-Blood Grass, Werewolf Demon Core, Draman Root…”

The note listed over a dozen materials, followed by detailed instructions for potion preparation. According to the note, this improved formula was very common, and its materials were not difficult to acquire.

With this formula, it might genuinely be possible to create the potion. Regardless of the outcome, Votila decided to try; this might be Mulee Hua’s last hope.

Votila clutched the note in its mouth and dashed straight to the storefront on the first floor. If all went as expected, most of the ingredients in the formula could be found in the shop, thanks to Mulee Hua’s family owning an alchemy workshop.

“Woof…” Gasla tilted its head, watching Votila rush downstairs in a hurry. It didn’t follow but instead climbed onto Mulee Hua’s bed, lying beside her and quietly watching its owner.

Arriving at the first-floor shop, Votila leaped across the counters, quickly scanning the items within.

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