CHAPTER 144 - WITCH-ERESTING ALCHEMY BOOKS
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When we got home, the first thing I did was unpack the alchemy books.
“I hope this works. I hope this works! Please work. Please work.” I bonked myself on the head with a book.
Nothing happened.
I tried again.
Nothing happened again.
I tried the other books, but it was useless.
Although I was very disappointed, it made sense that it was only the Astrology books that worked that way. Astrology was a skill that was half-heartedly made as a money sink, and neither the players nor the devs ever took it seriously. Alchemy, on the other hand, was a very important skill. Therefore, it was only logical that one couldn’t level it up via a silly method like bonking oneself on the head with a skill book.
On the other hand, I was very pleased that the other Alchemy sub-skills had likewise been unlocked. Immortal Pills were nice and all, but weapon and armor upgrades were even better!
I went outside to the back garden of my [Ranch House] and set up the [Nine Dragon Jade Cauldron]. Then I put the [Spells Stones] under it the way that the Venerable Immortal Sage had shown me and activated the cauldron using the System. When the temperature was right, I took off the lid and threw in a [Firebird Feather].
[Firebird Feather:
A bright red feather from the mythical Firebird, known for its dazzling and radiant plumage. This exquisite plume, shimmering with an otherworldly intensity, is said to embody the essence of fire. Crafting with this feather can imbue items with the mythical creature's fiery spirit.]
This time, the feather flew out of the cauldron on its own after a few seconds, and I got a small amount of Magic and Herblaw exp. The enhanced item was now a [Firebird Feather +1 Air].
Air was good because it worked well with Fire, but +1 was the lowest possible enhancement. I tried it again with another feather. This time it became a [Firebird Feather +3 Water]. The next one I made was a [Firebird Feather +1 Earth]. Obviously, those two were no good since they were not very compatible with the fire element.
“I wish there was an item that boosts luck.”
Unlike other skills, this particular type of Alchemy was totally random. Creating the perfect +9 full set of weapons, armor, and accessories was a real pain in the neck, but players who didn’t have the patience to make their own could simply buy the items they needed from other players. After an outcry from the player base, the Adventure Incarnate developers modified the skills somewhat to improve gameplay by allowing players to load the cauldrons with items that would automatically alchemize them.
I took out one hundred feathers from my inventory and placed them in the cauldron’s inventory. Then I simply turned on the [Automatic Alchemy] function. All I would have to do now was to wait until they were all finished before collecting them.
As for the Immortal Pills, I believed that it would be best to wait until I had harvested my first Immortal Herbs before selling any since it would be extremely strange for me to suddenly start producing pills out of nothing.
Herblaw potions were what players used to boost their stats. The pills produced by Alchemy were meant for cultivators and were therefore useless to players. Despite the importance of such pills in a cultivation world, in the game world, they were simply another product created to sell to the NPCs. It was the same mechanic as the milk that was produced by farm animals and was made into cheese which sold for a higher price than milk. Likewise, herbs were grown on the farm and made into pills simply to make more money.
I knew it would be different in this world because the cultivators here were not NPCs but real people. There was sure to be a big commotion when the farm successfully grew Immortal Herbs. Shuye would have his work cut out for him, that was for sure!
***
The next day. I handed Fengying a bunch of mochi. “These are basic nourishing qi pills. Please distribute them among the staff.”
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“Congratulations on learning alchemy, my lady.” My housekeeper was all smiles as she went about her way.
Now that I was literally using a cauldron, I wondered if there would be more legends of the Witch of the Forest in the future. The thought made me smile as I ate breakfast. After I finished eating, I put my chopsticks down and said, “Kids, it’s time! I think the [Spirit Grass], [Wild Seed Mix] and [Soybeans] are ready.”
“Yes, Teacher,” they said.
We all went outside and headed straight for the place where I was trying to create [Black Soil]. During the planting season, we had sown the field with plants that were not meant to be harvested but rather plowed back into the soil to nourish it. Today the field was a riot of colors where flowers, grasses, and foliage had grown without the need of any human intervention.
[Wild Seed Mix:
Contains a mixture of seeds, mainly wild flowers, grasses, and legumes that are used as cover crops, which are plants grown to cover the soil surface to protect it from erosion, improve soil structure, and add nutrients to the soil.]
“Teacher, do we have to plow these back into the soil? It seems like a waste of good crops,” said Lari.
