I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"'Alchemy'... I wonder if I can learn this unique 'science', and whether such a special science will be effective in battles in another world..."

[Leave of Absence Request 2025/2/16]

I haven't been feeling too well lately... I don't really feel like updating today, so I guess I won't. Hmm...

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So, what should I write next in the plot? I'm a little conflicted.

Is it Rabbit Yue. Yi Yi Ling Qi Ba Qi ($4) Wu Liu Team?

Is it a parade of a hundred demons?

Or... a swimsuit scene?

Or perhaps it's the hot spring storyline associated with the seminar?

Which one should I choose?

—The next volume will almost certainly be an event story, so... which one should I choose?

Chapter 51 As is widely known, rat poison is a concept of the god Giwatos.

Upon entering the Alchemy Research Association, a pungent medicinal smell, mixed with an indescribable fishy odor, assaulted the senses, even more intense than outside the courtyard.

"This is how the Alchemy Research Association usually operates; you'll get used to it after a while."

Noticing that Amamiya's expression was slightly unusual, Saya half-comforted her, but quickened her pace as if afraid that Amamiya might change her mind at the last minute, leading Amamiya through a courtyard that resembled a medicinal garden or other areas.

After leading Amamiya through the courtyard, Saya stopped in front of a multi-story Chinese-style building that resembled a traditional courtyard house.

"This is where I usually do my research," Saya said confidently, her rat tail slapping behind her. "Don't let its ordinary appearance fool you... it's a whole different world inside. Even the 'elixir of immortality' can be made in here!"

After entering the building with Saya, Amamiya realized that... Saya's description was absolutely correct.

Upon entering the building, the style before Amamiya changed immediately—beneath the exterior of a traditional Chinese courtyard-style building lay a laboratory with a slightly cyberpunk feel.

The walls, floors, and ceilings were all made of some kind of silver-gray metal, and the corridor was completely different from the antique style outside, with no superfluous furnishings.

"I thought... alchemy was usually practiced in those 'deserted' places, places that could be called 'hidden in the clouds.'"

“That’s just an outsider’s subjective perception.” Saya shook her large, fluffy, round mouse ears that almost ruined her cuteness. “True ‘alchemy’ isn’t just about those ethereal pavilions and towers that outsiders see—”

She paused, then added, "Just like real alchemy, it doesn't restrict itself to using various flasks, distillation apparatus, or old alchemical workbenches."

As she verified his identity and opened the door, the girl tilted her head slightly and glanced at Amamiya with a matter-of-fact look: "After all, whether it's 'fire control' in alchemy or 'precise alchemical blending' in nectarism, we have more advanced methods to measure and accomplish them—don't we?"

Amamiya twitched the corner of her mouth, thinking to herself that was indeed true.

The precision and automation capabilities of modern technology and equipment far surpass those of alchemical experimental platforms from the Middle Ages to the modern era, or even the ancient alchemical cauldrons.

After opening the door, Saya immediately grabbed Amamiya's hand and led him to a laboratory table.

She picked up a test tube from the rack on the lab bench. It was about two-thirds full, filled with a viscous liquid that looked incredibly vibrant and shiny. With great confidence, she introduced it to Amamiya: "Look—this is what I, your humble servant, have painstakingly researched and finally perfected… the 'elixir of immortality'!"

As the girl spoke, she leaned forward without waiting for a reply and enthusiastically shoved the so-called "elixir of immortality" into Amamiya's hand: "Try it... Sensei, if you succeed, you can achieve the ultimate wish that everyone is pursuing: 'immortality'~?"

"All you need to do is have the courage to 'risk trying out drugs,' and there's a chance you can achieve 'immortality'... How about that? Although there are certain risks, it's still a wonderful thing, isn't it?"

Amamiya's eye twitched. Instead of drinking it directly, she used her "third eye" to take a look.

