Chapter 5 - Alchemist

Demon spirit coins are the currency used in Glory City. Usually, two to three thousand demon spirit coins would be sufficient for a commoner family’s annual expenses. The value of items in Glory City is measured with demon spirit coins. For example: battle armours, demon crystals, demon beast furs, elixirs and various other items.

The Holy Orchid Inst.i.tute’s annual school fee would be around three thousand demon spirit coins. For a commoner family, this would be a huge expense for them. But a lot of commoner families would rather live frugally and send their children to the Holy Orchid Inst.i.tute. This is because, once they become a Fighter or a Demon Spiritualist, even if it’s only Bronze rank, they can change their family’s fate.

A Bronze rank Fighter, if they join the army and become a soldier, would have an annual salary of about five to six thousand demon spirit coins. At the same time, they can also venture into the St. Ancestral Mountains and gain more benefits from it.

Nie Li belongs to the Heavenly Mark Family. It is a relatively declining Aristocratic family. The Patriarch is a 1-star Gold rank Demon Spiritualist. The family’s annual income is around six hundred thousand demon spirit coins. The family’s annual expenses is very large. Just the expenses of the children’s school fees would be around three hundred thousand demon spirit coins. This, along with various other expenses, often made the family struggle to make ends meet. With no choice but to sell some of the family business to support themselves, the Heavenly Mark Family was able to get all of the younger generations into the Holy Orchid Inst.i.tute.

The Patriarch once said that only an outstanding member of the younger generations could get the family to rise once again. Even if they had to live with a high toll, they would let every single young generation the largest nurturing they can give.

In his previous life, Nie Li didn’t quite understand this sentence. He felt strange about the Patriarch, Nie Hai’s actions. The Patriarch was very strict with them. After his rebirth, Nie Li could finally understand the Patriarch’s care and thought.

As a member of the Heavenly Mark Family, he also wanted the family to grow stronger and become Glory City’s top level.

After his rebirth, Nie Li’s memory had a lot of powerful cultivation techniques. Before that, he would have to make some money to buy a few primary soul crystals. In order to test his soul realm’s attributes he needs a soul crystal. Then, he can decide on which cultivation technique to practice with. If the cultivation technique matches one’s soul realm attributes, then training would be more effective.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

The bell went off throughout Glory City. Cla.s.s has ended.

The Holy Orchid Inst.i.tute’s students rushed out of the huge gates, and pa.s.sed through the bustling street in front. The merchants sounded off one after another.

“Latest Bronze rank battle armours! With Snow Wind Patterns inscribed on them! n.o.ble ladies and gentlemen, are you interested?” A vendor with a grey tunic greeted the crowd with so much enthusiasm. This had soon attracted the attention of many students. Bronze rank armour isn’t something an ordinary student can afford. However, within the Holy Orchid Inst.i.tute, there’s still a lot of children of n.o.bility. Some of them are extremely loaded, and they can sell to those rich students if they were lucky enough.

“Look, Bronze rank armour with Snow Wind Patterns inscribed on it!”

The students were excited and talked to one another. A pair of gauntlets were exuding a deep blue light. The surface was covered with mysterious carvings and revealed a faint chilling frost.

“How much is this?” One student asked in a low voice.

“Sixty thousand demon spirit coins!” The vendor said while smiling.

“Good heavens, so expensive!”

An ordinary family couldn’t even acc.u.mulate sixty thousand demon spirit coins in ten years.

“This is Bronze rank armour with Snow Wind Patterns inscribed on it. The Snow Wind Pattern was drawn using the blood of a Snow Wind Banshee. The banshee was at its prime before being killed. The Snow Wind Banshee isn’t easy to hunt. Their characteristics also made the gauntlets gain a strong attacking ability. This is definitely a suitable armour for Snow Wind type Fighters or Demon Spiritualists!” The vendor bragged as he introduced the armour.

Many students looked at the pair of gauntlets with nostalgia, but they still left. Such an expensive item isn’t something they can afford.

