The easiest thing to remove was the ring, so Zhang Yanhang took off all the Crimson Iron Rings at once and set them aside because if his equipment gave a bonus, he wouldn’t be able to use the Crimson Iron Ant King Concentrated Hormone.
After removing ten Crimson Iron Rings, Zhang Yanhang picked up a bottle of Crimson Iron Ant King Concentrated Hormone next to him, pulled the cork, and poured it directly into his mouth.
This second-place prize was an Alchemy Potion, so the outer packaging was that traditional type with a tall, slender glass bottle sealed with a cork.
It looked identical to the small Magic Recovery Potion that Zhang Yanhang had obtained before, except that the liquid inside was a different color; one was crimson, while the other was pale blue.
If possible, Zhang Yanhang would also like to use this type of packaging for the Alchemy Potions he might make in the future, not for any particular reason but simply because he felt this type of packaging had a certain appeal.
What surprised Zhang Yanhang was that, although the Crimson Iron Ant King Concentrated Hormone looked very thick, it actually melted as soon as it hit his mouth and even had a faint fruity fragrance.
He didn’t know if there was something wrong with his taste buds or if the Alchemist had added some special ingredients, but he strangely found the taste quite pleasant, somewhat like drinking fruit-flavored yogurt, although yogurt doesn’t come in fruit flavors.
After drinking the first bottle of Crimson Iron Ant King Concentrated Hormone, Zhang Yanhang just briefly smacked his lips to savor the taste and then immediately opened and drank a second bottle.
Having finished two bottles of Crimson Iron Ant King Concentrated Hormone, Zhang Yanhang didn’t immediately check his Attribute List but picked up another small glass bottle, the first-prize "Crimson Iron Ant Queen Hormone Essence (solid compressed)."
Before using the Crimson Iron Ant Queen Hormone Essence, Zhang Yanhang checked its Attribute List; although he hadn’t seen it before, just from the name, he felt that its effects should be similar to the Crimson Iron Ant King Concentrated Hormone, both used for increasing Charm attributes.
"Crimson Iron Ant Queen Hormone Essence (solid compressed)"
[Quality: Dark Purple]
[Origin: Ashen World, Crimson Iron Ore Vein, Small Crimson Iron Ant Nest Dalagu, Outer Zone, Lucky Slot Machine.]
[Usage Effect: Charm +3, Reproduction Ability +20%.]
[Usage Requirements: Charm lower than 50 points.]
[Score: 248 (Dark Purple Items score from 151 to 260).]
[Introduction: After reaping certain benefits from the Crimson Iron Ant King Concentrated Hormone, the Nameless Blacksmith turned his sights on the Crimson Iron Ant Queen. He once again sought the part-time Druid who was also an Alchemist, hoping to employ the same technique to extract the hormone from the Ant Queen.
However, the part-time Druid Alchemist was extremely reluctant and expressed, "It only took a few seconds, but it requires a lifetime to heal." The previous experience of transforming into the Ant Queen to tease the Ant King had become a painfully vivid memory ingrained in his mind, which haunted him in his dreams, awakening him suddenly and leaving him sleepless for long periods.
The Nameless Blacksmith, however, was unscrupulously determined to obtain the Crimson Iron Ant Queen’s hormone. He threatened that if the Alchemist refused to do so, he would expose the Alchemist’s previous "nocturnal pleasures" with the Crimson Iron Ant King, making it known to everyone.
To avoid ruin, the Alchemist had no choice but to repeat the procedure and thus obtained the Crimson Iron Ant Queen Hormone, which he then processed into the essence through solid compression.]
"Good grief, I was wondering why there was suddenly a part-time Druid involved—turns out it was a setup waiting to happen?!
I initially thought the Alchemist might use some kind of ant-specific hallucinatory love potion, but who would’ve thought he’d actually step into the fray himself, going to such lengths just to obtain the Crimson Iron Ant King’s hormone?"
Since the introduction suggested that legitimate Alchemists could only obtain the hormones of both the Crimson Iron Ant King and Queen by intervening personally, Zhang Yanhang felt he probably didn’t stand much chance; thus, the task of creating the Crimson Iron Ant King Concentrated Hormone and the Crimson Iron Ant Queen Hormone Essence himself was likely doomed to failure.
Zhang Yanhang figured if he wanted to continue obtaining the Crimson Iron Ant King Concentrated Hormone and the Crimson Iron Ant Queen Hormone Essence, he could only rely on the Drop Treasure Box from the Ant King and especially the Ant Queen, given that, as a Lord Monster, the treasures it could yield were definitely far superior to ordinary monsters.
If even the Ant Queen’s treasure box failed to yield the Crimson Iron Ant King Concentrated Hormone and the Crimson Iron Ant Queen Hormone Essence, it seemed these two Alchemy Potions would have no other means of acquisition besides the Lucky Slot Machine.
Although he was oddly captivated by the brief tale in the introduction about the Crimson Iron Ant Queen Hormone Essence, Zhang Yanhang’s main focus remained on the usage effects of the essence; he felt that the essence was excellent in every aspect, except that its +20% reproduction ability effect seemed rather useless.
"What do I need a reproduction ability bonus for, I can’t have children..."
For someone like Zhang Yanhang, a Heavenly Destiny Master pursuing Eternal Immortality, having children was absolutely out of the question. Since his very existence was to perpetually sustain his lineage, reproduction was inherently meaningless.
"Ah, if only I could exchange this part of the reproduction ability bonus for a Charm attribute bonus, then this bottle of Crimson Iron Ant Queen Hormone Essence might be able to increase my Charm attribute value by an additional four points."
But even so, Zhang Yanhang could still understand this situation; after all, the primary function of hormones is to enhance reproduction, so it’s unavoidable that a bonus to reproduction ability would emerge following the concoction.
If Zhang Yanhang were to concoct this himself, he reckoned his product would definitely not be as good as that crafted by the part-time Druid Alchemist; there was even a real possibility that it would vastly amplify the reproduction enhancement, turning it into a genuine hallucinatory love potion. Original content can be found at novel·fire.net
Zhang Yanhang picked up the small glass vial, pouring out the Crimson Iron Ant Queen Hormone Essence, but he didn’t consume it right away; instead, he first took a moment to scrutinize it.