【Title: A Crude "Elixir of Immortality"】

[Type: Medicine/Consumable]

[Drink: Restores 50 SP, but will cause "metallization" for a certain period of time. Defense is greatly increased, and resistance to physical and gun-based attributes is temporarily changed to "nullified". Negative effect: Speed ​​is greatly reduced during the effect's duration.]

['To make the drinker as indestructible as iron—that means helping the drinker avoid crises. In that case, the drinker would be immortal—makes perfect sense, right?']

This……

Amamiya was somewhat surprised.

Can it make a person temporarily "metallized"?

How did she do it?

Can this still be considered a "medicine" in the conventional sense?

Amamiya looked at Saya, who was staring at her with seemingly casual but predatory eyes, saying "Drink up, drink up!" in surprise.

"Hmm? What's wrong? Do you think there's something wrong with the medicine I provided?"

Noticing Amamiya's gaze, the silver-haired girl returned it without fear.

Amamiya: ...

He genuinely didn't understand why Saya could look back so 'confidently'.

Amamiya remained 'unmoved', holding the test tube of the medicine in her hand, and said thoughtfully, "It's not a question of whether there's a problem... it's a question of risk versus reward."

"I'm taking risks by helping you test the drug... but what do I gain in return?"

Saya blinked, paused for a moment, and then answered matter-of-factly, "Immortality, isn't that a great gain for you?"

Do you really think the medicine you're making is an anti-aging drug?

Amamiya sighed inwardly, then emphasized slightly, "The probability of 'immortality' is still too small... I can take the risks of testing the drug for you, but in return... you should give me an equivalent reward."

Upon hearing this, Saya stroked her chin, her reddish-brown eyes slyly sweeping over Amamiya.

"Oh...I understand."

She muttered to herself, "This is what they call the 'Phantom Thief's Deal,' right?"

"I heard that the phantom thief has a history of making deals with doctors in exchange for helping with drug testing, in order to buy medicines for use in other worlds from them..."

The story of herself and that "punk female doctor" Takemi Tae was something she had only mentioned a few times when interacting with other people...

I never imagined that such a trivial rumor would be recorded and spread to the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Amamiya nodded after a moment of surprise: "You can understand it that way too."

Saya didn't reply, but continued to look Amamiya up and down.

A handsome adult physique; a body as steady as a marble sculpture; a bottomless vitality when viewed through the lens of observation, listening, questioning, and palpation; and... the identity of a phantom thief.

A genius's keen "sense of smell" made Saya realize an untapped "treasure trove".

"Sure... If Sensei agrees to help me test the drugs, then I can provide you with some 'special medicines'..."

Her gaze deepened slightly, and Saya suddenly spoke up 'casually': "Speaking of which, you guys who fight against the shadows in another world often get spoils from the monsters there, right?"

Amamiya didn't hide anything and nodded.

That's true... it's hardly a secret anymore.

The shadows of another world can indeed drop materials that seem strange in the real world, materials that don't quite fit human understanding, or materials that are "idealized."

"Among those spoils of war, were there any herbs, plants... or other random biological tissues? Let me see!!"

Saya's eyes suddenly lit up with enthusiasm, and her tone became as excited as that of an explorer who had found a new path to explore.

Amamiya knew that her purpose in searching for "plant or animal materials" was to see if these materials from another world could be used as medicine.

Under the increasingly expectant, even impatient gaze of the girl, Amamiya pretended to ponder for a moment before touching her shoulder bag and taking out a beautiful-looking, unidentified flower housed in a small glass pillar.

Almost the instant it was taken out, the 'flower' in Amamiya's hand vanished.

Saya snatched it away, gripped the glass pillar with both hands, and held it close to her eyes to examine it closely.

“A species that Kiwatos has never seen before… This is…”

"This is strange... It doesn't quite fit my understanding of botany or herbalism..."

Saya liked it more and more as she looked at it; the curiosity of a researcher about something completely new was almost palpable.

