Chapter 46 : Chapter 46
Chapter 46. Returning to Youth
On the second day after Lady Margaret agreed to cooperate, an invisible storm began brewing within Winter City.
At first, it was only whispers in the taverns.
“Have you heard? It seems the Duke’s Manor has created some kind of miracle medicine!”
“A miracle medicine? Can it turn iron ore into gold?”
“It is even stranger than that! They say it can restore a person’s youth!”
Similar rumors spread through the streets and alleys of Winter City as if they had grown wings.
Some people scoffed at the idea, believing it was nothing more than another gimmick created by the newly arrived Princess to consolidate her rule.
Baroque, the president of the Winter Chamber of Commerce, seized the opportunity to mock her privately.
He claimed that the Princess had become obsessed with money and had started selling fraudulent medicine to deceive the public.
However, when Sylvia’s officials began formally distributing invitations to newspapers and influential figures throughout the city, everyone suddenly fell silent.
The invitation cards were designed with extreme simplicity, yet the single line written on them was impossible to ignore.
“Public Demonstration of the Effects of the ‘Fleeting Youth’ Potion. Special Witness: Lady Margaret.”
Lady Margaret!
That woman who almost never participated in any political or commercial activities and had devoted her entire life to charitable causes.
She was actually willing to endorse a potion?
The entire upper class of the Northern Territory exploded with discussion.
Curiosity, doubt, and anticipation.
Countless complicated gazes instantly focused on that humble charitable manor, as well as the Duke’s Manor standing behind it.
Logaris was dragged out of the alchemy workshop by Sylvia.
He had two heavy dark circles under his eyes.
His hair looked like a bird’s nest, and his body carried a strong mixed smell of coffee and alchemical potions.
“What is it? Has the sky fallen?” Logaris asked impatiently.
“You must be present at such an important occasion!” Sylvia grabbed Logaris by the sleeve and pulled him straight outside. “If someone asks about other information regarding the potion, I will not be able to answer!”
Logaris was dragged by her to the central square of Winter City.
The place was already packed with people, so crowded that not even a drop of water could pass through.
At the center of the square, a massive Magitech Light Projection Matrix had been constructed.
The crystal panels were smooth like mirrors and emitted a soft white glow, ready to project everything happening here to every corner of the city in real time.
Logaris looked at the scene and frowned.
“Is it really necessary to make such a grand spectacle?”
“You still underestimate the yearning that those aging nobles have for youth.”
Sylvia shook her head.
Logaris curled his lips but said nothing more.
He had to admit that when it came to stirring people’s emotions and creating sensational spectacles, this woman was a born queen.
Soon, the demonstration officially began.
There was no extravagant opening.
There were no lengthy speeches.
Under the gaze of countless Recording Crystals and citizens, Lady Margaret slowly walked to the center of the square with the assistance of a maid.
She was too old.
The same thought arose in everyone’s mind.
Her body was thin and frail.
Her face was covered in deep wrinkles.
Every step she took looked painfully difficult, as if a single gust of wind could knock her down.
The Magitech Light Projection Matrix clearly magnified her aged face.
The entire square fell silent.
“Lady Margaret! Were you coerced?” a reporter shouted loudly.
“What did the Princess give you in exchange? This completely contradicts your usual stance!”
Voices of doubt rose one after another.
Lady Margaret raised her hand, signaling for everyone to be quiet.
Her cloudy eyes swept across the crowd, and her voice was aged but clear.
“My entire life has been devoted to helping those forgotten, faceless people within this city.”
“But my time is running out.”
“There are still many things I want to do, and many children who need a warm home.”
“So when the Princess placed an opportunity before me that could grant me more time, I had no reason to refuse.”
Her words were sincere and open.
Most of the unrest immediately subsided.
At that moment, Sylvia personally stepped forward holding a tray.
On the tray, the emerald-green Fleeting Youth potion shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight.
The breathing of the entire crowd seemed to stop.
Lady Margaret took the crystal bottle.
Without the slightest hesitation, she pulled out the stopper and drank the liquid in one gulp.
Time seemed to slow at that moment.
One second.
Two seconds.
Five seconds.
Nothing happened.
A commotion began to appear within the crowd.
“I knew it was fake!”
“Poor Lady Margaret. She has been used as a propaganda tool…”
At that moment, a sudden change occurred!
Under the ultra-clear projection of the Magitech Light Projection Matrix, everyone could clearly see Lady Margaret’s graying hair rapidly turning jet black from the roots.
The ink-black color was filled with vitality.
It spread rapidly, dyeing her entire head of silver hair black in an instant.
“My heavens!”
The first cry of shock erupted from the crowd.
But this was only the beginning.
The wrinkles on her face, deep enough to trap mosquitoes, were smoothed away as if an invisible hand had brushed over them.
Her loose skin became firm and full once again, radiating a youthful glow.
Her originally cloudy and dim eyes turned clear and bright, like two black gemstones freshly washed clean.
Her hunched body slowly straightened.
Her thin limbs regained their balanced strength.
The entire transformation took only a few dozen seconds.
When the light faded, a vibrant young woman stood gracefully in the same place.
She was wearing the same oversized robe, which now looked somewhat comical on her.
However, the youthful vitality on her face and the clear eyes that seemed to understand the world made it impossible for anyone to associate her with the dying old woman from moments before.
The entire Winter City square fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone stared with wide eyes and open mouths, as if they had all been struck by a collective petrification spell.
On a distant tower, Alectos Huiyin and Alice, disguised as ordinary citizens, were also watching.
“This… this is impossible!” Alice’s beautiful red eyes were filled with shock. “What level of illusion is this? No, this is not an illusion! The magical fluctuations are completely real life reconstruction!”
Alectos Huiyin was equally shocked, but what he felt more was admiration.
“Mr. Logaris always manages to create miracles beyond our imagination.”
Meanwhile, in another corner of the square, several men dressed in ordinary clothing but emitting an unusually cold aura had extremely grim expressions.
“Blasphemy! This is blatant blasphemy!” one of them growled through gritted teeth. “Extending life and granting youth are the powers of the gods! This Logaris is stealing the authority that belongs to the Holy Church!”
Another man added, “He is also stealing our Golden Lion Coins! Every year, how much wealth do those great nobles donate to us just to gain one or two extra months of life? If this potion spreads, our so-called life extension will become a complete joke!”