"Of course not, Xia De, this is just a potion, not a book. Besides, the formula for this potion is known by the Merman race, and the few ingredients known to humans are completely extinct. It's impossible for anyone in this era to concoct it again."
The Priest said.
"Then, is it possible to exchange this potion for academic credits at the academy?"
Xia De asked again, and the Priest shook his head once more:
"Absolutely not. Only academy missions and the recovery of relics can earn practical credits. This is a matter of principle, and no matter how precious a potion is, it cannot change that."
Xia De shook his head in disappointment, placing the energetic Mia on his shoulder. Mia happily rubbed against Xia De's face, completely unaware of what was written in the book he brought home.
"Don't be disappointed. No matter who you sell this potion to, you can get a four-figure sum in pounds. It's an elixir of youth. Anyone who drinks it, regardless of age, can have their body return to its most youthful state, inside and out. It's like reversing aging without any side effects. It's said that the Witches of the fifth epoch drank a drop in their afternoon tea every day, tsk tsk tsk..."
The Old Priest couldn't help but click his tongue, then explained:
"According to the records in the book, your bottle will likely be effective for at least a week."
"So it has a time limit? I thought if I drank it, I would be forever..."
Xia De was even more disappointed now, but it also made sense. It was just a potion. If it could make a person permanently return to a youthful state, then the fifth epoch wouldn't be the epoch of Witches, but rather the epoch of potions. However, even with just this effect, it was precious enough, considering it had no side effects.
"Priest, are you interested in this? If you are, I can sell you this potion at a low price."
Xia De asked, but the Old Priest shook his head for the third time:
"I'm very satisfied with my body, and what's the use of experiencing youth for a week? It would only make me fall into unnecessary nostalgia. Besides, even if you sell it to me at a low price, I don't have that much money."
"Is this thing very valuable? Priest, can you give it an estimate?"
"That's difficult."
Priest Augustus placed the potion on Xia De's coffee table:
"Ancient potions have appeared on the market, but they were all ineffective. The ancient potions that occasionally appeared and were still usable for various reasons were never sold publicly... It's worth at least a four-figure sum in pounds. If I were to sell it, I would price it at 2300 pounds."
"Understood."
Xia De nodded slowly. He planned to show this to Jialinna. The Witch Council is very persistent in collecting items related to Witches and is also quite wealthy. They might be interested in a potion offered by an alien species to the Witches of the previous epoch.
Today, the Priest came to Xia De mainly to solve a troublesome matter with him. There was a fifty percent chance it was an evil spirit at work, and a fifty percent chance it was a rarely recorded relic having an effect.
After discussing the potion, Xia De offered the Priest a cup of tea. After leaving Mia at home to guard the house, the two of them went out again.
This matter actually had a very small connection to Xia De. Two weeks ago, on the Saturday after the Thursday of the Divine Descent, the doctor, being under investigation by the Church, asked Xia De to inform the other members of the group that the study session was suspended.
When Xia De informed Priest Augustus and bid him farewell, a man asked the Priest if there were specific types of Holy Prayer Festival souvenirs (Chapter 287). Xia De didn't pay attention to the man, and Augustus didn't pay attention either at the time.
But a week later, the Priest, busy with Holy Prayer Festival preparations, unexpectedly heard of the man's death.
The man's name was Miersen Freeman. He was not a devout believer, and his accidental fall down the stairs did not attract much attention from the Church. The man's other family members moved out of the house after that and advertised their intention to sell the house.
"The cause of the matter is like this. On the surface, there's nothing wrong, but at the time, out of curiosity, I found the man's family to inquire about information. After all, it's rare for someone to specifically come to the church to ask for a small statue in the style of a Priest."
"Did you give it to him then?"
"Of course, it's not something valuable."
The Priest and Xia De took a carriage to Hangerton Garden Street, where the house was located. This was an ordinary residential area in eastern Tobesk, with each house having its own small garden and identical two-story buildings. The residents here were generally respectable middle-class families. The deceased, Mr. Miersen Freeman, was a somewhat famous painter during his lifetime.
The term "somewhat famous" meant that his paintings could sell for a decent price.
Getting out of the carriage at the street corner, Priest Augustus and Xia De walked and talked:
"What I was curious about was why the family moved out of that house after the male owner died. I initially thought his family didn't want to live in a sad place anymore, but after finding Mrs. Freeman, who was temporarily staying in a rented apartment, she told me that Mr. Freeman had been having some mental problems before his death, sometimes claiming there were invisible people in the house."
The Priest shrugged. A middle-aged woman walking a pet dog approached, curiously looking at the strangers who appeared on this street. The residents here knew each other and even had a residents' committee, so they were sensitive to strangers.
"Since Mr. Freeman had such problems before his death, why didn't he seek help from the Church?"
Xia De asked.
"Detective, do you think people would immediately assume it's a haunting or something similar just because they occasionally experience auditory hallucinations or have terrible nightmares?"
The Priest sighed. He had worked at the Church for many years and had extensive experience:
"Among those who truly encounter mysterious events, less than one-tenth can immediately realize the danger they face. Of that one-tenth, probably more than half choose to solve it themselves, one-third seek help through various strange methods, and among those who seek help from the police, most are referred to the Church. Those who seek help from strange books or street charlatans... Only a very small number of people will very rationally go to the church for help."
Actually, seeking help at the church was "irrational." Although people believed in gods, most people did not believe in the existence of ghosts.
This was the reality. The Church could not disclose the existence of mysterious beings, and people in this era were very superstitious and ignorant. Only experienced believers understood that the Church was the most reliable "police" in the dark world.
"Then, Priest, do you know what Mr. Freeman actually encountered?"
"There's very little information, because apart from Mr. Freeman himself, his wife and children didn't encounter anything strange. The gentleman claimed there were other people in the house before he died and would wake up startled from his sleep. In the week or two before his death, besides painting, he suddenly developed an interest in wood carving. Mrs. Freeman gave me a wood carving he made himself, but the skill was truly not commendable."
The Priest said, taking out a small wooden carving about the thickness of two fingers from his pocket. It was evident that the carver had tried to carve a male figure, even coloring the facial features and clothes. The coloring was excellent, but the carving skill could only be described with the word "poor."
