Chapter 16: Efficiency Above All
Chapter 16: Efficiency Above All
“Wilson, what do you need from me?”
The stout mage settled beside the alchemy table and beckoned. A cup of strong tea floated over from a nearby side table, returning to its place once he finished drinking.
Xia Zuo’s gaze followed the drifting teacup as he discreetly cast a detection spell.
“Unknown substance detected. Due to low mental and sensory acuity, no further detailed information could be obtained.”
Wilson produced three silver coins and a broken crutch from the old villain, briefly introduced Audrey and the other individual’s identities, then recounted the intelligence provided by Xia Zuo along with his own deductions.
The stout mage sniffed the coins and shook his head. “The scent’s too mixed, no distinctive residue remains.”
He placed the broken crutch on the alchemy table, took a wrench and screwdriver, and began dismantling it, extracting a telescoping rod embedded with tiny gears and elongated components.
Examining the rod through a magnifying glass, he shook his head after a few seconds. “The alchemical product’s serial number and origin have been erased. Are there any notable features near that underground cave?”
Feeling the inquisitive gazes of Audrey and Vans, Xia Zuo glanced away and said, “About twenty or thirty meters south of the cave, there’s a shallow pit with two boys’ corpses inside.”
“Oh, that makes it easier. The stench of decay will be strong. Even if wild beasts dragged or consumed them, some scent would linger.”
The stout mage returned to his previous spot, turning his back to the group as he rubbed something in his sleeve, muttering indistinct words as if to himself.
About half an hour later.
“Found it! Let me see—three large black carbons in the cave, and here’s the unlucky one who died impaled by a glass bottle. Is this the place, kid?”
“That’s right.”
“Not bad at all—to escape from such a place.”
The stout mage winked at Xia Zuo before returning to his tinkering.
“All the alchemical tools in the lab were shattered... hmm... no clues on the three kids’ bodies... the old man’s clean—no identity badges.”
He scratched the back of his head, clearly puzzled.
After a moment’s hesitation, he took a deep breath. “The scent in the underground alchemy lab is better than I thought. The rotten smell isn’t overwhelming...”
He flared his nostrils, inhaling deeply, discerning the various scent origins just as if at the cave site.
“Hehe, got it. Hidden in the debris all along.”
The mage chuckled slyly, lowering his head to sniff his hands. “Hmm—high-grade, potent solvent. No wonder it caused the explosion. This stuff’s hard to come by, and even the raw materials aren’t cheap.”
“Alright, I know how to hunt down these rats hiding in the cave.”
Grinning widely, he turned to Wilson and the others.
“I wanted to chat longer, but now there’s work to be done. Wilson, escort these two friends of mine.”
…
In the small reception room on the castle’s second floor.
Audrey and Xia Zuo rested here, waiting for Wilson’s return.
The value of the intelligence Xia Zuo provided was yet to be fully measured.
The old villain’s identity could be confirmed by tracing the source of the high-quality potent solvent.
Should the investigation reveal that many villainous alchemists like him were abducting children from villages and had close ties to bandits burning those villages...
Xia Zuo would have made a significant contribution.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Wilson entered carrying a bucket filled with scrolls.
“I issued a bounty notice calling for information on rural alchemists abducting children. Anyone providing useful intelligence will be rewarded by the Piek Fortress military according to the importance of the tip.”
He handed the scrolls to Audrey. “Here’s the set for you and Xia Zuo. I brought them directly—so you don’t have to make another trip to the bulletin board.”
“Thank you, Wilson.” Audrey nodded and unrolled the scrolls for a glance.
“When there’s news, I’ll have the messenger inform you.”
Wilson took a pouch of coins from his pocket and handed it to Xia Zuo.
“Kid, leave your broken crutch and those three silver coins with us. This is your well-deserved reward.”
Inside the pouch were silver coins worth twenty silver pieces.
Just enough to buy a potion that instantly restores 20 health points!
No time to waste—Xia Zuo planned to buy a bottle on the way back as a reserve.
…
More than twenty days after arriving at Piek Fortress.
Level: 5
Experience: 31/200
The circus performances for the soldiers were nearing their end.
For over ten days, Xia Zuo devoted every moment to earning experience.
He performed fire-breathing energetically during warm-up shows, spent the rest of the time reading, practicing fire-breathing, and squeezing a stress ball—all to level up quickly and gain free attribute points.
At dusk.
Xia Zuo sat in his room, eyes vacant as he stared at the open book before him.
Since dinner, he had remained in this posture.
In the early hours of the previous day, Audrey had come to inform Xia Zuo, Popai, and Snake of news neither good nor bad:
Vans had left the circus without a word, departing alone. Xia Zuo would be the one officially performing fire-breathing in the final show.
Popai and Snake’s reactions were mixed.
They were glad the addict had left the team but worried the circus’s income and reputation might suffer.
The heavy responsibility of revitalizing Audrey’s circus suddenly fell on Xia Zuo’s shoulders.
