Under the effect of Charm, the Hobgoblin walked blankly to the center of the Magic Ritual. The Magic materials, not particularly precious but quite numerous, shimmered slightly.
A faint ripple of Mana appeared in Tang Zheng's perception.
Whoosh! Tang Zheng grabbed, taking a Manticore corpse, over three meters tall and strongly built, from his Item Box and threw it on the ground. "According to the normal procedure, the Demon Creature's corpse needs to be placed in the Magic circle as well."
Puchi!
With a flick of his wrist, his hand transformed into a palm blade.
He easily cut open the Manticore's chest, and with blood dripping, he pulled out a heart the size of half a basketball from its chest and tossed it into the Magic Ritual.
The Hobgoblin raised its thickly furred arm and caught the heart, drops of blood dripping through its fingers.
"What happens if you don't put in the corpse?"
Tang Zheng was curious, so he only threw the crucial heart to the Hobgoblin.
The Wild Transformation Ritual is a power ritual passed down from the Forest Gnome race. First, one must devour the heart of a Demon Creature, and then activate the ritual together with the Demon Creature's corpse.
This allows one to gain the ability to transform into that Demon Creature. At the same time, the Wild Transformation skill completely loses the ability to transform into other Demon Creatures, and can only transform into this one type of Demon Creature in the future.
Under Tang Zheng's control, the Hobgoblin quickly ate the heart, its face and chest stained with a large amount of blood, making it look somewhat ferocious.
"Ritual activation."
Tang Zheng squatted down, reached out, placed his hand on the edge of the Magic Ritual, and injected Mana into it.
Thump.
A vibrating Mana fluctuation formed from the ritual, centered on the Hobgoblin, forming an invisible pulling force, seemingly wanting to absorb something.
"Aah!!"
The Hobgoblin suddenly let out a scream. Its originally thin body visibly began to flatten, but its head changed and swelled at an alarming rate, transforming into the head of the Demon Creature Manticore.
However.
Having only transformed its entire head, the Hobgoblin's body was already like it had been sucked dry, becoming truly emaciated.
Bang! The next moment, the Hobgoblin's body directly exploded, turning into a cloud of blood mist, with limbs and broken arms flying everywhere, leaving only half a head that smashed onto the ground, rolling twice.
This scene.
Left Tang Zheng somewhat stunned. He didn't understand what had happened at all. A valuable experimental subject had died? "Just making a slight modification had such a big impact." Tang Zheng's eyes twitched.
Logically speaking, the truly difficult part of this Magic Ritual lies in how to hunt powerful Demon Creatures, not the ritual itself.
If Dogan Stone Lizard were still alive, he would probably say to himself that it was the curse of their Forest Gnome race.
He didn't believe that!
"Fifth Tier Raise Dead."
Tang Zheng looked at the other two Hobgoblins, shrinking in the cage not far away, with expressions of Fear, and expressionlessly activated Resurrection Magic.
The corpse's limbs were all there, perhaps a bit fragmented, but they could be resurrected through low-level Resurrection Magic.
These three Hobgoblins were not high level, around the level of fourteen or fifteen, and each could be resurrected about three times.
That meant they could be used nine times.
"I didn't react in time just now. If this situation occurs again later, I'll have to use healing Magic and Regeneration Potions, which should save their lives."
"That way, there will be more opportunities for research." Tang Zheng nodded to himself. His voice fell into the ears of the other two Hobgoblins, causing them to tremble all over.
They looked at Tang Zheng with eyes like he was a demon, letting out sharp and Fear-filled roars.
Unfortunately.
In the depths of the Great Swamp's dense forest, there was obviously no one who could save them.
In the following days, Tang Zheng, except for returning to the Royal Capital once in the middle to specifically arrange for Emerald Witch and Anri to continue selling Regeneration Potions and purchasing Alchemic materials as usual.
He had been staying in the Great Swamp, conducting research.
The Wild Transformation Magic Ritual, based on the current situation, did not seem to have any ability to increase Tang Zheng's strength.
...
On the other side.
Royal Capital.
In a certain luxurious mansion.
A maid with a beautiful appearance and a plump figure, wearing a maid outfit, knocked lightly on the door of the room.
"Your Highness, it's time for lunch."
"Come in."
A slightly lazy voice came from inside the room.
The maid opened the door and entered.
In the spacious room, the decoration was extremely luxurious, and every item was a valuable treasure.
A beautiful woman with long Golden hair, wearing a loose noble dress, was sitting in front of a desk, looking at a document in her hand.
