Chapter 165: Explosive Flame Potion (C-)

Lan Qingyou had no desire to waste time on this, so she simply tossed these trivial matters over to Shang Chuan.

After all, he was a merchant and knew exactly what to do.

As for whether they might gang up to swindle her, Lan Qingyou wasn't worried in the slightest.

It all came down to the same logic: Shang Chuan was a shrewd businessman, and he would never do anything so self-destructive to his own financial future.

Besides, she knew absolutely nothing about negotiating.

Nor did she care to learn.

She had plenty of resources anyway, so it hardly mattered how the talks went.

Justice: "No problem."

Seeing Lan Qingyou so straightforward, Riesling didn't say much else either. Negotiating was negotiating, regardless of who sat across the table, as long as someone was there to back the deal.

After handing over ten tons of Flame Strong Liquor to Lan Qingyou, he turned around to discuss the price with Shang Chuan.

Although Riesling carried a bit of a mafia boss aura, he was absolutely no match for Shang Chuan in the business arena.

While Shang Chuan wouldn't necessarily squeeze him dry, he certainly wouldn't let the man name an outrageous price either.

Riesling beat his chest and stomped his feet in frustration; to him, failing to turn a massive profit was as good as taking a loss.

'I'm never negotiating with that middleman Shang Chuan again. Next time, I'm dealing strictly with the client,' he thought to himself.

But later, when he saw that Lan Qingyou basically dumped all of her commercial affairs onto Shang Chuan, he could only hold his nose and swallow his pride.

After all, she simply had no desire to discuss business with him.

If he pushed too hard, the Witch was entirely capable of turning her back and rejecting the deal altogether.

Meanwhile, after receiving the ten tons of Flame Strong Liquor, Lan Qingyou instructed her golems to resume their work.

Only this time, the base liquid used for brewing the Explosion Potion was switched from the stream water Shang Chuan had provided to the Flame Strong Liquor.

That was exactly Lan Qingyou's plan—using this strong alcohol as the base liquid. The liquor's effects were obvious, and liquid was liquid, so why not put it to good use?

Of course, she only tried this in the meteoric iron Crucible; the remaining crystal Crucibles continued to use the stream water.

Since it was her first time experimenting like this, success was far from guaranteed. To avoid delaying her dungeon-clearing progress, Lan Qingyou opted for a more conservative approach.

As the golems began the new batch of brewing, Lan Qingyou had already eaten her fill, taken a bath, and gone to sleep.

Normally, skipping sleep for a day or two would not be a problem for her current self.

But with a massive battle looming ahead, she decided it was best to rest and gather her strength.

The golems were perfectly capable of finishing the potion brewing on their own anyway, so there was no need for her to supervise. As for the Explosion Potion being made with the Flame Strong Liquor, she decided to just let it run its course.

Lan Qingyou's intentions were good, but perhaps because she was subconsciously thinking about the results, she woke up after only six hours.

And she felt completely energized.

Left with nothing else to do, she spent her time making paper, distilling Kerosene, and chatting in the group to catch up with the newcomers, Sun and Justice.

Lan Qingyou had also tested out the set of Rune Stones that Ingrid sent over.

While they lacked the automatic defense of Vivian's magic stones, the offensive Runes definitely packed a bigger punch. The defensive and Agility support Runes also had their own unique advantages.

It was a pity they couldn't be equipped on the golems, otherwise, their offensive and defensive capabilities would have reached another level.

Still, they were incredibly useful for herself. The Agility Rune, in particular, when combined with her engine's boost, elevated her speed to an unprecedented height.

For evasion and survival, it was absolutely top-tier.

Promptly, Lan Qingyou placed another order with Ingrid for a batch of defensive and Agility Runes just to ensure her survival.

Feeling satisfied, Lan Qingyou finally stepped out of her tent with a peace of mind.

By this time, the potion had just finished brewing. Even though it had not yet cooled and settled, Lan Qingyou couldn't wait to bottle a vial and appraise it.

[Explosive Flame Potion (C-)]

[Effect: Causes an explosion within an 8x8 area, dealing an instant 80 Health Points of lethal damage, followed by a burning effect that inflicts 5 Health Points of damage per second for 180 seconds.]

[Description: An Explosion Potion crafted using Flame Strong Liquor as its base. Not only is it highly destructive, but it also boasts a massive area of effect and long-lasting burns. It is simply a must-have item for traveling, home security, murder, and arson.]

'Good heavens! This is far more ferocious than the D-rank Explosion Potion!'

'Wait, even the name has changed. It's now the Explosive Flame Potion.'

'The burn duration in particular has increased immensely, reaching a full three minutes.'

Although she didn't know exactly how many Health Points the War Treants had, she was no longer without a fighting chance.

'Huh!'

'I can appraise C-rank items now?'

'Oh, wait, let's be precise—it's C- rank.'

'Alright, so it isn't quite a true C-rank yet. Maybe my appraisal skill leveled up because I successfully crafted this potion?'

'If I craft a few more things, it might just break straight into the C-rank.'

Lan Qingyou glanced at her personal profile on the back of her hand and found that most of her knowledge skills were still stuck at D-rank without any noticeable changes. She shrugged it off as if she hadn't seen anything and went back to her business.

Although the first large glass bottle wasn't entirely full, Lan Qingyou hadn't intended to fill it to the brim anyway.

After all, she didn't know the exact extent of its destructive power. No matter how spacious her current environment was, it was still a cave, and she couldn't risk concocting something that might blow herself to pieces.

If the dosage needed to be smaller, then so be it. She would simply make more of them.

After bottling the second batch of the Explosion Potion, Lan Qingyou immediately ordered the golems to start brewing a third batch of the Explosive Flame Potion.

Because they were making the exact same substance, there wasn't even a need to wash out the Crucibles.

The only slightly bothersome part was that Lan Qingyou had to personally craft the disposable Alchemy pedestals.

But that couldn't be helped. Golems couldn't replace her for everything; that was simply the limitation of their design.

It didn't really matter, though. An Alchemist's joys were few and far between anyway.

Now that she had golems to handle mass production, what else was left for her but these minor moments of hands-on crafting and research?

A few hours later, the Explosive Flame Potions were complete. Looking at the three massive glass bottles before her, Lan Qingyou revealed a thoroughly satisfied smile.

If these three giant bombs still couldn't take care of those dozens of War Treants, then she might as well pack her bags, head home, and say maybe next time.

Storing everything at the scene, including the golems, into her Card, Lan Qingyou prepared to initiate her second battle.

"You two wait right here and don't move. I'm going out to buy some tangerines," she quipped.

Before leaving, Lan Qingyou placed the two little creatures on the ground and gave them a firm instruction.

After all, she was only going out to run a test, and the ensuing commotion was bound to be massive. She would need to move at top speed, so she had no intention of bringing the little guys along.

"Ji-ji!"

"Squeak-squeak!"

However, the two critters clearly didn't share her sentiments. One bit onto her clothes, while the other tightly hugged her finger.

Regardless, they refused to leave her side; wherever Lan Qingyou went, they were going too.

"Honestly... if you get flung off, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Ji!"

"Squeak!"

Seeing Lan Qingyou scoop them up, Steel Wool immediately grabbed Little Spoon by the scruff and burrowed into her embrace.

With that settled, Lan Qingyou slowly took flight, gliding toward the distant speck of light at the end of the tunnel.