“Then, you drank a potion that would cause your left eye to go blind, but since it was diluted hundreds of times, the effect was not obvious. Some mint was added to the potion to cover up the unique smell of this agent—a very good idea,” the Saint said with a smile.
The second potion did sound like a magical concoction being practiced. But the potion being diluted a hundredfold and intentionally adding mint seemed a bit problematic. When combined with the first magical potion, the first two potions seemed to be used to conceal what she truly wanted Xia De to drink…
“Oh, the third one is a very ancient potion. It already appeared when I was very young, and I didn’t expect it to still be circulating in the next epoch.”
The Saint smiled again:
“It has many names, but its main function is only one: to identify gender.”
“Identify gender?” Xia De asked hesitantly, then thought of more things.
“Yes, male creatures will tremble all over after drinking it, but females will have no effect. In very ancient times—well, in the third epoch—some terrifying and bizarre things occupied the world. To distinguish them from humanoid wisdom creatures, people at that time invented a series of potions, and this is just a very inconspicuous one among them… Judging by your expression, you seem to have understood something.”
“Yes… conspicuous targets covering up real targets… So that’s how it is. Speaking of which, that delivery mission…” Xia De narrowed his eyes.
Miss Jialinna’s delivery mission, though it seemed reasonable now, always felt strange. This strange feeling only now became clear. Perhaps that mission was similar to this one. The focus was probably not on bringing the cosmetic box back; the focus of the mission was to have Xia De try to open the cosmetic box.
He still remembered when he handed over the cosmetic box to the maid in the carriage, she asked him to try opening it once.
“Using the cosmetic box to confirm I’m not a woman, using the magical potion to confirm I’m a man… What is this for?”
He thought for a moment, then looked up and asked again:
“Sorry, I might be a bit greedy, but I want to know if I am male.”
Getting a direct answer was much simpler than guessing. He believed both his soul and body were male, but given the current situation, he had to confirm to be at ease.
The Saint said cheerfully:
“That’s another interesting question, but I can answer it. Your body, your soul, are both purely male; I guarantee this myself.”
Xia De was much more relieved now.
Xia De still had no clue what the Great Witch with red hair wanted to do. And for the clues he had, now was not a good time to analyze them.
Time was running out.
“God, I have come to witness the last wish,” he said, steadying his mind and looking up. The young man wearing a ridiculous clown hat clapped his hands, and the three children finally emerged again from the aisle of the toy shelves.
They recognized Xia De and understood that he was there to fulfill a wish, so they showed genuine smiles.
Xia De hoped that this smile could be maintained, especially for the Boy who wanted to grow up, after tasting the magical potion.
The magical potion was not brought to the past, which Xia De had already expected. Although the situation was a bit worse, at least he was not completely unprepared. Xia De planned to concoct the magical potion himself; even though he hadn't learned it, he had already asked Priest Augustus about the techniques, and it wasn't a complex magical potion recipe.
“Do you have magical potion ingredients here? I learned a recipe for a magical potion that can make children grow,” he asked the Saint, who nodded gently:
“What do you need?”
“The stamen of a Nine-Leaf Starflower.”
“Yes.” The Saint took out a whole flower from the counter drawer and placed it on the table. The Boy, eager to grow, held the toy wooden sword and looked at them expectantly. It seemed the Saint had given another blessing, allowing them to understand Xia De’s language.
“Two living Star-Jumping Worms.”
“Yes.” Two live worms were taken from the drawer.
“Juice them.”
“Okay.” With a casual squeeze, disgusting green liquid seeped from between his fingers, falling into a small bottle that had appeared on the table at some point.
The Boy’s face turned pale.
“Nine drops of genetic material from a Barefoot Fire Source.”
“What a terrifying thing.” But he still took out a small bottle from the drawer; there were some white things in the transparent solution.
The Boy’s face turned completely pale:
“Wait, sir, is the magical potion for oral consumption or…?”
“Of course, it’s for oral consumption. Also, the feces and saliva of an adult Firetongue Sheep.”
“Interesting ingredients.” The bottles were placed on the counter one by one; just looking at these things would make one want to gag. The youngest Boy and the oldest girl had already moved far away from the counter, while the Boy holding the wooden sword’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something.
“Earwax, eye discharge, hair, and blood from ordinary people of three genders and ages.”
“I’m already looking forward to the finished product.” More and more small bottles appeared there.
“Gentlemen…” the Boy said softly. Xia De was carefully recalling the recipe, so he didn’t hear him, while the Saint was cooperating with him.
“Finally, green mucus from a hybrid of a horse and a donkey.”
“Ugh~” The girl made an exaggerated retching sound and hid with the smallest Boy in the center of the shelf. The latter was genuinely scared, while the former had an expression of watching a show.
As for the Boy holding the toy wooden sword, he already looked like he was on the verge of collapse.
The God produced the materials, and Xia De looked at them with a solemn expression, knowing he faced a huge amount of work. There were seven minutes left, and he planned to try twice. If both failed, he would change his strategy and use words to satisfy the Boy’s need for growth.
“Gentlemen, I…” Although the Boy holding the toy sword was not old, at this age, he already understood the “lethality” of the things on the counter.
“Oh, and spoiled, sour milk! I actually forgot this!” Xia De patted his head, and the Saint also smiled and took out a milk bottle from under the counter. It shouldn’t have just gone sour; Xia De saw a layer of terrifying brown and green stuff floating on the surface of the milk.
“Gentlemen, I don’t want to…”
“Are these all the materials?” The God confirmed with the Detective from the future. Xia De thought for a moment:
“Honey can be omitted; it’s not a necessary ingredient, just for flavor adjustment.”
“Alright, I’ll help you prepare it.” The God smiled happily. The God, who claimed to have no power, pointed at the things on the table, and they merged in the light, turning into a terrifying potion in a teacup.
Not only was the smell terrible, but the color was also quite awful. The color was the same as what Priest Augustus had prepared; the God would not make a mistake.
At this point, Xia De finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although the God asked him to fulfill the wish, it seemed He was not unwilling to help; what He seemed to need was just for Xia De to find a method.
“That’s right, this is it, Magical Potion - The Price of Growth.” Saying that, he turned from the counter and waved to the Boy holding the toy sword, trying to show what he thought was a benevolent expression:
“Come and experience the growth you want; this will definitely be unforgettable.”
Because the smell was truly too foul, Xia De had to speak in a muffled voice. The Boy saw Xia De looking at him, widened his eyes, and stepped back, subconsciously raising the toy wooden sword in front of himself to block:
“No, I don’t want to drink it! You’re a liar! This isn’t the growth I want!”
