The Glorious Evolution

Hearing this, the girls glanced at each other for a moment and then swiftly made small cuts in their arms, filling the vials with more blood than needed just to be safe.

Then, they forwarded their research files before Levi finished putting the blood samples away.

Levi briefly reviewed the files and found more useful research than he had expected... enough to give him a solid starting point, though the camp’s central table wasn’t a suitable place to work.

He turned toward Jasmine and signed.

-Can you build me a laboratory?-

She tilted her head.

-How big?-

A short walk beyond the camp, Levi stopped on an empty stretch of blue grass and described what he had in mind.

A spacious central room for Alzhukar’s alchemist station, storage rooms for materials and equipment, and a separate library where he could study without keeping his books beside whatever happened to be bubbling in a cauldron.

He also wanted somewhere to grow his seeds and a bedroom in case he wanted to spend more time in the lab.

”You’re moving out?” Arthur asked.

”I’m moving a few minutes away.”

”That’s how it starts.”

Arthur sighed and covered his eyes, as though the betrayal were too much to bear.

”...”

Levi ignored him and continued discussing the layout with Jasmine.

She listened until he finished, then raised her hand.

The ground stirred beneath their feet as everyone stepped back... and then, the foundations took shape, followed by walls that rose around the empty rooms.

Jasmine left wide openings between the work areas and placed the library where Levi requested, adjusting the building whenever he asked for more space.

When she finished, Levi walked through it, his Harmonic Spine tracing the rooms.

He paused inside the main hall.

-A little more room on this side.-

The wall shifted outward.

-And the storage entrance closer to the station.-

Jasmine moved it.

A few minutes later, Alzhukar’s alchemist station stood at the center of the laboratory, with worktables arranged around it and enough room to move comfortably between them.

Everyone soon had something to do.

Shia and Nurah unpacked the instruments, placing them where Levi directed, while Jojo carried boxes into storage.

Arthur, meanwhile, discovered that organizing his brother’s book collection would take more effort than he had hoped.

Jasmine formed another row of shelves along the wall before helping him sort the books.

Levi kept Alzhukar’s notes near the workstation, within easy reach of the place where he expected to spend most of his time.

By the time they finished, the empty building had begun to resemble a proper laboratory.

Nurah leaned against a worktable.

”How long are you planning to stay here?”

”The next few months, probably...”

Levi ran his fingers along the edge of the station, checking its position one last time... he had to admit, having his own personal laboratory felt nice.

Before, he kept manifesting Alzhukar’s station anywhere private and concocting a potion on the go... however, he knew that if he wanted to take this field seriously, a stationary lab was a must to carry on his research.

As for Crowglass’ main lab? That was hers, and he didn’t want to overstep his bounds by using it for his own personal concoctions, even if she permitted him to do so.

It was much better to have his own.

Shia pulled a chair toward the workstation.

”Then, where do we start?”

”With deciding whose formula comes first.”

Levi chuckled after noticing the girls narrow their eyes at each other in threatening silence.

Nurah raised a fist.

”One round.”

”Levi judges,” Shia added. ”No abilities or changing your hand after seeing the others.”

Nurah nodded, while Jojo abandoned her chair and joined them. All three turned toward Levi.

”Fine.” He smiled faintly. ”Anyone caught cheating loses.”

”Rock, paper, scissors!”

Shia’s open palm met two clenched fists, and a pleased smile spread across her face.

Nurah glanced at Levi.

”Fair win,” he confirmed.

She clicked her tongue, while Jojo let out a short exhale.

”Second place,” Nurah said, raising her fist again.

Jojo nodded and faced her.

”Rock, paper, scissors!”

Nurah’s scissors met Jojo’s open palm.

”Nurah second, Jojo third,” Levi confirmed the order.

Satisfied, Nurah lowered her hand, while Jojo tried to swallow her disappointment.

Arthur leaned toward her with a faint grin.

”All that meditation, and you still lost to a pair of scissors.”

Jojo slowly turned her head.

”I’m already annoyed. Don’t bother me.”

”I’m just saying... you should’ve picked rock.”

Her fist struck his upper arm, making him jerk away and clutch the sore spot.

”Like that?” she asked.

Arthur rubbed his arm, looking wronged.

”You’re supposed to be practicing restraint.”

”I did... namaste.”

