Chapter 32

Winnie covered her mouth with her small hand and yawned softly, half-leaning on the reception desk, her drowsy, round eyes drooping as she looked out the door.

The sky was overcast, and the rain fell like silk, making a hurried pattering sound. Occasionally, a闷雷 (muffled thunder) rumbled, and lightning flashed, startling the surroundings.

Such terrible weather, perhaps no one would come.

Winnie thought listlessly, her yawn becoming more pronounced. She tugged at the large cloak draped over her shoulders, her small, delicate body shivering as if she were huddled inside it.

Suddenly, a cold gust of wind blew in, and Winnie shivered, lifting her head.

The main door opened and then closed.

Someone has come.

Xalan put away his rain gear, shaking off the rainwater. The hem of his clothes and his short boots were already soaked through, and his feet trembled uncomfortably as he looked around the cold, empty hall.

Soon, he walked toward the reception desk, where a little girl was staring at him with a sleepy expression.

"Hello."

"Hello."

Winnie stood up somewhat flustered, nodding in greeting. She had just come to her senses and couldn't help but look embarrassed.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Winnie asked politely, regaining her composure and becoming more serious.

"I need a potion master," Xalan said.

"May I ask... what do you need a potion master for?" Winnie asked, surprised when she heard the words "potion master."

"To treat injuries."

"Oh... I see. May I ask what kind of injuries?" Winnie asked, showing interest and curiosity.

Xalan frowned slightly at the little girl in front of him. Some things were not for her to ask, and he had no reason to answer.

Seeing his silence and the tense, handsome face, Winnie realized she had upset him. She quickly explained, "I'm sorry, but I am also a potion master, so—"

"A potion master?"

A potion master sitting at the reception desk? And a little girl? Xalan frowned, looking at her with doubt.

"Yes... I recently advanced to a junior potion master."

As she spoke, pride crept into Winnie's voice. She turned around, showing the back of the large cloak that didn't fit her at all to him. "See? I'm not lying."

The back of the white cloak was adorned with a circle of light green patterns, intertwining flowers, herbs, and a cup of fire.

"Indeed." This time, Xalan was somewhat surprised. He wouldn't think she was lying, as this was the Alchemy Association, and no one would have the audacity to impersonate, especially a little girl.

"Hehe, perhaps I can help you," Winnie said, turning back around with a proud expression.

"I'm sorry! I need at least a mid-level potion master."

Xalan shook his head, refusing. He didn't deny the little girl's identity, but that didn't mean he was willing to accept her offer, as his injuries were not ordinary.

"Why?" Winnie's cute little face showed dissatisfaction. "Are you doubting my potion-making skills? I knew it, everyone underestimates my youth."

"I don't think that's the reason," Xalan shook his head and explained, "I don't doubt your talent as a potion master, but you can't treat my injuries."

"How do you know I can't treat them if you don't tell me?" Winnie asked.

"Can you treat internal corrosion?" Xalan asked in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Winnie covered her small mouth and sized up the handsome young man in front of her. Internal corrosion, what could have caused such a result? She was very curious.

"So, I want you to do your job as a receptionist and take me to a potion master who can treat me."

Hearing Xalan's next words, Winnie's small face furrowed, and after some thought, she asked tentatively, "If I have a potion formula for treating this, would you let me treat you?"

"You?" Xalan looked down at the small figure in front of him, his tone clearly skeptical. "Why?"

Winnie felt a glimmer of hope and said with enthusiasm, "Because I have a method for treating this. You said I have good talent, right? So you can trust my treatment, and my fees are cheaper than others. See—"

"If you can cure my internal injuries within a month, I will agree."

His injuries must be cured within a month. The day he had agreed to the deal was not far off, and he couldn't let his injuries become a burden.

Since he had received the payment, he had to fulfill the promise of the deal.

"A month...?" Winnie's face showed hesitation. "It has to be within a month?"

"Yes," Xalan nodded.

"What if... what if you don't get better?" Winnie asked, tilting her head.

"I will die," Xalan's eyes turned cold and sharp, staring at her. "And so will you."

"Ah..."

The murderous look in his eyes made Winnie shrink back and let out a small cry. She didn't know why he suddenly scared her like that, but she felt he wasn't lying.

She became even more hesitant.

Xalan watched the little girl. He wasn't lying; if his injuries weren't healed by then and he went to assassinate a peak upper-class swordsman, he would likely die, and he would kill the person responsible before he died.

