Chapter 111: 【potion Tester】【soldier Breeder】
“…I estimate those old seeds aren’t just unhappy about this exception, but more afraid that once the floodgates open, there will be more ‘exceptions.'”
Combining this announcement, Su Chen roughly deduced the Chief Judge’s tactic: “Chong Jingtian is even more ruthless, directly pulling the rug out from under them, making the positions of those old seeds precarious as well.”
Normally, such reforms are hard to push through, but this time, with the two of them as bait, an entry point was found.
“Tsk, increasingly interesting…”
Although his core seed position seems unstable, he doesn’t care. This challenge system cannot proceed under unfair circumstances.
And in fair combat, he fears no one.
“What’s the public opinion in the Inner Court? What’s their reaction to this announcement?” Su Chen asked Zero, telling him to compile it.
“Currently, the voices are very mixed, with all sorts of opinions.”
Su Chen realized: “They haven’t reacted yet.”
It seems this announcement hit those people hard.
“The higher-ups haven’t specified how the challenge system will be implemented, so there’s likely a follow-up.”
Thinking of this, Su Chen unconsciously took a sip of hangover soup, “Or perhaps, the Chief Judge is waiting for them to attack, deliberately revealing a flaw?”
Those old seeds entered the Court of Justice early and have high ranks. There are very few who can challenge them. Without a fair method, this reform will end in vain.
After watching the spectacle for a while, Su Chen replied to messages one by one, mostly “I don’t know,” “I don’t understand,” and “I’m not clear.”
“There’s nothing much to do for now. The Gu Family will likely only send the ‘Ghostly Spirit Essence’ this afternoon.”
Ghostly Spirit Essence, this was agreed upon with Gu Bing, to be used for the latter half of the Second Order mental-type profession, as an auxiliary potion.
It will be purchased by the Gu Family, with sixty portions supplied monthly, plus thirty additional portions of “Black Water.”
After all, the Court of Justice’s ration is only one portion per day, and during Nan Feng’s time, he consumed two auxiliary potions a day.
And now, with his talent further improved, the consumption rate is estimated to increase again, requiring at least two portions.
“I’ll head to the Translation Department first and chat with Elder Sang, to see if there are any special professions for upgrading weapons.” Su Chen said after breakfast, sighing:
“So much to do. Since joining the Court of Justice, I haven’t properly trained yet. I’ve already contacted the Translation Department to build rapport, so there shouldn’t be much else.”
After taking a shower and changing clothes, Su Chen left the villa and specifically went to Old Xia’s villa, but he still wasn’t there.
“A dragon that shows its head but not its tail…” Su Chen opened the virtual screen and sent him a message.
The Court of Justice provided him with a dedicated driver and a exclusive luxury car for core seeds for normal outings.
The modified hover car, with its exterior covered in brilliant silver armor, had flowing bands of pearly white energy on its surface.
“…A heavy armor modified hover car, made with refined silver star alloy and engraved shields, capable of withstanding the full attack of a Third Order Professional…”
Standing in front of the car introducing it was also a mechanical puppet, not a real person, fully equipped.
“Not bad… not bad…” Su Chen nodded with satisfaction. The Court of Justice truly excels in providing benefits.
This thing also has camouflage technology, able to disguise itself as a seemingly ordinary hover car.
Su Chen sat in the back seat and was surprised to find there was a mini refrigerator.
The hover car connected from the Court of Justice’s hover car track to the city’s track.
The Court of Justice’s location was almost at the heart of Ying Feng. From here, it wasn’t far to any destination, and the hover car was very fast, constantly traveling in the high-speed lane.
He soon arrived at the Translation Department. The temporary identification given to him by Sang Hanhai was still valid, allowing him to pass through smoothly.
“…This combination of characters seems to mean ‘digest’…”
“…I’m afraid not. Based on my experience, it should mean ‘create’…”
“…Elder Sang, you are proficient in Xith, but Bolar is my domain…”
As soon as he entered the laboratory, Su Chen saw Jin Yunxuan standing opposite Sang Hanhai with a helpless bitter smile, while Sang Hanhai’s expression was quite displeased.
“Su Chen?”
Noticing the commotion, both turned their heads simultaneously.
“Haha…” Sang Hanhai laughed heartily, “Isn’t this our core seed? You honor us with your visit. Please forgive our poor reception.”
“Please don’t tease me, Elder.” Su Chen gave a wry smile. Although Sang Hanhai seemed to be joking, he could keenly sense a subtle shift in his attitude.
