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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Alchemy Lottery
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Lellia decided to unpack at a high-end inn frequented by nobles and merchants.
Perhaps because it was such a fine establishment, there were even guards on duty, which was reassuring.
Her uncle and aunt had insisted they couldn't possibly let her go alone and had wanted to escort her themselves, but they were too busy to leave their posts.
Above all, Duke Superion had agreed to let Lellia travel on her own.
He trusted in her special abilities.
Duke Superion had noticed that Lellia possessed some mysterious power beyond her alchemical skills.
It was no wonder, considering she could create countless potions overnight.
Furthermore, the secret alchemy lab the duke had built for her showed very few signs of actual research.
He had even brought over an alchemist he knew once.
It was to offer her some help. But she and the alchemist couldn't communicate at all.
Through various such events, Duke Superion must have pieced things together.
But Duke Superion never pried or pressured her for answers.
He simply assumed she had inherited some magical power from her mother.
That was why he had no worries about sending her off alone.
Besides, she had already told him she would return with her Uncle Carius, who would be stopping by the capital on his way back.
Lellia was well aware of the trust her grandfather placed in her.
*‘Besides, Grandfather never once asked me where I spent all that money I earned…’*
He must have been curious, honestly.
Over the past few years, Lellia had earned a great deal of money. She sold potions that were highly effective and had no side effects whatsoever.
Thanks to this, she had built a high level of trust among those in the know.
Lellia gave a portion of the profits to her grandfather’s acquaintance who helped with distribution, and she kept the rest for herself.
Her grandfather watched the entire process but never asked how she handled the money.
*‘Not that I could have answered him even if he had asked…’*
The vast majority of the money Lellia earned was consumed by the ‘Alchemy Lottery’.
Lellia confirmed the door to her room was locked, drew the curtains, and after a careful scan of her surroundings, touched the gem on her necklace.
A screen, so familiar it was almost tiresome, appeared before her.
On the screen, her alchemy tool was sound asleep.
*‘This money-sucking hippo…’*
Almost all the money Lellia earned, save for a small portion, was funneled into this.
But it couldn't be helped.
It demanded crystals for every little thing, and even when she worked hard to complete an achievement, the reward was hardly a reward at all.
[Congratulations on completing the achievement, Master! So we’ve prepared a special reward for you! ✧٩(•́⌄•́๑)و ✧ Get 100,000 crystals at a 20% discount!]
It was usually a message like that.
What’s more, these so-called rewards came with a two-hour time limit.
So, with no time to think, she would make the purchase as if possessed.
*‘Still, the results weren’t all bad.’*
Her inventory was full of special alchemical potions yet to be sold, as well as plenty of ingredients.
Moreover, she had maxed out her affinity with all the residents except for one.
*‘They said that once I max out everyone’s affinity, special affinity levels, hidden quests, and special recipes will appear…’*
That day was not far off.
Furthermore, she had cleared all the quests and completed every business achievement.
That meant she had gathered all the special ingredients she could. All but one.
In any case, once she cleared all the common ingredients and finished whatever that darn special recipe was, she would be able to create the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’.
She had even acquired a new dragon—a silver dragon, no less. It was an admirable creature that could fetch a large number of ingredients in the shortest amount of time.
*‘Unlike the others, who just eat up all the food.’*
Also, she had used crystals to expand her inventory significantly, so she had plenty of space now.
*‘It cost a fortune…’*
In any case, it wasn't as if her money had just been sucked away for nothing. She had plenty of achievements to show for it.
It was the result of living so fiercely over the past years.
But from now on, she needed to be a little more careful.
*‘The temple might start cracking down on alchemy again.’*
The Mad Dragon was finally dead. From now on, the temple’s focus would be on expanding its influence over the five empires.
And they would also start diligently managing the heretics they had neglected over the past few years.
Not that she was completely afraid of them.
Just as her grandfather trusted her enough to send her to the capital alone, Lellia, too, had reasons to be confident.
Afraid of waking the alchemy tool, Lellia quickly closed the screen.
*‘First, I should get something to eat.’*
After unpacking and washing up, Lellia changed into a new robe and headed out.
