Miss Chloe Wants to Learn Alchemy

"Ivy, what do you think?"

Ivy, with dark circles under her eyes, and Ethan were sneaking around the door of Miss Chloe's bedroom, peeking at the little hen who was engrossed in reading with her back to them. Suddenly, she felt a peculiar sense of guilt, as if she were a thief.

Besides, after spending some time with Ethan, why did it feel like she had become the Assistant?

Shouldn't she be the one asking Ethan that question?

Despite this, Ivy honestly replied, "This might be the effect of the Werewolf Collar. When the Curse of the collar is activated, you and Miss Chloe established some kind of link, and she will subconsciously develop the same hobbies as you."

Ethan's hobby was reading.

This was something all the residents of Brookwood Town knew. In the first year after he arrived in town, people found him spending almost every day in the town's library. He read through all the Occultism books in town, and over time, he was given the title of "Occultism Expert."

"Miss Chloe is reading Alchemy books, and she even snuck out of the apartment in the middle of the night to pick Snake Emperor Grass from the mountain!"

The book was part of the apartment's bookshelf, a basic introductory text for Alchemy. The town's public library had the same copy.

Alchemy was one of the few paths in this world that did not require faith in any Deity to potentially achieve the extraordinary. At the same time, Potions, a byproduct of Alchemy, were one of the most sought-after commodities in Occultism shops. Potions made by high-level Alchemists often sold for exorbitant prices at auctions.

So, why were there so few practitioners of such a promising extraordinary profession?

When Ethan, holding the "Alchemy Beginner's Handbook," asked the Brookwood Town Guild Leader this question two years ago, the experienced middle-aged man enlightened him, "What kind of family do you have to want to study Alchemy?"

The Guild Leader at the time held up four fingers to Ethan.

In the vast Brookwood Town, only four families had the financial means to study Alchemy. Among these four families, Ivy was an exception as an Enlightenment Society Graduate. The other three families had no children with talent in Alchemy. This resulted in a situation where those with money couldn't learn, and those without money... were desperately working to earn a living, completely unaware of whether they had the talent to become an Alchemist.

Ethan's dream of becoming an Alchemist was shattered by the cruel reality.

However, fortunes can change!

He looked at Miss Chloe, who was diligently reading the handbook, and suddenly had a bizarre sense of déjà vu. He had to abandon his dream of becoming an Alchemist due to poverty before, but now, he had found a way to make money. In less than a week, he had saved over 50 Gold Lions, and his children no longer had to bow their heads to reality because of poverty...

"Brookwood Town Struggle Chronicle," now serializing!

So, this was the true weight of the codename "Chicken Keeper"!

Ethan once again unconsciously fell into the role of a doting father.

Ivy and her golden fur tilted their heads to look at him, "What crooked idea are you cooking up now?"

She and the golden fur had reached a consensus—Ethan's thought process was peculiar, and he could always erupt with astonishing wisdom unintentionally. Looking at the expression on his face, as if he had experienced the vicissitudes of life, she knew this guy was about to say, "I have a plan."

"Ivy, do you think Miss Chloe could become an Alchemist?"

Even though she had prepared herself, Ivy was still shocked by Ethan's astounding question. She didn't even want to answer, but instead retorted, "Do you want to hear what you're saying?"

For a Wolf Chicken to become an Alchemist?

Not to mention a border town like Brookwood Town, even in the Imperial Capital, noble children who had studied under high-level Alchemists since childhood couldn't achieve much. On the path to the extraordinary, lacking a clear belief system was not a good thing; it would only cause humans to get lost in the process of exploration.

Throughout the Empire, only those with both wisdom and talent had the potential to embark on this path.

And Ethan's plan this time was to make a little hen an Alchemist.

If those high-level Alchemists heard this, they would probably kick Ethan out of the Alchemy Academy.

However, Ethan seemed completely unaware of how absurd his question was and muttered to himself, "Come to think of it, Miss Chloe is also at an age where she needs to choose a profession. It's rare for her to develop an interest in something."

"You...!"

Despite the myriad thoughts in her mind, Ivy couldn't even form a complete sentence. At this moment, she finally confirmed one thing.

Ethan truly had a problem with his thought process.

A very, very big problem.

"Perhaps Miss Chloe didn't understand the content of the book at all."

Ultimately, Ivy adopted a roundabout tactic, hinting indirectly, "The 'Alchemy Beginner's Handbook' has many herbs and creatures needed for making Potions. She might just like the illustrations."

She believed this was a normal person's thought process.

Could a little hen understand Alchemy?

Based on her observations of Miss Chloe, although the collar allowed her to understand parts of human language and gave her intelligence beyond that of a small animal, she was still far from human intelligence.

"Don't jump to conclusions. Haven't you heard the saying? Interest is the best teacher for a child."

Ethan pushed open the door and walked in first, "Let's go and verify it."

The two walked behind Miss Chloe one after the other. Hearing the sound behind her, the little hen got up from the floor. Upon realizing it was Ethan and Ivy, she suddenly tilted her head back and smiled happily at them.

Although such a description seemed strange for a little hen, Ivy felt that Miss Chloe's eyes sparkled as she looked at them, like a child full of curiosity and longing for the world.

Then, Miss Chloe, in a somewhat clumsy manner, used her beak to turn the handbook to a certain page and then carried the entire book to them.

That page depicted a Crucible used for refining Potions, the foundation of everything in Alchemy.

Chloe really needed this.

She could actually understand the little hen's gaze.

Ivy stared at the illustration of the Crucible in silence for a long time, and then, as if possessed, she said, "The research department of the Containment Bureau urgently needs talents in Alchemy. The expenses for studying Alchemy should be reimbursable by the branch office."

Ivy could no longer clearly recall how she had left Ethan's apartment. She walked down the stairs back to the street, feeling the cold wind blowing against her face. The golden fur on her head drooped in frustration.

God of Truth above, She must have been infected by Ethan's bizarre Thought Process!

With this level of contamination, she couldn't help but suspect Ethan himself was some kind of humanoid Cursed Object they had never encountered before.

And now, she, as the head of Brookwood Town's intelligence Base Station, was going to write an application to the Gear City branch.

Yes, she was going to use a letter to persuade the branch's finance department to reimburse a little hen for her alchemy studies.

Thank you Sky Greatsword for the 200 Qidian coins!

Thank you Ink Gentleman for the 200 Qidian coins!

Thank you As If Teasing Me for the 500 Qidian coins!

Thank you Cluck Cluck Fake Sister Controller for the 500 Qidian coins!

Thank you An Anonymous Small Fry for the 500 Qidian coins!

Thank you Twelve Finger Samsara for the 100 Qidian coins!

Thank you all for your monthly passes and readership~