"Um, can you repeat that?"

​​

William blinked once then twice before he tilted his head in confusion.

"50,000 God Points?" William asked. "System, I think you're missing a couple of zeros there."

William didn't answer the System right away. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and took some deep breaths. When he was finally calm again, he asked the question that was on his mind.

"What is the bad news?"

"Diluted?" William couldn't believe what the system had told him. However, after he pondered for a while, he realized that the God of Alchemists had no reason to lie to them. Since he was the expert in the field, if he said that the miasma pool was diluted then it was indeed diluted.

'Oh well, 50,000 God Points is still good,' William sighed. Although fifty thousand and five million were miles apart, he was still able to accept the outcome since he got it for free.

"Then, what is the good news?"

A meter-wide golden cauldron appeared in front of William. The cauldron had a unique design on it that reminded him of those antiques that were being sold in second hand stores that he had visited in the past. It hovered in the air as if waiting for the boy to touch it.

After confirming with the system that there was nothing wrong with the cauldron, William finally reached out his hand to touch it. The moment the cauldron was safely in his hands, a series of text messages appeared on his status page.

-----

-----

'I knew it,' William thought as he appraised the cauldron in his hands. The cauldron's outer layer was plated in gold and embedded with runic letters. It felt warm to the touch as if it had just been recently placed over a fire.

At the very base of the cauldron, the symbols of the Yin and Yang could be seen. Naturally, this Yin and Yang represented the identity of the cauldron which appeared on William's status page after he used his appraisal skill.

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-- Mythical Rank Artifact

-- This cauldron is a recreation of the very first cauldron that the Alchemist God used when crafting his pills.

-- Increase the chance of success of pill making by 50%

-- Has a 10% chance of creating random pills with every use. Warning! The effects of these pills are completely random. Use at your own risk!

-- Maximum pills that can be made inside the cauldron is 100.

-- Can enlarge itself up to three-meters wide.

-- Special Function: The Cauldron can safely store any kind of material or ingredient no matter how dangerous or volatile it is. No fire, poison, or acid is strong enough to melt this cauldron. The God of Alchemist treated this cauldron as his personal storage artifact whenever he visited the different planes to collect the ingredients he needed for his alchemy.

-- This Mythical Artifact is now soul bound to William Von Ainsworth.

-----

Seeing the gift from the Alchemist God, William remembered the cultivation novels that he had read when he was still on Earth. The alchemists were able to craft expensive pills that allowed cultivators to raise their ranks and break through their bottlenecks.

There were many cultivators in the World of Hestia and most of them resided in sects like the Misty Sect. Usually, each sect had their own Grandmaster Alchemist that catered to the needs of the entire sect. These alchemists were given VIP treatment and were often regarded as treasures of their respective factions.

William chose Yes and acquired the Alchemist Job Class.

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-- A mixture of sugar, spice, and everything nice, unless they blow up in your face and kill you. That is the Alchemist Job Class.

-- Increase the chances of success of pill making by 10%

-- Acquired Alchemical Recipes (Basic)

-- Host has learned skill: Unstable Concoction

-- During pill making, the alchemist can forcefully make the pill creation unstable, turning it into a deadly weapon of mass destruction.

-- Effect of the concoction may differ depending on the ingredients and materials used.

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William opened the page for the "Alchemical Recipes (Basic)" and read its contents.

-- Can be used to build houses or used as projectiles to hit your enemies.

-- Can be used as a weapon for close combat.

Mix soil and water into a thick mud. Add some sand, then mix in the straw, grass or pine needles. Bake it on medium fire for ten minutes.

According to legend, there was once a cultivator who was able to dominate the world using a brick. This legendary brick was called the "Sixty-Nine Brick".

This brick is able to ignore all kinds of defenses. One hit on the head will knock out your opponent for one minute with 100% success rate. It can also be used repeatedly which makes this brick a feared weapon by one and all.

Chance of crafting ordinary brick: 99%

Chance of crafting the Sixty-Nine Brick: .0000000000000001%

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William's lips twitched as he read the recipe of the brick. He didn't believe that such a ridiculous and over-powered brick could exist in reality.

'I thought I would be crafting pills.' William scratched his head as he looked at the other recipes in his status page. 'Why is this "Alchemical Recipe Book" all about bricks, plates, cups, spoons, forks, and kitchen knives? Just what kind of stupid alchemist crafts these things?!'

William ignored the list of recipes and jumped to the last page of the book. It was there where he found the notes that were left by the author and found something interesting.

----

"Alchemy is all about creating new things. If you already know the recipe for how to turn stone into gold, the value of gold will be lost, and life will be boring. Every alchemist should learn to be creative!

A flower by the roadside, a strand of hair, and even a handful of dirt could become something else if you are willing to give alchemy a try!

P.S

It would be best if you get life insurance just in case something goes wrong with your experiments. You'll never know when you'll kick the bucket!

-- Fool Metal Alchemist, Edward Elfreak

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William sighed and stored the Yin Yang Cauldron inside his Ring of Conquest. Although his gains from this small expedition were completely unexpected, he was still happy that the main problem that plagued the Barony was solved.

He returned to the Baron's residence and shared with Philip everything he had discovered. Philip was shocked after hearing William's story. After bidding his daughter goodbye, he immediately set out with his men to investigate the headquarters left by the unknown organization.

William and Amelia, on the other hand, traveled back to the Academy to report the completion of their commission.

Although he was still thinking about the secret organization, William was forced to push his thoughts about them aside for now. There were still some things that he needed to do, as a Commander of the Knight Order, and that was to ensure that all of his subordinates were properly equipped before the war officially started.