jdhmnovel Chapter 131 Rochester, the Land of Water 2
Chapter 131 Rochester, the Land of Water 2
If you had to describe the kingdom of Rochester in one sentence, the answer would be: "You are all water."
Not only is the climate humid, but almost half the year is spent in overcast and rainy weather, with sunny days being rare.
The entire kingdom seemed to be built on top of the lake: the bases of the buildings were constructed with special magical materials that were not only sturdy but also moisture-proof, deeply rooted in the lakebed. These materials formed artificial land, upon which various architectural complexes were built.
The entire kingdom was divided into hundreds of settlements of varying sizes, and the roads connecting the various settlements were not man-made—that would have been too costly.
The locals traveled from one complex of buildings (an artificial continent) to another complex of buildings (another continent) by water. That is, they traveled by boat.
There is no doubt that this is how it got the title of "land of water".
The continuous rainfall did not burden the kingdom's drainage system; all the excess rainwater was channeled into the lake. If necessary, the magical materials could be manipulated to raise the water level of the entire artificial continent, thus preventing it from being submerged by the rising lake.
This is a famous fish-producing area, and all kinds of fish products are exported from Rochester to other countries.
At the same time, it is also the most famous tourist destination in the vicinity. Although, to be fair, it is not a suitable place to live due to its climate, outsiders are always curious about this country that "floats" above a giant lake, and tens of thousands of tourists come to Rochester every year.
At this moment, after traveling from Rostlov, the town of clocks, and passing through several places, Irene arrived here.
After buying some magical materials at the local branch of the Magical Association, I happened to pass by the prayer box not far from the entrance.
For some reason, she suddenly felt like going in to clear her head.
Whether Elena had managed to calm down or not, she didn't know; she only knew that her mood was even more chaotic after she came out.
She boarded the cruise ship, paid several copper coins, and prepared to return to her inn.
Even when it's not raining, the sky in Rochester is usually overcast. And now it's no exception; the sky is dark and there's not a ray of sunshine in sight.
like……
How could that be...?
How could I possibly...?
Elena's mind was filled with wild thoughts, and compared to before the consultation, her wild thoughts had not lessened but had actually intensified.
It's all that guy's fault for talking nonsense in the prayer box—how could I possibly be?
Elena looked at her reflection in the lake, where the gray-haired girl was looking at her with a frown and an unlovable expression: "Really—how is this possible?"
I just……
Looking at the magical materials she had just bought, Elena subconsciously tossed them into her magical space.
These are... materials I've been subconsciously collecting for that magic, the magic that creates food that has no nutritional value but retains its flavor...
Whenever I passed a branch of the Magic Integration Association, I would check if there were any materials on sale.
"Haa—really." Elena smiled bitterly at her reflection in the lake. "When exactly did this happen? I can't seem to fool myself anymore. This feeling is awful."
I really don't understand.
I don't think I've ever thought about this kind of thing before.
Do people like me even fall in love?
"Honey, look, that duck is so pretty."
"Honey, that's a swan. Have you ever seen a black duck?"
Since it was a cruise ship, Elena wasn't the only passenger. Behind her, a couple was giving their opinions on the water features of Rochester.
“Why aren’t there any black ducks? Just because you haven’t seen them doesn’t mean they don’t exist,” the girl retorted.
“But…it really is a swan,” her spouse said, embarrassed.
Elena watched a flock of black swans swim by in the distance, and when she heard someone commenting on them, she raised her head and glanced at the person.
That look was as if they were looking at someone who was mentally challenged.
"I want to buy one to raise," the girl said.
"We don't have a lake near our home."
"Then let's build a lake."
"Okay, then I'll ask my father to make one."
"You're so good to me, my dear."
They were just chatting casually, but for some reason, it sounded completely different to Elena—you...you...you're really something, so what if you're rich?
Elena stood up angrily and went elsewhere.
And they even flaunt their love in front of single people—I really want to turn them into swans and throw them into the lake.
"When did I become so sensitive?" Elena realized that she seemed to be experiencing some kind of psychological stress.
They must have been provoked by their flaunting of wealth.
It should be...
I wouldn't have used uncertain words like "should" before—I would have said "it is."
So annoying.
As the cruise ship reached the shore, Elena, who no longer wanted to see the flaunting couple, quickly disembarked and hurried towards her booked hotel.
……
“I’m using non-toxic magical materials now—if the results of the previous experiments are correct, then it should be fine.” Elena focused intently on tossing the magical materials on the table into the crucible and stirring them.
With the materials mostly ready, Elena didn't want to delay any longer.
I'll just treat it as a way to clear my head. Anyway, it's all rainy outside, and I don't like this kind of weather. It's also inconvenient for me to explore this kingdom—but it would be such a waste to just give up on visiting this tourist destination and leave right away.
I'll take advantage of this time to finish this magic project that I've been working on for a long time.
Elena waved her wand and chanted a series of incantations, while her other hand kept stirring.
The liquid in the crucible changed from red to green, then to dark blue, and finally to grayish-white.
When Elena saw that the time was right, she poured the freshly made potion out of the crucible.
"The outcome hinges on this; this one bottle of medicine costs nearly a hundred gold coins."
Including the materials wasted on previous failures, it's really costing close to a hundred gold coins. Even just the material cost for this one bottle alone is at least five gold coins.
This doesn't even include the labor costs of Elena, as a witch, repeatedly refining potions, or the rental fees for the potion-refining venues.
Of course, these are a small percentage compared to material costs.
Elena carefully dripped a few drops of the potion onto the bread she had just bought, just crumbs, of course...
The bread that had been doused with the magic potion appeared unchanged from the outside.
Irena took out the machine that she had specially rented from the Magic Integration Association to analyze the bread's composition—and then put the breadcrumbs into it.
After casting the spell to start the machine.
Elena watched the instruments nervously, quietly waiting for the results.
After the machine thoroughly analyzed the bread, it produced an analysis report.
Elena picked it up and browsed it at lightning speed.
"Non-toxic..."
Hmm...very good...
"Glucose: Very little (negligible), Protein: None, Fat: None..."
The final step—Irena popped the remaining breadcrumbs into her mouth.
"It's delicious," Elena said with a smile.
It seems like it was a success...
To confirm whether there was any chance involved in the experiment, she experimented repeatedly and finally determined that the magic potion that could preserve the taste of food while eliminating its nutritional value was successfully created.
Great……
It would be a natural progression to then transform potions into magic.
Elena, you truly are a genius.
No, he's a genius to begin with, why use an exclamation like "as expected"?