my armed maid

Chapter 16 15: Betting

After becoming an alchemist, Nolen's life got back on track.

The peaceful days passed day by day, and unknowingly, seven days had passed since I accepted the commission to improve the formula.

During this time, he has been sitting in the laboratory debugging new medicine formulas. Although it is hard work, he also enjoys it.

For him, doing creative research is much more enjoyable than the simple physical work of refining low-level potions.

During these seven days of experiments, he also determined one thing: this formula was probably the product of several optimizations by Harrison's team of alchemists.

With similar efficacy, there is not much room for reduction in the cost of this formula.

If you force it down further, you can do it, but the side effects will be unacceptable, and one dose will turn the user into a cripple.

Although this may be what Harrison and the others need - these gangsters don't care about their men's lives at all.

But for Nolen, who still has a trace of conscience, even though he says that he can do anything as long as he gives money, he still wants to avoid this worst-case scenario as much as possible.

If this road doesn't work, we have to find other ways to cross paths, right?
So he planned to take the high-end route - making the cost of the formula higher, but at the same time significantly increasing the efficacy and reducing side effects.

He believes that as long as the drug is powerful enough, this plan will still be attractive enough to the client.

After all, what they hate is just rubbish medicines that are high in cost, weak in efficacy, and have serious side effects.

But if you take the high-end route, you need to rely on the help of the Book of Omniscient Knowledge.

He had been tied down by Rusty to do hard work before, and he had been idle for many years, and he had never seriously touched high-level alchemy materials a few times.

Therefore, limited by one's own experience, it is difficult to figure out a high-end formula composed entirely of high-grade alchemical materials by oneself.

That afternoon, after making a decision, he closed his eyes and meditated in the laboratory, and summoned the Book of Omniscience from his mind.

At this time, the book of omniscience has been turned to the page of the recipe for the stimulant potion. Nolen immersed his thoughts in it and silently said "optimization" in his heart.

The next moment, magical energy gathered on the page.

This is a mysterious energy that he calls "knowledge points". By consuming the knowledge points, you can obtain the answers to the Book of Omniscience. Currently, he has stored a total of 66 knowledge points.

From the energy gathered on the page, he could sense that optimizing this formula would require a total of 32 knowledge points.

What is the concept of 32 knowledge points?

According to his past experience, recording a second-level spell can gain 4 knowledge points, while learning a second-level spell requires double the knowledge points, which is 8 knowledge points.

In other words, in order to optimize the formula of this stimulant potion, I have to record 8 second-level spells to get back the money, which is equivalent to learning 4 second-level spells.

For him now, this is a big expense, but thinking about it in reverse, it can also prove that this formula has been optimized to be an out-and-out advanced alchemy potion.

He wanted to get on Harrison's line and have his own connections and channels, so this commission had to be won.

As his thoughts flowed, 32 knowledge points turned into light and shrouded the pages of the book. As the light dissipated, two brand-new potion formulas appeared on it——

Liberation Potion.

Inhibitory drugs.

Two formulas were actually optimized?

Nolen looked at it intently. After seeing clearly the uses of these two potions, he couldn't help but admire the wisdom of the book of omniscience from the bottom of his heart.

Simply put, liberating potions are "poisons" and inhibitory potions are "antidotes."

The formula of the Liberation Potion eliminates all alchemical materials used to neutralize the effect and reduce side effects, and turns it into a pure poison that enhances human body functions. While the effect is more powerful, the side effects are also greater.

Warriors who take the Liberation Potion, even if they survive the battle, will die of exhaustion after a period of time.

The inhibitory potion is the highlight of this formula - as long as you drink it within a certain period of time, you can neutralize the side effects of the liberation potion.

As long as you don't overdraw, the impact on your body will be minimal in the future.

At the same time, it does not have the side effects of addiction and loss of sanity like stimulants, which means that this power can be controlled.

The only disadvantage may be that the refining cost is higher, but this is not a shortcoming of the formula, but a shortcoming of people.

Its efficacy is definitely worth the cost.

