Chapter 82 - 81 Here, here, and here, there, there, and there!—1
It was not as damp and cramped as imagined.
On the contrary, Luo Chen was extremely satisfied with this new Pill Room.
The area nearly spanned a thousand square meters, located within the belly of the hills in Crescent Valley.
Previously, as it was claimed, it was the primary platform for the Sword Pavilion in its mining operations for Star Silver Mine. Here, the mined Star Silver would be counted and then transported away.
A clear spring was guided out from the mountain wall, gathering at the southeast corner inside the Pill Room.
“Building the Pill Room here is superb!”
Luo Chen praised, then immediately said, “But the layout here needs to be
reorganized.”
“You are the master of the Pill Hall, so everything will be done according to
your ideas,” Sikong Shoujia answered, grinning.
“First, divide it into five rooms, two big and three small.
“One of the larger rooms is my permanent residence, and the other is a
pharmacy for handling medicinal herbs.”
“The three small ones are quite simple. They are the real Pill Rooms. I have a lower-grade first-tier Pill Furnace. When will Gang Leader Mi deliver the two pill-making utensils he promised?”
Sikong Shoujia patted his Storage Bag.
“They are already here, a medium grade Pill Tripod and a lower grade Purple
Cloud Copper Furnace.”
Luo Chen blinked. Pill Tripod? Impressive!
Purple Cloud Copper Furnace? It should be the same type as mine, both produced by Wanbao Pavilion.
“I have experience in building Pill Rooms, but I’m afraid it will not be enough
for large-scale pill-making. Therefore???? ”
Luo Chen chuckled, “Could we possibly ask the cultivators from Ailao Mountain
to help with the design?”
Ailao Mountain, the largest construction company in the Yu Ding Realm, is known for producing a variety of architects and contractors, as well as various Spirit Residence materials.
Sikong Shoujia was stunned. “Is that necessary?”
“No?”
Luo Chen’s expression grew grave, and he said righteously, “If the Pill Room is not well-designed, it could easily lead to various dangerous situations, such as poisoning, fires, and explosions.”
“Err, Hall Master Luo, don’t trick me, I’ve read some books too.” Sikong Shoujia still half-believed him.
Luo Chen sighed, “Don’t you trust me? Ask Elder Qin or Li Si. Just a while ago, I blew up my own Pill Room. It was Li Si and others who helped me repair the house.”
Sikong Shoujia was speechless for a moment, his mouth agape.
He turned a dark shade of red at the thought of the cost of hiring Ailao
Mountain Cultivators.
“This matter, I’m afraid, requires the Gang Leader’s decision.”
“Bah, it isn’t as expensive as you imagine. We can’t afford the Foundation Establishment stage ones, but hiring one or two at the middle to late stages of Qi Refinement is okay. They may not have much experience, but they ‘know how the pig runs without having tasted the pork.’ Just a few pointers from them can greatly increase efficiency.”
At this point, Sikong Shoujia breathed a sigh of relief.
The cost for an Ailao Mountain Cultivator at the middle to late stages of Qi
Refinement is not that high.
“Next are the materials. The materials for building the Pill Room must not be of
low quality.”
Luo Chen’s face was solemn, as though he was about to undertake a truly sacred task.
-At first, I used the cheapest Stream White Stone as fireproof bricks, but this time we must buy Creek Jade! The type that costs one Spirit Stone per piece. Placing them underneath the Pill Furnace enhances the effect of gathering heat substantially.”
A Spirit Stone, a piece of jade!
Sikong Shoujia was a bit overwhelmed again.
“Oh, perhaps you outsiders do not understand, the quality of fire used in pill refining is also very important.”
“There are no Earth Fires here, and I don’t have a Foundation Establishment True Flame. I can only use ordinary fire for pill refinement.
“But there’s a rationale to the use of ordinary fire too. The temperature of the fire varies greatly depending on the type of wood. Such as Peach Wood and Spruce Wood should not be used to make up the numbers. We must procure large quantities of Green Steel Wood and Sweet Wax Wood.”
Sikong Shoujia was not an uninformed Rogue Cultivator.
He had worked and lived in The Great River District for decades, and held a rank at the top of Ninth Level Great Cultivator in the league of Rogue
Cultivators.
Therefore, he was very clear about the value of Green Steel Wood and Sweet
Wax Wood.
Purchases of these types of firewood start by the hundredth kilo, and the price requested by Spirit Source Study is not low.
He swallowed his saliva, “With such huge investment, are you sure the elixir
you refine will cover the cost?”
“This is considered a big investment?”
