Chapter 322 — Intelligence
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 3
Just then a knock came at the door, and when the study door opened, Gao Yang saw that besides Amber and Pi Yun, Hedy and Rebecca were there as well.
"We ran into each other on the way!" Rebecca was the first to pipe up. "I heard the ranger gentleman was back, so I came to see!"
The girl's curiosity was ever insatiable—no surprise to Gao Yang there. He merely glanced at Hedy with a touch of curiosity: "Rare to see you tagging along with Rebecca to join the fun."
Hedy did not answer, only smiled gently and gave an unobtrusive little shake of the staff in her hand—the one with the blood groove and eight striking prongs—and Gao Yang understood at once: this eldest granddaughter was Rebecca's limiter...
"Let me have a look at you first," Pi Yun said, snapping straight into work mode the moment he entered, walking toward Solin as he spoke. Though he ordinarily roamed the territory all day swindling people with fortune-telling and peddling fake medicine, at a time like this he could still tell what mattered most—mainly because if he couldn't, Gao Cen would likely flatten him into the wall with a leaping chop. "By the way, are you allergic to the ointment made from withered bloodvine?"
Solin cooperated by loosening the clothing around his wounds and shook his head: "Three hundred years ago I was, but it's fine now."
Withered bloodvine was a magical herb material commonly used by human druids, highly effective for neutralizing toxins in the blood and purging flesh tainted by poison—but half of all silver elves were allergic to it. That was why Pi Yun had asked specifically, to keep the ointment he had brought from causing side effects.
"Some allergies can be 'cured' by exposure to the allergen until the body adapts, but unless it's necessary, it's best to be cautious." Pi Yun went on explaining such matters like a dutiful professional physician while beginning to examine Solin's wounds.
Beneath Solin's clothing were wounds that had been tainted by poison for days and still had not healed; the flesh there was an unnatural deep purplish-red, the edges showing dehydration like charred carbonization, yet the blood seeping from the wound was bright red.
This bizarre "infection" was plainly the work of magical forces.
After examining for a moment, Pi Yun looked up at Solin: "Your strength is impressive."
"If my strength were any less, I'd have died of the poison long ago," Solin said with a smile, partly for Pi Yun's benefit and partly to explain to Gao Yang. "The degenerate druids of the Society of All-Ending really are formidable. I originally meant to trade wound for wound and keep my opponent pinned down, but it turned out not to be worth it at all... After surviving the trials of the Gondo Wasteland, most of those who live through it have a high resistance to poison—and that made me careless."
"Most of their virulent spells carry curses and elemental corrosion at the same time; plain poison resistance isn't very effective," Pi Yun shook his head. "Fortunately, you're a high-ranking ranger—your body's self-healing is extremely strong, and you've already neutralized more than half the toxin yourself. Once I treat you a bit more, you should be fine."
Solin watched in silence as Pi Yun took magical powders, leaves, and ointments from the wooden case he carried, set up a small druidic purification altar on the spot, and then began using spells to dispel the lingering cursed venom in his body. He felt the corrosive substance that had tormented him for days receding at extraordinary speed, and could not help saying: "Your ritual magic is formidable."
"I'm rather good at ritual-type druidic magic," Pi Yun said as he scattered the last handful of magical powder over the magic circle drawn on the floor in ointment, which was already burning itself out under the magical force. "This casting method is more potent, but it consumes more spell materials as well. Don't forget to reimburse me for the materials afterward."