“And you, my friend—you are the true hero.”
The moment Gu Qinghan heard those words, he froze for a full three seconds.
Then, the abnormal surge of magic power within his body snapped him to attention—
【Passive Effect: Golden-haired Affinity Activated.】
【Northwest direction, 5,800 kilometers away, within the Empire of Indulgence: loyalty of an unknown golden-haired young woman +20】
Gu Qinghan: ?
Stunned, he stood rooted to the spot, blinking slowly.
*I just came to buy medicine… why does this happen to me too?*
Watching the bald uncle’s doting smile, a turbulent wave surged in Gu Qinghan’s chest.
He snatched the magic core and bolted.
“Welcome again next time~”
Damn you!
Gu Qinghan ground his teeth until they ached, mentally cursing with fierce resentment.
Miss Liana hadn’t even broken up with him yet—and now another woman?
When would this suffering from the Golden-haired Affinity ever end?
He’d only wanted to live an ordinary life in this other world.
Was that dream slipping further away?!
…
Half an hour later.
Inside his room.
Face blank, Gu Qinghan stared at the crate of magic cores. He took a deep breath, forcing calm into his mind.
Once composed, he reassessed. The situation wasn’t catastrophic.
Still within control.
Though unexpected, the impact on him was minimal.
Over 5,000 kilometers apart—physically impossible to meet.
And that mysterious beauty’s loyalty was only +20.
At most, a casual friendship.
Nothing resembling “golden-haired antics” whatsoever.
His anxiety slowly settled.
But a more urgent threat loomed: Liana’s hypnotic depth had grown dangerously high.
Per Hohenheim’s notes, beyond a certain threshold, hypnosis could trigger personality shifts.
What would become of that innocent girl, twisted by hypnotic influence?
Unthinkable.
One certainty remained: Genius Inspector Katarina was still watching.
If his connection to Liana surfaced… the consequences would be grim.
A chill slithered down his spine.
*The Hypnosis Nullifier must be made. Now.*
He opened the thick, charcoal-gray notebook, flipped to the marked page, and reread the formula.
【Hypnosis Nullifier】
Ingredients: One LV.1 Tranquilizing Potion, one magic core of the Bewildering Ghost, 50 liters Clarity Spring Water.
Three components total.
The Tranquilizing Potion? Already crafted.
Bewildering Ghost magic cores? A full crate purchased.
Clarity Spring Water? Even simpler.
In City of Devoted Love’s central square stood the famed 【Clarity Fountain】—a lovers’ confession spot.
But since yesterday, the spring had run dry.
Because Gu Qinghan had “borrowed” three massive vats.
*For brewing. Obviously.*
“My apologies, you damn humans… endure a few more days.”
Without a trace of mercy, he bowed deeply toward the window—then his expression darkened.
Today, he would finish the Hypnosis Nullifier.
And sever all ties with Miss Liana.
He inhaled sharply. When his eyes reopened, a sharp glint flashed within them.
*Begin.*
Crafting the potion wasn’t complex: grind the Bewildering Ghost’s magic core to powder, sprinkle evenly into 50 liters of Clarity Spring Water.
The core brimmed with dense bewitching magic—functionally similar to Hypnotic Powder.
The spring water offered sharp clarity.
Opposing forces clashing head-on… fighting fire with fire.
That was the core principle.
Yet even this simple step betrayed him.
A full day passed. Dusk bled across the window.
Gu Qinghan panted before the wooden tub, face pale.
No progress.
Water measured precisely. Powder sprinkled exactly.
But it refused to dissolve.
Purplish-black specks floated like scum on a stagnant ditch, clustering, hardening—
In seconds, a fist-sized core reformed atop the water, twisted into an eerie shape.
He wiped sweat from his brow. *Failure.*
The eleventh.
Magic cores in the box dwindled. Pressure mounted.
Procedure was flawless.
Yet the powder precipitated, aggregated, reverted—defying all logic.
*How?*
Solubility was a fundamental property. Unchangeable.
Magic couldn’t alter it.
Basic middle school chemistry!
Saltwater example: fixed water volume = fixed salt capacity.
100ml water dissolves 36.5g salt.
More salt? Add water or heat.
He’d tried both. Useless.
Staring at the intact purple core, exhaustion washed over him.
“This ‘Golden-haired’ label… won’t let go, huh…”
A bitter laugh escaped. His gaze dimmed.
He closed his eyes, drawing deep into The Cortex.
*Solubility… middle school knowledge. The key must be there too.*
Long-buried memories stirred.
…His chemistry teacher had been a beautiful young woman.
Suddenly—light.
“Got it!”
A whisper. A flicker in his eyes.
Half an hour later.
After meticulous planning, Gu Qinghan held the answer.
Clenching a core, he began:
Step one: grind to powder.
Step two: finer.
Step three: finer still…
An hour later.
The powder now resembled flour. His pulse quickened.
*Hope.*
Smaller particles = possibility.
He could hear his own heartbeat.
Solubility was immutable.
But “insoluble” didn’t mean “undispersible.”
Hohenheim had done it. The notes said so.
Only one path remained:
Grind relentlessly.
Until particle size reached 1 to 100 nanometers.
That was the solution.
