Chapter 12

In the end, Rice and the others still managed to hunt enough game. Ji Ran had also prepared the meat of the armored lynx, making a sumptuous lunch.

The main dish was still the pot of stewed meat... There was no way around it; Rice and the others were particularly fond of this dish. In fact, Ji Ran also quite liked making this dish because it was simple and straightforward. In a situation where there was a lack of everything, this dish was indeed the best choice.

Unfortunately, the quality of all the dishes he made could not exceed the middle grade. In the game, the quality of cooking products was divided into five levels: low, middle, high, excellent, and supreme. Middle grade was not even in the running, and the price difference between it and the high grade was several times. However, there was no way around it; without enough seasonings, even the best skills could not produce dishes of higher than middle grade.

But for Rice and the others, this was enough. The taste was exquisite, and it could also increase attributes and improve various abilities. What more could they ask for from such a meal?

After the meal, the group continued hunting. However, this time their luck was not so good, and they did not encounter any level three magical beasts all afternoon. In the end, they could only hunt a level two spotted snow deer. The magic crystal of this creature was not very valuable, but at least they had something for dinner.

After dinner, Ji Ran began making his alchemical items again.

Over these few days, Ji Ran had accumulated a considerable amount of various materials and had made several alchemical items. These alchemical items were all for practice, but Rice and the others treated them as treasures, snatching them all up.

However, with many people and few items, in the end, Rice showed his style and did not take any alchemical items. The sharp-tongued elf Ailin also withdrew from the selection of alchemical items, claiming that none of them suited her. However, she left a message, saying that when the right materials were available, her alchemical item could not be missing.

So, the three alchemical items Ji Ran made were divided among Lidia, Beck, and Ban.

Beck received a necklace that increased speed, not just movement speed but also attack speed. When used actively, it would temporarily increase the sharpness of his weapon, making it very suitable for his agile gun skills. However, this item also had a drawback, which was that it would change his combat habits, and he might not adapt for a while after leaving it behind. But Beck was not concerned, saying, "Anyway, if this thing breaks in the future, Brother Ji Ran will make me a better one, right?"

Ban, on the other hand, received a small bell. Yes, a bell... There was no way around it; magical treasures came in all shapes and forms, and bell-shaped ones were a major category. Fortunately, there were also bell towers in the West, so it did not seem too out of place.

The effect of the bell was to increase defense, which was in line with Ban's defensive approach. When used actively, it would create a shield that could withstand a considerable amount of damage. The most important thing was that the shield could appear anywhere around his body, making it much more convenient than the shield he carried.

Lidia received a sachet... This was a bit harder to understand, but after Ji Ran explained that it was a kind of decoration from his hometown, everyone was quite intrigued.

The sachet not only emitted a fragrance but also slightly increased the power of ice spells, increased the chance of freezing opponents, and enhanced the slowing effect of ice spells. When used actively, it would make the next low-level ice spell instant and 100% freeze the opponent, making it a very practical item.

After the three received their alchemical items, they were all overjoyed and treasured them greatly. Although Rice and Ailin had voluntarily withdrawn from the competition, they were still very envious of these three items. Ban's was fine, as it only had one passive effect. But the other two increased more than one attribute!

It was important to note that the low-level alchemists who made these high-priced alchemical items often only had one effect, whether active or passive! These three alchemical items, however, had active effects and more than one passive effect! Even Ban's single defensive effect was far superior to the ordinary low-level alchemical items!

What was most satisfying was that these alchemical items required very little control! This meant that they would not consume too much mana or fighting spirit, greatly enhancing their practicality!

Although alchemical items were good, each required a certain amount of control. No matter how rich you were, if you equipped yourself with alchemical items but could not control them, they would be useless. Therefore, the amount of control required was a very important standard for evaluating the quality of an alchemical item.

Even if these items had low durability, they were still excellent items! At least for adventurers of their level...

But Ji Ran was not satisfied.

What were these things... They were all early items used to brush up on skills when learning alchemy! After making them, they would be considered useless if given away for free! They would not even fetch a good price at a store, and compared to the raw materials, they would be a loss!

Was he, with his over 100-level alchemy skills, now making these things?

Of course, he could not make higher-level items now, as the true fire in his body could not smelt the higher-level materials. But if he used lower-level materials, he could definitely make true magical treasures, not these substandard items!

