Chapter Thirty-Three: Preparations Before Departure

Unfortunately, Qi Xiao had originally planned to deliver the finished product directly to his mentor, but was informed by Merck that the teacher had to leave unexpectedly and wouldn’t return for about a week. Qi Xiao could only regretfully entrust Merck the steward to notify him when the teacher was back, then took some alchemical equipment with his wristband and headed to the Heavenly Craft Alchemy Shop.

The shop was bustling with customers, but thanks to sufficient staff and the spacious interior, it never felt chaotic or crowded. Entering the lounge, Qi Xiao listened to Yara’s report on recent earnings, collected two thousand magic crystals and ten thousand points, and prepared to purchase a batch of raw materials—some to stock in the shop, some to replenish his own warehouse from which he’d drawn supplies earlier.

Qi Xiao consulted Senior Brother Raymond about the upcoming Purple Gold Auction, which was scheduled for Wednesday, July 6th. He needed to craft enough basic potions and weapons, as well as a flying vehicle, within the next few days. Calculating the journey based on the map, it wasn’t far, but would still take about two days. To avoid any unforeseen delays, Qi Xiao planned to depart by July 3rd; today was already the 26th, making the timeline quite tight, so he wasted no more time.

After giving careful instructions, Qi Xiao temporarily parted from Yara, alerting her in advance that if stock of basic alchemical products ran low, she could simply close the shop and wait for his return to restock, with wages continuing as usual. As for the weekly auctions, Qi Xiao would always leave enough items for two weeks, and for high-quality alchemical products, his current plan was to offer them once a month.

Arriving at the largest alchemical materials store on the street, Qi Xiao mainly purchased a large batch of basic materials. He had previously discussed a partnership with the owner, so buying in bulk meant lower prices. The high-end materials were rarely seen here; his network was not yet developed and his strength was still modest, so he could only ask Senior Raymond or Elder Roko to help procure them.

In a wizarding world where most apprentices worry about a few magic crystals, Qi Xiao could auction a single alchemical product for tens of thousands. Naturally, this was partly due to his mentor preparing materials and tools for him, but Qi Xiao couldn’t help but marvel at how lucrative the profession of alchemist truly was.

What Qi Xiao didn’t realize was that, even among other alchemy apprentices who could earn profits, none had it as exaggerated as he did. Those who could craft high-quality alchemical equipment were rare, and the materials needed were extremely hard to gather, often requiring buyers to pay a premium for scarce resources.

Even after managing to assemble all the materials, there was no guarantee of success. Take, for example, the openwork engraved bracelet Qi Xiao crafted—the cost of just the blue iron refined gold and the silver crystal was nearly two thousand magic crystals, not including other auxiliary materials and equipment. One failed attempt could be devastating.

Thus, the price of alchemical tools increases exponentially with their quality.

For the next four days, Qi Xiao stayed in the shop to craft items. The alchemy room was located behind the lounge; even though Qi Xiao had already inscribed the Light Concealment and Silence runes in advance, the subtle sounds of alchemy could still be sensed from within. The non-magical staff were quite curious about this, and Qi Xiao didn’t restrict their activities—Yara and Dimont often came in to observe as well.

Raymond was somewhat astonished. He had witnessed other alchemists at work, but never someone like Qi Xiao, who handled the process with such effortless ease, efficiency, and quality, moving from one batch to the next without seeming to need rest or fear failure.

The ordinary employees, seeing such a scene for the first time, were also awestruck, but instead felt that this was just how a wizard should be, without experiencing the same spiritual impact as Raymond.

A young man named Marshall Vedinus, finding Qi Xiao’s gentle demeanor likable, mustered the courage during a lull between batches to ask, “Master Alchemist, I’ve heard there are potions that can allow ordinary people to become wizards. Is that true?”

Qi Xiao looked up; he had reviewed the profiles of all the shop’s employees. This Marshall was the son of a noble from a nearby town, but he hadn’t run away secretly—his father knew and fully supported his work at the All Spirits Vault.

Qi Xiao was always patient with his own people and replied kindly, “Yes, but such potions are usually rare and expensive. At least, I don’t have the ability to craft them at present. Everything depends on your own fate and luck.”

Marshall, rather than disappointed, seemed even more determined now that the rumors were confirmed.

Qi Xiao didn’t try to dampen his spirits; no matter how slim the chances, it wasn’t impossible. Even without looking far, Qi Xiao’s senior brother Rupert Stuart had risen from an ordinary person to become a true wizard. Though, according to Raymond’s introduction, it seemed Rupert’s ancestors had deep ties with their mentor’s family, it nonetheless proved that it wasn’t a mere dream for a mortal to ascend as a wizard.

Thus, Qi Xiao worked with single-minded focus for four days, crafting not only basic weapons and potions but also leaving thirteen ordinary-grade weapons, including several previously auctioned designs. For efficiency’s sake, Qi Xiao had no choice.

He withdrew another thousand magic crystals, nearly emptying the shop’s savings, but since earning money was meant to be spent and earned again, Qi Xiao felt no regret.

After purchasing several bolts of cloth made from Tianshan Cloud Sheep’s wool, Qi Xiao returned to Lake Heart Island, planning to spend the final four days crafting the flying vehicle he would need for his journey.

Qi Xiao’s view of flying vehicles was much like his view of cars: function was essential, but appearance and comfort mattered too—after all, one had to ride it out for others to see. He’d long held a bias against the uniform magic carpets in the Vault, so he intended to design a flying vehicle combining aesthetics and performance.

He already had a sketch in mind. Though Qi Xiao still planned to craft a flying vehicle in the form of a carpet, and wasn’t aiming for radical innovation all at once, the design would be notably different.

However, despite his great ideas, Qi Xiao encountered, for the first time, an explosion during the crafting process.

When the smoke cleared, Qi Xiao’s arm was shielding his face. Fortunately, he always wore protective clothing while crafting and was unharmed.

Though it was his first failure in alchemy, Qi Xiao wasn’t discouraged. He had intended to combine the tail feathers of the Sky Blue Cormorant with wool from the Blue Cloud Sheep, hoping the magic carpet would evoke the feeling of a bird flying through the sky. However, the magical properties in the cormorant’s tail feathers conflicted sharply with those in the sheep’s wool, causing a violent explosion as soon as the fusion began.

Qi Xiao sighed; both materials were inherently gentle, yet their combination led to such dramatic reactions. Clearly, he still had much to learn.