Chapter 57: The Prodigious Alchemist 5

Kent looked at Keta carefully as he walked toward his own room.

The Ancient Tree of War was truly a strange existence.

But Kent did not have time to think about that right now.

The next seven days were extremely important.

The first thing he needed to do was prepare some powerful weapons.

Energy mines were definitely one of the things he planned to make.

---

“Kent, my dear friend! Do you need any help?”

Kent was still deep in thought when a loud voice suddenly came from outside.

Kobi and Hark entered the courtyard.

Kobi was already shouting excitedly from a distance.

Kent looked at them in confusion.

Then he suddenly remembered.

Of course.

These two had come to help him.

That was probably why Kobi—the dwarf who hated forging—had actually come here willingly.

Kent immediately stood up and opened his arms.

“Welcome! Welcome!”

“I didn’t expect it to be you two.”

“But where is the person who knows how to make leather armor?”

“Wasn’t she here already?”

After hugging Kent, Kobi looked at him with a confused expression.

Kent blinked.

“What?”

He had no idea what Kobi meant.

So he walked inside the house and carefully looked around.

Nothing.

No one.

He checked every room.

Still nothing.

When he returned to the living room, he finally saw Kobi standing there with a mischievous smile.

Kent immediately understood.

He had been tricked.

But strangely enough, that little joke removed a lot of the distance between them.

A small fireball appeared in Kent’s hand.

He raised his eyebrows.

“Want to explain?”

Kobi’s expression changed instantly.

“No, no! She was in the courtyard!”

“I never said she was inside the house!”

He quickly jumped away and waved his hands desperately.

Kent had indeed checked inside the house first.

The furniture had already been arranged.

Thick beast-fur blankets covered the beds.

Silver tableware had been prepared.

Everything needed for daily life was already there.

But when Kobi said “the courtyard”...

Kent looked outside.

There was no one there.

---

“It’s Daphne.”

Hark finally explained.

Compared with before, he still seemed somewhat uncomfortable.

After all, Kent’s identity had suddenly changed.

A few days ago, he had simply been a mysterious human mage.

Now, everyone knew he was an alchemist.

It was difficult for Hark to immediately adjust.

“Daphne?”

Kent nodded.

“So that’s how it is.”

He clapped his hands.

“All right, boys.”

“Let’s get to work.”

Kobi immediately nodded.

“No problem.”

“As long as you don’t make me learn that damn blacksmithing.”

Judging from his expression, Kobi truly had a deep hatred for forging.

---

Kent was speechless.

*Should I let him handle the metal parts when I make the mines?*

The thought briefly crossed his mind.

But then he pushed it aside.

Before making anything, he needed to understand the local economy.

Since he had rejected the City Lord’s offer, he would have to purchase all future materials himself.

Fortunately, the alchemy laboratory still contained some supplies.

His first goal was simple.

Create a few useful products.

Then he could sell them or collect deposits in advance.

---

“Kobi, do you have any money?”

Kent stretched out his hand.

“Let me see.”

Kobi nodded.

“I only have crystal coins and purple gold coins.”

“If you need diamond coins, silver coins, or gold coins, you’ll have to ask my father.”

As he spoke, Kobi took out two coins and handed them over.

Kent examined them carefully.

After asking a few questions, he finally understood the underground currency system.

These transparent crystal coins were roughly equivalent in value to ordinary copper coins on the surface.

Ten crystal coins could be exchanged for one purple gold coin.

Ten purple gold coins could be exchanged for one diamond coin.

Kent’s eyes immediately lit up.

He almost laughed.

Because he still had several gold coins from the surface.

---

“Look!”

“I have gold coins!”

Kent proudly took out one of his coins and handed it to Kobi.

Kobi stared at it.

Then he clicked his tongue.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk...”

“The craftsmanship is almost as good as elven artwork.”

“Kent, how about this?”

“I’ll trade you one purple gold coin for it.”

“One purple gold coin?”

Kent stared at him.

“This is a gold coin.”

“A gold coin.”

He emphasized the words.

Kobi froze.

Then suddenly—

“Hahahahaha!”

He burst into laughter.

Kent was completely confused.

He had no idea what was so funny.

Finally, Hark spoke.

“Kent... your gold coin is not valuable here.”

