Translator: SumTLMan
Having completed the list, the densely packed text filled Angel with a sense of burden and an inexplicable sense of fulfillment.
Since repaying debts was his primary task, Angel didn’t have time to read —The Mystery of the Nightmare Domain—. He scanned it into his holographic tablet and set it aside for the time being. Then, Angel began to follow the sequence on the list, starting with the first item, opening the corresponding folder.
Creating an energy stabilizer was the foundation for Angel to complete all subsequent alchemy tasks, so he placed it first. A single blueprint of the energy stabilizer cost 110,000 contribution points to rent from the Cloud Library. However, it was the least conspicuous among the alchemy blueprints Angel had recorded.
He quickly found the energy stabilizer document among the numerous folders. Although Angel had already memorized the steps and materials, he reviewed them for caution’s sake. After verifying their accuracy, he set the tablet aside to continue processing the decomposition and recombination of the spells in the background. Meanwhile, he took out drafting paper to refine and deduce the details of creating an energy stabilizer.
Soon, the drafting paper was filled with various magic formulas and pattern analyses.
The materials used for the energy stabilizer were not particularly valuable, but the core value lay in the application of energy knowledge. It involved many considerations and even an extension of “energy frequency.” Other alchemists would need to spend magic crystals to learn relevant knowledge first to create an energy stabilizer. However, Angel had a certain understanding of frequency due to the diverse knowledge taught by Jon since childhood, saving him the learning step and requiring only some adjustments.
After spending most of the day on the drafting paper, Angel finally derived the final formula. He substituted an energy wave’s data and drew two conclusions based on Samuel’s energy stratification formula: the value above the golden ratio’s point increased, while the value below it decreased.
This was the basic application of the energy stabilizer, sinking chaotic energy and causing stable energy to rise. With this principle, the framework of an energy stabilizer could be created.
“The data is correct, and the formula is accurate,” Angel’s face lit up with joy. He had thought it would take several days to analyze, but he succeeded in less than half a day! He owed this efficiency to Jon’s upbringing, as the image of Jon’s hunched figure flashed through his mind.
With the core knowledge problem resolved, the remaining issue was the refining process.
The energy stabilizer’s core was knowledge, so its construction was based on a knowledge framework, focusing more on material cutting and rational structure. There were few areas where mundane forces were needed for refining. Only in extracting energy and retrieving stable energy would “enchantment” or “mixing” be required as supplements.
Having confirmed the overall plan, Angel adapted to the circumstances and designed the most logical and convenient energy stabilizer shape for the existing space in his underground laboratory.
By the time the evening shadows began to appear, a mechanical blueprint of an energy stabilizer that could be embedded under the experimental table and rise to the table surface through a mechanism was designed.
The egg-shaped induction slot, the elliptical energy separation chamber, and the cylindrical release hole for the connecting tubes. The overall appearance resembled a compact and simplistic blower.
With the blueprint completed, it was time to select the materials.
Angel took several disposable spatial capsules out of his pocket. The harvest from the trip to the Twilight Deep Well was stored within, including items he had acquired at the Twilight auction.
Angel placed the spatial capsules containing valuable materials back in the sealed chamber of the quiet room for the time being. He then opened the remaining capsules one by one, organizing the materials in the empty spaces of the laboratory.
By the time everything was organized, the once-empty laboratory was filled to the brim. However, Angel was somewhat obsessive-compulsive, so despite the crowded space, everything was neat. Different types of materials were arranged by Angel based on their unique preservation methods.
As a result, the originally spacious laboratory felt much more cramped.
Angel could only console himself that everything would be resolved once he crafted a spatial tool. However, he was well aware that spatial tools were not omnipotent. Some delicate materials requiring special environments to survive, such as magical plants, biological organs, or certain breathing minerals, could not be placed in spatial tools.
After all, spatial tools were not magical gardens. They could only store inanimate objects, and living things would die once stored inside.
After organizing the materials, Angel prepared to start crafting the energy stabilizer. However, before he could gather all the materials, Shalem arrived first.
“Angel, I’m here!” “Angel, open the door!” “Angel, are you there?”
Angel, sporting two large dark circles under his eyes, emerged from the laboratory. Strangely, while working in the lab, his spirit was high, but as soon as he stepped out, fatigue and drowsiness overwhelmed him.
Yawning, Angel opened the door: “I’m here.”
“Hurry up, Miss Nausica is cooking today, and she’s waiting for you!” Shalem urged.
Angel nodded, “I’ll wash up and be right there.”
