Losing the chance to become an Alchemist?
The words made Zhu Li's gaze go blank for a moment before a blazing fire ignited within her eyes.
She wanted to become an Alchemist more than anything; otherwise, she wouldn't have spent almost all her monthly salary at Li's Pill Workshop buying Pill Furnaces.
She used to feel that becoming an Alchemist was just an extravagant hope, as the flame within her was so difficult to control it drove her to despair.
But now...
The fragmented verse Zhao Ci had given her had already shown her what a miracle felt like. It was even the first time she had heard the name Yu Xin Flame.
If there were just a few more fragments like this, wouldn't that mean...
She grew excited. "You just said you could help me become an Alchemist?"
Zhao Ci's reply was firm and decisive. "Of course!"
Zhu Li grew even more excited, clutching the paper in her hand and shaking it. "Do you have more of these fragments?"
Zhao Ci shook his head. "Nope, all gone!"
Zhu Li: "..."
The fire in her eyes seemed to extinguish, her expression once again turning to dejection. With only the existing fragment, the most she could do was lend her flame to other Alchemists. The Yu Xin Flame was a bit more obedient, but she was still a long way from being able to perform Alchemy on her own.
But Zhao Ci countered, "By the way, didn't you already become an Alchemist just now?"
Zhu Li was confused. "How am I an Alchemist?"
"Let me ask you something!"
"Go ahead!"
"I heard from Li Fugui that you know all the Alchemists in these Pill Workshops, right?"
"Right!"
"In your opinion, with them alone, what tier of an alchemy organization are we?"
"Not even..."
Zhu Li decided she should spare Zhao Ci's feelings and changed her answer. "Third-rate, I guess!"
Zhao Ci asked with a smile, "And what if we add you?"
"Well..."
Zhu Li hesitated. Based on her performance just now, they might even be able to squeeze into the first-rate tier.
'No! Looking at the production volume and quality, we'd already be first-rate. Even if we're at the bottom of the first-rate tier, we'd still be genuinely first-rate.'
Zhao Ci spread his hands. "Tell me, to go from third-rate to first-rate, all it took was adding you. How many Alchemists do you think you're worth?"
"Huh..."
This bit of arithmetic completely baffled Zhu Li. "There's no way to calculate that, is there?"
Zhao Ci retorted, "Who says you can't? Forget everything else, let's just use the math from before. If you wholeheartedly help me for three years, you can bring in profits equivalent to a normal-sized Pill Workshop's revenue for a hundred years. If a Pill Workshop has thirty Alchemists, and we do the math, that means you're worth more than a hundred ordinary Alchemists."
Zhu Li couldn't take it anymore. "You can't calculate it like that..."
"SLAP!"
Zhao Ci slammed both hands on the table, leaning forward slightly, his eyes filled with a fanatical gleam as he stared at Zhu Li. "And why not? If you don't admit that you alone are worth over a hundred ordinary Alchemists, I'll respect you for your modesty.
But if you claim you're not even worth one ordinary Alchemist, isn't that just being disingenuous? If word got out, how could other ordinary Alchemists face the world?"
"Huh?"
Zhu Li was stunned for a moment. It actually seemed to make sense.
'So, I'm an Alchemist now?'
But something still felt off.
Zhao Ci continued, "You know Tributor Zhang. He may talk about being a subordinate, but deep down, he's quite arrogant. He thinks his only weakness is his flame; otherwise, he's no worse than the top Alchemists of your Zhu Family. He can even refine High-Level Elixirs, just not at the highest quality.
You've interacted with him, so you should know that while he might be polite to you because of your Zhu Family status, he would never flatter you.
But you saw what happened just now. When he thanked Tributor Zhu, did he seem insincere in the slightest?"
The number one Alchemy Master of our Xiang's Pill Workshop acknowledges you!
What's the use in deceiving yourself any longer?"
Zhu Li: "!!!"
'Insincere? Far from it!'
'His eyes were practically filled with reverence!'
'That's right!'
'While he's not a top-tier Alchemist, he's definitely not weak.'
'This is genuine recognition from another Alchemist!'
'Why can't I just accept my status as an Alchemist?'
But it still felt wrong to her. "But, I can't even refine elixirs by myself. How can I be considered..."
"Who decided that an Alchemist has to refine elixirs alone?"
Zhao Ci sounded righteously indignant. "Let me ask you, take two identical groups of people. One group cooperates for mutual benefit, like us. The other group only knows how to work alone. Which Pill Workshop do you think will be stronger?"
Zhu Li answered instinctively, "The first group, of course!"
"So the first group is the stronger one, and the second group is the weaker one, right?"
"Right!"
"Then why should we let the weak define what it means to be an Alchemist?"
"That makes sense!"
