Chapter 106: Synthesizing an Ingredient
The other day, I remained completely isolated inside my laboratory.
I had already lost count of how many hours I had spent there since dawn.
My only constant companions were the white glow of the Permanent Runic Lantern, the soft sound of the alchemical flames, and the Biochip’s cold voice echoing inside my mind.
In front of me rested an impeccably organized workbench.
Test tubes.
Distillation flasks.
Retorts.
Reagent bottles.
Catalyst crystals.
And dozens of carefully labeled ingredients.
Today was not an ordinary experiment.
If my hypotheses were correct...
I was about to solve a problem that had consumed months of my life.
I carefully picked up a completely red leaf.
Its surface resembled fine leather, but its veins shimmered with tiny scarlet specks.
I placed it inside a heat-resistant alchemical glass beaker.
Next, I used a small silver spatula to add a completely transparent solution.
The moment the liquid came into contact with the leaf...
Tssss...
An immediate reaction began.
I placed the container over an alchemical burner.
A yellow flame slowly emerged.
The glass began to heat up.
Tiny bubbles appeared at the bottom.
I stared intently at the reaction.
— Biochip...
— Start recording a new experimental session.
[Bip.]
The blue interface appeared before my eyes.
[Recording initiated.]
[Experiment No. 864]
[Objective: Development of an organic substitute for the Plant Blood Potion catalyst.]
[Ingredients inserted.]
[Modified Red Leaf]
[Purified Brazilwood Root Extract]
[Type III Catalytic Solution]
[Stabilized Mana]
As I observed...
The Biochip began analyzing absolutely everything.
[Container temperature]
29°C...
34°C...
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[Internal pressure:]
0.98 atm...
1.03 atm...
1.07 atm...
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[Biochemical status:]
[Molecular bonding]
17%
22%
31%
39%
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The leaf slowly began to lose its shape.
The edges dissolved first.
Soon afterward, the veins.
Finally...
The entire plant structure transformed into a reddish foam.
[Cell wall breakdown: 63%]
[Alkaloid release: 81%]
[Flavonoid integration: 92%]
[Risk of decomposition]
[3.8%]
Acceptable.
My heart raced a little.
This result was far beyond the last several hundred attempts.
During those months...
I had conducted more than eight hundred real experiments.
Each one consuming ingredients.
Time.
And mental energy.
The Biochip had performed tens of thousands of simulations before every practical attempt.
Without it...
I would probably need decades.
Or perhaps I would never succeed.
I continued observing.
Suddenly...
The numbers began changing rapidly.
[Biochemical integration]
[81%]
[85%]
[89%]
[94%]
My eyes widened.
Holy shit...
I can’t believe it...
It’s working...
The liquid became redder and redder.
It was no longer an ordinary red.
It looked like fresh blood.
At the same time...
A faint wave of mana began radiating from the container.
My pulse quickened.
That had never happened before.
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[Mana detected.]
[0.8%]
[1.4%]
[2.1%]
[3.6%]
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I immediately picked up a thin glass rod.
I began stirring it slowly in a counterclockwise direction.
At the same time...
I sent a delicate thread of mana into the solution.
Any excess would destroy everything.
Any deficiency would cause the reaction to die.
[Ideal stirring speed: 1.82 rotations per second.]
[Recommended mana flow: 0.0043 units per second.]
I followed every instruction exactly.
Seconds turned into minutes.
My expression became completely serious.
Tiny drops of sweat ran down my forehead.
The reaction was entering its critical phase.
Suddenly...
Zzzzzzzzz...
A strange buzzing sound emerged from inside the container.
I frowned.
The Biochip immediately magnified the image.
My field of vision was filled with an enormous microscopic zoom.
Inside...
Tiny organisms began to appear.
They looked like translucent worms.
Microscopic.
Each possessed tiny bluish crystalline structures.
They immediately began dividing.
Then again.
And again.
Within seconds...
Thousands of them occupied nearly the entire liquid.
[New biological structure detected.]
[Temporary mutagenic organisms.]
[Multiplication rate: 287 divisions per minute.]
[Alert.]
[Exponential expansion.]
[Probability of reaction collapse: 72%.]
I did not panic.
I had been expecting this exact moment.
My hand moved almost by reflex.
I picked up a small red pearl that had been prepared beforehand.
I quickly placed it inside a Petri dish.
Then...
Without hesitating...
I dropped it into the container.
Plop.
Immediately...
The entire liquid vibrated.
ZUUUUUMMMMM...
The tiny organisms began to disappear.
The blue specks receded.
The blood-red color became much lighter.
Then...
The entire solution slowly began to solidify.
I watched in silence.
At the center of the container...
Only a tiny crystal remained.
It was no larger than one-tenth of a grain of rice.
However...
Its interior pulsed slowly.
Like a tiny red heart.
[Bip.]
[Experiment concluded.]
[Result: Success.]
[Partial substitution confirmed.]
[Ingredient successfully synthesized.]
[Compatibility with original ingredient: 30.27%]
[Stability: 98.4%]
[Purity: 96.8%]
[Estimated efficiency loss: 69.73%]
[Application: Viable for partial synthesis of the Plant Blood Potion.]
I slowly closed my eyes.
Then...
I clenched my fist.
A smile appeared on my face naturally.
I did it...
After tens of thousands of simulations...
After eight hundred and sixty-four experiments...
I finally succeeded.
I spent several seconds simply staring at that tiny crystal.
It was insignificant to anyone else.
To me...
It represented months of work.
Unfortunately...
