Chapter 42: Practice with Applied Problems, Part Two

Chapter 42: Applied Problem Training (Part II)

"It's done."

Xavier placed the viscous substance into a glass vessel and set it on the alchemy workbench. "This is the Black-Eye Toxin. Heh, doesn't it look like a bouncy blob?"

Anjou poked the substance with a glass rod. The surface indented slightly before slowly springing back into shape.

"It really does. It’s a pity the elemental glow inside looks so gray; it doesn't look tasty at all."

She fished *Toxin Separation* out of her satchel, shook the book, and said, "I’m starting the identification now."

Xavier nodded, picked up *Toxin Aggregation*, and sat down at the desk.

[Tome Name: Toxin Aggregation]
[Tome Quality: Hall-Level Classic]
[Memory Reward: 70 XP, 0.4 Spirit Attribute points]
[Tome Set 1: Basic Course Textbook for Poison Alchemy, 3/7. Reward: 22 XP.]
[Tome Set 2: Proficiency-Level Poison Alchemist Exam Textbook, 3/7. Reward: 25 XP.]
[Tome Set 3: Compulsory Reading for Mage Apprentices at Starry Night Academy, 27/70. Reward: 230 XP.]
(Subsequent entries omitted)

He had obtained this book two days ago. It required four consecutive months of flawless performance and accurate identification results before Kurov would allow him to check it out. It was a mandatory textbook for the exam to advance from an entry-level to a proficiency-level poison alchemist. The contents covered more than a dozen types of complex toxins for both apprentice and entry levels, far more extensive than what was taught in class this semester.

The fact that Xavier had obtained this book in the current semester meant he was at least half a year ahead of all his peers in his progress in poison alchemy.

Time slipped away rapidly as he read.

An hour later, Anjou wrote the final note on her clipboard and walked over to the desk. "Can you see if my identification report is correct?"

Xavier looked up from his book, glanced at her elegant handwriting, and then retrieved his own identification report from the desk's small cabinet.

Kurov would grade students' reports in red ink, marking errors or inaccurate phrasing, and writing the correct information alongside them. This served as a perfect reference.

Xavier laid the two reports side by side, his eyes darting back and forth as he checked the records item by item. "It’s certainly convenient to be able to see the elemental glow. Your report is much more detailed and accurate than mine."

"Mm~ so, give me a score then," Anjou said, her lips curling into a smile.

"At least a 92. There are a few points I’m not sure about; I’ll ask the professor when I get the chance."

Xavier scratched the back of his head and stood up to clear the table. "That blob of Black-Eye Toxin won't last long; we need to use it up. Why don't you prepare it into a Black-Eye toxin agent?"

"Okay~"

"The formula is in the *Encyclopedia of Toxins*. Look for it. The solvents you need are over there." Xavier pointed to a cabinet filled with bottles and jars.

The preparation method for the Black-Eye toxin agent was simple. Anjou memorized it within a few minutes. She brought the slurry jar to the alchemy workbench, put on her mask, and grabbed the blower handle. "I’m starting."

Xavier stood nearby and nodded.

*Whoosh.*

Flames erupted from the furnace, gently heating the bottom of the crucible. Anjou added a few drops of clear water, waited for them to evaporate, then poured in the slurry. She stirred it slowly with a spoon until fine bubbles appeared, then added the Black-Eye Toxin. She pulled the handle three times, closed the furnace vents, and continued stirring until the brown, viscous substance had completely dissolved.

"That was actually quite simple." Anjou lifted her chin slightly and gave a triumphant smile. "Can I try refining the toxin now?"

Xavier handed her three glass vials. "You can, you can. Finish bottling this batch of toxin agents first, then clean the crucible and spoon."

While she cleaned the workbench, he opened *Toxin Aggregation* to the section on Black-Eye Toxin, flattening the pages and weighting them down with an ink bottle.

"The formula is right here. The two basic toxins required are on the shelf to the right of the workbench."

Anjou seemed to notice his thoughtfulness and turned back with a sweet smile.

7:30 PM.

Anjou stood before the alchemy workbench with a solemn expression, checking the placement of the raw materials one last time. She took a deep breath, pulled the blower cord, and added one-fifth of the clear water and base medicine into the crucible.

"First, the Wither-Brown Toxin." She used a dropper to add three drops. "Mm, I can see the tiny brown specks of light from the toxin merging with the base medicine."

Seeing her mesmerized by the elemental glow, Xavier reminded her, "Keep stirring. Don't let the Wither-Brown Toxin stick to the sides."

"Oh, right! I almost forgot. Good thing you reminded me." Anjou tapped her head and hurriedly stirred the crucible.

Once the liquid turned brown, she added Ginger-White Toxin. While stirring, she asked, "Now I should use low heat to steam off the moisture, right?"

Xavier nodded. "Yes. Remember to put out the fire before it dries out completely."

Anjou slowly moved the spoon, then suddenly leaned back. "Something is about to float out."

As soon as she spoke, a pungent odor erupted from the crucible.

"Huh? The bright specks are floating away." Her gaze followed a cloud of brown mist into the ventilation pipe, then she looked back at the crucible. "The dim specks are still inside."

Xavier raised an eyebrow and cast *Detection* on the liquid in the crucible. The feedback indicated that in about three minutes, the moisture would be completely evaporated, resulting in a 97% completion rate—about 5% higher than his own self-made batch.

Anjou stirred for several dozen more seconds, her lips curling into a smile. "Only a tiny pinch of bright specks left. I reckon it'll be done after a little more steaming."

Xavier calculated the time, and it matched the information from his *Detection* spell perfectly.

He was momentarily dazed. He hadn't expected high Spirit attributes to be so effective in alchemy, almost rivaling the *Detection* spell. Was his Spirit attribute just that well-suited for alchemy, or was the spell so powerful that it could calculate completion rates while ignoring the requirements of the Spirit attribute?

It had to be the latter. No matter how strong one's Spirit attribute was, it would be impossible to intuitively figure out the effects of unknown complex toxins. The *Detection* spell was irreplaceable in poison alchemy.

"Take a look for me—is it dry enough?" Anjou pulled the cord to shut down the furnace and lifted the brown, viscous substance with a spatula.

Xavier used *Detection* to examine it and said confidently, "It's perfect. The heat was just right."

"Yay!"

Anjou placed the substance into a glass box and tapped it with the spatula, creating a soft *pat-pat-pat* sound. "I think I did a pretty good job, don't you?"

Xavier leaned in with a magnifying glass. The color was uniform, the internal granular impurities were minimal, and even from the appearance alone, it was clearly a superior product.

"Excellent, truly excellent. Much better than I could do." Xavier chuckled.

Seeing that it was nearly 8:00 PM, the two turned the final batch of Black-Eye Toxin into toxin agents for storage, cleaned the alchemy room, and headed back to their respective dormitories to rest.