Chapter 151: The Alchemy Convenience Store

As the aftermath of the incident at Stevenson Academy gradually subsided, it began to implement new measures to detect and secure against non-transcendental forces.

Within the Nightblades, a special team was established to deal with threats like the fleshy roots—entities without supernatural powers but that remained hazardous for whatever reason. The Nightblades cleaners, with extensive experience in post-battle cleanup and investigation, excelled in this role.

In that manner, a semblance of peace returned to the capital. There were yet undercurrents of tension as various noble houses and factions prepared for the upcoming convention of the Elder Council. Alliances were forged and broken in secret; in public, on the surface, the capital returned to business as usual.

After Selwyn's failure to sabotage the Stevenson Academy of Magic, they seemed to have put their attacks on hold. Although the Nightblades and city guards took the incident seriously and increased the number of patrols thereafter, they failed to catch anyone suspicious.

The situation on the frontlines remained lukewarm. Reports sent to the capital described a few battles and Aleisterre's resulting gains and losses in the process—but after a year of hearing similar news, the residents of the capital had grown numb to it all.

Newspapers that had sold well during the start of the war now struggled to find readers. Weekly battle reports no longer sparked discussions, and tavern conversations among adventurers and guild members returned to topics like earnings and the gossip of eccentric nobles.

About half a month passed in this seemingly peaceful environment. Wang Yu, Avia, and the Church of Nightfall were doing better than ever.

On a certain day, Edward, Wang Yu, and Charles, members of the Nightblades' special ops team, arrived at 7 Black Street in the capital's shadow.

Charles and Edward were both astonished by what they saw. Numerous buildings of varying styles had sprung up along the street, a result of the mixed races living together—after all, it was unlikely that vampires and dwarves, for example, could comfortably coexist in the same type of building.

Charles looked around in amazement, his mind filled with questions. In his recollection, the Church of Nightfall was a small church Wang Yu had described as being confined to the edge of the cliff at the end of the street; now, it had taken over the entirety of Black Street.

It hadn't been more than a few months since the last time Edward and Charles visited the Church of Nightfall, right before the Hellgate invasion. Even so, in that short period of time, the church's territory and its number of members had grown significantly.

"Wait, what's that? A bugbear? Aren't they supposed to be brainless? Why is it holding a sign and writing?" Charles's eyes widened as he pointed at a bugbear using a brush as it worked on something resembling a store sign.

"Stop tugging on me! Perhaps you need to focus more on your studies—but I thought the same, too," Edward said, swatting Charles's hand away. He had also noticed the writing bugbear. While he wasn't as shocked as Charles, it was certainly a rare sight.

Wang Yu frowned. He, too, was under the impression that bugbears were essentially no different from bears. The reason they were called bugbears was that they had some gnome ancestry, which gave their limbs slight gnome-like features. However, they had inherited none of the gnomes' intelligence. Writing was out of the question; in fact, their brains seemed even less functional than those of ordinary bears.

"Oh, there's a fairy sitting on that bugbear's neck. Well, not exactly sitting—it's so small and hidden under the fur that you can't see it," Wang Yu explained. He had used his ripples to scan the area and had spotted the fairy, likely the bugbear's owner, directing it from its perch.

"Huh? Why would a fairy want to live in this dark underground? Oh, I get it..." Charles suddenly sounded somewhat disappointed, as if he had relished the opportunity to meet a rare intelligent bugbear.

Charles had casually remarked on how a fairy—elegant and beautiful, like the elves—would end up in the capital's shadow, only to realize that the Church of Nightfall's territory wasn't dark at all.

The church members had placed various lamps along the streets, creating a bright and lively atmosphere. Mana crystal lamps, glowstones, gas lamps, flame flowers—some of these more obscure lamps could probably fetch a high price from those who had never seen them before.

The Church of Nightfall was really quite peculiar. While they worshipped the Lady of the Night, their church grounds were anything but dark. Instead, they were brightly lit.

"This area used to be controlled by some gang, didn't it? It was relatively undeveloped because of the cliffside and how remote it was, but now..."

Edward's focus was more practical than Charles's. The last time he had visited, the Church of Nightfall had relied on the Lady of the Night's concealment to build their church at the edge of the cliff or even expand into the space below. Now, the entire street seemed to be theirs.

Edward walked down the street, nodding appreciatively at the bustling scene before him. The mix of different races was fascinating.

"The Church of Nightfall is actually quite strong. They may have been hunted aboveground because they were alone, but it takes strength and skill to survive capture for so long. Once they grouped up and started working together for the church, they were easily able to defend themselves.

