paranoianovel Chapter 40 Refining the Qi-Nourishing Pill
Chapter 40 Refining the Qi-Nourishing Pill
Lin Er was somewhat surprised. He had commissioned Barnard to forge the alchemy furnace simply to make do for now, and his requirements were not high; an ordinary one would suffice.
Unexpectedly, Barnard actually built him a high-grade alchemy furnace; those 30 coins were definitely worth it.
Barnard was curious about the strangely shaped furnace, as it was his first time building one, and he couldn't help but ask Lin Er about its purpose.
Lin Er replied, "This is what I intend to use for making medicine."
Barnard suddenly realized, touching his bald head: "So the customer is an alchemist."
He was already used to it; alchemists and alchemists liked to create all sorts of strange and unusual things.
Lin Er remembered that he still needed to inquire about magical equipment. He had just wanted to check if the blacksmith shop had any, but after scanning around, he found that they only had some very ordinary equipment.
So he asked Barnard for information, since Barnard was also a blacksmith and might know something.
Barnard replied, "If you want to have enchanted equipment crafted, you'll need a permit from the town hall or the guild. We wouldn't dare to craft it on our own."
Lin Er fell into deep thought and asked, "What does this note mean?"
Seeing that Lin Er paid the balance so readily, and since there was nothing urgent at the store at the moment, Barnard patiently explained the situation to him in detail.
In Blackrock City, there are no restrictions on citizens purchasing swords, armor, or even bows and crossbows.
The only problem is that enchanted equipment has many restrictions; ordinary people can't buy it, and blacksmiths and forges can't just create it at will.
Crafting this enchanted equipment is also very troublesome, requiring not only precious materials but also the blacksmith to use superb craftsmanship based on the materials.
After the base material for enchanted equipment is crafted, a specialized enchanter is needed to enchant it before the enchanted equipment is considered complete.
Therefore, even if it's just an enchanted item with mediocre effects, its price is much higher than that of ordinary equipment.
Lin Er also learned that once you reach the Silver level in the guild, you can buy enchanted equipment, but there are conditions.
He had already learned from Flora that he needed to sign a relevant contract with the guild.
After understanding everything, Lin Er thanked Barnard, wrapped up the alchemy furnace, and turned to walk towards the herbal shop.
……
Lin Er hadn't been to Carlisle's place for several days without giving any advance notice, so he planned to go and check on things, and also collect the final payment.
Upon seeing Carlisle, he approached and said:
"Mr. Lin Er, why are you only arriving now? I went to the tavern where you were staying to ask, and the owner said you left a few days ago and haven't come back. I was so worried."
Lin Er also felt that he had been neglecting his duties for the past few days while staying at Flora's house, and had actually forgotten about this matter, which made him feel a little guilty.
"I'm so sorry, I've been recuperating at a good friend's house these past few days."
Carlisle's expression tightened, and he quickly moved closer to check Lin'er's condition. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Lin'er looked well.
He hasn't yet learned how to use the Mountain Orchid Treatment, so Lin Er must be careful not to get into trouble.
Lin Er then asked, "How are the potion sales?"
Hearing this, Carlyle smiled again and replied:
"I priced it at 10 francs, and it sold out within five days."
Its effects are similar to other potions, but it tastes better, and some customers have repurchased it after initial purchase. However, most customers still choose the older version of the potion.
Lin Er thought it was normal. The inferior version of Rejuvenating Dew had no advantage over regular healing potions. Its biggest advantage was its cost, but Carlisle had no intention of lowering the price.
As a newly released medicine, it would be good enough if it could even gain market share.
He felt that keeping a low profile was enough; engaging in price wars to seize the market might cause trouble given his current lack of strength.
Lin Er said, "I plan to refine another batch this time."
Carlisle looked delighted and said with a smile, "Mr. Lin'er, you'll have to refine a lot this time, otherwise I won't have enough to sell."
Although Lin'er took the lion's share of the profits, this potion was still more profitable than the old version of the healing potion, so Carlisle was quite happy to sell it and wanted to fill the shelves to the brim.
Lin Er nodded to Carlisle and went into the shop to concoct medicine with his help.
Carlisle was very enthusiastic and carefully studied each step, hoping to learn it by stealing it as soon as possible.
2 hours passed.
A new, inferior version of the Rejuvenating Dew has been made, totaling fifty bottles.
According to the contract, Carlisle had to pay him 350 francs, plus the previous balance of 40 francs.
Carlyle: "Mr. Lin, I don't have that much cash on hand right now. How about I pay half upfront, and I'll pay the other half after I sell the goods?"