Her appearance was extremely beautiful, and her skin was as white as snow. She was like a doll made of porcelain, exquisite and flawless.
She was the Golden Princess Renners, the first Princess of the Kingdom.
"Your Highness, this is the latest information from the Adventurer's Guild."
The maid placed a document on the desk.
Renners put down the document in her hand and picked up the new document. After reading it carefully, a hint of surprise appeared on her face.
"Oh? A Genius Alchemist appeared in the Kingdom? And he's selling a large number of Regeneration Potions?"
"Yes, Your Highness. According to the Adventurer's Guild's investigation, this Genius Alchemist is very mysterious. He only appears occasionally, and his whereabouts are very secretive."
"Interesting."
Renners smiled slightly, her eyes revealing a hint of interest. "A Genius Alchemist who can refine Regeneration Potions is a talent that the Kingdom needs. I must find a way to recruit him."
"Your Highness, do you want me to send someone to investigate this Alchemist's whereabouts?" the maid asked respectfully.
"No need." Renners shook her head. "Since he's a Genius Alchemist, he must have some special abilities. If we investigate rashly, it might backfire. Let's wait and see for now."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"By the way, how is the investigation into the Magic Swordsman Lakyus and the Blue Rose?" Renners asked again.
"Your Highness, the Blue Rose is still investigating the Great Tomb of Nazarick. It seems they have encountered some trouble," the maid replied.
"Great Tomb of Nazarick..." Renners murmured, her eyes revealing a hint of thought. "This mysterious force is indeed a bit troublesome. It seems I need to pay more attention to it."
"Your Highness, do you want to send someone to support the Blue Rose?" the maid asked.
"No need." Renners shook her head again. "The Blue Rose is not a simple team. If they can't even handle this, then they're not worth my attention."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Alright, you can go down." Renners waved her hand.
"Yes, Your Highness." The maid bowed and retreated.
After the maid left, Renners leaned back in her chair, her eyes revealing a hint of deep thought.
"Genius Alchemist, Great Tomb of Nazarick, Blue Rose... It seems the Kingdom is becoming more and more interesting."
...
Time passed, and it was now the Month of Upper Water.
In the Royal Capital, the weather was getting colder.
Tang Zheng, who had been staying in the Great Swamp for a long time, finally returned to the Royal Capital.
During this period, he had been constantly experimenting with the Wild Transformation Magic Ritual, but the results were not satisfactory.
The success rate of the ritual was extremely low, and even if it succeeded, the transformed Demon Creature was very weak.
"It seems this Wild Transformation Magic Ritual is not suitable for me."
Tang Zheng shook his head, giving up on continuing to study this Magic Ritual.
However, during this period, he also had some gains.
For example, he had successfully created a Disguise Magic item that could perfectly disguise his appearance and aura.
With this Magic item, he could freely move around in the Royal Capital without worrying about being recognized.
"Next, it's time to focus on improving my strength."
Tang Zheng planned to find a place to concentrate on cultivation and strive to break through to the Sixth Tier as soon as possible.
Just as he was about to leave the Royal Capital, a piece of news suddenly caught his attention.
The Golden Princess Renners was holding a banquet in the Royal Palace, inviting the Kingdom's nobles and powerful figures to attend.
"Golden Princess?"
Tang Zheng narrowed his eyes, a hint of interest appearing in his heart.
He had heard of the Golden Princess's name before. She was a Genius known for her intelligence and beauty, and was deeply loved by the King.
"It seems I need to go and see what the Golden Princess is planning."
Tang Zheng thought for a moment and decided to attend the banquet.
With his current strength and Disguise Magic item, he was confident that he could protect himself.
Moreover, he was also very curious about the Golden Princess and wanted to see what kind of person she was.
After making his decision, Tang Zheng immediately began to prepare.
He changed into a noble's attire, put on the Disguise Magic item, and headed towards the Royal Palace.
The Royal Palace was heavily guarded, but with Tang Zheng's strength, it was easy for him to sneak in.
He successfully entered the banquet hall.
The banquet hall was brightly lit, filled with nobles and powerful figures.
Tang Zheng scanned the surroundings and quickly found the Golden Princess.
She was sitting on a high platform, surrounded by many people, receiving their flattery and praise.
Tang Zheng looked at the Golden Princess, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.
The Golden Princess was even more beautiful than he had imagined. She was like a goddess, making people unable to take their eyes off her.
"No wonder she's called the Golden Princess. She's indeed worthy of the name."
Tang Zheng sighed in his heart, then found a corner and quietly observed.
He wanted to see what the Golden Princess's purpose was for holding this banquet.