"While I was busy aboveground, the gang that used to control Black Street discovered the church again—but Emmon led the rest of the church to drive them back and completely crushed the gang in the process."

Wang Yu found the scene the Lady of the Night had shown him quite amusing.

Numerous magical plants had burst from the ground, nurtured by druids and fairies. Thick-skinned orcs and mindless swamp monsters charged at the front, while werewolves, vampires, and other nocturnal creatures lurked in the shadows, dragging gang members into the darkness to be obliterated.

Gnomes and elves formed the main offensive, with the elves shooting arrows and the goblins throwing alchemical bombs. Black Street was quite narrow, making alchemical bombs particularly effective.

And none of this had even involved the lady who spent her days lounging in a rocking chair outside Wang Yu and Avia's alchemy shop, the church's most potent deterrent. The result was obviously a one-sided victory. Black Street changed hands, and the Church of Nightfall became a notable organization in the capital's shadow.

Later, due to the Nightblades' promotion of her faith, some of the Nightblades even moved to Black Street themselves. This was partially to expand the Nightblades' influence in the capital's shadow, but also because they were genuinely attracted by the faith or the unique charm of the church. While there were many prosperous churches, the Church of Nightfall was truly one of a kind.

"Just ahead, our usual spot." Wang Yu pointed to the far end of Black Street, near the cliff. Wang Yu was much more familiar with the area than Edward and Charles given his position as archbishop. Although it was mostly an honorary title, he was quite involved in the church's development.

"Hehe, Miss Avia's alchemy workshop. I'm really curious about what's inside. You promised a discount, right? Don't go back on your word," Charles said excitedly, running ahead of Wang Yu and emphasizing the discount Wang Yu had agreed to.

"Sure, sure, no problem. You and Edward will always get a 20% discount. It's more like an alchemy convenience store, really—not very classy, but that's what it is. By the way, Charles, since you're here, there's something I need to give you. You've earned it."

"What? Something for me? This isn't a trick, is it..." Charles looked at Wang Yu suspiciously. Naturally, he couldn't read anything from Wang Yu's expression, which only deepened his suspicion.

"Come on, when has Wang Yu ever tricked you? Why are you doubting him? Hurry up!" Edward gave Charles a hard slap on the back, pushing him forward.

"Well, actually, I have..." Wang Yu murmured inwardly. He'd done so twice in recent memory, in fact—once when dealing with "One," who was possessing Charles, and when he used Charles as a test subject for the Tree of the Night.

Charles, who was just about to retort, was distracted by the fact that they reached their destination. A crowd had gathered before them, with many familiar faces: Emmon the orc, Vena the elf, Elliot the gnome, Holo and his family of dark elves, and several other early members of the Church of Nightfall.

"Archbishop!"

"Ah, Mr. Wang Yu."

"Mr. Wang Yu's here!"

"Alright, let's get ready."

The group chattered excitedly upon seeing Wang Yu. Most believers didn't know about Wang Yu's status in the church, as it hadn't been widely publicized. However, those who had joined early were in the know and held great respect for him.

"Congratulations on the grand opening!"

"Congratulations, congratulations!"

"Remember to give us a discount on the opening day!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"Seconded!"

Amidst the cacophony, everyone cheered for Avia and her alchemy convenience store's grand opening.

"Thank you, everyone." Wang Yu smiled as he walked toward the shop that had nearly been completed last year but had ended up delayed until today due to various events.

The mechanical door of the shop slowly rose up to reveal a well-organized interior: neat shelves, carefully arranged products with detailed descriptions, and clear price tags.

Wang Yu was the first to step inside. He was greeted by Avia's radiant smile. "Welcome!" she said enthusiastically, greeting her first customer, Wang Yu.

She looked genuinely happy. The alchemy store she and Wang Yu had been working on for so long was finally opening today.

Not only could Avia take advantage of her alchemical skills to generate income for them both, this would be the first step in her independence as a budding alchemist.

Alchemy was a skill Avia excelled at and was passionate about, and being able to practice it was a source of great joy to her. Many of the products in the store had been crafted by Avia herself in the workshop beneath the store.

"If you need anything, please feel free to inquire directly with our staff." Avia smiled as she introduced the shop to Wang Yu while showcasing it to the onlookers from the Church of Nightfall, as well as Edward and Charles.

"Are you sure these staff won't scare people or cause problems?" Wang Yu glanced hesitantly at the staff member approaching him: a skeleton wearing a suit and tie.

"No problem! My staff are basic skeleton soldiers summoned from the undead plane, who have been modified with special necromantic arrays engraved on their bodies. They can fully handle customer requests. After all, I can't be here all the time, so they'll manage the store when I'm not around.

