Conquer the other worlds with abandon, they've fallen in love with me!

Holly followed Lin Yu's gaze.

Among the group of girls downstairs, one girl was sitting in the very corner.

She had a black bob haircut and was wearing a gray dress.

Unlike the other girls, she wasn't embroidering or reading; instead, she was looking down at her hands.

He held a small handful of dried herbs in his hand, grinding the leaves between his fingertips as if trying to identify something.

Her posture was also very different; her back was very straight, her shoulders were open, and her chin was slightly raised.

It didn't seem like he was resting on a soft bench; rather, it was as if he were attending a formal occasion. His manners were very proper, and he was clearly of noble birth.

"What's her name?" Lin Yu asked.

Holly followed his gaze: "The glass camellia. My grandmother bought it six months ago."

Lin Yu stared at the girl for a few seconds.

You could smell a faint medicinal scent on her, mixed in with the scent of her clothes and hair; you couldn't smell it unless you sniffed carefully.

"She's learning alchemy," Lin Yu said.

Holly paused, taken aback. "How did you know?"

"I could smell it; she smells of medicinal herbs." Lin Yu looked away.

Holly walked to the window, glanced down, and then looked back at Lin Yu.

"Mr. Lin Yu, you are truly amazing." Holly said sincerely, "I haven't been in charge of my grandmother's business for long, so I don't know much about these girls' situations."

"You noticed so much as soon as you arrived."

"Miss Holly, just treat me as a normal friend," Lin Yu said calmly.

Holly blushed, realizing she had been a bit too flattering.

"Go downstairs first." Lin Yu turned and walked towards the door.

The two went downstairs.

The girls stood up again, their eyes all fixed on Lin Yu.

Holly clapped her hands: "Sit down, everyone, it's alright."

She walked up to Liuli Chun.

Liuli Chun raised her head.

Her face was small, with a pointed chin and fair, delicate skin.

His eyes were dark brown with very black pupils, and he had a blank expression when looking at people.

Upon seeing Lin Yu behind Holly, she shrank back a little.

His back slammed against the wall with a dull thud.

"Don't be afraid." Holly gently placed her hand on her knee. "Mr. Lin Yu is not a bad person."

Liuli Chun's gaze shifted from Holly's face to Lin Yu's face.

In those deep brown eyes, fear and wariness were mixed together, like a small animal cornered against a wall.

Lin Yu leaned down in front of her, his gaze level with hers.

"Your name is Ruri Tsubaki?"

Liuli Chun didn't speak, her lips were pursed, and her chin was tense.

"I won't hurt you," Lin Yu said. "You smell of medicinal herbs on you; you're learning alchemy, aren't you?"

Ruri Tsubaki's pupils contracted slightly.

She looked down at her fingers, where dried herb fragments were still under her nails.

After several seconds, she nodded.

"Yes." The voice was very soft, like a mosquito's buzz, but the words were enunciated clearly, with a deliberate attempt to maintain a dignified demeanor.

"I'm learning... self-taught."

"Didn't anyone teach you?"

"No one taught me," Ruri Tsubaki said, her voice rising slightly. "I learned by myself from books."

She looked up at Lin Yu, then quickly lowered her head again:

"At home...at my previous home, there were a few books on alchemy, and I've read some of them."

Lin Yu looked at her.

Her fingers were twisting on her knees, and her shoulders were trembling slightly.

Lin Yu reached out and gently placed his palm on the top of her head.

Ruri Tsubaki's body tensed up suddenly, as if she had been electrocuted.

But Lin Yu's hand didn't move; it just rested gently on his palm, his fingers not applying any pressure.

"Don't be afraid," he said softly.

Liulichun's eyelashes trembled.

She glanced up at Lin Yu, then looked down again.

The tension in my shoulders eased a little, but I wasn't completely relaxed.

"Can you bring me your crucible and materials now?" Lin Yu withdrew his hand.

"I'm going to brew a potion. You can watch and see what happens; you might learn something."

Liulichun's eyes lit up.

