Chapter 288: Attempts at Alchemy
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 288: Attempts at Alchemy
"But, this nightmare affected so many people... is it really okay?"
"What are you worried about? Those lazy people who are still sleeping at this time of day? The nightmare will simply give them a lesson in their dreams, letting them know that in the Witch Academy, just eating, drinking, and sleeping all day can bring retribution."
The Dean's words immediately dispelled my sympathy for those "innocent" people. If they were sleeping at this hour... it really was a bit hard to justify.
However... while the Dean's reasoning sounded sound, it also proved exactly what could happen to a piece of cannon fodder who, stripped of their right to know the truth, was dragged into a script.
They were merely tools to be manipulated, with no right to choose. That was exactly why Sister Bai had been so adamant about me not getting involved back then...
"Mm... one last thing. I watched your battle just now. Perhaps you should try practicing Body Arts. Body Arts are not as simple as just enhancing physical fitness or learning combat techniques; they may have other uses. Of course, if you feel you're too busy, I'm not forcing you to do it."
Ultimately, with the Dean's help, I exited the dream. My consciousness returned to my body, and as I lay in the dream pod, I felt utterly drained—a mental exhaustion that seeped into my very soul.
But this ordeal had solved one problem: that massive clump of Luck had finally left me.
With that gone, I shouldn't have people randomly looking for trouble with me for no reason anymore, right?
Recalling the bizarre discussions about me on the Academy Network earlier—while they seemed to have a cause, I couldn't rule out the interference of Luck.
I closed my eyes and contemplated for a moment before picking up my phone to check the current state of the Academy Network.
I wasn't sure if it was just psychological, but it felt like I could barely find one or two topics related to me even after scrolling for ages.
Of course, it could also be because I had been too low-profile lately. The Witch Academy never lacked for other entertainment; did I really think those news clubs were just sitting around doing nothing?
Still, the Dean's words echoed in my mind.
"Body Arts, huh... I'll find a chance to ask Sister Bai and see what kind of miraculous effects they actually have..." I shook my head, abandoning the idea of trying Body Arts immediately.
Learning too many things at once would only lead to diminishing returns. It was better to just have a general understanding of some things and keep a rough plan in mind.
Take the two main subjects I was currently studying: Alchemy and Runology.
Runes went without saying; they were the most fundamental element of Transcendent Rituals. Whether you understood them or not, if you utilized Transcendent power, you were undoubtedly using some kind of ritual. Any ritual could be deconstructed into runes, or was simply the runes themselves.
Even for those small spellbooks that didn't seem to have rune rituals, what do you think was inside them? Runes, likewise.
And what about simple minor spells? Those minor spells had another name: cantrips. They didn't even qualify for the title of "spell," so they were called "minor spells" just to make them sound better.
As for Alchemy, my study of it was also a way to consolidate and practice my Runology. Furthermore, there was a branch of Alchemy called "Energy Synthesis." The way such Alchemists manipulated energy was not inferior to Evocation Mages in the slightest.
I had currently hit a bottleneck with spellbooks. That was something I shouldn't even be touching at my current stage. Relying on my Spirit Vision, I had barely managed to grasp the techniques of micro-modification. This was already a shortcut—if I had to describe it, it was practically an unorthodox path.
Working too hard on a shortcut isn't the right way forward. It's not that you can't take it, but you shouldn't treat it as your primary road.
My current, painstaking "trial-and-error exhaustive method" for micro-modding seemed like mere child's play compared to the "Real Editing" perspective the Dean had shown me.
That was the truth I realized after the Dean let me experience the Real Editing vision.
When you haven't reached the corresponding stage for certain things, trying to achieve them requires far more effort. Rather than coveting a fleeting glimpse of the view from the heights, it's better to spend time laying a solid foundation right now.
Besides, Transcendent power is essentially the same at its core; only the expression differs. Energy Synthesis and Evocative Magic are likely similar in that regard. Skills are interconnected; only by seeing more can one find more inspiration.
And isn't the ultimate goal of the Biological Alchemy branch of Alchemy to create life?
This coincided perfectly with my desire to grant life to the Fool's Dream.
