A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 170: A Giant Failure
Chapter 170: A Giant Failure

Making Psychic Ware was a real challenge.

First off, Arix had to get rid of the angry psychic power from the core. That part was a breeze for her. The tricky part was carving the patterns on the Insectoid Core, following the textbook diagrams.

Then came arranging the patterns into a formation that would keep flowing endlessly. The higher the level of Psychic Ware, the more complex the patterns and diagrams.

Arix remembered her mentor mentioning this in an online class. The highest level, Supergiant-Class Psychic Ware, had tens of thousands of patterns and dozens of diagrams. In comparison, the level-one Psychic Ware Arix was working on only had about ten patterns.

But for Arix, who was new to making Psychic Ware, it felt like a chef used to cooking tropical food suddenly having to master Iceland cuisine.

In short, it was incredibly frustrating.

”Arix, don’t rush. Take your time,” said Talyra, a genius who had already finished carving her level-one Psychic Ware. She offered Arix a gentle word of comfort.

”Mm, thank you, Talyra,” Arix replied gratefully. She glanced enviously at the Psychic Ware Talyra had made, then took a deep breath. She picked up the carving knife and started working on the Insectoid Core again.

The beginning went smoothly, the middle was okay, but when it came time to form the diagram, the core exploded.

Luckily, Arix’s psychic power was strong. She quickly wrapped the core with her power to prevent any harm.

Even though no one got hurt, the loud explosion made everyone around jumpy. After it happened a few times, her classmates started avoiding her like she was bad luck.

The terrifying noise repeated ten times. Eventually, even the mentor couldn’t ignore it. The mentor came to Arix’s side to see what was going wrong.

After watching for a while, even the mentor was puzzled. Arix’s technique was correct, even better than the other students’, but she still couldn’t form the diagram on the core.

The mentor started to worry. If he couldn’t figure out the student’s problem, it would be very embarrassing.

Nervously, he swallowed and then had an idea.

He opened his opticomputer and secretly recorded Arix’s process of making Psychic Ware. He sent the video to his own teacher.

Far away in Mulado, a Psychic Ware master was leisurely drinking tea with a friend when his opticomputer suddenly beeped.

”Master, your foolish apprentice has sent another message,” said the computer.

Bryndel paused his tea-drinking and, looking apologetic, said to his friend, ”Tarian, I’m sorry, please wait a moment.”

”Take your time. Go ahead and take care of your business,” Tarian said with a smile, though his ears perked up with curiosity.

Bryndel nodded slightly and opened his opticomputer to check the message from his apprentice.

”Sir, help me! I need to figure out what is wrong with this student.”

Bryndel frowned and then played the video below the message.

In the video, Arix was carefully carving the Insectoid Core with such focus that it was clear she was a diligent student. Bryndel, who appreciated hardworking youngsters, nodded in approval.

But in the next moment, his smile vanished.

In the video, every time Arix carved an Insectoid Core, it exploded.

She would carve one, it would explode, and then she would carve another, which would also explode.

Bryndel’s face twitched, and he rubbed his forehead in frustration.

His apprentice was right; this girl was indeed ”cursed.”

”Bryndel, what’s going on? Do you need my help?” Tarian, hearing the repeated explosions from the screen, was as curious as a cat.

Not wanting to refuse his friend, Bryndel shared the screen with Tarian.

”Please take a look,” Bryndel said with a wry smile.

Tarian, eager to see, looked at the screen and saw it was just a young girl carving cores. Although initially disappointed, he continued to watch patiently.

Then he saw the scene of Arix carving one core after another, each one exploding.

”Hahaha,” Tarian laughed heartily at Arix’s bewildered expression. He joked, ”I think this girl shouldn’t waste her time in the Psychic Ware Department. She should go for weapon research instead. She’s a natural demolition expert.”

Bryndel nodded, agreeing with the amusing thought. Just as he was about to tell his apprentice, he received another message, as if his apprentice had anticipated his thoughts.

”Sir, this is Arix, the one who developed the psychic power healing potion. She can’t be transferred.”

Bryndel was speechless.

”Tarian, I’m afraid we can’t transfer her. This girl is Arix from the Kering family, the one who created the psychic power healing potion,” Bryndel said, swallowing nervously.

Since the introduction of the psychic power healing potion, many big shots in the Psychic Ware community had been envious. If he decided to transfer Arix, not only would his teacher disown him, but he would also lose his place in the Psychic Ware world. Many old masters were eagerly waiting for Arix to invent more powerful Psychic Ware, just like she did with the healing potion.

Tarian, also a master in the Psychic Ware field, understood the gravity of the situation and could no longer laugh.

The key to whether they, the Psychic Ware Masters, could outshine the chemists lay with this young girl.

With this in mind, Tarian’s expression turned serious. ”Let’s watch it again. If we can’t figure it out, we should ask a grandmaster for help.”

Bryndel nodded solemnly and replayed the video of Arix creating Psychic Ware several times.

”It seems like Arix’s psychic power clashes with the psychic power of the insectoid, causing the explosions,” Bryndel said, frowning deeply and sounding uncertain.

”That does seem to be the case from the video, which makes it even more problematic. If we had encountered a student like this before, the best advice would be to transfer her to another department. This kind of issue usually means the student is a hopeless case for the Psychic Ware Department,” Tarian said, starting to feel a headache coming on.

He even regretted visiting his friend for tea today. He should have made an excuse and left when his friend started the video call. Now, he was stuck dealing with this issue.

Teaching a hopeless case to create Psychic Ware was like trying to teach a fish to climb a tree. No matter how talented they were, it would be a wasted effort.

Bryndel got the reasoning too, which only made him more uneasy.

He tried to comfort both his friend and himself, saying, ”It is Arix Kering, after all. What else can we do? Let’s give it another shot and hope for a miracle, just like when she invented the psychic power healing potion against all odds.”

Tarian sighed, nodded quietly, and cautiously suggested, ”Alright, let’s have Arix use a small amount of psychic power and try again.”

”That’s our only option,” Bryndel agreed reluctantly.

They passed on the problems and suggestions to Arix’s mentor.

Meanwhile, Arix had already destroyed a trash can full of Insectoid Cores, causing her classmates to quietly distance themselves from her.

Arix, holding the last core, frowned and began carving again, this time with even more care. But the outcome was the same. The Insectoid Cores were like stubborn, unyielding beings, refusing to transform into her Psychic Ware.

After ruining the final core, Arix threw it into the trash can in frustration and sighed deeply, finally stopping her work

The nearby students also sighed in relief and returned to their seats, carving their own Insectoid Cores seriously. Some began to complain.

”We’re getting worn out. I think Arix just doesn’t have the knack for Psychic Ware,” one person grumbled from a corner of the classroom.

”Yeah, that trash can full of ruined cores says it all,” his desk mate agreed softly.

”But isn’t she a potion genius? Why stick with the Psychic Ware Department? Even if she succeeds, it’ll probably be low-quality,” the first person’s desk mate said, puzzled.

”Who knows?”

Hearing the murmurs around her, Arix’s face darkened. She started to wonder if she really lacked talent for Psychic Ware.

The mentor was anxious too, but then his opticomputer buzzed. Opening it, he saw a message from his teacher:

”Her psychic power conflicts with the energy of Insectoid Cores. Since she can’t change departments, let her try using a small amount of psychic power.”

Psychic Ware Department mentor felt disappointed. ’The conflict with the Insectoid Core energy essentially doomes her in the Psychic Ware Department.’

The mentor fought the urge to scream, wiped his face, and then cleared his throat. He turned to Arix and said, ”Arix, I watched your work, and your technique was correct, but you missed the most crucial point.”