Do You Want to □□?

Sir Mandela's decision-making was consistently precise.

As his servant hurried away from the Alchemy Workshop following his orders, he spotted a group of reporters walking in from outside.

Although these were not the specific columnists they had arranged for, every influential newspaper had been provided with movie tickets to ensure every reporter could attend, with the more prominent ones receiving several tickets each.

These reporters had not waited for the movie to premiere but had instead come to the workshop of their own accord; by no means was this a good omen.

However, the servant did not greet the reporters—there was no need, nor was it his place—instead, he dodged their cameras, blended into the crowd, and quickened his pace to leave the workshop.

One of the reporters, however, glanced in his direction.

"What is it?"

"No, I just thought I saw someone familiar?" the reporter hesitated.

"Then why don't you go out and play with your acquaintance?" Lance gripped his camera, a smile on his face, though his eyes held no trace of amusement. "The editor-in-chief has already assigned this task to me!"

His colleague looked at his protective, puppy-like demeanor and couldn't help but laugh. "Don't be so nervous, it's as if we're here to snatch your scoop! Can't we just come to take a look?"

"Heh."

Lance looked at the camera hanging around his colleague's neck with disbelief.

Lance had hit the jackpot by landing this news assignment.

That day, he had merely come to Magic Gear to play games. It was only because his girlfriend, Hana, was particularly fond of the Receptionist Cat here and pestered him to write a feature column that he had snapped a photo of the Golden Shaded Cat serving them.

Unexpectedly, just after he finished developing the photos, the newspaper office notified him to bring all his drafts in. It was said that the content for the third page had been pulled due to the influence of certain high-ranking officials, and to avoid leaving a blank space in tomorrow's paper, they were selecting drafts on the fly.

Encountering such a "stroke of luck," Lance certainly wouldn't miss out. He hastily shoved all his drafts and documents into his briefcase and rushed to the office. Even so, Lance felt that for a rookie like him, having one piece selected and getting a small, tofu-block-sized space would be good enough.

To his surprise, the editor-in-chief picked out the photo of the Golden Shaded Cat at a glance and recognized the mayor in the background.

Even more unexpectedly, the mayor had spoken highly of Magic Gear, stating that it was no small feat for the city's once-largest alchemy workshop to reopen. Not only had they developed new products that the citizens couldn't put down, but they had also solved the employment problem for magic graduates, effectively signaling an intent to choose this place as the city's star enterprise.

Thus, a casual human-interest story suddenly turned into a political assignment, and because Lance was the only one familiar with the workshop, the editor-in-chief handed the task to him.

Lance was just pondering how to approach the story when that massive sign appeared in the sky.

Even a rookie knew this was a huge scoop!

Lance hurriedly rushed to Magic Gear with his girlfriend, intending to snap a few photos while Hana found a seat, but he hadn't expected to run into his peers here.

Lance immediately became vigilant.

He felt like he had picked up a gold nugget on the side of the road and viewed everyone else as a bandit.

While Lance was exchanging pleasantries with his colleague, his girlfriend, Hana, also encountered her "frenemy."

"Didn't you say you were going to see a movie with your boyfriend tonight?"

"He received a last-minute order to interview at this workshop; he said it's related to a promotion," Hana sighed deliberately. "It's not great when a boyfriend is too career-driven!"

She then looked at her friend. "What about you? Didn't you say you were going on an outing with your boyfriend today?"

"With such a massive thunderclap earlier, how could we dare to leave the city? It turned out to be an opening advertisement for an alchemy workshop. That man is like a child; he loves new things the most, so I had no choice but to accompany him here," the friend also wore a melancholy expression. "Look, the newly bought steam car is still parked outside. With so many people coming and going, I'm really worried it might get damaged!"

The friend looked at Hana. "I really envy you, being able to strive for success alongside your boyfriend."

"How could that compare to you? A boyfriend as mature as a father must be very gentle and considerate, right?"