“Our silver coins are made from a metal called mithril.”

“And gold coins are extremely rare.”

“As far as I know, those are made from a metal called adamantine.”

Kent stared at him.

For a moment, he did not know what to say.

The underground world had just completely overturned his understanding of wealth.

“Mithril silver coins... and adamantine gold coins?”

“Gods... this world is completely insane.”

It took Kent a long time to recover from the shock.

Only now did he realize that the silver coins he knew and the silver coins of the Underdark were completely different things.

No wonder the transparent crystal coins, which were considered valuable treasures on the surface, were only worth as much as ordinary copper coins here.

After the initial surprise, however, Kent’s face slowly turned into a smile.

Mithril and adamantine.

Those two magical metals were priceless treasures on the surface.

They were sold by weight.

By the gram.

Even having enough money did not mean one could actually buy them.

Yet here in the Underdark, they had become ordinary currency.

Of course, this was also because of the unique environment of the underground world.

The races living here had access to resources that surface civilizations could only dream of.

---

“Haha, I just remembered something interesting.”

“Let’s go ask Grandpa Keta if this thing is valuable.”

Kent suddenly remembered something.

Out of curiosity, he had once purchased several strange plant seeds.

Among them was a seed belonging to a plant unique to the elves.

The bread tree.

The fruit produced by the bread tree was about the size of a fist.

They grew in clusters.

Each cluster contained more than a dozen fruits.

Eating just one fruit could keep a person from feeling hungry for an entire day.

In Kent’s opinion, it was almost comparable to Earth’s compressed military rations.

However, there was a problem.

According to the records, bread trees required the elves’ unique **Water of Life** to grow.

Without it, the seeds were almost impossible to cultivate.

That was why only a few bread trees existed on the continent.

Besides, humans who were used to eating meat did not particularly appreciate the fruit.

But elves loved it.

And dark elves were still elves.

Although they lived underground, their connection to elven traditions remained.

In the Underdark, dark elves and dwarves were the most numerous races.

Gnomes and humans came next.

As for goblins...

Almost every other race looked down on them.

---

Kent reached into his alchemist pouch and took out a small object about the size of his thumb.

Then he hurried outside.

Soon, he arrived beside Keta.

The enormous Ancient Tree of War was still standing beside the fountain.

“Do you need something, little one?”

This time, the moment Kent approached, Keta opened his enormous green eyes.

The giant tree looked down at him.

“Hehe... Grandpa Keta.”

“I came here to make a deal with you.”

“What do you think?”

Kent rubbed his hands together.

His expression was almost like a wolf that had just found a lost lamb.

Keta stared at him for a moment.

Then he slowly replied,

“Little one, you should know that I have nothing to trade.”

“If you want to trade, you should go find the gnomes.”

“They are natural merchants.”

“No, no, no.”

Kent quickly waved his hands.

“Grandpa Keta, this thing is only useful to your elven race.”

“If I trade it to the gnomes instead...”

“You will regret it.”

“I guarantee it.”

Without the Water of Life, the bread tree seed was completely useless.

It was nothing more than a decorative object.

Keta became curious.

“Oh?”

“What exactly is it?”

“Tell me.”

---

“Bread tree seed.”

Kent opened his palm.

The tiny seed appeared directly in front of Keta’s enormous eyes.

“Do you think this is a good thing?”

“Bread tree?”

Keta’s voice was filled with confusion.

“What kind of tree is that?”

“But...”

“I can indeed sense a very faint trace of life energy from it.”

Kent almost collapsed.

*Seriously?*

*Did this Ancient Tree of War only come into existence after arriving underground?*

*How can he not know about this?*

Keta showed no reaction.

However, something else happened.

Several figures slowly descended from the branches of the Ancient Tree.

More than a dozen dark elves appeared.

They all looked at Kent strangely.

What surprised Kent was that every single one of them was female.

Among them was Daphne.

---

“Kent.”

Daphne stepped forward.

“What proof do you have that the thing in your hand is the legendary bread tree seed?”

Kent was stunned.

So the dark elves actually knew about it.

He slapped his forehead.

Originally, he had thought that showing the seed to Keta would allow him to negotiate a great price.

But apparently, Keta did not even know what it was.

