Chapter 105: Sweet Dreams Are Easy to Wake

"Bitter, I am so bitter."

On the afternoon a few days later, Ji Jue finally couldn't help but howl again.

After he finally crawled out of the library with a gray face, he was already dying.

It was like a child who started to crave school unreasonably before the end of every summer vacation. After the initial joy disappeared, he was pressed to the ground by the coursework and rubbed wildly again.

Before, he thought his modern alchemy had at least entered the door.

Then Professor Ye told him with actual actions and continuous interrogation and pressure, no, you didn't, you are still far behind.

After a test, after throwing the 59-point paper that was polite to him, she opened a large list of books enough to bury Ji Jue, telling him that your task for the next few months is to finish reading all these and write a report according to your own understanding, and accept Professor Ye's random checks and torture from time to time.

"Brief Discussion on the Four Elements of Alchemy", "Discussion on the Dissent of the Ascension Path", "Modern Alchemy Basics I, II, III, IV", "Analysis of 300-400 Years of Registered Artisan Real Questions", "Two or Three Discoveries Based on Waste Recycling in Water Quenching Treatment"...

At first, Ji Jue was worried that the library was so big, how to find these books, until Ye Chun took him to the corner, pointed to the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth bookshelves and told him, no need to find, just finish reading all of these, they are all here.

After realizing that Ji Jue's own understanding ability was enough for self-study and research, Professor Ye's teaching style became much rougher, mainly filling ducks, and then torturing him according to the weak points of understanding, and then letting him turn back to look again, making Ji Jue dream of brushing questions and memorizing books and doing real questions even when he had nightmares.

Every time he smelled the library, Ji Jue started PTSD.

Such a vicious alchemy, who invented it...

Now his daily schedule is filled with all kinds of beatings.

First, at eight o'clock in the morning, he was beaten by Professor Ye in spiritual quality offense and defense. At ten o'clock, he was tortured and beaten by Professor Ye in teaching and testing. From noon to afternoon, he was beaten by various theories in the library. He squeezed in time to go to the warehouse to be beaten by the Dissociation Technique.

Besides beating, it is beating.

Beaten to the point that Ji Jue's consciousness was blurred, like a maggot lying on the ground wriggling and groaning, "Life is always beaten, or is it only like this when you are an apprentice?"

"Young people don't be discouraged because they are beaten at the beginning." Ye Chun comforted while touching the dog's head: "Because you will gradually get used to it later."

"I don't want to! I still have a great youth..."

Ji Jue covered his face and screamed: "Senior Sister, save me!!!"

"Senior Sister has been rolled to death by you!"

Ye Chun, who had been staying up late to finish her thesis, pulled up her messy hair and sneered: "You chose it yourself, idol!"

"When you rolled others at the beginning, why didn't you think about today? This is the end of the roll dog! Dead extremely miserably, absolutely miserably, miserably!"

Speaking of the hate, she couldn't help but pinch Ji Jue's neck and shake it hard: "One day, I will sprinkle your ashes into Tianmen Lake ah ah ah ah ah!!!"

In the living room, the sound of the TV, the little Niu Ma curiously poked its head out, with a small bird on its head, watching the scene of the two persecuting each other.

Soon, it withdrew its gaze without interest, returned to the front of the TV, and continued to concentrate on appreciating the food program above.

"Looks so delicious."

Gloria looked at the picture of the roast chicken coming out of the oven and had already started swallowing saliva.

And Niu Ma heard this, rolled its eyes and looked up at the alchemical creation on its head that seemed to belong to the bird family like the one on TV, couldn't help but nod in agreement, eager to try.

Then the two little ones started to lean towards his backpack sneakily while Ji Jue wasn't paying attention, trying to take his phone to order takeout to taste.

Ji Jue saw it in his eyes, sighed but didn't stop it.

After all, it is better than them being smart, carrying a plastic model in the middle of the night and letting Gloria hide in the head to order food, and as a result, the waiter was scared to faint... Thanks to them, there is another legend of a terrifying diner who comes to claim his life in the middle of the night in the horror stories of the North Mountain District...

Besides, he is also hungry!

It just so happens that when the takeout comes, he can grab it from their mouths, and it will taste even sweeter.

Brother Ji is under great pressure, Brother Ji takes it first!

And the reason why he has become so "generous" in his shots recently, even takeout can be ordered casually, is largely because the financial situation on Ji Jue's account is finally not in a state of debt on the verge of bankruptcy at any time.

