Chapter 138: Harvest Day

The Cultivation Room was originally a storehouse for Cyrus Academy, located in a remote corner of the campus.

After Mr. Shore, the instructor, rented it long-term, he transformed it into the Poisonous Insect Cultivation Room.

The entrance to the Cultivation Room was a Solid hardwood door typically used for storehouses, equipped with a simple, small Barrier. A specially-made key had to be inserted into a recessed slot in the middle of the wooden door to dispel the Barrier before the Solid hardwood door could be opened.

The entire Poisonous Insect Cultivation Room was just over a hundred square meters, divided into two sections: the Hatchery and the Cultivation Room. The Hatchery was meticulously arranged with neatly staggered incubators. The incubators had their temperature and humidity specially adjusted according to the types of eggs, simulating the ideal environment required for the development of Poisonous Insects.

Glowing Magic Crystal Lamps were embedded in the walls, emitting a soft and even light. This not only satisfied the lighting conditions required by the eggs but also prevented glaring reflections that would hinder observation.

A scent lingered in the air—neither pleasant nor entirely offensive. It came from a nutrient solution Mr. Shore had crafted through a precise mixture of various materials. Adding it to the incubators promoted better development of the eggs.

As for the Cultivation Room, it was much simpler. Based on the needs of the three types of Poisonous Insects, three large incubators were set up, containing a higher concentration of the nutrient solution.

“You’ve mastered Detect Poison, right?” Mr. Shore confirmed.

Gaode nodded.

“That’s good… You must inspect the eggs in the Hatchery at least once a day using Detect Poison.

“Once you discover an egg developing toxins, it means the larva inside is fully developed and will hatch within one to two days.

“You must immediately transfer these hatching eggs from the Hatchery into the three incubators in the Cultivation Room.

“This one is the incubator for the Fire Pattern Ants, and this one is for the Scorpions.”

Mr. Shore detailed the specifics to Gaode. He pointed to the last large incubator and continued, “This is the incubator for the Illusory Thorn Centipede… The Illusory Thorn Centipede is a hybrid of the Phantom Centipede and the Thorny Centipede.

“A newly hatched, healthy Fire Pattern Ant larva should have a smooth, flawless surface. The fiery red patterns on its back should be distinct, evenly colored, and glossy. Furthermore, its movements should possess agility and strength.

“If you notice blurred back patterns, a dull color, physical deformities, or sluggish movements, it means the larva is defective.

“You must remove it from the incubator and dispose of it promptly to prevent it from negatively impacting the entire colony.

“The characteristics of a healthy Scorpion larva are… And for the Illusory Thorn Centipede, they are… Similarly, if you find any defectives, you must screen them out and dispose of them immediately.

“Finally, let me remind you that their mothers have undergone my special cultivation. Therefore, even the defective larvae contain toxins that should not be underestimated. Be careful when handling them.

“Do you understand?”

“I have it memorized,” Gaode nodded earnestly.

“There are a total of 137 Fire Pattern Ant eggs, 89 Scorpion eggs, and 43 Illusory Thorn Centipede eggs here. Under normal circumstances, it will take about a month and a half for all of them to hatch.

“Lastly, if the number of qualified larvae fails to reach fifty percent of the total eggs, this task will be considered a failure. There will be no compensation whatsoever, meaning you will have worked for two months for nothing.

“If the qualified larvae reach fifty percent of the total eggs, the task is considered complete. Beyond that, for every additional ten percent of qualified larvae, I will pay you an extra reward of 5 Gold Coins,” the instructor of the Magic Potion Department said with a solemn expression, skillfully blending promises of reward with strict warnings.

“I will definitely do my utmost and complete the task with guaranteed quality and quantity,” Gaode said respectfully.

Seeing Gaode’s attitude, Mr. Shore couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction. After briefly going over a few more details to ensure the survival rate of the eggs, he tossed the key to the Poisonous Insect Cultivation Room to Gaode and hurried away without looking back.