He glanced at her clenched fist and wisely moved his chair farther away.

Meanwhile, Levi opened Shia’s research and brought up a material catalog beside it.

Her Gorathi Bloodline gave him a direction to follow... the ingredients her alchemist had investigated largely concerned blood, vitality, and regeneration, but supporting those qualities individually hadn’t been enough to produce a combination that suited her perfectly.

He selected several materials from the most promising attempts, then paused at the price.

Buying complete portions of everything would make his own wallet join the girls’ in mourning.

Fortunately, merchants also sold inspection samples.

Alchemists purchased them to verify a material’s identity and quality before committing to a larger order.

However, the quantities were too small for formula trials... evolutionary reactions required a minimum amount of essence to activate, regardless of how accurately the proportions were preserved.

A smaller batch could reduce the expense, but there was a limit... Below it, the reaction simply wouldn’t begin.

On the other hand, Levi’s tongue spared him that requirement.

He only needed enough to register each material’s properties... From there, his mutation could assess its compatibility with Shia’s genetic profile and the other ingredients without making him brew an actual concoction!

Levi changed the purchase order.

A full piece of Redmarrow Coral became a thin shaving.

A bottle of Bloodwell Lotus Nectar became a few preserved drops.

The Crimson Leech’s Blood Pearl came as a tiny portion of powder, while a length of Bloodvein Vine was reduced to several fine fibers.

He added other candidates from the rejected lists, followed by unfamiliar materials whose recorded properties appeared useful.

Before he could attempt to use newer materials, he needed to check first whether the Alchemist’s chosen materials didn’t work because they were incompatible or because the formula was simply bad.

Shia leaned closer to inspect the order, surprised to see him spend no more than five thousand credits on these sample packages.

”That little?”

”It’s all I need.”

Before they could react to his response, a small portal manifested in front of him... However, before the Ratokki could hurl the package at him, he checked the environment and clicked his tongue at the sight of an expensive laboratory.

He set the packages on the table with an attitude and closed the portal, not interested in getting sued.

The packages’ contents might not break, but the same couldn’t be said about an expensive laboratory... in the Boundless Expanse, even members of the Four Murinori Clans could be sued by citizens for abuse of authority or similar offenses.

After Levi emptied the package onto the table, Arthur picked up a sealed compartment containing a shaving so thin that it nearly disappeared when turned sideways.

”They charged you for this?” His brow twitched.

”They charged me for cutting it, preserving it, identifying it, and sending it here,” Levi replied, taking it from him. ”Try not to breathe it away.”

Arthur withdrew his hand while Levi arranged the samples according to Shia’s research.

Then, he uncorked her vial and extended his tongue, letting a drop of blood land at the center of the tattooed array.

The girls followed its movement with considerable attention.

A little too much attention.

Levi’s brows twitched as their heartbeats betrayed them again... apparently, seeing it a second time hadn’t helped.

He retracted his tongue.

”Should I wait until everyone’s finished inspecting the equipment?”

Shia immediately straightened in her chair, while Jasmine suddenly found the sample packages worth examining.

Nurah merely rested her chin on her palm and kept staring at him with a seductive, playful smile.

”We’re ready, Handsome... Continue.”

”...”

Levi knew Nurah too well to waste his time trying to embarrass her...

So, he focused on registering Shia’s blood information after his tongue finished tasting it.

Her bloodline, inherited traits, mutations... everything attached to her genetic code unfolded in his mind.

He briefly examined her Blood Aspect and the lineage Aspect awakened through her Gorathi Bloodline before moving to her unlocked abilities.

Blood Curse, Total Blood Reformation, Gorathi’s Predator Form, Gorathi’s Blood Pact...

Most were familiar to him, but seeing them revealed through a single drop of blood made him pause.

’Wait... wouldn’t this work on my enemies too?’

If he obtained even a drop from an opponent, he could study their Aspects, mutations, and unlocked abilities... including powers they hadn’t revealed yet!

All from a single drop of blood!

Levi rubbed his chin, imagining how licking even a minor wound during battle could reveal the full extent of his enemy’s powers.

Though... such an image was a bit too ’questionable’ for his liking.

”What did you find?” Shia asked.

”Another reason to like this tongue.”

The girls went quiet again.

Levi’s expression stiffened.

”For research!”