Chapter 50 He Is Dead

Chapter 50 He Is Dead

I froze. Without time to think, I spoke quickly before Tristan could make a move. "Many years ago, you conducted research in the core zone of the Northern Plains, didn't you?"

Tristan stopped. He picked up his glass again, staring at us warily. "How do you know that? What do you want from me?"

I breathed a silent sigh of relief.

I'd guessed right. As long as he didn't throw us out, there was still room to talk.

I didn't answer directly. Instead, I said, "Mr. Lowe, we've always admired you. We heard you were expelled from Aethergate College of Magic back then. We think it's a shame, so we wanted to understand what really happened."

Tristan didn't speak right away. He lowered his head, staring at the pale yellow, bubbling liquid in his glass, silent.

His black-gloved fingers tapped slowly against the glass.

I watched his every move.

In the old photo, Tristan had smiled brightly at the camera, his eyes full of confidence and passion.

Would someone like that really cause a major accident because of drunkenness?

I recalled all the details from earlier, and suddenly a thought flashed through my mind.

"Mr. Lowe, let me guess. That accident back then probably wasn't as simple as being drunk. It was dark magic going out of control, wasn't it?"

At Aethergate College, I'd seen plenty of people's resistance to dark magic. But most were just scared. The professors also avoided the topic, but they wouldn't react as intensely as Tristan had.

The reason he was so worked up was probably because dark magic had caused a major turning point in his life.

Only then did Tristan look up, his gaze complex as he glanced at me.

"Sit down."

Darius and I sat across from him.

Tristan slowly removed his left glove. "You're a pretty smart girl."

My eyes widened.

His left hand was an alchemical prosthetic.

I turned to look at Darius questioningly. He nodded.

So that was the source of the dark magic aura.

I saw the same guess in Darius's eyes that I had.

Gareth also had a mechanical hand, and Gareth was an expert in this very field.

"Mr. Lowe, who fitted your alchemical arm?" I couldn't help asking.

A strong intuition churned inside me. We seemed to be getting closer to the truth.

Tristan took another drink, his voice low and dull. "That's not important. When you eat meat, do you think about which animal it came from?"

I wouldn't get an answer to that.

I took the old photo from my pocket and placed it on the table.

I pushed it toward Tristan and pointed at the person on the far right of the group. "Then do you know who this professor is?"

Tristan's gaze stopped. He scanned each face in the photo, inch by inch, then looked away.

His face showed nothing, and his voice was ice-cold. "He's dead."

Without giving me a chance to ask more, Tristan waved his alchemical left hand. "All right. The tavern isn't a place for students like you. Get going."

With that, Tristan lowered his head and continued drinking, not giving us another glance.

I knew he wouldn't reveal anything more, so Darius and I left together.

The magical shopping district was full of shops, with flowers planted along both sides of the street. Under the influence of magic, they bloomed all year round and never wilted.

Darius and I held hands, walking slowly down the street, my mind on Tristan's situation.

"Gareth is skilled in alchemy and also has an alchemical prosthetic," I said carefully. "Darius, do you think Tristan's prosthetic might have been made by Gareth as well?"

Darius nodded. "It's possible. Making an alchemical prosthetic requires deep knowledge. Not just anyone can do it."

I frowned. "Could that accident back then have been caused by Gareth?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, I shook my head. "No, that's not right. The Gareth I know is very upright. I don't believe he's a bad person."

I sighed dejectedly, leaning half my weight against Darius.

"This is so hard. It feels like we've already looked into so much, but we're still completely in the dark."

Darius steadied me, using his free hand to smooth my hair.

"Let's put aside what we can't figure out for now. Since we're out today, let's just relax and enjoy ourselves."

His gray eyes were full of my reflection. "People need rest. Being constantly tense will make you sick."

The wind blew past, bringing the fresh scent of flowers.

I took a deep breath, straightened up, and stretched hard. "You're right. There'll be a way. Let's just enjoy today."

We strolled leisurely through the shopping district, going into any shop that caught our interest.

Along the way, we even met a pure white kitten.

I crouched by the roadside and petted it for a while. The kitten rolled on the ground, purring like soft paws padding across my heart.

Walking and browsing, evening came before we knew it.

On the way back to Aethergate College, it suddenly started pouring rain.

Darius immediately raised his hand and cast a magic shield.

Raindrops splashed against it, scattering into tiny droplets.

I blinked, then suddenly grabbed Darius's hand and ran straight into the rain.

The rain hit my skin, cool and refreshing.

I couldn't help breaking into a bright smile, spreading my arms and spinning around. "Darius, look. It's raining. Let's run back."

Darius reached out to catch the raindrops, looking thoughtful.

"I've always loved rainy days. The sound of falling rain is so beautiful."

I held his hand, my eyes sparkling as I looked at him. "Every time I came home soaked, Julie would make me a bowl of hot soup and stand behind me to dry my hair."

"Next time we go home, I'll have her make some for you too. It's really good. I promise once you try it, you'll never forget it."

Darius's gray eyes lit up, and he nodded hard. "Okay."

We ran together in the rain. People around us holding umbrellas or using magic shields stared in surprise.

I didn't care at all.

This feeling of freedom and joy had been gone for too long.

I suddenly missed Julie. Once this busy period was over, I definitely needed to visit her.

Together with Darius.

By the time we got back to the college from the shopping district, Darius and I were completely soaked.

Just our luck, we were caught by a patrolling professor.

He frowned at both of us and said sternly, "What's wrong with you two? The academy requires students to dress neatly and cleanly. You've violated the rules and damaged the college's image. Go back and copy the school rules three times each. Turn them in to the administration office tomorrow."

I made a face but obediently agreed.

The professor left after scolding us.

Darius and I looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.

Whatever. Copying was copying. At least I'd had a great time today.

Time flew by, and suddenly it was the day of the competition with Zach.

The laboratory was packed.

Students were chattering.

"Vanessa really dared to compete with Zach? I thought she just wouldn't show up today."

"There's no way she can win. She's just humiliating herself."

Chloe and Luke came to the lab together.

Hearing the comments, Chloe immediately shot back, "Who says Vanessa can't win? She's really talented too."

She smiled and waved at me. "Go, Vanessa. I'm rooting for you."

I smiled at her gratefully and made an encouraging gesture.

Darius stood closest to me. He said softly, "Don't be nervous. We've all seen how hard you've worked. No matter the result, you're the best in my heart."

I nodded and took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

Zach next to me let out a disdainful snort. He crossed his arms and looked at me sideways. "You can still admit defeat now. If you lose too badly, don't cry."

I looked up at him, not understanding where his inexplicable hostility came from.

"Since I agreed to the bet, I never planned to give up."

Zach sneered. "You don't know your own limits."

Many students supported Zach. Even before the competition started, quite a few were already celebrating his victory.

Royce looked around, walked over with his hands behind his back, and cleared his throat twice. "Everyone quiet down. Unrelated people move back. Don't interfere with the competitors."

His gaze fell on Zach and me.

After we both nodded to show we were ready, Royce spoke. "Before the competition begins, let me briefly explain the rules."

The tip of Royce's wand glowed. A palm-sized hourglass floated beside him. "Within two hours, whoever produces a higher quality Polymorph Potion wins. Additionally, if anyone can create an innovative fusion potion, they will receive bonus points."

"Now then, the competition begins."

At Royce's command, Zach and I both started at the same time.