What do you mean by "this is a dating game"?

Elliott went it alone and did not convert the others at the resin mine into believers in the Pain.

After realizing what was happening, the mine's security captain immediately organized his men to control the situation.

Before setting off, considering the possibility of conflict, Sieg and his group went to the Blackscale City Police Department and asked them to bring people from the accounting firm to audit the accounts.

now.

Police officers arrived at the scene, and the risk was largely eliminated.

In Elliott's office.

Emilia sat in the chair, her emerald eyes glancing between Sieg and Nefa, eager to know what was going on.

Why is there a lush, green tree at the bottom of that mine?

Elliott was impaled on a stake and died a gruesome death. Was it Seager who did it?

and also……

What about the rotting corpse in the tree?

but.

Both Sieg and Nepha remained silent. Emilia was unsure whether to ask, or perhaps it was better to remain silent.

Only little girls ask so many questions out of curiosity.

It is obvious that she is a kind and understanding lady who would not make things difficult for anyone.

The reward from past illusions, the Thunderthorn Staff Blade, lies horizontally on the desk.

Sieg was worried that others would see him, so he borrowed Emilia's cloak and wrapped himself up tightly.

Purple quality.

Epic specifications.

This longsword is so valuable it's breathtaking. At an auction, it would easily fetch 10,000 gold dragon coins. Emilia has a magic crystal mine, but it only yields 2,000 gold dragon coins a year.

As for that rusty bronze dagger...

This should be a symbol of identity; possessing it means being a member of the "Painful Miracle".

There are several runes on the blade.

Sieg didn't quite understand. It looked like a perception rune, something that someone who had mastered a specific technique could sense where the dagger was.

Who knows, someone might come knocking on our door later. It's hard to say whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Sieg looked up at the somewhat uneasy Emilia and asked, "In your current condition, are you fit to enter the Fire Palace?"

That's incredibly blunt!

Emilia was a little flustered. She peered at Sig's face—Sig's face was expressionless, showing neither rejection nor reassurance.

Nefa also turned her gaze towards him.

When facing the enemy, one's body stiffens, making it impossible to counterattack, let alone evade...

How could someone like that possibly enter the Sui Palace?

Emila felt somewhat ashamed and lowered her head, saying, "I...maybe it's a bit difficult. Um, shouldn't I...talk to Miss Grapefruit?"

Is this something that should or shouldn't be done?

This must be said!

If they can't fight, wouldn't entering the Fire Palace just be a hindrance?

Sieg's questioning gaze undoubtedly stung Emila.

She sat upright, her hands resting on her knees, looking extremely obedient: "Mr. Sieg, it's like this... I have mastered several buff spells that can provide a boost before the battle begins. As for the essence, I chose 'Hand of Soothing,' so it shouldn't be... too much of a letdown."

Oh, that's a little better.

Sieg nodded. Emilia wasn't too outrageous; if she couldn't overcome her flaws, she could expand horizontally.

Among the first-tier essences, the Soothing Hand is unique and rare, granting adventurers healing abilities, especially excelling in stopping bleeding.

His expression softened slightly, and his gaze became much gentler.

However, deep down, some evil thoughts abound!

Emilia owns a mine, and there are plenty of fat sheep.

We must tie her to the chariot and make her willingly become a tireless ATM.

Sieg asked, "Have you received any buffs like the Blessing of Courage?"

"I did accept it, but it didn't really help."

Emilia grew increasingly embarrassed, and she pretended to fix her hair: "Perhaps that Holy Spirit Cult monk wasn't skilled enough?"

Sieg waved his hand: "Anyone who can bless you is skilled enough, right? You're not some nobody."

"...That's true."

"If even the blessing of courage is ineffective, it means your timidity is not psychological, but pathological."

What does it mean to be cowardly?

Mr. Sieg's words are so blunt, it's really annoying.

Emilia was somewhat dissatisfied, but she couldn't express it.

Sieg's conclusion is correct.

She had heard similar claims before.

Emilia sighed softly and said, "A doctor once said something similar, and he prescribed some medicine for me, but... it didn't work after I took it."

"It didn't work because he doesn't know what he's doing. It's very difficult to cure your problem completely, and I can't do it right now either, but pressing it for a while is still very simple."

It was very sudden.

Sieg said this.

Emilia was truly astonished. She looked up in surprise and asked, "...Really? Mr. Sieg, you're not kidding me, are you?"