"Hehehe!"

"Hehehe!"

Hana and her friend both wore fake smiles.

Just as the invisible flames were about to consume their surroundings, a soft, delicate cry interrupted their exchange.

"Meow~~"

The Golden Shaded Cat that had served Hana last time jumped onto the table between them and handed the menu it was holding in its mouth to them. "Miss Hana, you are as beautiful as ever! Is this your friend? Equally beautiful, meow!"

So cute!

The two ladies' smiles instantly became genuine.

What was the point of being complimented by men with ulterior motives? Being approached and complimented by a cat was true beauty!

The Golden Shaded Cat asked, "What would you like to drink, meow?"

"I'll have a cup of coffee, original flavor, with three drops of Cherry Brandy," the friend said.

"Where would Magic Gear get coffee?" Hana said with disdain.

There was no need for the Ragdoll Cat to explain. Considering herself a regular, she automatically promoted the workshop: "Since it's an alchemy workshop, of course, it's the specialty Happy Water!"

"Magic potion? Will there be side effects?" the friend asked worriedly.

This was a sentiment that had only emerged in this era.

In the Magic Era, adventurers didn't mind using alchemy potions. After all, when fighting the Demon Race, one could easily lose limbs or suffer internal organ damage. Compared to the ethereal and possibly non-existent "side effects," ensuring one's survival and future physical integrity was paramount. Every family, if conditions permitted, kept several alchemy potions on hand.

But ever since the last Plane War, when the Demon Race was driven back to the Abyss and the army cleared out the remaining monsters, this plane finally ushered in peace. After the subsequent reforms, people who were no longer under threat of death began to feel suspicious about the existence of alchemy potions.

Four-leaf Clover + Morning Dew + Lover's Smile + Blessing of a White Robe = Luck Potion?

Coffee Bean + Sprout of the Cursed Tree + Owl's Hoot + a jar of Mana = Energy Potion?

Mistletoe + holly leaves under the first snow + the taste of a first kiss + water elemental mana = Love Potion?

From a scientific perspective, this is not only inexplicable, but some of the ingredients are also highly toxic!

Furthermore, statistics have shown time and again that in the Magic Era, countless people died from alchemy potions or went insane because of them. Those who survived were "likely" just victims of survivorship bias—I say "likely" because while there is no proof it is survivorship bias, there is no proof it isn't either!

Even ordinary people who doubt such claims feel it is unnecessary to risk their health trying out so-called "unknown side effects." The Drug Inspection Department even compiled a specific list of alchemy potions, allowing only those whose ingredients and effects have been specially verified to be sold.

The alchemy potion business of Magic Gear was hit hard because of this.

Although the owner at the time tried to follow the Drug Administration's requirements by using only raw materials that were "scientifically analyzable and non-toxic," the resulting potions not only had expiration dates but were also less effective than those made with raw materials. As a result, they were rejected by both the medical and magical communities, eventually becoming stagnant inventory.

After Angell learned of the history, he felt a sense of regret.

"The logic was sound, but the people at the Drug Administration weren't wrong either. If they encounter toxic ingredients, incompetent alchemists can indeed kill people. If we want to be safe, there must be regulations. So, we shouldn't be butting heads with them using 'alchemy potions' that aren't as effective as the real thing! Because in terms of efficacy, this batch of potions truly failed to achieve the results required of standard potions."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Since we can't sell them as medicine, we'll sell them as beverages!" Angell said righteously. "Besides, the Drug Administration has already certified that our batch of potions has a clean origin, contains no toxic substances, and is harmless to the human body, right?"

And so, he really did add carbonated bubbles to the potions and sold them as drinks.

He also diluted them with a lot, a lot of water.

These carbonated waters, however, were highly acclaimed. People not only loved the taste of the carbonated water, but the subtle effects of the alchemy potion—the very effects that couldn't pass the drug inspection—made them flock to it.

