Who Do You Think I Am

Freya's room was decorated in a way that was completely different from what Iver had imagined.

He had originally assumed that Freya, as an alchemist, would be a very meticulous person. Not to mention that this villa would be used not only as a residence but also as a research institute... perhaps it would be bright and clean, with everything arranged in an orderly manner.

But once inside, it definitely has the atmosphere of a researcher. However, it has nothing to do with being well-organized.

A single bed stood in the corner of the room, and in front of it was a desk piled high with books, documents, and reports. The blankets on the bed weren't folded up; they were simply thrown aside.

There was no chair in front of the desk; you could even see the marks of someone sitting on the bed.

In contrast to the tiny living space, the room also featured a huge five-tiered shelf covering an entire wall. The left side was filled with books and documents; the right side with bottles and jars. The bottom shelf contained several wooden crates, some open and some closed, resembling a storeroom.

In the very center of the room stood two enormous metal devices.

One is bronze-colored and looks related to liquids because it has a huge, transparent, spherical liquid container on its back, which is currently empty, giving it a steampunk-style technological feel; the other is a long, silver-white metal table that looks like a kitchen counter, with various fully automated devices on it, giving it a very modern feel.

Iver even saw three round crucibles, seemingly unearthed from ruins, placed in the corner of the long table that resembled a modern experimental setup. Their outer shells were an impure black, the material like smooth stone or dark metal. One of them was overflowing with an ominous green liquid, bubbling away.

Beneath each instrument, on the floor, was a circular Ritual Array.

Beneath every smoking container, Ritual Array were in operation. They shimmered with iridescent light, and one could vaguely see hemispherical protective shields forming in the distorted air, completely isolating the internal and external environments.

On the other side, in the corner, stood a low, ugly metal stove. Its black iron casing was about six or seven meters long, only half a meter high and less than a meter wide. A warm fire shone inside, burning something unknown.

"... So this is the Great Alchemist's workshop?"

"Iver murmured."

The style here is a hodgepodge. From the outside, it's a rather beautiful all-wood villa, even the entrance and living room have an artistic flair. But once you step into the largest master bedroom, you find it's a complete mess.

Freya, however, was quite proud of it. "These are all good things. All my hard work and collection over the years are here. I have been designing this system for several years, and now it can finally run stably."

As she spoke, she introduced her proud laboratory one by one, "This Mana Furnace is a second-hand core component of Lightforged Furnace that I found when I went to the Eternal Frost Empire to do business with the dwarves. I modified the fuel system inside so that it can now be connected to the giant tree and use the Holy Tree Blood as fuel."

"...ah?"

Freya's first words completely stunned Iver: "Isn't this illegal?"

Is this considered... stealing electricity?

The Lightforged Furnace sounds incredibly energy-intensive. Then Freya used the Holy Tree Blood as fuel...

"No problem."

Freya said confidently, "I specifically asked, and the Fifth Ring is the research area. I have a quota here... I reduced the furnace's operating power consumption, and it is definitely operating stably below the maximum permitted limit."

At this point, she became quite happy. That feeling even reminded Iver of Yulia —who was now also studying alchemy.

Does this mean all alchemists have this style?

"With this Lightforged Furnace, I can automatically drive these Ritual Array without materials and evenly supply power to these devices. You can't see the wires because I've hidden the power supply wires under the floor. If I need to change the wiring, I just have to pry up the floor. Anyway, the house here is alive; it will heal itself once the floor is put back down."

Freya spoke with great interest, leading Iver to the huge brass instrument.

It was about two and a half meters tall, and the control panel was roughly on Iver's face. Freya even made a special box as a foot pedal to control it.

She stroked the device, boasting, "I found this in the ruins on the Sixth Layer. It's ancient elven technology used to extract the Holy Tree Blood to provide a portable energy source. I feel it could also be used to efficiently refine other liquids. I went to great lengths to get my hands on it."

"Once this thing is running, it can separate fifty liters of liquid as needed, isn't that amazing! Many plant essences that are hard to buy outside—those highly refined essential oils that require Second Level- or even Third Level botanists to produce—can be made with it, saving a lot of money. There's no need to use refining to separate and purify layer by layer, which also saves a lot of time..."

"After you asked me to take it down, how many times did it take you?"

Master Agnes, standing to the side, muttered a quiet complaint.

"It has happened quite a few times," Freya argued, "Mainly because there isn't a small version of this thing. It can extract fifty liters of liquid at a time, but I usually only use a few milliliters."

