Volume 10 Bugs Chapter 62: Fusion Device and New Alchemical Experiment
I forgot who said that life is like a long journey with no end in sight. For most of our lives, we can only trudge along this difficult journey. No one knows where our lives will lead to. The whole meaning of our precious lives seems to lie in this seemingly meaningless rush, chasing after goals that we don’t even know what they are, and moving forward all the way.
However, no matter how high-spirited a traveler you are, no matter how curious you are about this unknown road ahead, no matter what you discover and experience on this road of life, whether it is happiness or sadness, joy or sadness, there will be a day, perhaps a peaceful village, perhaps a quiet and clear stream, perhaps a soothing and melodious music, perhaps a deep and delicate painting, or perhaps a bright and melancholy lady... No matter what it is, it may suddenly make you feel tired and tired of this endless journey of life from the bottom of your heart. So, you will suddenly stop and stop to watch in front of an ordinary but peaceful scenery - not because you really want to see anything, but just to let your tired soul take a breath.
Really, sometimes, we walk in such a hurry that we have to stop and wait for the lost self behind us.
But, again, no matter how beautiful the scenery is that attracts you, how magnificent the view is, it is a paradise on earth that many people dream of but cannot obtain, no matter how comfortable and intoxicated you feel during this short stay, you cannot stay here forever, no matter how reluctant you are, you will eventually leave the scenery in front of you, put on your bags again, and continue your endless journey.
Life goes on, and our journey cannot stop...
Because of this, no matter how much Feiyin and I love the warm and peaceful atmosphere in this little house, we can't stay here forever and let it stay so meaninglessly warm and peaceful. In fact, our president only lay on the little bed for a short while before yawning and "going offline". Before leaving this world, she also put forward reasonable suggestions for improving the utilization rate of this little house as soon as possible with the tactfulness and subtlety of a young girl:
"Heh... you should hurry up and renovate your room. I didn't give you this room just to play around..."
…Okay, I admit, her advice may not be as subtle as I would like it to be…
As the only level 20 alchemist in the guild—in fact, the only alchemist in the guild—I naturally first considered transforming my hut into an alchemy laboratory. I turned to the newly added "Guild Construction" column in my magic notebook, which listed many options for a room to be transformed: such as a clothing room for tailors, a kitchen for learning cooking, a leatherwork workshop to improve the efficiency of leatherworking, etc. In addition to learning these life skills, a room can also be transformed into a training room for different adventurers to learn skills according to needs—each profession has its own corresponding training room; in addition to these professional skill training rooms, some professions also have their own special training rooms—such as the pet training room for animal trainers, the music hall for bards, etc.; you can also transform a room into different types of warehouses or commercial facilities such as blacksmith shops and grocery stores; if you want, you can even set up the guild room as a special reception room, entertainment room, beauty salon, etc., which seem to be public facilities with little use. I tried to imagine what it would look like if a guild built all of these rooms - and I realized that it would have to build a whole new city to accommodate so many complex buildings.
Sometimes I feel that there seems to be such a force in this world, which sets all kinds of goals for us that can never be achieved, forcing us - in fact for those who are involved in the air - to stay in this world longer and spend a lot of time, energy and money.
Sometimes I can't help but speculate maliciously: Could this be a shady trick played by the creator gods of this world, whose purpose is just to retain more space travelers in this world and compete with gods from other time and space planes for the number of believers?
But this absurd idea always makes me think: You know, if the omniscient and omnipotent Darmos can create the whole world, then why does he need so many mediocre and incompetent lowly lives? And what can we do for him? Why does he keep so many space travelers in this plane?
To get their money?
This is a joke!
…
These various transformation methods and the dazzling array of renderings fill more than a hundred pages of paper. If you add in the various construction and upgrade options, you will have to find the transformation method you want from more than three hundred options. The most magical thing about this is that your notebook has obviously added such a thick stack of content, but its size and weight have not changed at all - you know, this is an important reason why we call it the "magic notebook".
I originally thought that I would have to spend a long time flipping through the two-finger-thick pages to find the contents of the alchemy laboratory, but fortunately, in addition to flipping through the pages one by one, I was pleasantly surprised to quickly discover that this notebook also provided a search method called "search bar". After searching for the "alchemy laboratory" transformation option, I chose the "confirm" option without hesitation - in fact, I really should have hesitated, at least before choosing to confirm, I should have clearly seen the cost of the entire transformation...
Suddenly, a series of light blue lights danced back and forth in my room. Every time it flashed past a corner, it made that corner glow brightly. After a while, the light gradually dissipated, and then I was surprised to find that the whole room...
...Uh...it's actually exactly the same as before, without any change at all: a small bed is quietly placed at the foot of the wall, a chair is leaning against the window, everything is exactly the same as when I just entered the room - even the dust in the corner has not disappeared.
Actually, it cannot be said that there is no change at all. At least in my magic notebook, the name of this room has become "Jeffreys Kidd's Alchemy Laboratory Level 1".
