Prepare for the Aftermath

Grace nodded. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Not even Elder Conrad."

The two both nodded in agreement.

Grace left the bun shop and raced toward the Conrad Residence on horseback.

......

The Grandmaster of the Spirit Alliance had sent over a dozen Spiritual Alchemists to the Conrad Residence. Together with Sam Summers, they worked tirelessly, mixing countless antidote combinations.

But after all these days, none of their attempts had succeeded.

That morning, a Spiritual Alchemist checked Elder Conrad's pulse, then let out a heavy sigh and told his family, "Prepare for the worst..."

His family burst into tears.

By the time Grace arrived, servants were already hanging white mourning banners at the entrance, and the sound of crying could be heard from outside the residence.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Was she still too late?

She had a servant call for Sam Summers, who told her that all the Spiritual Alchemists had already left.

Elder Conrad was barely hanging on, his family inside, saying their final goodbyes...

"He's still breathing? That's great! Maybe I can save him. Hurry, take me to him!" Grace exclaimed.

Sam Summers was unsure, but since Grace insisted, he couldn't help but cling to a shred of hope and quickly led her inside.

Grace rushed to her spatial storage and took out a Phoenix Pill she'd treasured for years, then gave it to Elder Conrad.

The Phoenix Pill was made from a spirit insect that could live for ten thousand years. After Elder Conrad took it, he fell into a state of low body temperature, half-dead but not gone, with his life temporarily prolonged.

"Miss Lawrence, how much time does your Phoenix Pill give my master?" Sam Summers asked.

"About twelve hours," Grace replied. "We have twelve hours to make an antidote."

"Only twelve hours..." Sam Summers said sadly. "I'm afraid it won't be enough. We've been at this for over twenty days and still haven't found the right antidote."

"Listen to me. I already know the poison is red, and it dissolves instantly in water..."

The poison was red, and it dissolved as soon as it touched water.

With these two clues, most of the antidote formula could be determined.

The remaining combinations were less than a thousand. As long as they could test them all within twelve hours, they might succeed...

......

All the other Spiritual Alchemists had left; it was too late to call them back.

So Grace and Sam Summers rolled up their sleeves and got to work, mixing antidotes themselves.

Luckily, all the ingredients were ready to go. All they had to do was try different combinations.

By noon, the 198th antidote they mixed was dripped into Elder Conrad's blood, and his slightly blackened blood instantly turned red!

Both of them cheered and hurried to give Elder Conrad the antidote.

With the right antidote in his system, Elder Conrad's vital signs gradually stabilized.

However, after so many days of poisoning, his organs were failing. He fell into a deep sleep, and no one knew how long it would take for him to wake up...

The Spirit Alliance has strict rules, and every order must be obeyed.

For example, during the entrance examination, if anyone needs to appeal, it must be done before the Decree Master returns.

Once the Decree Master returns to Spirit Alliance Mountain, the matter is considered closed. No further appeals will be accepted, no matter what happens.

Grace waited two more days, but Elder Conrad still showed no signs of waking. So she decided to write a petition and submit it to the Spirit Alliance.

Otherwise, if the Decree Master Woodsworth came back, it would be too late for her to say anything.

Sam Summers was Elder Conrad's apprentice and often accompanied him to Spirit Alliance Mountain. Everyone in the Alliance knew him.