The anomaly at Lake Rhine hadn’t caused much of an impact on its new owner. But rumors of the change quickly spread, thanks to some “passing by” wizards.

Half a month later—

The first “patient” Saul had ever received since calling himself a healer, Jiajia Gu, returned.

This time, he brought along quite a bit of cargo.

“Long time no see, Wizard Saul—or perhaps I should call you Healer Saul now?”

Saul didn’t much care.

“I specialize in pollution-related healing, but I’m also a wizard. Call me whatever you like.”

“Then I’ll stick with Wizard Saul. I feel that title expresses my respect best.”

Jiajia Gu dropped the massive pack from his back but didn’t undo the shoulder straps—there was still some adhesion between his back and the pack that hadn’t fully dissolved.

“This time, I’ve brought part of the items from your list. Would you care to take a look?”

He carefully took a crumpled sheet of paper from his coat, smoothed it out with great care, and handed it to Saul.

The list was one Saul had given him, detailing a large number of necessary and potentially useful materials—some of them quite rare.

As Saul read through the list, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

Jiajia Gu was, after all, just a wandering trader. The basic alchemical and magical supplies were all there.

But the more valuable and rarer items were few and far between. Of the rare materials Saul wanted most—the ones he’d deliberately mixed into the list—not a single one had been acquired.

Still, it was like a household needing both a refrigerator and a trash bin.

Even though most of what Jiajia Gu brought were common items, they would still help perfect the Wizard Tower’s basic infrastructure, making life here more convenient for Saul.

In return, Saul offered large quantities of magic crystals and surplus materials from his own stores.

But after handing over the goods, Jiajia Gu didn’t immediately take the payment.

He rubbed his hands together, trying to curry favor with an ingratiating smile.

“Wizard Saul, do you think the pollution on my back could be completely removed this time?”

He was starting to suspect that Saul hadn’t completely removed the corruption before because he wanted to keep some kind of leverage over him.

Saul, however, answered seriously, “The pollution on your body isn’t all that severe. If it’s just surface-level pollution, I can remove that easily. The real issue is the source of the pollution. It’s been parasitizing you for quite some time.”

“If we forcefully remove it, there’s a risk to your life.”

“So, if we want to completely and safely extract the pollution, we’ll need a targeted method—one that can numb the pollution source on your body to prevent any backlash from the separation.”

Saul was telling nine parts truth, one part fiction, and Jiajia Gu was left staring, dumbfounded.

“Of course, if you’re willing to take the risk right now, I could attempt a full removal immediately. I haven’t tried it yet—it would actually be a great opportunity to experiment.” Saul’s eyes gleamed.

Jiajia Gu quickly waved his hands, trembling. “No, no, no need! I’m not in a hurry! Please, Wizard Saul, take your time and find a safe method to extract it.”

Saul nodded, looking a little disappointed.

If he couldn’t fully remove the corruption, then Jiajia Gu would just have to pay in magic crystals like everyone else.

After they wrapped up the trade, Jiajia Gu enthusiastically shared some recent news he thought might interest Saul.

One of them was that the Dreammaker, Clark, had publicly acknowledged Saul as the new master of Lake Rhine.

But neither the Lord Firefly nor the Wind Sprite had made any statements yet.

Some people were getting restless and might have come here to investigate.

Jiajia Gu warned Saul to be careful.

Speaking of being careful, Saul suddenly thought of someone.

“By the way, Jiajia Gu—some time ago, a wolf creature wearing human skin came to me asking for help removing pollution from an item. Did you send him?”

“You met the direwolf?” Jiajia Gu was shocked. “That wasn’t someone I sent. I was actually introducing you to a First Rank wizard friend when I realized a direwolf had snuck nearby and was eavesdropping. Looks like it overheard us after all.”

Saul gave the anxious Jiajia Gu a long look but didn’t press to see how much of that was truth.

Once the trade of goods and information was complete, Jiajia Gu set off again, promising to continue looking for the rare materials Saul wanted.

In return, Saul collected a fresh sample of Jiajia Gu’s pollution for further research.

Through Jiajia Gu, Saul could not only buy basic essentials, but also stay up to date with the outside world.

After setting a list of goods for their next meeting, Saul walked back to the Wizard Tower.

The moment he returned, Marsh came rushing up to him.

“Sir! Sir! The pale lady is awake!”

Pale lady?

Camus?

Saul immediately rushed into the Wizard Tower.

Ever since he’d dug up the soul of the tower’s former master, he’d been waiting for her to wake up.

To prevent retaliation, he and the Old Witch had devised a magic formation specifically for restraining spirit bodies.

But if this person—who looked like Camus—really was the Camus he knew, she was likely a Third Rank wizard at least.

If Saul hadn’t had the diary and his natural advantages when dealing with souls, he might’ve opted to destroy or discard her soul immediately.

The farther away, the better.

Still, he wanted to make the most of what he had.

After all, not everyone could just stumble upon a nearly intact Third Rank wizard’s soul.

The first project Saul had been working on—combining the “Vessel” spell with the white substance coating Camus’s spirit body—had yet to show real progress.

Maybe her awakening would help.

Both eager and wary, Saul descended to the tower’s first basement level.

A special arcane cell had been prepared for Camus here.

When Saul arrived, Camus and the Old Witch were staring at each other.

The steward wasn’t around—probably off handling chores.

“How is she? Is her mind clear?” Saul asked urgently.

The Old Witch rolled her eyes. “Looks like an idiot to me.”

Camus, however, just sat there with the same blank expression.

Her legs were tilted to the side, elegantly crossed. Her hands folded gently in her lap.

She looked graceful—like a statue.

Saul crouched down, trying to meet her eyes at her level.

“Excuse me, are you Wizard Camus?”

There was no response. She continued staring blankly forward.

“Hello, I’m Saul. This is my Wizard Tower.”

“It’s no use,” the Old Witch muttered, already bored. “She’s stiffer than wood.”

She was only allowed to look—Saul wouldn’t let her touch.

Since the Old Witch wasn’t well-versed in soul studies, her interest in Camus was limited.

When she first heard Camus had “woken”—or at least moved—she’d come running. But when the soul didn’t respond, she lost interest and left shortly after.

Lately, Saul hadn’t been paying her much attention either, and he wasn’t studying the rest of her lingering pollution anymore.

Even so, the Old Witch wasn’t planning to leave.

The Wizard Tower now had not just a fog barrier, but a magic-nullification field. It was the perfect hiding place for her.

After all, she was still wanted by both the Firefly and the Wind Sprite—two powerful Third Rank wizards!

After she left, Saul tried a few more times—he even mentioned “Gorsa” and the Glare Family—but the “statue” before him still didn’t react.

“Maybe she hasn’t fully woken up yet.”

Saul wasn’t discouraged.

He had plenty of time now, after all.

So he returned to his research, carefully peeling off a tiny bit of the gray-white outer layer from Camus’s soul.

There was no reaction.

Getting no useful feedback, Saul resigned himself to the lab.

He wanted to analyze the composition of this white substance.

He wasn’t getting nothing—but the results were bizarre enough to make him question his own calculations.

“There’s something wrong with your experiment environment. You need to evacuate the air.”

Saul froze mid-motion and looked back.

Camus had turned her head toward him at some point.

Her face was still emotionless.

“Ahem.” Saul pointed at her neck. “Could you maybe turn your head back the other way?”

“I’m not used to talking to someone who’s facing me… while I’m looking at their back.”

(End of Chapter)

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