Volume 4 Chapter 42: Didi’s Path

When Qin Lun returned to his villa in Devil’s Horn, he found a cargo cart parked at the entrance. This kind of cargo cart was modified from a mechanical horse-drawn carriage into a flatbed wagon, carrying several cardboard boxes.

“Master, you’re back!” Seeing Qin Lun appear, Didi stood on the steps, waving his small claws excitedly, his shiny big eyes sparkling with delight.

Everything the little goblin currently possessed was given to him by Qin Lun. As an Apostle’s servant, he clearly understood that every time his master passed an Otherworld Mission, their strength and status would rise accordingly. The more powerful his master became, the higher he would naturally rise with him.

“What are these?” Qin Lun asked curiously, watching the gnomes responsible for moving the cardboard boxes going in and out of the villa.

“Some household magical appliances, and some… synthesizing apparatuses, medicinal herbs, and alchemy materials!” Didi twisted his fingers together, speaking cautiously.

A strange expression appeared on Qin Lun’s face. “You’re not planning to become an alchemist, are you?”

“Y-yes, Master!” Didi lowered his head, his pointed ears curling backwards.

Qin Lun was now quite familiar with Didi. Due to their darker complexion, Lu-Lu Tribe members who resembled goblins rarely showed blushing; their mood shifts could be seen from their large ears.

Generally, when they were happy, their big ears would quiver constantly. When discouraged, their ears would droop forwards. Now, curling backwards like this meant the little fellow was embarrassed.

“It’s a good idea! But to be an alchemist, materials and apparatuses aren’t enough. You need various potion and item formulas!” Qin Lun recalled the potion formulas available at the Apostle Auction House and frowned slightly. “Putting aside herbs and alchemy materials for now, alchemy recipes are far too expensive!”

“Master, I’m not talking about making alchemy equipment and potions usable by Apostles, just the ordinary kind…” Didi blinked his big eyes, looking innocently at Qin Lun.

“Oh!” Qin Lun was momentarily speechless at his servant’s explanation, realizing he had misunderstood.

Actually, high-grade alchemy formulas at the Auction House weren’t any cheaper than Skill Scrolls, and they imposed significant restrictions on alchemy materials and herbs. Not all materials and herbs produced in the Shattered Starry Sky could be used for Apostle formula concoction. Generally, only precious materials recognized by the Shattered Laws as special items and treasures could be utilized.

For example: organs from high-ranking creatures of the Shattered Starry Sky, rare minerals from the Suspended Continent, and specially cultivated plants and animals by Sapient Races. Places like the Crimson Gobi where Qin Lun first arrived in the Shattered Starry Sky produced some special minerals, and the World Tree of the Moonlit Elves also yielded unique ingredients for potions.

This actually had little to do with the collective entity of the Shattered Laws; the Other World Laws themselves directly limited the items that could be brought into other spacetimes to a very few. Items that weren’t special treasures didn’t even qualify to be brought into the Other World.

Generally, unless they were alchemists or apothecaries before becoming Apostles, few Apostles chose to focus their career path on these two professions. The reason was that alchemists and apothecaries were too difficult to train. Learning an alchemy recipe didn’t guarantee an Apostle could produce qualified alchemy equipment or medicine; they required massive amounts of skill proficiency.

Every point of skill proficiency represented one successful concoction and countless experiences of failure. The material resources involved in this were astronomical. Not to mention ordinary Apostles, even someone as capable as Qin Lun couldn’t afford it.

Of course, a mature alchemist or apothecary was immensely powerful, and their contribution to an Apostle team was immeasurable. Qin Lun consumed tens of thousands of Shattered Crystals worth of recovery items per Otherworld Mission. How much then would a large Apostle team consume?

Having an alchemist and apothecary in the team could drastically reduce daily consumption. Putting the team resources saved this way into equipment would significantly boost the entire team’s strength.

Of course, the recipes Didi intended to learn were not Apostle-specific formulas, but some local alchemy and potion recipes from the Shattered Starry Sky. Apostle alchemists and apothecaries looked down on these recipes; items that couldn’t be taken into the Other World were considered low-grade by them.

“Since you’ve decided, then do it. However, the alchemy lab cannot be inside the living quarters.” Qin Lun’s gaze softened as he looked at Didi.

“Yes, Master! I’ve already renovated the villa’s basement!” The little goblin quivered his pointed ears and nodded his green head happily.

Qin Lun only treated the villa as a temporary resting place. Apart from his own room, he had basically handed over the rest to Didi to manage. He hadn’t even visited the basement once.

During this time, Didi had gradually won Qin Lun’s trust. Qin Lun himself had also conceived the idea of bringing Didi into the Other World, hence the subtle encouragement for the little goblin to practice magic and martial arts at the Training Ground, even allocating part of his own resources in Shattered Crystals and Exchange Vouchers.

However, Didi’s starting point was too low; being just a weak member of the Lu-Lu Tribe, his physical foundation was even worse than a human’s. If mere practice in magic and martial arts could turn him into a strong individual, the Lu-Lu Tribe wouldn’t be a disadvantaged species.