"By the Lord of the Fire Palace, I will not lie to my sisters."

Sieg raised his left hand and placed it on his right shoulder, his face extremely devout!

He said in a serious tone, "I have some knowledge of alchemy and know a recipe that can be used to make an alchemical decoction called 'Boiling Blood Pill.' That decoction will kill ordinary people, but it will have limited harm to extraordinary individuals. After you take it, you should be able to overcome your fear of battle."

"??"

real or fake?

Emilia turned her head and looked at Nefarian.

Nephallus chuckled. "Don't let Sieg's youth fool you; his alchemy skills are quite refined. Why don't we head back now? There should be someone in charge here at the mine, right?"

"Of course. The family just sent a letter, and my butler has already set off for here. We can leave now."

Emilia was somewhat impatient.

Of the three people present, she was the most devout in her faith in the "Lord of the Fire Palace".

The Savior sent them to the shallow abyss, and Emilia believed that she would regret it for the rest of her life if she could not go because of her own reasons!

Moreover, her inability to face weapons was a long-standing inner demon and the root of her suffering.

If it could truly be contained...

Sieg stood up and said, "Let's go back! We need to resolve Emilia's problem quickly. There are only three of us followers of the Lord of the Fire Palace. We are brothers and sisters, and we must help each other and support each other through thick and thin. We must not easily abandon one another!"

What is this?

Why do I feel so warm inside?

Emilia smiled, her emerald eyes scrutinizing Sieg.

For the first time, she realized, wow, this Sieg is actually quite handsome.

……

……

The moon was bright and the stars were few; the sea breeze was biting; the night in Blackscale City was very cold.

"arrive."

Emila stepped down from the carriage, pointed to a large villa with lights on in front of her, and laughed, "I originally planned to use this house as the regimental headquarters, but it seems we don't need it anymore."

She has joined the cat team and no longer needs her own team headquarters.

The villa is located in the most bustling area of ​​Blackscale City, offering a quiet retreat amidst the hustle and bustle, with a lively night market just three streets away.

Emilia led Sieg and the others inside, and servants immediately came forward.

She had her servants prepare dinner, while she took Sieg and headed towards the alchemy workshop.

Enchantment is all about the carving and combination of runes;

Alchemy, on the other hand, is all about the extraction and application of the properties of substances, a chemical industry with a touch of fantasy.

Take life-saving medicine as an example.

Alchemy extracts beneficial components from substances and makes them into capsules or solutions that are easily absorbed by the human body; that's all.

Compared to enchanting, alchemy has a lower barrier to entry.

If an enchanter can't do it, then they really can't. Carving runes at the microscopic level is truly difficult.

Alchemists rely primarily on knowledge, with less emphasis on physical skill, and can depend on tools.

Inside the workshop.

The store had a wide variety of alchemical equipment, including several models that Sieg had never seen before, which were probably the latest models.

A large cauldron was bubbling and steaming. Sieg stepped forward, glanced at it, and said, "Kudzu root, houttuynia cordata, and...cilantro, a tranquilizer."

Emilia stood beside him and smiled, "I've hired an alchemist to concoct elixirs that are beneficial to my cultivation. He was a novice alchemist ten years ago and is currently working on obtaining an intermediate certificate."

Nefa placed the raw materials she had bought on her way back on the worktable.

He looked at Sieg: "Do you want me to help you with the materials?"

No need to.

Just as Sieg was about to speak, footsteps suddenly sounded.

He turned his head and saw a young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six years old walking briskly towards him.

The man had a head of brilliant blond hair, wore a pair of skinny jeans that made his legs look longer, and his thin jacket was unbuttoned, leaving his chest exposed.

He glanced at Sieg, then at Emilia, and asked, "Young Miss, who are these two?"

Here it comes!

Is this the moment when I'll be proven wrong for showing off?

Sieg smiled as he sized up the newcomer, then remained silent.

Emilia became more vigilant!

She knew the people she had hired; this blond man in front of her, Mr. Steven, was never a humble person.

Not wanting her employee to clash with her "brother," she immediately said, "This is my friend. Mr. Sieg said he would concoct an alchemical decoction that would help me overcome my fear of battle."

"……Oh."

Steven smiled.

