Chapter 722: Alchemy Lab
Shane’s gloved hand adjusted the temperature slightly again, just as one of the cauldrons let out a soft hiss of steam.
“Timing… Cloud… Just continue reciting the instruction.”
[ Yes. Wait until the mixture reaches a temperature… ]
Making this Obsidian Hide Skill Potion was difficult, but it doesn’t require a high-level Alchemical Skill. As long as he had Cloud and his high perception skill, he should have no issue with this task.
Soon, 200 grams of finely ground Graniteroot Powder was poured into the cauldron as Cloud instructed… Shane didn’t just dump it in—he stirred the cauldron in precise figure-eight motions, gradually letting the coarse, earthy dust cascade into the mixture.
Then, there was a faint crunching sound as the granules hit the bubbling surface, absorbed by the alchemical mix. He repeated this method with each cauldron and because of his experience, his motions already seemed practiced even while sweat started to bead under his mask.
‘It’s getting hot in here.’ Shane thought.
Heating several cauldrons at once and continuously working on alchemy was definitely tiring work. No matter how much stronger he was, there was no way he could maintain the same strength after several hours more than a day of work.
In any case, Shane didn’t stop as he followed the instructions…
Soon, he used the Black Iron Core Shard. Shane placed the shard inside an enhanced mortar and crushed them more. Then, the glowing dust that he needed was finally complete.
“One shard per brew… crushed to dust… and distributed with precision.”
He carefully sprinkled the black powder across each cauldron. The moment it made contact, the cauldron’s glow intensified, a sign that the magical conductivity had just spiked.
Shane was left with a few more steps.
He then retrieved the Wolf Resin. This item was thick like syrup and deeply aromatic, stored in crystal containers. Using a dropper to regulate flow, he added the resin drop by drop…
Each one vanishing into the brew like it had never existed.
‘I really look like a veteran alchemist right now…’ Shane smiled as he completed another step of the recipe.
In any case, he observed the effect of the resin…
According to Cloud, it was the stabilizer.
If mixed too fast, the potion would coagulate. If it was too slow, then the mixture would destabilize entirely.
Because of that, Shane worked as calmly as he could since he needed his hands steady and his focus unbroken.
Soon, Shane followed with the next step… It was the final recipe that he had to mix.
It was the 50 grams of Crystallized Ash that he bought in the marketplace. Well, they were Fire Zombie drops, and there were quite a lot of them in the Marketplace.
It seemed that Sectors 10 to 13 had a lot of such Zombies.
They were poured into each brew as the ash dissolved like snowflakes, leaving behind a smoky dark glow in the solution.
After a few moments, a gentle breeze began to swirl inside the laboratory. It was an odd side-effect of the ash’s magical dissolution.
Shane didn’t flinch as Cloud notified him about this, so he simply nodded, satisfied with his current progress.
He sealed each cauldron. He then asked Cloud to time it since he needed to cool it for 30 minutes.
“Alright… Time to rest.” Shane muttered as he went outside…
He even wanted to take a bath, but he decided to just enjoy it later after all of this was done.
Soon, Shane was outside the alchemy lab and let the wind cool his sweat-dampened clothes. The faint scent of herbs still clung to his gloves, but he didn’t remove them.
He sat down on the old bench beside the greenhouse and exhaled slowly…
“Thirty minutes…” he muttered as he wiped the back of his neck with a towel and opened his system interface.
He only wanted to read the Chat Board to see what was going on.
For now, he checked the Global Chat Board.
This time, Shane confirmed the update in the Chatboard, where the Clan they belonged to was actually included in their names.
[ Markus ( Phoenix Phalanx ) : Anyone got spare Blazing Iron Bark? Need just 5 for a reinforced armor mod. Willing to trade Spirit Stones or Fire Essences. ]
[ Trina ( Frostborn Union ) : Looking for someone who has a Heavy Cannon Blueprint or Mk3 Turret Frame Design. DM me if interested. I got refined alloys and even a unlooted Zombie Lord Core to barter with. ]
[ Yui ( Petalgrove ): So… does anyone else think that purple moon last night was sus? My scouting squad reported strange zombie behavior near the Marsh in Sector 2.
[ Travis ( Drakeheart Vanguard ): Just wanted to say thanks to whoever left that food cache near Sector 8—saved my life. Humanity still has some hope. Stay safe out there. ]
Shane paused for a moment after seeing Travis’ message. He didn’t expect that the guy was in Sector 8. However, he soon recalled that this person had Clones or Avatars, so it must be just one of them.
Anyway, Shane continued.
[ Rami ( Serene Garden ): Anyone wanna talk? Just cleared a nest of Jumper Zombies alone… I think they have gotten a lot stronger than before.
[Argo ( Blue Moon ): URGENT – Saw a fast-moving horde heading west from Sector 12. They had bone armor and looked more intelligent than usual. Be warned. I didn’t get a notification that it was a Zombie Lord horde, but it must be Zombie King or close to that. ]
[ Travis ( Drakeheart Vanguard ): Thanks for that information. ]
[ Lesley ( Overlord ): Trading high-grade Spirit Thread, 200 meters, untouched. Looking for Skill Scrolls that give defensive buffs. ]
[ Lex ( Ironclad Collective ): Who has a good Cold Resistance Potion or maybe even Recipe that doesn’t require Glacier Stones? The stuff’s impossible to find… ]
[ Amir ( Celestial Circle ): My cannon has exploded… Again. I swear I’m cursed. Anyone selling Basic Energy Stabilizers before I blow up the next one? If you have a better blueprint, please let me know as well. I have Zombie Cores and Item Upgrade Crystals… ]