Chapter Twenty: A New Perspective Unfolds

Shi Ningyu is extremely cautious with many details, yet remarkably bolder than her peers in other aspects.

She is quite confident in how she has arranged her apartment, so she not only enters and leaves with ease but also never hides the fact that she orders takeout. In fact, too lazy to head downstairs, she even unlocked the building’s access control for the delivery drivers, insisting they bring the food right to her door.

In a place like this, being overly secretive only draws more attention.

As the two ate their takeout, Shi Ningyu brought up their current trade.

Her previous agreement with Old Tian was for ten "units" a month. Unlike the terminology used in neighboring trades, a "unit" here refers to 200 grams rather than a kilogram; this convention stems from the fact that one "dog" usually yields 200 grams of ash-grade magic ember.

However, to refine anything above salt-grade magic ember, more than just one sphere-beast is required.

Shi Ningyu’s best record for refining 200 grams of "snow" involved two sphere-beasts, though the typical requirement is just over three. To produce ten units, they would need at least twenty, and in reality, the consumption could reach as high as forty.

Transporting forty sphere-dogs to this apartment, even as frozen meat, is a massive logistical challenge that is hard to keep quiet.

After all, a sphere-dog is about the size of a Corgi puppy. Whether dead or alive, one can only transport two or three at a time. Any more than that, and the security guards would get suspicious—what kind of household moves crates of meat inside all day long?

"That’s why I was so reluctant to work with Old Tian before, and not just because I dislike him. People like him, who handle large orders, set twenty units a month as the minimum. A small workshop like ours can hardly keep up. The only reason he’s willing to take ten from us is the high quality of my product." Shi Ningyu glanced at Fu Lan with a sullen expression. "And partly out of respect for you."

"You think that highly of me?"

"It’s not like you haven’t seen the way he treats you. People capable of improving formulas are rare enough, and someone focusing on your direction is even rarer. Most people just struggle to improve purity."

Fu Lan paused with his chopsticks. "You knew from the beginning that the low-end route wouldn’t work, didn’t you?"

"Yes, but firstly, I didn’t want to discourage you, and secondly, some things you have to experience for yourself to truly believe." Shi Ningyu added with a hint of resentment, "Because old men are always too stubborn to admit it when their mistakes are pointed out."

Fu Lan resisted the urge to retort, downed a large gulp of his drink, and asked, "Since you knew the production volume would be hard to meet, why choose Old Tian?"

"Most of the small channels have been wiped out. In this city, besides Crazy Old Eight and his lot, Old Tian is the only one still standing. I had no choice. Like I told you before, if I didn't choose him, I’d have to sell to individual customers, which is slow and unsafe."

Fu Lan nodded. Since the choice was made, there was no use dwelling on it.

Working with Old Tian simplified many problems down to just "production volume," and focusing on solving that was far purer than the complicated mess of his other life.

"We tried it last time; we can increase production by 20% while maintaining the original purity, and there is still room for improvement in both the formula and your technique. It’s just that this apartment is fine for general refining, but for experimental improvements, it’s not even as good as that bike garage." Fu Lan scanned his surroundings, his gaze landing on a vertical air purifier. "Using that to absorb toxic gases isn't nearly enough."

Shi Ningyu stopped eating, saying with some irritation, "I know that, of course. The problem is that the previous place is temporarily unusable; those debt collectors came around again.

"It’s so annoying. That dump of a house hasn't been lived in for ages; they won't get a damn thing out of me by harassing that place! If they can't find the debtor, they just hover there and buzz... My mother is the same; I don't even know where that woman is enjoying herself now. Why hasn't she dropped dead yet?"

Fu Lan felt a bit helpless. Having no experience in comforting someone through such things, he could only silently shovel a few mouthfuls of rice into his mouth.

Fortunately, Shi Ningyu’s temper came and went quickly. She calmed down and suggested, "This place really isn't suitable. I never thought I’d need to deal with something like mercury vapor...

