Who are you? I'm Nuwa the caretaker, at your service, she did a little curtsey. You're not like the other one are you? No, you don't have to worry master, I'm much better than my older sister, prettier too, she said with a genuine smile.
Ha, he sounded skeptical. Also I don't mind your looks, not every body can be as pretty as I am so you don't have to feel conscious about it, I thought I should let you know.
Well thank you, that makes me feel so much better about my looks, he said sarcastically. You're welcome, helping people really feels great, she replied with a beaming smile.
Merphis could tell she genuinely believed what she was saying so he just sighed in resignation, both of these sisters were weirdos.
So what can I help you with Nuwa? Nothing, I'm here to help you, that my job. Alright so can you help me find a breathing technique here?
No, that my sisters jurisdiction as the librarian. There's really no way for you to help me? He really did not want to deal with that demon. No. Fine, can you help me find herbs then.
Great, follow me, she led him towards the wall. Where are we going, aren't the herbs outside? Oh those? Those are just decorative flowers.
His jaw dropped, some of the herbs he saw would've caused experts to wage wars on each other and she called them decorative flowers.
Now he couldn't wait to see what she considered herbs, excitement bubbled inside him. The wall opened up and they entered another space.
A huge garden filled with different herbs stretched all the way to the horizon. The mana inside this room was so thick it had condensed into liquid, streams of blue liquified mana flowed between the garden beds.
Here's the garden of the first floor, sorry master but this place only contains herbs of the first grade. First grade? He can already see 5th grade herbs, how can she say they're only first grade?
Infact he couldn't see a single first grade herb, the lowest was rank three. He could barely contain his excitement, he even saw a few extinct herbs here.
The amount of alchemical recipes he wanted to try were too many, he couldn't do anything with those recipes in his past life as some of their ingredients nolonger existed but he found them here.
You said this garden was merely for the first floor? Can I see the next floor? Not yet but someday if you don't get yourself killed first ofcourse, she said that with a smile.
He wanted to ask why but doubted she would answer him so he turned his attention back to the garden, he wanted to rush and pluck all the herbs.
His instincts from his previous life had kicked in, he realised how impoverished he was before and he was embarrassed for ever thinking he was rich, seeing this garden humbled him.
They went to the library, after seeing that garden he wanted to create the best ink he can and to do that he would need to read a few..s**t I have to deal with her.
Master are you okay? Your face looks even uglier than normal. Call your sister, I need her help. A second later she appeared, her face had a scowl.
You're still alive, what a pity. What do you want? Sister don't talk to our master like that, he may not be as good looking and intelligent as us but he's still our master.
He felt like a knife had stabbed his heart, the worst part was he can tell she genuinely believed her words and she really intended to stand up for him.
Fine, what can I help you with ma..master, she looked disgusted when she called him that. I need alchemical recipes, specifically one about making ink.
You don't know how to make ink? She genuinely looked surprised like she couldn't believe what she's hearing. I do, ofcourse I do, I just want to make the best ink.
Ofcourse you do, she still looked skeptical. She turned around and started walking then came back with a piece of paper. This is the simplest formula, if you can't create a hundred percent pure ink with this you might as well don't try the others.
Thank you. He went to collect the herbs listed in the recipe. Follow me master, the lab is this way, Nuwa called him. There's a lab? It was larger than he expected.
I'll leave you to it then, good luck, she smiled and went out, the door closed behind her and blended with the wall, one couldn't even tell there's a door there.
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That formula you gave him, that was the God blood ink wasn't it? So? You know nobody has ever achieved 50 percent purity in it since them, let alone 100.
Your point? You're trying to demoralize him. Ofcourse I am. Why? I don't like him. You never like any of them. Rightfully so, all of them were failures, every single one of them.
You liked him though, the first master. I was young, I didn't know any better, besides, if this is enough to bring him down then he would truly be unworthy.
He might be different you know, his soul is stronger than all his predecessors, he might achieve what any of them could not. Nobu didn't respond to that.
They both turned their attention to the floating screen before them, in it was Merphis working in the lab.
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He had burnt two set of materials trying to make ink, he was starting to think the recipe might not be complete, after all he had never heard of an ink formula without beast blood and he wouldn't be surprised if that demon have him an incomplete formula.
He read it again and it was still the same, there was no mention of beast blood at all. He tried again and again and when the last of the material he brought was left he finally did it.
A pitch black liquid tainted by golden drops appeared in the glass flasks. YES I DID IT, he shouted at the top of his lungs, the people who knew him would be surprised seeing that somber sovereign scream like a little girl because he made ink but none of them knew how vexing it was. The lab door opened and the demon was standing there looking at him with disappointment like he was trash.