They clearly doubted the effects of authentic alchemy potions, yet they clamored for the (diluted) defective products.

This made Mithril question his cat life.

However, this did not stop Mithril from providing the Cat Waiters with the appropriate training.

Right now, facing the questioning from Hana's best friend, the Golden Tabby recited the standardized training script.

"There are absolutely no side effects, meow! We took them to the Drug Inspection Department for testing, and all the ingredients are public with no suspicious components! As an Alchemy Workshop, we simply followed alchemical methods to craft the potion, giving it a few small 'surprises' so it can provide people with genuine happiness."

The Golden Tabby said this and waved a paw toward a corner of the workshop: "If you don't believe me, you can go see the production process of the Happy Water yourself."

Angell had placed several alchemy machines that produced carbonated water right in the storefront on the first floor.

Although most guests couldn't tell if this was truly harmless or free of side effects, the transparent production process was reassuring, and the mysterious alchemy machines were eye-catching, giving people a sense of the workshop's unique character.

The lady friend was instantly convinced: "Then give me a cup... hmm, which one is better?"

"I recommend this Beauty Happy Water; after drinking it last time, I felt my skin was much smoother the next day," Hana said, though she turned to the Golden Tabby and added, "Give me the same kind of Happy Water my boyfriend ordered last time!"

What Lance ordered last time wasn't Beauty Happy Water, but Lucky Happy Water.

That very day, Lance was lucky enough to photograph the mayor and obtained an opportunity he had dreamed of.

Hana felt this luck was far more practical than skin smoothness that only lasted a day.

"Okay, meow!" The Golden Tabby pressed a paw print onto the notebook he carried with him.

But the Cat did not leave immediately; instead, he continued to upsell: "Two beautiful ladies, would you like to apply for a Membership Token while you're at it? Using a Membership Token to make purchases at this workshop gets you a discount, meow!"

Hana looked surprised at these words, but before she could say anything, another voice chimed in.

"We can apply for a Membership Token?!"

"Isn't it true that you have to be in the top ranks of the Leaderboard to get a Membership Token?"

The Golden Tabby turned to see a youth holding a camera and a middle-aged gentleman dressed in casual aristocratic attire standing behind him—they were the two ladies' boyfriends.

"The Membership Tokens for the top of the Leaderboard are special tokens issued by the workshop, and each use comes with a special Honor Badge," the Golden Tabby explained. "But since the workshop has reopened, the Membership Tokens aren't limited to just those few. Ordinary guests can also top up to apply for one, and depending on the amount topped up, there are different VIP perks, meow!"

The Golden Tabby said this and brought out another price list.

Lance took a quick look and asked: "Daily complimentary game attempts... does that mean the Game Table will continue to operate after the official opening?"

"That is of course, meow, though the price will be slightly adjusted to 100 cents per game," the Golden Tabby said. "However, we will constantly be adding new games, and there will be discounts during the game testing periods."

This was indeed a good deal.

For someone like Lance who had a stable job, the price increase from 50 to 100 cents was almost negligible, not to mention that after becoming a workshop member, there were daily complimentary game attempts.

Lance couldn't wait: "Then give me..." He paused, seeing his girlfriend's warning smile, and continued: "Give both me and Hana one?"

Hana then snorted in satisfaction and looked at her friend.

The friend immediately hugged her boyfriend's arm: "Darling, you seem very interested in the Arena over there. Shall we get one too?"

"Hmm," the gentleman didn't answer immediately, but carefully looked at the workshop membership levels before generously pulling out a checkbook. "Give both me and my dear a VIP10!"

"Okay, please wait a moment, meow!" Seeing a big client, the Golden Tabby didn't delay, turned around, and ran off, not even taking the membership price list with him.

"Yay, darling, I love you the most!" the friend squealed, then glanced at Hana.

Hana looked at Lance coldly.

Lance broke into a cold sweat looking at the VIP10 top-up amount.

