74 Chapter 73. (1/2)

(POV Sanji)

Ugh. What's with this situation?

I was perfectly fine one moment, but now I can hardly breathe. What's going on? Is my big sister in front of me the cause for this breathless state?

Shortly after I coughed up blood in front of my big sister I broke into an uncontrollable sweat. It felt like I was being burned alive. I really thought I was going to die.

My big sister noticed my strange state and came over to check my temperature and found that I was burning up..

With her so close to my face I found it a bit ironic I was breathless like this. Damnit, I'm not breathless because of my big sister's beautiful face or anything! I literally couldn't breathe at all and for some reason I suddenly felt a freezing cold sensation across my entire body like I were drowning in ice cold water. It was the same sensation as the time I was underwater with my wife.

Shit, if this keeps up I feel like something terrible is going to happen. Is this some sort of divine retribution? Am I actually going to die like this?

With my present level of strength I can survive for a few hours without oxygen, but if this goes on for too long, I'll definitely die.

”What's wrong San?! You're not breathing at all.”

I picked up a piece of paper and pen and wrote out, ”I've run into a bit of trouble in my cultivation, I'll need some time to myself. Please leave for now. Please also take this girl with you.”

”Your face is so pale, are you really going to be alright?”

I wrote out, ”don't worry, I'll be fine. It happens all the time.”

”Okay, but promise me you'll find me if you need any help.”

I just nodded towards her and handed over the little girl who was still sleeping soundly on my lap.

She held the her in both arms and walked out of the room with a worried look on her face.

Ugh. Now, just what has happened? Why can I not breathe? Did I enrage the heavens by summoning lightning as a party trick for the little girl too many times?

Maybe it was the time I called the heavens my incompetent little brother? Could it be the Alchemy God I just took on as a random disciple? Was it my lie about being an alchemy grand master? Maybe it was the lie about being Sen Kami's blood related son. It could even be my wife having a fit of jealousy. Damn, there's too many things I've done that would enrage powerful people, isn't there?

Maybe I should keep my big mouth shut from now on, or at the very least tone down my boasting a notch.

What do I do? What do I do? If I don't think of something soon, I'm definitely going to die, right?

I looked around the room to see if there was anything I could use to help me at least breathe. Of course there wasn't, it's a prison cell after all. It may be the best room in the ward that had a bed, computer, television, a strange pod and several other things you would expect from a fancy hotel, but there appeared to be nothing here that could help me breathe.

It was only when my eyes landed on the pill furnace in front of me that I had an idea. I opened up the beginners book my wife had written and flipped through the pages. After some time spent searching, I found it. It was a pill that allowed one to breathe underwater for a day.

Once I looked through the required ingredients in the recipe, I opened up the system shop to buy the ones that I didn't have and hurriedly sorted them out into bundles. This was a matter of life and death for me, I couldn't afford to mess up. I knew I could just text my wife and ask for help, but that's a last resort. I can't be a man who relies on his wife for every little problem I face. I'd really like to solve the problem myself this time.

Wait, why don't I just buy the pill instead. I opened up the system shop again and keyed in ”Breath of Fresh Air Pill” in the search box. When it popped up I saw the price was 5,000 LP.

Are you kidding me?! It's way too expensive for a damn consumable! I opened up the system avatar app and wrote out, ”isn't this just highway robbery?! Can't you make it cheaper?”

”Hmmp! Pervert husband, serves you right! As of now it's 30,000 LP.”

I should have just kept my mouth shut. Well, I did keep my mouth shut, I wrote it out after all.

Haaaaah. Of course, I thought of just using an tank of oxygen to breathe, but that wasn't a cost effective solution. At most, the oxygen tank would last a few hours, but I'd have to keep buying them and if this state keeps up, I'd easily run out of LP. The problem was really duration. In the end it appeared I was stuck with concocting it after all. Making the pill itself was by far the more cost effective solution with how cheap the ingredients were.

Ah. It was only now I realized I didn't know any fire cultivation techniques. I doubt I have enough time to learn anything tedious like that though so I looked through the system shop's miscellaneous section. After some time searching I found the things I needed. A bunsen burner, a portable gas cartridge and a stand to place the pill furnace on top of. It cost me 1100 LP for everything. I got five Bunsen burners and five portable gas cartridges. I placed the pill furnace on top the stand and positioned the five Bunsen burners connected to the gas cartridges beneath it in a square shape with one at the center.

I really felt like it was all just a joke though. It really felt like modern world chemistry met alchemy. Whatever, desperate times call for desperate measures.

I started up my ghetto alchemy session by adjusting the bunsen burners to the appropriate temperature indicated in the recipe. My wife indicated to preheat the furnace to the optimal temperature before placing any herbs or ingredients in.

While I preheated the pill furnace I started the prepare the herbs and ingredients one by one.

Let's see, ”peel off the outer layer of the Summerscoming Herb and Springshere Herb and place them directly into the center of the pill furnace. After that… meh, just randomly toss in all the other ingredients one by one when you think it's the right time, then cover the lid and wait five minutes and you're done.”

No no no. Please don't give me that lazy half assed description here my wife! My life is on the line!

What do I do? What do I do? No, actually, what else can I really do? She didn't even mention the order after the first two herbs. I've got to just wing it like she said then?

I want to cry, I really want to cry. Why did I choose this book out of all of them? Is my death going to be caused by my frugality? Is it a crime to be a thrifty husband?

I opened up the system shop and to my horror all the beginner books on alchemy presently said sold out.

What do you mean sold out?! System are you messing with me?! When I opened up the system avatar app she just glanced at me and turned away with a ”Hmmp!”

I get I saw you naked, but you're supposed to be the avatar of my wife, right? Isn't it fine if I see you naked?