Chapter 112 : Chapter 112
Chapter 112
In the modern world, alchemy was a discipline that had lost its value.
Creating gold was next to impossible, and even if it were created using advanced technology, it would be a loss in terms of cost.
But it was different here.
Alchemy was a sufficiently advanced discipline, and it was also practical.
Because the materials they handled were different from those of the modern world.
“We operate our workshop with the belief that we can create anything.”
Alchemist Felton introduced the workshop with a confident expression.
The personnel inside were engrossed in their respective research, even with Reinhardt’s visit.
All sorts of reagents were boiling on all sides.
There were cauldrons that a witch might use, and unidentifiable materials were neatly displayed beside them.
“In that case.”
CLAP.
Felton clapped his hands and turned around to face Reinhardt.
“What is it that Sir Reinhardt desires from us?”
“There is an item that needs to be made. I have the materials, and I also know the appropriate method for its creation.”
“But you said it’s a recipe that is not yet known in the Empire, correct?”
“Yes.”
“My expectations are truly high. May I see it for myself?”
Felton pointed to an experiment table as if telling him to hurry and put it up.
And Reinhardt took out the item he wanted from his [Inventory] and placed it down.
A crude glass bottle.
Inside it was a black liquid.
“Were you carrying that in your pocket?”
“Yes.”
“You truly are a knight. I didn’t even notice you putting your hand in your pocket.”
Of course, it was natural that he could not see it.
It was not an item taken out from a pocket.
But that was not the important issue right now.
“It’s the blood of a Magical Beast.”
“A Magical Beast?”
“It is the blood drawn from a beast affected by Magi.”
“And what is Magi?”
“The power of demons.”
“……Pardon?”
Felton’s eyes widened in surprise.
He scrutinized Reinhardt’s expression, trying to find any hint of a joke.
But unfortunately for him, Reinhardt was serious.
“You must keep this a secret.”
“……You state the obvious. We value trust above all else. Must I hide it from the other alchemists as well?”
“You may tell those you work with. Just omit any mention of demons.”
“So I can talk about the existence of Magical Beasts.”
The name Magical Beast had not yet spread through the city.
The existence of demons was even more unheard of.
High-ranking officials, including the mayor, had received reports from Ethan Taton, but such news did not usually reach the common citizens.
“Let’s see.”
Felton pulled down the monocle that hung around his neck like a necklace and put it on.
He carefully examined the Magical Beast’s blood contained in the crude glass bottle.
“You said it’s blood, right? Is this its original color?”
“Yes.”
“It must be due to the influence of the Magi you mentioned earlier. Very well…….”
POP-
Felton uncorked the glass bottle. He was about to smell it, but Reinhardt stopped him.
“That is not a good idea.”
“Oh my, I got excited without realizing it. Is it toxic?”
“It will have a more negative influence than that. It contains a faint amount of demonic power.
Do you have protective gear available?”
“Of course. Although I don’t use it often. I’ll go get it.”
Felton disappeared with a trot and then reappeared.
He was wearing thick gloves and was clad in thick leather clothes.
He looked no different from someone wrapped in tight-fitting armor, down to the joints, including the wrists.
“How about this?”
“Even so, prolonged exposure will still have an effect.”
“If that’s the case…….”
POP.
Felton began to examine the glass bottle with the lid back on.
He lightly shook the bottle and tilted it, checking for any changes.
“Would it be all right to heat it?”
“Yes. In small amounts.”
What followed was a full-fledged experiment.
Reinhardt did not rush him and gave him time.
Felton, too, would only be able to genuinely participate in the work if he himself felt interested.
“Hoh, ho-oh.”
The Magical Beast’s blood boiled and froze repeatedly.
He soaked a cotton ball in the blood and also brought it into contact with other ores and crafting materials.
Felton’s eyes were sparkling with excitement.
“Just as you guaranteed, Sir, I have never seen a substance like this. The same must be true for other alchemists. The blood of a Magical Beast! With this, we will be able to create numerous additional products…….”
“There is more.”
“Oho.”
The blood of the Magical Beast was not the only material that could be processed through alchemy.
All of it was being steadily stored in his [Inventory].
But he had no intention of handing it over right away.
“If this job ends successfully, I will hand over the next materials.”
What was needed first was a process to prove their skills.
It was as if Reinhardt had said he would test their abilities, but Felton nodded as if he rather liked the idea.
“We shall do our best. What is it that you desire, Sir?”
“I need a neutralizing agent for Magi.”
“It sounds like creating a serum from a snake’s venom. Also, what about the method you said you knew?”
“The Magical Beast’s blood and saltwater must be mixed in a precise ratio and boiled at a precise temperature. However, I do not know the ratio and temperature.”
Reinhardt explained, recalling his memories of playing the game.
The reason he did not know the precise ratio was because the main work was the alchemist NPC’s job.
‘All I had to do was hand over the materials. And request for it to be boiled.’
Just by doing that, the neutralizing agent would be created.
The threat of Magi could be resolved.
“How effective does it need to be?”
“When sprinkled on land contaminated by Magi, it must be able to purify the Magi, and when applied to armor, it must be able to prevent corrosion by Magi.”
“Understood. I shall craft it perfectly. Could you please visit again in three days?”
Reinhardt nodded and left Felton’s workshop.
Three days was enough time.
As long as the recipe and materials were provided, his role was simply to find the correct ratio.
‘He’ll do well.’
Felton had passion.
He also had a strong desire to advance to the next stage.
“The neutralizing agent will be ready soon. Next is…….”
