Pillar of Yita

”That may be so, little guy, but I must remind you that not everyone can understand an Alchemist’s creations. Often there are clueless kids who run to me, thinking just a glance at an Alchemist’s items will turn them into one, which is really odd.”

She fluttered her wings, acting as if Fang Hong was one of those pesky kids. ”Of course, aspiring to be an Alchemist isn’t a mistake, but people need to be practical and not aim too high, otherwise, it’s just odd, isn’t it? It’s shameful to waste a respectable lady’s time.”

Fearing her tendency for long-winded speeches, Fang Hong hurriedly interrupted her. ”Rest assured, I’m here to make a purchase, Madam Giselle.”

To be honest, he couldn’t see how precious the owl’s time was; she seemed more like a chatty old lady.

Madam Giselle cocked her head and finally nodded: ”Very well, young Alchemist sir, what kind of Construct design do you want?”

”I need an ignition Construct, any type will do, but preferably a cheaper one, as I have no specific requirements for the working environment and the amount of energy delivered. Then there’s the Magic Power I Construct, Baphitos’s acceleration structure, and the reflux device’s design.”

Fang Hong listed seventeen or eighteen types of basic Construct designs in one breath. Some were needed for the upcoming Flexible Construct, while others were for parts commonly used in various Magic Guided Conductors.

He hadn’t forgotten that it wasn’t just him adventuring anymore; the maintenance and upgrading of Reed’s, Atira’s, and Parker’s equipment were all his responsibility now.

After listening, Lady Owl propped her glasses with her wing and then picked up an order list, reading, ”One price-sensitive ignition structure design, how about the Stum’a Workshop’s Series A trigger design? Simple and durable, the key is it’s cheap.”

”That’ll do.”

”Next is the Magic Power I Construct design, the magic sensitivity device? That’s really odd, it’s a rare request, I rarely see anyone needing that thing.”

Fang Hong nodded hurriedly: ”That’s the one, made with eye materials from the Silver Blaze Forest.”

”Okay, that confirms it, but still, it’s so odd. Let’s move on to the acceleration structure; are you sure you want Baphitos’s? That thing is expensive, if you’re not very quality-sensitive, I would recommend you the Emerald Bird Workshop’s—”

”No, no, no, I want this one, I’m sure of it.” Fang Hong shook his head quickly. The acceleration structure was a crucial component of the Type-One Crystal’s beta state, demanding high precision and quality. He couldn’t risk cutting corners here.

Lady Owl confirmed most of the designs with him one after another, but there was a problem when they got to the last one: ”Magic Reflux Device?”

Madam Giselle flipped through several order lists and finally shook her head: ”Are you sure you didn’t get it wrong, kid? This is really odd; we don’t have that thing here.”

She even emphasized her point by tapping on the counter with her claw, assuring her professionalism was unquestionable.

”Ah? You don’t have it?” Fang Hong’s heart sank—this was what he was afraid of. Hain Famm’s design ideas were, after all, a thousand years old, and many things from then had either been eliminated or vanished into the river of history.

If it was the former, finding a substitute might lead to an even better outcome, but if it was the latter, it would be a disaster, with no solution in sight.

After all, although Hain Famm provided design ideas, a Master’s thoughts aren’t something a mere student could understand. If not following the proper steps, trying to find a substitute along Hain’s lines was no small feat.

And once he surpassed Level 5, the issue of replacing the Core Crystal became urgent; time was not on his side.

”However—”

To his surprise, Lady Owl started to pant as she spoke, pacing back and forth on the counter with wing in wing: ”You said that thing, I seem to remember hearing about it somewhere; let me think—it’s really odd. Years ago, when I was working at the Elpaxin Artisan Association, I seem to recall something like that. What was it called? Magical Circulation Structure, that’s it. From the description, it should be roughly the same thing. Really odd, are you sure you didn’t get it wrong?”

”Wait, Magical Circulation Structure? Madam Giselle, are you sure?” Fang Hong was overjoyed at the words. He knew his own troubles best and was almost certain this was a substitute for the Magic Reflux Device, although the Magical Circulation Structure was probably not a common Construct, which is why it was relegated to the Artisan Association’s archives.

Lady Owl, upon hearing this, got very upset, and her ear feathers bristled: ”You actually doubt the memory of an older, wiser owl lady? That’s really odd! Don’t use your human standards to judge one of the wisest species in the world—what your poor brains can’t comprehend as a whole is just a tiny part of my rich experience. Odd indeed, why are humans so superficial? I could even tell you about my experiences at Giant Tree Hill, which was almost more than ten years ago. I recall writing a book about it, which sold quite well in Colin—Ishurian and many other places, or maybe...”

Lady Owl continued to ramble as Fang Hong broke out in cold sweat and quickly settled the bill, taking Reed and leaving. He didn’t dare ask about the Magical Circulation Structure again, figuring he could address it at the Artisan Association later.

After all, he always tended to cross bridges when he came to them on matters of little importance.

And he swore, even if he had to face a Giant Dark Dragon again, he would never deal with an owl lady again—it was just too terrifying.

Reed agreed wholeheartedly.

At the same time, the Lion Person corrected Fang Hong’s inaccurate way of thinking with Earthly knowledge.

”No, she is not from the cat family.”

”At least your name sounds like mine, both have ’cat’ in it.”

”It’s very different, I am a Lion Person, not some Big Cat Person,” Reed stated angrily.