Sang Hanhai said with interest: “I misjudged you. If I had known, I would have pulled you into the Translation Department earlier.”
“Does the Translation Department also consider profession talent?” Su Chen asked in surprise.
“No, but it would have annoyed Chong Jingtian,” Sang Hanhai replied frankly.
Su Chen: “…”
“Brother Su Chen, you truly made a name for yourself overnight,” Jin Yunxuan also chimed in, his attitude even more amiable than last time, with a smile on his face.
For the past two days, discussions about Su Chen and Chu Xuan had been incessant.
Having personally interacted with Su Chen before, he paid even more attention. Upon learning that Su Chen had become a core seed, after a bout of jealousy, a sense of relief followed.
Fortunately, he hadn’t taken his anger out on Su Chen because of Yang Yan last time. Perhaps a little, but after learning he was Xia Hanshi’s student, he had already shown goodwill, so it wasn’t a big deal.
If Yang Yan were here, he’d probably ridicule him a couple of times… Su Chen looked at the smiling Jin Yunxuan, but his understanding of his own identity deepened.
The Court of Justice’s core seed > Xia Hanshi’s student
Even though the two overlapped in a sense, the former was clearly more valued by others.
“What brings you to the Translation Department?” Sang Hanhai asked casually, “Don’t tell me you’re actually planning to put in hard work in translation.”
“Energy is limited. If you were just an ordinary seed, I wouldn’t mind cultivating you, but if Chong Jingtian knew that a core seed was wasting time learning ancient languages with me, he’d probably blast me.”
“I am indeed interested in ancient languages,” Su Chen said, but then shifted his tone: “However, I do have something I’d like to ask about today.”
“Ask?” Sang Hanhai glanced at him, “You kid, you beat around the bush. What is it?”
“I have a few weapons that I’ve used for a long time and am accustomed to. I wanted to ask if there are any professions that can upgrade weapons…” Su Chen felt he hadn’t explained clearly enough, so he added: “Not the usual melting materials, reforging…”
“I understand what you mean, you want to upgrade a First Order weapon to Second Order, right?” Sang Hanhai said casually.
Su Chen was stunned. Before coming, he felt his request might be a bit strange and had deliberately phrased it circuitously, but hearing Sang Hanhai’s words, he couldn’t help but ask: “Is there such a profession?”
Sang Hanhai walked over and poured a cup of hot water, drinking it slowly. “Of course there is. Not to mention you, who are used to specialized weapons, many professions are inherently paired with weapons.”
Su Chen suddenly remembered Hu Xiang. He seemed to be some kind of Flame Spear Master.
“Soldier Breeder…” Sang Hanhai didn’t keep him in suspense, spitting out a name: “It’s not a conventional weapon maker, so you don’t need to learn knowledge about materials, forging, tempering, etc.”
“It can collect corresponding materials based on the weapon’s characteristics, and then consume mental power to cause it to transform.”
At this point, Sang Hanhai shook his head, “But this transformation consumes far more materials than normal forging.”
“And it can only nurture a fixed number of weapons, without being able to forge more. Some weapon makers will specifically nurture low-level weapons when crafting high-level weapons, to find the optimal material ratio.”
“It has no advantages, but many disadvantages.”
Su Chen’s eyes lit up. An old man is like a treasure! He thought it would be a difficult problem before, but in Sang Hanhai’s words, a solution was presented in a few sentences.
Isn’t this exactly the profession he needed?
“Want it?” The old man saw the craving in Su Chen’s eyes and teased, “Too bad, you’ve already used up your exchange opportunity last time.”
“You can either buy it with money or exchange it with a profession. I remember Soldier Breeder should be a C-class special profession. For individual purchase… as a core seed, it should only cost five million, but you’ll need to sign a non-disclosure agreement.”
Su Chen’s mouth twitched. He hadn’t yet acquired the five million shortfall for “Mystic Energy Crystals.”
He thought of the top-tier professions he had mastered. Taking out one of them would probably be enough for an exchange.
“The actual use of Soldier Breeder is not great. After a period of use, one can adapt to the weapon’s feel,” Jin Yunxuan reminded him. “The materials wasted on upgrading low-level weapons might not be much, but for high-level ones, ministers and chief judges will feel the pinch.”
“Continue upgrading. If too much is wasted, just switch weapons. The initial investment is also significant.”
Jin Yunxuan made sense, but Su Chen’s eyes flashed as he looked at an instrument on the table behind the two of them. A holy word stone the size of a palm was placed there, but due to the angle, its contents were not visible.