In the current mainstream thinking of pharmacy, alchemists will think about how to fuse more alchemical materials into a bottle of alchemical potion so that it can have the most perfect medicinal effect.

There are more materials that can be fused, different alchemical materials will interfere with each other, the efficacy of the medicine will become unstable, and the difficulty of refining will also increase exponentially.

For this problem, the Book of Omniscient Knowledge gives a different answer. It refines the "poison" and the "antidote" separately, which not only makes the refining more difficult, but also requires less total amount of alchemical materials.

In the end, a perfect balance of efficacy, side effects, and cost was achieved.

It can always give the most perfect answer. For alchemists, the Book of Omniscient Knowledge is the best teacher.

The refining methods of the two potions have been memorized in his mind. Nolen copied the list of materials and walked out of the laboratory to breathe fresh air.

In the yard, the sword-dancing figure appeared in his sight again.

These days, as long as Yuna completes the chores assigned to her by Nolen, she will perform rehabilitation training in the yard.

At first, her upper body and lower body seemed to have their own thoughts, and her posture when swinging the sword was not coordinated.

But now after a period of running-in, her movements have become more decent. If he hadn't known in advance that her legs were prosthetic limbs, he would have really thought that Yuna was a healthy knight.

Even Luo Zhen, who had performed a physical examination on her two days ago, once lamented that this little girl's talent was quite good for being able to develop such proficiency in puppeteering so quickly.

In fact, he was a little surprised in his heart. Although he was not an extraordinary person, he also knew that it was quite rare to become a fifth-level knight at the age of 16.

Combining the secret observation of her these days and Luo Zhen's evaluation of her, it seems that this young knight from the countryside is indeed a genuine cultivation genius.

Well, it makes sense for a genius alchemist to match a genius knight.

It seems that I made the right bet.

If Yuna's talent is really worthy of his investment, then he will spend all his resources to arm her and train her into his trump card. "Nolen." Yuna stopped training when she realized that he was looking at her.

"follow me."

Nolen waved to her, and the two of them got into the carriage and drove toward the lower city.

"Are you familiar with these legs?" Nolen chatted on the carriage.

"We're generally familiar with it."

Sitting together in the carriage at a close distance, Yuna seemed a little cautious, lowered her head and said, "However, I still don't know how much strength these legs can use. I have never used them at full strength, and Master Luo Zhen does not allow me to do so. "

"It seems that a real battle is needed to test your current strength."

Nolen touched his chin thoughtfully, "Be prepared, the actual battle is not far away. When I prepare the potion, you have to drink my medicine and fight with others. This actual battle will test you The strength can also prove the strength of the potion."

Yuna was startled for a moment and nodded slightly.

"You don't even want to ask what kind of medicine it is?"

"I will do anything you ask me to do, this is our equal exchange."

Yuna replied seriously, "Besides, you are an excellent alchemist, I believe in you."

"Heh..." Nolen raised the corners of his mouth, "Just trust me."

The carriage stopped at the entrance of the mercenary guild in the lower city. Nolen took Yuna out of the car, walked into the guild's gate, walked straight through the bustling hall, and walked to the third floor.

The employer of this commission was Harrison. He was not only the controller of the underworld and the talker of the red light district, but he was also the president of the Linfeng City Mercenary Guild.

The Mercenary Guild is an organization that manages mercenaries, and mercenaries are a group of desperadoes who lick blood at the tip of their swords and do things for money.

It can be as small as helping to find a lost house cat, as large as hiring a murderer or going to hunt a certain beast outside the city. As long as you post a request in the mercenary guild, there will be mercenaries to solve your troubles.

Official mercenaries registered with the mercenary union have the right to carry weapons and armor. They are the largest civilian armed organization in the Roland Empire.

As the president of the Mercenary Guild, Harrison can dispatch mercenaries to do things for him to a certain extent. He is indeed a very powerful figure in Linfeng City.

The third floor of the Mercenary Guild is the administrative area. People other than staff are generally not allowed to come and go at will. The guards reported Nolen's name inside and quickly let them go.

Going straight to the end of the corridor, Nolen knocked on the door of the president's office.

