LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 49: Azure Substitution
The cold winter breeze was blowing and a bone-piercing chill permeated the morning air.
On a green field behind his rich estate, Leylin was practicing his cross-blade techniques. Serving as his sparring partners, 6 of the best Roran Hawks -minus Fayern- were coming at him from all sides with the intent to kill.
They wore their full gear, whereas Leylin had nothing but a pair of black breeches and boots on. The mercenaries seemed to be on their last breath. On the other hand, Leylin did not have a single drop of sweat on his forehead.
Forward slash. Uppercut. Pierce. Block. Every move was a flawless, textbook-perfect execution.
The muscles on his body had become more defined and prominent. They were very robust, exuding a sense of vitality and strength. After igniting his inner life energy, he barely needed any effort to acquire the looks of a young bodybuilder.
After Leylin finished his training, Anna -who was observing from the sidelines- hurriedly ran forward and handed him a white towel. His two slave bodyguards also walked closer to him, their dulled expressions covered by their silver helmets.
Leylin dried his sweat and mentally called his stats onto his visual field.
//
Dr. Fang Ming (Leylin Farlier's body)
Level 2 acolyte || Knight
Strength - 3.10
Agility - 3.32
Vitality - 3.28
Spiritual Force - 4.70/4.70
Mana Energy - 4/4
Cross Blade Technique (master) || Potioneering (master) || Neela's Secret Skill || Various Rank 0 spells
//
'What about my inner life energy?'
[It has been raised to the current maximum. Further increase is not possible at the moment.] -Aralis' voice intoned.
'Being able to maximize these stats is already good enough. Since I won't gain anything from it unless I get another Knight technique, from now on my Knight training will be put on hold. After all, I don't actually need any practice to keep my blade skills sharp.'
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After the training had ended, Leylin made a beeline for his lab. He planned to bury his head in more experiments.
Presently, he was in full work clothes and completely alone, just the way he liked it.
Leylin placed a violet leaf into a beaker and added to it one spatula of a green-black, ink-like solution. He then lit a flame underneath the beaker.
The bright yellow fire continuously licked the bottom of the beaker, and purple bubbles began to froth. Leylin smirked.
[Test #145. Items of substitution: Hove Violet Leaves, Ninuo Root. Record complete.] -The A.I.'s voice notified as she recorded in detail the various medicinal properties and reactions obtained through the experiment.
In the short period he'd been in Extreme Night City, Leylin had already conducted more than a hundred experiments and made use of Aralis' simulation features over tens of thousands of times.
"This is it..." -As he murmured to himself, Leylin glanced at the volatile green and purple mixture.
Using mortal herbs to synthesize the medicinal properties of magic ingredients just seemed to be nothing more than a pipe dream. There were countless hurdles to overcome and the cons far outweighed the pros.
Although these experiments mostly required basic herbs that could be bought with gold coins, some magic ingredients were still needed to catalyze certain aspects of the experiment. In other words, the cost of the experiments was much greater than the potential benefits.
This was the case for any other Magi. But to someone with an A.I. assistant and enough resources, it was only a matter of perseverance. Leylin had only devoted a part of the materials he bought in Ellinel Market to this project. Without the simulations and models, Leylin's rate of ingredient consumption would've skyrocketed.
At that moment, the violet leaf in the beaker completely dissolved and the green-colored liquid became more translucent.
'Yes, at last!' -Leylin eyes widened. He picked up a glass rod and stirred in a counterclockwise direction, while at the same time extending a thread of Spiritual Energy carefully into the contents of the beaker through the glass rod.
The seconds became minutes, and Leylin's face grew more and more solemn.
A crisp ringing sounded from the beaker. At the heart of the faint green liquid, many black wormlike dots appeared and began continuously extending themselves in all directions.
Leylin's expression did not change and his hands were as quick as a phantom, as he took a red-colored pearl -which was lying on a petri dish nearby- and added it to the reaction.
As the pearl was tossed inside, the black dots in the beaker quickly retreated and the faint green liquid became fainter and fainter, becoming fully transparent.
[Azure Potion main ingredient substitution is a success! Congratulations, Doctor! I estimate it as capable of standing in for 45.8% of the main ingredient's medicinal properties.]
This prompt was extremely pleasing to Leylin's ears. A corner of his lips quirked up into a bright smile and he clenched the beaker tightly. He could already smell the profits pouring in.
Leylin had the original potion formula and Aralis to run the simulations for him. This had saved a lot of time and ingredients. Even with these advantages, it had taken him weeks to successfully modify the formula. With that said, if it were his senior Merlin, he might not even be able to afford the cost of the ingredients, and that was also true for the powerful family that supported him behind the scenes.
Squandering precious ingredients for a gamble with a chance of less than one in ten thousand was simply illogical to the typical Magus. Furthermore, during the process of experimentation, each failure would be an agonizing psychological burn that would singe the psyche of a Potioneering Master, day and night.
If one could actually change the formula, then that would be out of pure luck, even for Potioneering Grandmasters who had abundant experience and knowledge like Kroft. Essentially, Leylin was the only Magus capable of obtaining the substitution formula and not going bankrupt or mad in the process.
'Aralis, if I were to substitute the original ingredients, what percentage of the effects would be retained?' -Leylin inquired.