After all, going out is not a wasted trip.

Considering his financial situation, among the many materials he left behind, Professor Ye helped him sell some materials that were temporarily unused and not particularly precious.

The money arrived yesterday morning.

Now the money on the account, after deducting his own and Lu Ling's student loans, still has more than 700,000.

Save a little, enough for Ji Jue to lie flat for ten or eight years from now on.

For the first time in his life, such an exaggerated huge sum of money lay in his account. The rare and generous Ji Jue not only bought gifts for everyone in the family, but also went to Old Zhang's massage shop to handle a membership card that the whole family could use.

Originally, he had to deduct the money he owed Sister Laila, but that side refused to produce a bill, only saying that friends help each other. Since it is friends helping, Ji Jue didn't say much, and neatly agreed to this favor. If there is any need later, he will help more.

In the bitter filling life, sweet money has become Ji Jue's spiritual pillar. Every time he is beaten and desperate, he takes out his phone to check the account balance.

Happy and can't stop.

"Got it, started again."

Ye Chun rolled her eyes, glancing at Ji Jue holding a phone and laughing happily, shaking her head helplessly.

Forget it, forget it, this kind of drooling even if cured.

Sweet dreams are hard to find, let him sleep a little longer.

Sooner or later, the tragic reality will come to give him two slaps.

After eating in the afternoon, Ye Chun received a call and sent Ji Jue to pick up the goods with a small cart.

At the entrance of the workshop, a man in a suit and leather shoes got off a black van, smiling friendly and enthusiastically. After shaking hands with Ji Jue and handing over his business card, he also handed over a cigarette. The attitude was enthusiastic, and after moving the sealed jar the size of a human head onto the cart, he stood in place and waved, waiting until Ji Jue entered the door before returning to the car and driving away.

"Is sales internal rolling so fierce now?"

Ji Jue curiously fiddled with the sealed jar that was heavy and unbelievable: "What's inside?"

"Aren't you going to practice Fluid Alchemy?"

Ye Chun took a look: "This is the purified and extracted mercury that Auntie ordered from the Tianping Chamber of Commerce. The things are not easy to find, and they just arrived today."

It has to be said that mercury that has undergone spiritual quality fusion and metamorphosis is much easier to operate than the converted mercury that Ji Jue made casually.

Ji Jue just reached out and handled it simply, and it was like an arm.

As if a snake dancer, just waving his hand casually, the mercury in the jar rose slowly, wriggling and wriggling in mid-air~

Sometimes showing Ji Jue's face, sometimes showing Ye Chun's appearance.

Incomparably agile.

"So convenient!"

Ji Jue's eyes also lit up: "I'll get some at home later! This little bit is not enough."

"That would be more troublesome, if the order quantity is small, Tianping is not willing to do it." Ye Chun bit the pen and reminded without looking up: "About half a kilogram minimum order."

"Just kidding, who are you looking down on!"

Ji Jue sneered, waving his hand: "Give me ten pounds!"

"Oh, okay, if you use Auntie's gold membership card, seven thousand per gram." Ye Chun took out her phone, aimed the screen at him, and smiled gently: "Scan the payment code."

"How much?!"

"Hmm?" Ye Chun didn't understand, as if she reacted, lowered her head and flipped through the PDF purchase list on her phone: "Sorry, got it wrong—it's seven thousand six hundred and thirty-six, but there is a discount for buying more than one kilogram, which is about seven thousand two hundred per gram."

Ji Jue's hand holding the jar trembled, and trembled again.

If he didn't calculate wrong, his account balance... seems to be only enough to buy sixty-nine grams?

Grass, no wonder the grandson who delivered the goods just now smiled so enthusiastically!

If it were Ji Jue, Ji Jue's smile would definitely be more brilliant than him.

What kind of profiteer is this!

He carefully placed the mercury jar, which was at least seven or eight pounds, on the ground, carefully and seriously covered the lid to avoid volatilization, and then wiped the cold sweat and asked tremblingly: "Is it so expensive?"

"Yes, what do you think?"

Ye Chun glanced at his ignorant look, "Anything that gets involved with alchemy, the price immediately goes to the sky, okay? Most artisans buy raw materials and process them themselves. This kind of mercury is because the processing equipment is too niche and not in the workshop, and it's not worth it to buy it specifically for this, so Auntie took it to make up the order, otherwise, where would there be things for you to practice?"

