Chapter 45: Basic Pharmaceutical Skill
For the past four days, outside of breaks for essential needs, he’d been like a tireless Alchemy Puppet, mechanically repeating the motions of grinding, boiling, and stirring.
By the end, the mere scent of that familiar mossy smell was enough to make his stomach churn with nausea.
If it weren’t for [Hevagmir’s Boiling] granting him abnormal stamina and extremely high resistance to negative status effects,
he would have dropped dead in front of his crucible on the second day.
Even so,
by the time he’d finished brewing the last jar of ointment, his mental defenses had completely crumbled, and he could only rely on sleep to let his body repair itself.
Fortunately, it was all worth it.
Lance dragged the heavy money pouch out from under his bed, untied the drawstring, and tossed its contents into the air.
Silvery-white coins rained down, blanketing the entire bed.
To Lance’s ears, the crisp clatter of metal was the most beautiful music in the world.
After deducting all material and labor costs,
his net profit for the four days totaled one hundred and fifty-seven Silver Coins.
Looking at the small mountain of Silver Coins piled on his bed, Lance broke into a wide grin.
Combined with his previous savings, his total assets had now officially surpassed the one Gold Coin mark.
’I’m a rich man now.’
Lance let out a whoop and threw himself onto the pile of Silver Coins, spread-eagle.
He had expected it to be some kind of ultimate indulgence.
But the next second, he was scrambling back up with a grimace.
It was too hard.
The hard metal edges dug painfully into his ribs.
Rubbing his chest, Lance couldn’t help but complain inwardly, ’Those Giant Dragons in the legends that love sleeping on piles of Gold Coins and gems must be thick-skinned masochists.’
’Or maybe they’re lying.’
’This isn’t comfortable at all.’
Lance gathered the Silver Coins and put them back in the pouch, glancing around the room.
After the torment of the last few days, the walls and floor of the small attic were thoroughly steeped in the vapor from the Potions, and a strange, lingering smell filled the air.
It was clearly no longer fit for human habitation.
’It’s time to find a new place.’
But before looking for a realtor, Lance habitually called up his system panel.
The insane grind of the past few days, though painful, had brought him some unexpected rewards.
A few new notification messages appeared on his retina.
[Through hundreds of repetitions of Fire Control, stirring, skimming, and bottling, you can now complete the entire process with your eyes closed. You have acquired the Skill: Basic Pharmaceutical Skill Level 1]
[Basic Pharmaceutical Skill Proficiency +264]
[Basic Pharmaceutical Skill Level 2 (14/400), Perception Attribute +1]
[You have observed the fusion reactions of ingredients at different temperatures for four consecutive days. Pharmacology Knowledge +32]
[Pharmacology Level 1 (41/1000)]
Lance raised his eyebrows in pleasant surprise.
He hadn’t expected that such mechanical labor could actually lead to learning a new Skill, and even boost his Perception Attribute on the side.
This was a truly pleasant surprise.
The increase in Knowledge Experience was also expected.
’Looks like the suffering of the past few days wasn’t for nothing.’
In high spirits, Lance quickly washed up, changed into a set of clean clothes, and headed out.
As a stopover for Adventurers, Gray Rock Town had an unusually developed real estate rental industry.
After all, countless newcomers brimming with dreams flooded into the town every day, just as countless broken-hearted or newly rich veterans left.
This high turnover had given rise to housing agency services similar to those in Lance’s previous life.
He had found his two previous residences this way.
With money in hand this time, Lance’s standards had naturally risen.
It had to be more comfortable, more spacious, and offer private, independent living space.
After hearing Lance’s requirements, the shrewd agent showed him two properties.
The first was near the Artisan District.
It was a detached, single-story cottage of wood and stone, with a reasonably spacious living room and one bedroom. It even came with a private backyard.
The neighbors were mostly Blacksmiths or leatherworkers. While it was a bit noisy during the day, the upside was that neighborly relations were simple, and it was quiet at night.
The rent was 10 Silver Coins a month.
It was more than double the price of his current attic, but still within an acceptable range.
The second property was on the edge of the Merchant Square.
This one was an exquisite two-story residence. The first floor had a spacious living room and a fully-equipped kitchen, while the second floor had two separate bedrooms.
It also had a small backyard.
What excited Lance the most was that the house came with a small, dry, and well-ventilated cellar, perfect for storing medicinal herbs and other miscellaneous items.
Furthermore, the location was excellent.
It was only a few streets away from Flora’s place, and Mowenna’s Potion shop was just a five-minute walk away.
The spacious living room could even accommodate gatherings with friends in the future.
Of course, the price was also staggering.
The rent was a steep 18 Silver Coins a month.
Standing on the second-floor balcony and looking out at the bustling Merchant Square in the distance, Lance did some quick mental calculations.
’Eighteen Silver Coins sounds expensive, but at my current earning rate, this expense would only be about ten percent of my monthly income.’
’That’s completely within a reasonable spending range.’
’Besides, since I’ve decided to make Potions long-term, I really do need a separate room as a workshop, so I don’t end up marinating myself in fumes again like this time.’
’And that cellar is an absolute must-have.’
"This is the one."
Lance made his decision.
Since he didn’t have much in the way of valuable luggage, Lance finished moving that very afternoon.
When checking out, however, he had to grudgingly compensate the original landlord 4 Silver Coins for a cleaning fee.
After all, he had turned a perfectly fine attic into a gas chamber, so the compensation was only fair.
「The evening of the move.」
The small two-story house on the edge of the Merchant Square welcomed its first lively visitors.
To celebrate his housewarming, Lance had spared no expense.
He not only spent a fortune sweeping the market for a large quantity of fresh, high-quality ingredients, but he also made a special trip to the Artisan District and paid a Blacksmith to rush-order a professional iron grill.
That’s right.
He was planning to replicate a backyard barbecue party in this Otherworld.
The afterglow of the sunset filled the backyard as the charcoal CRACKLED beneath the grill.
As the young lady of the Wild Boar and Rose, Amber naturally didn’t come empty-handed.
Like a delivery worker, she carried in two kegs of home-brewed rye beer and several popular local card and board games, barging in without a care.
As for Nia and Flora, the two girls had mastered the fine art of freeloading, bringing only their mouths to eat with.
"Let me do it! I can grill!"
Nia enthusiastically seized the main position at the grill.
However, just ten minutes later,
looking at the pieces of grilled meat on the plate—black as charcoal and reeking of a bitter, burnt smell—Lance and Amber exchanged a look and shook their heads helplessly.
"Alright, missy, why don’t you just go wait on the side for your food."
Amber snatched the tongs and expertly took command of the battlefield.