“If Bronze rank armour alone costs sixty thousand demon spirit coins, then wouldn’t Silver rank armour and Gold rank armour be even more expensive?” Lu Piao muttered. His monthly allowance was only about five hundred demon spirit coins. Lu Piao’s family has a lot of business, so Lu Piao can be considered well off. In his previous life, Lu Piao would often help Nie Li and Du Ze. But even if Lu Piao had some money, Bronze rank armour isn’t something he can afford.

As Nie Li, Lu Piao, and Du Ze walked, they looked around. This street was filled with all kinds of items. No matter what item, be it expensive or cheap, can be found here.

“Nie Li, what are you planning?” asked Lu Piao, confused while Nie Li looked around.

As they were talking, a figure arrived in front of the vendor.

“Look, it’s Shen Yue!” Lu Piao stated, directing Shen Yue’s location with his mouth, “And also Ye Ziyun!”

Nie Li looked towards that direction. He only saw Ye Ziyun and a few girls happily chatting. That pretty face and sweet smile of hers was full of suns.h.i.+ne. Among the group of girls, Ye Ziyun’s smile was definitely the most dazzling, which made everyone look at her. Everything around here became more vibrant because of Ye Ziyun’s existence.

Shen Yue also looked at her from time to time.

“Very good, I’m lacking Bronze rank gauntlets. Wrap this Bronze rank gauntlet up for me,” Shen Yue lightly said to the vendor.

“YES, YOUNG MASTER!”

The vendor immediately grinned upon hearing Shen Yue’s words and quickly wrapped the gauntlet up.

“Here’s sixty thousand demon spirit coins.”

Shen Yue took out six demon crystal cards. A single demon crystal card represents ten thousand demon spirit coins.

He made sixty thousand demon spirit coins look light. With an ‘I don’t give a s.h.i.+t’ kind of expression he placed the bronze rank gauntlets into his interspatial ring.

(TLN: The raw doesn’t have ‘don’t give a s.h.i.+t’ but I got no idea how to translate it lol)

Several girls around him let out light m.u.f.fled voices. He easily took out sixty thousand demon spirit coins, so rich! Several of the slightly pretty girls had the look in their eyes brighten up. They threw flirtatious gazes at Shen Yue. However, Shen Yue treated them as though they were invisible. He proudly looked towards Nie Li’s group of three. Then, he looked towards Ye Ziyun. His eyes clearly said, ‘I only have eyes for you.’

“How despicable!” Lu Piao growled, “This is a silver bullet attack!”

(TLN : Erm.. sort of a money attack? As in showing others that he’s filthy rich)

“Tyrant! Easily throwing out sixty thousand demon spirit coins, and even having an interspatial ring.” Du Ze spread out his hands. Shaking his head, he looked at Nie Li and said, “Nie Li, people like him are handsome and rich. What can you compete against him with?”

“Hehe. Ziyun doesn’t care about that amount of money,” Nie Li casually spoke. He swept his gaze towards Ye Ziyun. She completely ignored Shen Yue’s action, and was talking to the few girls beside her. Her eyes were occasionally looking at Xiao Ning"er, but Xiao Ning"er stood absent mindedly to one side.

Xiao Ning"er’s expression was cold. She’s usually a lone wolf, and doesn’t have much contact with the other students.

Nie Li knows that what Ye Ziyun wants the most right now is friends.h.i.+p. In his previous life, Ye Ziyun always wanted to be friends with Xiao Ning"er, but their ident.i.ties led them further apart instead.

Looking at Ye Ziyun’s expression, Shen Yue was somewhat disappointed.

“Fine, Ye Ziyun indeed doesn’t care about money. Nie Li, she wouldn’t like females, right? If so, your game’s over,” Lu Piao blinked, teasing Nie Li.

Nie Li laughed. He naturally won’t put Lu Piao’s words to heart. In his previous life, he was Ye Ziyun’s only man.

“Let’s go, I’m starting my plan!”

Du Ze and Lu Piao expression turned solemn, nodded their heads.

“Lu Piao, go buy two crossbows and five hundred crossbow bolts. A crossbow costs one hundred sixty demon spirit coins each and the bolts cost thirty demon spirit coins each, don’t get cheated by hawkers!” Nie Li told Lu Piao, “We’ll meet up at the school’s training ground.”

