Chapter 112: The Church Is Robbing People in Broad Daylight

Alchemy had never been an easy discipline. It was a dead knot twisted together from skill and luck. Just the array of crucibles, measuring cups, and crystalline powders covering an entire workbench was enough to intimidate any beginner.

And even if every step was executed with hair-level precision, failure was still commonplace.

Perhaps the flame was a degree too hot. Perhaps the stirring was half a beat too slow. Or maybe just a speck of dust drifted in from the window—and the entire batch would instantly turn into useless sludge.

The process of exploring this field was, in itself, an endless form of self-torment.

Thousands upon thousands of repetitions often yielded nothing in return. Worse still, the money spent wouldn’t come back just because the experiment failed. Even those who loved alchemy to their core, if immersed in such despair for too long, would inevitably become mentally distorted.

That was how the saying that alchemists are all insane came about.

Of course, some alchemists were simply born that way—displaying an almost fanatical obsession with alchemy and a disturbingly twisted psyche.

Their madness manifested in their near-crazed devotion to alchemy—and their complete lack of reverence for life.

Mingtong was clearly one of them.

Looking at the little girl in front of her, Peretti understood perfectly well that what Mingtong truly cared about had never been tormenting others—but rather, what kind of effects her personally crafted potions could produce.

As for who the test subject was—a noble lady or a street beggar—made no difference to her. They were nothing more than “containers” for verifying data.

Mingtong wore a smile that was both innocent and wicked—like honey laced with poison, cloyingly sweet yet chillingly cruel.

Behind her back, her small hand tightly gripped a vial of pale blue liquid, its surface reflecting a cold gleam under the dim candlelight.

“So, big sister, have you made up your mind?” Her voice was soft, but her tone carried undeniable pressure.

“If you’re feeling guilty, you should just give up. There’ve been fewer and fewer heretics lately—so many of my experiments are stuck at the final step. It’s been troubling me so much I can’t even sleep.” She swayed slightly, sounding casually troubled.

At that, she suddenly stepped closer. A flicker of fanaticism flashed in her violet-gold eyes.

“But don’t worry. I’ll cherish a rare ‘assistant’ like you. I definitely won’t let big sister die so easily.”

Peretti raised an eyebrow, her gaze falling on the potion hidden behind Mingtong’s back, a teasing smile curling on her lips.

“So your idea of cherishing me is poisoning me, then saving me just to keep using me as your test subject?”

This wasn’t a question—it was a statement.

That pale blue potion was clearly meant to suppress resistance.

If the bishop trusted a little girl to interrogate her alone, then its effects must be extremely potent. An ordinary person would probably become completely powerless upon even the slightest contact.

But Peretti wasn’t worried in the slightest.

Human alchemical testing methods were useless against her—a witch.

Alchemy required precision, and potions were highly targeted in function. But humans and witches were fundamentally different beings.

Humans were flesh and blood, with heartbeats and pulses.

She, on the other hand, was a pure aggregation of elements—her body long since beyond the realm of biological life.

Using potions designed for humans against her was nothing short of a joke.

With that thought, Peretti didn’t hesitate. She uncorked the bottle and downed the pale blue liquid in one gulp.

Mingtong’s eyes instantly lit up, staring at Peretti without blinking.

The second hand on the wall clock moved silently. One minute stretched on like an eternity.

When Peretti remained standing there as usual—even licking her lips as if savoring the taste—the anticipation on Mingtong’s face slowly faded. Reluctantly, she placed the potion back on the counter.

“What a pity…” she muttered softly, unable to hide her disappointment.

Watching her disappointed retreat, the tension in Peretti’s body suddenly spiked again.

A thought she had forgotten surged back into her mind—

She had given the chocolate Ino gave her to that little girl.

That chocolate came from the Gluttony Church. Although Ino had said it was fine, what if… what if the child got mistaken for a heretic because she ate it and ended up in the hands of a madwoman like Mingtong?

Peretti’s heart clenched.

She quickly called out to Mingtong, “I have a question. If someone isn’t a member of the Gluttony Church but accidentally eats food related to it, what would you do?”

Mingtong turned around, blinking, her face showing a trace of disdain—as if looking at an idiot.

“Big sister, are you questioning my ability? I’m not a fool like you.”

“I can tell at a glance whether an ordinary person feels guilty. There’s no need for a stupid big sister like you to worry.”

Hearing that, the weight in Peretti’s chest finally lifted. She let out a long breath of relief.

She had no intention of continuing to deal with this crazy little girl—she just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

“That’s good.” She turned and walked toward the door.

“Hm? Is stupid big sister planning to irresponsibly leave Mingtong behind?” Mingtong tilted her head, her tone light but accusing.

Peretti stopped and glared back at her.

“Hey, watch how you talk. I’ve already proven I’m not a heretic. Don’t tell me you still want to keep me here by force?”

“Nope.” Mingtong waved a finger, her smile still cute—but increasingly unsettling in Peretti’s eyes. “I just wanted to remind you, big sister—the test potion you drank earlier costs money.”

“…What?”

Peretti thought she misheard.

“You dragged me here without reason to test me as a heretic—and now you expect me to pay out of pocket?”

“That’s right~ Testing isn’t mandatory. If you didn’t want to pay, you could’ve refused earlier. I would’ve welcomed that choice.”

Peretti almost laughed out of anger.

“If I refused, you would’ve used me as an experiment!”

“That would’ve been their choice too.” Mingtong smiled lightly, her clear eyes devoid of any guilt—as if stating something perfectly normal.

Looking at her innocent face, Peretti had only one thought:

This little girl is completely insane.

Suppressing her irritation, Peretti gritted her teeth. “Fine. How much?”

“Hehe, big sister is such a good person.” Mingtong crossed her index fingers in front of her chest, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. “My alchemical potions aren’t expensive. Just ten silver coins.”

“HOW MUCH?!” Peretti’s voice shot up. “How is that any different from robbery?!”

The Church really showed no mercy when squeezing money from ordinary people. Ten silver coins was a huge sum for a normal household—enough to ruin them if demanded repeatedly.

“No way, no way?” Mingtong widened her eyes in exaggerated surprise. “A traveler like you doesn’t even have ten silver coins? Living this long and still worse off than a little girl like me—your life really has no value at all, big sister~”

That sentence struck like a needle, hitting Peretti’s exact breaking point.

Her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. A strong urge surged within her—to pin this foul-mouthed brat to the floor and teach her a proper lesson.

But in the end, reason won over anger.

Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself there was no need to argue with a lunatic.

Peretti accepted her misfortune. Today, she had truly witnessed the harshness of the world through this little girl. Mingtong showed no mercy when it came to squeezing money—selling a single lousy potion at such a price. If she caught a few more “suspects” like this in a day, earning a gold coin wouldn’t even be a dream.

She pulled ten silver coins from her pouch and slammed them onto the counter with a sharp smack. Without sparing Mingtong another glance, she turned and strode toward the alchemy room’s exit, eager to escape this suffocating place.

“Come again~ I look forward to seeing you next time, useless big sister.”