A Master’s Promise and a Culinary Detour

After a full half hour of waiting, the old man finally emerged, roaring with laughter. “Haha, I succeeded! I’ve finally refined this potion, a concoction akin to cheating!”

He paused, noticing Lin Shenyue. “Little girl, you haven’t left yet?”

Lin Shenyue was speechless. The old man seemed to have forgotten his promise. She stated directly, “You said you’d take me as a disciple after I helped you find the herbs.”

The old man patted his head, asking doubtfully, “Really? I don’t quite remember.”

Lin Shenyue nodded her small head quickly. “Of course!”

She had already suspected this. Seeing the old man rush back to his experiments, she knew he’d likely spoken on a whim, not truly committing the promise to memory.

What Lin Shenyue didn’t realize was that without her exceptionally high charm, it would have been incredibly difficult to gain the old man’s initial favor from just a minor quest.

If a player’s favorability wasn’t high, and they still desired Grove’s alchemy skills, the quest chain would simply break. Grove would offer some minor benefits before unceremoniously dismissing them.

The old man, Grove, studied Lin Shenyue. He finally frowned and said, “Alright. Since you found your way here, it means we’re destined.”

“You may follow me to learn alchemy, though I won’t offer you much assistance.”

Lin Shenyue smiled. “Yes, Master.”

After teaching Lin Shenyue the fundamental methods of alchemy—an advanced skill beyond basic potion-making—Grove immediately plunged back into his experiments.

Lin Shenyue gazed at the newly acquired alchemy skill on her panel, a faint smile gracing her lips.

[Alchemy (Beginner): Experience: 0/10000. Can produce basic potions, with a certain probability of causing mutations.]

‘It seems the unique aspect of alchemy lies in these mutations,’ Lin Shenyue mused. After some thought, she decided to bother Bloodthirsty Rose. Although she possessed two potion recipes herself, both were for instant recovery potions, and her current skill level likely wouldn’t yield a high success rate.

Lin Shenyue sent a private message. [“Sister Rose, are you there?”]

Bloodthirsty Rose, who had just finished listening to Violet’s report, saw Lin Shenyue’s private message pop up. [“What is it, little Yue’er?”]

“Um… Sister Rose, could you help me gather some potion recipes and ingredients? The most basic health and mana recovery potions would be fine.”

Bloodthirsty Rose had initially expected some troublesome request. Hearing this, she chuckled. “Of course! Those items have a pretty high drop rate now; they’re not worth much.”

Lin Shenyue was speechless. If the drop rate was so high, why couldn’t *they* find any? ‘Could it be that my luck is too high, preventing these common items from dropping?’ she wondered.

After making some arrangements, Bloodthirsty Rose asked, “Little Yue’er, are you planning to learn potion-making?”

Lin Shenyue didn’t tell Bloodthirsty Rose that she was learning alchemy. After confirming her location, she embarked on a journey of idle contemplation.

She mused over the tone of her recent private message. For some unknown reason, she had inadvertently adopted a somewhat coquettish voice, a realization that filled Lin Shenyue with a faint sense of dread.

This time, Violet was the one delivering the materials. Upon arrival, she spotted Lin Shenyue lost in thought and was instantly charmed by her cuteness.

Lin Shenyue, still in a daze, suddenly felt her body tighten. Her head was then enveloped by a pair of ample breasts.

“Long time no see, little Yue’er,” Violet murmured, embracing Lin Shenyue tightly.

As Lin Shenyue struggled to escape Violet’s hold, she grumbled internally, ‘It’s only been a short while since we last met.’ Of course, Violet couldn’t hear Lin Shenyue’s complaints, and even if she had, she wouldn’t have cared.

After Violet set Lin Shenyue down, she watched as Lin Shenyue instinctively retreated several steps, her expression wary. Violet felt a touch of awkwardness.

“Little Yue’er, here are the things you needed.”

After trading the items to Lin Shenyue, Violet was about to offer a farewell hug, only to find Lin Shenyue still standing a considerable distance away, maintaining her cautious stance. Violet offered an embarrassed smile, waved, and then departed.

‘Phew, while a beautiful woman’s chest is certainly appealing, it’s not good to nearly suffocate every time,’ Lin Shenyue thought, patting her own nascent “little buns.” ‘Why are mine so small?’

Realizing the direction of her thoughts, Lin Shenyue quickly shook her head twice. ‘What am I even thinking about?’

She forcibly redirected her attention to the pile of items Violet had given her, feeling a slight surprise. Although Violet’s offerings were all common materials, their sheer quantity was impressive, equivalent to at least 100 gold coins.