In this way, I had my own laboratory. Originally, I wanted to add several fully functional and widely used experimental equipment to it according to the standards of my mentor Mr. Edgwell's laboratory, so as to continue my alchemy research that had been stagnant for a long time. But soon I found that the imprudent decision I had just made had put me in an awkward dilemma:
Although being a warrior is a very expensive profession, not only do I have to frequently repair my equipment, buy various new potions, but I also have to invest a large sum of money in replacing various weapons and armors. However, after a long period of adventure, I have finally saved more than a thousand gold coins. But what I never expected was that just transforming this room into a laboratory (in fact, it was just a name change) cost me a full thousand gold coins. Now, in my originally heavy and thick wallet, there are only a few dozen silver coins left. This little money is not enough to buy those advanced magic experiment equipment, even if I want to buy an ordinary beaker, I can only buy the smallest one.
In a flash, I went from a modest adventurer to a penniless pauper, which made me want to give up on myself. I decided to go all out and spent fifty silver coins to buy a "simple alchemy test table" - this was the only thing I could afford that had anything to do with "alchemy" - I had no idea how this broken table made of a few broken wooden boards with holes eaten by worms could be sold at such a high price. From the outside, it looked like a twin brother of the "simple wooden dining table" downstairs that was only worth fifteen silver coins - even the hole on the table looked like it was gnawed by the same worm.
After spending all my money except for a few coppers, I finally calmed down a bit and thought about looking through my backpack for some spoils of war that I could sell for some change—at least to cover the cost of repairing my gear: Hmm, thirty-nine Sasquatch pelts, maybe worth a few silver coins… six bundles of moon-star grass, not even worth a silver coin… twelve bottles of life potions, I can’t buy them… a level 14 “dagger with fighting spirit pattern”, I was planning to keep it as a concealed weapon, but I might as well sell it now, as this crappy weapon can be used anywhere… and this… and that… and…
...Hey, what is this?
Just when I was worrying about the cost of repairing the equipment, suddenly, in my backpack filled with all kinds of cheap loot, I found four strangely shaped and unique instruments. One of them was a crystal bottle connecting the inside and the outside, another was a double helix pipe, a strangely shaped bracket, and another was a spherical part obtained from the body of the crazy mutant pharmacist Wagner after we stopped his plan of destroying the world on the top of Mount Kokla. These four strange things are "Fusion Device Parts" 1, 2, 3 and 4.
I suddenly remembered that there was still a task called "Installation of Fusion Device" in my task list. After I got the last part from Wagner, this task was not eliminated, but changed to "Assemble these parts in an alchemy laboratory". However, a series of thrilling adventures later made it impossible for me to find a laboratory to explore the mysteries of alchemy, so I almost forgot about this task.
Although the only alchemy-related item in this room is a shabby test bench that has been eaten by insects and rats, in name only, this is an authentic alchemy laboratory. So, when I put the four "fusion parts" on the test bench, my task bar suddenly changed - the task requires me to install the four parts entire installation process, the fewer times I try, the higher the reward I get.
To be honest, compared with those rough adventure missions that require us to kill and burn, and take the enemy's heads or scalps in exchange for rewards, I prefer this special mission with a little mathematical thinking and wisdom. In these cruel times of war and suffering, we seem to have become accustomed to using death to exchange for honor, using destruction to achieve fame, and using destruction to highlight achievements. We regard killing and being killed as the only theme and belief in life, and spare no effort to put it into practice.
At this moment, a simple, interesting and not too burdensome math game suddenly popped up, which seemed to remind us: In this world, there is another way of life. This kind of life has nothing to do with fighting, life and death, hatred, or harm. It is a peaceful and interesting life. It allows us to use our brains instead of swords to obtain the joy of another kind of life.
I immediately threw myself into this wonderful task, which seemed more like a game to me, with great enthusiasm. After the first few failures, I was not discouraged at all. In fact, I hoped to enjoy this mental game more than getting a brand new experimental equipment. At that moment, I even hoped that I could spend as much time as possible, so that I could get more fun of exploration and anticipation of the unknown.
I don't know whether this is my luck or misfortune. After I made only the seventh attempt, a beam of emerald green light shot out from the four parts. The light gradually merged and intertwined, penetrating the four parts, gradually attracting each other, until the light-emitting parts of each part automatically combined together, and finally assembled into a strange-looking instrument. The light at the joint no longer overflowed, but circulated and alternated in these parts through the connection points, making the whole instrument glow. At this time, my first alchemical experimental instrument - the fusion device - was finally installed.
When the fusion device was assembled, a soft white light rose from under my feet, and a long-lost sense of warmth and fulfillment surged into my heart. I checked my status again and found that my alchemy skills, which had been stagnant at level 20 for a long time, had been successfully upgraded with the successful installation of the fusion device - this means that I have finally broken through a difficult threshold again, making my alchemy skills have a qualitative leap. Another new window to explore the world is slowly opening to me, which makes me feel very happy.
