He remembered that in the system's light screen, besides [Personal Information], [Pets], and [Storage Space], there were some cursors that had yet to be unlocked, including [Alchemy].
He had never quite understood what alchemy was for, and the system didn't provide much explanation.
"Watch closely!" the man extended his palm, and a wisp of orange flame 'flared' up in his hand. He placed the spirit root into it, and the spirit root quickly turned to ash, leaving behind a small glob of pale golden liquid.
As the flame continued to burn, the golden liquid bubbled and trembled. A few minutes later, only a thumb-sized bead remained.
The man repeated this process, throwing the Hemostatic plant, Feverfew, and other materials from his bag into the flame, burning them all into medicinal liquid.
"Is alchemy just burning herbs into medicinal liquid?" Charles watched the man intently, finding this novel technique quite fascinating.
"Not even close." The man was fully focused on controlling the flame and barely acknowledged Charles.
Once all the herbs had turned to liquid, the man transferred the liquids into the grade bronze pot, which he referred to as his 'alchemy lab,' and continued to heat it with the orange flame.
The entire process took about an hour. During this time, the man didn't let his attention waver for a moment and didn't say a word, which made Charles feel a bit sleepy.
The man exclaimed softly, then lifted the lid of the bronze pot. A small gray pill slowly rose and finally landed in the man's palm.
Charles's gaze shifted to his system's light screen, where several lines of prompts appeared.
Grade: Basic Alchemy Elixir
Description: The lowest grade of alchemical potion, used for external wound hemostasis. Effective for all but severe arterial hemorrhage.
Seeing these lines, Charles frowned slightly. He didn't know much about alchemists, but he knew a lot about elixirs. They could not only treat ailments of Beast Masters and their pets but some could also significantly enhance a pet's combat abilities!
It was said that the process of making them was very complicated, and even the lowest-grade elixir could fetch a high price of several thousand copper coins!
So this was how it was done?
The man popped the gray pill into his mouth, took a sip of water, and swallowed. A thin layer of energy enveloped him, and in the blink of an eye, the bleeding from his wounds stopped.
Even an amateur like Charles could see that this pill was extraordinary!
"The recipe for this Hemostatic Powder is something I bought for a hefty price back in the day. You've saved my life today, and I have nothing else to thank you with, so I'll give you this recipe."
The man scribbled a few lines on a piece of paper, then quickly got dressed and prepared to leave.
Seeing that he was determined to go, Charles didn't insist on him staying. Suddenly, he remembered something: "Wait, you've given me such a precious recipe, but I don't even know your name!"
The man had already donned his armor and waved at Charles. "I'm just passing through Lsengard. We're strangers who happened to meet; there's no need to know each other's names. If fate allows, we will meet again."
After the man left, Charles picked up the piece of paper he had left behind.
Ding! Obtained Basic Alchemy Elixir Recipe ×1!
Seeing the system prompt, Charles noticed that the alchemy function in his system had been unlocked.
He moved his gaze to the [Alchemy] cursor, and a page unfolded.
[Grade]: Basic Alchemy Elixir
[Formula]: 1 Spirit Root, 5 Hemostatic Plants, 5 Feverfew, 5 Rebirth of Lotus Roots, 300g Cryolite, ...
[Do you want to open the alchemy lab?]
"Open the alchemy lab!"
As soon as Charles spoke, a long metal table appeared before him, covered with various metal containers. The only one he recognized was the large three-neck flask. Compared to the copper pot the man had used, this setup was far more luxurious!
A wave of dizziness hit him as a vast amount of alchemy knowledge poured into his mind.
System Prompt: The key elements of alchemy are materials, the alchemy lab, and the flame. The most important and crucial element is the flame. The lower the flame's temperature, the better it is to maintain the activity of the alchemy ingredients...
When Charles opened his eyes again, the alchemy equipment that he couldn't name earlier now looked incredibly familiar.
"The lower the temperature of the flame, the better... What if my flame has no temperature at all?" Recalling the alchemy principles, Charles activated his skill Bone-Achingly Cold, and a pale flame rose in his palm.
As Charles remembered the injured man's alchemy process, he began experimenting with the alchemy lab.
He failed countless times.
Fortunately, the alchemist had forgotten to take his material bag when he left, providing Charles with plenty of resources to experiment with.
"I did it... I really did it!"
Charles had lost count of how many attempts he had made. Late into the night, when a gray pill finally formed successfully in the alchemy lab, Charles felt a profound sense of accomplishment. He wanted to share his joy with Max, only to find that it had already fallen asleep.
"Yawn! Let's sleep for now; I still need to go to the Beast Master Guild tomorrow."
Charles was utterly exhausted. He sleepily picked up Max's fluffy tail, which was soft and comfortable, perfect as a pillow. He quickly drifted off to sleep.
Charles was jolted awake by the urgent ringing of his phone.
Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he saw over 99 missed calls, all from Lily.
"Charles, what happened to you? We had a class dinner last night, and you just left without a word! It's so dangerous right now, do you know how worried I was..." As soon as he answered the phone, Lily's voice came through, scolding him non-stop.