"Please come in."

Opening the door, this office is very large. An old man with half-white hair is sitting in front of the case, reviewing documents. To his left is a young female clerk wearing a monocle, and to his right is a young female clerk wearing a monocle. A middle-aged guard with a stubble and two swords at his waist.

"Master Nolen."

Harrison made an invitation gesture to him with a kind face, "I have wanted to meet you for a meal before, but I never found the opportunity. It is rare that I took the time to come here. I will treat you later."

"Mr. President, you are joking. The commission has not been completed yet. How dare I ask you to treat me?"

Nolen sat down and took the hot tea brewed for him by the female secretary. "I came here just for the commission. I have made new progress in my research on improving the formula."

"That's great." Harrison said gently, "I have already told Lao Lang and Shaman to fully cooperate with your experimental research. Is there anything else you need my help with?"

"I need some alchemical materials."

Nolen handed the list of materials to the female clerk on the side, "These materials are relatively expensive. I'm afraid they won't make up their mind and come to you directly."

"Let me take a look -" Harrison took the list of materials and raised his brows slightly, "Homophorus, magic grass, bass snake's bile...it turns out that the master's vision is indeed very high."

He looked at Nolen, with a glint in his eyes: "However, since you have listed such a detailed list of materials, does it mean that you are quite sure about the improved formula?"

"Natural." Nolen nodded, "Although the refining cost has increased, I guarantee that it will give you a surprise that is worth your money. Knights who drink it can achieve cross-level combat, and the side effects are also minimized—— I'm sure it's the perfect potion."

Nolen's tone was so determined that even Harrison couldn't help but look a little surprised when he looked at him. He couldn't help laughing, nodded and said:
"Since I have entrusted you with the task, I naturally believe in your ability. Just go ahead and do it. We will fully support your experiment without any influence."

He stamped a stamp on the list and handed it to the female secretary, and ordered: "Make three times the quantity of the above materials and send them to the master's workshop. Ask the old wolf to move near the master's workshop and obey the master's orders around the clock. Protect the master’s thoughtfulness.”

The female secretary left in response. Nolen's expression remained unchanged. He accepted Harrison's response graciously and said with a smile: "Thank you, President, for your trust. I will not let you down."

Harrison's proposal sounded enthusiastic, and he even sent someone to protect his thoughtfulness.

But he knew in his heart that the old wolf belonged to Harrison, and this was just a tool used by Harrison to monitor himself.

It's natural when you think about it. After all, the alchemy materials sent this time are all rare and high-end goods. Harrison is quite brave to let himself go and do it. How could he not keep some caution for himself?
And since I had no intention of deceiving Harrison's materials, I naturally didn't care about Lao Lang and the others' care - or surveillance.

Our bodies are upright and we are not afraid of slanted shadows.

Sooner or later, they will be impressed by his achievements and become their allies sincerely.

My talent is my greatest confidence.

Harrison looked at Nolen with burning eyes: "I know nothing about magic, alchemy or other knowledge, but I pride myself on having a pretty good eye for people and like to cooperate with talented people.

"I can see that the master is a talented person, so I am willing to bet on you. If this improved formula is a success, the master will be my guest, and I will do my best to meet all your needs. Reach long-term cooperation with you."

"I think we will cooperate happily." Nolen stood up, "I will come back to visit after the sample is refined. It won't be too long."

"waiting for your good news."

After sending Nolen and the two away, Harrison stopped his smile, leaned back in his chair and took a leisurely sip of tea, and then asked: "Leod, what do you think?"

The middle-aged guard with a beard and two swords beside him said slowly: "He is indeed very confident, and he doesn't look like he is acting... But for such a young alchemist, I don't know if he is really capable of completing this job. Delegate.”

"Whether you are capable or not, we will know in a few days."

Harrison closed his eyes to rest and murmured, "As much as I admire talented people, I hate liars. If he dares to be cunning, I don't mind giving him some lessons he will never forget."

"Genius...not everyone is qualified to be one."

　Thanks to Mu Feng and Gu Xin Jianli for the rewards!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)