Chapter 34: Born to Refine Poisons — Part Two

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Chapter 34: Born to Make Poison—Part Two

“From now on, in every class, I will create a compound toxin and have you identify it.

“This will lay the foundation for your future investigations into unknown compound toxins.

“If any of you can go four consecutive months without making a mistake during the identification process, and your conclusions are broadly correct for four consecutive months, I will give that person *The Polymerization of Toxins*.

“Do you understand?”

Kurov spoke in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over the students before him.

“Yes, Professor. We understand.”

“Go have dinner. Make your own arrangements for the evening. Once you finish learning *Alchemy Linguistics*, we can begin the night’s lesson.”

Kurov waved toward the door, then found a book and reclined on the red velvet sofa.

Xia Zuo and the other two bowed in thanks before leaving the Toxic Alchemy section.

…

In the castle’s main hall, Xia Zuo parted ways with Masen and Brandon and headed alone toward the dining hall.

“Xia Zuo.”

Anjouer jumped out from behind a stone pillar and hurried a few steps to catch up with him.

“Do you have class tonight?”

“No… Hm?”

Xia Zuo had barely finished the first half of his reply when a letter drifted over from nearby and landed in his hand.

It contained only a single, simple line: Kurov required him to arrive at the Toxic Alchemy section before 6:10 p.m.

“I have class tonight after all. My mentor wants me to stop by after dinner.”

Xia Zuo put the letter away, abandoning his original plan to read in the library.

“Mm, all right, then. I’ll memorize *Alchemy Linguistics* by myself.”

“What did you do in your first Oil Alchemy class?” Xia Zuo asked as they walked toward the dining hall.

“Professor Zhuolang prepared a wooden box for each of us. Inside were thirty glass bottles. We had to distinguish what was in them by smell.”

Anjouer gave a lively little hop and giggled.

“Professor Zhuolang was so sneaky. A lot of the bottles contained oils that were as clear and odorless as water. They even looked exactly like water. We spent ages searching through the books, but when he finally revealed the answers, he told us they were just bottles of water.”

Xia Zuo laughed.

“Then you’ll have to pay closer attention next time. If Professor Zhuolang really does bring out something that resembles water, don’t make a careless judgment.”

“Mm-hmm! I’ll be like a patient hunter. Unless I’m completely certain, I won’t write down my identification result ahead of time.”

Anjouer smiled sweetly and continued:

“Let’s have the seafood hot-pot set tonight. The kind with one huge pot packed full of all sorts of ingredients.”

“Sure. I’m fine with anything.”

The two entered the dining hall and went to a quiet corner with few people around.

A minute or two later, a steaming pot was brought to the table. A ring of small dishes hung around its rim, warmed by the heat rising from the pot.

Anjouer scattered a handful of fresh, spicy seasonings into the broth, then eagerly ladled herself a bowl of squid tentacles.

“I’m starting! Whew—whew—it’s too hot.”

Xia Zuo stirred the pot several times, bringing the seafood buried at the bottom to the surface. He served himself some shellfish and left the squid for Anjouer.

…

Six o’clock that evening.

After escorting Anjouer to the library corridor, Xia Zuo turned and headed for the Toxic Alchemy section.

“Good evening, Professor.”

Kurov was lazily reclining on the soft sofa. He lifted his chin toward the desk.

“There’s an examination paper on the table. Go do it. You may use any of the alchemical tools and toxin bottles here.”

Xia Zuo went to the desk and picked up the paper.

There was only one question. The main body was written in alchemical language. At a glance, it was clearly a practical exercise.

[1. Prepare the toxin according to the following steps:

[Step 1: (1 pt. PN32, 2 pt. PA56), ( : 1 + 2 = 3), (□ : 3)

[Step 2: (1 pt. 3, 4 pt. YS028), ( : 3 + 4 = 5), (□ : 5)

[2. Accurately determine the effect of 5.]

PN32 was Willow Yellow, while PA56 was Moth Blue.

The compound toxin the question required him to prepare was the White Palate toxin he had encountered that afternoon.

Xia Zuo put on his mask, retrieved the two base toxins from the toxin cabinet, and followed the instructions in *The Separation of Toxins* to prepare the White Palate toxin.

YS028 was a slightly whitish solvent with a taste resembling milk poured into clear water. Its only purpose was to contain white, flocculent toxins like White Palate, concealing their contents from the naked eye.

After preparing the toxin labeled 5, Xia Zuo found himself at a loss.

The question required him to “accurately determine the effect of 5,” rather than merely offer a conjecture as he had that afternoon.

Xia Zuo looked toward his mentor and asked hesitantly:

“Professor Kurov, do I have to drink this toxin myself? Could I find some white mice to test it on?”

Kurov, sunk into the soft sofa, set down his book and shook his head.

“We toxic alchemists are the best ‘white mice’ there are. You may drink it little by little and stop immediately once you feel something unusual. Judging from the records of your acquired-affinity examination, your willpower is fairly strong. You’ll need to drink nearly half a bottle before you can experience the toxin’s effects.”