Looking at it this way, ten years in the Academy seemed far from enough. Even a true genius couldn't fulfill my current ambitions. I wanted far too much. Just stating my thoughts might invite ridicule from others, calling me overambitious. Even I felt that way.
But even so, was I supposed to just stop trying?
No. I would only work twice as hard. My period of rest was over. The storm on the Academy Network seemed to have passed. It was time to start grinding.
I thought of the group of Senior Sisters studying runes I had met in the library, as well as the one who wanted to break into the field of Alchemy. That seemed to be the only Alchemy circle I had contact with so far.
It's never good to work behind closed doors. Only by interacting with others can one promote growth and progress. A good learning atmosphere is also incredibly important.
It just so happened that I could study Runology with Sister Bai and Alchemy with those Senior Sisters.
I could tell that Sister Bai wasn't interested in Alchemy. I couldn't keep shamelessly letting her spend so much money just to accompany me. After all, money doesn't grow on trees, not even for Sister Bai. Even if she was willing to spend it on me, I didn't want to let her waste it.
So, I tentatively sent a message to the other girl. She replied after a while.
I didn't expect her to still be studying in the library after all this time.
Well... not everyone had a cheat-level spellbook like the Memory Bookshelf. Accumulating theory was equally important.
After the chat ended, I prepared to head to the library to find her.
As for why I was looking for her, it was naturally because I wanted to try proactively making a friend. We were both at the starting stage of Alchemy and had common topics to discuss... even if we couldn't become friends in the end, I could still...
Thinking this far, I suddenly slapped my own forehead. "Yang Yuehan, oh Yang Yuehan. You haven't even started making the friend yet, and you're already thinking about what happens if it fails. No wonder you don't have any friends besides Sister Bai."
After scolding myself in a self-mutter, I reined in those thoughts.
I arrived at the library.
I found the girl in her usual spot.
"Eh? Senior Sister, you're here! It's been a while." Upon seeing me, the girl spoke in a low voice. After all, this was the library; it was best not to be loud.
This girl was great in every way, except for her habit of calling everyone "Senior Sister"... it was hard to describe.
"I told you, don't call me Senior Sister," I corrected her slightly as I sat down across from her.
"It's fine. I usually call anyone better than me 'Senior Sister.' But where have you been lately? You haven't come to the library once... you haven't even posted in the group."
"Oh, I went to a Witch Secret Realm. There was no signal there," I explained simply, then glanced at the book in her hand. "By the way, didn't you say you were going to try Alchemy? Why are you still in the theory stage?"
"Sigh... the cost of learning Alchemy is too high. I'm still saving up. Besides, I'm reading Alchemy books; theoretical practice is still practice..."
"I see..." Because of a lack of money. Such a realistic reason. "But you could still buy some alchemy tools to practice with. Just reading books is useless. I bought a set of tools; even though I haven't used them much, the set wasn't that expensive."
"I've looked, of course. The tools aren't expensive, and I have a set. But the bulk of the cost is the materials! It's a money sink. Seeing those few failures last time blow through several days' worth of my part-time job's living expenses made me realize I've stepped onto a path of no return."
"Huh? What exactly did you do?" I asked curiously.
"I... I got a potion recipe and wanted to try it."
"What? You started with concocting potions right away?"
"Yeah, I plan to go down the path of a Medicine Stone Alchemist, so I wanted to try making potions first. This recipe is a common potion, so there's no licensing fee. If it really turns out I have no talent for Alchemy, I'll just pivot to becoming a Pharmacist. I heard Pharmacists don't have the high talent threshold that Alchemists do."
"Medicine Stone Alchemy again. It feels like a lot of people go that way," I remarked.
"Of course! Medicine Stone Alchemists are in a highly lucrative profession. If you develop a potion recipe, you can make a fortune just from contract licensing. Besides, original Alchemy developed from concocting alchemical potions. Later, as Alchemy became more widespread, alchemical potions were standardized and classified as the Medicine Stone Alchemy branch."
"You sure know a lot."
