The Alchemist’s Dilemma and a Royal Proposition

There was no doubt in Ziyao’s mind: he was a true male.

Of course, this was solely his own conviction.

To any observer, Ziyao bore not a single characteristic associated with males. They would simply assume this little white-haired girl had some mental peculiarities.

Yet, Ziyao remained absolutely certain of his male identity, even if his body was that of an adorable, universally cherished little girl.

At the very least, he was still a male in spirit.

Why?

That, indeed, was a very long story.

Ziyao’s previous life—or what he presumed to be his previous life, as he wasn’t entirely sure if he had truly died once before—was when he existed as an ordinary boy.

He had no particular hobbies, save for his fondness for video games.

One day, a friend sent him a message: [There’s a new game. Wanna play?]

This friend was exceptionally mysterious. Ziyao knew nothing about them, only that they always managed to procure games unavailable on the market.

“Of course.” Despite the mystery, Ziyao, who had spent several years interacting with them, didn’t much care for such details.

He could sense that his friend was a good person.

Soon after, a compressed file landed on Ziyao’s computer.

It was an action game, though not very complete. The character models were exquisitely crafted, but the maps and other elements seemed unfinished.

[Let’s fight.]

Were they suggesting a test battle?

Ziyao clicked on the character selection screen, where only a handful of figures were available.

Lottea, Goddess of Water and Peace.

Without hesitation, Ziyao chose the tall, white-haired woman. This character perfectly aligned with his preferences.

Upon entering the game, his friend selected a blonde-haired little girl, a character who appeared to wield light magic.

Then, Ziyao’s character was utterly dominated and repeatedly thrashed by that little girl.

“Again!” Ziyao rolled up his sleeves. As a newcomer to the game, a few initial losses were normal. He was confident that with a few more rounds to familiarize himself with the skills, he could crush his opponent.

However, for a solid two hours, Ziyao challenged his opponent at a frequency of one match every three minutes. Each time, the result was the same: defeat.

“What in the world? Why is the hitbox on that beam so huge?” Ziyao clutched his hair, on the verge of madness. He had been so close that last time!

“Again, again, again!” He refused to believe he couldn’t win even a single round.

But his opponent seemed to have lost interest.

[I’m tired. Going to bed.]

No, don’t run! I was just about to win!

Overcome with frustration, Ziyao typed out a sentence he would later regret immensely: “I’m definitely winning this round. If I lose, I’ll turn into a girl and warm your bed.”

[It’s a deal.]

“It’s a deal.”

Then, as if suddenly unleashing their full power, his opponent utterly annihilated Ziyao, their movements flowing like water. This time, their execution was flawless.

In the very next moment after his defeat, Ziyao’s vision went black, and he completely lost consciousness.

When he next opened his eyes, he had become her.

This had happened about three years ago. For these three years, Ziyao had secluded himself in this border town, searching for a way to revert to his male form. Yet, he found nothing.

He had undergone incredibly detailed examinations, only to find that he was a perfectly normal little girl, healthy and blessed with extraordinary water magic talent.

Heh, perfectly normal.

Even mental magic examinations merely confirmed the fact that she was a girl.

Ultimately, Ziyao could only place his hopes in potions.

If I can just create a potion that changes gender, wouldn’t that solve everything?

That was two years ago. During that period, a white-bearded old man had visited.

He took a few useless potions from Ziyao, then returned a few days later to give Ziyao a seven-colored badge.

Ziyao had no idea what it meant.

In any case, Ziyao’s only achievement over these three years was manufacturing a pile of rather useless elixirs, with not a single clue regarding the most crucial task: returning to his male body.

Of course, the official story he propagated was: “I’m concocting a potion to lift a curse on me.”

While it still made people think he was mentally unsound, it was certainly better than exposing himself as a transmigrator.

And now, someone actually wanted to stop him, to make him spend his incredibly precious time brewing potions for a sickly princess.

What kind of joke is this?

“In short, I’m not going to the Imperial Capital.” Ziyao’s resolve was unyielding.

Elena looked at the recipe in her hand, then up at the resolute Ziyao, a slight ache forming in her head.

The process for making this potion was incredibly intricate. Even a Seven-Star-ranked alchemist would likely need several days to produce a finished product.

Furthermore, Aiya’s physical condition was constantly changing. Using the same dosage of potion repeatedly could potentially harm Aiya’s body.

Modifying the potion’s recipe absolutely required the presence of the alchemist who created it; otherwise, it would be impossible to predict what variations the potion might undergo.

Moreover, there were only a dozen or so Seven-Star-ranked alchemists on the entire continent. The Royal Family employed three of them, but they were responsible for the Emperor and Empress.

The little princess simply wasn’t qualified enough.

As for Grandmaster Alchemists, that was even more impossible. The world held only three such Grandmasters, and they would never deign to craft a potion for a mere young girl.

“Would you truly not reconsider? The Royal Family will offer a price that will satisfy you.” Elena still wanted to make one last effort.

If she could bring this ‘wild’ Seven-Star-ranked alchemist to the Imperial Capital, her sister’s health would truly be saved. The Saintess of the Church, a Seven-Star-ranked alchemist—if even such a formidable lineup couldn’t restore Aiya’s health, Elena would simply have to accept fate.

“No, no. I don’t lack money.” Ziyao shook her head again. Money held no more significance to her than stones on the ground.

If she wanted to earn money, she merely needed to dump all the accumulated potions at the merchant guild.

Was there truly no hope? Elena lowered her head. For a moment, she even felt the urge to forcibly take the girl before her.

But she couldn’t.

Not only was it questionable if she even possessed the ability, but even if she could, Ziyao, forcibly brought back to the Imperial Capital, would surely not cooperate.

How would that be any different from now?

What should I do? Is there anything that could sway this strange girl…

Strange girl…

Wait, there might actually be something!

Elena’s head snapped up, suppressing her excitement as she spoke: “The Royal Library houses the largest collection of magic books in the world. It might contain records about the curse you are suffering from.”

“Oh? Is that true?” Ziyao’s eyes lit up. Perhaps she truly could find a solution to her problem within that library.

She took the bait.

“I can arrange for you to receive a top-tier borrowing card.”

“Deal. I will concoct potions for your sister. And, when do we depart?”

It proved that attracting a master alchemist didn’t require an exorbitant price; one merely needed to appeal to their specific interests.