Elydes Chapter 124: The Joy of Mass Production

Chapter 124 - The Joy of Mass Production

Kai stood in front of his lab, his hand dithering an inch from the lock, key firmly in his grip. He had already sent word of his return to Reishi, which left little doubt about the identity of the two glowing figures waiting inside.

No way to avoid it. Im sure hell forgive . With a bit of luck, it might even be before he enforces our business contract and takes away everything I own. He wouldnt do that, would he?

Taking a deep breath, Kai opened the door. Im back.

Reishi sat on a table that gave his back to the entrance, so he couldnt read his expression.

Its been four days, todays the fifth, the rman punctuated each word. You said youd be back in three, at most.

Jiro closed the door behind him. The guard stood stiffly, giving him a pitying glance.

I dont think I need to remind you what was written in the contract you signed. Ive been accommodating to your needs. If you think that ans you can do whatever you like, I think there was so miscommunication, the rman turned to look at him, his eyes cold like his tone. The lack of anger only made Kai more guilty.

Damn, I fucked up.

Im sorry, he ekly took a seat across from Reishi. The Republic found out my master was gone, and I had to go deal with it.

Did they give you any problems? His tone lost so of its edge, heating with a welco note of irritation. And why didnt you tell ? I could have helped instead of standing here like a fool, wondering whether youd been kidnapped by a siren or pirates.

Kai fiddled with the edge of his shirt. I Im sorry I didnt tell you. I truly didnt think it would take that long.

It all happened so fast, and he hadnt wanted to write anything compromising on paper. Those were excuses though. He could have found a way to be clearer if he really tried.

Which is why you need to tell when these things happen, Reishi scolded him, moving a pald hand over his face. Sotis I forget youre still a child.

The remark hit him like a slap. Kai rose in his seat ready for a remark before deflating.

I guess I deserved that one.

Reishi stared him down before continuing. So, how did it go with the Republic? Are they going to beco a nuisance? I an, more than they already are.

Oh, I think I got that handled, Kai puffed up with pride. It had been a well-executed plan given the circumstances.

Reishi gave him a long look. Do you think, or are you sure?

Quite sure, they would have done sothing by now otherwise, right?

Yes, probably The governor is known for his decisive actions. Ill ask around, you just stay put and warn if youre going anywhere. The rman took out a notebook to scribble so notes.

That wasnt too bad. Who would have thought Reishi was such a sweet fish?

I imagine youre eager to recoup the ti lost, Kai stood up. Ill get to work imdiately.

Stay where you are, Reishi's attention snapped back on him. We still have to discuss compensation.

Naturally, Ill make up for any shift I missed and do an extra one whenever you prefer.

For the whole month.

What about

One extra shift for the next four weeks. You are in no place to bargain, Reishi gave him a dangerous smile. Your disappearance right as we were beginning operations threw my plans in disarray. Ill need to adjust our whole strategy, and I dont work for free. Indeed, I should probably ask for more

One month is perfect, thank you for your understanding. Youre truly the best business partner I could wish for, Kai nodded enthusiastically. Ive also recently had a breakthrough in my race, you wont be disappointed.

Have you? Reishi squinted at him. I assud you couldnt be Orange what kind of concealing are you using?

After a mont of consideration, Kai took off Viryas amulet. If he was going to practice Alchemy without holding back, it was only a matter of ti before Reishi deduced his attributes and grade.

A flash of surprise crossed his blue eyes, leaving behind a calculating look. Mhmm I see Can I see that pendant? The craftsmanship looks interesting.

Id bet. Virya rarely took an interest, but when she did the mage wasnt one for half-asures.

Its not for sale, Kai specified before letting go of the simple tal disc. Even with Mana Sense, it would appear like a plain iron amulet. Only after pushing enough mana into it, would it start to reveal its secrets.

The rman accepted the artifact with a delicate touch, thousands of tiny threads probed the object as he activated a skill. His brow furrowed in concentration and confusion.

I dont think Ive t this enchanting style before. Where did you say you got it?

Kai rolled his eyes. I didnt. It was a gift from one of my teachers.

I wish I could have t them. Concealing your grade is easy, Reishi fixed his own enchanted clothes. But thats obvious to everyone. Creating a disguise that doesnt look like a disguise. Now, that requires so real skill. How about you sell it to after it stops working?

A jolt of panic flashed through Kai. What do you an?

Did I miss sothing?The enchantnt looked more durable than anything I made.

Oh, I an when you reach Yellow. This pendant wont work after you advance. Im pretty certain its designed specifically for Orange.

Could Reishi be lying? The truth would be easy to confirm once he reached the next grade, so that wasnt likely. He could also simply ask Moui to check.

This is probably what Virya wanted. Though if the enchantnt always makes look at the beginning of Orange, it wouldnt work for long anyway.

When the ti cos, Ill co to you first if I want to sell it, Kai put the amulet back in its place, around his neck. You better prepare a convincing offer for this unique piece of equipnt.

Go brew your potions, Reishi showed his pointy smile. This conversation doesnt count towards your shift.

Yes, boss. Ill go slaving away for your glory.

The rman scoffed at his antics. We're a team. And I need sothing to sell to make us both rich. Ill see you later.

Yeah, youre the paragon of generosity.

Alone with Jiro, Kai read the list of what Reishi expected him to do today.

Thats ambitious At least he didnt chain to the desk, though Jiro is standing suspiciously close to the door. Im sure it must be a coincidence.

The woodworker had delivered the new desk while he was away. A low reinforced table covered by a polished stone layer. The tal monstrosity he would use to brew had already been placed on it.

