Chapter 31

Adai stayed behind uneasily.

Renog and Sara left the castle, looking back every few steps with worried expressions.

Once there were fewer people around,

Xia Zuoyi stopped putting on a stern little face. He relaxed against the back of his chair, leisurely swung his feet, and took the paper Judith handed him.

He said, "Adai Ben, the information you had the clerk record said that you could identify herbs, had once been an alchemist's apprentice, and had studied some medicinal principles... Do you know how to make medicine?"

Adai nodded. "A little, my lord."

At that, Xia Zuoyi had the servants bring over a basket of plants that had long been prepared, along with the tools needed to make potions and salves.

He said to the somewhat confused Adai, "There are some medicinal herbs in the basket, as well as ordinary plants."

"You need to pick out the herbs, then use the herbs you recognize to make a potion or salve. There is no limit to the amount. This is your test. Begin now."

Adai stepped forward, slightly nervous. "Yes, my lord."

Adai seemed to have somewhat understood the young earl's intentions.

—The reason he was being asked to do this was probably related to that master alchemist...

If he could gain the alchemist's approval, Renog and Sara might have an easier life.

After thinking it over, Adai took a deep breath and began concentrating on sorting through the plants.

After a while, he placed the herbs he had selected on the table, but hesitated slightly before beginning to make the medicine...

There were indeed herbs among them that Adai recognized, but more had been selected based on instinct...

If he could make more potions, perhaps it would be easier to gain that alchemist's recognition and approval.

But he remembered his former teacher saying that some herbs were perfectly fine when used alone, yet could have harmful effects if brewed together and given to patients.

For example, vomiting, abdominal pain, and so on.

If one did not understand an herb's properties, one should not try things recklessly.

Adai set the herbs he did not recognize aside, then focused on making a potion he was more familiar with.

Xia Zuoyi rested his cheek on one hand as he watched Adai select the herbs and make the potion, forming an assessment in his mind.

The plants Adai had picked from the basket were indeed all medicinal herbs, but his selection was incomplete.

There were still some herbs in the basket that he had failed to identify.

Moreover, the herbs Adai had used for the potion were rather limited, and his movements were somewhat unpracticed.

Still, his flaws did not outweigh his merits. He had a very good grasp of how to use the herbs and in what quantities.

Overall, Adai's performance was far better than Xia Zuoyi had expected.

"My lord, the potion is complete," Adai said.

Judith took the potion and handed it to Xia Zuoyi.

Xia Zuoyi said, "This potion treats insomnia. It calms the mind and helps people fall asleep faster, doesn't it?"

Adai's expression turned astonished.

He could not help asking, "M-my lord, how did you know?"

Xia Zuoyi said, "Naturally, because I can make it too. What is there to be surprised about? Close your mouth."

Adai obediently closed his mouth.

Stroking his fair little chin, Xia Zuoyi said, "You may leave now. When you return, remember to tell your friends that starting tomorrow, you will remain at the castle as an alchemist's assistant."

"An assistant ranks below an apprentice."

"I will observe your performance. After a one-month probationary period, I will consider whether to officially make you an apprentice."

Adai was immediately overjoyed. "Thank you, my lord!"

He had not seen the alchemist anywhere, so he assumed they would formally meet the next day.

Afterward, Adai left the castle under a servant's guidance.

Renog and Sara breathed sighs of relief when they saw him return safely.

Adai told them that he would be staying at the castle as an alchemist's assistant.

"Visas isn't too far from Komoy Fort. My lord said I'll have one day off every seven days. Don't worry, I'll come back often."

"And... although Cory Moya and his group have already been exiled by my lord to the quarry, there's no guarantee that no one else here will have bad intentions..."

"Renog, Sara, if you run into danger, immediately find the soldiers patrolling the city. I don't think they'll ignore you... My lord doesn't seem like a bad person either."

Sara nodded obediently.

Renog said, "You take care of yourself too."

Adai said, "Mm."

The next day.

Adai followed a soldier to the castle.

Judith brought him to the stairs leading to the attic. "Go up. My lord is waiting for you in the alchemy laboratory."

Adai hesitated. "Steward Judith, please wait a moment. May I ask... is my lord the student of that master alchemist?"

Judith smiled. "You'll know once you go up."

With that, he turned and left.

Adai stood where he was and scratched his head. In a low voice, he said, "Probably... After all, my lord was able to identify the effects of the potion I made at a glance yesterday."

Adai climbed the stairs leading to the attic.

The somewhat old wooden floorboards creaked softly beneath his feet.

After climbing the final step and turning past the corridor ahead, he should reach the room where the earl was.

There were no windows in this stretch of corridor.

Metal candle sconces were embedded in the walls on either side. They were three-pronged, and faint flames burned slowly within them, illuminating only a small area.