Angel ruffled his messy hair, entered the washroom, and tidied himself up a bit. Before leaving, he checked on Toby in the bedroom, ensuring it was still asleep. He left some food beside it and set up an illusion in the room before leaving with peace of mind.
…
Shalem and Nausica’s courtyards were next to each other, only about ten meters apart. Both their size and layout were similar to Angel’s villa. The only difference lay in the overall color scheme and the courtyard’s furnishings.
Nausica’s courtyard was quite large, and she had turned it into an open-air practice area. A series of bloodline tempering tools were scattered around. Shalem’s courtyard, on the other hand, was similar to Angel’s, with lush plants and a white greenhouse. Although, at the moment, it seemed the greenhouse was empty.
At this moment, his two friends were in Shalem’s yard, where Shalem was happily slicing meat, and Nausica was grilling. Seeing Angel arrive, Shalem hurriedly welcomed him in.
From the outside, the scene was obscured by a fence, making it difficult to discern. Upon approaching, they discovered that the table and chairs in the yard were already prepared, with a sumptuous feast laid out on the table, complete with cutlery.
As Angel took a seat, Shalem excitedly brought forward a bowl of egg and bone broth, exclaiming, “Angel, try this quickly! I never expected Nausica’s cooking to be so amazing!”
Angel took a sip, finding the soup rich and flavorful. Although it was not a top-tier delicacy, it was comforting and homey. Perhaps it had been a long time since Angel had eaten so casually for the sake of enjoying food, so he couldn’t help but praise it repeatedly.
Nausica, whose cooking was being praised to the heavens, laughed and scolded playfully, “When did you two brats learn to flatter? I get it, you’re trying to kill me with compliments, so I’ll end up being your cook every day?”
“No way! Whenever Miss Nausica is willing to cook, we’ll be here to support you! I’m serious! Right, Angel?”
Angel, who was happily drinking the soup, nodded in agreement upon being called out by Shalem, without considering what he had said.
After finishing the bone broth, Shalem served a plate of creamy mushroom soup, which Angel enjoyed heartily. Then, an appetizer of black rice and snow clams was brought to the table.
By the time the main course was served, Nausica stepped away from the grill with a large plate of grilled meat and vegetables.
During the meal, Angel completely abandoned the aristocratic etiquette of not speaking while eating, and the three engaged in lively conversations about food. Angel also spoke about the cuisine of his hometown, especially the Earth dishes made by Jon. The conversation naturally transitioned to one of the two holy lands of gourmet wizards, the Barbie Restaurant.
“Angel, have you been to Barbie Restaurant and tasted the dishes prepared by Lady Gloria?” Shalem asked curiously.
Angel shook his head, “No.” Although he held a gold card at the time, he hadn’t actually tasted Gloria’s food. He had only received a unique **food from Gloria: the Fragment Ephemera, which was now kept in a quiet chamber.
Recalling the Fragment Ephemera, Angel pondered in his heart, if he couldn’t repay the 100,000 magic crystals owed to Twilight, why not sell this thing instead? Given the Fragment Ephemera’s properties, it should easily fetch 100,000 magic crystals, right?
“It’s truly a pity that Lady Gloria has now fallen, and no one will ever be able to taste her food again…” Shalem lamented with regret, “If you want to experience the pinnacle of Southern cuisine by a wizard, I guess you can only go to Lady Felicia’s Butterfly Tavern, right?”
Angel: “You make it sound like it’s something you can easily enjoy.”
Shalem: “It’s a dream!”
“Your dream is rather small,” Angel said, recalling another boy who had recently discussed dreams with him under the starry sky.
“Small?” Shalem said seriously, “To be able to drink at Lady Felicia’s place, one must at least be a formal wizard, right? How can it be small if I aim to become a formal wizard?”
Angel smiled and didn’t continue the conversation. Among his friends, Shalem was the only one who had no clear direction for his future. Having a small goal wasn’t a bad thing.
Suddenly, Shalem approached Angel with a shy smile, “Since we’re celebrating our new home, aren’t you going to do something special?”
Angel raised an eyebrow, “What kind of spell do you want?”
Shalem’s eyes lit up, “How about you teach me another trick? I found the last water delivery spell quite useful.”
The trick Shalem referred to was a model deduced by Angel himself. If it were a trick taught by a mentor or exchanged from the Cloud Library, Angel couldn’t casually share it before becoming a formal wizard.
Angel thought for a moment. With the help of the system, he had learned more trick models in the past half year than any of his peers. Although not every trick model had excellent effects, Angel had experimented with many in his spare time. Among the countless trick models, he found some quite impressive ones, which he recorded in his own notebook.