Kai had outlived the size of the testing cauldron. The silver cask couldn't contain batches bigger than seven or eight doses, depending on the recipe. Reishi wanted him to begin creating usable goods as soon as possible. Hed start with batches of twenty to thirty healing potions, and slowly work his way along the rest of the list.

It was ti he confronted that hunk of tal. It looked like one of those cauldrons witches would use in storiesthe fact a small child would fit snugly inside didnt help its case. Up close, the levers, dials and knobs gave it a mad-scientist vibe instead.

Perusing the instruction manual helped him make sense of all those unknown features. Most were used to control the heating enchantnts in different areas. Keeping track of the internal conditions over such a large volu would be the main challenge and the reason behind most of its functionalities.

All these enchantnts to solve the problems that its size creates. Im sure Dora would hate the lack of efficiency.

Practicing Alchemy this way seed more about mastering the tool than anything else. No wrestling with the ingredients to push his capabilities. The research and passion that Dora always emphasized had been lost sowhere along the way.

I suppose there must be so value in mass production, and its what I signed up for. If nothing else, new challenges always make skills grow faster.

As Kai sorted enough ingredients to brew fifteen potions in neat rows before him, he realized another problem. Mana herbs began decaying as he cut them. With so many sets to prepare before he even started the actual brewing, any tiny mistake could an a significant loss of properties by the end.

Thank the spirits I just got a boost.

The challenge beca a welco chance to test his improved attributes. Snapping his fingers, Kai played all the steps in his mind. Once he began, he couldnt dither.

With all his knives, pestle and sieves ready beside him, it was ti to see how far the upgrade had pushed him. His hands danced quick and precise, slicing, mashing and squeezing the herbs for all they were worth.

The gurgling mixture inside the cauldron proceeded smoothly. Spirit had grown his mana reserve while Mind improved his control. It would take a few tries to maximize his efficiency. For now, smashing through any obstacle worked just fine. He would settle for nothing less than perfect quality today.

Speaking with Jiro during his lunch break, Kai realized the reason why Reishi brought all those bizarre tools to process the herbs. He could simply pass a lushstalk through a press to squeeze out the juices instead of doing it manually. Without keeping track of the internal mana structure, the result would be inferior, but still many tis faster.

What would I learn if I let a machine do the work?

Do other alchemists all use these? Kai asked.

This is not my field of expertise, Jiro said, struggling over whether to eat the fried squid Kai bought for him. Ive only visited an alchemy lab twice and briefly. One used them, the other master had a team of apprentices taking care of the preparation.

Well, thats way more than I know.

Both thods must not give amazing results, Kai reasoned out loud. It probably doesnt matter as long as they can produce more Most people dont even know the sa potion can have widely different effects depending on the skill of the alchemist.

Jiro nodded his agreent. It seed the man had decided that refusing the food would be ruder than eating it. He chewed slowly to reduce the crunching sound of the fried squid.

One al at a ti, Ill buy your loyalty. Muhahaha!

In a good mood, Kai got back to work. The twin brothers were put to full use as assistants, disposing of the scraps and carting ingredients back and forth.

Now that he had begun production, his workdays would be counted by the potions he brewed. The faster he finished, the better. Todays goal was 200 healing tonics in eight hours.

He would get faster with experience, but Kai wanted to finish on ti. By the eighth hour, he had to Empower his hands to keep them steady. His mana prodded the energies of the last batch to coalesce in a perfect whole.

Slowly controlling the cooling of the cauldron, Kai distilled 24 doses. One had been consud to maintain the quality, but it didnt matter since this made 203 potions.

Kai fell back into his chair, exhausted. After staring intently for hours, even his eyes hurt. He massaged them and almost moaned in pleasure when he turned off his skills. Without the drain of Mana Sense, Mana Manipulation and Inspect, his mind could finally relax.

I might have underestimated this thing a little. Thank the spirits I got Orange .

Alchemy had reached level 43. It was the fastest improvent he had had in the last three years. With the jump in stats that was to be expected, he would probably gain two or three easy levels in every skill below the first milestone.

It was a nice head start, the first steps after each upgrade were always the easiest. Unfortunately, Yellow was a marathon, and no amount of sprinting could bridge the gap. He got a headache just thinking hed need to fill 300,000 XP.

Why does it always increase by such a stupid amount? I cant believe Red was just 40,000 and I thought that was a lot.

The increase was a little less than doubling in Orange.

If it were easy, everybody would do it, wouldnt they?

Kai flopped on his sofa resting his legs on the coffee table. When the door finally opened, he waved at the rman, without any intention of moving from his seat.

I think we should consider hiring so apprentices. Reishi started before noticing his sprawled form on the couch. Youve already finished all 200 of them, right?

Yep, 203 to be precise, all perfect quality. You can check.

The rman went to inspect the boxes Jiro had helpfully filled with the green vials. No matter how long he looked, he wouldnt find any fault.

Reishi scanned the room. And you didnt use the tools Ive bought for you.

They dont seem very reliable, and I prefer to use my hands, Kai wiggled his finger as if they werent cramping just an hour ago. I think perfect quality should be our thing. Easy enough to brand.

You finished in under eight hours on your first day, Reishi looked like he had eaten a sour lemon. Maybe we should revise the estimates on production, clearly Ive underestimated professional alchemists.

Oh, I think theyre pretty accurate, and I know what was written in the contract. The numbers have been decided, no second thoughts now, Kai stood up and started gathering his things to leave. Cheer up. Didnt you say we were a team? The better I do, the better for the both of us. Ill see you tomorrow.

Kai patted his back, vainly trying to hide his glee. Hed been trained by the best of the best, of course, he needed to be at least this good.

For once, he had co out on top in the negotiations.

Okay, I got lucky with the timing of my enhancent, and he couldnt have known. But its not like I didnt earn that.