Previously, he did not plan to make such magical treasures because he was not very familiar with Rice and the others. But after so many days of interaction, they had developed a deep bond and understanding. Perhaps he should talk to them about using the materials they planned to sell to try making a couple of true magical treasures?

Most importantly, when he was making these three items, he felt a mysterious excitement in his heart—not just when wearing them, but also during the process of making them, and it seemed to be getting stronger.

It was as if something from the items he made was flowing into his body.

He could not be sure if this was good or bad, but he felt that he needed to make more and better items to truly grasp this change. He also had a vague premonition that this change might be the key to his strength...

"Ji Ran's idea is feasible," Rice said after thinking for a moment, nodding affirmatively.

"These materials from the magical beasts were originally intended for sale. But if Ji Ran can turn them into magical items, the price would be incomparable to the materials... It could be several times or even ten times higher! However... Without an alchemy laboratory, can you really make true magical items, Ji Ran?" There was a hint of worry in Rice's last words.

It was understandable to be worried. After all, in this world, magical items—also known as functional, long-lasting alchemical items—were rare. Alchemists needed not only materials but also a variety of tools to make magical items. Without an alchemy laboratory, most alchemists would be at a loss, staring at a pile of materials.

Actually, Ji Ran was the same. For high-level magical treasures, he would need a dedicated alchemy room and various tools, at least a high-quality alchemy furnace. But now, he was making the lowest-level magical treasures, so he did not need so many things.

"No problem, in fact, I have made such things back home, but they are all stored there, not with me... In short, I am very confident!" Ji Ran naturally patted his chest. Come on, with his experience in making magical treasures, would he fail at making a low-level one? Even for a high-level one, as long as the material quality was good, he could guarantee 100% success!

Rice did not speak but looked at the others. It was not that he did not trust Ji Ran, but the materials were the harvest of all six of them in the Blue Pine Forest. He had heard that the success rate of low-level alchemists in making magical items was not high, and even a 50% success rate was considered a genius. If they really failed, would the previous efforts be in vain?

Seeing Rice's gaze, Beck shrugged indifferently, "I am not afraid. Even if we consider the magical items we already have, they are worth the materials, right? Of course, the magic crystal of the armored lynx is an exception... Even if we lose, how much more can we lose?"

Ban also nodded, "Ji Ran has not failed in making any magical items for us. I believe what he says is true. At the very least, we still have these three magical items."

Ailin was combing Hu Luo's feathers, with a look of indifference, "If it fails, just use his share of the harvest to offset the loss."

Lidia, on the other hand, was the most determined among them. She clenched her fist and raised it in front of her chest, "I believe in Brother Ji Ran!"

Since no one objected, Rice made up his mind.

"Alright, then go ahead and do it!" Saying this, he took out his magic bag and placed the harvest of these days in front of Ji Ran.

Rice's magic bag could hold a considerable amount of things, otherwise, it would not have been able to hold three or four hundred pounds of beef jerky. But in fact, apart from the beef jerky, the other materials from magical beasts were not many.

About ten magic crystals, ten different materials from the bodies of magical beasts. They did not always get a harvest every day, and there were times when they returned empty-handed. But in fact, these harvests were already quite good.

The magic crystals were of level two and three. Level two ones were worth a few gold coins, and level three ones were worth dozens or even hundreds. The prices of magical beast materials varied, but the lowest to the highest were not much different from the magic crystals. All in all, they added up to about two or three hundred gold coins—enough for Ji Ran and Lidia's tuition, but remember, this was the harvest of six people.

One should be grateful for the help of others but should not take it for granted. Bringing Lidia along for hunting and letting Ji Ran join halfway was already very considerate of Rice and the others. If they were to give all their harvest to the two of them for school, it would be ungrateful.

Now, Ji Ran wanted to turn these materials into magical treasures, and the money from selling them would be divided among the six of them. However, if he could really make a few true magical treasures, even if they were low-level, it would be enough to cover the tuition for the two of them...

Looking at these materials, Ji Ran was considering what to make.

Since the items were to be sold, he needed to consider their applicability. If he made something obscure, who would buy it? The more suitable it was for more people, the better it would sell.

With this in mind, Ji Ran began to carefully select the materials.

One magic crystal from the Wind Tooth Rat, half a pelt from the Red-Tailed Fire Wolf, eight scales from the Armored Lynx, one tendon from the Silver Light Python...

Soon, Ji Ran had selected a few materials. Placing them in front of him, he took a deep breath.

True fire, activate!