[Solskja's Fire Element] Two Chapters Updated

[Solskja's Fire Element]

The next morning, when the sun rose with boundless cheerfulness—please forgive such a meaningless metaphor—Du Wei was enjoying breakfast in the sunlight when someone came to see him.

It was that... fraudulent mage, Solskja.

After everyone had thought Du Wei had been kidnapped, Solskja had endured immense pressure... He was the only mage at Du Wei's side! Yet there was not a single trace of battle on him!

Everyone else had been injured, while he alone was completely unharmed!

Solskja had borne enormous pressure from his companions.

To be honest... he himself felt that fainting from fright at the mere mention of the other party being an eighth-level mage, before the fight had even begun, was rather shameful.

But wasn't that the truth? Asking a first-level mage—whose qualifications had been obtained through fraud—to duel an eighth-level mage head-on...

That wasn't a duel... that was murder!

"Oh, my young master, seeing you return safe and sound truly fills me with joy..." The instant he entered the study, Solskja plastered on a smile.

Bang!

Du Wei answered with a kick.

With one kick, Du Wei sent the mage sprawling. Then he looked at him, narrowed his eyes, and chuckled softly. "My dear Solskja... seeing you doesn't make me quite so happy."

Solskja climbed to his feet and awkwardly adjusted his hat. "...My young master..."

"Just thinking about how you looked that day makes me feel utterly humiliated." Du Wei's face darkened. "My magical advisor, you actually fainted stiff as a board in the middle of a fight... Your courage is even smaller than a rabbit's!"

That day, Solskja had been the last person left at Du Wei's side, yet this disgraceful fellow had fainted without showing the slightest bit of usefulness! Du Wei had nearly been angered to death at the time!

"My heavens! The opponent was an eighth-level mage! Eighth level!! Young Master Du Wei!" Solskja protested. "I'm only someone with first-level mage qualifications, and my real strength isn't much better than that of a magic apprentice! You know that perfectly well... Did you really think I could withstand that eighth-level mage?"

"But you still couldn't faint. It was simply too humiliating!" Du Wei shook his head. "As your employer, I'm truly disappointed in you... By the way, where did you run off to these past few days?"

"I... took a few people south and moved the things from my laboratory over." Solskja's answer made Du Wei somewhat more satisfied.

"You moved your laboratory here?" Du Wei was rather surprised. "Weren't you afraid I wouldn't make it back? Without me, did you think this family would still take you in?"

Helpless, Solskja could only tell the truth... He had received word that the young master of the Rowling Family had been found, and only then had he hurried over.

"Oh, so that's how it was... If I hadn't returned, then you were planning to fly far away, weren't you?" Du Wei looked at the sly fellow. "Taking the 'spoils of war' I threw to you that day? Right?"

Solskja was speechless.

"All right, hand it over." Du Wei meant those things he had extracted from Vivian.

Almost instinctively, Du Wei felt that he did not want to hand over these "Vivian's things" to anyone else. He only wanted to keep them himself.

Solskja grew somewhat anxious. "Young Master Du Wei... You're not a mage. These things can only show their value in the hands of a mage..."

He didn't want to hand them over?

Du Wei snorted. He glanced at the closed door of the study, then smiled faintly and raised a hand in a gentle summoning gesture...

Whoosh!

Several sparks immediately leaped from the candles burning on either side. Those points of fire flew into Du Wei's palm, instantly solidifying into a fireball!

Solskja's eyes widened. "Magic? My heavens, you can actually use magic now?!"

"Did you think I was performing acrobatics? This is a method taught to me by an eighth-level mage!" Du Wei gave a cold laugh. "Hand it over."

"May I keep one magic crystal?" Solskja asked tentatively. "Just a small piece... My experiments need a magic crystal of good quality to store fire elements..."

Du Wei said nothing, merely holding out his hand.

Helpless, Solskja handed over the bag and let out a deep sigh.

"All right, stop sighing, my magical advisor." Having gotten Vivian's things, Du Wei felt somewhat happier. "You'll get what you want soon enough. I guarantee it."

"A mid-grade magic crystal costs at least several hundred gold coins." Clearly, Solskja also knew about Du Wei's current circumstances. Many people in the castle knew of the order confining Du Wei and suspending his allowance.

"Don't worry. There will be gold coins, and there'll be plenty of them very soon." Du Wei was not worried about that.

The plan to rob pirates was underway. There would soon be quite a bit of income... And besides, don't forget that in the secret chamber beneath the hidden passage below the study, there was still quite a bit of treasure Semel had left behind.

"Oh, right, Solskja, come on. I'll take you to see your new laboratory! It's in the woods outside the castle!"

As they left the study, the old steward came to see Du Wei. Pointing at a pile of burnt ashes on the floor, Du Wei smiled. "My dear steward... I'm very sorry. Last night, while I was reading, I don't know what happened, but that oil painting on the wall fell down and happened to smash into a candleholder... So it burned up. I assume you'll have the servants clean it up, won't you?"

The old steward stared blankly at the empty space among the row of oil paintings on the wall, then at the pile of ashes on the floor.

My heavens... that was an antique!

