Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 281 - 277: Alchemy

Chapter 281: Chapter 277: Alchemy

Leon had prepared all sorts of alchemy materials early on and was already waiting for everyone in the alchemy room.

Tassera arrived first; though she couldn’t really provide much help with the alchemy... if anything, being a record keeper to jot down data was fine. She was simply curious about Leon’s alchemy process and came by specifically to watch.

Cecilia, with her Jade Dragon lineage, was indeed quite a curious baby.

When Evil Dragons gather, it’s bound to involve some kind of scheming. Fiora, being a Metal Dragon, quietly stood in a corner of the alchemy room.

Her head ached somewhat. If these Evil Dragons were plotting mischief, should she intervene? Leon wasn’t actually that bad, and Tassera wasn’t hard to get along with either. Maybe she could persuade them, maybe prevent any wrongdoing, but outright informing on them wouldn’t be a noble move.

The Efreeti was the cornerstone of refining the Heavenly Immortal Pill for this session, since only he could supply the alchemy furnace with an endless stream of flames. It was said that the energy source for floating warships relied entirely on captured Efreeti.

The Efreeti didn’t exactly want to be furnace fuel, but alas, he had provoked Leon and was forced to sign a thirty-year servitude contract. Though the term wasn’t up yet, it wouldn’t be much longer either.

Alchemy often calls for raging flames, and that’s when Anglistra steps in. Nicknamed "Lady Firemaw," she mastered numerous Super Spitting Specializations, and her flames were far hotter than those of the Efreeti.

The Efreeti, as an elemental being, didn’t require sleep, but Anglistra, as a Red Dragon, needed over ten hours of sleep daily. Leon had to repeatedly emphasize that at critical moments, she must not slack off. If anyone dared disrupt his alchemy plan, he wouldn’t hesitate to unleash his fury—he had a temper, after all.

Finally, Salovis served as Anglistra’s backup.

"Refining the posture akin to a crane, beneath a thousand pines rests two treasures. I seek insight with no barriers, clouds high in the sky, water within the flask." Before officially beginning the refinement of the Heavenly Immortal Pill, Leon couldn’t resist reciting a poem.

All alchemy materials were already prepared, and once the furnace was ignited, it was almost time to throw in the materials... Leon couldn’t help but be grateful for his previous experience refining various Human Elixirs; otherwise, he’d surely be scrambling now.

"Kirin fur, Unicorn horn, Qi Element Essence, Hag’s scalp... Hag’s scalp? What kind of bizarre thing is that, why would we need something like it?" Tassera was diligently recording the alchemy materials Leon put into the furnace, worried he might botch things up.

Even for refining the Heavenly Immortal Pill, the alchemist wasn’t required to stare at the furnace at all times. At the start, however, it required some busy work until everything ran smoothly.

Cecilia watched for a while but then left, saying she couldn’t make heads or tails of the process.

It turned out there was no scheming going on; Fiora soon left as well.

An entire day passed just like that.

Human Elixirs were relatively easy to refine—a single day could yield several batches. Heavenly Immortal Pills, on the other hand, were vastly more time-consuming and effort-intensive. Ten days of work would barely result in melting the materials, not to mention forming the pill itself.

Currently, Leon was refining the Green Lotus Small Rejuvenation Pill, which required a full forty-nine days—a span of seven times seven cycles.

The number seven symbolized cycles of change and renewal. Seven times seven, forty-nine, could be seen as an amplified cycle, achieving a transformation through repeated yin-yang interactions and the Five Elements’ balance, culminating in harmony and unification.

More than twenty days had passed when the Immortal Pill finally began to take shape. At this point, it could technically be consumed, though its effects would be greatly diminished.

Leon already caught a whiff of the faint elixir fragrance. Glancing at Anglistra eyeing the alchemy furnace with a drooling expression, he was sure she could smell the fragrance too. Unable to stop himself, he warned, "Let me remind you—don’t even think about sneaking a taste."

"I won’t steal. Red Dragons aren’t thieves—I just want to smell it," Anglistra replied. Having stayed on Volcanic Island for so many days, she already knew just how powerful her "dear son" was.

Among Leon’s numerous victories, slaying a robust Red Dragon or a Death Knight wasn’t anything noteworthy. More remarkable was his single-handed raid on an entire Elf City, where he barely experienced a setback and forced the elves into negotiations. He pillaged Pirate City, reduced the Vampire Pirate King wielding Time Stop to ashes, and recently triumphed over the Witch King of the Ancient Fallen Empire.

"Smell away," Leon said without much stinginess.

"Can I lick it too?" Anglistra greedily pressed on. "I am your mother."

"I don’t care who you are—you can’t." Leon stood firm. "It’s mine."

"Stingy," Anglistra retorted. "Without my flames, your pill wouldn’t even take shape."

"Are you threatening me now?" Leon squinted his eyes dangerously, thinking how Salovis had already been trained and tamed after so long. Anglistra, however, had only been on the Volcanic Island for a few months. "I absolutely hate threats."

"I was just kidding! What are you so tense about?" Anglistra quickly backtracked.

It was at this point that Leon realized a new problem. As the Immortal Pill took shape and its fragrance spread, he now had to worry about thieves.

"What’s that enticing aroma?"

"Such a strange scent."

"You want to eat it."

"This alchemy is truly bizarre."

With the fragrance wafting through the air, everyone’s favorite pastime became gathering in the alchemy room to smell it.

Unable to eat it, they could at least sniff it. As for stealing it, unless someone completely lost their mind, no one would dare—the pill was extraordinary, but it wasn’t tempting enough to risk one’s life for. Didn’t they see Leon standing there with a predatory gaze?

When the Immortal Pill was nearly complete, the fragrance initially filled only the alchemy room. As the formation neared completion, the rich aroma began to spread across the entire Volcanic Island, drifting out over the vast ocean.

One evening, a giant black shadow suddenly appeared over the calm sea—a dark green, floating island.

It was a Dragon Turtle, one of the most fearsome creatures of the ocean.

Like its Giant Dragon relatives, the Dragon Turtle was enormous and greedy, known for its deadly jaws, steam breath, and powerful tail attacks.

Drawn by the elixir fragrance while roaming the deep sea, the Dragon Turtle—typically indifferent to and unaware of land-based affairs—climbed ashore on the Volcanic Island. But upon seeing six dragons staring at him, he turned and fled back into the ocean at lightning speed on his stubby legs. It was a comical little episode.

Forty-nine days went by just like that. The alchemy furnace trembled violently, and when Leon lifted its lid, a single golden, radiant pill lay quietly inside. He knew the alchemy was complete. Snatching up the pill, he admired it briefly before decisively sending it down his throat.