As she spoke, she pointed to the sweeping robot in the corner.

"Now you know why you have to wear work clothes when entering and leaving the warehouse? Just the dust left after the physical properties of the waste products you usually practice are overloaded, the market price is four thousand federal coins per 100 grams, or more. They are all sold by the hundred pounds on the market, and they are sold out in seconds on the shelves. The demand is terrifyingly high. If this were in other workshops, you, an apprentice without foundation and relationship, even if you try hard to be a supervisor, don't even think about getting the job of waste recycling, okay?"

You know, the dust left after the physical properties of alchemical products are overloaded and collapsed is actually useful.

Because they have experienced alchemical processing exceeding the limit before collapse, these ashes have become bad reaction bodies of spiritual quality, and it is not easy to have any reaction with other spiritual qualities. Therefore, after being collected, they are often fired into special bricks. Used for cellar storage of certain materials that need aging, or to make tombs for certain Chosen Ones who are easy to cheat after death but not convenient for cremation, or to build buildings with special functions.

For example... prison.

In every big city in the Federation, there is at least one building built with such materials. It is not just the material cost, but the cost of the shackles and various equipment inside... it has become an astronomical figure that a poor guy like Ji Jue who has just been lifted out of poverty dare not dream of.

The Ember Path is like this, while making money, it also means ten times or a hundred times the money burning of other paths.

Compared to other paths, the promotion of the Ascension Path requires inspiration and understanding, the improvement of the Tian Tian Yuan Path requires one's own control, the Bai Lu Path has to win by weakness or eat the weak, the Desolate Ruins Path has to be close to the essence of the world, the Heart Pivot needs to understand one's own nature...

Ember is simple and strong—spend money.

Krypton gold may not necessarily become stronger, but not krypton gold, definitely not stronger!

More than 90% of Ember Chosen Ones are wild roads, not because they don't have the opportunity to become regular classes, but because they really can't afford that high price.

Wanting to cultivate a registered artisan, the early investment is massive. But investing so much, it may not necessarily have results.

Compared to other newcomers who are poor and white, Ji Jue is already a dream start.

Have an enlightened teacher who doesn't restrain the regulations, have a senior sister who tells him what to do at any time, and a whole warehouse of waste products for him to toss around.

But if you want to make progress, or even accelerate the progress, you must face the bottomless pit of demand.

Once you enter the workshop, it's like going to engage in telecommunications fraud.

A mature apprentice must learn to reflect on himself three times a day: Is the account balance enough? Can the credit card still be swiped? Is there any small loan that hasn't been touched?

Even, can relatives and friends still take out money?

Do dry dads and dry moms still need hooks?

Facing the current predicament, it's not that Ji Jue has no way. After all, he just dismantled Mercury's workshop and moved back so many materials. Even if it is high-end, it is not impossible to downgrade and make do.

Just, are you sure that in this broken village good sword of yours, you must add the stone-born gold used by the Sages specifically for legendary weapon reinforcement +12?

"So, you have to recognize your status, Ji Jue."

Ye Chun patted his shoulder, earnestly: "I didn't care about you in the past, but you have to understand the gap and chasm between us—a concubine-born apprentice, dare to compete with me, the eldest daughter of the legitimate line?"

As she spoke, she raised her chin, pointed to the refrigerator, and ordered: "Go, bring me the cola! Want sugar-free."

Ji Jue obediently slipped over, holding the cola with both hands and returning: "Please, please."

Ye Chun *tsk*ed, shook her other hand that was still empty, "Potato chips, mustard flavor."

Ji Jue followed the trend, hugged a pile of things and returned, smiling: "There are three models of mustard flavor, which one do you need?"

"Hmm, let's have barbecue flavor today."

Ye Chun relied on the sofa, drinking cola and eating potato chips, directing Ji Jue to hammer legs and pinch shoulders. After enjoying enough, she wiped her hands and said with a full tone: "Alright, if you have any ghost thoughts, just say it."

Ji Jue pondered for a moment and asked tentatively: "You say, with my level, opening a studio to help people make fake arms and legs, isn't it making money like flowing water? Is there any way to do it?"

"Very sorry, no possibility." 【105-108

Ye Chun leaned on the sofa, drinking cola and eating potato chips, directing Ji Jue to pound her legs and knead her shoulders. After she had enjoyed enough, she wiped her hands and said in a tone full of character: "Alright, if you have any devious thoughts, just say them."