If it weren't much money, he wouldn't mind putting on a show for his girlfriend, but the problem was that this was half a year's salary!

And why would anyone top up so much money into a Membership Token? The Game Table here only costs 100 cents to play once; even if your skills are terrible and a round ends in ten seconds, the top-up amount would be enough to settle down and live in the workshop!

Why would anyone be willing to top up so much money? And there were even higher VIP levels after that!

I really don't understand the world of the wealthy!

Lance was full of complaints, but he didn't dare voice them to his girlfriend, forced to endure under her murderous glare. Fortunately, the Golden Tabby was fast; it returned with four boxes in less than a minute.

"These are your Membership Tokens," the Golden Tabby said, placing the boxes in front of the guests.

Judging by the packaging, the difference in VIP levels was immediately apparent.

The ordinary Membership Token came in a small wooden box with a golden gear painted on it, while the prestigious VIP10 user received a box made of Gold-Thread Wood, featuring a gear that even had special effects—it actually rotated!

As soon as this box was brought out, many people in the vicinity cast envious glances in their direction.

The crystals inside were even more distinct.

The ordinary member's crystal was just a standard, slightly dull, diamond-shaped stone, but the VIP10 crystal was a multi-faceted, colorful gem. Whether worn around the neck, attached to a tie clip, or hung on a pocket watch, it was incredibly prestigious.

"Press your finger onto the crystal and visualize your name in your mind—it doesn't matter if it's real or fake," the Golden Tabby said. "It will verify your identity, so even if you lose it later, it can be reissued."

The gentleman followed the instructions, and a name in runes immediately appeared on the crystal, looking very stylish.

Even Lance felt a bit tempted.

What was worse was that his girlfriend's gaze grew even colder.

"I, I think the ordinary one is just fine," Lance said, avoiding Hana's eyes as he pressed his finger onto the Membership Token.

Hana snorted coldly but didn't say anything.

It wasn't that she insisted on her boyfriend getting a high-level VIP status; it wasn't just because she knew his financial situation, but also because she felt that topping up too much was unnecessary. She just found it hard to lose face in front of her "frenemy."

However, after Lance pressed his finger onto the crystal, it not only emitted a light blue glow, but an eye-shaped icon also appeared in the center.

With these two decorations, although the crystal wasn't as flashy as the high-level VIP one, it looked quite unique.

Seeing this, Lance wore a look of pleasant surprise.

The one who had topped up more felt displeased: "How come I don't have this?"

"Although we have reopened, the Membership Token records data from the testing period, meow!" the Golden Tabby explained. "This guest is one of our old users and found over five hundred Golden Fruits in our 'Autumn' Game Table, which is why he earned this 'Insightful' icon."

"Can't I get it by spending money?" the gentleman asked.

"If you could get it just by spending money, wouldn't that ruin the fun of the game, meow? As an expert like yourself, you should be able to earn such an icon very soon, right?" the Golden Tabby said.

It then waved a paw that seemed to be wearing a White Gloves, signaling the man to lean in.

The Golden Tabby spoke with a feigned air of mystery: "Although prestigious VIP users cannot obtain these icons directly, when you play the games, you will discover mysterious markers that only you possess, meow! And they differ according to your level. Don't you want to try it out?"

The gentleman was immediately provoked.

"I'll see what it is!" he said, walking toward the game tables.

"Hey?" The friend looked at her boyfriend's retreating back in a panic, then at the young couple here, and finally decided to follow. "Wait for me! I want to see too!"

Watching these two "omens of financial ruin" finally leave, Lance let out a sigh of relief.

He turned his head to appease his girlfriend: "Hana, it's not that I don't want to spend the money, it's just..."

"Forget about that," Hana's voice was colder than late Autumn. "When did you play at the Autumn game table so many times that you managed to earn an icon?!"

Every time they went on a date, they always went to the Spring Table!

Lance was instantly covered in cold sweat: "Hana, listen to me--let me explain!"