“Is that a new holy word stone?” Su Chen bypassed the topic and inquired.
Sang Hanhai assumed he was ready to give up, as the profession of upgrading weapons consumed a lot of materials yet didn’t significantly increase its intensity, and few people in the Crafting Department were willing to deal with it.
“Yes, it was sent by Yuan Poshan, and we are deciphering it,” Sang Hanhai didn’t hide anything. An undeciphered holy word stone, let alone a glance, one could look at it ten times, and it would be useless even with photographic memory.
Su Chen took two steps forward, and after just two steps, he could clearly see the flickering symbols on it.
【 Discovered special profession–Potion Tester. Can be taken up after fulfilling job appointment requirements. 】
【 Requirement for job appointment, one: Digest over ten thousand auxiliary potions no lower than one’s own rank. 】
Just one job appointment requirement?
Su Chen was slightly surprised. This kind of profession was truly a first. Digesting ten thousand potions sounds like a lot, but it’s actually not difficult.
He had already completed one-tenth of it.
【 The Potion Tester, to express its supreme reverence for the Great Venerable, has decided to directly appoint the host. 】
It’s done already?
Su Chen raised an eyebrow. He wasn’t surprised. Such a small profession, when it entered, could only serve as cannon fodder. Let alone the Great Venerable, other professions would be enough to give him trouble.
“Hey!”
His vision went dark, and an old face suddenly appeared. Sang Hanhai stared at him suspiciously, “Kid, what are you doing?”
“Don’t tell me you’re trying to memorize the symbol changes on it?”
“No…” Su Chen shook his head, with a strange expression that was like constipation mixed with diarrhea, “I feel like this thing is… calling me…”
“What did you say?”
Sang Hanhai’s only remaining eyeball bulged, his brows furrowed tightly, and he stared suspiciously at Su Chen.
Jin Yunxuan next to him was taken aback, and after a frown, a fleeting hint of amusement crossed his face.
This kid couldn’t possibly be saying that he, too, could resonate with this holy word stone, could he?
“I think… I can also resonate with this holy word stone.”
Jin Yunxuan froze. He actually said it.
“Can also resonate?”
Sang Hanhai wasn’t excited, his expression turning solemn. “Kid, don’t blame me for speaking plainly. If you dare to fool me, no one’s name will protect you.”
The surrounding staff all cast their gazes over. Some hadn’t clearly heard the conversation, while others looked bewildered.
What he said… Su Chen remained silent for a moment, seemingly feeling more carefully, and then his expression became even firmer: “That’s right, I can feel it!”
“It’s similar to the sense I had with that profession last time, just weaker.” He kept some information to himself. Last time, he wanted to obtain the 【 Saint 】 profession as quickly as possible, so he finished it in three days. But this time, he didn’t plan to rush.
“Prove it to me,” Sang Hanhai pointed at the holy word stone. He looked amiable because he had a very good impression of Su Chen.
But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t get angry.
Sang Hanhai was somewhat suspicious. What was Su Chen’s situation? Was he seeking attention?
It didn’t seem like it. Could it be that Heaven-Bestowed Translator could truly resonate with all holy word stones?
He felt it was even more impossible. His gaze was fixed on Su Chen, who was walking towards the holy word stone.
Su Chen pretended to pick up the holy word stone. He had no idea what resonating felt like, so he furrowed his brows, putting on a constipated expression.
“Professor Sang, Su Chen might just be experiencing some illusion. The material of the holy word stone is special, and there have been similar situations before…” Jin Yunxuan said from the side.
Unfortunately, before he could finish, Sang Hanhai interrupted him with a raised hand, “Stop talking.”
Jin Yunxuan shrugged. He wasn’t really covering for Su Chen anyway; he was just trying to be friendly, and saying it was enough.
A moment later, Su Chen sighed and said, “It seems like I need to digest something…”
Hmm!
Jin Yunxuan’s expression suddenly changed, becoming extremely astonished, because before Su Chen arrived, he and Sang Hanhai were arguing whether it was “digest” or “create.”
Could this guy really resonate with this holy word stone, and even all holy word stones?
Impossible!
Jin Yunxuan subconsciously disbelieved it, feeling an indescribable sense of defeat.
The assessments at the Translation Department were even more stringent than those at the Court of Justice, recruiting only one person every two to three years. His professional talent wasn’t very high, only Brilliant Silver.
However, his talent in ancient languages and deciphering holy word stones had been praised by several old professors.
