“This isn’t possible! How can this be!” Reinhart said.
Juko looked over at Reinhart. The other alchemists in the workshop also turned their attention to him.
“This is an age-altering potion! It can allow someone in the First to Third Realm—all of the Mortal Realms—to gain anywhere from ten to fifty years longer life!”
“What? How is that possible! Those potions are incredibly rare and difficult to create! That someone would give them up?” Another alchemist walked over.
He and Reinhart ran the tests again, both of them left in shock.
“This—how can such a thing still exist down here? This beaker is of a high quality, but the power of this potion would be lost after just three decades!” the second alchemist said.
“That’s not the only thing—there are some thirty potions all labeled the same!” Reinhart said.
The other alchemists were now all coming over to check the findings of the first two, all of them getting into animated conversations.
Juko was unable to follow them all as questions were sent to him. He could only smile in the face of their questions, unable to tell them anything.
“What alchemist was able to make this potion? It is totally new. I have not seen anything like it before! They must be an Expert alchemist to so easily make thirty of these potions!”
“These could be sold across the realms for all those people who are below level thirty and trying to gain more years to increase their levels and skills!”
“The combination of these ingredients—it’s not regular at all. It is as if the alchemist was substituting for other ingredients. How could a Master like this need to substitute for these ingredients?”
“These must just be tests for him—he was just increasing his skill by making the same potion and doing it with a variety of ingredients. I have heard that some high-tier alchemists can make concoctions with but the most rudimentary ingredients!”
“That’s right! These were probably just simple tests for him!”
“Let me test this Fortify Strength potion here! I have been working on my own concoction—maybe I will be able to gain some insight from this!”
“Let me test these healing potions. The mysteries of the formula might help advance my own skills!”
The alchemists had turned into a rabble, vying to test the potions and hoping that from this alchemist grandmaster they would be able to gain insights that would allow them to increase their Alchemy skill.
There was only one Journeyman-skilled alchemist among them, and even he was only able to make mid-Journeyman potions. The rest were all Apprentice-level alchemists. To them, this was a great chance!
Juko could only send a sound transmission to Assistant Head Louis. He came down personally a few moments later, talking to the Journeyman alchemist who ran this division of the Blue Lotus.
Juko had personally taken charge of any dealings with Erik. He didn’t even want to let these potions out of his sight, knowing just what importance that Assistant Head Louis placed on him.
Then Assistant Head Louis forwarded the information to Manager Su Wei, creating a stir within the Blue Lotus.
***
Even as there were big things happening in the Blue Lotus, Rugrat was looking at a piece of metal which looked to have veins etched into its surface. His expression was solemn as Tan Xue looked on.
Erik sat in front of a cauldron, new supplies all around him.
Rugrat threw the Mortal-grade iron into the furnace as a flame appeared in the cauldron in front of Erik and started to heat it up.
One at the Black Cauldron, the other at Tan Xue’s smithy: they both had a determined look in their eyes.
“Let’s begin!”
Chapter: Hidden Preparations
Tan Xue watched as Rugrat pulled the Mortal-grade ingot out from the furnace. It was only when he was working on making a new item that his face changed.
There were no signs of the playfulness underneath. Instead, he was totally focused on his work, leaving everything else behind. It was as if a switch had been turned.
Rugrat’s hammer landed on the Mortal-iron ingot. The Mortal-grade iron that was much stronger than regular iron deformed under the blow.
His hammer continued to fall again and again. Rugrat didn’t use any enhancers but every blow was reinforced with Mana, increasing the power behind it and changing the composition of the metal.
Sparks of red and blue were thrown up in his wake as he hammered the iron out and started to shape it. He separated the ingot out, putting the pieces he wasn’t directly working on back into the forge’s flames.
He finished, piece by piece.
“What is he doing?” Julilah asked from behind Tan Xue, who nearly jumped up in alarm at the little girl’s words.
Trying to hide her actions, Tan Xue glared at Julilah, but the younger girl was oblivious as she watched Rugrat working the iron on his anvil.
Tan Xue didn’t want to teach the little girl and bring her fate down upon her. She was trying to protect her, in her own way. Still, she knew how Julilah would peek over the wall and Rugrat would hang out with her when Tan Xue wasn’t around, showing her different parts of the smithy and teaching her.
I should really just give up, Tan Xue thought, but she was stubborn down to the bone. Julilah didn’t even notice her changing emotions, still focused on what Rugrat was doing.
“It looks like he’s making gauntlets,” Tan Xue said, seeing the smaller pieces that were finished off, checked and then dumped into the quenching bucket.
Rugrat didn’t look too pleased but he didn’t stop to try to reforge it. Tan Xue, who had been around him for nearly two weeks, could feel that Rugrat wasn’t just making this item to work with Mortal-grade iron; he was making it because he felt a need to before he left.