Just as Tang Zheng was observing, a maid suddenly walked up to him.
"Sir, Her Highness the Princess invites you to come over."
Tang Zheng was slightly startled, but he quickly calmed down.
It seemed the Golden Princess had noticed him.
"Alright, I'll go over."
Tang Zheng nodded and followed the maid towards the Golden Princess.
He wanted to see what the Golden Princess wanted to do.
And the reason he valued it so much was because the Magic Ritual gave Tang Zheng the possibility of helping people from another world break through level restrictions.
Could becoming a more powerful Demon Creature, in addition to a simple increase in strength, also inherit the level cap of the Demon Creature?
Especially that Ancient Fire Dragon corpse.
Although dragons are not considered Demon Creatures, and it's likely to be unworkable, Tang Zheng couldn't help but want to experiment.
...
Month of Upper Water, January 5th.
Tang Zheng returned to the Royal Capital. The process and hidden restrictions of the "Wild Transformation" Magic Ritual had been explored almost completely, and it was time to call it a day.
Of the three Hobgoblins, only one remained, and that one only had one chance to be resurrected.
Suddenly returning to the Royal Capital.
It wasn't that he wanted to stop, but he had to return to the Royal Capital to deal with matters.
He arrived in the Royal Capital on December 20th, Month of Lower Earth, and had been there for half a month. In his previous journeys, it wasn't considered a long stay.
Half of the previous time was actually spent on the road, but now that he had mastered Teleport Magic, the time was much more relaxed.
Many plans change with time.
If he didn't have Teleport Magic, Tang Zheng wouldn't have allowed himself to be put on the stage so quickly, implementing a plan to exchange "fame" for "influence."
His current disguised identity is a "Genius Alchemist" plus a "Faith-based Magic Caster," and this identity will naturally be used for a long time.
Even until after the Great Tomb of Nazarick descends, so the sooner he's on stage, the better.
In the inn.
Emerald Witch and Anri stood at the door of Tang Zheng's room, waiting quietly.
Anri carefully observed Emerald Witch, then quickly retracted her gaze, pinching her pale fingers, and remained silent.
Anri didn't find it strange that the master hadn't appeared much during this time. As an Alchemist, the master liked to study various potions.
During the journey to the Royal Capital, the master often stayed alone in the tent for a long time, and Anri had long been accustomed to it.
Clang! Clang! Emerald Witch suddenly raised her hand and gently knocked on the door a few times.
"Come in," a peaceful voice came from inside the room.
Emerald Witch gently pushed the door open, and Anri widened her innocent eyes and quickly followed, her eyes flashing with surprise.
This scene had occurred several times.
Anri couldn't understand how Miss Emerald Witch judged when to knock and when to wait outside.
She had been observing carefully all the time, but found nothing.
"Is it the ability of Magic?" Anri could only think.
Emerald Witch was of course aware that Tang Zheng's "truly powerful" power was Mana-based Magic, and mastering the Fifth Tier Teleport was naturally not surprising.
This was also Tang Zheng's deliberately hidden second identity. This power was naturally not without logic or trace. The [Alchemist] was originally a Mana-based profession.
It could be considered one of the flaws that Tang Zheng intentionally revealed.
Of course, this power would probably not be used in most cases. Angel Summoning alone was enough to solve most troubles.
It was a bit quiet.
Anri suddenly came back to her senses and realized that Emerald Witch was frowning at her.
Inside the room, Tang Zheng was sitting casually at the round table, stroking the Evil Spirit Dog while smiling at her.
"M-Master, I was just distracted," Anri's face turned red, and she opened her mouth in a flustered and cramped voice.
"Haha, it's okay."
"You looked quite cute when you were daydreaming just now," Tang Zheng smiled gently.
"The thing," Emerald Witch said coldly to Anri.
"Oh, it's, it's here."
Anri hurriedly took out two high-quality parchment invitations from her bosom.
They were sealed with wax, bearing special patterns resembling noble crests or floral designs, appearing quite formal. The only difference was the variation in the patterns.
"This was given to me by the person who fought with Emerald Witch last time we met," Anri said, handing over the two exquisite parchment invitations.
"Blue Rose?"
Tang Zheng was somewhat surprised. He casually tore open the invitations and examined the information inside. Both were written in different styles, yet both conveyed a sense of elegance.
It seemed both invitations were written by women, and one of them even carried a faint, unique fragrance.
*Decipher Magic!* A faint magical light flashed between Tang Zheng's eyes, and the information on the invitations immediately became clear.
