Saimer, of course, was fully aware of what Arya had said.
Precisely because he understood her intentions, he had initially attempted to obtain some knowledge of Alchemy from her. Unfortunately, his attempts had failed.
Saimer typed, "So what exactly do you want?"
After two failed confrontations with Arya, he couldn't help feeling somewhat indignant. He was a dignified professor from one of Blue Star's top institutions—Harvard University, no less—yet here he was being maneuvered step by step by a young woman who looked barely in her twenties.
It made him sigh inwardly at how much the times had changed.
After a brief moment of thought, Arya responded calmly.
"First, you need to tell me the method for refining kerosene. I need to verify whether chemistry works effectively in this world."
She continued without pause.
"Second, you will write a basic chemistry textbook for me using the Federation's common script. This will allow me to verify whether you are genuinely teaching me and not withholding anything."
Saimer frowned. "And what do I get out of this?"
Arya replied just as directly.
"Once I confirm that your knowledge is genuine and that you are not deceiving me, I will write a basic Alchemy manual for you."
Distrust went both ways.
Arya could clearly sense Saimer's suspicion during their exchange. To protect herself, she needed to leave room to retreat if things went wrong.
Saimer's fingers paused above the keyboard before he typed again.
"And how can I be sure that you aren't deceiving me?"
"That's easy to solve," Arya replied.
Saimer's interest was piqued. "How?"
Arya answered bluntly.
"If you want to learn Alchemy, then you have no choice."
She followed up immediately.
"Unless I'm mistaken, you've already collected a batch of Alchemy books. Yet you still responded to Roy's message. That means you haven't grasped even the fundamentals."
Saimer fell silent.
After hearing the broadcast about Arya on the world channel, he had indeed gathered a pile of Alchemy books, fully intending to study them on his own. He recognized every word in those books and followed the instructions meticulously.
And yet, he failed.
No matter how carefully he worked, he simply couldn't produce usable results.
Or rather, the potions he managed to make—the kind that restored five points of health over ten seconds—were far too poor in quality to sell for any meaningful profit.
Every time he saw Arya's potions flowing steadily through Roy's shop and being bought up almost instantly, envy gnawed at him.
He understood very well that the market of over a hundred thousand people in their zone was far too large for Arya to monopolize alone. If he could master Alchemy as well, wouldn't he be able to carve out a share of that market?
Even if his products were inferior to Arya's, in the current early-stage economy, the low-end market was the easiest and safest place to start.
That was precisely why he had agreed so quickly when Roy first approached him.
He simply hadn't expected to be seen through so thoroughly—or cornered so cleanly.
Indeed, when he thought about it more carefully, there were quite a few chemistry professors in this zone. Though all of them were prisoners—some even serious offenders—they likely shared his desire to receive "guidance" from Arya.
Especially now that she had made such a specific request regarding kerosene extraction.
With the freezing weather outside, how could he not understand her intentions?
If Arya truly succeeded in producing kerosene, it would sell even better than her current potions.
After all, kerosene meant energy.
And energy meant warmth.
Although a batch of anti-freeze potions had been released the day before, their duration was too short. They were only useful for people who needed to venture outdoors temporarily for specific tasks.
They were not a long-term solution.
Saimer exhaled slowly and typed again.
"Alright, you win, respected Witch of the Tower. Shall we start with kerosene?"
Arya's reply was short.
"We can."
Her expression remained calm and unreadable.
Saimer began explaining seriously.
"There are two primary methods for extracting kerosene. The first is petroleum fractional distillation, which is the main industrial production method. It involves a series of complex processes such as distillation, refining, and separation."
He continued.
"The second method is coal liquefaction, which involves converting solid coal into liquid fuel through chemical processes."
After a brief pause, he added,
"If your goal is to produce kerosene under current conditions, I believe the second method—coal liquefaction—would be far more suitable."
"Coal is significantly easier to obtain than petroleum right now. At the very least, it has already appeared in this world."
Saimer spoke with genuine sincerity.
After all, if Arya failed to produce kerosene, he would never receive the Alchemy knowledge he desired. He truly didn't want such a rare opportunity to slip away due to a preventable mistake.
Arya nodded slightly.
"Since you're the expert, please explain coal liquefaction in detail."
"Of course."
Saimer's tone became professional and confident.
"Coal liquefaction methods are broadly divided into two categories: direct liquefaction and indirect liquefaction…"
He began explaining fluently, moving step by step through the theory, terminology, and processes involved.
Although Arya still maintained a degree of caution, she listened with utmost seriousness. Whenever unfamiliar terms appeared, she asked questions immediately and initiated further discussion.
Saimer, after all, was a professor from Harvard University. Teaching was second nature to him.
Even Arya, who had only studied basic middle-school-level chemistry before, found that she could follow along thanks to his clear explanations.
She couldn't help thinking that Roy had truly chosen the right person.
There was no way Roy hadn't evaluated those chemistry experts beforehand before making the introduction.
Time passed quickly.
By the end of the day, Arya had already grasped most of the theoretical foundations of coal liquefaction.
Saimer concluded thoughtfully.
"Although I don't fully understand how Alchemy operates in this world, you might consider referencing some Blue Star theories during the actual production process."
He added,
"Even on a magical continent, many underlying principles remain the same. Otherwise, there wouldn't be plants, animals, or minerals so similar to those on Blue Star."
Arya understood his suggestion perfectly.
In fact, that was precisely why she needed a teacher in the first place.
Although Saimer's demands were high, the value he offered clearly justified the price.
Just as Saimer had assumed, Arya herself knew she couldn't monopolize the entire market forever. According to Alchemical principles, even adding just one more Alchemist wouldn't come close to meeting the demands of a population exceeding one hundred thousand.
"Alright," Arya said calmly. "Let's stop here for today. We'll continue tomorrow."
Saimer hesitated.
"Uh… well… teaching every day like this might not be feasible. I also need time to go out and gather resources."
Arya considered this briefly.
"That's true. Then how about once every other day?"
Saimer froze.
No.
That wasn't what he meant at all.
He was a Harvard chemistry professor, providing one-on-one instruction. Shouldn't there be some form of compensation for his efforts?
Did she truly not understand what he was implying—or was she pretending not to?
She had been sharp and perceptive just moments ago. How could she suddenly miss something so obvious?
Saimer stared at the screen in silence, beginning to realize that negotiating with Arya might be far more exhausting than he had initially expected.
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