Chapter 87: Who Lives Across the Hall?

Kongsha wrinkled her nose, took out the severed head, and rotated its eyeballs once before nodding in satisfaction.

"Not bad. But haven’t you gotten rid of this stench on the leather yet?"

"Apologies, Senior Sister. I’ve tried several cleaning methods, but none seemed to work."

"Forget it." Kongsha looked a bit tired as she tossed the leather-wrapped head back into the box.

"I'm heading out of the tower for a while." Sitting back in her chair, she spoke casually. "For the next six months, you don't need to deliver anything."

Saul paused as he packed up the box, surprised.

"Senior Sister, you're leaving the tower?"

In the past three months, he had never seen Kongsha leave. He assumed her work didn’t require her to leave the wizard tower at all.

"Yes. My experiment has reached a stopping point, and staying in the tower won't yield much progress. Besides… leaving the tower might bring new opportunities." Kongsha tilted her horrifying head slightly. "In the future, you can apply to leave as well. Even though you’re not a Level 2 apprentice yet, the mentors seem to value you quite a bit. They're willing to make exceptions for those with talent."

"Leaving the tower…" Saul had thought about it. He wanted to see the normal world outside, but he still had too much to learn. It wasn’t time to indulge just yet.

"Senior Sister, before you leave, can I trade something with you?"

Kongsha tossed the severed head in her hand, unfazed by the blood dripping onto herself and the floor.

"A trade? Besides severed heads, do you have anything of value?" One of her eyeballs floated out, staring at Saul’s left hand. "If it’s your left hand—"

"Uh, no, not that." Saul instinctively pulled his left hand into his sleeve. "I've been working in the corpse chamber and have accumulated some mutated materials. Maybe you'd be interested?"

"Maybe." Kongsha’s interest waned after hearing it wasn’t his left hand—her floating eyeball retracted. "What do you want in exchange?"

"I want the potion you once used on me—the one that dissolves flesh but allows full control over the bones."

Kongsha’s red lips slowly curled into a smile.

"Heh… Haha… Hahaha…" She laughed so hard her entire body trembled, taking a while to calm down. "You’re a madman—crazier than I am."

Saul didn’t think it was a big deal. He only wanted to melt his palm, not his entire head.

Seeing his determination, Kongsha nodded. "Alright, I have a bottle of it right now."

"Senior Sister, how long does a bottle’s effect last?"

"If stored properly, about a month. After that, the corrosive effect diminishes significantly, and it becomes harder to ensure hand mobility." Kongsha answered without hesitation.

One month? That might not be enough time for Saul to refine his body modification method.

And if Kongsha didn’t return within a month—or worse, died outside—where would he find more of this perfectly effective potion?

"Senior Sister, if I want the formula instead of just one bottle, would that be possible?"

"Of course. But it'll cost extra!" Kongsha agreed without hesitation. "Are you sure your pile of random materials can afford it?"

Saul gritted his teeth and pulled out a small test tube from his pocket.

The test tube was sealed with a wooden stopper and wrapped in layers of cotton for protection.

He unwrapped it carefully and slowly.

At first, Kongsha paid no attention, lounging in her chair.

But as the contents of the test tube were revealed, she gradually sat upright.

Inside the test tube was a thin, milky-white thread, floating quietly in transparent oil.

"What is that?" Kongsha could feel a spiritual force emanating from the thread, at least at the level of a Level 2 apprentice.

"It’s… Sid’s tracking thread. I wonder if you’re interested?"

This tracking thread was extracted from the back of Sid’s neck during his dissection.

At the time, the diary had gone into a frenzy with warnings—until Saul had submerged the thread in oil, finally calming the situation.

For Saul, the tracking thread was both dangerous and useless. Trading it away was the best option.

Moreover, since each apprentice’s tracking thread was unique, it couldn't be reused by others. At most, it could serve as a research specimen or a crafting ingredient. This meant it wasn’t extraordinarily valuable.

For Saul, trading it for Kongsha’s potion formula was well worth it.

"You really… are willing to part with this?" Kongsha stood up and walked over to Saul, carefully taking the test tube and holding it up to her eyes.

A dozen eyeballs surrounded the glass, all fixated on the thread inside.

"Sid specialized in water magic, yet his tracking thread has a burning effect. Was this really his own choice?"

"Can tracking threads be chosen by someone else?" Saul asked curiously.

"They can, but only by someone who understands the apprentice deeply—perhaps even more than the apprentice understands themselves."

Kongsha put away the test tube, then sat behind her lab desk, picking up a pen and paper.

"Since you’re so sincere, I won’t take your things for nothing. Here’s the formula for the bone-melting potion, plus the improved formula for the hardened skin potion, and my thoughts on modifying them."

Scratch, scratch, scratch—

The sound of the pen gliding across paper was so pleasant, each stroke seemingly worth a credit point.

Kongsha was unexpectedly generous this time.

Saul couldn’t help but get up and move closer to the lab desk.

As expected, the formulas written by the strongest Level 2 apprentice were mostly incomprehensible to him!

But that didn’t matter—he could always learn.

With his current capabilities, status, and backing, he had no reason to fear investing time into studying.

After finishing, Kongsha ran a finger along the spine of the paper, neatly tearing out the page before flicking it toward Saul.

Saul carefully caught the formula with his left hand, folded it twice, and tucked it securely inside his clothes.

"I have some materials here. You can try making a batch on the spot to verify it."

"No need. I trust you, Senior Sister." Saul patted his chest as if it held a thousand magic crystals.

"Trusting others too easily isn’t a good habit. Aren’t you afraid I might set you up again?" Kongsha wasn’t like Byron—she didn’t appreciate unconditional trust.

But Saul simply smiled.

"As it stands, harming me wouldn’t be as beneficial to you as making a fair exchange. A good wizard values profit above all else."

Kongsha licked her lips. "You’re only twelve… When you grow up, I wonder how many people you’ll torment. Byron, that fool, I don’t know if meeting you was his fortune or misfortune."

"…I’m innocent."

Honestly, he wouldn’t change much as he grew up.

His intelligence had already been set the moment he arrived in this world.

With the exchange completed, Saul prepared to leave.

He politely bid Kongsha farewell and walked to the door.

Across from Kongsha’s room was another Level 2 apprentice’s dormitory.

It was from that room that blood had once seeped out, triggering the diary’s death warning.

That same blood had pushed Saul, desperate and helpless, to knock on Kongsha’s door.

Now, that door remained tightly shut.

Saul placed his hand on Kongsha’s newly replaced doorknob and suddenly asked in a low voice:

"Senior Sister, there's something I’ve never figured out… Who lives across from you?"

Kongsha, still seated behind her lab desk, curled her lips into a smile.

"Who knows?"

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