I just smiled and shook my head at his reluctance. “It’s called ‘delayed gratification.’ When we incorporate these plants into the soil, it will decompose and release a lot of nutrients that the Immortal Herbs will need.”
Increasing soil organic matter would also improve the soil structure, but I didn’t want to go into lecture mode, so I simply circled the field, looking for pests or diseases that I would have to take care of first.
The plants were all surrounded by a faint glow which was strongest around the [Spirit Grass]. Seeing that there were no problems, I gestured to the others to start plowing.
“Yay! More exp!” Mo was in heaven. Watering, weeding, and tending to the plants only gave a minuscule amount of exp, whereas plowing gave a decent amount.
“I can hardly wait for the harvest,” said Kharli.
“Me, too!” said Lari.
When we were finished, the soil gave off an earth and green scent. When we used our hoes to plow, the System did the work of turning the soil and chopping the cover crops into small pieces that were incorporated into the soil.
Kharli took a handful of soil and inspected it. “I see what we did. The grass is like soil food, isn’t it?”
“Right. Now we just have to wait until all the green matter decomposes. Then we can plant more cover crops here until the soil turns into [Black Soil],” I said. “It’s not hard, is it? We just have to be patient and trust the process.”
“Teacher, how long will it take for the green stuff to decompose?” asked Lari.
“I’m not sure. In any case, there’s no rush. First, we have to focus on the upcoming harvest. Then we have to do the planting. We’ll get back to this field after that. Now let’s take care of the other crops.”
The vegetable patches were spectacular. Most of the vegetable plants had burst into flower and the bees were busily buzzing around them. A few early blooms had already been pollinated and were developing into fruits.
“The vegetable harvest will be so good this season,” said Lari.
The rice paddies with the carp looked very promising, too. Small, white flowers had appeared on the rice plants, and soon we would start slowly draining the paddy to make the carp move into the deeper waters of the fish refuge where they could be easily caught during the harvest.
“The chef said he would make a nice fish stew,” said Kharli.
The tea plants growing under the shade of the canopy were my favorite. Yinuo told me that one of the kitchen assistants had even seen Deming almost smile when he looked at them. Almost. The scent of the tea leaves was invigorating and the glow around the plants could be seen much clearer there because of the shade.
“When we start selling spiritual tea, everyone will want some,” said Mo.
“Ha! I bet they will.” This current batch of tea would be for our personal use, with the excess given as gifts to our suppliers and the people working with us to raise the animals. Only when the tea was mid-grade would we start selling to the public. I smirked, knowing that I wouldn’t have to deal with the desperate merchants. That would be Shuye’s task. “We’re done here. Let’s go. I’m gonna replace the [Tea Machine] today.”
“No, Teacher! Tea is the best.” Mo gave me a horrified look.
“We have enough tea already, and we’re going to get more during the harvest. Trust me, you’re gonna thank me later for making better soy sauce and tofu for the chef to use. The harvest banquet this time will be legendary!”
Lari, Kharli, and Mo all looked skeptical, but I paid them no mind as I walked to the place where the [Tea Machine] was and destroyed it. The [Soy Machine] building that I put in its place was a whimsical, cute thing that wouldn’t have looked out of place in a Barbie town or Hello Kitty amusement park. From the outside, it looked like a storybook cottage with a steep roof, dormer windows, and two whimsical turrets. Painted white and pink, it had a rounded door that I opened to reveal the interior that was also painted pink and white.
The [Soy Machine] itself was made of glass and metal painted white. I poured [Soybeans] from my inventory down into the waiting chute. There was only one large pink button labeled Start/Stop, which confused me because the machine was supposed to make soy milk, tofu, soy sauce, miso, and tempeh. I would have thought there would be separate buttons for each product.
Lari stepped forward. “Me, please can I press the button?”
“No, I want to do it!” said Kharli.
“People, no quarreling! Let’s play rock, paper, scissors for it.”
I squared off with Mo, whose rock lost to my paper. Then I played with Kharli who had won her match with Lari.
“I won!” Kharli gleefully rushed to the side of the machine and pressed the button.
A loud, grinding sound started up, and we waited a few minutes to see if anything unusual would happen. When nothing did, we left.
“We’ll return tomorrow morning to collect the products,” I said.
However, instead of the expected soy products, the machine produced something extraordinary instead.