"How about we finish this batch in the fridge using the old method, and then buy an RV to set up a mobile lab?"

"That... doesn't quite fit our reality." Fu Lan knew where she got the inspiration. "You have to consider the practical situation. Driving an RV around here is far too conspicuous, and where would you park it?"

"Camping has been pretty popular these last few years, hasn't it? And those influencers who sell their houses to live in vans and travel the country—RVs aren't as unusual as you think."

"The problem is we don't have vast, uninhabited deserts around here. The villages between neighboring cities are all connected; it’s hard to find a patch of wasteland without anyone living within ten kilometers. The mountains would be hidden enough, but an RV can’t handle those roads."

As he spoke, Fu Lan suddenly realized a more fundamental issue. "Wait, do you even have the money to buy an RV?"

"No. The ones that meet our requirements are quite expensive."

"Then why are you even—" Fu Lan swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Shi Ningyu stuck out her tongue. "Just throwing ideas out there to see what sticks. Open your mind!" She made an exaggerated gesture of opening her hands.

Fu Lan looked away, speechless. Maybe an old warehouse or a disused factory really was the best choice; otherwise, where else could they find a place that was hidden, capable of handling toxic gases, and convenient for transporting sphere-dogs?

No... why were they thinking along those lines?

Magic ember refining didn't require that much equipment. The space requirement really only came down to the area where the magic circle was drawn. As for the toxic gases produced by the new formula... if they couldn't be removed by scientific means, they could use magic!

"We really could build a mobile lab," Fu Lan said, looking at the cat carrier by the wall and smiling. "Or rather, a portable refining chamber."

...

...

Earlier that day, at the headquarters of the Municipal Magical Affairs Administration.

Li Xiaohan stood in front of the building’s main entrance, checking the time again without realizing it.

In truth, the other party was nowhere near late. However, besides the nervousness, she felt a fair bit of grievance.

She had heard last night that the task force leader from the Magic Affairs Bureau was coming, and the entire team had been on edge for half the day, only to be notified this afternoon that the person wouldn't arrive until 5:00 PM. If the person hadn't specifically forbidden a welcome banquet, maintaining such a work-first attitude, Xiaohan would have wanted to curse.

A moment later, a high-end black car appeared at the intersection. Xiaohan checked the time: it was exactly 4:59 PM.

The car stopped in front of her, and three people stepped out.

Two of them wore the black uniforms of the Magic Affairs Bureau, but the woman among them wore an extravagant black Gothic gown, adorned with luxurious red ornaments. Combined with her pale skin, she looked exactly like a vampire countess.

She had neat, ear-length bobbed hair, and a decorative black eye patch covered her right eye. The surface of the patch even had several sharp protrusions, leading one to imagine all sorts of horrific conditions underneath.

Yet, her exposed left eye was as calm as a deep lake, reflecting an innocent, soft light. The smile on her face was incredibly serene, completely diluting the cold, sharp aura of her attire.

Even though the woman in the long dress was eye-catching, she was not the center of the group, nor was the elegant man with gold-rimmed glasses beside her. As soon as the car stopped, these two consciously stepped back.

Li Xiaohan looked up at the long-haired woman standing before them, feeling momentarily breathless.

She was the tallest of the three, a head taller than the elegant man behind her, likely approaching 1.9 meters.

The rather unremarkable black uniform of the Magic Affairs Bureau looked like a crisp military dress on her. She even wore a long black trench coat over the uniform, looking incredibly dashing.

She walked up to Li Xiaohan and tapped her cane on the ground, finally snapping the dazed Xiaohan back to reality.

Li Xiaohan hurriedly reached out to shake hands. "Director Long, it’s a pleasure to meet you, welcome to—"

"Where are we in the progress? Take me to see it." The woman addressed as Director Long interrupted coldly. She tightened her leather gloves, ignored the outstretched hand, and walked past her, leaning on her cane.