Reinhardt returned to the Knights’ headquarters and sought out Ethan Taton.
“Knight Reinhardt reporting.”
“Come in. Are you on your way back from the workshop?”
“Yes. Their skills seem decent. I’ve entrusted them with a task. I plan to assign the next job after observing their progress.”
“Felton is an honest and outstanding alchemist. It will probably turn out as you wish, Sir.”
“I can only hope so. On another note, could you dispatch a few knights for me? They are personnel who will be going to the north.”
“That won’t be difficult. The purpose, I presume, is the blacksmith in the north. The one who crafted your sword.”
Ethan quickly grasped the situation.
“Yes. I will also need several cargo wagons. And wagoners who are tight-lipped.”
“How about hiring a caravan?”
“That is not a good idea.”
“I’ll prepare it. About ten cargo wagons should be enough, right?”
“Yes.”
The amount of Magical Beast byproducts Reinhardt currently possessed was substantial.
It would unintentionally become a procession no different from a caravan.
And it would be a journey heading to the northernmost part of the Empire at that.
“They must be knights who are strong against the cold. They will also need attendants to help them, and a process of educating them not to underestimate the cold of Elmore is also necessary.”
“Leave that to me. That’s why I’m sitting in this position, after all.”
They even had to use dog sleds along the way.
Even if they managed to get to the entrance of the north by wagon, Elmore was a city that boasted a cold that was difficult for horses to endure.
Reinhardt added explanations drawn from his experience.
He conveyed the specific process of arriving in Elmore and the points to be careful about, without omission.
“If it’s a chance to help Sir Reinhardt, everyone will step up without a second thought. They won’t be careless either. Don’t worry about that part.”
“Yes. I’ll be counting on you.”
“Just wait a moment. I’ll get them ready to depart within the day.”
Ethan left the commander’s office and moved about busily, issuing various orders.
His secretary was also in a flurry.
Ethan’s personal secretary arranged for cargo wagons from all over Serigel and went to find wagoners personally known to Ethan Taton to make contracts.
And so, the preparations were completed just four hours after Reinhardt’s request.
Eleven cargo wagons were lined up at the main gate of the Taton Knights’ headquarters.
A tight-lipped-looking wagoner sat on each wagon.
Nearly twenty knights had also gathered.
Clad in armor with swords at their sides, they were sending gazes of admiration toward Reinhardt.
“I’ve prepared everything, Sir Reinhardt. Will this be enough?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“Where is the cargo that needs to be loaded? I don’t think I’ve seen it yet.”
“Please wait here for a moment.”
Reinhardt headed to a warehouse built inside the Knights’ headquarters.
He found the one with the most available space and began to pour out all sorts of items from his [Inventory].
CRASH! BANG! CRUNCH!
A loud noise echoed from within the warehouse.
A clamor of this magnitude would surely be heard outside.
‘It can’t be helped.’
There were too many of them to stack up one by one.
After pouring out all sorts of byproducts here and there, Reinhardt came out with a shameless face and opened the warehouse door.
“I have stacked them inside the warehouse.”
“Stacked them? There was nothing there until yesterday.”
“You must be mistaken. I stacked the related byproducts in the warehouse as soon as I returned to the Knights’ headquarters.”
“I was mistaken?”
Ethan rushed into the warehouse in a hurry and checked inside.
It was just as Reinhardt had said.
All sorts of byproducts from what were clearly powerful Magical Beasts were filling up the spacious warehouse almost to the brim.
“What in the world is all this…….”
For Ethan, it was a situation that could only be dumbfounding.
He was someone who paid close attention to resource management, so he had personally inspected the warehouse situation just yesterday.
But.
“You are mistaken.”
“……I see. I was mistaken. Sir Reinhardt unloaded the supplies in the warehouse as soon as he returned. I just failed to check it.”
“Yes.”
“Alright. Are all these the supplies headed for the north?”
“That is correct.”
Ethan decided not to think too deeply about it.
How many times had something incomprehensible happened?
It was something he had to endure to go along with Reinhardt.
Even if he occasionally encountered moments that defied common sense, he had to cover his ears, close his eyes, and pretend not to know.
Ethan called the members and began to carry the cargo.
Some of the materials were so heavy that several people had to join forces to lift them.
“Look at this. I told you, didn’t I? The wolf we met was really huge. This is a claw, a claw.
And that’s a tooth.”
“What kind of size is this…….”
A murmur arose among the members.
It was because the size of the materials was so extraordinary.
The teeth and claws alone were so different from those of a wolf they had imagined.
The testimony of some knights who had faced the Direwolf on site gained credibility.
The knights finally nodded in understanding, and also.
“Then Sir Reinhardt faced these things alone? And several of them at that?”
“It’s Sir Reinhardt we’re talking about.”
“That’s right.”
Reinhardt’s reputation, for having single-handedly defeated such enemies and even collected their byproducts, was also rising vertically.
“Commander.”
“Hm?”
“Please deliver this letter to a trustworthy member. It is for the blacksmith Ria.”
“I’ll have it arranged. Is it something that others shouldn’t see?”
“It doesn’t matter as long as they are tight-lipped.”
“I’m included in that, I presume?”
“Yes. You may check it.”
Ethan opened the letter with a grateful heart.
Inside were densely written instructions on how to process the materials.
For instance, information on how to process the roots and how to process the teeth to bring out their proper power.
‘……I should act as if I saw nothing.’
How on earth did Reinhardt know such things?
He was curious, but Ethan decided not to be.
Sometimes, excessive curiosity could lead to a sickness of the heart.