[Comparison in progress... Databank information is insufficient. Establishing conjecture... The new Azure Potion formula would retain roughly 35.4% of the original's effectiveness.]
'I had anticipated something along those lines. The substitute ingredients are mostly insignificant; even commoners can obtain them. Quantity can compensate whatever is lacking in quality.' -Leylin nodded in satisfaction.
'Based on my calculations, the price of my modified formula would range around the 100,000 magic crystals. A pity I can't sell it...' -Leylin thought bitterly.
[Why not?]
'It has become clear to me that even if I were an official Magus, once others become aware of my formula, it would not remain a secret for long. After all, the ingredients for this new Spiritual Energy potion could easily be purchased in mass amounts. It would be a game-changer for the lower trash of the various academies and factions. None of my buyers would willingly let go of such a business opportunity. Plus, I don't have the backing to enforce any large contracts. They would step right over me and I wouldn't even know who it was that betrayed me.'
Leylin had made up his mind regarding his achievement. The modified potions he would brew would only be for his own consumption.
He then erased all traces of his experiments before he took off the sterile gray robe designed especially for his work and changed into his more comfortable clothing.
As soon as he stepped through the steel door of the lab, a slightly anxious Anna got up from a nearby sofa and bowed to him.
"Master, housekeeper Welker has been looking for you for two hours. There appears to be some crisis at the medicine shop." -She informed in her usual tenuous voice.
"Tell him to meet me at my study. Apart from Welker's problem, are there any other notable incidents?" -Leylin raised an inquisitive brow.
"Captain Fayern came over earlier and said the quest you commissioned has met with developments."
"Excellent, go and fetch them. Do not delay."
"At once, Master." -The pretty maid bowed again and left with an elegant yet light step.
Although Leylin did not give a particularly high priority to the academy's mission, there was still annoying legwork to be done before its completion. Thus, he had issued a quest notice for the mercenaries and adventurers of Extreme Night City to scout the situation within the depths of the Dark Night Woods. The reward offered was 1,000 gold coins for any valuable information.
'It seems that quest notice is finally bearing fruit. Hopefully, there's some kind of hostile creature behind all this. I want a kill, and soon. The craving gets stronger with every day I spend playing the benevolent lord to these meatbags.' -Leylin ground his teeth imperceptibly, and then he drank from a cup of ice-cold water.
[What if there's not an enemy waiting for you at the end of this quest?]
'Then I'll just kidnap a couple of random peasants from my domains and have my fun with them. I do want a victim that can fight back though.' -Leylin sighed inwardly.
After his brief moment of reflection, Leylin prepared to receive Old Welker and Fayern in his study. He was watching the scenery outside his window, and a few minutes later, his servants knocked on the door and were let in.
Fayern wore his black hardened leather armor and was as grouchy-looking as ever. As for Old Welker, he seemed tired and his body was hunched over. It was evident both had a long day judging by the odor of sweat enveloping them.
"Captain. Welker." -Leylin greeted without glancing at the door. His eyes were set on the crystalline stream that ran across his property.
Then he turned around and flashed them a gentlemanly smile.
'How disgusting. I would burn them alive for entering my home smelling like that, should I have capable replacements for their positions lying around.' -Their pitiful complexions caused Leylin to mentally sneer.
Old Welker bowed towards Leylin: "Respected Master, your earnings from the medicine shop this month are -"
"No need for your usual tedious speech." -Leylin sat on his mahogany desk and waved his hand interrupting Old Welker. "Pass down instructions to buy all Hove Violet Leaves, Ninuo Roots, and Three Flowered Snake Fruits available in the province."
"All of them?! But... the cost!" -Old Welker raised his head and looked at Leylin in astonishment.
He then continued: "May I remind you, Master, that the medicine shop business is not doing very well. Together with the herbs that Master has purchased from time to time, our balance books are in a quite precarious state... If not for the villa forking out gold coins all the time with our products, the shop would have been bankrupt by now." -His voice was shaky with regret and his countenance pale. Defying Leylin in any way did not fare well for his servants.
"As far I recall, it was Anna I named as my financial administrator, not you. I already have half a mind to get rid of you. Do as you're told or I'll find me another housekeeper... Your job will be to oversee the transportation and storage of the ingredients to the warehouse. No mistakes." -Leylin remained indifferent as he said this. However, neither Fayern nor Welker missed the cold threat.
"A-As you command, Ma-Master! I got it." -A layer of cold sweat beaded Old Welker's forehead. He immediately kneeled in front of Leylin and then left.
He was not the same as Anna and the two guards who knew of Leylin's identity as a Mysterious Entity. They were the only ones in Leylin's retinue aware of his unfathomably abundant (mortal) riches. It was only natural that Welker was a little apprehensive about the way his boss handled financial matters.
Nonetheless, Leylin did not appreciate his concern. In his eyes, the only good servant was a quiet and obedient one.
Looking out the window once more, Leylin pondered before questioning Fayern.
'My current advancements are acceptable, but it is still not nearly enough. I need much more. My estate, my titles, even my formula... they mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. Inter-academy wars, obscure Magi factions, and ruthless power players. Such is my reality. I can't let the luxuries and tranquility of this mansion numb my ambitions or cloud my judgment.' -He quickly snapped himself out of his self-satisfied daze.