The metallic regular tetrahedron slowly dissolved, revealing two figures once more.

Saul took the pollutant obtained from Justin and made his way to the Wizard Tower, while Justin remained where he was.

Whether or not the condition could be treated would depend on the pathological research this time.

After Saul left, Justin remained standing in the mushroom forest. Even the white mushroom spores drifting down would carefully avoid him.

Saul returned to the Wizard Tower and brought the petri dish in his hand to Camus.

“Take a look at this sample of pollutants.”

Saul extracted a portion of the pollutant, divided it into several samples, added different reagents to each, and recorded the characteristics of each one.

After several rounds of testing, the results were not ideal.

Agu, who had only recently emerged from the diary in the past half year, was assisting nearby. In terms of knowledge, he was probably the only one capable of keeping pace with Saul and Camus.

At the moment, seeing the data Saul recorded, his brows furrowed tightly.

Camus’s reaction was more direct. She only took a glance before handing the data back to Saul.

“His injury has already fused with the pollutant and reached a state of balance. Destroying either one would cause the other to expand rapidly.”

What Camus noticed, Saul had naturally also seen.

Agu advised, “Master, this commission is quite risky. The chance of success is very small. And if the treatment fails, this Second Rank wizard may not remain as calm as he is now.”

Even Morden, still inside the diary, agreed that Saul should not accept the commission.

Morden: “Besides, there’s nothing in it for us if we succeed. We might even end up offending the Tribunal. While they wouldn’t send anyone into the Borderland to hunt down a fugitive, it doesn’t mean they’re completely ignorant of what goes on here.”

Agu continued, “It might also attract more people who have been pursued by the Tribunal. We could end up facing even more trouble.”

He emphasized “more” because he understood that Saul’s identity as a doctor was more like a protective charm.

Clearly, everyone was advising Saul against treating Justin.

Failure might lead to retaliation, and success might bring the wrath of an even stronger, more terrifying organization.

No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t a good deal.

Saul thought for a moment, then stood up, taking the test results and remaining samples and returned to the mushroom forest outside Lake Rhine.

Justin still stood exactly as he had when Saul left, as if he hadn’t moved an inch the entire time.

Saul handed the items in his hands to Justin.

“…I’m sorry.”

Justin looked down at what Saul was holding, the muscles in his face tightening.

“You can’t treat my pollution?”

“You should be more aware of your condition than anyone. The pollution and the old injuries have become entangled, forming a delicate balance. If I break that balance without being able to completely purge the pollution, the resulting instability could shorten your remaining life to just a few days—or even a few hours.”

“So your conclusion is to give up? Is it really because you lack confidence?” Justin’s voice dropped low. “I told you the cause of the pollution in my body so you could understand the nature of the injury and the pollutant. I didn’t expect you to be frightened by it.”

Saul did not deny it.

Justin took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure. “Very well.”

He took the petri dish and notes from Saul’s hands and snorted coldly. “Since you have so many concerns, I advise you to stop calling yourself a doctor. You’re not fit for it!”

He turned and walked a few steps before seemingly still feeling dissatisfied. He turned back and said to Saul, “I’ll tell my friends you’re a fraud of a doctor… no, wait—you don’t even have a reputation to tarnish. You don’t even qualify as a fraud.”

Justin strode away, leaving behind a trail of clear footprints in the mushroom forest.

When Saul returned to the lakeside, he happened upon Steward Hope and Jiajia Gu waiting for him.

Jiajia Gu observed Saul cautiously, as if trying to read the outcome of his exchange with Justin from his expression.

But Saul’s face was calm, completely unreadable.

Hope smiled and said, “This time, Lord Jiajia Gu has brought us quite a few good things. He even got his hands on that Fireflow Stone you’ve been looking for—twenty kilograms of it.”

That news brought a smile to Saul’s face. “Is that so? Then I’m truly grateful.”

He had been collecting Fireflow Stone for quite some time, but Jiajia Gu had only ever managed to bring back small amounts each time.

It wasn’t that he was hoarding it—this substance was simply too rare. Yet it was crucial in fire-element and metal-element wizard formations, and practically irreplaceable. That made it incredibly hard to come by.

Now that he had so much Fireflow Stone, Saul could finally improve the efficiency of the Monte Extraction Method by another ten percent.

“By the way, it’s been two months since the third cleansing. Let me check your back again.”

Jiajia Gu immediately set down his massive pack and exposed his back.

But the result of this check-up wasn’t encouraging.