She glanced at Holly.

Holly nodded.

Liuli Chun jumped off the stool and ran towards the depths of the corridor.

The wooden floorboards creaked under her feet, and the hem of her gray dress fluttered behind her.

Holly watched her retreating figure, then turned to Lin Yu and said, "This is the first time I've seen her so enthusiastic."

Lin Yu didn't say anything.

A few minutes later, Ruri Tsubaki returned carrying a wooden box.

The box was small, with worn-out edges and faded patterns engraved on it.

She placed the box on the table and opened the lid.

Inside lay a miniature crucible, smaller than a normal one. The walls of the crucible were blackened by the fire, but it was wiped very clean, without a speck of dust.

Next to it were a dozen or so small medicine bottles, each with a label with neat handwriting.

"This is... mine." Ruri Tsubaki stood by the table, her hands hanging at her sides, her voice a little tense:

"The product isn't very good, but it works."

Lin Yu picked up the crucible and looked at it. Cracks had appeared on the bottom of the pot, caused by improper use.

But it hasn't cracked completely yet, so it's still usable.

"It's fine," he said.

Liuli Chun's lips twitched slightly, then she pressed them back down.

Lin Yu took the medicinal herbs out of the wooden box and laid them out on the table one by one.

Peppermint leaves, lavender, rosemary, lemongrass, and several kinds of dried flowers.

He picked up a mint leaf, crushed it in his palm, brought it close to his nose, and nodded.

Liuli Chun stood beside him, her eyes fixed on his hands, watching the steps he took to concoct the medicine.

Lin Yu's movements were not fast, but every step was precise.

Sorting, weighing, and grinding.

The girls around gathered around.

The one with pigtails squeezed to the front, standing on tiptoe to look at the table. The fabric at her chest was stretched taut, revealing a small section of her fair skin at the neckline.

Standing next to her was a short girl, only about 1.4 meters tall, reaching only to other people's shoulders. She had a round face and round eyes, and was wearing a faded floral dress.

A slender, white leg peeked out from under the skirt, and wooden clogs adorned her feet, her toes round and pink.

There was another woman who was a little older, leaning against the table with her arms crossed, her long black hair draped over her shoulders, her features more mature, and her figure fuller than the others.

The cotton dress was fitted tightly at the waist, accentuating a slender waist, while the hips widened to the sides, stretching the fabric to make the buttocks appear round and plump.

They all carried the same aura.

Pure and without impurities, like freshly picked fruit still covered in dew.

It smells like milk, soap powder, and the warm scent emanating from beneath a young girl's skin.

Mixed together, the fragrance filled this small corner with a sweet and soft aroma.

Lin Yu remained calm, having seen his share of ups and downs.

There were exactly 10 girls around him, and at that moment, one sentence came to Lin Yu's mind:

"I want to take on 10."

Without much thought, Lin Yu poured his magic into the crucible.

The bottom of the pot darkens in color after being heated, changing from grayish-black to dark red.

He poured some basic solvent into the pot, and the liquid spread out at the bottom of the pot, bubbling with tiny bubbles.

Add the peppermint powder first.

The moment the powder came into contact with the liquid, a cool aroma burst forth, gushing out of the pot.

The girls watching gasped in astonishment.

"It's so cold—" someone whispered.

Liuli Chun didn't make a sound, but her nose twitched, and after a brief moment of distraction, she seemed to regain her focus.

Just as she was about to carefully observe how Lin Yu did it, she discovered that Lin Yu had already completed the refining process in the instant she was distracted.

"How could this be... I was just lost in thought." Ruri Tsubaki thought with frustration.

At this moment, Lin Yu's voice rang out: "This is the Awakening Elixir."

As he spoke, Lin Yu shook the light blue liquid in the bottle.

The room fell silent for a moment.

The girl with braids spoke first: "So pretty..."

"Like a gemstone..."

"It smells so refreshing..."

Liuli Chun stared at the bottle of potion, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"Smell it." Lin Yu handed the bottle to her.