novelraw Chapter 48 : The Furious Manta! 《General Knowledge of Alchemy》
Chapter 48 : The Furious Manta! 《General Knowledge of Alchemy》
Chapter 48: The Furious Manta! 《General Knowledge of Alchemy》
With his face covered in black soot, Grell lowered his head and followed behind her, not even daring to breathe loudly.
“You idiot! At the most critical moment, you made such a fatal mistake. You even got the order of the raw materials wrong?! So many Beastkin materials have all been wasted—what do you think should be done about this?!”
“Te… te… teacher, I… I’ll compensate…” Grell stammered in fear, unable to even speak clearly.
Lady Manta’s brows shot up. “Compensate? Do you even know how much over ten days of my time is worth? What are you going to use to compensate?!”
Looking at Grell trembling, the more Manta thought about it, the angrier she became. She nearly picked up the crucible in her hand and hurled it at him.
However, years of aristocratic upbringing restrained her from acting on her rage. She slightly softened her tone.
“Go reflect on your mistakes properly. If such a low-level error happens again, you will…”
She fanned herself forcefully, swallowing the curse words that had reached her lips.
The Hunt of Deep Winter had finally gathered so many materials, and now most of them had been wasted in one go.
If she wanted to attempt a Level 3 potion again, she would have to prepare all the materials from scratch.
But what troubled her most was her student—and also her assistant—Grell.
This veterinarian-turned-alchemist had limited talent. The process of making a Level 3 potion was far too complex and time-consuming.
With Grell’s Level 1 alchemist capability, assisting her was still too difficult.
It would be best to have a Level 2 alchemist assisting her.
But where could she find one?
She didn’t dare use outsiders of unknown background.
And the only person she truly knew well… was the veterinarian in front of her.
She felt that even if they tried again, Grell might still make mistakes.
The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became.
Manta unconsciously clenched her teeth.
She had finally obtained the formula for a Level 3 potion. If she could successfully produce it, she would be recognized as a Level 3 alchemist by the Alchemist Association.
She had prepared for nearly half a year, only for everything to be ruined by a single mistake from Grell.
But suddenly, she noticed a figure appearing beside her.
“Lady Manta.” Leo respectfully performed a Knight’s Etiquette.
Manta came back to her senses. Looking at the vigorous and sturdy young man before her, then glancing at the soot-covered Grell beside him—
she turned her gaze toward the distant cells.
Speaking of which, Grell, with his veterinary background, had also started out feeding those Beastkin.
Back then, he had made a complete mess of things.
But this Leo—
she had observed that over the past days, Leo had not slacked off even once.
More than a dozen Beastkin had been managed by him in an orderly manner.
Even difficult ones like the Thunder Lizard, which would fly into a rage if fed even slightly too much or too little—
yet for so many days, the Dungeon had remained quiet, with no such incidents occurring.
Additionally, that remaining Blood Goblin now seemed much more docile than when it first arrived.
It must have been due to his care.
Originally, Manta had planned to begin teaching Leo after successfully producing the Level 3 potion.
But now, she no longer had the time.
She needed to hurry and prepare a new batch of materials and equipment.
After thinking for a moment, Manta returned to the Potion Laboratory and brought out a thick book.
“Leo, take this 《General Knowledge of Alchemy》 and study it carefully first.”
Manta handed over the heavy tome, as thick as a brick, to Leo.
‘If this kid learns well, next time I’ll let him assist me directly and replace that useless veterinarian,’ Manta decided inwardly.
“Thank you, Lady Manta.” Leo accepted the book, acting quick-witted.
Manta was overwhelmed and in a fit of anger—this was not the time to disturb her further.
Holding the book, Leo moved lightly and quickly left.
Meanwhile, Grell remained kneeling blankly in place, as if waiting for judgment.
“You’re still here? Are you waiting for me to invite you to lunch?” Manta adjusted her attire, her face full of impatience.
“S-s-sorry…” Grell scrambled away, fleeing the Dungeon.
……
Leo quickly returned to the Training Room with the book in his arms. He eagerly opened 《General Knowledge of Alchemy》.
He liked reading—and was even better at it. With a Spirit attribute of 1.4,
his reading efficiency far surpassed that of other Knight’s Squires.
“Part One: Medicinal Herbs.
Part Two: Beastkin Materials.
Part Three: Alchemical Procedures.
Part Four: Principles of Alchemy.
Part Five: Common Potions.”
A total of five sections.
“Potions are divided into common potions and special potions. Common potions are prepared from herbs through processes, while special potions require the addition of Beastkin materials…”
Dong! Dong! Dong!
After flipping only a few pages, Leo heard the castle bell ring.
He looked out the window. “Today is the day the Kingdom Merchant Caravan arrives at Blackstone City.”
The Kingdom Merchant Caravan was like a timetable—its arrival signaled that there was one month left until the end of Deep Winter.
“I’ll read this when I get back.”
He closed the book and quickly headed outside.
……
Leo walked briskly along the streets of the town.
After the previous Beast Calamity, Blackstone City had entered a brief period of peace.
The Hunt of Deep Winter had also achieved its intended effect.
Over the past half month, the city had been exceptionally calm.
The civilians who had once lived in fear gradually forgot their terror.
Life slowly returned to normal.
However, Leo noticed that along the way, there were noticeably fewer people going to shop at the caravan.
Logically, today’s weather was clear and pleasant—a rare good day.
Later, Leo realized the reason.
The main consumers of the caravan had always been the Knight’s Squires within the castle.
Ordinary civilians simply did not have extra money, while these noble youths had sufficient wealth to spend at the Kingdom Merchant Caravan.
But this time, many Knight’s Squires were absent.
Because they were all busy preparing for the annual year-end assessment.
For all Knight’s Squires, the year-end assessment was the most important event of the year.
Unlike Quasi-Knights, who could earn military merit through missions and exchange it for resources,
Knight’s Squires could only obtain material rewards through this assessment.
Moreover, those with outstanding performance might be chosen by Formal Knights, and after mastering the Breathing Technique, they could become Knight Attendants.
No matter what, this assessment was an extremely important opportunity for them.
Thus, with the assessment approaching, many Knight’s Squires were making their final push.
Some who came to the caravan simply bought what they needed and left immediately, not wasting time wandering.
However, while others hurried along, Leo remained unhurried.
Last-minute cramming was of little use—maintaining one’s own rhythm and accumulating steadily day after day was the proper path.
As usual, he first arrived at Granny Gu’s stall.
This time, the old woman was wearing some kind of fur garment, reclining in a lounge chair and leisurely smoking her pipe.
Leo suspected that Hogg had originally seen these caravan stall owners living such comfortable lives and thus developed the dream of becoming a merchant.
However, Leo could tell at a glance that this old woman was not simple.
She dealt in Beastkin meat—a crucial resource for many knights’ training.
Anyone capable of running such a business must possess considerable strength.
Leo greeted her warmly, “Granny Gu, hello. I wonder if there’s any news from Blackwater City this time?”