But that was just a thought. His goal was to make her back down, as he still didn't believe the little girl could cure his injuries, and her constant self-promotion had tired him out. He wanted to get rid of her.

"I can cure it!"

The little girl, after a moment of inner struggle, suddenly found the courage to look up and meet his dangerous gaze, though her body trembled with fear.

"Are you sure?" Xalan asked.

"Y-Yes!" Winnie clenched her small fists, as if to encourage herself.

"I hope you won't regret it," Xalan nodded.

"Absolutely... I won't regret it!" Winnie puffed out her cheeks and nodded. "Follow me to my lab, and I'll examine your body."

"Alright, but—" Xalan looked at the little girl leaving the reception desk. "Don't you need to take care of things here?"

"No need! Since I have a guest, I don't need to earn that little bit of experimental material money here," Winnie said without looking back.

I see.

Xalan nodded and followed her.

The corridor was quiet and empty.

"Why don't you go to the Cathedral of Light for treatment? I think they should have the ability to heal your injuries faster and better," Winnie asked, poking her head out of the large cloak and looking at Xalan as they walked.

"I don't like it there," Xalan replied simply.

"Right! I don't like it there either!" Hearing his aversion to the cathedral, Winnie seemed to have found a kindred spirit and said indignantly, "It's all their fault that we low-level potion masters can't sell our potions. The association's subsidies are not enough for us to experiment, and the difficulty of advancing is painful."

"So you work part-time as a receptionist for the association?" Xalan looked ahead but responded.

"Yes," Winnie said dejectedly. "But that little income is still not enough for my experiments."

"What about your mentor?" Xalan asked. "I think your talent must have earned you a high-level potion master as a mentor. Why didn't your mentor help you?"

"Well—" Winnie wrapped the cloak tighter around her and said in a low voice, "My teacher died a few years ago, and I inherited his academic and property. So I can't change mentors like his other apprentices and can only persist on my own."

Xalan nodded. In the alchemy world, a high-level practitioner had their own unique academic knowledge. If a mentor recognized a student as an heir, that student would inherit everything and could not change mentors, or it would be considered betrayal, which would be despised and ostracized by the entire alchemy world.

No wonder a junior potion master had the courage to agree to his request. Her mentor must have left her the method to cure his injuries.

"By the way, isn't the laboratory usually a forbidden place for practitioners?" Xalan asked as they reached the end of the corridor and turned right toward a set of underground stairs.

"Because you are my first guest, so I'm giving you special treatment," Winnie said with a smile.

The first...

Xalan shook his head. "Are you really sure?"

"Well—" Winnie's steps slowed, and she looked at his tense face carefully. "If you are willing to sponsor me with some experimental funds, I think... I should have a chance."

"Money won't be a problem, but the condition is that you must cure me within a month," Xalan sighed.

"No problem! With money, I can buy any materials and conduct any experiments I want," Winnie's face turned rosy and excited at the mention of money. "I'm sure I can do it with my abilities."

"I hope so," Xalan nodded.

Regret? A little, but he wouldn't consider it.

After the stairs, a cross-shaped passage was illuminated by magic lamps. Winnie chose the left path and walked forward, her footsteps seemingly absorbed by the surroundings, leaving no echo. The walls here must have been mixed with some material.

Alchemy is a vast discipline.

Since the birth of the FerNu law, countless professions have emerged, and alchemy was one of the great dreams in people's initial thoughts. However, a successful alchemist found that the cost of refining a piece of gold was often greater than the gold itself, so alchemy shifted from its simplest purpose to different developmental paths.

Alchemy has since become a general term, though the developmental paths vary, their methods are consistent.

Engraving alchemical arrays, communicating with the laws, and equivalent exchange.

This is what an alchemist does.

A potion master is just an ordinary branch.

The most important prerequisite for becoming an alchemist is the ability to communicate with the laws, a talent one is born with, not everyone can become an alchemist; just like magic, not everyone can sense and condense it.

Therefore, an alchemy apprentice may not necessarily become an excellent alchemist.

But a magic apprentice has the potential to become an excellent alchemist.

The magic lamp is a product created by a magic apprentice who had no hope of advancing and turned to alchemy.

Its appearance almost illuminated the entire Eldran.

And in the alchemy world, there is a saying.

"Alchemy changes the world."

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