That sounded a little awkward.

Xia Zuo froze. He had never expected the misunderstanding between himself and Tyllers Meso, the examiner for his acquired-affinity test, to have affected Kurov’s first impression of him.

He cast a Detection spell on the toxin he had personally prepared. The information returned was more detailed than that of toxins made by others.

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[Item Name] ????

[Item Type] Toxin

[Item Grade]

Insufficient perception and knowledge reserves. Unable to obtain further information.

[Item Quality]

Completion: 85%. Good.

[Associated Resistance]

Earth Resistance.

Once Earth Resistance reaches 0.5%, this toxin’s effects on the host are expected to decrease significantly.

[Item Description]

Made from White Palate as its base. Created by Xia Zuo.

[Item Effect]

After drinking one-third of the bottle, the subject gains one stack of Suffocation. Health decreases by 20 points per minute for 1 minute.

Further doses will extend the duration of Suffocation but will not increase its number of stacks.

Kurov had said that he could stop drinking as soon as he felt the toxin’s effect.

Then one-third of the bottle it was.

Xia Zuo glanced at his health.

[Health] 45/45 (Healthy)

[Basic Health Recovery] 0.1 points per minute

One-third of the bottle would reduce his health by 20 points, less than half his maximum health. It would not trigger [Critical Moment]. There was nothing to worry about.

Xia Zuo pulled out the stopper, poured the required amount into a measuring cup, took a deep breath, held it, and emptied the cup in one gulp.

“Cough.”

He felt a searing, spicy sensation slide down his throat and into his chest.

His body convulsed. The air stored in his lungs poured uncontrollably from his nose and mouth. Pressure squeezed his eardrums, while his eyeballs gradually began to swell.

Amid wave after wave of unbearable trembling, Xia Zuo struggled to sit down on a wooden stool. His head felt like an inflated balloon. Apart from the ringing in his ears, he could hear nothing else.

When the last wisp of air left his chest, an immense sensation of suffocation spread throughout his body.

Thump, thump…

The sound of his heartbeat reached him, growing weaker by the moment.

Xia Zuo’s face turned deathly pale. The fingers gripping the armrest slowly loosened.

Inside his open mouth, the area on the roof known as the palate was covered by a thick white substance, blocking his nasal passages and throat completely.

Time passed amid endless pressure and trembling. At last, one minute went by.

“Wheeze! Wheeze!”

Xia Zuo’s rigid body suddenly convulsed. He opened his mouth and greedily drew in the long-missed air.

Information from the system appeared in his mind:

“You have successfully consumed one-third of a bottle of unknown toxin, self-produced. An additional 15% experience bonus has been awarded. You have gained 2.3 experience points, your Will attribute has increased by 0.023, and you have gained 0.023% Earth Resistance.”

Kurov placed his book on his stomach, interlaced his fingers over his chest, and asked from the sofa:

“How do you feel? Have you identified the toxin’s specific effects?”

Xia Zuo poured himself a cup of water and gulped down most of it. Only then did he finally recover from the lingering terror of suffocation.

“I identified it, Professor. This toxin causes convulsions, forcing the air from the chest, then constricts the nasal passages and throat, producing a powerful suffocating effect.”

Kurov nodded slowly. The corners of his mouth lifted as he stroked his narrow mustache. His tone held a hint of approval.

“Very good. That concludes tonight’s lesson. However, there is still plenty of time. You may try drinking the White Palate toxin a few more times and think about how to counteract its suffocating effect—or, rather, what its specific antidote might look like.”

Xia Zuo frowned in thought.

“A specific antidote?”

Kurov sank back into the soft sofa and quickly added before picking up his book:

“I mean an antidote—a first-aid medicine taken after poisoning—not a preventive functional drug taken beforehand.”

At the mention of an antidote, Xia Zuo’s first thought was a universal antidote.

There were roughly a thousand known compound toxins.

Any toxin made from those substances could be treated with a universal antidote.

But what was the principle behind it?

Xia Zuo searched his memory, but found no answer. Perhaps he had simply read too few books. He had never encountered anything about antidotes in his studies.

His health was slowly recovering. The dizziness in his head gradually receded, while the palpitations caused by suffocation lingered.

Xia Zuo gently rubbed his temples and sat beside the desk, eyes closed in deep thought.

The White Palate toxin’s lethality lay in its ability to constrict the nasal passages and throat.

Then why not use a toxin that expanded those passages to counteract it with poison?

Xia Zuo opened his copy of *The Separation of Toxins*.

There was no base toxin that only expanded the nasal passages and throat, but quite a few toxins had side effects capable of producing a similar result.

If he used one of those toxins to counteract White Palate, the suffocation would be resolved, but a new toxic effect would appear.

To eliminate that new effect, he would have to add other toxins to the antidote.