After she finished venting, her tone suddenly softened, as if she realized her outburst.
"Charles, still in bed? The Beast Master Guild is organizing a training expedition to the ferocious beast mountains for all new Beast Masters next week."
"That's a very dangerous place. Would you like to come to my place for some guidance beforehand?"
"No need, Lily. I have things to do."
Charles hung up the phone decisively and headed out.
Lily didn't want to give him guidance; she wanted to drain him dry first thing in the morning!
Charles had only been here for less than a day and had already sensed that this woman named Lily had an unusual relationship with his predecessor, one that had long crossed the line of teacher-student boundaries.
Although he was tempted to squeeze Lily's soft, white breasts, he had more important matters to attend to.
In two months, the admissions office of the three major academies in the imperial capital would come to Lsengard for their entrance examinations.
The three major academies gathered the elite of the entire Genosha, with even the most casual lecturer being a level 4 or 5 Beast Master. It was rumored that the headmaster's Beast Master level exceeded level 6!
It could be said that all Beast Masters in the Genosha took pride in entering the three major academies for further studies.
However, the admission requirements for the three academies were extremely stringent. It was said that only six spots were allotted for Lsengard this year, and all young Beast Masters aged 18-25 in Lsengard would be competing for those spots, making the competition fierce.
"The three major academies gather the elite of the Genosha. The quality of the girls there must be... cough cough, I mean, I'll be able to learn more there. I am determined to get one of those spots!" Charles resolved silently in his heart.
Whether to experience a more exciting world or to have the opportunity to return to Earth in the future, Charles had to secure one of those spots!
There were few people on the streets, but as Charles caught sight of the spire of the Beast Master Guild building, the number of pedestrians gradually increased.
Charles planned to sell all the materials from the spectral wolf he hunted yesterday.
Next week, he would be heading to the ferocious beast mountains for two months of hellish training. With ferocious beasts rampant there, good equipment was a must!
"Wow! This place is incredible! Is this gold falling from the sky?"
Though Lsengard's guild was just a branch, the luxury of the Beast Master Guild left Charles in awe.
The gleaming marble floor mirrored the opulent crystal chandelier above; in the center of the hall, there was even a three-meter diameter golden guild emblem!
Prominently displayed in the hall were oil paintings of the guild's previous presidents, seemingly telling their glorious stories.
Suppressing his excitement, Charles first completed his Beast Master registration in the hall. He then filled out the pricing form and handed over all the materials to the guild staff for sale.
The receptionist was clearly astonished when she saw the spectral wolf materials in Charles's bag. She hadn't expected such valuable materials to be brought in by such a young Beast Master!
"Alright, sir, please wait a moment! I will arrange this for you right away!"
Charles was invited to the guild's VIP lounge. As he was about to browse his phone, an advertisement flashed across the big screen:
[Latest Spectral Wolf Materials Available, First Come First Serve!]
[Spectral Wolf Canines x4, 300 Copper Coins Each!]
[Spectral Wolf Steel Claws x6, 500 Copper Coins Each!]
[Spectral Wolf Pelt (Damaged) x1, 500 Copper Coins!]
[Spectral Wolf Meat 100kg, 10 Copper Coins per Kilogram!]
[Spectral Wolf Beast Core (Poison Attribute, Ungraded), 2000 Copper Coins!]
Seeing the ad scrolling across the hall screen, Charles felt a warm sense of satisfaction as he calculated how much money he would make.
If all the materials were successfully sold, he could earn about 7000 copper coins. At the exchange rate of 1 silver coin for 1000 copper coins, seven silver coins should be enough to craft a set of entry-level Beast Master equipment!
"Being a Beast Master sure is lucrative. This amount of money was unimaginable before!" Charles sighed with genuine amazement.
His monthly living expenses at Lsengard High School were 300 copper coins, which wasn't even enough to buy a single wolf tooth.
However, he understood why the materials sold for such high prices.
Before encountering him, that spectral wolf had probably killed numerous Beast Masters. If it weren't for the system's prompt and his lucky bond with Max, the powerful pet, he might have ended up as the spectral wolf's meal.
Many people in the hall noticed the advertisement at this point.
"Spectral wolf? Isn't that the ferocious beast that's been causing havoc in the city recently? Glad it's dead!"
"10 copper coins per kilogram for spectral wolf meat? Where is it? I'll buy it all! I heard it can boost virility for ordinary people!"
"My son is going to the ferocious beast mountains for training next week. These steel claws will be perfect for forging a handy long sword. I'll take one!"
"These wolf teeth are nice too. A necklace made from them would enhance my poison attribute tamer's power."
"This spectral wolf even has a beast core? I bet it cost a lot to hunt it down. Someone might have even died!"
"What? There's a beast core for just 2000 copper coins! That's a steal!"
"My son's pet needs a beast core to evolve and strengthen its power. I'll buy it!"
"Hey, what are you doing? I saw it first! You want to start something? I'll pay 3000 copper coins for it!"
The quiet guild hall quickly became chaotic.
The demand for the spectral wolf's materials far exceeded Charles's expectations, and he couldn't help but feel a bit regretful. Had he set the prices too low?