Comprehensive Improvement

The number of worker bees increased by ten. A look of satisfaction flashed in Bai Yi's eyes. These worker bees were the key to defeating the two silvers earlier. Those small metal balls—those were the worker bees.

The honeycomb was very special. It was the most expensive and difficult piece of equipment to make on White Plague.

It required mithril, a rare metal, and each gram of it cost ten gold coins. To build a bronze-level beehive, at least 20,000 gold coins were required.

Moreover, the worker bees inside the hive were ridiculously expensive—fifty gold coins each—and very fragile. One could hire a transcendent for a month with the cost of just one bee.

For instance, during the previous fight, two of the worker bees had been destroyed, which cost Miss Elf an entire month's salary.

The three that transformed into guns also required maintenance, which came to around thirty gold coins.

It was all absurdly expensive, but undeniably useful.

Ordinary bronze alchemists could only dream of having their own beehive. They would have to work for years to afford one.

And if the manufacturing process failed, well, they might as well consider jumping off a building—there would be nothing left to hold on to in this world.

Additionally, the maintenance costs at the bronze level were high. Before Bai Yi arrived in Dongwu City, maintaining such a device had been a strenuous task.

This was the reality of being an alchemist or mage: poor in material wealth, but rich in knowledge—at least in theory—though they had no money for food.

Bai Yi glanced at the attributes of the other two pieces of equipment and closed the panel with satisfaction. The upgraded equipment was sufficient for now. He decided to save his remaining skill point for a time when a particular subject became difficult to understand. His mind was still sharp enough to absorb more knowledge at the moment.

As for the 2,000 experience points left, he'd save them for later when he needed to level up.

Beep, beep.

Bai Yi turned his attention to the row of treasure chests, one of which was flashing with a white light. This indicated that something was being transmitted through the cash register.

When the white light faded, Bai Yi walked over and opened the treasure chest. Inside, there was a stack of brand-new books, and on top of the pile was a note:

*"My friend, the goods have been delivered. You now owe me 31,030 gold coins. I plan to deduct this amount from the firearm transaction."*

Bai Yi flipped through the books casually. The pages detailed explanations and combinations of various poisons, along with intricate depictions of highly toxic alchemical inscriptions.

The boss was not a player, and his panel didn't seem to have the one-click learning feature that broke down knowledge into skills.

But that made sense. Knowledge was just knowledge. For example, Bai Yi was able to upgrade his equipment because, even at the bronze level, he had already gained a deep understanding of silver-level alchemy.

If a player were at the bronze level, they could only learn bronze skills, one by one. For instance, learning to craft a recovery potion and a mental recovery potion would mean learning two separate skills.

This was because players didn't need to understand the underlying principles. As long as they had the materials and knew the required procedures, they could quickly craft potions with little effort.

That was why alchemists weren't especially popular among players. Bai Yi had chosen alchemy mainly because it allowed him to earn real money.

This game was extremely popular, with one gold coin equivalent to ten RMB. A bottle of a bronze-level potion could sell for dozens of silver coins, and by working hard for a day, one could not only level up but also earn around 200 RMB—quite a lucrative endeavor. The higher the level, the faster the money came in.

Before he crossed over, Bai Yi had only been level 21, but he was already earning close to 1,000 RMB a day. Many players planned to support themselves by making money in the game while enjoying the scenery.

It was many times better than working hard in the real world.

Bai Yi randomly opened one of the books and began reading it carefully. As he focused, he felt that this knowledge was remarkably easy to understand. The alchemical inscriptions required for certain potions seemed to click in his mind instantly, almost as if they were already familiar to him.

As more knowledge flowed into his consciousness, Bai Yi became increasingly absorbed. The Alchemist Demon was helping him master alchemy at an accelerated pace.

He had always had a natural talent for alchemy, but now he was becoming a genius.

Time passed slowly. Meanwhile, the assembly line on the other side of the shop was picking up speed, and some polished metals were transferred to the corner of the laboratory.

Bai Yi raised his head, stretched, put down the books filled with knowledge and alchemical poison recipes, and stood up to walk toward the materials.

Buzz~

The immense machine roared to life, distorting the air inside with its heat. Bai Yi threw some materials into the machine, beginning the process of melting them down.

At the same time, the white plagues that didn't need smelting began being assembled and engraved with alchemical arrays.

*You made a bronze Barrett Energy Gun. Experience +50, alchemical technology proficiency +3.*

*You made a bronze Barrett Energy Gun. Experience +45, alchemy technology proficiency +3.*

*You made...*

*Your level has increased to level 32, gaining an additional 3,000 experience points.*

*You made a bronze Barrett.*

In the grip of deep concentration, Bai Yi lost track of time. Whenever his mind became fatigued from carving alchemical inscriptions, he drank a bottle of mental recovery potion.

Unfortunately, there were not many high-quality potions left, and now they were starting to run low on the mage potions they had bought from outside.

Nonetheless, Bai Yi's non-stop work was paying off. The batch of weapons, originally expected to take half a month, was completed in just ten days.

If not for the limited materials, Bai Yi felt he could have tried crafting the silver-level Barrett.

The Barretts Bai Yi was making were ultimate products. The energy explosions they created pushed the limits of the strongest alloy currently available, and the alchemical engravings primarily reinforced the gun bodies.

Reaching the material's upper limit meant reaching the upper limit of its power. For now, the damage these materials could cause was enough to offset their flaws.

After installing the last sight, Bai Yi, now pale and exhausted, leaned back, took a final look at his current panel, and smiled as he drifted into sleep.

---

**Updated Panel**

**Host**: White Plague

**Race**: Human

**Template**: Alchemist

**Occupation**: Alchemist

**Level**: 32 (40,460/60,000)

**Experience**: 8,000

**Gold Coins**: 6,031

**Personal Attributes**: Strength 10, Agility 10, Endurance 10, Intelligence 85, Spirit 198, Charm 7, Luck 1

**Free Attribute Points**: 0

**Legend Degree**: 30 (A well-known profiteer whose products are perfect, and people are always eager to buy from him)

**Rank**: Lower Silver

**Skills**:

- **Elementary Alchemy**: 2,756/3,000 (Expand)

- **Intermediate Alchemy Technology**: 3,585/5,000 (Expand)

- **Elementary Alchemy Transformation**: 1,005/3,000 (Expand)

**Skill Points**: 1

**Personal Expertise**: Highly focused, profiteer

**Boss Template Specialties**: Alchemist, Spiritual Growth, Spiritual Defense, Soul Gourmet

**Boss Growth**: You can choose a boss specialty every ten levels. Current number of selectable specialties: 0

**Evaluation**: A lucky individual who broke the original trajectory. His ambition is no longer to take over Blood Hell Greedy Wolf's position, but to become a brand-new boss. Perhaps the legend of alchemy is being born in this very moment.