Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 641: Was a secret deal reached?
The location that Lorena chose for the alchemy workshop was in the forest on the south side of the island. No one knew what method she used, but after only three days, a three-story wooden and stone building had poked its head out from the lush foliage of yew trees and ivy trees. The long bluestone tiles were so smooth that even birds could not stand on them. Only vines stubbornly clung to them, embellishing the greenery of midsummer. The exterior walls made of square stones were painted with snow-white lime and decorated with exquisite glass windows and flame-shaped window frames. In front of the door, there was a small flower bed made of thin stone slabs and in the flower pots hanging under the windowsills, there were roses and wisteria in full bloom.

From the outside, it is hard to imagine that this is an alchemy workshop. The eccentric alchemists in the storybooks seem to prefer to stay in the dark and cold laboratories, using test tubes and crucibles to boil all kinds of strange materials, and then give them to innocent and poor test subjects to drink, to test their effects on humans or other races. In comparison, the house in front of me is obviously too sunny and warm. The abundant light even makes the vines on the roof tend to grow upwards, as if they want to compete with the tallest trees for living space.

The first floor of the small building is Rorona's alchemy laboratory, which is equipped with a large number of complete experimental tools including cauldrons, crucibles, fireplaces, workbenches, beakers, test tubes, stirring rods, filters, and alcohol lamps. Some of the tools are in line with people's stereotypes of alchemists, while others seem to be more likely to appear in the laboratory of the Royal Academy of Sciences. People can't help but wonder if they have walked into a strange scene where medieval magic and modern science are integrated.

The second floor is the material warehouse and processing room. The alchemical materials that Rorona took away before leaving Nereids are basically stored here. They are classified and stored in special cabinets according to their different properties, habits, and effects. In addition, the newly collected materials will also be processed here in a complex way so that they can be preserved for a long time in case of emergency.

The third floor was Rorona's bedroom. There was nothing much to say about this floor. After all, Linger had never been in there and it was impossible for him to go in. Although he had been in Rorona's bedroom when he was in Nereids, it was a special case after all and could not be generalized with the current situation.

There is a wooden boardwalk from the entrance of the alchemy workshop through the forest, connecting to the main road of the island, leading to other buildings such as the Fairy Sleep Inn or the windmill tower. It is worth mentioning that there is a forked path in the middle of this wooden boardwalk, turning to a quiet and peaceful pool in the forest. There is a short cliff beside the pool. Under the light purple purple mountain vine leaves is the gurgling water, forming a small waterfall along the terrain. The clear turbulent water hits the protruding gray-brown rocks on the cliff and then flows into the pool. The pool water diluted by the soil and rocks is clear and transparent, and just looking at it can make people feel a coolness that penetrates the heart and spleen.

Lingge often read books here alone, enjoying the peace and quiet away from human habitation. After a long time, several nests of squirrels and hares living nearby gradually became familiar with this strange human being. Even if he was right next to them, they ignored him and went about their own business, looking for food or playing. Occasionally, they would boldly approach the young man and ask for one or two apples from him as snacks.

As for why Rorona built the alchemy workshop so close to the pond, it certainly couldn't be because of Lingge, but there must be another reason.

"In alchemy, 'building the cornerstone' is a very important step, just like laying the foundation for a building. It determines the degree of material integration, the reaction speed of phenomena, the law of material change, etc. in the alchemy process. Choosing materials with similar properties to the items you want to refine as the cornerstone can reduce the difficulty of alchemy to a certain extent and improve the quality of the final product. Generally speaking, materials suitable as cornerstones include gold, silver, gemstones, jade, mercury, brass, etc., but the most common one is water."

As Rolena spoke, she instructed Lingge to pour a bucket of water from the pool at the edge of the cliff into the alchemical cauldron, and then casually threw an orange-yellow stone into the iron furnace below the alchemical cauldron. The charcoal in the furnace instantly burned, and the blazing flames licked the bottom of the cauldron, transmitting the temperature through the iron fence and heavy stones.

Then, Lorena took a few more jars from the workbench next to her, took out some of the materials inside, and threw them into the heating cauldron one by one. As a result, the originally clear water surface was instantly dyed into various colors such as gold, silver, and azure. In the end, it was mixed into a bright color like an oil painting, and soon there were gurgling bubbles. The boiling speed was obviously much faster than the normal boiling speed of water.

"1g of Moser Gold, 0.5g of Orichalcum Metal, 1.5g of Mithril, and 2 spoons of Gold Silk Jade powder, mix with hot water and stir evenly, wait for two to five seconds to allow the materials to react naturally, and finally increase the heat to evaporate the excess impurities. We will get a pot of universal cornerstone with perfect proportions!"

Rolena turned around and smiled at Lingge who came to observe alchemy: "In alchemy, water is considered to be the origin of all substances. It symbolizes the Mercury constellation in the night sky, which controls the power of gestation, tolerance and growth. Therefore, it also has the property of neutralizing any material. With water as the main material and a small amount of other cornerstone materials mixed in, a universal cornerstone suitable for any alchemy can be formulated. Its effect may not be so strong, but it is compatible with any kind of neutralizer, and there is no need to consider the properties and activity tendencies of the alchemical products. Moreover, because water as the main material can be found everywhere, it can also reduce costs and improve efficiency."

"The clearer and purer the water is, the stronger the effect of the universal cornerstone will be. If it is spiritual water or even holy water with special properties, it may even give the final alchemical product some special abilities. In the past few days, I have systematically investigated the topography and environment of Yunjingkong Island and found that there are many streams and underground rivers on the island, and even a small underground lake. However, in terms of water quality, the pool in this forest is the best, so I decided to set the address of the alchemy workshop here."

It sounds complicated, but to put it simply, she just wanted to get water for convenience. Ling Ge rubbed his brows with a headache, and realized something belatedly: "When did you survey the topography and environment of the Sky Island?"

"Oh, didn't I say it would happen in the next few days?" Rolena smiled and said, "By the way, I'm not acting on my own. I've already obtained the consent of the owner of the Sky Island. She even happily told me to come again next time."

The owner of the Sky Island? Isn't that Yieta?
Given Yieta's personality, it is indeed difficult to deal with this princess of the sea.

Just don't get sold out and then help others count money.

Lingge thought.

……

At the same time, on the top floor of the windmill tower, on the open-air balcony.

"Wow, it's true. I can see it clearly!"

A certain angel lady was holding up a seemingly ordinary telescope, excitedly observing the scenes all over the Sky Island: "Lorena really didn't lie to me, this telescope is simply the best prop in the world!"

With this thing, she can see the situation of her friends even without leaving the windmill tower room.

"Hmm, why is Alice eating in bed again? And she's licking her fingers, so unhygienic. Hey, what is Sister Olvera doing in the room? She looks like she's writing a book. Let me get closer and see what's written on it. Hahaha, Leticia was captured by Miss Nevile, and Sister Xiaoxia is looking for her too. Is she really skipping classes? Oh, yes, let me see what Lingge is doing now!"

"Hey, this is fun!"

　Give me some meow
　　
　
(End of this chapter)