Chapter 2349 The Pigpen <TOC> Chapter 2351 Angelo
Translator: SumTLMan
In a dark room within the Star Lake Castle.
The bubbling sound of steam, accompanied by the hissing of evaporating slime and the crisp clinking of glass bottles against metal plates, all these sounds converged to sketch the scene in the dark room——
A plethora of experimental tools, the boiling of bizarre liquids, the strange pungent smell, and Dangros still radiating residual heat on a high temperature resistant platform… along with Angel, who had activated a defensive spell.
After the chime, Angel glanced at the time on his pocket watch and nodded, saying, “It should be ready now.”
Having said that, Angel turned to Dangros, who looked puzzled, and said, “You can come down from the platform now. Be mindful of the changes in the environment, contain the flames around you, and don’t set the room on fire like last time.”
Dangros obediently nodded, dimmed the glowing red lights around him, and jumped down from the high temperature resistant platform.
Upon landing, Dangros shook off the dust that had accidentally fallen on it during the burning of magical materials, then, under Angel’s guidance, entered a special experimental glass box for steam isolation.
“Not bad, you’ve been much more behaved these past two days. Once we’re out, I’ll let Toby play with you for half a day. Also, the quenching agent is in the corner, you can help yourself to it after you come out.” Angel praised Dangros, then quickly returned his gaze to the experimental table.
He poured a small half-cup of a gel-like gray liquid from the condensation container.
Angel swayed the transparent cup, and the liquid inside shook in a non-Newtonian fluid manner.
“This is… Rockborn Liquid Gel.”
This was a supplementary material envisioned by Fritz, which he never managed to successfully refine. However, with Angel’s improvements and after purchasing many corresponding materials from the Ashen Time Merchant Group in Rhodes, it was finally successfully refined.
Its essence is a flocculant gel that can lock in the impact of high temperature bursts and settle external high temperatures internally. Most importantly, it can be decomposed by energy and dissolved in the blood.
It can be said to be the perfect partner for Boiling Blood Red Water.
Of course, it can also be used in some potions that require purification of the bloodline, although the efficiency might not be high, making it a substitute.
But in Boiling Blood Red Water, Rockborn Liquid Gel is absolutely essential.
Having refined the Rockborn Liquid Gel, Angel didn’t rest but started the fourth Boiling Blood Red Water formulation of the week.
Since returning from Rhodes nearly two weeks ago, he had attempted to formulate Boiling Blood Red Water no less than twenty times, but always encountered various problems.
This time, Angel had corrected all the issues identified previously and recalculated the proportions.
The thick stack of notebooks on the table for calculations showed how much effort Angel had put in.
“Let’s hope no new flaws emerge this time.” Angel took a deep breath and began the formulation process.
Time relentlessly marches forward. During this period, Dangros emerged from the glass box after completing the purification with its flame, picking up the quenching agent shaped like half an hourglass from the corner, and bathed in fascination.
The sky outside transitioned from dusk to night, and then the pitch-black night gradually diluted until the dawn broke with a fish-belly white horizon.
Angel, who had been engrossed in Concocting for half a day, finally snapped back to reality.
Looking at the bubbling red liquid in the glass vessel in front of him, a smile slowly spread across Angel’s pale face.
“Success,” Angel sighed, his whole being relaxing significantly.
However, at that moment, the red liquid in the glass vessel began to surge upwards incessantly, as if flames were about to burst forth. It seemed as though the next second, the liquid would transform into an erupting volcano, exploding in all directions.
Angel, startled, quickly regained his composure: “The potion is corrupting!”
“Damn, I almost forgot about the final step of the potion-making process!”
In a flurry, Angel scrambled to retrieve a light-colored glass potion bottle, shaped somewhat like an ice cream cone, from a pile of boxes nearby. Then, with a gentle twirl of his finger above the red liquid, accompanied by a few incantations that were more for psychological comfort than actual effect, a ritual unique to alchemists, the surging red liquid transformed into a red flame serpent, sealed within the cone-shaped potion bottle.
After securing it with a natural-colored wooden stopper and tightening the lid engraved with runes, Angel finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Observing the liquid in the potion bottle, which appeared purplish due to the refraction, Angel murmured softly, “I still lack experience. I almost overlooked the bottling and finishing work. Next time, I must pay more attention.”
The anomaly that had occurred with the potion is referred to as “corruption,” which differs from the corruption associated with ghosts. It refers to the phenomenon where, if the potion is not promptly bottled and finished, it interacts with microorganisms in the air, leading to the loss or even alteration of the potion’s efficacy.
Angel hadn’t actually forgotten the bottling step; his preparation of placing the potion bottle aside earlier showed he was well-prepared. However, having failed too many times in the previous days, Angel hadn’t quite moved on, thinking today would result in another failure. Unexpectedly, he succeeded, and the inertia from the past few days delayed his immediate bottling.