Seeing how focused he was on making these gauntlets, her chest tightened a bit. She had crafted hundreds of weapons for all kinds of people, but seeing Rugrat—this was not just an item to him; this was a necessity to deal with what might be ahead.
“Why didn’t he make a sword? Wouldn’t that be easier?” Julilah asked.
“It would be. Gauntlets are much harder to make as they need a way to connect each of the different pieces together. And they’re usually more expensive to make as it’s hard to buy just any old gauntlet and get it to fit perfectly,” Tan Xue explained. “Though I think there is another reason for why he’s trying to make a gauntlet.”
Tan Xue muttered, her voice hidden in the hammer blows.
***
Erik spat out a root on the ground, closing one eye and shivering as he thought of the flavor.
After he recovered some of his taste buds, he waved his hand. A selection of different ingredients appeared.
“I might not have a formula to make healing powders or potions, but I’ve built up a good basic knowledge of ingredients. Based on that, I should be able to make some basic powders. Then, using Reverse Alchemist, I can see what the results are and modify accordingly until I can create Health and Stamina powders.” Erik outlined his plan as he removed a number of ingredients.
“Okay, that should be enough.” Erik’s flames started to move into the cauldron, warming it up and removing any remaining residue.
He started, taking what appeared to be a branch and tossing it into the flames.
A noise sounded as a notification appeared.
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After spending a great deal of time using the spell Mana Flame, you’ve come to understand it in a deeper way, increasing efficiency and control while decreasing Mana cost.
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Mana Flame has undergone a transformation, evolving into an Apprentice-level spell
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Alchemist’s Flame
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Apprentice
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Create flames fueled from Mana
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Consumption of Mana based on area and effect. When using for Alchemy, effects are increased by 3%
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You have upgraded a spell!
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Through tireless trial and error, you have come to learn a spell completely until you improved upon the original.
Reward: 1,000 EXP
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128,769/195,000 EXP till you reach Level 16
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Erik was stunned by the change and nearly lost control of the preparation that was going on in the cauldron. He felt that the strain on his mind had become easier while using the flame and the medicinal smell coming from the branch he had put into the cauldron went up a notch.
“I didn’t think that spells could increase in a grade.” Erik let out a sigh. He wanted to learn more about spells. He had tinkered with them, but the simple fact was that they took on a supporting role.
He had worked to maximize his healing abilities by modifying his healing spells, but toward modifying other spells, he had no interest. Others might want to rain down destruction on their enemies with massive magic. Erik just needed to punch them in the face a few times, and suck up damage to protect Rugrat as he landed in hits from afar.
Once again he focused his mind and started working with the ingredients in front of him.
Some twenty minutes later, there was a rumbling in the cauldron before a black smoke shot out into the room.
Erik took in a deep breath and then started coughing harshly as the smoke filled his lungs.
“Fu-uck! Oh, my eyes! Shit! Worse. Than. Reaper. Peppers!” Erik coughed between each word. Still, as he drew in the smoke from the failed concoctions, information started to fill his mind. He knew the ingredients before they had been placed into the cauldron; he knew the processes he had carried out. But with his Reverse Alchemist, he was able to piece together what had happened.
“I didn’t take into account the reaction between Yius bulbs and the sungrass.” Erik coughed some more as the smoke was cleared away by the chimneys in the room. He let out a sigh before he removed the remaining residue from the cauldron.
Once it was clear, he calmed his mind and started again. So far they had been relying on the Stamina and Health concoctions that they had bought through the auction function of the store, looted from their enemies, or bought from various apothecaries and Alchemy stores that they had chanced upon.
Buying the actual formulas was beyond Erik’s current ability, but he knew that he would be able to figure out how to make at least a Health powder. Although he wasn’t interested in trying to learn how to break down spells, breaking down Alchemy ingredients, seeing how they interacted—this was the path to create better concoctions, those that could help his allies, allow him to improve the level of his Body Cultivation and also allow him to focus on fighting, increasing his own abilities.
Failure after failure, he continued on, smelling the fumes, altering his actions and trying again. There was no such thing as failing; only someone dumb or smart enough hadn’t figured out a way to succeed yet.
After thirteen failures, a red powder appeared in Erik’s cauldron. He tasted the healing powder.
“Now just need another half dozen vials of this,” Erik said, readying the cauldron again to start on the next batch.
Erik glanced at the ingredients he had put to the side of his storage ring. All of these had explosive effects, but they weren’t something he wanted to take out in Kaeju city.
***
While Rugrat and Erik worked their hardest, the city around them that had been boiling with excitement for the last couple of days seemed to step up another level as members of different sects, families, and cities started entering Kaeju through the Ten Realms totem or arriving on the back of powerful contracted beasts.
