13 Alchemy Factory

Stretching my body after doing the recovery art was amazing, my body showed signs of improving even more than my first night where I nearly broke down my body. It wasn't enough though, this would be the natural training of many people on these grounds. It only showed me that without help I'd be left behind.

Gathering up stones that were placed in my room I created around twenty little golems about a foot high. They were much like my first, with spider-like legs and arms like pestles, gathering many mortars I placed them in front of my golems giving them simple commands of grind on separate levels of fierceness once I gave them a command.

Splitting the herbs I had into different batches, I lined up mason jars beside each one before throwing the herbs in. Next came bones that I threw into the harder grinders, letting them grind away at them until they were nothing but powder.

After my grinding station was complete I filled every mortar before giving the command, adjusting their commands until they were perfect. Now I had an autonomous manufacturing line of grinders I started on making various tools, some small burners that reacted to voice commands, labeling them burner 1 through 10. Sticky pastes set beside each one with miniature cauldrons, a series of sticks linked with buttons for automatic mixing.

The final step was a series of sand glasses for various measurements of time, that would flip making a counter on them go down making a golem timer. These golems had enough mana in each to work for about an hour, and could be charged for up to ten hours of work. Fully charging them was out of the question for now as creating them cost a lot more mana.

Similarly scales were created with my tool creation spell, making metal scales out of what I remembered from my world. Oiling each one took some time but I was happy with my work, creating weights right after. With the spell I could control it down to the miligram.

With a chuckle I stopped the grinding in a few of the grinders, adding the mixture to mason jars. A few of them floated in strange mixtures that would break down the fibers and turn it more into a paste, a few added to the same mason jar before shaken then added back to the mortars.

All of this was monotonous but I was following a hundred recipes at the same time, multitasking was quite used to when assembling robotics. The pieces slowly coming into place as each mixture was refined again and again.

Pills, salves, elixirs, and tablets slowly started coming out of my little factory, piling up in stone bottles that were complete with child safety locks on them. Notifications kept ringing every time I made a set, this was my goal, to get rid of other duplicate recipes when ripping the tickets.

Within about four hours there was over seven hundred pill bottles filled, more golems worked madly in the background as I flipped switches, pushed buttons, and exchanged ingredients. Everything sailed by as a smooth working machine, speeding up every hour as I got used to things and I started adding mana to my movements. Sweat drenched my whole body as I ran around, not even noticing the knock at my door.

What snapped me out of my state of focus was when glass shattered on the ground, but I still kept up my work until I was completely done with the last of my batches. Turning around, my arms and legs shaking from exhaustion once more I stared at the two healers staring at me slack jawed.

"Ah, sorry. I didn't know that much time had passed by already." Whistling a burner started at the other side of the room, starting to boil tea I had already prepared.

"Let me get into bed so we can work on healing," grabbing one of the books that had come sometime during my work, I flipped it open, acting oblivious to their shock.

Nothing here was out of the ordinary as far as I could tell, creation magic, and golems were a cheat in the way of alchemy. I couldn't be the only person who had found this out, more than likely they were even more efficient that what I had thought of in a day. "Shut up!" I yelled over to my golems all of them stopping completely.

Joshua seeing this trembled and got to one knee, "Take me in as a subordinate!" His eyes were filled to the brim with determination before he bowed his head and I shook mine.

"You are a man belonging to another, I will not poach someone from someone at a higher status. My reputation will take a hit and make it harder in the future." I knew he had more to say, so I played my part as to not lose reputation should this get out.

"My contract ends in twenty days, after that I can freelance. I wish to instead be under your wing, I believe you have the potential to fly when I only have the means to walk." He didn't dare lift his head without a definite yes or no.

"Right now I do not need servants, I have plenty of those." I flicked the book open as Joshua looked distraught. "I could on the other hand use partners who will share the burden. Though you will need training, I can't have a bedside doctor as a friend."

Joshua's eyes lit up as he bowed deeply his head touching the ground, I immediately yelled at him, "Do friends bow to one another like that?!" A laugh came from his lips as he stood up, brushing off his robes.

"When one shows deep gratitude towards the other, then yes they do." His smile was genuine as he started chanting, immediately I grabbed at his arm stopping him from channeling magic.

"Let me see your circuit." I stared at him, this was taboo to ask unless you were his teacher, as many secrets could lay in ones circuit. He let down his guard and I circled my mana along the path his circuit provided. With a frown, I noticed his was even worse than mine was at the beginning. How he got so far with this circuit really showed his determination.

"Follow my mana with your own, this will be your new circuit." Following through the path he had, I cut off everything unnecessary and used my mana to forcefully close of places that could cause leaks. This would greatly benefit him now, and make his progress a hundred times smoother.

It wasn't as good as mine by far, but it had at least gone up to the level of mine after the first time I upgraded it. It was a lot harder to change someone else's mana circuit compared to your own. After showing him how he can better it, I could only hope that he would learn how to perfect it sooner.

Joshua's eyes were watery now, he knew how much this would benefit him in the future. Even though he was no servant I knew he would follow me into the jaws of death itself to repay his debt.

With a smile on my face, I waited for the improved healing to wash over me, my fingers flicking across the improved golem booklet. Something caught my attention before that, a shift in a shadow, a hint of danger. Someone was in the room with us and my eyes narrowed as I looked at the person I could not see.

The light of healing magic distracted me for a second and the feeling of danger was gone before I could focus on it again.

'Danger Sense forcefully upgraded due to circumstances, improved to Danger Intuition.'

It seemed as if my paranoia was not unfounded, I'll be making combative golems here soon. With a new found passion, I ate up the manual in front of me wanting to improve my golems to the next stage.

Spies? Meet your worst enemy, an autonomous security system...