Newbie Tools

[Some people often say that alchemy exists solely to make magical potions, but I say that is wrong. I believe that anyone who studies alchemy should firmly believe that alchemy is omnipotent!]

—Albert

At that moment, Lan Qingyou turned off her talent.

Lying on the Straw that had grown softer under the sunlight, she opened Albert's Alchemy Handbook.

That was the very first sentence in the handbook.

It was somewhat like a dedication, yet also somewhat like Albert recording his own understanding of alchemy.

"Alchemy is omnipotent? That's interesting."

Lan Qingyou muttered.

Yet as she slowly read on, she discovered that the alchemy of this world really had something to it.

She had originally only wanted to recover her Magic Power and pass the time, but now she began reading seriously.

She was even getting a little absorbed in it.

Setting aside Albert's personal attitude toward alchemy, Lan Qingyou felt that his understanding of the subject alone marked him as a master.

At the very least, as a complete novice who had never encountered such knowledge before, she did not find his Alchemy Handbook obscure or difficult to understand. She could follow it.

It was like a teacher standing at a podium, dissecting academic arguments one by one, breaking them down and presenting them right before you in a gentle, clear, easy-to-understand manner.

To support his views, he had even included several examples of the most basic magical potion recipes.

They made Lan Qingyou feel like, I could do this too.

Strange. Why did I suddenly think that?

Lan Qingyou came to her senses.

Hmm... should I... give it a try?

But could I really do it?

Someone who had only graduated middle school, never attended a single day of high school, and was paralyzed in both legs learning alchemy?

Closing the notebook and resting it against her chest, Lan Qingyou kept asking herself that question.

Sometimes, once a person formed a certain idea, no matter how much they denied it or struggled with it, they would eventually want to try it.

Some attributed that mentality to the innate curiosity of intelligent beings.

And now, Albert's theories as an alchemist had undoubtedly stirred Lan Qingyou's curiosity.

"Forget it, why the hell am I overthinking this? I'll know whether I can do it if I just try, won't I?!"

Having made up her mind, Lan Qingyou set aside the mental turmoil in her head. Seeing that her Magic Power had fully recovered, she planned to leave the Shelter and gather some herbs for a test.

"Hmm, I'll need something to carry them in too. Should I bring a Wooden Crate?"

Her hand had just grasped the doorknob when Lan Qingyou suddenly thought about equipment.

She could not exactly head out empty-handed.

However, when she wanted to take a treasure chest from storage, she abruptly noticed a huge red exclamation mark on the Small Screen!

"What's going on?!"

Lan Qingyou was completely baffled as she stared at that huge red exclamation mark.

It had not been there when she ate lunch earlier. How had this thing appeared after she lay down and read for a while?

Could it be some urgent notification?

Without giving it further thought, Lan Qingyou immediately tapped the red exclamation mark, and a window popped up.

[Dear Blue Star Person, 9 hours and 51 minutes remain until Newbie Tool distribution ends. Please choose your Newbie Tool as soon as possible.]

Uh... Newbie Tools?

All right, she really had forgotten about that.

Scratching her greasy hair, Lan Qingyou felt a little embarrassed.

She was supposed to have chosen yesterday, but she had been so excited about her talent that she had completely forgotten.

This morning, she had wanted to go out and have some fun. After finding two treasure chests and the handbook, the matter had slipped her mind entirely.

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It was all Teacher Albert's fault. His Alchemy Handbook was written like a standard textbook. Who would not get absorbed in it?

Lan Qingyou opened the Newbie Tools menu and began choosing carefully.

Setting aside the issue with her legs, melee weapons were out of the question.

Bows and crossbows were worth considering, but she did not know whether arrows or bolts would be provided. Without them, they would be less useful to her than a fire poker.

At least a fire poker could still be used to whack someone over the head.

"Eh!"

After Lan Qingyou skipped past the weapons and checked the tools, she spotted a [Garden Hoe] on the interface.

[Garden Hoe (E)]

[Function: A small tool that can be used to tend gardens and loosen the soil around flowers and plants.]

[Description: It may be small, but it is very practical—and very cute.]

"This seems like it could work."

Remembering Albert's note that herbs were best dug up with their roots intact to preserve their efficacy, Lan Qingyou felt that this Garden Hoe suited her perfectly.

Then I'll choose this. Even if it's the wrong choice, it doesn't matter. I wouldn't be able to use anything else anyway.

A Garden Hoe then appeared out of thin air on the Small Screen.

The Garden Hoe was very short, only about as long as her forearm, and its head was dual-purpose.

One end was a palm-sized flat shovel that curved downward for weeding, while the other was a three-pronged fork for digging soil.

With her tool in hand, Lan Qingyou tied the treasure chest to her back with Vine and headed outside.

Gathering herbs was tedious, but also easy.

When she went out before, the weeds on the ground had just looked like weeds, with no apparent differences.

But after reading the Alchemy Handbook, Lan Qingyou realized that the Abandoned Forest was full of treasures.

Although the handbook only mentioned Apprentice-Grade Mana Potions.

It also recorded the herbs needed to make them, describing their appearance in great detail. There were even illustrations.

And they were the kind of illustrations that were easy to recognize.

The long-leaved, serrated Ascetic Herb and the Yellow-Tail Flower, whose yellow petals were flat and oval-shaped, were both ideal ingredients for making Apprentice-Grade Mana Potions.

Thus, those two herbs became Lan Qingyou's main targets.

After all, she was currently a complete outsider who was interested in alchemy but had yet to enter the field.

Using the most basic Potion Albert had mentioned as her first stepping stone could not have been more appropriate.

Besides, both herbs were abundant in the Abandoned Forest. She did not even need to deliberately search for them.

With one swing of her hoe, she dug up each herb roots and all, patted off the dirt, tossed it into the treasure chest, and moved on to the next plant. In half an hour, she had dug up more than half a chest full. It was ridiculously easy.

"Hmm, why am I back here again?"

Holding the Garden Hoe and carrying the treasure chest on her back, Lan Qingyou looked at the huge mass of Vine ahead.

This was where she had found the handbook that morning. She had not expected that, after focusing on digging herbs all afternoon, she would return here again.

But it did not matter.

Or rather, the timing was perfect.

While reading the handbook earlier, Albert had mentioned his Alchemy Workshop.

She had originally planned to come back tomorrow. After all, it had been an alchemist's Workshop. No matter how many years had passed, it surely would have left behind something valuable, just like that handbook.

Since she was already here, she might as well look for it.

The handbook had not recorded the Workshop's location in great detail, so she would have to search for it herself.

After all, what normal person would write down their exact home address in their own notebook? That would be idiotic.

Thinking that, Lan Qingyou floated up and circled the area again and again.

In the end, she found nothing.

"Could it be where that room collapsed?"

Looking at the mass of vines, Lan Qingyou decided to go inside and investigate once more.

If you enjoy this book and do not want to lose it next time, please remember to add it to your bookshelf.

At the request of many readers, a VIP membership ad-free feature is now available.