Chapter 19 Alchemy
To ensure a long-term business relationship, Zhou Ning thought, it's crucial to set a price that won't gouge the client. That's how you get repeat customers.
"It's a pleasure working with you." After the deal was concluded, the other party paid promptly. He took the gun and played with it for a moment, trying to twirl it around his fingers as Zhou Ning had, but failed miserably. With an awkward cough, he handed four Victoires to Zhou Ning. "By the way, it's best not to go out at night unless necessary. There's been a lot of trouble lately. The legislators are even considering implementing a curfew."
"Okay, thank you." Zhou Ning accepted the banknotes and saw they were two 5-Viktar and two 10-Viktar notes. It was the first time he had ever seen a 10-Viktar note in person. It was primarily green, with a portrait of Charles I, the first King of Braxton, printed on it. The designer had even included a delicate watermark on the king's beard to prevent counterfeiting, and the note gave off a pleasant scent of fresh ink.
Holy cow! This is two months' allowance in one go!
Perhaps it was the influence of his past life's memory fragments, but Zhou Ning felt an instant, powerful affection for the banknotes in his hand.
He schooled his expression, resisting the embarrassing urge to kiss the money. He folded the bills, tucked them securely into an inner pocket, and asked nonchalantly, "That law probably won't pass, right?"
"Obviously not. A law like that would affect too many people. Without a nightlife, people won't have sex, and tax revenue would probably drop by a third," Sherlock said sarcastically. "My guess is that this brainless congressman will be out of office soon."
What he said made sense. In all his time playing the game, Zhou Ning had never heard of a curfew being enacted in Braxton. He silently gave the unknown congressman a thumbs-up in his mind.
The two chatted for a little longer before Sherlock politely tipped his deerstalker hat and said goodbye.
Just as he was about to leave himself, Zhou Ning turned around. He hesitated for a moment before calling out, "Agent Sherlock, have you ever heard of the Life Alchemy Society?"
"Life Alchemy Society?"
Sherlock paused, stunned for a moment before his mind caught up.
"Them? A group of lunatics who believe life can be created through alchemy. They originated in the eastern Kingdom of Luins and are obsessed with creating various alchemical life forms through their experiments. Why? Do you think this case is related to them?"
"It's just a guess. I heard that within the Society, there's a certain school of thought. They aren't just obsessed with using alchemy to create life, but also with using it to recreate themselves. At first, they tried using machines and animal organs for transformation, but they later realized that didn't work. The human body is far more suitable for... the human body."
At that moment, a prompt popped up on his panel.
[You have triggered the B-level mission: Alchemical Abomination. Accept? Yes/No]
"Of course, this is just a rumor I heard somewhere. You can just treat it as a story," Zhou Ning added, calmly accepting the mission.
"No, you're telling the truth! That has to be it!" Sherlock's expression was a mixture of shock and excitement.
The case, which had seemed so intractable, suddenly had a promising lead thanks to Zhou Ning's suggestion. He hurriedly trotted toward the carriage parked at the edge of the woods.
The panel updated.
[B-level mission "Alchemical Abomination" progress: 25%.]
Nearby, a group of police officers was still busy, and more were arriving at the scene.
Murders were fairly common in the Kingdom of Braxton, but it was rare for one to occur at a place like Vic University. As the premier institution of higher learning in the kingdom, its students were either future leaders and innovators or the children of high-ranking officials and nobles. If news of this case got out, it would likely cause a stir throughout the entire kingdom.
As a result, both the Docklands Police Department and the university administration were under tremendous pressure.
After a short while, the vice-president of student affairs approached the onlookers and announced that all students, faculty, and staff were prohibited from entering or leaving the campus for the time being, pending the investigation.
Although he understood the vice-president's intention was to aid the investigation, Zhou Ning shook his head. This crime was obviously committed by a supernatural being. A lockdown might work on ordinary people, but what good would it do against someone like that?
Not far away, several policemen began questioning students who were passing by. Perhaps because Sherlock had given them a heads-up, Zhou Ning wasn't stopped. He put his hat back on, walked to the end of the path, rounded a corner, and stopped in front of the Pig and Whistle breakfast shop.
The shop shared its name with the famous inn from World of Warcraft. The owner, Mrs. Tulin, was a woman in her seventies who cared for her paralyzed husband, a man ten years her senior. On sunny days, she could often be seen pushing his wheelchair for a walk around campus.
"Mrs. Tulin, three pounds of cupcakes, please."
"Of course, Little Wayne," Mrs. Tulin said as she began bagging them. "By the way, what was all that commotion over at the apartments?"
"Someone died in the woods," Zhou Ning answered concisely. "The victim was Sharon, a sophomore in the Alchemy Department."
"Oh, my heavens! I remember her. Such a nice girl, we always got along so well. What a pity. Just the other day she was telling me she'd met a wonderful new boyfriend," Mrs. Tulin said, pressing her hands together in a gesture of prayer, her face filled with regret.
"Oh? She had a boyfriend?" Zhou Ning was surprised. He'd heard Sharon had a difficult temper and didn't have any friends, let alone a boyfriend.
"Yes, I'm sure of it," Mrs. Tulin recalled. "She told me he was handsome, talented, and a perfect gentleman. And that he was madly in love with her."
This boyfriend sounded suspicious. Zhou Ning nodded, a flicker of doubt in his mind, and walked toward the Alchemy Building with the cupcakes in hand.
The Alchemy Building was a separate, four-story building not far from the student apartments. Professor Weasley's alchemy laboratory was on the second floor.
As Professor Weasley's teaching assistant, Zhou Ning's responsibilities included not only helping with academic matters but also taking duty shifts in the Alchemy Building and preparing alchemical tools.
With the new semester starting in a few days, the building had become a hub of activity.
As soon as Zhou Ning entered, he saw Sherlock questioning someone at the front desk. Zhou Ning gave him a nod and headed up the stairs to the second floor. When he opened the door to the laboratory, the pungent smell of alcohol hit him.
Zhou Ning opened the windows to air the room out. He was studying applied alchemy with Professor Weasley, focusing on how to adapt alchemical principles for daily life. Of course, potion-making was also a required subject.
Today, he needed to prepare iodine, sage, peacebloom, moneywort leaves, sunflowers, and mageroyal roots.
[Ding! You completed an alchemical material check and gained 3 experience points.]
[Ding! You completed an alchemical material check and gained 2 experience points.]
There were many ways to gain experience in Apocalypse. Besides killing monsters and completing quests, life skills also provided a substantial amount of EXP, so players who focused on crafting weren't at a disadvantage.
Zhou Ning skillfully prepared the dozens of materials Professor Weasley would need that afternoon, gaining nearly 200 experience points in the process. With a sigh of relief, he realized the next four hours were his to use as he pleased.
For now, only a few basic materials were available for him to practice with, and the quantity was limited.
Zhou Ning opened his alchemy skill menu. He currently knew only two recipes: Minor Mana Potion and Minor Health Potion.
The former required peacebloom, night-stalker ginseng, and iodine tincture. The latter required the more common ginkgo leaves and mageroyal roots, which the laboratory had in abundance.
If his goal was simply to level up and increase his proficiency, making Minor Health Potions was clearly the more cost-effective option.
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