Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 49

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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49. Genius Alchemist (3)

Count Randy gazed at his beloved wife as if dazzled by her radiance, then asked Serena.

“What would you prefer, Lady Serena?”

“I’ll take pants, sturdy and easy to move in.”

“Understood.”

Count Randy changed Serena’s clothes to comfortable attire like Philia’s. Krom’s boots were also resized to fit Serena’s feet.

Serena rotated her arms and stretched her shoulders to check if the clothes were comfortable for movement. The design was somewhat similar, perhaps referencing Ying and Olive’s outfits.

‘The lack of pockets is a flaw.’

Pockets could be added later. While Serena examined her changed clothes, Count Randy handed Philia a superior potion.

“Lady Serena must be in considerable pain too. Dear, please use this to treat Lady Serena’s wounds.”

“Yes! Thank you, honey.”

“Wait. I allowed the treatment of the Countess’s feet understanding the Count’s feelings, but save the remaining potions. This is a labyrinth, isn’t it.”

When the master refused wound treatment again, Philia protested with a disgruntled voice.

“If we run short on potions, Child can just make more.”

“Yes, I can craft them, so it’s fine.”

“Materials aren’t infinite, so we can’t waste superior potions like this.”

Anyway, conquering the labyrinth would cause blisters and peeling skin again, so treating them now was wasteful. Even if it meant scraping off calluses later, developing them now was beneficial.

“If Your Highness is finished, it’s my turn!”

Grey poked his head out from behind Serena. Count Randy, who was about to recommend treatment to Serena again, smiled with a twisted expression.

“Ha, ha. Right, our nephew was here. What shall we do for you?”

“Change what I usually wear to suit me! You can do it, Uncle, right?”

“Of course. I can do it…”

Count Randy maintained his awkward smile while grabbing his nephew’s sleeve.

The ornate imperial court-style ceremonial dress changed into sturdy plain clothes. A dark-colored robe with elaborate patterns seemed to be added on top, but the robe changed into a cloak for warmth.

“Will this do? Hahaha?”

“Hmm. The cloak is a bit inconvenient, so please change it to a coat.”

“Right. Don’t you need a staff?”

“A staff?”

“No, hahaha. It just feels empty without one…”

“Now that Uncle mentions it, I do need a staff! This is a labyrinth, so I should contribute too!”

Count Randy took out strangely twisted wood and a magic stone from his bag.

The magic stone glowed and disappeared from Count Randy’s hand, and the wood transformed into a wooden staff of appropriate size for a child to wield. The strangely twisted part remained, clinging to the child’s hand for a good grip.

“Please give me something to put on the staff head.”

Count Randy had his highest-grade magic stone from his bag taken by the child. Grey fixed the highest-grade magic stone to the wooden staff. The completed staff was more like a blunt weapon than a staff.

Grey seemed pleased with the completed staff, smiling brightly as he swung it experimentally.

Whoosh whoosh. The form of a young child wielding a weapon looked awkward. Even Serena, who was an outsider, could see that.

Perhaps aware of this himself, he stopped swinging and rotated his shoulders and wrists in circles.

“I’m not used to it. I’ll have to work hard to adapt.”

“You’ll get better, you’ll improve quickly. Hahaha.”

“Right? I should, shouldn’t I? Hahaha.”

While nephew and uncle laughed awkwardly, those seeing alchemy for the first time were still in confusion.

Ying, who had been mixed in with the confused party, quietly walked forward. Ying held out a wooden box, rope, dagger, and magic stone obtained from the labyrinth to Count Randy.

“Arrows.”

“You seem to have dealt with alchemists before.”

For Ying’s sake, who must have been frustrated with zero arrows, Serena spoke to Count Randy.

“This one is a labyrinth explorer I employed. Please craft arrows.”

“Understood. What bow will they be used for?”

Ying showed Count Randy her bow and explained the desired arrow type and size. Count Randy listened to the explanation and examined the materials Ying brought. Tension lingered on Ying’s face, who usually wasn’t shaken by ordinary matters.

“Not enough?”

“If not magic arrows, it’s sufficient.”

Count Randy took out golden scales from his bag. He looked around the cave and, seemingly dissatisfied, moved to the lobby.

He placed the scales on the fountain and put the magic stone, dagger, rope, and wooden box on one plate.

When the magic stone went on, people fell silent.

When the rope went on, people blinked.

When the wooden box went onto the small plate, people started chattering about how this was possible.

“All that fits on that tiny plate? Am I dreaming right now?”

“I must be dreaming along with you.”

“It’s really amazing. More amazing than the magic tricks performed by magicians in grand theaters.”

“Princess! How does that work?”

‘How would I know that.’

Since Serena didn’t know the principle either, she kept her mouth shut. But they were making so much noise she worried it might ruin the ritual, so she gave the subjective universal answer that only worked in this other world.

“That is a divine artifact.”

The golden scales Count Randy took from his bag were actually a divine artifact of the Golden Order. At the mention of a divine artifact, the voices of those craving answers immediately quieted.

When Count Randy knelt before the scales, Philia, who had changed her main deity to the Golden God following her husband, also knelt.

Ralph awkwardly bent his knees, standing uncertainly.

“Should we kneel too?”

“It’s fine. When buying things at the market, bystanders have nothing to do with it.”

Grey answered Ralph’s panicked question. Ralph became even more flustered, perhaps because the servant’s answer was very different from what he expected. He bent his knees further, lowering his head more.

“But didn’t you say it was a divine artifact?”

“It’s similar to giving a membership card with reduced fees to preferred customers.”

“Princess?”

Ralph fell into complete confusion, and those listening nearby were similarly confused as they looked at Serena again. Serena pressed her forehead.

