Chapter 16

16. Eve (2)

In the basement of Joseph's sausage factory.

The room called the workshop was truly imbalanced.

It was like a slum with a luxury car parked in it.

Why? Because while the workshop itself was shabby, the tools inside—flasks, beakers, hoses, dryers, distillation apparatus, and other iron tools—were well-maintained and gleamed.

Of course, it was natural. Oliver and other junior apprentices cleaned and polished them twice a day, morning and evening, regardless of whether there was work or not.

"Good, it's starting to boil!"

One of the intermediate apprentices shouted in front of the large distillation apparatus.

Naturally, water was boiling below the apparatus, and above the water, a mesh was filled with herbs.

It was a kind of preparatory work to make the emotions seep in better.

The distillation apparatus became hotter, and a small amount of liquid began to drip through the long tube.

Even just looking at it made one feel hot, but Oliver kept his eyes fixed on the preparatory work and observed the production process.

A voice from one of the intermediate apprentices was heard.

"Don't let a single drop spill. Since Master specially allowed you to participate in the work, do it properly."

The preparatory work involved tearing open cigarettes bought from the market and placing the contents in a single container. It was tedious but not particularly difficult.

Oliver picked up a white cigarette, sliced the paper with a knife, and placed the finely cut tobacco leaves into a container.

Oliver performed this task without much difficulty, and he could even do it without looking.

Oliver observed the intermediate apprentices again.

When the distillate collected in the container reached a certain amount, they carried it to a large, round flask, larger than a human head, and began to pour the distillate through a hose.

At the same time, they added the extracted emotions through another lid, mixed the distillate and emotions, and began to heat and boil the mixture.

Suddenly, with a click, Oliver clutched his head.

When Oliver turned his head, the intermediate apprentice who had been supervising the work shouted with bloodshot eyes.

"Focus on your own work! Don't look around like a thief!!"

Actually, it was a bit unfair. Oliver had been looking around, but he hadn't neglected his own work.

However, the intermediate apprentice glared at Oliver as if it didn't matter and shouted again. Oliver bowed his head in apology and focused on his work.

This was the secret to surviving in the mines and the orphanage.

However, the problem arose elsewhere. Some junior apprentices, including Peter, looked at the intermediate apprentice with dissatisfaction.

As if to say, "What right do you have to act so superior when you haven't done anything more than Oliver, relying only on your rank?"

Though they didn't say it out loud, the intermediate apprentice felt an immense anger and his face twisted. How dare a junior apprentice...

"What the hell?! What's with that look?! Argh!"

Peter and the other junior apprentices shook their heads, indicating it was nothing, and continued to tear open cigarettes and place them in the container.

Feeling ignored, the intermediate apprentice grabbed Peter by the collar. In the past, they wouldn't have dared to meet his eyes...

The intermediate apprentice raised his fist to teach them a lesson. At that moment, someone grabbed his arm.

"What the... Who...? Oh, Master?"

The intermediate apprentice said with wide eyes, as if he had seen a lion. Joseph asked.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah, these guys dared to ignore the order and attacked..."

"Really...? How could a junior apprentice attack an intermediate apprentice?"

In response to Joseph's question, Peter and the other junior apprentices shook their heads.

"No, Master. We just glanced at Oliver when he was hit once."

"Is that so? Why did you hit Oliver?"

"Well, he... kept looking around, so I told him to focus on his work."

"Hmm..."

Joseph pursed his lips and fell into thought.

"Did Oliver slack off?"

"Ah, that's..."

"If not, leave him alone. They worked hard for the family this time. If he's not slacking, it's fine to let him observe over the shoulder."

Joseph said kindly, as if he were a good person.

Some junior apprentices were genuinely moved by such kindness, but it seemed they had forgotten that Joseph was the one who created this hierarchical culture.

"Let's see. He looks a bit tired, so take a break outside for a while."

The intermediate apprentice, flustered, said.

"No, no, I'm fine, Master."

"No, you look tired to me. Go on."

The intermediate apprentice tried to protest but, seeing Joseph's angry eyes, slunk out like a beaten dog.

An awkward silence filled the workshop.

