The world’s common perception of alchemy: a bubbling cauldron of magic liquid, adding various raw materials in different proportions, and stirring… followed by praying it doesn’t explode.
Weilin’s alchemy didn’t even require her own hands.
As for the location, the Eternal Divine Crystal came with an Eternal Space, theoretically possessing infinite internal volume.
However, it couldn’t accommodate life, nor could it accept anything the System judged as not belonging to Weilin. Thus, it couldn’t function as a ‘Robber’s Space’ where she could just touch someone else’s equipment and forcefully steal it.
But her Magic Substitute was not considered a life form.
Any task like alchemy, tailoring, or assembly—as long as the materials could be placed into the Eternal Space—Weilin could control her Magic Substitute with Mental Power to complete inside, then retrieve the finished product. It was how she had concocted the Sleeping Powder under Elizabeth’s nose without her noticing.
Following this method, Weilin summoned her Magic Substitute within the Eternal Space.
Because Revitalizing Potion was directly ‘extracted’ from Snow Essence, it was much faster than standard ‘alchemy’. In just a short while, Weilin handed two more bottles to Airi.
“That’s amazing… thank you!!”
Having tasted the benefits, Airi understood just how precious this potion was. The Ranger carefully accepted it as if it were a rare treasure, immediately drinking one small bottle to recover her strength and saving the other as a backup.
“That gun from before… it’s tech from the Empire, right?” Weilin asked curiously.
“Yes… it’s a flintlock. Do you know about them, Weilin?”
“A little. But its power was even greater than your blade. Are the Empire’s firearms all this terrifying?”
“Ordinary bullets don’t have nearly that much power, because I was using Explosive Fireballs… and I only use the flintlock in special circumstances. Usually, I much prefer slashing away.”
These ‘Explosive Fireball’ rounds were made by concentrating Fire Fracture Crystals into metal casings. The crystal’s energy would erupt from the narrow cartridge chamber upon impact, triggering a massive explosion.
The Empire’s suggested retail price: 300 Gold Coins per round.
Incidentally, the lowest-grade Steel Sand Bullets, most commonly used by the military, had a wholesale price of roughly 1 Gold Coin for 3 rounds, with discounts for bulk purchases. A 300-Gold-Coin round was a luxury consumable, something Airi treated as a minor trump card. No wonder it packed such a punch.
Weilin checked her dazzlingly long list of secondary professions and, sure enough, found [Munitions Expert]. She then telepathically scanned the mountain of crystals piled within her Eternal Space and fell into deep thought…
Fight magic with magic… or fight tech with tech?
When the Empire’s army invaded, Weilin felt the Snow Kingdom, facing a national crisis, could temporarily set aside its hatred for Imperial technology. Using the guns she created to give the Empire a taste of its own medicine might be a good option.
“How many Explosive Fireballs do you have left?”
“Two. Why?”
“Let me see one.”
“…Mm, alright.”
Taking a dark red bullet from the Ranger, Weilin tossed it directly into her Eternal Space, then sat cross-legged in the snow next to Airi.
“I’m going to do something. Call me once you’re well-rested.”
Weilin turned her head and gave a brief instruction, her expression turning serious as she closed her eyes.
It didn’t look like the meditation a Mage would practice, but her focused expression clearly meant she was doing something important.
“Weilin…”
Airi stared blankly at the girl’s serene, lovely face and whispered her name. In the end, she suppressed her curiosity, deciding not to disturb her. Her own expression hardened with resolve as she vigilantly scanned their surroundings.
They had advanced roughly a quarter of the way toward the island’s center, still within the ‘outer perimeter’. The Snow Demons in this area had long since been cleared out by Airi, so it was relatively safe.
Ten minutes…
Twenty minutes…
The Magic Substitute wasn’t omnipotent. Although it inherited all of Weilin’s abilities, it couldn’t inherit its master’s mind.
It was like a game script. You could set the parameters and let it tirelessly farm a dungeon for three days straight, but the person setting those parameters had to be the Player.
Configuring ammunition followed the same principle. Weilin had already obtained the template for the Explosive Fireball. If she wanted, given the ore reserves in her space, she could become a factory-princess, churning out ten thousand bullets a day.
But, if she wanted to improve on that design without a blueprint, she had no choice but to constantly experiment and fumble, just like an Alchemist.
No one knew how many explosions had occurred within the Eternal Space, how much ore was wasted, how many attempts were made, or how many had failed…
Only Airi, keeping vigil at Weilin’s side, could see the girl’s brow furrow from time to time, her lips pursed and bitten. Yet, her expression remained persistently resolute, a determination so fierce it was heartbreaking…
Better not disturb her.
Although Weilin had said to call her once Airi was rested, Airi thought it over and decided Weilin’s task was more important. At worst, she’d just rest a little less later and fight a bit more.
Suddenly—
…BOOM!!
A thunderous roar echoed from afar.
Airi gazed toward the northwest, where the massive explosion had occurred. Over a dozen miles away, colossal trees were shattering, the earth quaked and mountains shook, and icy mist billowed. The tremor in the ground was so strong, Airi could feel it intensely beneath her feet.
Airi’s face paled with shock. That location was closer to the island’s center.
Were there people deeper inside? Among the participants, there was actually such a powerhouse?!
But…
The gale-force winds kicked up by the distant explosion swept all the way to their position. A second later, the scorching heat wave from the blast washed over Airi’s face, causing the girl’s expression to change.
?
[Use materials: 6th-Tier Scarlet Dragon Crystal x15, 7th-Tier Sun Ore x4, 9th-Tier Apollo Stone x1, High-Grade Fire Element Stabilizer x100… to synthesize a new item?
2.5% chance to synthesize a 9th-Tier item, 17.5% chance to synthesize an 8th-Tier item, 80% chance of synthesis failure resulting in complete destruction of all materials]
The tenth attempt…
Weilin took a deep breath. Even she felt the sting of these losses. A fierce glint, however, settled in her eyes.
“…Confirm!”
[Congratulations! Synthesis successful. Acquired 9th-Tier ‘Small Sun Nuke’ x1]
[9th-Tier items can only be created/manufactured once per day]
[You have successfully mastered the core manufacturing technology for the ‘Small Sun Nuke’, Achievement Points +1000]
“Secondary Profession Skill — Condensed Ammo Manufacture!”
[Condensing the ‘Small Sun Nuke’ into a bullet will reduce its power by 5 to 20 times, with a 30% chance of failure and item destruction. Are you sure you wish to proceed?]
“Confirm.”
[Please select and add casing material and stabilizer.]
“Add Grand Meteor Profound Iron (7th-Tier), High-Grade Fire Element Stabilizer x20.”
[Congratulations! You have acquired (9th-Tier) ‘Apollo Bullet’ x1]
[This is your first time manufacturing an Apollo Bullet, Achievement Points +200]
[Total Achievement Points: 4900]