"Besides, Wang Yu, don't you think these staff fit in well with the atmosphere of the Church of Nightfall?" Avia's smile widened as she watched Wang Yu face the skeleton staff.

"You're right," Wang Yu replied. The skeleton before him was bowing in welcome in its well-tailored suit. Then he glanced at the crowd of "monsters" outside. Indeed, in the Church of Nightfall, where all manner of races mingled, undead staff were nothing out of the ordinary.

"I'd like to see your stock of alchemical weapons," Wang Yu began. He knew Avia had planned to hire staff to manage the shop when she wasn't around, but he hadn't expected skeletons to fill the role.

The skeleton's eye sockets flared, indicating it had understood Wang Yu's request. It led him to one of the shelves in the store.

Wang Yu marveled once again at the power of magic as he followed after the skeleton. Meanwhile, Avia welcomed the others inside. Guided by the other skeleton staff, the invited guests entered the shop and began browsing the products.

Wang Yu nodded thoughtfully at the alchemical weapons on display. It was a good idea to sell these items to the Church of Nightfall to boost their combat capabilities.

Revolvers, shotguns, rifles—alchemical firearms, powered not by gunpowder but rather special alchemical propellants, were neatly arranged in the display case. Firearms featured prominently in the top shelves, while bottom shelves held various types of ammunition, including standard and specialized incendiary, armor-piercing, acid, and anti-magic rounds.

This cabinet of powerful alchemical firearms was the result of Avia's upgrades to the semi-finished gun from the academy incident. All the wielder had to do was load these rounds; no mana or propulsion force was necessary.

In a military setting against large hordes of enemies, these alchemical firearms that required specially crafted ammunition wouldn't be cost-effective or efficient.

However, in the capital's shadow, where the conflicts were frequent but mostly small-scale skirmishes, these firearms would be highly appealing.

They could be loaded with either standard or specialized ammunition, and provided an additional means of dealing with threats at the level of intermediate knights without compromising the user's own strength.

Similarly, Wang Yu believed the Nightblades would also welcome these weapons.

"What a remarkable variety of items," Edward commented to Wang Yu. "How did you even get a treant's Puppeteer Core? And that fairy-made Stone of Luck looks like it's of excellent quality. It really is as you said—a bit of everything, like a convenience store, and at surprisingly high quality, too. It's hard not to be tempted."

Wang Yu's comment to Charles, that the shop was more like a convenience store, was spot on. The items sold here were incredibly diverse, and alchemical ones actually made up only a small portion of the inventory.

There were also many magical materials, such as a Puppeteer Core that could summon treants, a Stone of Luck, which enhanced elemental affinity, and a Volcanic Egg, a dwarven specialty which greatly increased its wielder's resistance to fire. These rare items that had to be imported even to the capital were in plentiful supply here.

In fact, some of the potions Wang Yu had brewed himself were also displayed on a corner shelf. Spinel Heart Stimulant, Acid-Infused Regenerative Salve, Boiling Blood Brew—there were a number of high-level potions with potent side effects and required significant pain tolerance to use. To certain people, these potions would undoubtedly be valuable...

"This was Avia's idea. She thought it would be a waste to use this shop solely for her alchemy, and the members of the Church of Nightfall all wanted to help out themselves.

"Of course, it's not just because of us, but rather Lady Darkness, who's been sitting on that rocking chair outside. She's an avatar of the Lady of the Night, and often conveys her will."

For some reason, the Lady of the Night herself particularly enjoyed being at the front porch of Wang Yu's hideout. Since the construction of this alchemy store, she had even fashioned a rocking chair at its entrance, unintentionally giving the store a unique significance.

"So why not also use this store as a platform for believers who have items they want to sell but lack trustworthy channels to do so? This should benefit both them and the church."

Wang Yu glanced at the gnome shopkeeper, who was enthusiastically praising the merchandise sold in this convenience store to the gathered crowd. So far, the plan seemed to be working well. By providing the Church of Nightfall's followers with a reputable, commission-free trading platform, he could further support the church's growth.

"There really are plenty of good items here! Can I sell my tarot cards here, too?"

While browsing, Charles had found quite a few intriguing items—which he quickly realized he couldn't afford after rummaging through his pockets. The prices weren't exorbitant, but they were still beyond his budget. Some were tempting with the promised 20% discount, but he hadn't really taken the discount seriously.

