Chapter 87: Who Lives Across the Hall

Kongsha wrinkled her nose, pulled out the head, and let her eyeball spin once around it before nodding in satisfaction.

“Not bad. But you still haven’t removed the stench from the leather wrapping?”

“Sorry, Senior. I tried a few cleaning methods, but none seemed to work.”

“Forget it.” Kongsha seemed low on energy as she tossed the leather back into the box.

“I’ll be leaving the tower for a while,” she said casually as she sat back down. “For the next six months, you won’t need to bring me anything.”

Saul froze mid-motion while closing the box, lifting his head in surprise.

“You’re leaving the tower?”

In the past three months, he’d never seen Kongsha leave. He thought her experiments didn’t require it.

“Mm. My research has reached a pause. Staying here any longer won’t yield results. Besides… going out might bring new opportunities.” Kongsha tilted her frightening head slightly. “When the time comes, you could apply to leave too. Even though you’re not a Second Rank apprentice yet, the mentors seem to favor you. For capable people, they’re happy to make exceptions.”

“Going outside…” Saul had thought of it too. He wanted to see the normal world again. But he still had so much to learn—it wasn’t time to indulge just yet.

“Senior, before you leave, could I trade something with you?”

Kongsha tossed the head in her hand, indifferent to the blood splattering onto herself and the floor.

“A trade? Other than 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, not that.” Saul subtly tucked his left hand into his sleeve. “I’ve been working in the corpse room for a while now. I’ve collected some mutative materials—maybe something you’d be interested in.”

“Maybe.” Hearing it wasn’t the hand, Kongsha lost a lot of interest. Even the floating eye retracted. “What do you want in return?”

“I want the potion you used on me back then—the one that dissolves flesh but leaves the bones under your control.”

Kongsha’s red lips slowly curled into a grin.

“Hehe… hahaha… hahahahaha…” She laughed so hard her whole body trembled, taking a long while to calm down. “You little maniac. You’re even crazier than me.”

Saul didn’t think it was that extreme. He just wanted to dissolve his palm—not his brain.

Seeing his determination, Kongsha nodded. “Alright. I’ve got a bottle on hand.”

“Senior, may I ask how long the potion’s effects last?”

“If stored properly, about a month. Beyond that, the corrosive power drops off, and you can’t guarantee bone flexibility.” Kongsha didn’t hide the info—it was just a minor detail.

A month? That might not be enough time for Saul to improve his body modification plans.

And there was no guarantee Kongsha would return from her trip.

If she died out there, where would Saul get another potion like this?

“Senior, if I wanted the formula instead, would that be possible?”

“Sure. For a price!” Kongsha was direct. “Are you sure your pile of scraps can afford it?”

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

It was sealed with a wooden cork, wrapped tightly in layers of cotton padding for shock protection.

He began carefully unwrapping it, slowly and deliberately.

At first, Kongsha didn’t pay much attention, sitting lazily in her chair.

But as the contents of the tube came into view, she slowly sat upright.

Inside the tube was a milky white thread, suspended quietly in a transparent oil.

“What is that?” Kongsha could sense the spiritual energy—at least at the level of a Second Rank apprentice.

“It’s… Sid’s tracking thread. I wonder if it interests you.”

He had extracted it from the back of Sid’s neck during the autopsy.

At the time, the diary had erupted in warnings, and only when Saul dropped the thread into the oil did the danger finally subside.

To him, the thing was too risky and of no use—better to trade it for something valuable.

Plus, since tracking threads were unique to each person, they couldn’t be reused—just repurposed as materials or references. So their overall value wasn’t that high.

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

“You really… don’t hold back,” Kongsha murmured as she stepped forward, carefully taking the test tube and holding it up to examine.

Her dozen or so eyeballs floated into her glass container, circling around the tube, all pupils fixed on it.

“He specialized in water magic, but his tracking thread has fire-like properties. Did he really choose this one himself?”

“Can someone else choose it for you?” Saul asked curiously.

“They can—but only someone who knows the apprentice extremely well. Better than they know themselves,” Kongsha answered, storing the tube away. Then she moved to her workbench, picked up pen and paper, and began writing.

“You’re being so generous, I won’t shortchange you. Here’s the formula for the Bone Dissolution Potion. And here’s the modified version for Hardening Skin. I’ve even written out the formula transformation logic.”

Swish, swish—

The sound of ink on paper was music to the ears. Every stroke felt like earning a credit.

Kongsha was surprisingly generous this time?

Saul couldn’t help but rise and lean over the table.

As expected of a top-tier Second Rank apprentice’s formulas—he couldn’t understand more than half of it!

But that was fine. He could always study later.

Given his current abilities, status, and backing, the one thing he had was time to study.

Once she was finished, Kongsha stood, sliced neatly along the paper’s spine, and flicked the sheet toward Saul.

He caught the formula with his left hand, carefully folded it twice, and tucked it into his chest pocket.

“I’ve got the materials here if you want to make a batch to test it.”

“No need—I trust you.” Saul patted his chest like it held a thousand magic crystals.

“Trusting people that easily isn’t a good thing. Aren’t you afraid I’ll harm you again?” Kongsha wasn’t Byron—she didn’t appreciate blind trust.

But Saul just looked up with a grin and said, “From what I’ve seen, harming me wouldn’t benefit you as much as trading with me would. A good wizard values profit.”

Kongsha licked her lips with a long tongue. “You’re only twelve. I can’t imagine how many people you’ll mess with once you grow up. Poor Byron—I can’t tell if he’s lucky or doomed to have met you.”

“…,” Saul felt falsely accused.

Honestly, this is just how he’s always been. His mind had already solidified the moment he arrived in this world.

With the exchange complete, Saul prepared to leave.

He politely bid Kongsha farewell, walked to the door, and opened it.

Across from Kongsha’s dorm was another Second Rank apprentice’s room.

It was from that very door that blood had once oozed out, triggering the diary’s death prediction.

That unsettling blood was what had driven Saul to knock on Kongsha’s door in desperation.

Now, that door remained tightly shut.

Saul, hand resting on Kongsha’s newly replaced doorknob, asked quietly:

“Senior, there’s something I’ve never figured out… Who lives across from you?”

Kongsha stood behind her workbench, lips curling into a faint smile.

“Who knows?”

(End of Chapter)

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