Chapter 52: The Arrogant Princess (1)

The sunlight was bright.

A dull thud echoed across the training grounds as Adrian was once again knocked to the dirt, unable to get back up.

It had been over one week, and no matter how much he gritted his teeth and worked, the result was the same.

As soon as their time was up, Adrian would find himself utterly defenseless.

Within a few seconds, he was doomed to be mercilessly beaten into the ground by Lucoco.

In truth, those final few seconds were the real highlight, something Adrian would spend the rest of the day reflecting upon.

At the same time, Lucoco would receive incomprehensible system notifications of favorability increasing and decreasing.

Sheathing her wooden training sword, Lucoco walked out of the training grounds without looking back.

She planned to head to the commercial district of the Royal Capital.

When she reached the castle gates, the guards seemed to have been briefed beforehand.

They let her pass without even checking her identification.

Although Raymond had promised her freedom of movement, this level of unobstructed passage still caught Lucoco by surprise, her hand instinctively reaching for her ID papers out of habit.

She strolled along the wide Royal Palace boulevard until she reached the bustling commercial street.

As she walked, Lucoco distracted herself by opening the System module, diving into the Player forums to search for information.

The Spirit-Covering Potion was not mentioned in the mandatory textbooks Lucia had given her, nor was there any data on it in the bookshelves within her Login Space.

Even in the official data provided, descriptions of it were limited to a few brief words, and she didn’t even know its grade.

The only reason Lucoco was attempting to brew it was because of an optional objective in her task list.

Not only did it require her to brew the Spirit-Covering Potion, but it also provided the detailed materials and basic steps needed.

—

[Mission Optional: “A Friend Who Claims to be a Messenger of Light.” Attempt to brew the Spirit-Covering Potion, or earn the friendship of the “Messenger of Light.”]

Materials: Equinox Flower…

Grass of the Afterlife…

A second material representing a connection to the Underworld… (Other materials).

Refining Steps: Crystal purification…

Dissolving the Grass of the Afterlife…

Injecting the power of faith…

—

Yesterday had been her first attempt at brewing the Spirit-Covering Potion, and she had failed at the third-to-last step.

She had no clue what the material representing a connection to the Underworld was supposed to be, so she had tossed in one of Luti’s scales.

The result was a lump of unidentified matter that wouldn’t stop screeching…

She was out of Equinox Flowers and Grass of the Afterlife now, as she had used the last of her stock from the Login Space on that one attempt.

‘Hmm? Found it!’

Her eyes lit up as she clicked on a post titled “Explanation Regarding the Spirit-Covering Potion” from seven years ago (Blue Star time).

It was a post by a Player who had become a high-level Alchemist, detailing the effects of the potion and precautions to take during its creation.

[Effect: Can repair the missing parts of a soul for those who have suffered severe trauma, helping them regain consciousness (with a probability of restoring some lost memories).

It can also be used as a synthetic agent to communicate with and improve the intelligence of a ‘Machine Soul,’ or as a specialized medicine to quickly restore SAN Value.

Refining Difficulty: Intermediate.

Core Note: The second material representing a connection to the Underworld! (I used: Cicada of the Dead, a specialty of the Abyssal Stream).

Alternative Solution: If Equinox Flowers and Grass of the Afterlife are unavailable, Hell Blood Sunflower and Burial Blue Root can be used as substitutes (though the cost is high).]

—

After finishing the post, Lucoco fell into deep thought.

She was curious why the “Messenger of Light” mentioned in her task was so desperate for this medicine.

Was it to heal a soul, or was it for a Machine Soul?

To be honest, she hoped it was the latter.

If there was a being capable of training something like a Machine Soul, she would worship at their feet without hesitation!

“Oh! If it isn’t little Morning Light! I haven’t seen you in a few days. Why the long face today?”

A surprised greeting snapped Lucoco out of her thoughts.

She realized she had unconsciously walked into the alchemy shop she frequently patronized.

The shopkeeper approached her personally with a warm greeting.

She wore a brilliant smile and couldn’t take her eyes off Lucoco.

There were two reasons for such enthusiasm.

First, Lucoco was a big spender!

In just over half a month, she had already spent hundreds of gold coins in the shop, and she sold most of her alchemical creations here as well.

Second, the shopkeeper was a lively “face-con” who had zero resistance to pure and cute young girls.

She just wanted to get close and pinch her cheeks!

“Yesterday, I refined a screeching lump of flesh, and I ran out of materials. Big Sister, do you have any Equinox Flowers or Grass of the Afterlife in your shop?”

“Oh! What bad luck. Just last night, a maid with a very curvy figure bought out the entire stock!”

“…I see.”

Under her eyepatch, Lucoco’s gaze subconsciously flickered toward the shopkeeper’s own shapely figure.

