Chapter 36: The Accidental Alchemist

Rena had just stepped out of the kitchen when she noticed Bai Zhi on the sofa, tinkering with something on the coffee table. All the while, her lips moved incessantly, as if she were incanting a spell.

Her curiosity immediately piqued, Rena deliberately lightened her steps, drawing closer to Bai Zhi, eager to discern her activity.

“Hmm… first, establish a connection, then inject magic, and after that…”

Bai Zhi murmured to the few strands of long black hair in her hand, utterly oblivious to Rena’s approach.

‘Those must be Bai Zhi’s own hairs,’ Rena mused inwardly.

Then, she watched as the strands of hair were suddenly enveloped in a milky-white glow, writhing continuously, gradually coalescing into a cube within Bai Zhi’s palm.

“Is she creating a container?”

Rena whispered to herself.

Whether Rena’s words had disturbed Bai Zhi or not, the milky-white cube suddenly began to tremble violently.

Moments later, a sound akin to shattering glass filled the air, and the cube instantly disintegrated into several irregularly shaped transparent crystal fragments.

“Ah… another failure.”

Bai Zhi’s voice carried a hint of dejection, and it was only then that Rena noticed the crystal fragments piled beside her, forming a small mound.

“I’m sorry, did I disturb you?”

Rena felt a pang of guilt, unfamiliar with the process of crafting magical artifacts, yet it seemed her words had distracted Bai Zhi, leading to the failure.

However, Bai Zhi shook her head. “It’s not your fault. It’s mostly me… this thing is just too difficult to make.”

Bai Zhi ran a frustrated hand through her hair, then turned to look at Rena.

“I thought you were still busy in the kitchen.”

“I’ve finished most of the preparations; now the soup is just simmering.”

Rena smiled, gently tidying Bai Zhi’s disheveled hair, then pointed at the pile of crystal fragments on the coffee table.

“Are these containers for a future operation?”

“Yes.”

Bai Zhi nodded listlessly.

“Bastet said they’d be perfect practice material, and that once I’ve made all twelve containers, I’ll officially be initiated into magic item crafting—but I suspect she just wants to be lazy.”

“Perhaps it’s her unique teaching method as an instructor,” Rena suggested gently, her eyes still curiously fixed on the pile of fragments. “Are these all failures?”

“They’re completely unusable now, and more than just failures; they’re essentially dangerous goods that I’ll have to figure out how to dispose of later.”

“That dangerous?”

“Hmm… it’s probably better if you experience it yourself,” Bai Zhi said, picking out a small fragment and offering it to Rena. “If it’s just a tiny piece, it shouldn’t be too big of a problem.”

“Oh…”

Rena hesitantly took the seemingly unremarkable crystal fragment from Bai Zhi’s hand. Yet, the moment her fingers brushed against it, her pupils abruptly dilated.

“!”

Without warning, the power of ‘Holy Light’ within Rena surged violently. The small fragment acted like a bottomless vortex, mercilessly devouring the extraordinary energy within her.

Rena instantly panicked, instinctively wanting to cast the small fragment away.

However, the next moment, she saw the fragment emit a faint red glow before silently shattering, vanishing without a trace.

“Wh-what in the world was that!?”

Rena gasped for breath, looking utterly terrified, while Bai Zhi seemed to have anticipated her reaction.

“Rena, your reaction to seeing this for the first time is almost identical to Bastet’s. To be honest, I don’t understand it at all,” Bai Zhi said, her tone somewhat dejected.

“Following Bastet’s instructions step by step to create the containers, they always turn out like this. She says my understanding of the concept of ‘storing power’ is flawed, which leads to a huge discrepancy between the finished product’s properties and what’s expected, but I don’t think that’s where the problem lies.”

Bai Zhi sighed again.

“Even though I’ve adjusted my visualization of the container in the final step, just as Bastet instructed, I still only manage to create these things… I might genuinely lack talent in this area.”

Bai Zhi let out a long, helpless sigh, her expression tinged with despondency.

“Or perhaps you’re too talented.”

Seeing Bai Zhi’s current dejected state, Rena felt a pang of sympathy and wanted to offer comfort, but her gaze involuntarily drifted back to the pile of fragments.

“After all, it’s quite rare to make even failures… so distinctive.”

“Perhaps!”

Bai Zhi replied casually, clearly not taking Rena’s words seriously.

Rena glanced back and forth between Bai Zhi and the pile of fragments on the coffee table, then suddenly spoke.

“Speaking of which, I’ve never actually witnessed the process of crafting a magic item.”

A spark ignited in Rena’s eyes.

“Could you demonstrate it for me?”

“Oh, so Rena’s interested in this? It’s really not that exciting.”

Bai Zhi scratched her head, a little embarrassed.

“But since you want to see…”

As Bai Zhi spoke, she deftly plucked two strands of hair from her head.

Rena, sitting beside her, reached out and touched the spot where Bai Zhi had just pulled her hair.

“Doesn’t that hurt you…?”

