novel-bin Chapter 5 Are You Really a Genius?
Chapter 5 Are You Really a Genius?
Late-blooming affection is worth less than grass, but a belated stroke of genius is still a stroke of genius.
The sudden appearance of several notification boxes in his field of vision made Zag so excited that he almost jumped into the sky.
More importantly, these prompts were not just prompts; they brought about a strange change that made Zag feel as if he had indeed "mastered" this spell. His restless right hand made him want to release it immediately—he even had a premonition that he wouldn't even need to chant a spell!
However, testing the results of his cheat ability at this time and place is clearly not a wise choice. Furthermore, if a spellbook unlocks a [spell system], does that mean he has even more [job systems] that he can "unlock"?
Thinking of this, Zag, who was eager to verify his guess, said goodbye to Flint with a few words, making an excuse that he needed to raise money, and left the tavern with the reluctant Snowball, running wildly towards the only alchemy potion shop in town.
This shop, called "Lady Weyland's Aromatic Potions," is a chain store, one of the properties of the renowned Weyland family of the royal court. The owner is indeed an alchemist, though his skill level is questionable; his temper is rather unpleasant, and he never offers discounts.
If it weren't for the fact that he buys "Healing Hands" from this shop every week, Zag would never want to deal with this arrogant shop owner.
But no matter how unwilling he was, this was the only direct clue he could think of about the profession of "alchemy" that he could find in this small town.
Upon entering the shop, Zag, who had only given a casual greeting, eagerly asked, "Mr. Matthew, do you have any basic alchemy books that I could borrow for a quick look? Just one glance is enough!"
Matthew lowered his head slightly and pushed his glasses down a bit: "What? These days, even Sentinels are trying to steal my job? No! You can only find this at the Golden Palace! Or try your luck on the black market!"
"I don't mean any offense, Mr. Matthew. I'm just... uh, verifying something, like what format alchemical knowledge is written in... and you know, where would a genius learn alchemy just by glancing at a book? Not even a legendary archmage could!"
Zag racked his brains to come up with a reason to try and persuade Matthew.
Matthew's expression softened somewhat upon hearing this, but he still couldn't hide his arrogance: "I admit you have a point, but why should I show it to you, Sentry?"
"Anyway, we've had our share of dealings over the years. After all, I contribute a portion of your revenue every week, so helping out with this little thing shouldn't be too much to ask, right?" Zag calmed down, smiling as he tried to be friendly, adding, "Or perhaps I could borrow it for 1 shilling? Just for a quick look!"
Even 1 shilling was very attractive to Matthew, who was very particular about every penny, so he finally nodded: "Okay, okay, you're right. Since you're one of my regular customers, 1 shilling, just for a look, um... and you can't look at the page on 'The Healing Hand'."
Zag immediately pulled out a shilling, placed it on the counter, and earnestly promised, "I absolutely won't look around!"
"Hold on."
As Matthew spoke, he took off his glasses and slowly went into the back of the store. After a while, he came out carrying a "book" that was unbelievably thin—if a few pages of parchment could be called a book.
"【Nafi's Sweet Dreams】, 【Sweet Dream Potion】, 【Lucky Rosemary】. Among them, 【Lucky Rosemary】 is written in Elvish. If you don't understand Elvish, don't blame me."
As Matthew spoke, he spread the parchment pages on the counter and then carefully put away the shilling.
I've learned how to do "Nafi's Dream".
I have learned how to use the Sweet Dream Potion.
I've learned how to make 【Lucky Rosemary】.
The Alchemy System is now available.
Thanks to the four notification boxes that kept popping up in his field of vision, Zha Ge pursed his lips for a long time before he managed to force down the corners of his mouth that were turning up.
Is there any cheat code that's more satisfying than this?
You can learn the knowledge corresponding to various "professions" immediately!
"Thank you very much, Mr. Matthew!"
Zag thanked him sincerely, then almost rudely left the alchemy potion shop immediately, walking briskly towards the sentry post.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
The snowball, who had been quiet the whole way, finally couldn't resist flying to the front of Zag, blocking his view, and asked aggressively with its hands on its hips, "You've been acting really strange ever since we got to the tavern! What happened? Are you possessed by a demon!?"
"I'm about to reach the pinnacle of my life! Hahahaha!"
Although Zag did not reveal the existence of his cheat ability, he still couldn't help but show it off.
If you don't show off the abilities that come with such a powerful cheat code, what's the difference between you and a salted fish!
Snowball rolled his eyes: "Idiot! You're insane!"
"By the way, do you know any magic? Or any kind of spells?" Zag decided not to miss any opportunity and tempted Snowball, "If you're willing to teach me, or write it down, I'll give you 10 spells for each one—no, 100 dried fish!"
"You're really ruthless at driving down the price, Sentry!"
Snowball swished its tail back and forth in dissatisfaction.
"You don't need to teach me. Just write it down. Even if you burn it afterwards, I'll just take a look. 100 dried fish, is that enough?"
"Just one glance? You're acting really strange today!" Snowball finally realized something was wrong, wrinkling its nose. "You can't possibly be a genius who learned it in just one look, can you?"
"Congratulations, you got it right! You're such a clever hamster!"
Zag didn't mention the cheat code, but deliberately let Snowball misunderstand, while he continued walking, humming a whistle.
Upon hearing this, Snowball burst into unrestrained laughter, even tumbling several times in mid-air, breathless: "Hahahaha, this is absurd! If you're truly a genius, then I'm the servant of the greatest father of gods!"
Zag was used to being mocked by Snowball, and besides, his cheat abilities wouldn't disappear because of Snowball's ridicule, so he actually went along with Snowball's teasing in a good mood: "Tsk, pathetic! If it were me, I'd just say I'm the greatest father of the gods!"
"Seriously..."
Snowball laughed for a long time, becoming increasingly curious. It sniffed around Zag as its expression grew more puzzled.
"There are no signs of contamination, nor is there any demonic possession... What's wrong with you?"
Zag smiled mischievously without saying a word, letting Snowball's curiosity reach its peak before finally entering the sentry post and closing the door. He then closed his eyes slightly and attempted to use the power he had long awaited for the first time in this world—
"Flame, burning, destruction—"
For some inexplicable reason, he subconsciously uttered a few words in Chinese. Then, a burning fireball, as big as a fist and as red as the setting sun, suddenly condensed in the palm of his right hand, distorting the surrounding air.
"Meow!?"
Snowball stared in shock at everything before it, so much so that it forgot to maintain its flight. It then fell to the ground with a thud, letting out a strange cry of pain. Only then did it flap its wings and take flight again, circling around Zag incessantly, trying to find any qualities in him that could be used to describe "genius".
"This can't be! How could this be?! Mother Goddess, this isn't right! This can't be right!"
Snowball was almost incoherent—
"Are you really a genius!?"
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【Lucky Rosemary】: An alchemical potion invented by elves, said to bring short-term good luck to the drinker. However, since brewing this potion requires praying to the goddess of fortune, and "luck" is something that cannot be proven or disproven, "Lucky Rosemary" is also one of the most counterfeited alchemical potions on the market.