“It will take about 5 days to restock. Did you want to look at something else, little Morning Light? Or…”

The shopkeeper rubbed her hands together, leaning in with an expectant look.

“Do you have any ‘good stuff’ to sell me today?”

The alchemical products made by this young girl were all of top-tier quality, and they had made the shopkeeper a lot of money.

Moreover…

She wasn’t as easy to trick as other cute little things.

“Oh… 5 days, huh…”

Lucoco’s mind was still on the materials.

As she thought, she pulled out a small box and placed it on the counter.

“Well, take a look at these then. How much can I get for these solvent blocks?”

The shopkeeper wiped her hands and eagerly picked up one of the blocks.

“What kind of solvent is — “

She gasped, her eyes widening as she stared at Lucoco in disbelief.

“Sweetie! Did you refine these yourself?”

“Yeah, I finally managed to make them,” Lucoco replied casually.

“You’re amazing!”

The shopkeeper gave her a thumbs-up before leaning forward with a smile, lowering her voice.

“60 gold coins a piece! Sell them all to me, okay? I’ll take them as a long-term order! I’ll buy as many as you can make!”

“No problem.”

Lucoco nodded and handed over a list of materials.

“I also need these.”

The shopkeeper took the slip of paper and looked it over, her expression turning awkward.

“Um… Morning Light, some of the materials on this list were also bought out. We’re still waiting for a restock.”

“Huh?”

Lucoco blinked, leaning closer.

“Which ones?”

“This one… this one, and these few over here.”

The shopkeeper pointed to several items.

“Fine then,” Lucoco sighed helplessly.

“Just wrap up what’s left for me, please.”

“Right away! Just a moment!”

The two of them engaged in a lively conversation.

They completely ignored a small girl standing near the counter.

She was wearing an eyepatch identical to Lucoco’s and was walking back and forth, chest puffed out, desperately trying to project an “everyone look at me” signal.

She tried to use her footsteps and her conspicuous presence to get someone’s attention.

…

It wasn’t just the two of them; the Adventurers coming in and out of the alchemy shop didn’t pay much attention to the girl either.

Lucoco was immersed in her own thoughts, while the others simply didn’t find it strange.

One week ago, a trend of wearing eyepatches had suddenly swept through the Royal Capital.

Young women, particularly the Nuns from the Monastery, had nearly trampled the doors down of any shop that produced such eyepatches.

This was because of a rumor: [The story of a prince who hides his appearance and a blindfolded nun… who knows who started it?]

Lucoco was entirely unaware of this.

Her days were filled with only two things: her daily alchemy coursework and her task to train (beat up) the Prince.

Once she finished her shopping, Lucoco didn’t linger.

She walked out of the shop slowly, head slightly bowed as she pondered alchemy, heading back toward the Royal Palace.

The small figure who had been performing so hard at the counter now shrank back against the doorframe.

The girl watched with wide eyes as that slender back disappeared around the street corner without a single glance or hint of lingering.

“Hmph!”

She stomped her foot in a huff, turned around, and scurried off down another street.

—

A few days later, Lucoco returned.

She pushed open the door, and the bell rang.

Today, only an old clerk was minding the shop.

The clerk looked up and, upon seeing Lucoco, shook her head with a sigh.

“Miss Morning Light, the shipment was intercepted by a mysterious buyer before it even reached the city.”

“Sold out again?”

Lucoco was surprised, but she didn’t think too much of it.

She handed over another list, asking the clerk to prepare other materials.

“Then see if you have any of these.”

The items on the list were auxiliary materials for the Spirit-Covering Potion and other potions.

The clerk took the slip, looked it over carefully, and scratched her head awkwardly.

“Miss Morning Light… these… are also gone.”

Lucoco began to grow suspicious.

‘Such specific purchases… is someone else refining the Spirit-Covering Potion too?’

“Miss Morning Light, what do you think…?”

The clerk asked cautiously.

“It’s fine,” Lucoco said, waving her hand in understanding.

“I’ll go check other shops.”

She turned and walked out of the store.

“Alright, I’m truly sorry!”

The clerk apologized profusely, walking her to the door and bowing as she left.

Beside the counter, the girl who had been performing once again — this time prominently displaying an Equinox Flower tucked behind her ear — was once again gloriously ignored.

…

Half an hour later, Lucoco walked out of the last shop in the district, her face a mix of helplessness and slight frustration.

Unsurprisingly, every shop had been cleared of materials related to the Spirit-Covering Potion!

‘Which big shot is this? Buying so much at once!’

‘I’ll wait a few more days. There’s no way someone can use up the entire stock of so many shops in just a few days, right?’

With a mind full of questions about where the materials had gone, Lucoco grumpily made her way back to the Royal Palace.