Returning to the hotel, Hulim immediately began preparing the potion.
First, she verified the purity and properties of the materials. Even the same ingredients could require different mixing ratios due to inherent differences. Failing to get this right would easily lead to failure.
Skillfully setting up the potion-making equipment, Hulim inspected each material one by one, recording their specific conditions on paper.
Time passed slowly, and night fell before she knew it. Hulim finally completed the material inspections—her notes filled several pages with dense data.
Next came processing the materials. Compared to the first step, this required extreme care; a single mistake could render an entire ingredient useless. To prevent this, Hulim had prepared extra quantities of most materials. However, the most precious Dragon’s Slumber Fruit Juice and Hadra Abyssal Fish Scales were still limited—there would be no chance to obtain them again. She had to succeed on the first try.
She mixed Swamp Serpent Slime, Firethorn Ash, and pure water in a precise ratio, then heated the mixture at a low boil while stirring constantly. When the liquid lost its viscosity and turned bright red, she had the solvent she needed for later.
Under light, she roasted the Hadra Abyssal Fish Scales until they turned pure white. She mixed them with Blind Night Spider Bone Powder in the calculated ratio, then ground the mixture repeatedly until it became a silvery shimmering powder.
Using distillation apparatus, she carefully controlled the temperature to distill the Dragon’s Slumber Fruit Juice. She also ensured airtight sealing—its vapor had an extremely potent sedative effect, and she didn’t want to accidentally knock herself out.
The distillation was complete when the juice turned caramel-colored and clung to the bottom of the glassware without dripping.
Next was......
......
By the time all materials were processed, it was midnight.
Hulim had only eaten some pre-prepared food during this time, never leaving the room.
"Time for the final blending......"
She first tested the environment, ensuring the temperature, humidity, and light were all optimal, then began.
She heated the solvent until small bubbles formed, then added the weighed silvery powder. Once the powder dissolved completely, she poured in the precisely measured caramel-colored syrup. Just as the syrup spread into threads in the hot solvent, she immediately added the processed Mistveil Petal Solution.
Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle......
A violent reaction erupted in the vessel as soon as the Mistveil Petal Solution was added—but this was normal.
Hulim had sealed the vessel in advance, so no vapor escaped.
When the reaction subsided, the solvent inside had turned into a clear, silvery liquid—but the process wasn’t finished yet.
Hulim added several other ingredients one after another......
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After another hour of busy work, a cloudy white potion was finally ready.
With all blending steps completed, all that remained was to store the potion in a dark, low-temperature environment for a period of time.
Glancing at the clock, Hulim saw it was already early morning. Without hesitation, she went to bed to rest......
When sunlight streamed through the window cracks, Hulim slowly opened her eyes.
After taking a shower to refresh herself, she opened the box storing the potion.
Over the past few hours, the potion had transformed into a clear, colorless liquid—indistinguishable from water. Shaking it gently, it flowed without any viscosity.
This meant the Dragon Sleep Incense was complete!
......
......
At the docks.
A large ship was moored there.
"Hurry up! Move faster!"
Under the supervision of a scar-faced man, a group of people unloaded large wooden crates from the ship and carried them directly to a nearby warehouse building.
For once, the warehouse’s cargo door—usually closed year-round—was open. Crate after crate was hauled inside.
"Be careful, you fools! Don’t damage the goods!"
Inside the warehouse, a robed woman holding a whip patrolled constantly. At the first sign of carelessness, she lashed out and shouted insults.
After a while, a one-eyed man walked in.
The robed woman glanced at him.
"How’s it outside? No issues?"
"Don’t worry. We’ve cleared the entire dock—everyone here is one of us. If any outsiders enter, we’ll spot them immediately."
"Well done."
A voice came from deep inside the warehouse.
The robed woman and the one-eyed man spun around and bowed respectfully.
"Boss!!"
"Hmm."
Silabain nodded in response.
Glancing at the crates, he said solemnly: "The day isn’t the critical period. Tonight and the time the goods are stored here—those are what matter! Remember, you must not let your guard down. If anything goes wrong...... you know the consequences."
The two swallowed hard and replied hastily: "Yes, Boss!!"
"Hmm."
Silabain nodded again, took one last look at the crates, and said: "Once all are unloaded, hurry up and unpack them. Move the goods underground."
With that, he turned and left the way he came.
"Yes!!"
The two replied respectfully behind him.
After about an hour, all the large wooden crates had been moved into the warehouse.
Boom!
The warehouse door—open for only a few hours—closed again.
Looking at the twenty or so people inside, the one-eyed man shouted: "The boss’s orders—unpack the crates and move the goods underground! Everyone, get to work!"
The group picked up tools and pried open the crates one by one, revealing charcoal inside—but this was just a disguise. They pried off the charcoal-filled partition, exposing a larger space beneath.
This was when the real goods were revealed.
Inside were unconscious people, bound with ropes—mostly humans, but also orcs, dwarves, and elves, representing nearly every race.
Each crate held four or five people. With dozens of crates, that totaled over two hundred captives!
These were the illegal slaves the underground organization had abducted through various means—and this was far from their first time doing this.
Once all crates were unpacked, they began transporting the captives underground, where cells had already been prepared to hold them.
As the underground organization carried out these actions at the docks, a pair of eyes watched silently from a distance......
There would be no better time than today.
Hulim knew this clearly in her heart.
Security at the docks was indeed tight—sentinels lurked in nearly every corner. Even with Shadow Stealth, she couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t be discovered.
Since this wasn’t the right time to infiltrate, Hulim first checked the several safe houses she’d identified earlier. Sure enough, the guards who normally stationed there were gone. All the organization’s members in the royal capital had gathered at the headquarters today.
Today was the time to act. No matter how powerful the enemy was now, Hulim had no turning back.
......
......