Alchemists were always busy.

Watching Mr. Shore disappear into the distance, Gaode finally put away the key and began to stroll around the Hatchery. Since he was already here, he might as well finish today’s work.

The next moment, Gaode cast Detect Poison, checking for any eggs that were about to hatch.

Sure enough, after spending nearly half of a two-hour block inspecting all 269 eggs, Gaode actually found four eggs that had already developed toxins. He quickly cast Mage’s Hand, carefully extracting the four eggs from the small incubators in the Hatchery, and then placed them into their corresponding large incubators in the Cultivation Room based on their species.

After finishing the inspection and confirming that the temperature and humidity of each incubator were within the optimal range for the eggs, Gaode closed the doors of the Poisonous Insect Cultivation Room once more.

His Poisonous Insect Cultivation work for the day was considered complete.

He pulled out his pocket watch to check the time. Before he knew it, it was already time for dinner. Gaode hurried to the dining hall without stopping.

For this meal, he restrained himself, ordering a commoner’s set meal worth 4 copper coins, consisting of rye bread, pea soup, and a piece of smoked pork.

….

After finishing his dinner, Gaode returned to Building 30 in the First District.

Almost as soon as he entered his room, Gaode eagerly headed to the kitchen and opened the clay pots where the fruit drinks, brewed with Leakless Water, were fermenting. At this point, a full day had passed since he had cast Water Creation Skill+ yesterday. Now was the time to verify if his hypothesis held true.

When Gaode lifted the lids off the clay pots, that familiar, peculiar, and ethereal fragrance, mixed with a faint fruity scent, wafted up from the rims and drifted into his nose.

An uncontrollable wave of joy immediately surged in his heart. The Leakless Water in the clay pots had not vanished!

After half a day of fermentation, the Leakless Water in the pots had undergone slight color shifts, indicating that some subtle, essential changes had taken place. It was precisely this change that allowed the Leakless Water to remain.

His hypothesis was proven!

In fact, the loophole concerning the Water Creation Skill was not difficult to discover. The main reason it had never been found—or rather, never became widely known—was simply that there was no need for it.

The sole purpose of the Water Creation Skill was to conjure drinking water for emergencies, and the purpose of conjuring drinking water was to drink it. If the water produced by the Water Creation Skill wasn’t consumed within a day and subsequently dissipated, no one would care in the slightest. Because whenever it was needed, one could simply cast the Water Creation Skill again. Who would go through the immense trouble of researching how to preserve the drinking water created by the Water Creation Skill?

Gaode wouldn’t either. The only reason he went through all this immense trouble was to preserve the Leakless Water produced by Water Creation Skill+.

Gaode clenched his fists and thought to himself, “I’ll just test it tomorrow to see if the effects of the Leakless Water are still there after the fermentation process.”

If the efficacy could also be maintained, this remaining nearly one gallon of Leakless Water fruit drink could last him almost a month if he drank it sparingly. And during this month-long period, as long as he kept up his “daily draws,” if he managed to pull Leakless Water even once more, he could replenish his stock.

Where there is one, there will be a second. Gaode believed that drawing Leakless Water would absolutely not be a one-time occurrence.

While deep in thought, he scooped out the crushed fruit chunks from the clay pots to prevent further fermentation, keeping the Leakless Water from undergoing more potential changes in efficacy. Once that was done, Gaode resealed the small clay pots and walked over to the large clay pot.

With a slight shift in Gaode’s thoughts, Mana was already beginning to flow. Liquid immediately began to gush into the empty large clay pot.

This was his “first daily draw” of the day.

In just a few seconds, two gallons of liquid filled the pot. Gaode sniffed. A familiar, rich, and sweet aroma hit his face.

Damn it, another pity pull!

…..

For the remainder of the evening, the task Gaode assigned himself was to read through the general books spanning various fields that he had borrowed from the Library. He had to make up for his lack of “common sense” in these areas in the shortest possible time.