“Cough, I’m used to it… mostly, I just find it troublesome to go looking for scissors,” Bai Zhi said, clearing her throat awkwardly. “Anyway! That’s not important.”

Bai Zhi placed the two strands of hair in the center of her palm, her gaze instantly becoming focused.

“First, an elemental connection is established between the creator and the material. Normally, this requires the aid of a specialized magic circle, but since I’m using material taken directly from myself, this first step can usually be skipped.”

“Next, I infuse my magic into the material.”

Bai Zhi explained vividly, and the milky-white glow Rena had witnessed earlier reappeared in her palm, instantly enveloping the two strands of hair.

“And then, the most crucial step, is to visualize the form of the magic item I intend to create in my mind.”

“Visualize?”

Rena furrowed her brow, her expression puzzled.

“Don’t look at me like that… I think it’s unreliable too, but that’s how Bastet taught me,” Bai Zhi exhaled softly. “She said it’s the most suitable method of alchemy for me, bar none.”

“Depending on the specifics of the visualization, the final item’s shape and function can vary greatly. To be more precise…”

As Bai Zhi spoke, her gaze fell upon the milky-white orb of light in her palm.

“For instance, if I’m crafting a container to store ‘Holy Light,’ I must visualize a jar filled with water in my mind. The more detailed this mental image, the higher the success rate will be—well… usually.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than the milky-white orb in Bai Zhi’s hand suddenly trembled violently.

Then, the familiar sound of shattering glass echoed once more. The light dispersed, leaving Bai Zhi with a new pile of crystal fragments in her hand.

Bai Zhi pressed a hand to her forehead, unable to suppress a sigh.

“Honestly… I think even if I pulled out all my hair until I was bald, I still might not be able to produce the twelve containers needed for the operation.”

“Hmm…”

Having observed the crafting process, Rena seemed lost in thought. A sudden flash of insight struck her, revealing a crucial trick.

“Could it be an issue with the material? That it’s too effective, leading to failure… like that?”

“An issue with the material?” Bai Zhi mused, lowering her head. “I genuinely haven’t considered that before.”

But just as quickly, Bai Zhi shook her head.

“Still, there aren’t any other high-quality materials, are there? According to Bastet, this world lacks the fundamental basis for extraordinary powers, so materials suitable for crafting magic items shouldn’t even exist.”

“There’s no harm in trying,” Rena encouraged. “If your hair can be used as a material, then perhaps some small object you carry with you might work too?”

“Something I carry with me… do I even have anything like that?” Bai Zhi began rummaging through her belongings with a distressed expression. “Surely I don’t have to use the clothes I’m wearing…”

“!”

Suddenly, Bai Zhi’s hand brushed against something hard, causing her to pause. Then, Rena watched as Bai Zhi, with a strange expression, pulled a pull-tab from a can out of her shirt pocket.

“Why would you have something like that in your pocket?” Rena chuckled wryly.

Bai Zhi scratched her head, offering an awkward laugh. “I think I just casually put it in there last time I had a drink, and then I forgot to take it out.”

“Rubbish should be properly thrown into the bin, not shoved into your pockets! Do you have any idea how much trouble that causes me when I do laundry!?”

“Alright, alright, but hasn’t it come in handy now?” Bai Zhi countered with a placating smile. “Speaking of which, Rena… when you say things like that, you really sound like a mother…”

Bai Zhi muttered under her breath, her gaze falling with a hint of vexation upon the pull-tab in her hand.

“However… if it’s a common material, I’d need to set up a specific ritual or magic circle to establish a connection with it. Since I’ve always used my hair before, I’ve consistently skipped this step, and now I have no idea what to do…”

“Try it the way you’re used to first,” Rena suggested. “If that doesn’t work, then go ask Bastet. It’s just trash anyway; there’s no loss if you mess it up.”

“When you put it like that, it sounds like my pocket is a trash can…”

Bai Zhi teased herself quietly, her attention entirely focused on the pull-tab in her hand.

Then, she suddenly let out a surprised and puzzled “Huh?”

“What is it? Is something wrong?”

Rena also grew tense, fearing Bai Zhi might accidentally conjure something dangerous with a slip of her hand.

“No, it’s just that this step is proceeding unusually smoothly, which feels a bit odd,” Bai Zhi said, her expression slightly peculiar. “Normally, it shouldn’t be like this…”

“Hmm… perhaps because it’s been close to you for so long, the material has undergone some changes.”

Rena attempted to explain.

“Perhaps… well, never mind. I’ll just continue with the alchemy for now.”

Bai Zhi, adopting a devil-may-care attitude, began the alchemy of the magic item according to the previously conceived process.

The milky-white orb of light reappeared, carefully enveloping the pull-tab.

Under their anxious gaze, the milky-white orb of light trembled slightly. Just as Bai Zhi thought this attempt would also fail, the familiar sound of shattering glass did not come.

Instead, the orb suddenly contracted, emitting a dazzling burst of brilliant light.

Once the light faded, Bai Zhi and Rena looked again, only to find that the orb had vanished.

In its place… lay a small, exquisite silver ring, resting serenely in Bai Zhi’s palm.