Chapter 24: Flame Oil
Flame Oil (Hidden Recipe): Apply to weapons or projectiles to wreathe the target in flames and inflict fire damage.
Fire damage was one of the most effective types against dark creatures, making the recipe incredibly potent. But beyond its raw power were its special effects. Weapons coated with Flame Oil were wreathed in billowing, undeniably cool-looking flames.
In his past life, the recipe had been found in a meteorology book in the Wake Forest University library, hidden within a chapter on frost monsters. A player hadn't discovered it for years.
The first person to master this formula was none other than Leandro de Pesa, the game's favored son—a genius in alchemy but a complete dunce in meteorology. Much of his popularity in the previous timeline stemmed from the promotional video that featured him wielding a stunningly cool flaming sword.
Since Leandro de Pesa had yet to enroll at the university, the recipe had obviously gone undiscovered. This was one of the reasons Zhou Ning had been working so hard on his alchemy for the past two days.
All this effort will be worth it if I can just get that recipe!
After cleaning the alchemy lab, Rosie arrived to take over his shift. The long-legged girl was incredibly hardworking. Like Zhou Ning, she worked as a teaching assistant for a monthly stipend of 5 Victors, but she also held a job at the school's alchemy shop, keeping her constantly busy.
Zhou Ning greeted her with a smile. "Good afternoon. Got anything to eat?"
Rosie was speechless.
She clutched her pocket vigilantly.
In the end, Zhou Ning still managed to get a piece of red bean cake from her, repaying the favor with a cup of black tea. He had a standing order with a Mrs. Tulin, who had someone deliver it every noon.
After a pleasant afternoon tea, Zhou Ning said his goodbyes. He returned to his dormitory to grab the books he'd finished before heading to the library.
After returning his books, Zhou Ning went straight to the meteorology section.
Wake Forest University's library, one of the top three in Braxton, boasted an impressive collection of meteorological texts. The forum post from his past life hadn't been specific, only mentioning a meteorology book by Roger Moore. The problem was that Roger Moore, a renowned and prolific author from over a century ago, had written four of them.
Staring at the four thick volumes, Zhou Ning lamented the lack of forums or instant comments he could consult.
He found a seat with his pile of books and began to read.
In the game Apocalypse, there were three ways to learn recipes: being taught by an NPC, finding a recipe scroll, or discovering one by reading books. With enough luck, a rare recipe might even be found hidden in the text of an ancient tome.
Three books later, he had found nothing, though his Meteorology proficiency had steadily increased.
It wasn't until he reached the end of the fourth book that a series of notifications appeared:
[You have learned Meteorology (Elementary) and have mastered the skill [Weather Observation]!]
[You have mastered the recipe for [Flame Oil]!]
[You have mastered the recipe for [Sleepless Potion]!]
[Flame Oil] (Hidden Recipe): Requires Flame Flower, Firescale Fish Oil, Crystal Bottle, and Sunlight Orchid Root. Apply to weapons or projectiles to inflict flame damage.
[Sleepless Potion] (Hidden Recipe): Requires Snake Flower, Thorn Grass, and Fish Gills. This potion will invigorate you, eliminating the need for sleep.
"Finally," Zhou Ning whispered, clenching his fists, his face brimming with excitement. This was a truly auspicious start. The Flame Oil was a given, but the Sleepless Potion… if he could sell that to factory owners, it would be a massive hit.
Flame Flower and Sunlight Orchid Root were both common, inexpensive herbs. Firescale Fish Oil was a bit rarer, but at less than 5 Roshen, it was well within his budget.
He glanced outside; it was nearly evening.
Zhou Ning went to the campus alchemy shop, spent 20 Roshen on two sets of materials, and rented a lab for another 4 Roshen. He couldn't wait to get started.
Unlike the low-level potions he'd made before, Flame Oil was a difficult, intermediate-tier alchemical product. Moreover, he was spending his own money this time, so he couldn't afford to be careless.
He took a deep breath.
Exhaling slowly, Zhou Ning's deft hands lit the alcohol lamp. Perhaps it was his 13 points in Agility, but his movements felt even more fluid, his hands perfectly balanced. He methodically ground the herbs, added them to the beaker with a buffer solution, and began to heat the mixture slowly.
The process was complex and required a fair bit of luck.
[You completed an alchemical blend with a quality of 7. The blend failed. You gained 26 experience points and 1 proficiency point.]
Five minutes later, a burning smell emanated from the beaker. A flicker of regret crossed Zhou Ning's face. He had failed.
With only one set of materials left, Zhou Ning forced himself to calm down.
He methodically heated the beaker, bringing the solution to a boil before adding the lead salt and other stabilizers and heating it again. The entire process was smooth and flawless, without a single misstep. A few minutes later, a notification came from the control panel.
[You completed an alchemical blend with a quality of 72. You gained 46 experience points and 2 proficiency points.]
It worked! Zhou Ning finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Inside the test tube was a bright red liquid. Once it had cooled completely, he poured it into a crystal bottle.
When he focused on the bottle, a panel prompt appeared:
[Flame Oil (Ordinary Quality): Apply to weapons or projectiles to wreathe the target in flames and inflict fire damage.]
The quality is decent.
After a moment's hesitation, Zhou Ning poured the Flame Oil into a small bowl, retrieved a bullet from his inventory, and carefully dropped it in to soak.
He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but the moment the bullet touched the oil, a flicker of fire seemed to dance over its surface.
Zhou Ning moved quickly, retrieving the bullet from the bowl. A ball of flame instantly enveloped it, but it was merely a special effect from the oil; it gave off no heat.
[Special item: .45 ACP Caliber Bullet]
[Attribute: Burning]
[Description: A bullet soaked in Flame Oil, dealing 13-25 points of fire damage.]
"It really works!"
Zhou Ning stared at the burning bullet in his hand, excited. It had just been an idea, but it had actually worked.
Next, Zhou Ning dropped another eight bullets into the bowl, taking them out one by one after they had soaked. In total, he had created ten special bullets. When he went to drop an eleventh in, he found the small bowl of Flame Oil was empty.
20 Roshen for two sets of materials and 4 Roshen for the lab rental. Based on a fifty-percent success rate, that means 24 Roshen for ten special bullets. A bit expensive.
However, the cost would decrease as his proficiency improved.
Zhou Ning took out his ivory-handled Colt M1873 revolver, swung open the cylinder, and loaded the ten flaming bullets one by one.
He was now confident that if he encountered another monster like Marion, he could handle it with ease.
…
When Zhou Ning checked out of the lab, he found it was raining. Fortunately, due to the region's unpredictable weather, campus facilities offered umbrellas for loan. He borrowed one from the alchemy shop, bought a few loaves of bread from a roadside vendor, and headed back to his dormitory.
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