This is… an invitation from the Golden Princess? Tang Zheng narrowed his eyes. The text on both invitations was brief, but the content was quite different. One was from Lakyus, the captain of Blue Rose, expressing her apologies for what happened to Tina last time.
The other was an invitation from the Golden Princess. Lakyus also mentioned this, and the invitation was not just for him alone, but for the entire Free Will.
More precisely, it included Anri and Emerald Witch.
"To send the invitation through Blue Rose, I thought she would send Renners."
"Is this a temporary arrangement made after learning about their battle with Blue Rose some time ago, or is it a subtle way of showing off her relationship with Blue Rose?"
Tang Zheng pondered slightly, finding it difficult to make an immediate judgment.
However, whether it was the currently renowned Blue Rose, Lakyus with her status as a noble, or the even more famous Golden Princess, such an invitation was indeed hard to refuse.
Originally, Tang Zheng thought the Golden Princess would send Renners, intending to refuse directly at that time, and also take the opportunity to exchange information with Renners openly.
At least, Tang Zheng didn't plan to meet the Golden Princess so early, but if Blue Rose was included, it wasn't impossible.
He was thinking of establishing some connection with Blue Rose before leaving the Royal Capital, but couldn't find an entry point. After all, there had been conflicts between the two sides some time ago.
But this was an opportunity.
"Very well."
Tang Zheng's eyes flickered slightly.
"Sir, not long ago, a noble's carriage delivered several sets of formal dresses," Anri said softly, her eyes full of curiosity.
"We are going to meet the princess tomorrow, and those dresses are prepared for this."
Tang Zheng shifted his gaze from the invitations to Anri and Emerald Witch, who also looked curious but maintained a cold demeanor, and spoke softly.
"M-meet the princess!?"
Anri couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, as if she had heard something unbelievable.
After arriving at the Royal Capital, she had naturally heard rumors about the Golden Princess. For such a prominent figure, Anri felt that the two sides would never have any interaction in their lives.
Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, she was going to meet the princess! Anri felt like she was dreaming, or rather, since following the lord, all her experiences had been like a dream.
"If you want to wear those dresses tomorrow, try them on in advance," Tang Zheng reminded.
Although he didn't know much about noble dresses, he knew that these dresses were always complicated to wear, and the first time would inevitably require a process of figuring things out.
And Anri and Emerald Witch had no chance to come into contact with them before this.
Tang Zheng waved his hand, signaling the two to leave.
Emerald Witch bowed respectfully and turned to leave the room, while Anri stood there hesitantly.
"What's wrong? Is there something?" Tang Zheng asked.
"That, sir, there has been a girl lingering outside the inn, saying she wants to meet you."
Anri clutched her pink dress and mustered her courage to speak.
Earlier, Tang Zheng had already instructed that the inn would not receive any outside guests. Except for the time before the festival when the Rock Squad visited and were briefly received, no one else was to be received.
After all, too many people wanted to meet Tang Zheng every day.
The benefits generated by the Regeneration Potion alone were enough to make most nobles tempted, not to mention the numerous alchemy workshops and potion workshops.
Tang Zheng believed that his Regeneration Potion had been studied countless times by these workshops during this period.
Too bad.
His 'Regeneration Potion' was created through the 10Lv Alchemist transformed by the Genius, and the passive ability of the Magic Swordsman.
No matter how much these people research, they won't get any results.
"What, do you feel sorry for her?"
Tang Zheng knew that Anri had always honestly carried out his instructions. The only thing that could make Anri speak up was if her compassion was touched.
Anri lowered her head.
Tang Zheng didn't continue speaking, but stood up and walked to the window, looking towards the entrance of the inn below.
The location of the room he was staying in was the best in the entire inn, allowing him to clearly see the street and the direction of the entrance.
There was indeed a girl squatting at the entrance.
Hmm? A bit familiar.
Tang Zheng briefly recalled and remembered who this girl was.
"Don't let it happen again."
Tang Zheng turned around and said to Anri, then walked towards the door. It wasn't that he was indifferent, but that he didn't want to waste time on such trivial matters.
"Thank you, Master!" Anri clenched her small fist and waved it forcefully, her face full of happy smiles.
At the entrance of the inn.
A girl with brown hair and freckles on her face was squatting in the corner, wrapping her clothes tightly around herself.
During this period, after finishing her work at the Adventurer's Guild each time, she would immediately rush here, wanting to wait for that master to appear, although she hadn't seen him yet.
"You're waiting for me, right?" A gentle voice suddenly came, and a shadow enveloped the brown-haired girl.
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