‘I don’t know about alchemy either.’

Like magic in this world, she understood that divine power was involved, but Serena didn’t know the detailed principles either.

Serena had once been in the same confusion as them, bombarding Count Randy with questions, and now combined the answers she received to explain as comprehensibly as possible.

“The God of Gold selects particularly excellent individuals among outstanding alchemists and grants them the ability to trade directly with Him.”

Though called the God of Gold, to Serena’s eyes, he was closer to a god governing all matter.

There were also complex and difficult stories about gold being imbued with spirituality, mysteries, all matter possessing spirituality with gold as the ultimate end, but Serena didn’t understand any of it so she omitted them.

“Just now Count Randy changed the clothes and shoes of myself, the Countess, and Grey, right? The dresses and the clothes we’re wearing now. Which would be more valuable when converted to gold?”

“The dresses! Just the lace trim alone could buy ten sets of what we’re wearing now!”

“The shoes too.”

“Right. When trading finished products for goods in the same category at a financial loss like this, skilled alchemists can trade directly without performing rituals.”

“Mark can even do 1-to-1 trades!”

Philia, who was kneeling and praising the God of Gold, didn’t miss the chance to brag about her husband.

“Right. As the Countess said, Count Landriol is exceptionally talented and particularly favored by the God of Gold, so he can perform even 1-to-1 trades without loss and without rituals. If items sell for the same price, immediate exchange is possible.”

For example, suppose there’s a dagger that can be bought for 1 silver coin. Then Count Randy can change that dagger into another item that sells for exactly 1 silver coin.

Of course, it’s not free. The God of Gold takes transaction fees. Being a god, the fees taken are substantial, so it’s better to avoid 1-to-1 trades when possible.

There are also daily transaction limits. Since it involves divine intervention, repeatedly making trades that displease the god could result in losing the blessing.

Various variables and risks were involved, but in the current situation with blocked supplies, Count Randy’s immediate trading blessing was extremely precious. It felt more reassuring than eating soup until the bottom of the bowl was visible.

‘I should have drawn Count Randy first when I got the guaranteed 5-star. No. If I hadn’t accidentally pressed twice, I would have drawn Count Randy with the remaining one.’

The sadness of wastefully losing a precious 5-star draw welled up.

“What, then he’s omnipotent! Isn’t that cheating?”

“It’s ultimately trading accomplished through divine blessing. There are usage limits, and if the god is displeased, trades can be canceled and materials and wealth can disappear quite often. You need minimum materials too. And as the Countess said, only Count Randy can perform trades of that level.”

He wasn’t called the Empire’s pride, a genius alchemist, for nothing. Grey supplemented Serena’s insufficient explanation.

“Other alchemists besides Uncle have to perform rituals even when changing dresses to plain clothes. Uncle is amazing.”

“So this is what real alchemy was like. No wonder alchemists are hard to find! Even if you see mages rarely, seeing alchemists is like plucking stars from the sky!”

As Olive said, alchemists were fewer in number than mages. Since gaining the God of Gold’s favor was the first condition, the number of alchemists was up to the god’s whim.

“Ying requested arrows. If Ying had brought only gold coins and magic stones without materials, the trade itself would be impossible. Minimum materials are needed. If she had brought all arrow materials, we would have traded the materials for arrows with just about enough added for a bowyer’s wages. But from what I see, materials like glue and feathers are lacking, so in such cases magic stones or gold coins must substitute for materials. That’s why the magic stone was placed on the scales.”

Strictly speaking, the magic stone now on the scale plate could buy over 100 arrows. This was a trade that would never be made if this weren’t a labyrinth.

If daily transaction limits are replaced by divine favor, then alchemy skill is measured by how much you can substitute these scarce materials with fewer magic stones and gold coins, and how well you can replicate the craftsmanship that should require an artisan’s touch. They say adding mystery while crafting potions is also a matter of talent.

‘What am I supposed to do when I can’t understand it even when I look?’

It would be easier to understand if it were like the comics from her past life, talking about elements and molecules. But with gods and mystery combined, it became a realm beyond Serena’s comprehension.

Moreover, since fees are deducted, even the law of equivalent exchange doesn’t apply. For example, let’s say a sack of wheat and a sack of barley cost the same.

What if Count Randy repeatedly exchanges wheat and barley back and forth? Eventually, nothing would remain and everything would disappear. Because it would all be taken as transaction fees.

“It’s finished.”

The materials placed on the scale disappeared, and a bundle of arrows was generated on the empty scale. Count Randy, who had finished the transaction as soon as he knelt but had been waiting for Serena’s explanation to end, stood up and retrieved the arrows and scale. A dagger also remained on the tray that had held the materials.

“It’s a quality item, too good to waste as mere arrowhead material, so I left it behind. Take it.”

Ying received the bundle of arrows with trembling hands. A total of 30 arrows. With one magic stone that vanished into thin air, she could have bought over 100 arrows, but with additional materials, she only got 30 arrows—a tremendous loss.

But in a situation where supplies were cut off, even this was a blessing.

Ying grabbed one arrow to check its balance and center of gravity.

“Perfect!”

The taciturn archer let out a heartfelt exclamation and loaded the arrows into her quiver. It was the moment when an archer with 0 remaining arrows became a real archer again.

“How much?”

“Didn’t you say you were employed by Lady Serena? It’s free.”

As soon as those words ended, Olive shot her hand up and shouted.

“Me me me me me me! Me me! Me dagger! Lockpicking tools!”

“I need armor maintenance tools too! I’d like to have a whetstone as well!”

“Could you please just change my sandals to different shoes? My feet hurt so much, I humbly request it!”

An alchemy boom had erupted in Heuji’s Labyrinth.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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