This meant he had to allocate one or two more free attribute points into Vitality to make his fire-breathing performance acceptable.
The goal of reaching 10 points in Spirit now seemed even further away.
After learning of Vans’s departure, Xia Zuo spent two consecutive days wandering the city, seeking more efficient ways to gain experience.
He brushed horses in the stable, helped farmers carry yokes, assisted a peddler with carts, mended clothes in a tailor’s shop, and even slaughtered live chickens himself at the butcher’s—every odd job he could find.
The only thing he hadn’t done was patrol the streets with a weapon or ask Wilson to enlist him.
As expected, fire-breathing yielded the most experience and was the most efficient.
Xia Zuo picked up a pen and jotted down many numbers whose meaning only he understood, listing unknowns and formulas for calculation.
Half an hour later, he set the paper aflame, watching it turn to ashes in the basin of the washroom.
The calculation result was...
Xia Zuo felt like a fool. He should have calmed down and done the math earlier.
The cheat character template seemed attribute-focused, but level was the true core.
The cheat had explicitly stated that the higher the level, the more free attribute points gained upon leveling up.
In other words, the more efficient the experience gain, the faster the free attribute points accumulate.
Rather than agonizing over which attribute to boost, it was better to maximize leveling speed.
Even a single level-up granting two or more free attribute points would instantly repay any early attribute point “waste” aimed at efficiency!
Focusing intently, Xia Zuo looked at the plus sign beside Vitality.
Vitality: 5 + 1 → 6
Health: 22 + 3 → 25
Health Regeneration Speed:
Base Health Regen Speed:
1.11 + 0.18 → 1.29 points/hour
He concocted a mixed fire-breathing potion using an intermediate-level fire-breathing base.
“Audrey-style intermediate mixed fire-breathing potion—causes 7 points of health loss per hour while held.”
The displayed health loss rate on the panel was roughly one-fifth of the loss rate during performance.
A regeneration speed of 1.38 points/hour just covered the health drain during performance.
Breathing out small flames (about half a meter) was effortless and could be maintained for ten seconds.
Adding a few drops of fiery solvent to boost flame power could sustain a medium flame (one meter) for about ten seconds.
Xia Zuo took the potion bottle and torch to the inn’s backyard to practice.
With increased regeneration speed, his “Immortal Body” self-healing effect became more pronounced.
Short bursts of fire didn’t cause throat discomfort.
The success rate for medium flames reached 100%.
Why hadn’t he realized this sooner!?
Patting his head sheepishly, regret was written all over his face.
If he had increased Vitality earlier and greatly enhanced his fire-breathing performance, the experience gained over the past ten days would have far exceeded 31 points!
Why waste time agonizing over attribute distribution?
Experience gain efficiency was paramount.
“Cheat, boost me!”
Xia Zuo shouted inwardly, allocating his remaining two free attribute points to Vitality.
Vitality: 6 + 2 → 8
Health: 25 + 1 + 2 → 28
Health Regen Speed:
Base Health Regen Speed:
1.29 + 0.33 → 1.62 points/hour
A regen speed of 2.09 points/hour matched the health loss of 10 points/hour from the fire-breathing potion.
Xia Zuo added three drops of fiery solvent to the intermediate mixed potion.
The flame instantly reached about 1.6 meters, and with a bit more effort, it became a strong flame (at least two meters), easily maintained for five seconds continuously.
Real-time Health Regen Speed:
1.62 - 16 → -14.38 points/hour
Average Health Regen Speed:
1.62 - 1.33 → 0.29 points/hour
Back in his room, Xia Zuo prepared two bottles of secondary potion for warm-up, two bottles of intermediate potion for initial performance, one enhanced intermediate potion for emotional arousal, and one potent enhanced potion for the climax stage.
He packed the fire-breathing potions in his bag, grabbed a torch, and headed to the pointed tent, changing into the fire-breathing suspenders Vans had left behind.
“Huff—”
“Huff!!”
“Huff~~”
Xia Zuo rehearsed alone on the stage, smiling brightly at the empty audience seats as if they were filled with cheering spectators.
Alternating among six bottles of mixed fire-breathing potion, he continuously breathed fire for a full ten minutes until all were used up.
Health: 24/28 (mild poisoning)
Average Health Regen Speed:
-2.2 points/hour
This was the limit of Xia Zuo’s fire-breathing performance intensity.
If pushed beyond, mouth pain would disrupt the flow of breath, causing failed fire-breathing or accidental swallowing of potion, resulting in poisoning.
After stopping, his character’s average health regen speed began to normalize, and the oral burning sensation slowly faded.
High Vitality-supported fire-breathing caused no adverse effects apart from mild poisoning damage.
By contrast, Vans needed painkillers to suppress mouth discomfort during high-intensity continuous fire-breathing.
The superiority was obvious.
Vitality and fire-breathing truly were a perfect match.
Xia Zuo spread his arms, immersed in the air heavy with the scent of scorched potions.
White smoke from the flames swirled around him as if praising his brilliant performance.
(End of Chapter)