"What? Get back to work."

Rustle. Rustle. The junior apprentices started working again at Joseph's words.

Oliver, judging that the situation had improved, turned his head again to sneak a peek at the pill production process. Of course, he didn't stop his hands.

"Curious?"

Joseph asked.

"Yes?"

"Why do you extract the distillate once and mix it with the emotions in that flask?"

"Ah, yes... I'm curious."

"To mix the emotions better with water. This distillate is extracted by boiling 'Solou' and a few other herbs. It acts as a solvent that helps the emotions seep in better than plain water. After extracting all the distillate, it is mixed with the emotions in the round flask."

Indeed, the distillate and emotions were mixing in the flask, and it seemed to be mixing quite well to Oliver.

"Once mixed, heat it again to extract it once more. The quantity decreases, but the quality improves."

Oliver followed the tip of Joseph's finger, watching the swirling tube of the flask and the drops of the second distillate falling from its end.

The water in the large distillation apparatus turned into a bucket and then a cup.

"Bring the cigarettes when you're done filling them."

Oliver carried the container filled with finely cut tobacco and followed Joseph.

Inside, senior apprentices were using black magic on the distillate that had completed the second purification.

"This is the final step. Using obsession as a basis, they use black magic to completely mix the emotions and the distillate. This is when the actual quality is determined. According to the alchemist's standards, our product is at level 1 or 2."

Though it was hard to understand the words, it was easy to see with the eyes.

The emotions that had been separate in the distillate began to spread thinly and mixed completely with the distillate, forming a single, pale lump of emotion.

Like processed meat?

Of course, the density weakened, but the medicine increased exponentially. Joseph spread the container of cigarettes Oliver brought on a tray-like surface and poured the completed distillate.

"After soaking the cigarettes thoroughly, let them mature for a few hours and then put them in the dryer. That's how the pills are made."

Joseph pointed to a dryer that looked like a convection mixer.

Just then, the completed pills came out, and one of the intermediate apprentices carefully moved them to a workbench.

In front of the workbench were other intermediate apprentices.

They used a scale to measure the weight of the finely cut tobacco precisely, carefully placed it in the mold, and pulled the lever to fill the empty cigarettes with filters.

The cigarettes they made were piled up like a mountain on one side, and the remaining members filled the empty cigarette packs with twenty pills each.

Joseph picked up a cigarette and said.

"This is a pill. It looks no different from a regular cigarette. No one would know unless they did a precise analysis. Usually, one cigarette sells for 100,000 rands. A pack of 20 sells for 2 million rands. We usually sell between 50 and 100 packs a week. How about that?"

Oliver took the pill Joseph handed him and held it in his hand.

Through the paper wrapping the cigarette, a motherly affection, like dew, was visible. Instinctively, Oliver realized that inhaling it would allow him to indirectly feel that emotion.

Oliver instinctively wanted it. There was no reason, just a primal desire.

As Oliver's eyes gleamed with greed, Joseph took the pill away.

"Ah..."

How disappointed Oliver was, he couldn't help but let out a sound.

"There are three types of pills. Sedatives made from maternal love or love, indirect pleasure made from sexual pleasure or the high from drugs, and stimulants based on anger or hatred... How about it, interesting?"

Oliver immediately flattered and answered.

"Yes, it's interesting."

"Good. If I ask you to participate in the preparatory work right now, can you do it?"

Joseph's sudden question made the intermediate and senior apprentices working nearby look at him. Oliver answered as usual.

"Yes."

At that moment, Oliver saw it. The suspicion and hatred in their eyes.

Those emotions resonated, creating a heavy silence, which was broken by the sound of knocking on the door.

Joseph smiled and asked.

"What is it?"

"Yes, Master. Someone from the alchemist's side has come. They finally found out who attacked us."

***

"How can the discipline be like this?"

"That's what I'm saying. Did you see? Master was explaining the work to that guy himself. Damn."

"Just because he got lucky and did some good work..."

"He even asked if he could try it himself. It took me seven years just to step into the workshop."

"Yeah, this is unfair."

In a corner of the basement where few people entered, some senior and