Chapter 30

It must be said that the hospitable druids treated Sigma with the highest standards. The independent room they provided for him was fully equipped, from a kitchen to a gym, and even had a dedicated alchemy laboratory. Apart from a few extremely precious materials, all other alchemical ingredients and medicinal herbs were available in abundance. Moreover, the person in charge had thoughtfully left a guidebook, which clearly stated at the beginning that Sigma could use the raw materials freely and replenish them from the college's internal affairs department without any limit.

This kind of extravagant and generous tone made Sigma both envious and resentful. After all, to prevent Sigma from delving deeper into the "wrong path" of alchemy and neglecting the study of necromancy, the old folks at Atlas College had specifically set up an exchange system for him. Want Nalaku grass? Sure, first cultivate Death Coil to the intermediate level, and you'll get a bundle. Want to read the *Advanced Magic Conduction Regulations*? Memorize the *Vonnis Manuscript*, and *Advanced Crystal Extraction* will be given to you as well.

So, Sigma didn't care about losing face and first packed two large suitcases with precious medicinal herbs. Then, with a serious face, he went to the internal affairs department to collect more herbs. The druids were undeniably the farming faction; they had plenty of medicinal materials, and they readily provided them.

At this moment, Sigma was in the alchemy laboratory.

The door of his dormitory was marked with a "Do Not Disturb, Experiment in Progress" sign, and the room had activated detection magic. Standing on the alchemy platform, he had neatly arranged bundles of peach wood branches, elemental crystals, and various medicinal herbs.

Compared to necromancy, Sigma preferred alchemy.

Because in his previous life, he lived in a world dominated by technological civilization. Although people did not have the supernatural ability to change nature, they slowly unraveled the various rules of the world with their wisdom and endless curiosity, and then used these rules to create products that could change the world. Although they could not strengthen themselves to adapt to a dangerous world, they could gradually transform the dangerous world to suit themselves—this was the power of science.

In Sigma's view, the vast and diverse field of alchemy was undoubtedly the science of the Noren continent. Although, due to various subjective and objective reasons, alchemy had not been fully popularized and was only used to produce magical items for mages, auxiliary combat drugs for the strong, and longevity and protective items for the powerful, Sigma believed that if the numerous vested interests could be overcome, the development of alchemy would surely see a qualitative leap. Of course, he himself was one of the beneficiaries and had no need to rack his brains over these meaningless tasks. However, this did not stop him from using some of his previous life's concepts and insights to corroborate alchemy and create some practical gadgets.

He picked up a straight and tender peach wood branch and held in his right hand an elemental particle vibration engraving knife made from the essence of the most inert earth element. He slowly and steadily carved the spell model of "Arcane Missile" into the soft peach wood branch. This was a technical task because he had to stretch and reorganize the "Arcane Missile" spell model into a narrow rectangle that could be easily engraved on the wood branch while ensuring its performance remained effective, and then carve it with perfect precision. The same applied to the creation of any wand or scroll: the trigger mechanism, the mana storage pool, the spell model, and the firing end must be aligned. The higher the spell level, the more complex the spell model, and the more difficult the creation process. Even for the most basic Arcane Missile in low-level arrow spells, creating the highest-quality wand required extreme caution and no room for error.

However, Sigma was indeed peculiar. In alchemy, he also stood out. While others were fully focused and on high alert during alchemical tasks, as if they were facing a formidable enemy and trying to crush all distractions, Sigma, when using alchemy, preferred to chatter like an old woman, letting his thoughts run wild and saying whatever came to mind. Strangely, the more he chattered, the higher the success rate and quality of his alchemy. Conversely, when he followed the meditation techniques taught by his alchemy mentor, trying to clear his mind and focus, his success rate was shockingly low because his mind was filled with countless distractions.

So, Sigma's hands moved steadily and smoothly, while his mouth chattered like a machine gun.

"So, I came here on a friendly visit, supposedly to enjoy the fresh air and exquisite cuisine of the Druid College, meet a few beautiful and wild druid girls, and happily spend a month, occasionally learning their spellcasting techniques and special posturing tricks, and then return to Atlas to continue my truancy—so why did I suddenly jump into the half-orc pit, helping these clone-like biological weapons fight for so-called freedom, and even risk offending the College of Nature?"

"And even more strangely, those timid guys haven't even decided whether to resist, but I'm already eagerly preparing for battle, making battle plans and escape plans for the half-orcs—hey, why should I do this? What's in it for me?"

"Of course, there are benefits! Kobolds can form scout units, minotaurs are the most ferocious heavy infantry, and leonines are agile and brave light cavalry... If these half-orcs were allowed to reproduce freely, they could form a complete and well-rounded war corps. Ignoring the factor of mages, which half-orc corps would be more formidable compared to a human corps? It seems they could easily crush them! These thick-browed druids have betrayed the spirits of nature and are secretly engaging in this business. As a member of the Necromancy College, I can interpret this as my effort to weaken the college's potential competitors!"

"By ruining the druids' plans and exposing the half-orcs, the druids can't monopolize this big prize. The half-orcs are such hot commodities that various factions will be vying for them. With a bit of maneuvering, the half-orcs won't be used as cheap labor or cannon fodder by any single faction. Perhaps, through family connections and my future wife's influence, and by collaborating with the Necromancy College, I can use this favor to bring some half-orcs to the Land of the Dead, adding strength to the necromancers..."

"Right, I'm doing this entirely for the benefit of Atlas. I'm sure the old folks will understand, support, and protect me. So, even if the druids give me the side-eye, it doesn't matter. Once I level up to a legendary necromancer, they won't be able to do anything to me. So, doing this is purely to do something within my capabilities for the beloved Atlas College, and it has nothing to do with my personal feelings. I have no ulterior motives..."

The vibration engraving knife suddenly cut deeply into the peach wood branch, and the unfinished wand became a failed product.

Sigma was stunned for a moment, then threw the engraving knife aside: "Damn, I can't even fool myself."

***

PS1: As the plot develops, there are discussions and disagreements in the book review section. I see this as a good thing. If a book is dead and readers finish reading an update without knowing what they read or what to say, that would be the most terrifying thing. The significance of book reviews is that the readers' and author's thoughts collide, and the sparks that fly are beautiful. The bright spots in everyone's reviews will be fully absorbed by me and transferred to a character in the book. This way, a character's image might become more vivid, and everyone will enjoy reading more. So, please continue to leave reviews.

PS2: As for the protagonist's current actions, I can only say that Sigma is not a master strategist who never makes mistakes, nor is he someone with deep experience and sharp insight who can see through the essence of things at a glance. Although he has lived for over forty years, including his previous life, this can't be added together. Just because he has lived for forty years in total, does it mean he has the life experience and insight of a forty-year-old adult? The current Sigma is still a young man with infinite possibilities. What he sees, what he does, and the consequences of his decisions... everything he experiences now and in the future will become valuable experience, making his heart stronger and helping him better discern right from wrong, understand good and evil, and grow up. I know it's difficult to write a protagonist whose strength and heart are constantly growing, but if I give up because it's hard, wouldn't I be stuck in place? So, I'll give it a try.