Good heavens!
Other people at least received a simple introduction, but you? You told me absolutely nothing at all!
What did that mean?
It meant it was a really good thing!
Shaking her head and suppressing her excitement, Arya groped around the area where the dialogue box had appeared, not caring whether she stirred the well water into a muddy mess. Her hands searched blindly through the cold, murky water.
At last, her fingers touched something solid.
She pried a stone loose from the thick mud.
The stone was an irregular oval, about the size of her palm. Its surface was surprisingly smooth, without even a trace of aquatic plants clinging to it. But Arya did not have time to examine it carefully. The well water was still up to her neck, and the cold was beginning to seep into her bones.
After quickly scanning the surroundings and confirming there were no other strange windows or flashes of light, she floated back out of the well.
She continued searching the surrounding area until the sky was filled with fiery clouds at sunset, only then returning to her treehouse.
The first thing Arya did when she returned was not to appraise the item.
She bathed.
After soaking in icy well water for so long and being battered by the cold wind for hours, she was afraid she might catch a cold. She filled a tub, soaked in hot water, and let her body sweat until warmth returned to her fingers and toes.
Only after changing into clean clothes did she finally take out all the spoils she had acquired that day.
A wooden stick more than a meter long and half an arm thick.
A broken compass.
A chrysalis sealed in a glass jar.
A bottle of spring water.
Water elemental essence.
And the unknown stone.
Of course, there was also the crucible she had used for many days.
One by one, she activated her appraisal ability.
[Deep Sea Meteorite Crucible (C)]
[Effect: Increases the success rate of potions and magical medicines by 50%]
[Description: The ultimate tool dreamed of by every Alchemist, a world-class magical item recognized by the world will. Whoever owns it enjoys good fortune, and everyone who has used it praises it. Unfortunately, due to long-term neglect, its effects are not what they once were. Perhaps you can try using it frequently to reawaken this dormant world-class item.]
[Emerald Stirring Rod (C)]
[Effect: Increases potion success rate by 50%]
[Description: A stirring rod made from a branch of the World Tree. Using this stirring rod means you do not have to worry about flavors mixing, and it can even add a touch of the world's flavor to your potion. Unfortunately, due to long-term neglect, its effects are not what they once were. Perhaps you can try using it frequently to reawaken this dormant world-class item.]
[Damaged Thorium Compass (E)]
[Effect: Increases the efficiency of your Magic Arrays and Alchemy Arrays by 50%]
[Description: The circular arrays drawn with it can… Unfortunately, it is damaged. You can try having a mechanic repair it. But be careful, because its attraction to mechanics is no less than its attraction to array masters and alchemists.]
[Elf Butterfly Chrysalis (S)]
[Description: An unhatched Elf Butterfly Chrysalis. It is amazing that you obtained a monster of this rank. Find an opportunity to hatch it, and you will see the gentlest and most beautiful butterfly in the world.]
[Spring of Repose (C)]
[Effect: Watering, forging, enchanting, alchemy]
[Description: Spring water containing a large amount of magical power, which can be directly used as base water for alchemists. Although its rank is not high, it is extremely precious.]
[Water Elemental Essence (D)]
[Effect: Can be used for alchemy and enchanting, or for irrigation, and effectively increases the growth rate of water-attributed plants]
[Description: The purest collection of water elemental energy, born from the long-term entanglement of water magical power.]
Finally, the stone itself.
[Stone of Rest (S)]
[Effect: When placed on the ground, it will continuously flow out Spring of Repose, with a chance of producing Water Elemental Essence]
[Description: It is said that a certain arrogant alchemist, finding it troublesome to make magical water every time he brewed medicine, collaborated with another arrogant master of magical item crafting to develop this stone. It is a world-class item recognized by the world will.]
"So the Spring of Repose and the Water Elemental Essence were both produced by this stone…" Arya murmured to herself.
And the "arrogant alchemist" mentioned in the description… that had to be Albert.
After reading the appraisal results, Arya let out a long, relieved breath.
"Phew… I didn't expect Albert's legacy to be this rich," she said softly.
"It looks like I can take some time to conduct a proper archaeological dig at his workshop location whenever I'm free in the future. Who knows what kind of surprises are still waiting there?"
She placed one hand over her chest, closed her eyes, and spoke with sincere reverence.
"Therefore, Albert, from today onward, you are my unseen teacher."
"If you have any good things, please be sure to leave them in that camp."
"Allow me, your student, to better admire your brilliance."
For Arya, who had inherited so much and who walked the path of an alchemist herself, these items were treasures that could genuinely change her future. Her gratitude toward Albert was not fake in the slightest.
Of course, it would be even better if there were more tools waiting for her.
However, there was still work to do.
With renewed energy, Arya shifted her focus and began filtering and bottling the potions she had prepared, carefully sealing them before sending them off to her "creditors."
First was the person who had sold her demonology.
Although it had only been a trade application, a trade was still a trade. Until this transaction was truly complete, demonology would not officially be in her possession.
Even though she now had the appraisal glasses, those glasses still required knowledge to be used at their full potential.
No matter what, once she could break through to Rank D, the appraisal glasses would also evolve to Rank D, becoming capable of appraising Rank D items.
From this perspective, the glasses could be considered a growth-type magical item.
Next was Roy.
Although she was still a few dozen potions short, sending the first batch meant Roy could finally relax.
After finishing all of that, Arya returned to processing the rest of the items she had acquired that day.
Her first priority was naturally the Stone of Rest, which could self-produce Spring of Repose.
Previously, Arya had been worried about her long-term water situation. Relying solely on others to deliver water was not a sustainable plan.
Now, with the Stone of Rest, she could generate water resources anytime, anywhere.
However, because it continuously produced Spring of Repose, she had to carefully consider where to place it.
After some thought, she placed the stone inside the large water tank that was already running low.
That was when she noticed an important limitation.
The stone could indeed produce water, but only up to a maximum depth of fifty centimeters.
Just like the water level in the well from before.
This discovery greatly reassured Arya.
After all, if water had endlessly gushed out of her treehouse, anyone passing by might have looked up and noticed something strange.
Placing it inside the water tank was different.
Not only did she not have to worry about exposure, but when she wanted to perform alchemy later, she could simply open the valve and let the water flow.
It could not have been more convenient.
Although it felt somewhat unfair to a large water tank capable of holding one hundred liters, this was the best solution for now.
The Emerald Stirring Rod and the tools she had used that day were carefully cleaned and placed back inside the workshop.
There was nothing she could do about the damaged thorium compass. Since she could not repair it herself, she set it aside for the time being.
As for the Elf Butterfly Chrysalis, she had no idea how to hatch it.
Even the demonology she had just acquired contained no direct records about such a creature.
Or rather, demonology was not a book that introduced individual monsters.
Instead, it systematically explained what "monsters" were as a concept.
Under demonology, there were two main branches: Botany and Magical Beast Studies.
Under Botany, there were further subdivisions.
One was Herbalism, which Arya was already familiar with.
The other was Magical Plant Studies.
The Man-Eating Flower she had encountered before belonged to the monster category within Magical Plant Studies.
Realizing this, Arya couldn't help but sigh in awe.
This world's academic systems were truly vast and profound.
There was so much to learn.
And for the first time in a long while, the future didn't feel like a burden.
It felt like a path.
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