Chapter 59

Good morning from the underground room. Today is April 7th. I'm Herman. After that, I made a bit more soy milk and also made some cheese. Although I don't have an oven, I put meat sauce on the bread for dinner, topped it with cheese, stabbed it with a throwing knife, and grilled it with slime fuel. It was incredibly delicious, so I did the same for breakfast. I want to make bread too, but I haven't figured out how to make it in the alchemy pot. It's frustrating.

Flour has started to be sold at the store. This is great news. I think I can make bread, but for now, I've used magic to make just the dough and left it on the cutting board, covered with a cloth. If I can't bake it in the alchemy pot, it will be meaningless, but I'll deal with it when the time comes. Sacrifice is part of alchemy. Well, with the current state of alchemy, I don't think there will be any sacrifices...

More importantly, I want to do something with this unknown material. It's the pulp left over from making soy milk. My past self thinks it has a name, and it might be food, but it could also be a beauty product. ...Is it a beauty product even though it's edible? It's a strange thing. I have three bottles of it, so let's experiment. Should I give it a temporary name? Let's call it soy flour, since it's a powder.

Well, what should I mix it with first? Should it be a beauty product or food? I'm not sure, but I feel like I need magic mushrooms. Water bubbles might work too. White silk grass... I think it could work, but it feels a bit wasteful, so I'll leave it out for now. For now, let's go with soy flour, magic mushrooms, and water bubbles. Let's put all the materials in and mix them with magic. ...After 10 minutes, this is no good. Black smoke is coming out. When this happens, it turns into dark matter. I'll keep mixing until the end. But, a pitch-black, gooey liquid has formed. I'll put it in a storage bottle and throw it away.

Do I need white silk grass? ...I don't have much of it since I've only been to the magic realm once. Well, I can always go get more, so let's use it boldly. Is there anything else I think would work? ...More eggs, I guess. Well, let's put them in. ...I feel like something is a bit off with the fast-growing grass. It feels more like a beginner potion. Okay, let's try this: 10 fast-growing grass, 1 bottle of soy flour, 1 magic mushroom, 1 water bubble, 1 white silk grass, 1 beginner potion, and 3 eggs. I think this will work. I don't think anything is missing. If this doesn't work, I'll try a different approach.

Let's put all the materials in and mix them. This feels different from before. It's very sticky. ...After 10 minutes, what is this? It's heavy. Mixing is difficult. I think it will work, but it's tough. ...After another 10 minutes, the feel has finally changed. It's become very smooth. ...I think it's done. I've made two bottles of it. It's a cream-like substance. My past self thinks it's something to put on the skin. ...On the skin? Especially on the face? I don't understand. ...If my past self is right, it will be a beauty product. Well, let's try putting it on my face. If anything happens, I can use a beginner potion. ...I have a beginner potion, so I think it's fine.

I'm rubbing it on my face. Is it shiny? ...I can't tell because there's no mirror. ...Let's leave it for now. There should be some reaction. Well, what else should I make? Let's try using slime fuel. I have a lot of it. ...I've borrowed a lot from the Selerolesse Viscount's territory. There's plenty in the capital and in the alchemy academy. It's a material that's abundant everywhere, so it's fine to waste it. ...Let's try alchemizing just the slime fuel. What will happen? ...It was over in a flash. I scooped it into a storage bottle, but what is this? It's turned into powder.

Let's check if it burns. ...It doesn't burn. Does it turn non-flammable things into flammable ones? Let's try dissolving it in water. ...The water disappeared. ...The powder disappeared too. Steam came out, but what is this? Does it evaporate water without raising the temperature? What is that? It's too scary. Is it safe to touch? ...This is a world of potions. Anything can happen. Let's experiment. I put about 30 pieces into a storage bottle and poured magic into it. It immediately turned into powder. I scooped it into a storage bottle, and it's about one bottle's worth. ...Let's touch it, Namo! ...Nothing happens. I thought it might force the water out of my body, but it doesn't. However, it's probably best not to get it in my eyes. It's scary.

...Well, what can we do with this? Mica mushrooms reacted, but it feels different. ...Should I try a wind attribute magic stone? ...It's something we'll learn in class, but let's try it. I put the mica mushroom on the alchemy array and converted it into a wind attribute magic stone. I poured magic into it as I would to make a magic stone. ...There are two forces pulling the magic. Is this the wind attribute? I pulled it out, spun it, and... This is probably a wind attribute magic stone. Mixing it in should work. What will happen? ...It's round. It's a slightly green, round object like a magic stone. Let's try putting it in water. ...I put it in a water-filled storage bottle, but nothing happened. ...It probably won't burn, but let's try. I wiped it with a cloth and struck a flint, but it didn't burn. Since it's a magic stone, let's try pouring magic into it. ...Oh, magic goes in, but not much.

At that moment, my vision suddenly went far away, and I was hit with a pain as if my back had been slammed. I lost consciousness.

I came to three hours later. ...I figured it out. It was an alchemy item that created a blast. The effect targeted me because I was holding it. I was blown away, and my vision went far away, meaning I was physically moved. I hit the wall and lost consciousness from the impact. ...I'll take a beginner potion just in case. If I had been hit in a bad spot, I might have died. However, since the epicenter was unaffected, it probably has a very small range to avoid harming the thrower. I'm glad it didn't make a mess. ...I think I'll make this at the Iron Welcome Sect in June. It's a weapon, after all. ...It's not lethal, and it's convenient.

However, the long period of unconsciousness probably means the bread dough has finished its first rise. ...If I mix the slime fuel powder into it, will it act like baking powder? Let's try mixing a small piece of it. I made a depression in the dough, put the powder in, and mixed it with magic. ...It mixed without any problems. I thought it would remove moisture, but maybe it only affects liquids. I put the dough and the slime fuel into the alchemy pot. I added the slime fuel because I felt it reacted. ...Oh, it's floating. ...It's swollen to about three times its size. The experiment was successful, but is it fluffy? Let's try it. ...It's very soft when I tear it. The cross-section has a lot of space. It seems to work like baking powder. The taste is... normal. It's a success because it's soft, but... Let's try baking bread in the alchemy pot without the slime fuel powder. I think it will work. ...It worked. It didn't rise, but it's about as hard as the bread in the cafeteria. I'll put it in a storage bottle. It's an added snack.

Let's resume the experiment. It's still a bit early for dinner. Let's try putting the slime fuel powder into a beginner potion. ...It disappeared. It didn't leave any components. I thought it would leave some powder after the water evaporated. What should I try next? Let's make red dye from 100 fast-growing grass and see how it reacts with the slime fuel powder. Let's quickly make 10 beginner potions.

Well, I've made it. The red dye is perfect. Let's try it. ...It disappeared. I thought it would leave red powder, but it seems to completely disappear when mixed with liquids. ...Let's try sugar water. I hope the sugar remains. ...It didn't remain. Salt water didn't work either. The slime fuel powder is really a mysterious substance.

I've been feeling like my face is tight. I thought it was just my imagination... but it wasn't. I had put the cream on my face. I washed my hands but not my face. ...I'm peeling the cream off my face. I felt uncomfortable when I regained consciousness, so if I put it on before bed, I can wash it off in the morning. ...I won't wake up from the discomfort, though. Still, it peeled off nicely in the shape of my face. ...Let's wash my face and go to dinner. I wonder what soup we're having tonight.

Whether you found it interesting or not, I'd appreciate your feedback. If you could include a rating, that would be great. If you could point out any issues in your review, I think I can reflect them in my writing. ...Probably.