"Sigh... it's nothing. I just like flipping through these things in the library. Since I've already planned my life's direction toward Alchemy, I naturally need to understand its history."
After chatting for a while, I got a general idea of her current situation. She was already a student under a Transcendent Mentor. Her constant studying in the library was actually her way of cramming knowledge.
The mentor she chose also specialized in Alchemy, which was why she said she was on a path of no return. After all, changing mentors in the Witch Academy was quite troublesome, especially for an average student.
From this, I could see that the gap between how different mentors treated their students was quite large. For example, this girl's mentor seemed to be teaching her normally. Then I thought of the one who owned an entire plantation... the difference was visible to the naked eye.
"By the way, we've talked for so long, and I still don't know your name."
"Hmm? Oh, right. My name is Betty Emily. Um... just call me Betty. And... Yang Yuehan, please take care of me."
"Uh... yeah... likewise." I spoke with a hint of embarrassment. I didn't expect her to recognize me. Even though I was using a Disguise Spell, phone messages wouldn't change; clicking on personal info would reveal my name.
"We really do need to work hard together. If I don't work hard, I'll have to keep calling you 'Senior Sister' forever~"
"Okay, okay! Stop calling me Senior Sister!" As I thought, this girl was calling me that just to tease me... sigh...
"Fine then. By the way, don't you usually have classes?"
"I have course exemptions."
"Wow... is this the treatment geniuses get? But I'm still curious about that Secret Realm you went to. Everyone's saying you blew the whole place up. Is it true? Has the Academy not given you any disciplinary action yet?"
"It wasn't me. The Dean did that. I was just caught in the crossfire. Rumors are deadly. Let's not talk about that. Lately, I've become interested in Alchemy too, and I want to give it a try." Perhaps because my identity had been revealed, I felt much more relaxed talking to her.
"That's great! How about... how about you come to my mentor's research lab? My mentor is usually away, so we can use the equipment there for free."
"Eh? Aren't you afraid your mentor will scold you for inviting someone like that?"
"What's there to be afraid of? My mentor actually encourages us to have academic exchanges with others. she won't mind."
"Alright." I nodded and agreed. It would be good to see what other laboratories looked like. Even though the lab Teacher Ji Niang prepared for me had plenty of equipment, for some reason, it still felt like it lacked a certain professional touch.
However, I declined her invitation to brew alchemical potions today. Because of the Dean's "arrangements" earlier, I had no energy left for anything else. I needed to go back and rest.
But I could accompany her tomorrow; she wanted to try replicating that potion again.
After I asked a bit more, Betty directly told me the name of the potion she had obtained: it was a Wound Healing Potion, a very popular item in the Witch Academy.
After all, the learning threshold for healing spells was high. If the threshold for learning was low, then the cost of use was high—like my Flesh Healing spellbook, which consumed triple-digit mana for a single use, and even more for severe injuries.
Therefore, this common and relatively easy-to-obtain Wound Healing Potion was very popular. Or rather, any potion of this type was popular as long as it wasn't too expensive. Plenty of shops were willing to cooperate with Pharmacists; there was no shortage of buyers.
Having realized the importance of money, I was also eager to try. After all, who could refuse mastering a skill that provided a stable income?
I remembered that I had also obtained a potion recipe during my first trip to the Witch Secret Realm, didn't I?
The raw materials were a bit hard to get, but as one of the recipients of that recipe, Sofiri certainly wouldn't lack the materials. Moreover, she had a plantation; growing the materials from that Secret Realm there wouldn't be any trouble.
"Then I'll head back first. See you tomorrow." I bid Betty farewell and prepared to leave.
Of course, if it were just to chat with Betty, I wouldn't have needed to come here specifically. My main reason for coming was to find some theoretical books on Alchemy to expand my knowledge base. Even if the knowledge in the Memory Bookshelf didn't "belong" to me yet, it was still a very convenient tool—even more convenient than a search engine.
Furthermore, I needed to tell Sister Bai about my decision. Sigh... I was also worried about Sister Bai getting jealous or something. Even though she told me to interact more with the outside world, I wondered if she would feel uncomfortable seeing me discuss academic knowledge with another girl.