Chapter 135: Progressing (2/2)

The old man studied the half-disc in his hands closely, his expression one of satisfaction. The padding was flawless no matter how he looked at it! What impressed him more was that Ye Chong could produce this masterpiece in such a short time. As the old man imagined the day that his apprentice could inherit and the spread this craftsmanship, how could he not feel thankful?

”Ye, Hei Zi said you used auto mode during immersion for this padding?” The old man asked with half-lidded eyes.

”Yes. I stumbled upon a few ways to increase the success rate of immersion, and I’ve recorded them in a chip and gave it to Senior Brother [1]!” Ye Chong did not show any signs of showing off, as he attributed his findings as a result of ”stumbling upon” them.

Hei Zi nodded at the side, complimenting him, ”Yes, Master, Junior Brother’s methods are effective, I’ve tried a few times and they all worked!” Hei Zi grinned widely.

The old man nodded in approval and said, ”Hmm, not bad, not bad! Ye, your fundamentals are strong, and you’re a quick study, with excellent memory. While you may have begun later than your Senior Brother, you have understood more and at a deeper level. Your future is limitless. Your Senior Brother is an honest man, you must take care of him!”

”Yes!” Ye Chong’s reply was short and determined, and came sincerely from him.

”What you lack now is experience, and that is something I cannot teach you. Only through practice can you accumulate experience. Your task from now on is to practice every day. You may choose your own tasks, and the skeletons there are yours to use.” The old man pointed at a huge pile of skeletons.

”Yes!” Ye Chong nodded.

The old man pondered for a while before speaking again, ”Ye, you’re smart, and have learnt just about everything there is here. If you’re willing, go learn alchemy from Guan Leng. After all, if you don’t know alchemy, you’ll have to depend on others for the strengthening chemical, that makes it easy for you to be dependent! However, your Aunt Guan is ill tempered, and you'll be in for a hard time if you go. Hmm, I’ll leave this decision to you!”

Guan Leng was an alchemist living nearby, and all the strengthening chemicals here came from her. She behaved oddly, and was often mad as a hatter. However, her skills in chemical synthesis were extraordinary - she prepared almost all the strengthening chemicals based on the old man’s requirements.

For some reason, she always granted the old man’s wishes. For other people, it would depend on her mood.

Periodically, when the strengthening chemicals were running out, Ye Chong and Hei Zi would visit her to obtain more. Hei Zi disliked visiting, and upon noticing Ye Chong’s indifference to the crazy lady, he had assigned the drudging task to Ye Chong.

For such an excellent alchemist, she remained largely unknown in the entirety of the Orbits. That was a small surprise to Ye Chong.

Ye Chong already knew the formula for the strengthening chemical. After Mu and Shang did their scanning, all the components of the strengthening chemical were recorded. Ye Chong was afraid of running out of the strengthening chemical in the future, since he would ultimately leave this place.

”What a good idea! Ye, you should go learn from her! She’s definitely capable. All these types of strengthening chemicals were from her original formulae, that’s awesome! Ye, best if you can learn some ways to grow Do Kun stone! Wah, then we’ll be rich!” Shang could not help but come out, very much enthusiastic.

Ye Chong tried very hard to stop himself from rolling his eyes, as he did not want to appear disrespectful to the old man. However, Shang’s words had indeed made him feel helpless - what a money-grubber!

However, the mech had also reminded Ye Chong of his earlier days in Blue Ocean Academy. For some reason, he missed those times, although he cannot quite figure out why.

The old man’s words interrupted his reverie. ”Hmm, Ye, I did not forget your strange illness! Don’t worry, once you’re skillful enough, you’ll definitely pass the Sanctuary’s tests. Then, you’ll be able to leave the Orbits and search for doctors elsewhere! Beside, with the Sanctuary’s powerful influence, gathering all sorts of talents, they might know what to do with you.”

Ye’s strange illness had resulted in two episodes in his time here, frightening both Hei Zi and Nan Nan. When the old man heard of it and came to him, Ye Chong had already recovered.

For Ye Chong, asking for help from the Sanctuary was one big joke! Ye Chong could barely hide from them; if he were to present himself to the Sanctuary, was that not asking for death? This solution was immediately rejected by Ye Chong!

”Hmm, alchemist … Do Kun stone … The Sanctuary’s tests …”

A flash of realization flickered in Ye Chong’s eyes.

Translator's Thoughts

mole mole

[1] Senior Brother: Translated from 师兄, a way for an apprentice to refer to another apprentice under the same master.