He must have already visited the Training Ground, realizing he was not a genius in magic or martial arts, or perhaps simply unsuited to learning them, and thus found another path to increase his strength.

Didi, who spent all day at the auction houses, certainly understood how difficult it was to become an alchemist or apothecary. However, the little fellow wasn’t aiming too high, trying to concoct Apostle-level formulas right away. Instead, he planned to hone his abilities with some local recipes.

These local alchemy and potion formulas were not necessarily inferior in effect to Apostle formulas; they were simply limited by the Laws and couldn’t be taken into the Other World.

For the Sapient Races, these formulas were still rare and precious items. But purchasing them with Apostle currency made them relatively easy to collect. The Shattered Crystals and City Points Didi possessed were enough to buy several low-level recipes.

What Apostles considered low-grade alchemy recipes were, in Didi’s eyes, capable of bringing about a revolutionary change. Through this practice, he could not only build a solid foundation in alchemy but also use potions to enhance his physical constitution, increase his spirit power and magic power, truly embarking on the path to becoming strong.

And when his alchemy skill reached a certain level, he could improve his existing alchemy formulas until he concocted potions even Apostles could use. This steady, progressive career path was more suitable for the little goblin than practicing magic and martial arts at the Training Ground; it was the conclusion he had reached after careful thought.

Qin Lun nodded and walked towards his room. As he was about to ascend the stairs, he hesitated, stopped, thought for a moment, then turned back and said, “Didi, give me your Identity Plate.”

Didi had procured an Apostle servant Identity Plate in Devil’s Horn. This multi-purpose card, combining identity document, bank card, and communicator, was linked directly to his master Apostle’s Identity Plate. As long as the Apostle master was alive, Didi’s servant Identity Plate wouldn’t be canceled; he also enjoyed resident status in Devil’s Horn.

The Identity Plate connected to Devil’s Horn’s city core. The city core of the Apostle City contained a large Magical Array, which had a mysterious connection to the collective entity of the Shattered Starry Sky’s Laws. This allowed currencies like Shattered Crystals and Exchange Vouchers to circulate within the Apostle City.

As for City Points, another currency issued by the Apostle City, it could only be exchanged for an equivalent value of Apostle currency based on market principles. Its circulation was limited to the Apostle City itself, among the City Governing Races, and subordinate races. Naturally, a small amount could also be exchanged in friendly Apostle Cities.

When Didi took his Identity Plate back and checked it, his mouth fell open into an ‘O’. His already unusually large green eyes now seemed to take up half his face, like a cartoon character.

“Master, are all these for me?” A shimmering thread of drool slowly crept down Didi’s mouth. The precocious little goblin momentarily lost his well-behaved disguise, his huge eyes gleaming with avarice at the Identity Plate.

“Of course not!” Qin Lun flicked him irritably on the forehead. He had transferred a solid 30,000 Shattered Crystals and 1,000 Exchange Vouchers into Didi’s account – almost all his liquid currency.

“Next, keep an eye on the Auction House for me. If you find any special merchandise that’s high quality and affordable, buy it for me. If there are no suitable items, use this currency to make a profit by buying low and selling high. The profit is all yours!” Qin Lun said with a smile. “However, if you make a loss, there won’t be a next time!”

“Master, rest assured! Didi knows what to do!” Didi puffed out his scrawny little chest, adopting the solemn spirit of martyrs. But after a moment, his big eyes darted around, and he lifted his head to ask weakly, “Master… is there any standard for what counts as ‘special merchandise that’s high quality and affordable’?”

“I leave everything up to you. Your judgment is the standard!” Qin Lun replied meaningfully with a small smile.

Besides the Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, a Technique Scroll, and a Skill Scroll, Qin Lun hadn’t obtained much equipment during this Otherworld Mission. As for the other three unidentified small light orbs in his Storage Space, he had already guessed what they likely were.

The Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross couldn’t be traded or sold. The remaining 36,000-plus Shattered Crystals and Exchange Vouchers, minus the cost of replenishing recovery items, probably wouldn’t even suffice for one piece of purple equipment. It was better to hand them over to Didi to work his magic.

No Apostle was likely as familiar with the prices in Devil’s Horn as Didi was, and other Apostle servants rarely had tens of thousands of Shattered Crystals to speculate with. It depended on whether Didi could surprise him before his next Otherworld Mission.

Although Didi didn’t fully grasp the intrinsic value of Apostle equipment and items, this little fellow had an acute sense of market prices. Furthermore, through the previous transaction involving the Exemption Token, Qin Lun had realized that personally participating in trade negotiations wasn’t beneficial during his current weaker phase.

He felt dissatisfied if he didn’t get the better end of a deal, but profiting too much attracted resentment. In this regard, sending Didi to negotiate was much more suitable than Qin Lun doing it himself. Whether a pleasant surprise emerged depended on luck and whether it suited Qin Lun’s needs.

Leaving the elated little fellow behind, Qin Lun returned to his room. He poured himself a glass of wine and swirled it thoughtfully.