"Don't—" Edward was about to stop Charles from causing trouble, only to frown in thought. Charles's unique tarot cards were actually quite practical, and came endowed with special magic. The Star, which allowed for teleportation, and the Wheel of Fortune, which revealed traces of the past, were incredibly useful consumables.

"Sure. Just let Avia know if you need anything. We won't charge any consignment fees."

Wang Yu nodded with a smile.

"Wait, really? I'll have to think about it seriously, then. By the way, what are you looking at? What a strange design."

The alchemical firearms in front of Wang Yu radiated an instinctive aura of power, making Charles extremely curious.

"An alchemical firearm. Perfect timing—come with me. It has something to do with the thing I want to give you."

"What?"

Avia, Wang Yu, Charles, and Edward descended toward the spacious alchemical workshop beneath the store via a mechanical lift. Avia carried a case with her as she led them to the firing range used for testing the potency of the weapons she engineered.

She opened the case and pulled out a uniquely designed alchemical revolver. Compared to the revolvers in the shop, this one had a slightly larger muzzle with a conspicuous metal block, almost as if a hammer had been mounted onto the barrel.

Intricate metal engravings adorned its surface to facilitate the engraving of magic circuits. Unlike the firearms in the store that solely relied on alchemical strength, structural design, and specialized ammunition, this was a magitech alchemical firearm.

"Here, it's called Fury of the Forge. Try it out." Wang Yu took the revolver from Avia and handed it to Charles.

"Me? Alright, but how do I use it?" Charles had no idea how to operate this novel contraption.

"Load this special ammunition into the cylinder, then channel your mana into it and pull the metal trigger while aiming at the target dummy." Avia guided him from the side.

Clumsily, Charles loaded the specially crafted bullets into the revolver's cylinder, located the mana input port, and infused his energy into it.

Almost immediately, he sensed a reaction. The weapon responded quickly as mana flowed through its magitech circuits, activating pre-engraved spell formations. Within the revolver's "hammer," an intense exothermic reaction was taking place.

The moment the mana buildup reached its peak, Charles instinctively pulled the trigger. Instead of a wide, explosive flash, a crimson beam of energy shot out from the barrel, streaking through the air at high speed and striking the metallic target dummy.

A brilliant explosion erupted on impact. The specially designed ammunition, meant to withstand immense energy, had absorbed enough heat from the gun's "furnace" to become highly volatile. The instant it hit the target, it unleashed that accumulated energy in a devastating burst of extreme heat and concussive force.

Charles gaped at the dummy, whose metal head had been completely obliterated. The sheer magnitude of the damage spoke volumes about the gun's destructive potential.

Even the dummy's metal neck, melting from residual heat, was testament to the terrifying strength of the ammunition.

"That's some insane power... It might deal serious damage to even an advanced knight who wasn't on guard."

Charles stared at Fury of the Forge in his hands, dumbfounded. For a firearm of this size to pack such a punch—Avia's craftsmanship was truly remarkable.

"This is fantastic. Looks like the ones in the store upstairs will sell like crazy." Grinning, Charles handed the revolver back to Wang Yu. Honestly, that had been an exhilarating experience. [1]

"It's yours. I already have one." Wang Yu waved his hand dismissively and drew an identical revolver from his own holster.

"...You're giving it to me?" Charles froze.A weapon of this caliber wasn't something that money could buy. Even if it was available for purchase, he definitely couldn't afford it.

The materials needed to craft a Fury of the Forge were rare and precious, even in the unique environment of the capital's shadow. Avia had only made two of the revolvers. Even if they had the funds for more, they couldn't source the materials needed—at least not within the capital.

"This... This doesn't feel right." Charles fidgeted uncomfortably, his face growing warm.

He often joked about taking advantage of Wang Yu and Edward, but when it actually came down to it, he'd never actually done it.

"Just take it. You deserve it." Wang Yu met Charles's gaze with unwavering sincerity.

"He's right." Edward nodded as well, as if recalling something—something Wang Yu had mentioned in passing but had told him not to bring up with anyone else.

"...Thanks." Charles dipped his head as he finally accepted the precious gift.

Charles had played an important role in the incident at Stevenson Academy. Edward and Avia knew parts of the truth, but because of "One" and Charles's own plans, Charles's memories were incomplete. His contributions in that incident went unrecognized, and unlike Wang Yu, he received no rewards for his efforts. Worse yet, his temporary absence had earned him reprimands from Sieg and the captain.

But since Wang Yu knew what Charles had done, he wasn't about to let him walk away empty-handed. Whether it was "worth it" or not didn't matter. At the very least, he wanted to give something to a friend.

1. No licenses needed to sell firearms in this world, I guess... ☜