If he had known this earlier, he would have gone directly to the dark elf City Lord.

Then again...

A new thought suddenly appeared in Kent’s mind.

*What if I planted a bread tree in my own courtyard?*

*Wouldn’t that be a much faster way to make money?*

There were so many dark elves in the Underdark.

The demand would definitely be enormous.

---

“I need the Water of Life.”

Kent immediately explained.

“Only the Water of Life can make the bread tree grow.”

The moment he finished speaking—

A crystal bottle suddenly flew toward him.

Kent caught it.

Inside was a strange green liquid.

Even in the dim underground environment, it emitted a faint emerald glow.

The bottle itself was extraordinary.

It was a crystal container decorated with gold.

But the gold was not ordinary gold.

It was adamantine.

A magical array had been engraved across the surface, protecting the precious liquid inside.

Kent stared at it in surprise.

Then he looked up.

The person who had thrown the bottle was none other than—

The City Lord of Muan City.

Kent’s hand trembled as he held the Water of Life.

He knew exactly how precious this thing was.

No matter how serious an injury was, as long as the person was still breathing, a single drop of the Water of Life could completely restore them.

For ordinary people, it could even extend their lifespan.

However, for Level-Nine or Level-Ten professionals, its effects were different.

It could heal injuries.

But extending their lifespan was no longer possible.

That was something even the most powerful experts could not easily achieve.

And the bottle in Kent’s hand...

Contained at least one or two liters.

How many drops was that?

The value was beyond imagination.

Kent walked to the edge of the fountain.

When it came to plants, he understood exactly what they needed.

After all, on Earth, he had studied countless things related to cultivation and growth.

He carefully opened the crystal bottle containing the Water of Life.

The moment the seal was removed, an incredibly rich aura of life spread outward.

For a moment, Kent felt as if he had returned to a vast forest.

He was no longer underground.

He was surrounded by nature itself.

Kent placed the bread tree seed onto the ground.

Strangely, perhaps because of Keta’s influence, the stone floor of the courtyard slowly changed.

The hard stone disappeared.

In its place was soft soil.

Kent poured two drops of the Water of Life onto the seed.

Then he added some ordinary water.

After that, he simply watched.

The moment the green liquid touched the seed, it was absorbed completely.

The seed greedily swallowed the Water of Life.

It was almost like a hungry child devouring food.

Kent could faintly sense something.

The seed seemed to be calling to him.

“It’s sprouting!”

“It’s growing!”

Several dark elves suddenly cried out.

Everyone stared in disbelief.

The originally dark and lifeless seed suddenly cracked.

A tiny green shoot emerged from beneath it.

Then it began growing.

Higher.

Thicker.

Stronger.

Kent could even hear the faint sound of branches twisting and expanding.

The miracle was happening right before their eyes.

Quietly, while everyone was focused on the tree, Kent slipped the bottle of Water of Life back into his pouch.

His heart ached.

Those two drops...

Had consumed nearly half of the remaining liquid.

There were probably only three drops left.

At most.

“Wow...”

Kent stared at the rapidly growing bread tree.

The scene felt almost like watching a video played at high speed.

The tiny sprout became a young tree.

The young tree became taller.

The branches expanded.

The leaves unfolded.

Everything happened in front of him at an unbelievable speed.

“Yes...”

The City Lord stared at the tree.

“The legendary bread tree.”

As the first leaf fully formed, the normally emotionless face of the dark elf City Lord finally showed a trace of a smile.

He looked at Kent.

“Tell me.”

“What do you want in exchange for ownership of this bread tree?”

His voice remained calm.

But Kent could still hear it.

A slight tremor.

Excitement.

The City Lord was trying his best to remain composed.

Around them, some dark elves were unable to hold back their emotions.

Tears flowed down their faces.

For them, this was not merely a plant.

It was a symbol of their lost heritage.

A connection to the ancient elven civilization.

Kent looked at the City Lord.

Inside, his heart was already celebrating.

Calm down.

Stay calm.

Do not get excited.

This is an opportunity that came directly to me.

I need to think carefully.

Kent forced himself to remain composed.

Then he spoke.

“Your Excellency, could you first explain everything that you are willing to offer in exchange?”

“Otherwise, I cannot accurately judge the value.”