Lin Er wasn't in a hurry to accept it, as this was a long-term collaboration, so he agreed.
"I can pay half, but you have to give me a few wild orchids as a gift."
Carlisle sounded a little nervous upon hearing this and asked, "Mr. Lin'er, are you preparing to go back to refine medicine?"
Seeing his nervous expression, Lin Er couldn't help but find it amusing and said:
"Don't worry, I'll use it myself."
Carlisle's expression returned to normal, and he generously gave away more than twenty wild orchids, along with 215 dou coins as a reward.
To be honest, the environment here in Carlisle is very good, making it perfect for alchemy.
However, the Qi-Nourishing Pill is related to Lin Er's cultivation, so he must be cautious and find a place where no one will disturb him.
Lin Er took the materials and went directly to the forest where he had practiced swordsmanship before.
After placing the alchemy furnace, he put the blood-coagulating grass and rootless water inside.
This was his first real attempt at alchemy. Although he had already gained experience in refining the Qi-Nourishing Pill, he was still uneasy and prepared to take back the Spring Dew to test it out.
Unlike in the shop, Lin Er openly and honestly used real fire to refine it.
Soon, a genuine batch of Rejuvenating Dew was refined.
Its effect is far superior to the inferior version; if Carlisle saw it, he would probably be amazed.
Seeing that the Rejuvenating Dew had been successfully refined, Lin Er felt even more at ease.
Afterwards, the Rejuvenating Dew was completely packaged. It took more than twenty mountain orchids to refine two bottles, and the yield was much lower than the inferior version. However, compared with its effects, this cost was negligible.
Lin Er cleaned the alchemy furnace thoroughly. Instead of starting the refining process, he took all three Nine Spirit Grasses and three Spirit Ginsengs in front of him and examined them carefully.
Although these medicinal herbs grow together, their medicinal properties differ. Before refining them, it is necessary to determine their approximate medicinal properties so as to have a clear understanding of their effects.
When necessary, the medicinal materials should be processed in advance to reduce the difficulty of refining.
After Lin Er had determined everything, he placed them into the alchemy furnace and then added an appropriate amount of rootless water.
He put the stove lid on to make sure it was sealed and leak-proof.
Refining medicine can be simple in some ways. As long as you can use spiritual energy and true fire, and the medicinal materials are of good quality, it is easy to refine pills.
Lin Er was able to refine the Spring Dew after only looking at the recipe.
Unless it's an extremely difficult-to-make elixir, there's no need to test one's alchemy skills.
Fortunately, refining the Qi-Nourishing Pill is not too difficult.
However, the quality and quantity of the pills produced are related to the alchemy skills, requiring meticulous control using spiritual energy and true fire to minimize the loss of medicinal power.
Generally speaking, the more pills you refine at once, the more perfectly you utilize their medicinal power, and the higher the yield of the Qi-Nourishing Pill will be.
Refining pills one batch at a time is safe, but each batch only yields about two or three pills, which is far from enough.
This is why he would refine three portions at the same time.
However, this also significantly increases the difficulty.
Fortunately, Lin Er had already gained proficiency in refining the Qi-Nourishing Pill and had now reached the level of mastery.
"However, we still can't be careless. We don't want to end up with only three Qi-Nourishing Pills as our minimum guarantee."
After saying this, Lin Er directed the true fire to envelop the alchemy furnace.
Refined with real fire, the medicinal properties evaporate rapidly.
He then used true fire to suppress all the medicinal power that was about to dissipate, but he couldn't suppress it too much, otherwise it would become a useless pill.
After all the medicinal materials have turned into liquid, one must also focus on controlling them to make the liquid gather into pills one by one.
All of this was done in the alchemy furnace, invisible to the naked eye, relying entirely on experience.
Two hours later, he was exhausted, sweat beaded on his face, and he was already quite tired.
However, the results are also very encouraging. Twelve pills are about to take shape in the furnace. If there are no unexpected problems, this batch will be a great success.
Lin Er dared not relax at all; there was still one thing on his mind.
"The only problem now is that the Peiyuan Pill absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth when it is formed, but there is no spiritual energy in heaven and earth at all now."
He had just mentioned spiritual energy when a gust of wind swept over, creating a tornado centered on the alchemy furnace.
Even the surrounding scenery dimmed, and a familiar yet strange force surged forth.
Lin Er immediately realized what was going on.
Isn't this the scene when he broke through his cultivation level?
He couldn't help but look at the alchemy furnace and exclaimed:
"Are you also aiming for a breakthrough?"