Chapter 144

After resolving the matters with the Public Security Bureau and establishing contact with Ma Kusi, Li Ang went to the City Hall to change his status to official citizen.

After declining the staff's invitation to solo Tie Nan, Li Ang left the City Hall and began reviewing the benefits of official citizenship.

First, he received a monthly subsidy of one thousand Five-Star Radiance coins with no work required.

Li Ang now understood why Danika had called non-citizens inferiors.

Though one thousand five seems small, at least half the people in Expansion City earn less than this per month.

Ordinary Public Security Bureau agents, a fairly high-tier occupation, earned only three thousand Star Radiance coins monthly.

Second, his network access was lifted—he could now view content previously restricted.

Of course, highly sensitive material remained inaccessible; further access upgrades required joining a federal official organization.

Organizations like the Public Security Bureau or City Guard were not counted.

This made Li Ang realize that for the Federation, frontier colony worlds were still far from being considered their own.

But he didn't care—he only needed to understand the world's basic reality for now.

After resolving his citizenship, Li Ang stopped by the Gongjiangxie Society and spent five hundred Star Radiance coins to retrieve a new communication device.

Seeing the familiar 【Bronze and Fire King #66666】 on the craftsman forum, he couldn't help sighing inwardly:

'Now I'm truly the Bronze and Fire King.'

Li Ang didn't rush to upgrade his craftsman Rank—he hadn't even been a Rank One craftsman for half a month yet.

Besides, he needed more time to think it through.

Just as Li Ang returned home, a violent tremor suddenly shook the house.

He walked to the window and glanced outside—thousands of insects had once again climbed onto Expansion City's energy shield.

Fortunately, the defense shield held firm, showing no signs of breach.

Once the insects on the shield were cleared, the shaking gradually subsided.

'Annoying insects.'

Li Ang didn't dwell on what had just happened—he headed straight for the basement.

Looking at the half-dead body of Odin lying in the center, he scratched his head.

'What should I use to repair it?'

Please select your hero:

1. Metal

2. Biological limbs

3..

Li Ang ultimately didn't charge ahead recklessly—Odin's corpse was a material impossible to find again.

Setting aside the matter of turning Odin into a corpse guardian for now, Li Ang stroked his chin and surveyed the modest basement before him.

'I can start preparing to build an alchemical workshop.'

'But if I expand this basement, will it count as illegal construction?'

The ideal scenario would be for him to use space creation to forge a Nibelungen right here in the basement.

But the problem was

Li Ang didn't know how.

Compared to the half-baked Concept Weapon prototype he had some grasp of, Tang Lao's materials on space creation were like celestial scriptures.

Speaking of Concept Weapons

Li Ang waved his hand slightly—the Counterfeit Gungnir, left in the corner, flew into his palm.

'When Tang Lao made this Counterfeit, he only imitated the 【Guaranteed Hit】 concept.'

'What if I kill metal and embed Gallos's alchemical array into it—what would happen?'

This was the Concept Weapon prototype solution Li Ang had devised over this period.

Extracting concepts from fantasy, legend, or self was too abstract—he, a mere Second-Energy-Level cultivator, couldn't manage it.

But Tang Lao's replication of Gungnir had given him inspiration.

Without hesitation, Li Ang immediately spent three hundred Star Radiance coins via his communication device to purchase ordinary metal.

After all, this was just a test—he didn't need high-grade materials.

Soon, the metal he bought arrived at his home.

As he unfolded Heaven and Earth as Furnace, the metal before him was rapidly refined, reaching his current limit in no time.

After shaping it into the form of a longsword, he exhaled softly.

'Now, implant the alchemical matrix.'

Thinking this, he used the Concept Weapon technique to embed a small alchemical matrix into the hardening blade.

If observed closely, the matrix was clearly the 【Concealment】 from *Introduction to Alchemy: Detailed Explanation*.

Boom—

The next instant, the sword—still not fully cooled or solidified—exploded.

'Failed.'

Staring at the metal shards scattered on the floor, Li Ang fell into thought.

'Is my approach wrong? Or is the material insufficient?'

'But Tang Lao used only ordinary metal ore too, didn't he?'

At this thought, he furrowed his brow.

After a long while, a sudden flash of insight struck Li Ang's mind.

'Wait!'

He had fallen into a misconception—Tang Lao could achieve this because his Furnace of Heaven and Earth was far stronger, and in the act of killing metal, he naturally performed it more perfectly than Li Ang could now, thus allowing compatibility with other concepts.

'So if your technique isn't enough, you can only compensate with materials.'

Li Ang felt he hadn't misunderstood.

'Indeed, the gap between professionals and non-professionals is still too great.'

He knew he could figure out the key point largely thanks to the special bonus of the 【Dragon Vein Alchemist】.

That is, his learning speed of draconic alchemy received a slight boost.

With a clear idea in mind, Li Ang immediately placed an order through the Gongjiangxie Society for two Fire Crystals, spending a full fifty thousand Starlight Coins, which made his heart ache.

At this price, it's no wonder some would risk smuggling them.

Thanks to money's power, the two Fire Crystals arrived at his home quickly.

As his Furnace of Heaven and Earth fired at full power, one of the crimson Fire Crystals soon lost some of its impurities.

Yet compared to ordinary metals, refining Fire Crystals was undoubtedly far more difficult.

Originally, Li Ang had planned to use both Fire Crystals, but he realized that under the bonus of his 【Dragon's Greed】 talent, he might accomplish this alchemy with just one.

But can an Alchemist's action be called cutting corners? That's called conserving materials!

After observing he couldn't push further, he shaped it into a dagger and repeated his earlier procedure.

'Tsk.'

'It seems this is as far as I can go.'

Then, under his tense gaze, the dagger slowly trembled, as if about to shatter into pieces.

After several minutes passed, when a faintly visible dagger appeared before Li Ang, its blade resembling crimson琉璃, he finally exhaled in relief.

【Successfully crafted an Alchemical item, Professional Experience +172】.

'Success. My idea must be viable.'

He said this because Li Ang hadn't infused any energy into the dagger—it had already manifested the 【Invisibility】 effect.

He picked up the dagger that had fallen to the ground and slashed it across his right hand.

Swish—

A faint white mark instantly appeared on Li Ang's right hand, not even breaking the skin.

But this wasn't due to a flaw in the dagger—it was because his current physical strength was absurdly high.

Besides, the dagger's enchantment was 【Invisibility】, not concepts like 【Sharpness】.

Li Ang tossed the dagger in his hand, his mood lifting instantly.

Though he didn't know if similar weapons existed elsewhere in this world, he was certain that at least on Colony Star 9527, none did.

'Ah, the people on this planet are already eating refined bran.'

With this thought, Li Ang immediately opened the local trading website via his communication device and listed the newly forged dagger.

'Local' here meant the entire Colony Star 9527.

【Fire Crystal Dagger: Grants Invisibility, lets you experience the thrill of an evil little knife slicing your butt.】

【Price: 15,000 Starlight Coins.】

【Seller: Bronze and Fire King #66666 (Gongjiangxie Society Certified Rank One Artisan)】.

Li Ang didn't know if this price was too high, since similar weapons sold for only half as much.

'First, build my reputation—once I'm famous, orders will come in nonstop.'

'Old Tang, I'm taking your name!'

Li Ang thought his plan was perfect.

Once the positive cycle began, he could quickly level up his 【Dragon Vein Alchemist】 to max.