The Kerose Institute that ruled over Kaeju city had a group of elders and others standing next to the totem to greet those who entered. The institute’s head had even come from the main city to visit Kaeju city, evicting the city lord from his residence.
All of this had been created by Su Wei as he had allowed certain information to leak out to others in the surrounding areas.
The items that Rugrat had created were powerful in their own right with strong innate abilities. They appeared to be simple weapons and armors and other than the first group that had formations inlaid into them, these were all blank. Making them perfect for someone who worked on formations to upgrade.
Being able to place a formation on such a weapon and increase its power was worth an incredible amount of Experience and could create impressively powerful weapons.
There were many normal goods that one could increase the power of through formations, such as jewelry made into accessories, formation plates and so on. But totally blank powerful weapons were a plus as the higher the rank of the item, even if it was a lower level formation, the Experience would be greater due to the difficulty.
There were also fighters coming from all over to try to get these weapons. Their power was comparable to low-grade weapons made from Mortal iron, but being made from regular iron, their enemies might underestimate them. Also, being blank, they could pick out the formation to have engraved on the weapon, customizing it to themselves.
Though their true focus was on the blank Mortal-grade iron weapons and armor. Using these, the skills of formation Masters would shoot up compared to simply creating formations on the regular iron items. If they were to be compared, the iron items were worth their weight in silver to Apprentice formation Masters, while the Mortal-grade weapons were worth their weight in gold to the Journeyman formation Masters.
Then there were the Age Rejuvenation potions. Su Wei had only let out a little bit of information on the potions. Their effects were simply incredible and he had requested information from the higher realms. None of them had heard of a similar potion before. It could be the birth of a new potion!
Su Wei had leaked word to those old monsters who were looking to increase their lifespans. “We must make the sale for both the weapons and the potions big. I have got word from higher that they want to bring both of these people to the Blue Lotus or to keep them as friends if possible.” Su Wei looked around the room. Pan Lim had remained, teaching Ban Tong and letting him clear away personal matters before they left. There was also Assistant Head Louis and Senior Appraiser Juko.
Su Wei’s eyes fell onto Juko.
“I will ask him if he would be willing to join us. If not, I will do my best to pass him the VIP medallion of the Blue Lotus that you have given me.” Juko’s voice was suitably grave.
The medallion wasn’t anything simple. It was a third-grade medallion, something that could only be given out in the Third Realm by an assistant head, giving it much greater power than Su Wei’s own medallion.
“See to the final preparations,” Su Wei ordered.
Chapter: Alva Mercenaries
Erik met Rugrat outside of the inn that Rugrat had been staying in. Erik had been staying in the Alchemy room at the Black Cauldron, while Rugrat only spent a night or two a week at the inn.
“Got you something.” Rugrat looked around before he handed Erik a set of gloves.
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Rock’em Sock’em
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Attack: 47
Defense: 82
Weight: 1.2 kg
Health: 97/97
Base Value: 21 Gold, 59 Silver
Slot: Takes up hand slot
Innate Effect: Blood Drinker. Upon drinking blood, these gauntlets increase the strength of melee-based attacks (base increase of 2% can stack to a total of 7%).
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“Really? What’s with the naming?” Erik put the gauntlets away.
Rugrat laughed as they walked toward the Blue Lotus. “If you get the blood of a stronger person onto the gauntle
ts, then they’ll increase the melee attack bonus faster. It’s made from Mortal iron as well, so it’s easier to conduct magic through it. So you can still use healing spells with only a slightly higher Mana consumption.”
“You might be a bonehead but it looks like your smithing is moving along quickly,” Erik said.
“How did your Alchemy progress? Did you get ingredients to make grenades and gunpowder?”
“I’ve got a few different items to test out but I want to do it once we’re out of Kaeju,” Erik said.
“So, dungeon hunting, huh? I’m looking forward to it. Also, I saw some interesting items in the auction catalogue,” Rugrat said.
Erik frowned.
“You still thinking about the money that I gave you? Don’t worry, you can pay me back—at only thirty-seven percent interest!” Rugrat’s voice rose as he tried to run away from Erik’s hand as he was about to hit him on the top of the helmet.
Rugrat snorted and grinned as the two of them continued on their path.
***
The Blue Lotus was filled with people who had traveled all over to see the items on sale. After all, these were things that people from the Third Realm would be interested in! If they weren’t able to get it here, then there was no way that they would be able to find them at a later time.
“Entrance fee is twenty gold!” a guard said. An imposing aura surrounded him as he looked at Erik.
“Will this do?” Rugrat pulled out the emblem that Su Wei had given him.
The guard’s blank stare turned warm in an instant. “Please disregard my rudeness. There is a VIP entrance to the right.” The guard waved to where the door was located.
“Ah, thank you.” Rugrat and Erik turned away from the man and headed for the other entrance.
Second Realm Page 12
