Chapter 36: Is This Alchemy of Yours Legal?

"My lord, Higgins is dead."

In the pitch-black study, a figure knelt on one knee, addressing the tall silhouette standing by the window, gazing out into the distance.

"I know," the tall figure replied calmly. "He did not let me down."

Hearing this, the kneeling figure looked up and asked with some hesitation, "...My lord, what should we do next?"

The tall figure turned and walked over to the kneeling man, saying coldly, "First, find Razor. I want to see him alive, or his corpse if he is dead."

"Understood." The kneeling figure lowered his head quickly. "But what about the Public Security Bureau..."

"Forget about the Public Security Bureau. The only one worth noting is that bastard, Marcus." The tall figure couldn't help but sneer. "As for the rest..."

"They are nothing but trash."

"As you say, my lord," the kneeling figure flattered. "Then I shall take my leave."

"Very well."

As the figure vanished into the darkness, the study fell into a deep silence.

It was only after a long while that a heavy sigh echoed through the room.

"Tsk..."

"The Federal Bureau of Investigation, is it..."

...

Late at night.

Leon was reflecting on the events of the day.

It was obvious that Higgins had sought his own death; anyone present at the time could see that.

As for Raymond’s testimony, there was a major discrepancy: Marcus had told them to stop bothering with the smugglers after their first arrest.

Therefore, Higgins had no reason to contact those smugglers to have them eliminated.

Thinking of this, Leon exhaled softly.

'Forget it, let the Chief and the others have the headache...'

After all, he had more important things to worry about than these matters.

Leon first glanced at the progress of his "Triple Inversion." He noticed the experience points had reached [Proficiency 143/1000], most of which had been contributed by Higgins, with a small portion gained from maintaining the Inversion state.

Even now, at home, he was maintaining the Inversion state.

Ignoring the system notification popping up again—[Triple Inversion in operation, Skill EXP +1]—Leon began to examine the "Detailed Introduction to Alchemy" he had acquired earlier.

Curious, he set the content recorded in his wristband to the opening page.

[The art of alchemy is, in reality, the unification of spirit and matter.]

Seeing the first sentence, Leon furrowed his brows slightly and muttered to himself, "Cultivating both spirit and body?"

He hadn't expected alchemy to be somewhat similar to the cultivation of a Qi practitioner.

He continued reading.

[Use the body as a furnace, the heart as a fire, and one may refine gold into a pill.]

"Internal Alchemy School?!"

Flipping back to the cover, Leon made sure he was indeed reading "Detailed Introduction to Alchemy" and not some "Tao Te Ching."

The "Golden Pill" referred to here was not the realm found in typical xianxia novels, but the Golden Pill of the Taoist Internal Alchemy school, the one that leads to the realization that "once the golden pill is swallowed, I know my fate is no longer governed by the heavens."

Having been a disciple of the San-Yi Sect for a time, Leon was naturally familiar with this.

However, he soon realized this likely referred to the literal refinement of gold into pills, as gold held a significant place in alchemy.

With a strange feeling, Leon looked at the final sentence.

[One is All, All is One...]

[This is the miracle of the Monad.]

There was nothing strange about this sentence; many metaphysical philosophies held this concept of all things returning to one.

The introduction only contained these three sentences. Leon continued to flip through the recorded content, which thereafter covered standard alchemical concepts.

For instance, the idea that the world is composed of four elements: earth, water, wind, and fire.

Since it was an introductory book, the content was not extensive, and Leon finished reviewing the entire document quickly.

"Detailed Introduction to Alchemy" provided two arrays at the end, along with the method for crafting one alchemical item.

The two arrays were [Toughness] and [Concealment], while the alchemical item was "Scale of Gallos."

However, Leon lacked not only the raw materials but even a furnace, so he clearly couldn't craft the item. He could only attempt to draw the arrays.

But drawing an array required a carving tool, and after a busy day, Leon hadn't had time to purchase tools, so he had to put it aside for now.

Thinking this, he calmed his mind and began his daily practice.

[Circulating Qi, Professional EXP +4].

[Controlling the Qi within, Skill EXP +1].

...

The next day, at the Public Security Bureau.

Leon and Danica huddled together sneakily.

"Captain, can this really sell for a lot of money?"

"It should. A regular employee at the Finance Bureau next door once obtained similar information, and the Federation bought it back for 300,000 Starlight Credits."

That was right; the two were preparing to upload the "Detailed Introduction to Alchemy" they had acquired yesterday to the Federal system to see if it could be sold back.

Leon watched nervously as Danica photographed and uploaded the book.

After all, 300,000 Starlight Credits, even divided into three, would be 100,000 each—enough to purchase information on a first-tier profession that wasn't complete garbage.

Soon, Danica received a reply.

But after reading the content, her face fell.

[We apologize, but this information has already been cataloged by the Federation. Thank you for your trust.]

Danica said, looking defeated, "I knew such good luck wouldn't come to me..."

Leon, however, silently opened the website for purchasing professional information and began searching for "Detailed Introduction to Alchemy."

But upon seeing the uploader, his expression turned peculiar.

"Captain, look."

["Detailed Introduction to Alchemy - Authored by Gallos", Uploader...]

[Governor's Office of Frontier Colony Star 9527].

Seeing the information Leon shared, Danica was stunned.

There was only one scenario in which a planetary governor's office would upload such material: it had been seized when the planet was colonized; otherwise, it would only be uploaded under a personal name.

The question was...

Could the Swarm learn alchemy?

Or, to put it another way, were these insects truly the original species of this planet?

Leon didn't believe the Zerg could learn or even create alchemy. Of course, he didn't rule out the possibility that the Zerg on this planet were an anomaly and he was simply being stereotyped.

After pondering for a moment, Leon said, "Captain, why don't you let me keep this book?"

"You want to learn it?" Danica was surprised.

It was impossibly difficult for non-artisan class professionals to learn such content unless they were truly gifted.

Leon was doing this, of course, to have a plausible excuse when he eventually revealed his own alchemy skills. By laying the groundwork now, it wouldn't seem so abrupt, sparing him from attracting the attention of those with ulterior motives.

Although she didn't believe the young man before her would succeed, Danica handed the "Detailed Introduction to Alchemy" to him.

"Then I wish you success, Master Leon."