It also confirmed a bitter truth.
Modifying alchemical formulas was absurdly difficult.
I possessed the original formula.
I possessed a Biochip capable of performing millions of calculations.
I possessed financial resources.
Even so...
It took me months to achieve only a partial substitution.
An ordinary alchemist would never endure such a process.
The psychological burden alone would be enough to make them give up.
Failing hundreds of times...
Watching extremely rare ingredients go to waste...
And continuing to try...
It was torture.
Even so...
If someone managed to alter an important formula...
The rewards would be extraordinary.
I looked over the results once more.
Thirty percent...
The efficiency had dropped considerably...
But that was inevitable.
The original ingredients belonged to the magical world.
My substitutes were almost entirely ordinary ingredients.
Any farmer could grow them.
The individual quality was lower.
But...
Their abundance made up for it.
I crossed my arms.
I quickly ran a few calculations in my head.
Considering the economic impact...
This formula was probably worth more than three hundred thousand magic crystals...
Perhaps much more.
My expression turned serious, because it would be extremely dangerous.
It could never become public.
Not now.
Not even after I became an Official Mage.
If any Tower discovered that it was possible to produce a functional version of that potion using inexpensive ingredients...
A hunt led by numerous mages would begin.
They would try to get their hands on this discovery.
And I would merely be the first obstacle to disappear.
Only I would know this secret.
Just like the Biochip...
It would remain buried with me.
I looked at the tiny crystal one last time.
Then...
Without the slightest hesitation...
I crushed it between my fingers.
Crack.
The crystal turned into a fine red powder.
Not a single trace remained.
Afterward, I carefully cleaned the entire workbench.
When I finished...
My laboratory looked as though it had never been used.
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The night seemed even quieter when I finally left the laboratory.
I slowly walked down the stairs.
— Young Master...
I raised my eyes.
Jane had fallen asleep while sitting on a wooden chair beside the door.
As soon as she heard my footsteps, she woke immediately, rising so quickly that she almost dropped the small blanket she had been using.
Her brown hair was slightly messy from sleep, but it took her only a second to regain the impeccable posture of a maid.
I smiled faintly.
She truly took her responsibilities seriously.
— You’ve been waiting for me this whole time?
— Yes, Young Master.
I walked past her as I removed my alchemist’s robe.
The black fabric bore numerous stains left by corrosive reagents, along with small scorch marks caused by failed experimental explosions.
I carefully hung it up.
Then I changed into much lighter clothes.
A simple white shirt.
Dark trousers.
A light coat.
I sat down on one of the sofas in the private sitting room.
Beside it stood a small round table.
A silver tray held a bunch of freshly picked purple grapes, several red fruits, and a pitcher of cold water.
I absentmindedly picked up a grape.
Its sweet flavor helped pull my mind partially out of experimental mode.
— Employee Dormato has been looking for you for approximately two hours, sir.
— It seems there’s a crisis at the herb shop.
I slowly chewed another grape.
My expression remained completely calm.
It was inevitable.
The shop had never existed to generate profit.
It was merely a tool.
A convenient front to supply my experiments.
— I understand.
— Ask him to come to my office after dinner.
— Yes, Young Master.
She continued.
— Sir Tinod was here as well.
— He said there has been news regarding the bounty mission you posted.
That truly caught my attention.
A few months ago, I had posted a bounty worth a large sum in gold coins for any adventurer, mercenary, or explorer who could provide concrete information about the Dead Region of the Distant Wind Forest.
It was an extremely efficient way to have other people take the risks in my place.
— After dinner, send both of them to my office.
— As you wish.
Dinner was quiet.
After I finished, Jane carefully cleared the table while I walked toward my office.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.
— Come in.
The door slowly opened.
Tinod entered first.
His armor made the floor vibrate slightly with every step.
Dormato came in behind him.
The old man looked several years older than when I had first met him.
His posture remained elegant, but his furrowed brows revealed his concern.
The moment he entered, he gave a deep bow.
— Respected Young Master...
Before he could continue, I raised one hand.
— Before any financial report...
The two of them fell silent.
I slowly intertwined my fingers on the desk.
— Immediately issue orders to purchase every Red Leaf available on the market.
Dormato blinked.
— Every one?
— Every one.
I continued.
— I also want every Brazilwood Root available.
— But...
He looked confused.
He quickly took out a small notebook.
— Exactly how many units?
I looked directly at him.
— All of them.
The old man remained motionless.
His mind was clearly trying to determine whether he had heard correctly.
— In addition...
— Any supplier who acquires new shipments is to sell them exclusively to us.
— Young Master... this...
— May I remind you that our medicine shop is not going through a good period?
I nodded.
— I know.
— Ever since we began purchasing herbs for your studies...
He opened the small ledger.
— Our expenses have increased enormously.
— Sales are not keeping up with the costs.
— If we continue at this pace...
— Before long, we’ll be operating at a permanent loss.
— If we run out of gold...
My voice was firm.
— Ask Jane for more.
The old man’s eyes widened.
— But...
I interrupted him again.
— These purchases must never be interrupted.
My tone became even more serious.
— Regardless of the price.
— Regardless of the shop’s financial condition.
— Regardless of the quantity available.
— These are permanent orders.
Dormato swallowed hard.
Several beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
It was understandable.
He had no idea of the true scientific value of those ingredients.
From his perspective, I was simply wasting fortunes buying herbs that were almost useless.
At last, he deeply lowered his head.
— Understood...
His voice was quiet.
— I will do exactly as you ordered.
....
1903 Words