The surrounding staff exchanged glances, finding it incredible.
It could actually resonate!
Sang Hanhai’s only eye twitched, and his furrowed brows gradually relaxed. He looked at Jin Yunxuan, “Little Jin, it seems… I was right.”
Jin Yunxuan forced a smile, “You are very experienced, Elder. I still have much to learn.”
The information I revealed… they should have roughly deciphered it. Su Chen understood from their reactions.
“Su Chen…” Sang Hanhai pondered, then turned to Jin Yunxuan, “Little Jin, you can go back now.”
Jin Yunxuan’s expression shifted. He also wanted to know more about Su Chen’s situation, but Sang Hanhai had already asked him to leave, so he had to turn and depart.
“Anyone who leaks even a bit of what happened today will be punished according to the confidentiality clause,” Sang Hanhai’s voice turned cold as he swept his gaze over all the staff present.
Su Chen could clearly see some of them tremble.
The auxiliary staff working here were already handpicked, not people who were flamboyant.
They had also signed confidentiality agreements. Generous compensation naturally came with hefty penalties for breach of contract.
Sang Hanhai remained silent and led Su Chen to the lounge. His expression was complex, changing several times before he finally couldn’t help but say, “It’s actually true.”
“The essence of a Heaven-Bestowed Translator is not about professions, but about sensing holy word stones. It’s just that others’ sensing intensity isn’t enough…”
Su Chen didn’t need to say anything more; he had already found his own explanation.
“Is that so…” Su Chen was a bit lost and couldn’t help but say, “Why don’t we find a few more holy word stones and experiment.”
“There are no more,” Sang Hanhai waved his hand.
“No more?” Su Chen’s voice rose slightly upon his attempt to get something for free failing.
Sang Hanhai explained, “For our Translation Department, the valuable part of a holy word stone is the recorded profession. Once the profession is deciphered and confirmed to be sound.”
“The holy word stone has no further value to us. Other departments need its materials, and they have all been submitted.”
“Besides, there were none before, but there will be in the future. There will be opportunities to verify.”
Sang Hanhai didn’t care about this point, but Su Chen realized that the value of the holy word stone was even higher than he had anticipated.
“Then, if I help you decipher this profession, can I exchange it for Soldier Breeder?” Su Chen asked.
“You’re still thinking about that,” Sang Hanhai seemed absent-minded, “We’ll discuss its ranking later…”
Su Chen was speechless in his heart. This is the profession I care about.
“Don’t tell anyone about this matter,” Sang Hanhai suddenly came to his senses and said sternly, “Including Xia Hanshi.”
“Understood,” Su Chen nodded solemnly, trying his best to appear attentive.
“You can go back now.”
Unexpectedly, Sang Hanhai dismissed him.
“Uh, I’ll come back tomorrow then?” Su Chen asked tentatively.
“Mm,” Sang Hanhai nodded. Su Chen then left step by step. At the entrance of the lounge, he hesitated and turned back,
“I heard from others that holy word stones are an important medium for communicating with Strange Gods. Does our Ying Feng have any other uses?”
Sang Hanhai seemed still somewhat dazed. After a moment, he reacted, “Do you know why the various lower-tier cities can break through the mist and communicate with Ying Feng remotely?”
He didn’t wait for Su Chen to ask and stated the answer: “They consume holy word stones. Of course, the process is quite complicated, but you understand.”
“This is just one of the functions of holy word stones.”
“That’s indeed very important…” Su Chen feigned understanding, but sighed inwardly. This thing is essential. Sang Hanhai wasn’t lying to him.
As far as he knew, Nan Feng had to contact Ying Feng more than ten times a month. Otherwise, if they were suddenly wiped out from such a distance, Ying Feng wouldn’t even know.
He probably wouldn’t see the previous holy word stones anymore.
Seeing Su Chen leave, Sang Hanhai sat down lost in thought. After a long while, he got up again and hurried out of the laboratory towards the deeper parts of the Translation Department.
Turning left and right, he arrived at a small grove deep within the Translation Department. Amidst the overlapping foliage, a small building stood within.
“Senior Brother…” he knocked and entered, arriving in the study.
An elder with white hair and beard was sitting at a desk, holding a small jade screwdriver in his left hand, and a palm-sized stone in his other.
Its brilliance flickered, resembling a holy word stone, but it had no text or symbols on it.
“Hanhai…” the elder put down the stone in his hand and sighed, “This Divine Language… is truly too difficult.”
