[Write down the steps for crafting a basic potion or a basic alchemy item that you know:]
[Fill two-thirds of the crucible with clean water, crush the wormwood...]
Having completed the Level 1 Alchemy trial, Lu Li left the classroom.
With only one day left until New Year, the tree canopy’s New Year decorations were already in place: Alchemical slabs emitting a glowing fluorescence like neon lights, with branches painted green adorning the corridors inside the giant tree.
Illusory yet beautiful.
The similarly adorned hall seed more lively than usual. Perhaps due to the decorations or the excited students carrying gifts.
During dinner, the professor announced that the New Year’s Eve banquet would begin the next evening in the hall.
The excited faces indicated that many students would have trouble sleeping tonight.
The night was silent, dreamless.
The next morning, Lu Li woke up.
rchant Anthony stood quietly by the bedside.
"What’s going on?"
The rchant must have just appeared, otherwise he would have emotionlessly woken Lu Li up.
"Your gift." rchant Anthony opened his backpack and took out a crudely wrapped gift—
A New Year gift from Hell.
Ophelia’s gift was a naturally ford, indistinct silhouette from cooled lava. But if viewed as a statue of Ophelia, it was quite lifelike.
[With her, you will always feel my love]
was written on the paper accompanying Ophelia’s statue.
Puxiu’s gift was a clumsy, scrawled diary about his experiences in Hell. For example, the annoying Inferior Demons were both stupid and fierce, always seeing him as food. And how he saw Ophelia wanting to paint an oil painting for Lu Li, but Hades always said she was wasting her ti, and it didn’t turn out well.
After flipping through a few pages, Lu Li closed Puxiu’s diary and looked to the next gift—
Even Hades brought a New Year gift for Lu Li: a rock from Hell.
Uncarved, featureless, even if one unfocused their eyes to observe it, the rock from Hell with its sulfurous scent was difficult to discern any abstract patterns or symbols.
Considering Hades’s Glatan-like trait, this was likely a stone he picked up casually.
A note stuck to the rock: A return gift is an essential part of New Year!
Finally, an unsigned single note read: [The gift is good news: Father is patrolling the territory, you have enough ti to master the Cursed Title]
Placing all gifts except the Devil’s Daughter’s note on the desk, burning the note, Lu Li began preparing return gifts.
Ophelia’s return gift was a deep pink, open-work, gold-threaded evening gown, as well as a set of durable, practical work clothes; Puxiu’s return gifts were several fairy tale and biographical novels; Hades’s return gift was a gift box containing 100 coins of 1 Shilling each; even the Devil’s Daughter was no exception—
"The Devil’s Daughter can find you?"
"With eyeballs."
Therefore, the gift for the Devil’s Daughter was a set of black tailcoat.
All these would be purchased and sent to Hell by rchant Anthony.
Having completed these, Lu Li left the dormitory, heading to the hall along a corridor full of New Year atmosphere.
Evidently, the gifts Lu Li would receive today wouldn’t just be these.
During the breakfast ti that followed, students almost continuously ca to Lu Li, giving him gifts. Even professors smilingly placed their gifts atop the gift pile.
The table soon ran out of room for these colorful gift boxes, piling up at his feet.
Glatan felt envious, even Fudote received several exquisite gift boxes.
Fudote, who was secretly slipping sothing into the pile at Lu Li’s feet, couldn’t stand Glatan’s puppy-like wretched gaze, and snorted, "Where’s your gift?"
"I only have you and Fudote as friends," Glatan said dejectedly.
"I’m not your friend!"
"But the language class professor said being together often makes you friends... You’re the people I’ve known the longest!"
Fudote averted her gaze, muttering quietly, "Just wait... your gift isn’t ready yet."
Lu Li left the hall later than usual because he called rchant Anthony to send the gifts to the dormitory and had him send the following gifts directly back to the dormitory.
After Mysticism Course, Divination class, and Alchemy class in the morning, Lu Li returned to the dormitory to deal with his New Year gifts.
Books, lots of books, almost every gift package contained books.
The students seed to think that Lu Li, who always carried books, loved reading.
Though true, many books given as gifts Lu Li had no ti to read for now.
Stacking the fairy tales and novels to have rchant Anthony send them to Puxiu, the rest of the useful or unnecessary books filled the empty bookshelves.
While unwrapping gifts, Lu Li also noted down return gifts.
For those unfamiliar students, Lu Li’s return gifts were also books, while gifts for students Lu Li knew had more targeted approach.
For instance, Jerry the Floating, who suffered from nightmares every night due to his talent, Lu Li’s gift was the first bottle of Dream Elixir kept as a nto.
And Glatan. Even though he was so poor that he could only give Lu Li a blessing during breakfast, Lu Li’s return gift was a box of canned food.
Having almost unwrapped the endless gifts, mainly books, with a few exceptions.
Professor Chris did sothing similar: sending a 98% successful Dream Elixir, with a note claiming even a dragon would have a sweet dream after drinking.
The old professor’s gift comprised two wooden boxes. One filled with candies, while the other was empty. He wished Lu Li could bring sunlight from the Land of Light one day.
The unnad lady offered a piece of divination: She predicted fortunes and misfortunes might await Lu Li in the future.
Matthias’s gift was a copied oil painting, with Lu Li himself as the protagonist.
"What is the food shortage at Vena Ice-Free Port?" Lu Li asked.
rchant Anthony’s answer was that tens of thousands were starving, only able to ensure one al every two days.
Lu Li could afford to support the entire Vena Ice-Free Port.
But gathering and transporting the food needed for tens of thousands of people wasn’t sothing three rchants could achieve.
Lu Li instructed the rchants to purchase large amounts of canned food or Strange at from the Earth Dwellers’ Guild and send them to Vena Ice-Free Port endlessly.
This was Lu Li’s New Year gift for the citizens.
Opening the last gift, it was still a book, unsigned but stamped with the Lins Family crest.
"Mastering Strange Titles", a book Lu Li exactly needed.
Lu Li’s return gift was also a book, titled "Tracking and Anti-Tracking Techniques".
Lu Li hoped Fudote would utilize the black bugs better, but Fudote didn’t seem to think so.
"Hmph!"
During lunch, feeling mocked by Lu Li, Fudote sat far away.
Her seat was quickly taken by a young man with slightly gapped teeth making him appear a bit dazed. He took out a notebook, but it wasn’t a gift: He hoped Lu Li would sign his diary.
Throughout the afternoon, students seed sowhat distracted, carrying a certain expectation.
Waiting for the night to arrive, for the New Year’s Eve banquet to begin.
Reviews
All reviews (0)