Luo Chen’s eyes widened in surprise, questioning him back promptly.
Not big? Sikong Shoujia’s eyes widened in confusion.
Luo Chen sighed in dejection, “Well, those like you who only know how to fight and kill, calamity cultivators, where would you understand the elegant art of pill refinement.”
Who only knows how to fight and kill? I have disciples to teach too!
And who is a calamity cultivator? I belong to a gang and never do such vulgar things.
Elder Sikong Shoujia’s face flushed red.
He simply couldn’t dispute the last point.
He truly didn’t understand anything about pill refinement!
Or, to put it another way, 99% of rogue cultivators, didn’t understand anything about pill refinement.
What they knew was just how some elixirs worked, and how many spirit stones were needed to buy them.
As for how they are refined?
What primary materials were used?
What were the conditions and tools for refining pills? They were completely clueless about these.
“Oh, I forgot, one more thing. Buy a few more of the Light-Smoke Sparse-Rain Buildings, they’re very useful magic tools!”
“Over here, don’t waste this stream of mountain spring water. Perhaps its qualities could enhance the quality of the elixirs.”
“There, when the time comes, build me a book collection pavilion. Refining pills also requires constant learning. One mustn’t be self-satisfied.
“Also…”
Elder Sikong Shoujia was stunned.
The Gu Caiyi next to him was also flabbergasted.
After a while, seeing that Luo Chen kept talking without end, stating requests that, though not outrageous, were reasonable, Sikong Shoujia finally couldn t bear it.
“Hall Master Luo, this matter is very important, there’s a lot to handle. I can t decide all this by myself. Why don’t you go with me to see our gang leader?
Hehe, why isn’t he continuing to call him ‘young’ hallmaster Luo?
Luo Chen chuckled internally, then showed a dubious expression.
“Elder Sikong, didn’t you say that you would take care of all the logistics?” Sikong Shoujia wiped the sweat from his forehead, “I’m old, my brain’s a little slow. Just come with me for now!”
Luo Chen shrugged his shoulders, gave Gu Caiyi a meaningful look, and then left the pill hall with him.
When they left, the cultivators in Broken Mountain Gang who were on the way, all respectfully saluted Sikong Shoujia.
As for Luo Chen, they didn’t recognize him. They only thought that he was one of Sikong Shoujia’s juniors.
After they left, Gu Caiyi stood in the cavernous hall in the belly of the mountain, lost in thought.
-Who would have thought that Luo Chen had such a deep understanding of alchemy? It feels like he’s even better than Xiangxiang.” Thinking of how Luo Chen was talking confidently and instructing them, Gu Caiyi felt it was almost inconceivable.
Such self-assuredness, compared to his usual penny-pinching and petty ways, he seemed like a different person.
“Oh, I can’t stand here daydreaming. I need to find Sister Murong and find out the specifics of the pill hall, and who might be assigned here.”
This was a task Luo Chen had assigned her, and she had to do it well!
Only by fully understanding the internal dynamics could Luo Chen act strategically in the future, knowing who he could order around and who he had to treat seriously.
Above the small grove, two figures whizzed past in the air.
One drove a magic tool, radiating a thick glint.
The other was riding the wind, carefree and at ease.
Sikong Shoujia was shocked inside, he had already pushed his speed to the maximum, but he didn’t expect that the youngster could still keep up.
His face didn’t betray any signs of surprise. He laughed as he flew, “Hall Master Luo, your Wind Riding Technique is quite the epitome of skill!”
Luo Chen waved his hand, “It’s only because of the Cloud-Stepping Boots given to me by Gang Leader Mi, your praise is too kind.”
The old man’s eyes fell on the pair of boots alternating between blue and white, and he seemed to understand.
An ascendant grade magic tool, only engraved with the Wind Riding Technique spell, no wonder he was so fast.
But if he knew that this was only half of Luo Chen’s speed, he wouldn’t be calm anymore.
In fact, this was the first time Luo Chen had activated the Cloud-Stepping Boots.
The speed was totally not inferior to a ninth level qi refinement cultivator flying with a magic tool.
Moreover, this was when he had not actively used the Wind Riding Technique and Carefree Wandering.
If these three were superimposed, the speed could at least double!
Luo Chen even thought that this speed totally surpassed regular ninth level Qi refinement cultivators, and he wondered how it compared to foundation establishment cultivators?
When they landed at the headquarters of the Broken Mountain Gang, Mi Shuhua had already prepared tea in Bright Moon Hall.
His face was full of smiles, as if he had thought of something pleasant..