Chapter 292: From now on, I’ll call you Senior! Xiao Han Senior!
“Is there no stock… Then Senior, can you take orders for production? I can wait a few days.” I asked, “After all, as a shop owner, you can’t refuse a customer’s request, right?”
“Of course~ I won’t refuse such a reasonable request from a junior, but how much do you want to buy? After all, this kind of thing is generally a luxury item and quite expensive.”
“Uh… how much does this incense cost?” I asked cautiously.
Senior Gong Xi Huanxin repeatedly emphasized that it’s quite expensive and a luxury, so I was mentally prepared. Since it’s a formula not meant for public distribution, a higher price is understandable. As long as it doesn’t cost several Aoqin for a single batch, I can accept it.
If it’s a bit pricey, I’ll buy a small amount to test. If it’s worth it, I’ll come back for a bulk purchase.
“Um… about… the price per unit, including labor, will be approximately one red copper coin— and only red copper coins are accepted. If the purchase quantity is large, I can help you wipe off some change.”
“How much? Just one… red copper coin?” I widened my eyes in disbelief. Is it possible that everything I’ve encountered recently is too expensive?
However, if you’re buying a large quantity, it indeed wouldn’t be cheap.
“Of course, since it involves the cost of some raw materials that need to be purchased with red copper coins, the threshold is slightly higher.”
“Okay! I’ll buy enough for a month to try it out.” Since the best usage time Senior mentioned is a month, trying it first makes sense. Even if buying a month’s worth doesn’t cost much, it might just be the foundation for becoming a little wealthy…
Yet, the costs of living and studying still exceeded my expectations. I really should think of a way to make some money.
As for the part-time job at the bakery… honestly, even working a full day there doesn’t earn much. Perhaps my previous thoughts were indeed wrong; only when money is tight can one truly understand how important it is.
But I still need to buy effective incense; save where I can, spend where necessary.
If money is spent correctly, then it’s just a way of having money accompany me differently.
“Buying for a month?” Senior Gong Xi Huanxin was a bit surprised. Such an amount isn’t considered large in a store with significant foot traffic, but it’s different for her, as she’s not at the point of treating money as life and d*ath.
“Yes, is that okay? How long will it take? Do I need to pay a deposit?”
“I’ll need some preparation time, about a few days. You will need to pay a deposit; although I think you won’t run away, Junior.”
“I’m not someone without credibility. How about we just sign a transaction contract? It’s safer; I’ll pay in one go, and you can deliver the goods to my residence?”
“Like that? That’s doable. In that case, I’ll draft the contract first.”
After a flurry of activity and settling the payment, I left with a few packets of incense I needed for the next few days and one recommended by Senior Gong Xi Huanxin.
Once back in the car, I continued to ponder about alchemy. Incense is also one of the products of alchemy… so compared to buying from someone else, I prefer to use what I configure myself. After all, I’m more at ease using my own concoctions.
Today, I planned to experiment with Betty to create a flesh healing potion. If successful, I’ll ask her if she has a better incense formula. If she’s interested, I could use what she has to practice.
When I arrived in the teaching area, according to the location Betty sent me, I should be around here. It seemed there was still a while before our meeting time, so I flipped through a book to pass the time.
I also used the last moments to familiarize myself with what methods are needed to make the healing potion.
After all, one of the most critical means in alchemy, the “transmutation” ceremony, is divided into many types. Some require runes to outline specific transmutation arrays, and others require chanting or incantations.
Chanting and spells are also manifestations of the effects of runes, expressed vocally. Runes actually don’t have corresponding pronunciations; they only have language descriptions. Chanting is a trial-and-error process that resonates continuously with the rune ceremony through sound, and it’s a convenient way to utilize rune ceremonies.
After waiting for a while, a few minutes past our scheduled time, I finally caught sight of a hurried figure disembarking at the nearby station— it was Betty, the “genius” in theoretical practice at the library.
Once she got off, her gaze swept around as if she let out a sigh of relief and headed straight toward me.
When she walked close enough, her gaze only quickly glanced at me.
I realized she didn’t recognize me.
“Betty~” So I took the initiative to speak.
“Huh?” Suddenly being called out by a stranger made her instinctively wary. She looked at me, “Who… are you?”
“It’s me, Yue— you know I’m Yang Yuelan, right? Can’t recognize me just because I’m wearing different clothes?” I snapped my fingers, transforming into white hair and then back again.
“Huh? Oh! Xiao Yue!” At that moment, Betty finally reacted.
“Call me Xiao Han. That’s what most others call me.” I corrected her.
“Alright, Xiao Han, sorry, sorry… Did I keep you waiting too long? You came a bit early, huh? I usually wouldn’t be this proactive even if the instructor has tasks…”
“That just means your lifestyle is quite leisurely. I still haven’t adjusted my biological clock, so I might have been a bit presumptuous~”
“Whatever, since you’re here, let’s go. I’ll take you to my instructor’s lab, but Xiao Han, you seem to have changed quite a bit. Did you feel there was no need to disguise yourself?”
“Yes, indeed.” I nodded. Although I understood she meant the disguise of the “Yue” identity, I also referred to the façade I had always worn.
Following Betty upstairs, I arrived at a proper laboratory. Compared to the formal lab, my 8401 looked more like a repurposed classroom.
“Here～ is my instructor’s laboratory. Be careful, don’t touch those precision instruments; otherwise, my instructor might hit me.”
“Don’t worry, I understand.” I nodded in acknowledgment.
