Translator: AnubisTL
Approaching the machine, Jieming followed the others' example, placing his apprentice badge on the detection array at the base.
A moment later, a screen lit up before him, displaying detailed mission information even more comprehensive than what was shown on the large screen. Jieming couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.
"This thing... you could almost call it a 'magic network,' right? While the common folk are still stuck in the Middle Ages, the wizards have already entered the information age."
Considering the wizards' ability to wage war across the multiverse, their advancement into a networked society wasn't particularly surprising.
"Let's see..."
Jieming first checked his personal information and was astonished to find that his merit point balance wasn't zero.
"What's going on?"
He stared at the six merit points in his account, puzzled. Fortunately, the transaction history provided a detailed explanation of the points' origin.
"Since the period between the start of the semester and the next month is less than a full month, a portion of the monthly 10-point merit point difference has been refunded according to the contract... Holy shit?"
Jieming was genuinely shocked. Setting aside the sheer amount of resources required to refund so many students, the academy's decision itself was almost unbelievable.
"They're being this generous? Even in my previous life's rule-of-law society, I doubt many organizations would do something like this."
Amidst his astonishment, a surge of excitement welled up within him.
It seemed the wizards' adherence to contractual precision far exceeded his expectations. Even though Jieming knew this was likely a tactic to win over students, he couldn't help but feel a sense of approval.
"Willing to uphold the rules, and those rules are relatively fair... that's definitely enough to earn my respect."
With the sudden influx of sign-up points, the pressure on Jieming immediately eased. He swiftly searched for information on laboratory rentals.
"Small, low-level lab... renting for 10 hours costs 5 merit points, but a month's rental is only 200 points! Damn, what a huge difference!"
Fortunately, his current merit points were just enough.
Jieming casually left the machine, first heading to the apprentice cafeteria for dinner before returning to his dormitory.
After closing the door, Jieming sat cross-legged on his bed, seemingly entering meditation. In reality, his consciousness had already arrived before the Great Dao Library Pavilion.
A stream of light descended before him at his will, and Jieming quickly grabbed the book that materialized from the light, flipping through its pages.
"I remember it being here... Ah, there it is!"
This was a foundational text on artifact forging, primarily detailing methods for extracting various materials.
On the page Jieming focused on, the text described a material called "adamantium."
Adamantium, the essence of a hundredfold refinement of gold, is forged through secret methods. From ten thousand ingots of ordinary gold, one can extract its marrow, yielding a substance of utmost purity and hardness, known as adamantium. This material embodies the unyielding stability of heaven and earth, embodying the principle of eternal constancy. Impervious to myriad techniques and repelling all evil, it stands as the supreme choice for crafting protective armor and imbuing treasures with the weight of Mount Sumeru within a mustard seed.
The passage roughly meant: Adamantium can be extracted from large quantities of gold. This material embodies the concept of eternal constancy, possessing extreme stability and being virtually unaffected by any energy. It is an excellent material for crafting defensive and storage-type magical artifacts.
Back then, Jieming's cultivation hadn't even broken through to the first layer of qi refining. Although his family was a small merchant, dreaming of acquiring a large quantity of gold for refinement was pure fantasy. He had only casually flipped through the book.
Today, when he saw a fist-sized lump of gold during alchemy class, this was his first thought.
"Let's see... It's difficult, but with enough tools, even a first-layer qi refining cultivator could barely refine adamantium. The material loss would be significant, though."
According to the book, adamantium was merely the most basic spirit material. Through continuous refinement, it could be further refined into higher-grade materials.
However, given Jieming's current circumstances, refining adamantium would suffice for now.
After carefully studying the refinement methods for adamantium, Jieming suppressed his excitement and withdrew from his consciousness.
He reached out and picked up the crude golden cube he had crafted earlier that day.
Such a large block of gold was quite heavy, making it difficult for an ordinary person to lift with one hand.
After mastering the basics of meditation, the elemental power not only strengthened his mental power but also enhanced the physical bodies of the wizard apprentices. Jieming, benefiting from both the immortal cultivation technique and the meditation technique, found lifting the gold block surprisingly effortless.
He continuously manipulated the golden cube in his hands, deliberately adopting the wide-eyed, naive expression of a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
Secretly, Jieming circulated his true essence, employing a detection method he had learned from the Great Dao Library Pavilion to probe the gold. He wanted to determine if this world's gold, like that of the immortal cultivation world, could be refined into adamantium.
The results were astonishing. The detection revealed that the gold from both worlds shared nearly identical structures, both capable of being refined into adamantium!
"Hah... I can't rush this. The conditions aren't perfect yet..."
Calming his excitement, Jieming began strategizing how to leverage this material for personal gain and secure his first fortune.
"But no matter what, to maintain my cover, I can't neglect alchemy."
Having made up his mind, Jieming sat back down at his desk with the gold block. He reviewed the basic alchemy principles Mentor Clark had taught in class that day, consulting the Basic Alchemy Manual to reinforce his understanding. He also studied the intricate metal alchemy plate, which looked dauntingly complex.
For the next few weeks, Jieming repeated this seemingly monotonous and routine life:
During the day, he secluded himself in his dormitory, studying alchemical theory and attempting to reshape the golden cube using alchemy. At night, when the academy was quiet, he meditated, using cultivation to replace sleep.
Occasionally, he would run into Amy in the apprentice cafeteria, maintaining just the right amount of contact with her. Amy always brought the latest academy gossip and rumors, providing Jieming with valuable information.
This routine continued for over ten days, until Jieming was certain he had completely mastered the adamantium refinement technique. Only then did he begin to execute his true plan.
"Mr. Jieming, this is the laboratory you reserved. As requested, it has a window facing the sunrise. From now until 6:00 AM tomorrow, this laboratory is yours."
"Please note that the laboratory's defense array can only withstand first-circle spells or lower. Any damage caused will require compensation..."
A silver-white metal magic puppet droned on about the laboratory rules while opening a fully sealed metal door.
"...The laboratory is completely sealed. If any problems arise, no one outside will be able to detect them. Please prioritize safety."
"Alright, I understand."
Before the magic puppet could continue its nagging, Jieming decisively closed the laboratory door.
(End of the Chapter)
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