“Okay!” said Lu Piao nodding his head and feeling a bit curious in his heart. Did Nie Li buy crossbows and crossbow bolts in the past, since he knows the price of them?

Nie Li’s monthly allowance is only fifty demon spirit coins, so he doesn’t have enough to buy expensive things.

“Du Ze, we’ll go buy Black Pool Gra.s.s,” Nie Li said. Black Pool Gra.s.s has a certain paralysis effect.

Du Ze’s situation is even worse than Nie Li’s. Naturally, Nie Li wouldn’t let Du Ze use his money. So when buying those herbs, Nie Li was the one paying.

Black Pool Gra.s.s is very cheap. One demon spirit coin can buy a bunch of it. In addition, Nie Li also bought some low level fusing agents and went to a small hill at the side of Glory City to collect some Zoysia Gra.s.s.

“What are you planning to do?” Du Ze curiously asked.

Nie Li laughed mysteriously, “Black Pool Gra.s.s has a certain paralysis effect, but the efficiency is very low. It is generally used to smear on wounds to relieve some pain. As for Zoysia Gra.s.s, it is a very common weed so no one has found a use for them yet. However, if it’s used with a fusing agent and Black Pool Gra.s.s, it can greatly strengthen the paralysis effect of the Black Pool Gra.s.s.”

Du Ze was stunned for a moment and then asked, “How strong is the paralysis effect?”

Nie Li laughed and said, “It doesn’t have much effect on ordinary demon beasts. The effect is worse than a low-grade paralyzing agent. But did you know that the Horned Sheep never eats Zoysia Gra.s.s?”

“Horned Sheep?” repeated Du Ze and went silent for a moment. As if he vaguely guessed something, his eyes lit up, “Nie Li, would you happen to be an alchemist?”

“An alchemist?” Nie Li thought awhile and laughed, “I guess so.”

An alchemist is referring to those who use herbs to refine elixirs or people that allocate prescriptions. Nie Li isn’t an alchemist. In his previous life, he only had slight knowledge of them. However, Glory City’s alchemist standards was simply too low. They can’t even be considered real alchemists. Nie Li can look down on those so called ‘alchemists’ in Glory City. When Nie Li was having his adventure around the continent, he entered the Toxic Forest. The people living in Toxic Forest had survived countless attacks from poisonous demon beasts. They can be considered real alchemists!

Nie Li started mixing the gra.s.ses and fusing agents, getting a total of six full bottles of the drug.

Holy Orchid Inst.i.tute Training Grounds

The training grounds were established by the Legend rank Demon Spiritualist Lord Ye Mo and the princ.i.p.al of the school, who was a Black Gold rank Demon Spiritualist. The training grounds were surrounded by towering walls. Every year, experts in Glory City would capture some low level demon beasts and place them into the training grounds. Any Holy Orchid Inst.i.tute student who is below Silver rank, can enter the grounds. Students can hunt the demon beasts inside and obtain fur, demon crystals, and various other beast materials from them and dispose of them freely at their own choice. Some of the poorer students can hunt inside the training ground to help with their family’s financial situation.

Nie Li’s group of three haven’t even reached 1-star Bronze rank, yet. So the place that they are going to is the training grounds safest area. There are only Horned Sheeps in that area. Although Horned Sheeps are very aggressive in nature, they are still herbivores. Therefore, their attacks would only cause serious injuries. So they can be considered safe.

Nie Li’s group of three entered the training grounds after they had their ident.i.ties verified by the guards at the entrance.

Training Grounds Apprentices.h.i.+p Area

Within the spa.r.s.e trees, there would be patches of gra.s.s fields with Horned Sheep slowly pacing them. Their eyes were red. Occasionally, they would p.r.i.c.k up their ears to listen. Once an outsider enters their territory, they would mercilessly attack him.

Suddenly, an abnormal sound was heard. The Horned Sheep closest to Nie Li’s group let out a growl and rushed towards the direction of the abnormal sound.