The words prodigal son rolled around several times in the old steward's heart, but in the end he did not dare say them aloud. He lightly bit his lip before helplessly agreeing.

Du Wei swaggered out of the study with Solskja and headed for the woods beside the castle.

Deep in the woods, beside the stream, the wooden building had already been completed.

The three-story wooden building looked exceptionally sturdy, and it was clear that only the finest materials had been used.

"Are you satisfied? From now on, this will be the magic laboratory... our magic laboratory!"

The first floor of the small building was a hall. It already had the basic furnishings, such as the broad table Du Wei had specifically requested to use as a workbench. The shelves beside it held many glass vessels Du Wei had ordered... all manner of bottles and jars, as well as several crystal stones.

The second floor contained a row of iron cabinets for storing various raw materials.

The third floor, meanwhile, belonged to Du Wei. A spacious terrace had been left there specifically for him to observe the stars.

Du Wei had even planned to make an astronomical telescope himself and place it there.

"Are you satisfied?" Du Wei asked Solskja with a smile.

Solskja looked delighted. "Very! With such a large space, I can conduct plenty of experiments!"

Du Wei smiled and led him around to the back of the small building, pointing at the plants growing on the ground before them.

These were some of the most basic materials used in magical potion-making... Of course, there were many magical materials that Du Wei could not buy. The shops in town did not carry them either; he could only occasionally purchase them from adventuring parties, or from the Magicians' Guild.

However, the Magicians' Guild was not open to outsiders. Anyone without mage qualifications could not buy anything from the Magicians' Guild.

"I've prepared all the most basic plants... As for everything else, we can only buy it from the Magicians' Guild. You'll have to handle those purchases yourself—you know the guild's rules. As for money... we'll have it, don't worry. We'll have money soon enough."

Solskja silently looked over the things before him.

He was already extremely satisfied!

To ordinary people, a mage's experiments were simply money going up in flames!

Those precious materials could very well be burned away or ruined in a single failed experiment, rendered utterly worthless.

In the past, Solskja had never had enough money to buy so many materials for experiments. Many of his materials had been painstakingly "saved up in secret" from his teacher back then. Besides, he had needed to work for adventuring parties, earning money as a hired hand, or perhaps obtaining some Magic Beast cores.

Now, with this little nobleman's promise, he would no longer need to worry about money. He could finally throw open the gates of his heart and conduct whatever experiments he wanted!

Du Wei had rather high expectations for Solskja.

This fellow had actually developed a way to simulate magic... He truly could be called a genius! If he were allowed to continue his research, who knew what else he might come up with!

"Oh, right. Let me see what you brought back from your laboratory in the south!"

Compared to Du Wei's laboratory, the things Solskja had brought with him were far more shabby.

Of the several bottles and jars he had brought, half were made of fired clay. Clearly, this financially strapped mage had no extra money to buy those pretty glass vessels.

Stored in these jars were various magical elements Solskja had refined... mainly fire elements.

That was the "yellow powder" Solskja had mentioned refining.

Du Wei was most interested in this "fire element."

With Solskja's permission, he carefully opened one of the jars. Then he saw the "yellow powder" inside!

The very first glance at the stuff, along with that familiar smell... left Du Wei frozen!

He could not help reaching out with two fingers to pinch up a small amount, then brought it close and sniffed it...

"This is the 'fire element' you made?" Du Wei turned, staring solemnly at Solskja.

"...Yes."

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Du Wei slowly asked, "You... how quickly can you refine this stuff?"

"That depends on the raw materials. The main ingredient is powdered Fire-Scale Grass, but it has to go through six rounds of refinement. And the process must be handled with extreme care—there can't be any fire nearby... I nearly got burned to death in an accident once."

"What if I gave you an ample supply of materials?"

Solskja thought for a moment and did some calculations. "If the materials are sufficient, I think I could make three bottles a day."

Three bottles?

The bottle Solskja meant was roughly the size of a beer bottle from Du Wei's previous life.

Three bottles a day... That was already a pretty good rate.

Holding back a laugh, Du Wei suddenly gave Solskja a hard hug. "My magical consultant... I'm extremely satisfied with your fire element... I'm giving you a raise! Once I have money! Hahaha..."

After a pause, Du Wei said quietly, "Listen. We must keep the formula for this fire element absolutely secret! Understand?"

"Of course!" Solskja quickly replied.

For the time being, the laboratory was handed over to Solskja. He stayed behind, busy arranging the bottles and jars he had brought, along with those crude tools: several large pots, refining jars, burning vessels, and the like.

Du Wei walked out alone.

The two servants following behind him watched as their young master kept smiling to himself.

Only after Du Wei had walked quite a distance did he finally stop restraining himself and burst into loud laughter.

His smile was full of delight and surprise, as if an endless rain of gold coins had suddenly fallen from the sky—and every last one had landed in his pocket alone!

"Hahahaha... What fire element? It's clearly gunpowder! Hahaha, I actually have gunpowder now!!"

(New Year's Day holiday is here! Happy holidays, everyone! Even during the break, please continue supporting Demon! Don't forget to vote~~)

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