At the corner ahead, something dark seemed to be lurking motionlessly.

However, Adai did not notice it.

When he was about to reach the corner, the dark mass suddenly leaped up and pounced at him with fierce momentum...

"Roar!"

"Ah—"

Adai's eyes widened in terror. He was so frightened that he could not speak, and his mind went blank.

His foot caught, and he fell to the floor.

H-how could there be a tiger inside the castle?!

After Coalball pounced out, he changed direction in midair. His four thick paws landed lightly and silently on the ground, while the tip of his tail curled upward in delight.

"Roar, roar."

Coalball took two steps back and crouched low before Adai again, looking ready to spring.

It was the signal of an impending attack.

Adai instinctively backed away...

"Coalball."

Just then,

he heard the earl's voice. The black tiger before him immediately drooped his ears and lay obediently on the floor.

Adai could not help looking up.

The young earl was slowly walking toward him, and beside him was another tiger nearly half a person tall.

It was a white tiger with beautiful fur and markings, a sleek body, and an elegant gait.

Adai stared blankly and turned his head. Other than their colors, the two tigers looked very alike.

Xia Zuoyi felt both a headache and helplessness.

Ordinary tigers generally reached adulthood at two or three years old. Their adulthood lasted a relatively long time, followed by their strongest period, when their weight and muscle mass increased greatly.

Finally came old age.

Coalball and Snowball, the tigers 098 had given him, were not ordinary tigers. They had long lifespans, and their bodies would become enormous after adulthood.

But their maturity period was no different from ordinary tigers. They too became adults at two or three years old.

Coalball and Snowball had now entered a stage of rapid growth, almost changing by the day. When standing upright on their hind legs, they were already taller than Xia Zuoyi's waist.

The two tigers also had very distinct personalities.

Coalball was becoming increasingly lively and mischievous. He liked running around everywhere and suddenly jumping out to scare people.

Snowball, on the other hand, was steadier and quieter. He often stayed by Xia Zuoyi's side, usually lazing about and rarely moving.

Xia Zuoyi walked over, grabbed one of Coalball's ears, and scolded, "I told you not to hide here and scare people. Why won't you listen?"

"You won't get any meat at noon today. Going hungry for one meal will teach you a lesson."

"Roar, roar."

Coalball softened his voice and burrowed into Xia Zuoyi's arms to act cute.

The next moment, Snowball swatted him away with a paw and bit Coalball's ear, refusing to let him get close.

The two played and tussled with each other, nearly knocking Xia Zuoyi off balance.

In the end, he drove them both away to find Judith.

"Come with me," Xia Zuoyi said to Adai.

Adai pressed a hand to his heart, which kept racing after being shocked again and again, then nodded and followed him.

Xia Zuoyi pushed open the door and led him into the alchemy laboratory. "Today is your first day as an assistant. If there are any tools you don't recognize or aren't familiar with, ask me."

"I'll give you time to memorize where every tool is kept. In the future, it would be best if you do not make mistakes or leave things in disarray."

"Yes, my lord."

Adai could not help looking around the room's various facilities in amazement. After a while, he hesitantly asked, "My lord, may I ask whether that master alchemist isn't here?"

Xia Zuoyi turned around in confusion. "What master alchemist?"

Adai said, "The one who made the salve..."

He explained what had happened in the forest earlier.

Understanding dawned on Xia Zuoyi. He gave an "oh" and said, "I made the salve. The alchemist you spoke of is me."

Adai's mouth fell open uncontrollably. He said blankly, "W-what..."

The expression on his face kept changing. Clearly, the unexpected truth had dealt him a tremendous blow.

After thinking for a moment, Xia Zuoyi said, "My father was an alchemist. Before he passed away, he left behind an Alchemy Manual."

There was no need for many words. The rest was left to his imagination.

In the end, Adai murmured, "So that's how it is..."

Before coming to the castle, he had prepared himself mentally. He had thought he might meet an alchemist with an eccentric, peculiar temperament...

But he had never expected that person to be the young earl.

Adai quickly gathered his thoughts and began familiarizing himself with the various facilities in the alchemy laboratory.

Three days later.

Xia Zuoyi had him learn the detailed process of making papyrus, then return to research a new experiment.

He said, "The raw material for producing papyrus is the stem of the papyrus plant... After processing it, papyrus can become paper suitable for writing."

"However, this paper is fragile and can easily break when turned."

"Do you think that if other plants were made and processed through certain methods, it might be possible to obtain an entirely new kind of paper?"

Adai hesitated. "I think... it might be possible, but my lord, it will be difficult..."

Xia Zuoyi said, "Nothing in the world is difficult if you are willing to give up. Try it first."

With me here, what is there to fear?