Lin Shenyue pondered this and then understood. It was likely due to the current scarcity of life-skill players. After all, the future of Divine Realm was still uncertain, and most people had only joined to experience the game.

Lin Shenyue entered the room and looked at the tightly closed door with a hint of helplessness. After a moment of hesitation, she sat directly on the floor and began refining potions using the old man’s furnace.

The two recipes Bloodthirsty Rose had given her were also quite ordinary: the basic Health Potion recipe and the basic Mana Potion recipe sold by the apothecary owner.

After learning both recipes, Lin Shenyue began the process of brewing potions.

The potion-making process was intricate. Specifically, the recipes detailed the exact order and timing for adding each herb, as well as the intensity of the heat required.

Perfectly controlling the timing and heat would yield a “perfect” grade potion, boosting its effects by 20% compared to a regular one.

Any minor error would result in a standard potion. Significant mistakes, however, could lead to an 80% reduction in potency, complete incineration, or even the risk of the furnace exploding.

Grove emerged once while Lin Shenyue was engrossed in her refining. He simply observed her potion-making.

Upon seeing Lin Shenyue’s somewhat clumsy but intensely serious demeanor, he nodded in satisfaction before retreating back into his room.

As Lin Shenyue repeatedly practiced the refining process, striving for mastery, a system notification suddenly chimed.

[Ding! Your hunger level is nearing its critical threshold. Please consume food.]

Lin Shenyue paused, slightly startled. The herbs she had just placed in the furnace instantly burned to ash.

‘What is hunger level?’ Lin Shenyue wondered, a hint of confusion in her gaze. She then remembered the forums and went there to search for relevant information.

‘So, hunger level is just the system’s stamina restriction,’ Lin Shenyue murmured to herself. ‘But why didn’t the system explicitly mention it?’

‘I must tell my parents about this next time they visit.’

Lin Shenyue checked her inventory but found no food. Although she longed to go out and buy some, she doubted whether she would be able to find her way back if she left.

‘I’m so hungry~’ Because of the 100% simulation fidelity, Lin Shenyue genuinely felt the pangs of hunger.

‘What should I do? Must I really leave like this?’ Lin Shenyue stared at the potion furnace before her, her face etched with conflict.

When Grove emerged again, this was the scene that greeted him. Seeing Lin Shenyue’s conflicted expression as she stared at the furnace, he assumed she was facing a problem.

“Have you encountered some difficulty?” he asked.

Lin Shenyue’s small face flushed slightly. She stammered, “Um, I’m just hungry.”

Grove paused, slightly taken aback, then realized he, too, felt a bit hungry. “If you’re hungry, go buy something to eat. Get a little something for me, too.”

Lin Shenyue whispered, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to find my way back…”

Grove’s eyes widened. “No way? Our town is so small, and don’t you ‘Anomalies’ all have maps?”

Lin Shenyue became even more embarrassed, burying her head deeply. “Um… even with a map, I tend to get lost…”

Grove’s mouth twitched fiercely. A wistful expression then crossed his face. ‘You really are like her back then, just as absent-minded…’

He sighed. “Never mind. In that case, I’ll take you to eat. I can visit an old friend along the way.”

Hearing this, Lin Shenyue quickly stood up and followed Grove out the door.

“Master, is your friend the owner of the restaurant?” Lin Shenyue asked, her curiosity piqued.

“More accurately, he’s a chef who works for the restaurant owner,” Grove replied as they walked. “Though that fellow cooks delicious food, he rarely prepares it for others. And you ‘Anomalies’ will eventually leave once you reach a certain level, so it might be difficult to persuade him.”

Lin Shenyue’s eyes brightened upon hearing Grove’s words. “Master, can I learn to cook from him?”

‘Surely, appealing to Grove’s preferences like this will increase his favorability towards me, right?’ Lin Shenyue thought.

To her surprise, Grove frowned. “Alchemy is boundless. If you divide your attention elsewhere, you might end up with nothing.”

Lin Shenyue’s heart sank. She realized she had likely said the wrong thing, but there was still a chance to mend it. “But Master, constantly refining potions would surely exhaust my spirit. At such times, I could practice cooking instead. I’d rest while also preparing meals for you.”

Grove thought of his stingy old friend, then looked at the girl before him. Something else came to mind, and his gaze softened. “Very well, then. I’ll speak to him for you, but you must not let cooking interfere with your alchemy.”

Lin Shenyue replied with a smile. “I won’t, Master.”

Grove smiled faintly, his expression somewhat distant. ‘Just like her…’