Chapter 13 13

After two hours, Nicolas opened his eyes, lifted his hand, and clenched his fist. "My Aziz energy has renewed," he said to himself, then stood up and headed for the door. When he opened it, Albert was waiting like a stone statue.

He had already bowed his head upon hearing the sound of the door.

"Albert, prepare a hot bath; ensure the water is boiling, and refresh the fire to keep the temperature at the maximum level," he said quickly. After saying "As you command, Young Master," Albert, without even showing a hint of emotion, ran into the room a few meters away.

Nicolas returned to his room, opened his closet, and took out a towel and fresh clothes. There were still ink stains on his face, and he was covered in Darin's blood from when he had rolled over after colliding with Lea. An ordinary person might have felt uncomfortable remaining in such a state, but for Nicolas, it didn't matter. During his 2-year adventure period, he had gone months wearing dirty clothes, and the tears and blood from fierce struggles would cake onto him. He would bathe whenever he found a stream or a puddle, but there was nowhere in the mountainous terrain where he could find clothes.

Still, while the opportunity existed, he would not refuse to dress cleanly and bathe. After taking his clothes, he picked up one of the small bottles containing a sapphire-colored liquid from the drawer and headed for the door. Before leaving the room, he looked at Lea, who was sleeping like a peaceful angel. The scent of the essence and the dense Aziz energy in the room had reduced her fatigue and allowed her to sleep more comfortably.

After Nicolas left the room, he entered the room a few meters away. When he opened the door, Albert was throwing a crystal-like object into the opening in the floor. Upon Nicolas's arrival, he quickly threw the crystal, stood up, and saluted Nicolas.

"Young Master, the water will reach boiling point in a few seconds. I will relay your instructions to the staff downstairs," he said. "After instructing the staff, do not wait. Stand in front of my room and do not allow anyone to enter. Even if it is my father; also, inform me immediately if Lea wakes up."

"As you command, Young Master," Albert said, then quickly departed.

The small, fingernail-sized crystal Albert used was a magic item. Only aristocrats and wealthy experts used such valuable crystals to heat water or cook the meat of magical creatures. Each crystal cost 1 silver, which was equivalent to a family's two-month living expenses. When Nicolas said the water needed to be at maximum temperature, Albert, as an experienced person, understood he would be taking a medicinal bath.

Nicolas placed the clothes he was cradling on the marble pillar standing by the marble-clad bath. The bath was a 2-meter-long and 2-meter-wide square, attached to the right wall. The edges were made of elliptically cut marble, and there was a large 'gobek tasi' (navel stone) in the center. Since Nicolas was the only person using the bath, which was also used as a hamam, he could move around comfortably.

After placing his clothes on the marble pillar, Nicolas headed to the tub. Noticing the water bubbling and steam rising, he took out the bottle and looked at it.

"Sapphire Aziz Heart Potion. Master Iter's most boasted low-level potion. I never had the chance to use you in the past, but now I will give you your due," Nicolas said, as if it were a living person. After expressing his feelings and regret, he opened the stopper. At the same time, a strong scent hit his face, and in just a moment, the entire bath was filled with a powerful medicinal aroma. The scent was perfect, but its effect was much more magnificent. Nicolas instantly felt his pores opening and the Aziz energy attacking his body like a hungry wolf. It was an extremely relaxing feeling; the amount of Aziz energy entering his body had doubled at once. Nicolas smiled but shook his head. "What a great loss; how could I have left such a miraculous potion as you unused on the side?" after lamenting, he poured the entire potion into the bubbling bath water at once.

Like ink dropped into water, the sapphire blue potion poured from the small bottle instantly turned the color of the bath light blue, then spread to turn it sapphire blue. The medicinal scent erupted and rose rapidly, not only filling the entire bath but also escaping through the open pores of the closed door and spreading into the corridor. It was a well-known fact that the stronger the scent of a potion, the stronger its effect. For the Sapphire Aziz Heart Potion, this was clearly evident. This potion, categorized as low-level by Great Master Alchemist Iter, was his invention and he had categorized it according to his own standards. Because its materials were common, it was not difficult to make, and the refining process was simple, but combining the materials and turning them into a formula was a task only he and his apprentice Nicolas could perform. Although it was a simple potion to him, it was miraculous for the rest of the world. Even the effect of the highest quality potion used in the Fei Clan was only 10% of the Sapphire Aziz Heart Potion.

Nicolas looked at the bath and let the potion mix into the water a little more. After taking off his clothes, he filled a copper bowl with water from a faucet on the wall, poured it over his head, and cleaned himself lightly. He took care that no dirt remained on his body; after cleaning carefully, he noticed that the ink on his face had left a black mark on the floor.

He placed the copper bowl on the marble and headed to the bath. As soon as he put his foot on the short marble steps, he felt the heat, but he took another step without caring. Although the heat burning the soles of his feet increased, he didn't even twitch, and after taking another step, the bath, which was 70 centimeters above the ground, was at the tip of his foot.

The water was bubbling like lava inside a volcano; even the heat from the steam was enough to burn Nicolas's skin. His Aziz energy was low, and his body had not been trained with Aziz energy, so this medicinal bath would be extremely painful, but he was not uneasy and showed no sign of the slightest fear.

Pain was something he had endured for years. Could pain be compared to being responsible for Alvaro's death? Could it be compared to knowing that someone had killed his mother and father but being unable to take their revenge? Could it be compared to the pain of his comrades who died during his 19 years of military service, or the countless sword, spear, and arrow wounds he had received? Even if this medicinal bath would cause pain to his body, his will would certainly not be broken.

Without even hesitating or trying to put his foot in slowly, he let himself into the medicinal water. As soon as he fell into the boiling water, his whole skin began to burn, and his eyebrows twitched with pain. This pain was no different from being burned alive. Despite the severe pain, he did not make the slightest sound, took a deep breath, and kept his whole body, including his head, inside the boiling water. The heat from the floor was extremely intense, the boiling water had burned his skin, and his whole body had turned bright red.

This was actually exactly what should have happened, and after closing his eyes, he felt how the Aziz energy was flowing into his body.

It was as if dam water that had accumulated for centuries had suddenly burst the thick walls of the dam and started flowing crazily. The amount of Aziz energy filling his body was terrifying; it had easily exceeded the limit that someone at the Aziz level would tolerate, but Nicolas was not an ordinary person.

During his 33 years of pain experience, he had learned a lot. He immediately started applying the Aziz Energy cultivation technique he had learned and spread the Aziz energy entering his body throughout his entire body, spread it to his muscles, bones, tissues, and blood, and then started gathering it in the energy center under his stomach.

1 minute

2 minutes

3 minutes

and finally, after 5 minutes, he went back above the water to breathe and dove back into the water. The effect of the potion had not yet diminished, and this effect would last for at least 6 hours. Nicolas would absorb all his Aziz Energy until the sapphire blue color of the water disappeared.

While he was going underwater again, the workers on the ground floor had thrown another crystal and supplemented the fire with wood and coal.

They would repeat this every five minutes until Nicolas ordered them to stop, and this also meant that 72 crystals would be used, including the one used by Albert. This amount was extremely terrifying, so much so that with this amount, 144 families could sustain their livelihood for a month, but for the Fei Clan, this amount was too small not to be spent, so the servants showed no hesitation at all while throwing the crystals.