He showed no politeness, taking two steps to the side and sizing up Sieg: "Sir, the young lady is a great employer, and even more so, a kind person! I simply cannot stand by and watch her be deceived. What alchemical elixir can help her overcome her fear?"

Sieg remained as steady as a mountain: "What are your thoughts?"

"I have no opinion. Precisely because I have no opinion, that's why I question the credibility of your claims!" Steven scoffed. "Perhaps you don't know, but the president of the Borderland Alchemy Association once tried to concoct a medicine for the young lady, but to no avail!"

You're just some nobody who popped up out of nowhere, what gives you the right to make such a boast?

Out of consideration for Emilia, Steven refrained from uttering that harsh question.

Emilia took a deep breath.

She's starting to get a headache.

the other side.

Sieg's emotions remained largely unchanged. He looked at Steven's chest and noticed that he was wearing the insignia of a novice alchemist.

It's almost 10 p.m., aren't you going to take the emblem down yet?

This Steven seems very determined and proud of his identity as an alchemist.

If he were a pure scholar, rather than a speculative broker.

Then Sieg only needs to make a slight move to subdue him.

Sieg took out the gem from the workbench.

Dark red, with a surging, fiery energy flowing within.

He asked, "Mr. Steven, this is a 'Blood Crystal Stone.' If it were you, how would you extract the restless essence within?"

"A pointless question!"

Steven didn't want to answer Sieg's question; he didn't think Sieg was qualified to test him.

but……

Let's just consider it a lesson for him.

Steven said, "The best way to process blood crystal is the 'combination method.' Bury the blood crystal in corundum and break it up. The released essence will combine with the corundum. Then melt the corundum in a distillation kettle to perfectly extract the essence."

"trouble."

Sieg crushed the blood crystal with his bare hands!

The outer shell landed with a soft rustling sound, but the essence sealed within did not evaporate; instead, it condensed into a bright red powder in Sieg's palm.

Steven's eyes widened.

The person in front of me... can refine gold with their bare hands?!

"this--"

Steven took two quick steps and grabbed Sieg's wrist without saying a word, with tremendous force.

His eyes widened, his pupils dilated in shock. As a novice alchemist, he could tell that the essence extracted by Sieg was of extremely high purity, far superior to the "combination method" he had mentioned.

Sieg withdrew his hand and said, "You look surprised. Alchemy by hand isn't difficult. Which of the great alchemists in history, those who could condense the Philosopher's Stone, couldn't do alchemy by hand?"

Steven just found it bizarre.

He looked at Sieg and changed his form of address: "You... Mr. Sieg, whose student are you?"

"I learn from heaven and earth; I have no teacher."

Sieg responded coldly, saying no more, and focused on separating the necessary substances.

Sera's save file has a very high status, and its skills and items are undoubtedly powerful.

"Intermediate Alchemy" sounds so-so.

How come it's only intermediate level?

However, this intermediate level is not the same as that intermediate level. The alchemy of the Demon King of the East is not the alchemy of ordinary people.

The ability to operate without relying on alchemical instruments is a hallmark of novice Demon King alchemy.

Polarized extraction, which ensures the purity of the extract, is a mid-level proof.

To reach the advanced level, one needs to achieve "equivalent substitution." Sieg disregards the rules and can arbitrarily transform one property into another equivalent property.

Such a magical and awe-inspiring power, which can be called "creation," is extremely difficult to control.

Even if Sieg is a player, he cannot reach that level easily; in the end, he will only reach the intermediate level, not the advanced level.

Nepha stood by the control panel, watching Sieg alchemy.

A hand suddenly reached out, pressed down hard on his shoulder, and pulled him back without any politeness, dragging him to the wall of the workshop.

"?"

Nephallus turned his head and saw Steven's extremely serious expression and impolite tone: "Sir, didn't you see Master Sieg trying out a formula that has never been made public?"

Nepha was taken aback: "Sieg... Master?"

"Extracting by hand—what else could it be but a master?"

Steven was very serious.

He added with a warning tone, "You look quite old, how can you be so insensible? Standing so close, looking so closely, are you trying to steal Master Sieg's secret formula?"

"...That's not what I meant."

There is no best!

Humph.

Steven looked at Emila, who was completely bewildered and didn't understand why he had suddenly changed his attitude, and said, "Miss, it's best to avoid certain situations... Master Sieg is very magnanimous and hasn't dismissed us, so we should give him the utmost respect. Please come over here so that the master won't misunderstand."