“As long as you don’t break those glass items, just stay away from anything that looks complicated. Come— follow me; this is the space my instructor specially cleared out for me. It’s small, but those instruments are intentionally kept at a distance. Let’s start here.”
Betty led me to another area, and I could visually sense that the quality of the items here was a whole different level. It really reflected the difference between instructor and student.
“Um… These are what I bought myself. The set the instructor prepared for me is already depleted; glass breaks too easily. Even a little tremor can make it shatter. I feel like I might crack along with it.”
“And some of my glassware is stained from my products and can’t be cleaned. Overall, alchemy stuff is really troublesome.”
“Uh-huh.” I nodded in agreement, just listening made me feel a headache. “By the way, can Cleaning Spell not wash it off?”
“It can’t be washed off. I can’t even scratch it off with my fingernail.” Betty came to a counter and picked up a beaker that seemed to have been overturned in a corner, handing it to me. “Look, I’m missing one here. You can give it a try.”
“What did you do with this?” I showed an unusual smile but took it anyway. I felt the pulsing extraordinary power from the residue in the beaker.
However, after using the Cleaning Spell, the dirt really didn’t come off. Cleaning Spell can remove most stains and dirt, but it clearly does not work on stains infused with extraordinary power; a more precise method is needed to destabilize the extraordinary power within to remove the stain.
But on second thought, Betty Senior can produce a stain that even the Cleaning Spell can’t remove; she’s quite talented too!
“How’s that? Can’t clean it off, right?” Betty smashed the beaker with a spell and tossed it into the trash can.
“Indeed, it can’t be cleaned. You might as well collaborate with a dye manufacturer. A powerful dye that even the Cleaning Spell can’t eliminate might be a bestseller.”
“Alright~ stop teasing me… Oh! Ah! I forgot again!”
Just as Betty was about to leave the topic behind, she screamed, almost startling me.
“What happened?” I asked her, puzzled, but Betty rushed to the laboratory door.
“I forgot to do dust-free processing… If the instructor sees it, I’ll be in big trouble…”
“Dust-free… oh～”
I nodded. Something like a sterile room? Clearing dust to prevent various micro-environmental factors from affecting experiments; that extraordinary witch really is meticulous. Even for alchemy, the precision of extraordinary power means that regular dust can’t cause too much disturbance.
“Hey, Xiao Han, put this on. It can generate a dust-removing spell effect. I hope the instructor doesn’t notice…”
“Okay.” I took what Betty tossed to me, resembling a wrist guard. Seeing the runes inside and the extraordinary energy in operation, this should be a common alchemical item that adds a simple spell.
Given its wear and tear, it must have been used many times. After wearing it on my hand and feeling it out a bit, I successfully activated it.
After all, this is a common alchemical item; it’s just a bit more complex than a small spellbook. Once I understood the basic structure, I figured out how to use it.
I even had the illusion that I could modify it, but it’s not a spellbook. Modifying it might require mastering some special means. Once I master that, it seems I could directly create such simple alchemical items.
“Ahh— Alright, I hope the instructor pretends not to see. My instructor hasn’t hit me in three days, so he shouldn’t beat me over this small matter…” At this point, Betty walked back over to me, apparently having finished clearing.
“Is your instructor that strict?” I couldn’t help but ask, seeing Betty like this.
“Otherwise, do you think I’d want to run to the library? Without being there, I wouldn’t have a valid reason to leave my instructor… cough, well, my instructor is nice, but I can’t keep up with his thoughts; it might be because I’m quite foolish. I have a few senior sisters, and my instructor really likes them.”
“Forget that, let’s get to the point and find the formula. I’ll forward it to you.”
“Uh-huh.”
I nodded and opened my phone. I wasn’t waiting for Betty to send me the formula; I opened the online library to check if there are any related materials or documents regarding the flesh healing potion.
After I finished searching, a large number of search results and pages made my eyelids twitch. The formulas mentioned by Betty looked somewhat “cheap”; so many materials had many different versions of flesh healing potions. Some even had detailed steps and principle analyses. After a quick glance, before I could check in detail, Betty sent over a document. When I opened it, the content was very simple: potion name, required materials, techniques, transmutation ceremony, steps… completely different from what I found in the library.
“Wait, Betty, does this formula… only have these?”
“Yes, it really only has these. My instructor gave it to me, saying I should be able to try it with my current knowledge base… probably…” At this moment, Betty seemed a bit lacking in confidence.
“By the way, did you search for any related materials in the library? Regarding the flesh healing potion.” Looking at this simple potion formula, how much material would it waste if I were to explore it myself?
“Ah? The library has these too? I hadn’t noticed. I asked a senior sister about the specific operational details and the transmutation ceremony needed for this formula.”
“I think you need to head to the library for the professional stuff.” I said seriously.
“This… I have to make a trip to the library… it’s so far…”
“Take the flying broomstick; it’s not far from the teaching area to the library.”
“I… I haven’t taken the flying test? I didn’t care about it the first two years. By the time I valued it, I didn’t have time to take it… I even failed once and wasted my money. I think taking the bus is… good enough…” Mentioning the flying test seemed to give Betty a headache. “Besides, I’m a bit afraid of heights; that’s when I failed during high-altitude flying…”
“Alright, but your phone can still log into the library, right? Why don’t you try?”
“Wait… can I use my phone? Uh… Is there a fee for reading on the phone?”
“Of course not for free; you’ll definitely have to pay to see the full article. Wait, you didn’t know this?”
“Uh… I really didn’t know. I’m sorry; I embarrassed you with this identity! From now on, I’ll call you Senior! Xiao Han Senior!”
