Chapter Sixteen: Enchanting Alchemy

Qi Xiao smiled and said, “I understand now. Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Raymont waved his hand dismissively. “No need. Come on, I’ll take you back.”

With a grand gesture from Raymont, Qi Xiao found himself, in the blink of an eye, standing before the door to his own room. After bidding Raymont farewell, he stepped inside.

Exhausted, Qi Xiao collapsed onto his bed, flopping about before finally settling in to contemplate his plans for the week ahead.

His meditation method was almost complete—he hoped to finish constructing it today, and afterward, he intended to study the alchemy rooms.

Having set his goals, Qi Xiao sat up on his bed, found a comfortable position, and began constructing the model.

Time passed in silence. At last, when his eyes regained their clarity from a trance-like state, the model of spiritual power was finally complete.

He could feel his spiritual energy, once scattered like loose sand, now coalescing under his conscious control. The magical energy in the air began to flow naturally into the model within his mind, without the need for guidance.

Yet, there was no noticeable enhancement of his innate abilities—perhaps because the meditation method was not yet perfected.

A glance at the time showed it was nearly three in the morning. The final step had taken far longer than he’d anticipated, but at least the task was done.

Having forced himself to complete the model through sheer willpower, Qi Xiao made no effort to resist the wave of headache and drowsiness that followed. He surrendered to sleep.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already four in the afternoon.

After a quick wash, he opened his door, and at that very instant, three streams of blood energy gathered outside, coalescing into three figures: one large, two small, all in vaguely human shapes.

“Good afternoon, Steward Merck,” Qi Xiao greeted, feeling a bit sheepish that he had slept until afternoon on his very first day.

Fortunately, Merck’s demeanor was as courteous as ever, saving Qi Xiao from embarrassment. “These two are the blood servants who will attend you from now on. They are juniors I have trained for a long while. If you find anything unsatisfactory, let me know and I will see to it.”

At these words, the two blood servants bowed and greeted Qi Xiao.

Qi Xiao had no objections and simply asked, “Do they have names?”

Having moved behind the two young blood servants, Merck answered quietly, “Naturally not. Their sentience was not strong before—giving them names would have meant nothing, as they acted purely on instinct. In the past two years, as they neared maturity, their condition improved considerably and they have begun to develop a rudimentary awareness. If you wish, young master, you may name them.”

“Then let them be called Blood Ruo and Blood Lotus,” Qi Xiao replied.

The two blood servants buzzed in response.

Merck explained, “They are expressing their gratitude and joy. The language of wizards is quite different from our native tongue, and they are still learning.”

Qi Xiao understood, feeling fortunate that he could instinctively use the wizard’s language from the moment he arrived.

After Merck took his leave, the two young blood servants drifted inside to tidy up the bedroom, and Qi Xiao went off to inspect the various alchemy rooms.

Arriving at one door, Qi Xiao brushed it with his spiritual power to unlock it, then pushed open the heavy wooden door. A peculiar fragrance immediately greeted him—a heady blend of metal, herbs, and some special element that made him unconsciously hold his breath.

Stepping inside, his eyes brightened. On the tables stood mostly commonplace instruments—spirit lamps, iron stands, asbestos nets, and the like.

But at the very center was a most elegant device, clearly crafted from copious amounts of mithril and gold, its main body formed in graceful, flowing curves.

The surface of the instrument was etched with intricate runes and patterns, gleaming faintly silver under the lights.

At its core, a precise mechanical structure of hundreds of tiny gears and rods interlocked; under the alchemist’s skilled manipulation, these components could finely adjust temperature and pressure, ensuring the extraction of fragrance was flawless.

Indeed, Qi Xiao recognized at a glance that this was an alchemy chamber dedicated to the study of aromatics. The ordinary instruments were for distillation and extraction, while the central device was designed purely for isolating essences.

He checked the other alchemy rooms as well, finding that each had its own distinct theme—be it metals, inscriptions, or otherwise. The largest, a comprehensive alchemy chamber, was equipped with everything from massive furnaces to dainty beakers, even including cauldrons for brewing witch’s soup.

Such an array left Qi Xiao a little daunted; he doubted he could afford even a single piece of this equipment, even if he sold himself. With such luxurious facilities, even seasoned alchemy apprentices would be incredulous—yet all of it had been entrusted to him.

Qi Xiao felt an immense weight settle upon him, knowing he could never fully repay his teacher’s kindness.

Despite his apprehension, he caressed the instruments with both joy and concern. No matter what, these things were his for now, and he couldn’t let them go to waste.

He had originally meant only to take a look and get a sense of things, but couldn’t resist the urge to begin experimenting.

After all, the equipment was so lavish that no alchemist could remain unmoved—especially knowing it was for his exclusive use.

Rubbing his hands together to calm his excitement, Qi Xiao decided to begin with enchantment studies. Truth be told, since arriving in this world, the only alchemy he’d practiced was rune carving—even if that was just a small part of enchantment, it was at least something he was familiar with.

Enchantment was also the fastest and easiest alchemical branch to master quickly; though the results were often little more than standardized, assembly-line goods, lacking in surprise or potential, what more could an apprentice hope for? Progressing quickly and making the most of his golden finger to grow was what mattered.

There was one final reason: his talents needed to be revealed gradually. If he showed himself already adept in every alchemical school, even Teacher Midiel might be tempted to dissect him for study. For now, it was best to excel in one field and dabble in others, so as not to shock anyone too much.

He entered the alchemy room dedicated to enchantment. Of all the chambers, this was the simplest and most modest, as the enchantment school required little in the way of elaborate equipment—a carving knife sufficed.

What mattered was the alchemist’s proficiency in inscribing runes, the memorization of various symbols and their combinations, and the ability to adapt them flexibly to different situations—a far from simple task.

Many who studied enchantment, after much practice, could master and carve one or two types of runes, mass-producing related alchemical items—but their progress would often end there.

Thus, enchantment was often looked down upon within the hierarchy of alchemical schools.

But in truth, enchantment had always been easy to learn but hard to master. Out of a hundred apprentice alchemists, ninety-five studied enchantment, but the higher one climbed, the fewer specialists remained; formally recognized enchantment alchemists were rare indeed.

After all, runic studies are an independent discipline on their own. Enchantment required not only mastery of runes, but the skill to transplant them into alchemy—a task doubly difficult.