Under this chain of interactions, more than a dozen toxins would have to be blended together before the suffocating effect caused by White Palate could be removed without side effects.

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Making an antidote was far more difficult than making a poison…

Xia Zuo leaned back against the chair, a spark of inspiration flashing through his mind.

There was no need to pursue an antidote without side effects. As long as its toxicity was weaker than White Palate’s and it caused less harm to the body, that would be enough.

In numerical terms, one stack of Suffocation reduced health by 20 points per minute. All he needed was a negative effect that reduced less health and could replace it.

Xia Zuo sprang from his chair and hurried to the toxin cabinet to search for a suitable substance.

More than an hour later.

A bottle of vivid green liquid sat on the alchemy table.

It was the product of three base toxins mixed with clear water.

Xia Zuo cast Detection, and his expression became strange.

[Item Name] ????

[Item Type] Suspected Toxin

[Item Grade] Insufficient perception and knowledge reserves. Unable to obtain further information.

[Item Quality] Completion: 52%. Poor.

[Associated Resistance] Unknown.

[Item Description]

Prepared by mixing three base toxins with clear water. Created by Xia Zuo.

[Item Effect]

After consuming the entire bottle:

There is a 13% chance of triggering an unknown toxic effect.

There is a 17% chance of gaining one stack of Moderate Poisoning, reducing health by 5 points per minute for 1 minute.

There is a 70% chance of removing all states of Suffocation with no other effects.

It was the first toxin he had ever seen whose effects activated according to probability.

“Professor…”

Xia Zuo looked toward his mentor.

Kurov set down his book, walked to the alchemy table, picked up the unknown toxin Xia Zuo had prepared, pulled out the stopper, and sniffed it.

“Mm. The raw materials are correct, but you chose the wrong solvent during preparation. You shouldn’t have used clear water. Still, for you, this is already a very fine piece of work.”

Kurov placed the White Palate toxin and the unknown toxin in front of his student, then made a gesture inviting him to proceed.

Xia Zuo’s face stiffened. He glanced at the panel.

[Health] 34/45 (Healthy)

If he drank the two toxins one after another, the worst possible result would be for the unknown effect to trigger and reduce his health by more than 34 points…

“Er, Professor, I’d like to prepare it one more time. Which solvent do you think would be better?”

Xia Zuo asked.

Kurov walked straight to the storage rack and brought back a bottle of malt liquor, clearly knowing the correct formula.

Half an hour later.

Using malt liquor as the solvent, Xia Zuo prepared a new toxin. It had a 100% chance of removing Suffocation without producing any other effect.

So the correct solvent alone was enough to create a side-effect-free antidote. He had not needed to combine more than a dozen base toxins to cancel out their side effects.

This time, he did not hesitate.

He tilted his head back and drank one-third of the White Palate toxin. The moment Suffocation took effect, he immediately drank the unknown toxin.

[Health] 37/45 (Healthy → One stack of Suffocation → Healthy)

“Hahaha! I did it!”

Xia Zuo cheered.

Information from the system appeared in his mind:

“You have successfully consumed one-third of a bottle of White Palate toxin, self-produced. An additional 15% experience bonus has been awarded. You have gained 2.3 experience points, your Will attribute has increased by 0.023, and you have gained 0.023% Earth Resistance.”

“You have successfully consumed unknown toxin, self-produced. An additional 10% experience bonus has been awarded. You have gained 2.2 experience points, your Will attribute has increased by 0.022, and you have gained 0.022% Earth Resistance.”

!!!

Drinking the toxin and then taking the antidote not only avoided any loss of health, but also granted him two separate rewards!

Woohoo—he was going to get rich!

Xia Zuo excitedly waved his fists.

Kurov watched his delighted student with a smile.

“Class is over. Clean up everything on the table.”

“Professor, what is the specific antidote for this White Palate toxin called?”

Xia Zuo looked at his mentor expectantly.

“What else would it be called? White Palate Antidote.”

Kurov chuckled and walked toward the soft sofa.

Xia Zuo glanced at the table, rubbed his hands together, and gave a sheepish grin.

“Professor, look, there’s still one-third of a bottle of White Palate toxin left. Could I try making its antidote again?”

Kurov waved from the sofa and gave a muffled reply.

“Mm.”

Thirty minutes later.

Xia Zuo skillfully poured the White Palate toxin and its antidote down his throat. Two messages appeared in his mind, and he once again received two rewards: experience, Will attribute points, and Earth Resistance.

If only he could keep drinking them indefinitely. His experience would shoot upward in no time.

With a smile at the corners of his mouth, Xia Zuo quickly cleaned up the alchemy room. He resolved to perform well in front of Kurov and earn the right to use the Toxic Alchemy room freely as soon as possible.

8:10 p.m.

Xia Zuo returned to the dormitory, showered, changed into his nightclothes, and sat at his desk to read a character-based grimoire. He did not go to bed until half past ten.

After a busy day filled with gains, the comfortable soft bed soon carried him into dreams.

End of Chapter