Whenever Grace and Jun Lionhead were alone in the Alchemist's Pill Room, she'd pipe up, "Master, why did you wake up Felix Xi's mom back then? Wasn't that a little reckless?"
Jun Lionhead shot her a look. "What are you really getting at? Spill it."
"You didn't even have the cure, so why go and wake her up?"
"You think I did it on purpose?" Jun Lionhead shook his head. "I just wanted to borrow the Frostbound Casket for a bit, but when I popped it open—bam!—someone was inside. I had no clue who she was until she woke up."
"Wow, talk about a surprise..."
Jun Lionhead sighed. "You only get one shot with the casket—once it's open, that's it. All these years, I've been trying to cure her, make up for my blunder. But..."
"Master! So, what are the odds we'll actually pull it off this time?" Grace asked, eyes wide with hope.
Jun Lionhead just shook his head. "Don't get your hopes up too high."
"...Why not?"
"This Heaven's Dew is cleaner than last time, but it's been stuck in a bottle for five hundred years. Compared to the fresh stuff, it's just not even close."
Grace bit her lip and asked, "Why is the Heaven's Dew drying up?"
Jun Lionhead replied, "It's not just the Heaven's Dew that's drying up."
"What do you mean?"
"All Nine Divine Waters from Drake Abyss are gradually drying up."
"Why is that?"
Jun Lionhead smiled and said, "It's fate."
Grace felt half-understood. "Then, what happens when all the waters of Drake Abyss dry up?"
"What do you think?"
Grace thought for a moment and said, "For the Dragon Clan... no, for the entire Ten Wilds Continent, it would be a huge disaster..."
Jun Lionhead said nothing.
...
Another three days and nights passed. When it was finally time to open the furnace, Shannon arrived.
Seeing Jun Lionhead, she stiffly greeted him, "Greetings, Imperial Alchemist!"
Jun Lionhead gave her a gentle smile and asked, "What brings you here?"
"I... I just wanted to see how the pill refining was going," Shannon stammered.
"We're just about to open the furnace," Jun Lionhead said. "Come, let's have a look together!"
So, with everyone holding their breath, the lid of the furnace was lifted.
This time, there was no strange smell inside.
But... there was no Rebirth Pill either.
Grace stared blankly at the furnace for a long while, then rubbed her eyes and kept looking... Still nothing.
Inside, there was only a lump of charred black material.
"Failed again..." Grace bit her lip, her eyes stinging. "It still didn't work!"
Felix Xi looked gloomy too.
"Don't be too upset!" Serena Xi shook her head. "The cycle of fate, destiny itself—sometimes, it's just beyond human control!"
Grace's tears suddenly streamed down her face.
Is there really no way to save Mom?
And with the Heaven's Dew dried up, even if Mom was sealed in the Frostbound Casket, there would never be a day she could be saved!
What is really going on with this Heaven's Dew?
Grace lifted her legs and walked out, heading to find Evan Xiao.
Shannon hurriedly said her goodbyes and chased after her.
"Miss Belle, wait up!" Jun Lionhead suddenly called out.
Shannon froze mid-step, her foot hovering in the air before she stopped.
"Come with me," Jun Lionhead said, striding straight out the door.
Shannon nervously smoothed her clothes and hurried after him.
Once they reached a quiet spot, Shannon fidgeted and asked anxiously, "Divine Lord, is there something you need?"
"I need a favor from you," he said.
"What kind of favor?"
Jun Lionhead handed her the remaining Heaven's Dew. "See if you can find any Heaven's Dew in this world that's purer than this batch."