Ji Jue pondered for a moment and asked tentatively: "You say, with my level, if I opened a studio to help people make fake arms and legs, wouldn't the money flow in like water? Is there any potential in that?"

"Very sorry, no possibility."

Ye Chun shook her head decisively and raised three fingers again: "First, the Tianping Alliance prohibits the sale of batch-produced alchemical products on the market without a review permit; regardless of the proportion of alchemical processing, if it contains spiritual quality and non-standard materials, it counts.

Secondly, to obtain a permit by submitting a review application, the creator must first become a registered artisan and have a guarantee from an enrolled workshop.

Finally, not many people can afford it."

"What the hell?" Ji Jue was stunned: "Forget about the registered artisan qualification and workshop guarantee; a prosthetic limb shouldn't be so expensive that no one can afford it, right?"

Ye Chun didn't answer; she took out her phone, pulled up the calculator, tapped away for a moment, and raised the screen to show him the result: "According to conservative calculations, the cost price for the basic model of the prosthetic limb you made is about 310,000 per unit."

"What the hell?!" Ji Jue gasped.

"So expensive?! Is that what you want to say?" Ye Chun laughed, "Even though the materials only add up to a few hundred bucks, and the electricity for machining is at most seventy or eighty cents... right?"

"Uh, it really does feel like that."

So, Ye Chun nodded and asked: "Did you include the licensing fee for Aunt's technology in that?"

Ji Jue was dazed.

"Did you include your own time cost and labor cost in that?"

Ye Chun asked again, and seeing him hesitate, she waved her hand to interrupt: "You want to say your time isn't worth that much, and your labor isn't that much effort? But you aren't that penniless college student anymore, Ji Jue."

She sighed: "Now that you are who you are, do you really want to sacrifice the time most precious to you, using the effort meant for refining your studies on throwing money into the water?"

Ji Jue was speechless.

No matter from what angle you look at it, this period of time is the golden age for Ji Jue as an apprentice to engage in theoretical learning. At this stage, an apprentice with even a little bit of means wouldn't let themselves be distracted by side tasks, let alone open a studio to contact sales, build channels, sell products, and handle after-sales service.

What's more, let alone fluid alchemy, he hasn't even fully mastered modern alchemy yet.

"So, regarding the things you made, as someone who grew up in a workshop from childhood, the only advice I can give you is: it's fine to give them away as gifts, but if you want to talk about money, then sell them at double the cost price; even lowering it by a cent is a disrespect to yourself."

Ye Chun reached out and patted Ji Jue's shoulder to comfort him: "Although saying this is very mercenary and cold, the state of this world and market is just like this.

Don't let your favors become cheap, and don't let yourself become that very cheap person in the eyes of others; otherwise, the future troubles will be endless and the complications constant."

Without Ye Chun saying it, Ji Jue himself understood this principle.

No matter how bizarre and complex the market situation is, one must maintain an awareness of reality; those who overestimate their abilities and want to go against the market have long since died out.

What qualifications does Ji Jue, an apprentice who hasn't even passed the registered artisan exam, have?

A price of 620,000 is basically enough to say goodbye to the market.

You have to know, the price for limb regeneration surgery in the Vortex system is only around 2.1 million, and some clinics for the Heaven-Chosen even have a buy-two-get-one-free deal.

"So, stop thinking about those random things."

Ye Chun finally handed over a can of ice cola, placed the unfinished potato chips in his hand, and reminded him of the cruel reality once again: "After you finish eating, you have to go back to work obediently.

Master Ji, it's time to continue processing the scrap."

Fifteen minutes later, Ji Jue, his dreams shattered, wiped away his little pearls of tears and pushed open the workshop door once again, looking at the twisted longsword covered in scratches and cracks on the operating table.

In the absolute silence, even the sounds of breathing and heartbeat became so clear.

Ji Jue took a deep breath, slowly raised his hands, and accompanied by the circulation of spiritual quality, the complex circuits of Non-Aggression became increasingly vivid. He calmed his mind, mobilized his spiritual quality, maintained stability, and finally, triggered a qualitative leap.

"If you're bad, practice more!!!"

In that instant, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he slammed his raised hands toward the scrap longsword on the table.

——Eat my Dissociation Technique!