I couldn't wait to grab the fusion device that had just been assembled. I was eager to understand what was so special about this thing that looked so strange and ugly that it could bring such a huge improvement to my alchemy skills. On the far left of it were four flask racks with flame torches, which could hold up to four different raw materials for heating at the same time. The gases produced by the heating of the raw materials would pass through the double helix pipes respectively. There was a catalyst chamber where the pipes finally intersected. If necessary, catalysts such as mouse feces, spider webs, gecko tails, etc. could be added. After passing through the valve, the pipe would extend into a square box that could be opened or completely closed. During the experiment, various "element essences" would be placed there - those were various pure element fragments scattered in this world and condensed together. Although I had occasionally seen some of them before, I never knew that these - the other end of the square box was a spotlight, pointing directly at the magical crystal bottle that was connected inside and outside. And at the other end of the crystal bottle was a tray for placing a gem.
At this time, a new task "Complete the first element experiment" has appeared in my task bar. The task prompts me to put five parts of evening primrose roots and three parts of dried petals of ghost star flower into the flask to heat them, add nine parts of slime insect snot into the catalytic chamber, put a "small piece of gray soil and stone dust" into the element box, and finally put a piece of ordinary obsidian in the tray to complete the first element experiment.
The materials needed for this experiment are relatively common. The hardest to find are "small pieces of ash, earth and stone dust", which I happened to have left in my backpack. The only thing that made me feel a little sad was that a piece of ordinary obsidian could be sold for more than 30 silver coins, which was a huge sum of money for me who was poor at the time. Although a great alchemist once said: "In the pursuit of knowledge and the road, every bit of truth is precious." But... more than 30 silver coins, this truth is too damn expensive, right?
I placed the obsidian on the tray with resentment and turned on the fusion device.
Two light blue flames suddenly appeared from the bases of the two flasks containing evening primrose roots and ghost star petals. As the flames burned, a ball of light purple gas emanated from the evening primrose roots, and at the same time, a dark red smoke also evaporated from the potion soaked with ghost star petals. As the gas overflowed, we could see that the original substance in the flask gradually darkened, and finally turned into a black-gray substance like charcoal ash.
Two balls of colored gas, one purple and one red, flowed along the channel at the top of the flask into the double helix pipe. The two spiral pipes seemed to contain some kind of magic unknown to us, causing the gas entering them to suddenly accelerate and flow faster and faster, as if the two tiny spiral pipes contained two violent hurricanes that kept gushing out. The two streams of gas gushed out of the pipe almost at the same time, and were squeezed into the catalyst chamber filled with slime worm snot by the huge wind pressure. Soon, the slime in the catalyst chamber changed: it boiled like boiling water, and gradually turned into a color between red and purple, and the two gases that originally flowed in mixed together and turned into a yellow-brown gas, which kept pouring into the element box containing small pieces of gray soil and stone dust.
As the yellow-brown gas continued to pour in, the spotlight on the top of the element box gradually lit up. When the gas in the pipeline completely poured into the element box, the spotlight suddenly burst out with a very bright light, and a sharp and straight yellow light like a dagger pierced directly into the crystal bottle that was connected inside and outside - it was strange to say, the bottle was made of crystal clear crystal, the bottle wall was very brittle and thin, and the light transmittance was very good, almost completely transparent, but the light did not scatter at all after entering, as if it was completely swallowed up by the strangely shaped bottle.
The yellow light gradually condensed into a ball of light in the bottle, attached to the inner wall of the bottle - oh, or the outer wall, anyway, they are all connected - and slowly flowed. The ball of light flowed faster and faster, until it finally exceeded the limit of our vision, making people feel that the entire surface of the bottle was covered with shining yellow light, as if it was coated with a layer of gold. I don't know if it's an illusion, but I feel that the color of the light is getting purer and brighter, and at the same time, some dim colors seem to begin to spread from the surface of the strange vessel. It seems that the bottle is a tool that removes impurities through high-speed rotation, but it is not used to purify tangible substances, but light.
As the ball of light rotated, the vessel became brighter and brighter until it was difficult to look directly at. Although it made no sound, I seemed to hear the sound of a hurricane. I subconsciously felt that the rotation of the ball of light had reached a terrifying critical point, and the energy contained in it was completely beyond our imagination. Just as I began to worry that it would not be able to withstand such energy and would explode devastatingly, a bright yellow ball of light exploded from the center of the bottle like lightning. In a trance, I seemed to see a long golden arrow flying out of the bottle and fiercely piercing the obsidian on the tray...
…
Although the light flashed so fast that it was almost impossible to react, the huge shock it caused made me feel as if a hundred years had passed. In fact, my vision recovered in an instant, but my thinking stagnated for a long time at the moment of the flash of light. After a long time, I remembered to check the results of this experiment:
I picked up the obsidian on the tray and examined it carefully.
No, it's not an obsidian anymore!
"Rock's Guardian Essence, used by players above level 30, increases defense by 15 points, increases blocking chance by 3%, and reduces evasion chance by 1%."
Magic crystal, I created a magic crystal!