"This machine is more efficient at extraction and purification than three botanists at the Third Level and three alchemists at the Second Level working day and night in three shifts. It's definitely a good thing, but I can't fully utilize its effects."

"If you ask me, it's useless. We should just get rid of it."

Yanis commented, "It takes up too much space and consumes too much energy—why would you warm it up if you're not using it?"

"You don't understand. Once this ancient technology is completely shut down, it may not be able to be turned on again. When I got it, it took me about half a month to open it. It's a technology that was phased out more than two thousand years ago. I estimate that even today's elven craftsmen might not know how to repair it. Keeping it running is the only way to extend its lifespan."

Freya stopped trying to chat with Iver and instead turned to Yanis for a serious discussion. "Putting everything else aside, if something this good breaks down with me... So even if we don't use it much, we should at least take care of it. Anyway, it used the Holy Tree Blood two thousand years ago, and the fuel is about the same now, so the operating environment is very stable."

"Elven ruins?"

Sherlock asked, puzzled, "Why would the Theocracy have something like that?"

"Oh."

Freya turned to look at Sherlock, and her tone and attitude instantly turned cold.

In that instant, Iver even recalled Professor Moriarty's fake smile.

She adjusted her glasses and explained, "Because the Theocracy wasn't always a ' Theocracy.' Elves aren't like humans, possessing all the adaptability of the Nine Great Paths, but they aren't purely sacrificial beings either."

"Besides the Dedication Path, elves also possess a strong sense of balance and adaptability to twilight. They also have a small amount of beauty, love, and wisdom. This means that in their original form, elven society must have had Path Equilibrium —which implies that ancient elves must have been skilled in alchemy and necromancy. It's just that they later suddenly abandoned a large part of their heritage and embarked on a Theocracy path based on devotion."

"But the Path of Twilight signifies inscription. The elves cannot destroy history; they can only set it aside. And this is the ruins of the Sixth Layer and Seventh Layer. Inside are many abandoned traditions and technologies. You can enter and visit, but you are generally not allowed to take anything away."

... Necromantic magic?

Iver was listening nearby, suddenly realized what was going on.

He had indeed forgotten about it.

Given the elves' adaptability to balance and the Path of Twilight, under normal circumstances, they should have developed a magnificent alchemical civilization, and they should also be very proficient in necromancy and preservation.

In fact, nearly two thousand years ago, the elves abandoned almost all their technology and completely gave up the traditions of necromancy and preservation magic...

In the Thirteenth Ring, many cultural artifacts are preserved. Among them are many elven techniques that Iver has never heard of.

... Think about it carefully, all the high-quality lingerie popular in the world today comes from the craftsmanship of the fairies.

That's why the pure, soft, and resilient Consecrated Silk Cotton is called "Elf Silk".

Besides stockings, there are also arm sleeves, underwear, hats, and ceremonial cloaks, all of which have been preserved as clothing for high-ranking clergy. Given the alchemical technology of that era, it would have been very difficult to mass-produce clothing of this quality... not to mention that it had been popular since at least the Imperial Age.

From this perspective, could it be that human alchemy, necromancy, and preservation techniques actually originated from the legacy of the elves?

Consider the ancient races of the same period—dwarves, giants, dragons, Lizardman, and snake people—none of them seemed particularly adept at these things. Even if those technologies were reinvented, the elves, who lived longer and were more adaptable, should have invented the same things.

While Iver was pondering, Sherlock pressed him, "Then how did you take it away?"

"I?"

Freya chuckled softly, but her fake smile revealed no joy whatsoever.

It was a fake smile, similar to Professor Moriarty's, but in a sense completely opposite— Professor Moriarty's fake smile was absolutely imperceptible. Only those with keen intuition could sense a hint of danger, while Freya's smile made it clear to everyone that she didn't want to smile at all.

"Because I offered the elves a price they couldn't refuse."

She replied with a smile, "I promise to use this device to develop drugs that can alleviate or even cure Amberization Disease."

"... Treatment for Amberization Disease?"

Lily couldn't help but ask, "Is it really possible?"

"Of course. Who do you think I am?"

Freya looked at Lily, and the smile on her face became a little more genuine.

She gently stroked her exceptionally smooth, long golden hair and declared in an undeniable tone, "I am Freya Molu, the one who reverses life and death! I am James Moriarty's daughter! Because I am a genius! I am a genius!"