Fortunately, Angel’s quick response allowed for successful remediation.
However, according to feedback from the Alchemy Eye, the efficacy of the Boiling Blood Red Water had diminished somewhat. Yet, it remained within a usable range, not completely corrupted.
After briefly admiring the Boiling Blood Red Water, Angel casually set it aside.
The intrinsic value of Boiling Blood Red Water wasn’t high. What mattered to Angel wasn’t the potion itself but the Boiling Blood Red Water formula he had modified over and over again.
After meticulously organizing the remnants on the desk, Angel took out a brand-new piece of parchment and carefully transcribed the last page of his notes, which contained a potion formula, onto the new parchment.
He planned to hand over this newly transcribed formula, along with a bottle of Boiling Blood Red Water, to Fritz.
Although the formula had significantly diverged from Fritz’s original at this point, to the extent that if Angel claimed it as his own invention, it would not be entirely without reason. However, Angel was not the type to shamelessly claim full credit. The new formula, while innovative, still adhered to Fritz’s original concept at its core, leading Angel to view himself merely as a “repairman” who had refined a flawed formula to usability. Thus, he believed the potion’s rights still belonged to Fritz.
After finishing the transcription, Angel stretched lazily.
For twelve days, nearly two weeks, he had been tirelessly working either in the mirror space or in the darkroom concocting potions. Even someone as resilient as Angel felt the onset of fatigue.
However, it was all worth it.
The effects of the Boiling Blood Red Water might not be of personal use to him, but it represented a lucrative asset, especially beneficial for his brother Leon. Most importantly, initiating with such an innovative potion marked Angel’s formal entry into the realm of potion-making.
The experience gained from modifying the formula, addressing the concoction’s imperfections, and the entire period of potion-making was an invaluable treasure. It laid a solid foundation for his future in concocting other potions or creating new ones.
Naturally, Angel was pleased.
Yet, a mental and spiritual laxity allowed fatigue to find its foothold.
In the past few days, Angel had ignored the encroaching exhaustion, but today, he could no longer fend off the tiredness. Yawning, he leaned back in his chair and fell asleep.
When he awoke, it was already three in the afternoon.
The rare luxury of waking naturally left Angel feeling refreshed and invigorated.
Looking around, he noticed Dangros lying in a corner, seemingly asleep… or perhaps, overly indulged. The bottle of quenching agent beside it was completely empty.
Observing Dangros’ intoxicated expression, Angel shook his head and sighed, “If it’s truly addictive, that wouldn’t be good, as advised by Sage Magu. Next time, I’ll have to reduce the supply of the quenching agent. And that look on its face… tsk, how lewd.”
“But…” Angel observed Dangros’ wrist area, “Is it my imagination, or does Dangros’ wrist seem to have grown a bit?”
Had it grown?
Angel, having no research into the physical changes of elemental creatures, didn’t dwell on the thought much longer and shook his head, dismissing the idea.
Initially, Angel wanted to wake Dangros, but considering it had been assisting him with alchemy, saving him considerable effort, he decided to let it sleep a bit longer.
“In truth, the flames of Dangros are not bad, only slightly inferior to those of Kolokcro,” Angel muttered as he emerged from the darkroom.
Under normal circumstances, this would be the time he’d go to tease the Mirror Wraith, but today he decided to pause that routine. He planned to head to Saint Seim City first to deliver the formula for Boiling Blood Red Water to Fritz. Upon his return, he intended to design a blueprint to test the Mad Hatter’s Coronation.
Giving the Mirror Wraith a bit more rest might allow it to come up with new abilities, potentially bringing him new surprises in the mirror space?
With these hopeful wishes, Angel left Star Lake Castle.
Following his plan, he was supposed to go to Saint Seim City, but plans often fall behind changes. Just as Angel had taken to the sky, he felt a series of disturbances within his bracelet space.
Upon mentally probing into the bracelet, he quickly located the source of the disturbance——Tulas, who was in the Cathedral of the Dead.
After a series of inquiries, Tulas informed Angel that Nisi needed to speak with him.
It wasn’t about bringing a tablet inside; it was purely a matter for discussion, and Iron Armor Granny was also present.
Although Nisi didn’t specify the matter, based on the timing, it seemed likely that there was news from the two mission teams. If he proceeded at full speed, whether heading to the Feran Continent or the Sidro Misty Island, he should arrive by now.
If it were just Nisi summoning Angel, he could have proceeded to Saint Seim City first and met with Nisi afterward. However, since Iron Armor Granny was also waiting, Angel dared not make such a dignitary wait.
He immediately decided to return to Star Lake Castle, found Freud who was practicing Soul Trickery with Sunny, and handed over the potion formula and the bottle of Boiling Blood Red Water to him, asking him to deliver it to Fritz.
After completing these tasks, Angel directly used the Nightmare Dream Entry, entering the Wilderness of Dreams.