Zhu Li's eyes lit up, as if she had been enlightened. The ecstatic joy that had been building up inside her but couldn't be released finally burst forth like a river breaking through a dam.
She completely lost control of her expression, pointing at herself in disbelief. "So, you're saying I count as an Alchemist now?"
Zhao Ci nodded with absolute certainty. "And a damn strong one at that!"
[System Prompt]: Wish fulfilled. Reward obtained: Comprehension +1000, Talent Snatched: Yuxin Flame Seed.
[Yu Xin Flame]: One of the ten great mystical flames of the world. The conditions for its birth are extremely harsh...
'Finally, I've exploited this bug!'
After reading the description of the Yu Xin Flame, Zhao Ci instantly understood why it was so rare.
In the great clans, after an important heir is born, clan elders will help nourish their body to enhance the potential of their innate Divine Treasure. This is why the children of great clans often have higher talent than commoners, and it is a crucial method for these clans to maintain their status.
Take Zhu Li, for example. Given her status, she would certainly have undergone this nourishing process.
The key to forming the Yu Xin Flame lies in this nourishing stage. The person controlling the fire must be a top-tier fire-based expert who is also extremely depressed and melancholic. Only then is it possible to create a Yuxin Flame Seed.
This is because among the five elements, fire originates from the heart and can itself be a manifestation of extreme emotions.
Therefore, the characteristics of the Yu Xin Flame are as follows: when contained within the body, it burns the heart; when released externally, it becomes explosive. This corresponds to the suppression and release of extreme emotions.
At the same time, this is also its drawback. The owner of a Yu Xin Flame has a much higher chance of being influenced by their Heart Demon, and they become far more terrifying when they lose control of their emotions.
Phew...
Zhao Ci rubbed his chest. He could already feel a wisp of heart-searing flame inside him. He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on; he truly didn't know if this was a blessing or a curse.
"Hiss..."
Zhu Li's face fell again. "But the rules of my Zhu Family..."
Afraid she would go back on her word, Zhao Ci quickly said, "Isn't your father the Patriarch? Just write him a letter and have him approve it."
A bitter look crossed Zhu Li's face. "But my father can't interfere in the affairs of Lingge!"
Zhao Ci: "..."
He was genuinely taken aback.
'I never thought the Zhu Family's internal strife was this intense. The Zhu Family Patriarch has been sidelined to this extent?'
'He can't even control the family's business in Lingge?'
'Damn... it's probably only a matter of time before he's completely usurped, isn't it?'
He pondered for a moment, then said with a smile, "It's fine! Go ahead and write the letter anyway. Also, when you get back, you can tell the Zhu Family's Steward in Lingge that you want to become my Mansion Official. You must keep what happened here today a secret, but you can tell them you received the Fire Manipulation Pills."
"Will that work?"
"How will you know if you don't try?"
Truthfully, Zhao Ci hadn't expected the resistance to be this great.
Although he had completely bamboozled Zhu Li, he was powerless to influence the Zhu Family's decision.
But... it probably wouldn't be a major problem.
Zhu Li clutched the medicine vial and the paper, her face a mask of solemnity. "I will do my best! Don't worry, if I don't succeed, I will definitely pay back the money I owe you, and I won't use the contents of this fragment."
Zhao Ci nodded. "I believe in your character, Tributor Zhu! It's getting late, you should hurry back and get some rest."
"Okay!"
Zhu Li nodded gravely and then tugged on Kan Luotang's hand.
Kan Luotang, looking thoughtful, gave Zhao Ci a heart-melting smile before leaving with Zhu Li.
Soon, Zhao Ci was the only one left in the Alchemy Room.
He found Kan Luotang a bit strange. Just now, his and Zhu Li's emotions had been on a rollercoaster, and they had discussed information explosive enough to shake the outside world.
But Kan Luotang... she seemed completely devoid of emotion.
She wasn't excited or displeased by him recruiting Zhu Li, nor was she shocked by any of the information revealed.
She just watched the two of them with a faint smile.
'A bit strange!'
"Whatever! I won't worry about her!"
Zhao Ci stretched lazily and sat down cross-legged.
He wasn't worried about the two of them leaking his secrets. One was his fiancée in name; it was impossible for her to side with another faction. If she did, he could just have Zhao Huan announce their engagement, tying him completely to the Kan Mansion.
The other one was ostracized everywhere in the Zhu Family and was a straightforward, blunt person. There was no reason for her to sabotage him.
Besides, what if they did try to sabotage him?
They couldn't increase their own production, nor could they affect the output of the Xiang's Pill Workshop in any way.
Moreover, he had already obtained the Yu Xin Flame. If Zhu Li came to be his foreman, it would be a win-win. If she didn't, he still came out way ahead.
As for now...
'Time to cultivate!'
'The Yu Xin Flame and the Divinity Refining Furnace... seem to have great potential for development.'