The pollution on Jiajia Gu’s back had worsened again. Though it was still better than before he met Saul, if Saul couldn’t fully eradicate the pollution, the issue would continue to deteriorate.

It might even lead to a retaliatory backlash.

“The timing is just about right.” Saul thought for a moment, then took out a wooden doll from his storage device. “I understand—being a traveling merchant, it’s impossible for you to abandon your pack. But as long as you carry it, your pollution can’t be properly resolved.”

Jiajia Gu was well aware of his own condition. He gave a bitter smile. “Lord Saul, I don’t have a choice. If I give up my pack, I lose the means to survive in the Borderland. I can only trade my health for the chance to stay alive.”

“I know. That’s why I never tried to persuade you. But recently, I came up with a new idea. You can hear it out and decide if you want to try.”

As soon as Jiajia Gu heard that, his eyes lit up.

Having dealt with Saul for so long, he had a general idea of the man’s abilities—Saul always managed to come up with surprising solutions.

“No need to hear it, my lord. I’m willing to try,” Jiajia Gu said with a goofy grin. “To be honest, your solutions are always too complicated. Even if you explain, I won’t get it. I’m willing to trust you.”

Saul didn’t play coy either. After all, he was quite confident in treating Jiajia Gu.

“Still, before we officially begin, I need to give you a simple explanation so you can cooperate later.”

Saul explained that the source of the pollution on Jiajia Gu’s body was hidden inside the giant pack on his back.

And the pollution wouldn’t be removed simply by switching to another pack.

Because between Jiajia Gu and the pack, a causal link had already formed. It was a kind of rule-based force unique to the Borderland—in a few rounds of treatment, Saul had already discovered that even if he used soul fishing to extract all the pollution from Jiajia Gu, it was useless.

Unless that causal link was severed, Jiajia Gu would continue to suffer from a constant resurgence of pollution.

But Saul had thought of a new method: at the connection point between the pack and Jiajia Gu’s body, he would place a substitute puppet.

The doll would absorb the new pollution in place of Jiajia Gu.

When the puppet reached a certain threshold of contamination, Jiajia Gu would need to come back to replace it—or spend a hefty sum to directly purchase the method for making the puppets.

As for the creation of the puppet, the inspiration naturally came from Mentor Rum.

Although Saul and Rum had ended up on opposing sides at the last moment, before turning against each other, Saul had learned quite a few useful things from him.

After hearing this, Jiajia Gu was overjoyed and agreed immediately.

However, instead of purchasing the puppet-making method, he opted for regular replacements.

That surprised Saul a little, but he didn’t pry.

Since the decision was made, Saul got straight to work.

Treating Jiajia Gu took a long time. By the time Jiajia Gu, beaming with excitement, once again shouldered his pack, night had fully fallen.

Because of this treatment, Saul reclaimed more than half of the magic crystals and supplies he had traded to Jiajia Gu.

After Jiajia Gu left, he and the Steward Hope began sorting through the goods from the trade.

“Even with the wolf cart, we’ll need to make three trips,” Hope said with guilt. “It was my oversight. I should’ve built a transport tool with greater capacity long ago.”

Saul didn’t mind. “It’s fine. Take your time hauling it—I’ll have Little Algae keep watch here…”

Before he could finish speaking, Saul suddenly turned his head toward the mushroom grove.

Justin, who had stormed off during the day, was now walking through the grove toward them with an expressionless face.

This time, the mushroom grove, which usually served as an early warning system, showed not a single reaction.

Hope immediately ducked behind Saul, then covertly used Little Algae’s clone to send a signal to the Wizard Tower.

Justin was a Second-Rank wizard. Now that he had returned, with unknown intentions, they had to summon the Old Witch immediately.

Saul, on the other hand, remained composed. After all, behind him lay Lake Rhine. As long as he took the final step, not even a Second-Rank wizard could break through the anti-magic barrier over the lake’s surface.

“Back again, Lord Justin? Didn’t curse enough last time?” Saul’s lips curled in a slight smile, but his eyes turned cold.

He had chosen not to respond to Justin’s parting insults earlier in order to avoid trouble. But if the man was going to keep this up, Saul had no problem making sure that mouth stayed behind.

Justin walked right up to about three meters in front of Saul and stopped. Then he lowered his head slightly.

“Wizard Saul, I know you have the ability. Please… help me. I’m begging you.”

The moment those words left his mouth, the prideful aura that had clung to Justin collapsed completely.

(End of Chapter)

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