She suddenly looked at Amamiya and asked urgently and somewhat hoarsely, "What... is this?"

"Its name... is the Flower of Lies. It is a plant that grows in... the Garden of Eden, a place made of false lies and thorns of despair."

"Its germination and growth are extremely unique...it needs to absorb 'lies.' Moreover, these cannot be lies told to it intentionally, but rather lies told to its good partners or close friends, whether intentionally or unintentionally."

Hearing Amamiya's words, Saya's eyes lit up.

"Strange...strange...!"

Clutching the glass pillar and muttering to herself, the girl's mind was already buzzing with a series of novel ideas.

It's said that "a lie told long enough becomes the truth"...

Looking at the half-withered flower inside the glass pillar, the girl immediately thought: 'According to my knowledge of pharmacology... if I could find materials with the corresponding "truth" attribute, or materials with the "concealment" or "disguise" attribute...'

Does that mean we can "transform 'lies' into 'truths'"?

If we consider the "elixir of youth" a lie... that's not entirely impossible.

After all, the likelihood of it being realized is slim. In alchemy and elixirs, this is the ultimate goal of the discipline.

"It's a pity there are too few samples, and this one has already entered its decline cycle... Even if we can breed and sow it using conventional methods, it's unlikely that this one will survive..."

With a soft "tsk," Saya's round mouse ears drooped completely, and she seemed to have entered a state of sagehood, utterly devoid of interest.

She had temporarily put aside her thoughts about the "elixir of immortality" in Amamiya's hands and was thinking about the [otherworld materials]. She didn't even notice that Amamiya hadn't drunk it at all, but had simply quietly put it into his shoulder bag.

"...How about this!"

After 'pondering' for a short while, Saya seemed to have made some kind of 'profound decision'.

She looked at Amamiya and said earnestly, "Let's make a deal..."

"I can provide you with finished medicines, and even teach you alchemy. But in return... you'll provide me with various otherworldly materials to aid my research—how about it?"

Amamiya was interested in alchemy, which is why he deliberately dawdled until now.

He smiled and nodded gently: "Okay."

[...a deal was struck with Saya.]

Coopation is now unblocked!

【Yakuko Saaya (Magician) ★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

"Let's leave the drug trials for next time..."

With her gaze fixed on the glass pillar of the experimental table, the girl seemed to be calculating how to maximize the experimental value of this [Flower of Lies]: "This flower is quite interesting... Now I'm going to get down to researching it."

Amamiya knew that geniuses had quirks, and it was best not to disturb researchers who were caught up in a burst of inspiration.

Saya is both a genius and a researcher.

Amamiya naturally wouldn't bother her and make a fool of herself.

So he left the Alchemy Research Association without saying goodbye.

'Next, it's time to go check out the Xuanlong Gate...'

Chapter 52 Hisaki: The Most Delightful Episode

After leaving the Alchemy Research Association, Amamiya tried to send a message to Ryuuka Hisaki, the student council president of Shan Hai Jing High School who had contacted him before and who was also the leader of the Xuanlong Sect.

As if by some kind of coincidence, just as Amamiya took out her phone, a new message notification popped up.

I opened momotalk and saw that it was indeed the girl who had added me as a friend despite never having met me before.

[Hizaki: Hehe... Sensei's schedule is really interesting.]

[Feisai: Now, you can say you have some understanding of the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas'?]

[Hizaki: What are your thoughts on this academy... and this land?]

Amamiya considered for a moment and did not reply to the message immediately. Instead, she first looked around at the modern "Chinese-style pavilions and towers" that were of varying heights and had upturned eaves.

The surrounding area was filled with people and noise.

I heard the energetic voice of a student from the Xuanwu Chamber of Commerce soliciting customers.

"Guests, take a look! The Xuanwu Chamber of Commerce's latest offering—the new 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' dishes! Buy now, not 98, only 68!"