The economic crisis in the City of Alchemy was far more severe than Ambrose had anticipated. Even the minor lords were beginning to make contingency plans, preparing for the city's potential collapse.
Yet, whether the city would fall or not was no longer Ambrose's concern. His focus had shifted entirely to the creation of spirit golems.
Under the guidance of Master Morgan, Ambrose had quickly optimized the synthetic soul technology, successfully crafting a "biomorphic" soul at a cost of around 200 gold coins.
Considering the value of a soul, 200 gold was a lavish expense—after all, even the soul of a human slave wasn't worth a single gold coin. But compared to the original magical ritual devised by Master Morgan, which cost a staggering 50,000 gold, Ambrose's expenditure was a significant reduction.
Moreover, there was still room to further cut costs.
The first step in the creation of the spirit golem was complete. However, while the soul problem was solved, designing a suitable body presented new challenges.
Living mercury was the ideal vessel for the soul, but the issue lay in its lack of internal organs upon creation.
It was unclear what the original alchemists of the city had intended, as the living mercury, despite its impressive magic resistance, was a grotesque and incomplete life form.
Without essential internal organs, the living mercury was extremely fragile. Beyond its instinctive ability to consume metal, it had no functional capabilities. Forcing a soul into it in this state would merely waste resources, prompting Ambrose to find a way to supplement the missing organs.
The best approach was to model it after the anatomy of a slime, as living mercury was essentially a modified mercury slime.
"Ah, how regrettable it is to be ill-prepared when knowledge is needed. I know almost nothing about slimes."
Even an immortal lich, faced with the boundless expanse of magical knowledge, could feel insignificant. Every year, new magical theories were published in *Legendary Enchantments*, and countless other discoveries never made it to print.
Diligent as he was, even Ambrose couldn't master every field.
At times like this, seeking expert help was the only option.
Yet, after inquiring in the Mourning Poets' Society chat group, none of the legendary undead had any expertise on slimes.
This was understandable. Slimes, as low-level creatures, were weak, ugly, and held little value, making them a niche research topic. While the undead had plenty of time, none were interested in such a trivial subject.
Left with no alternative, Ambrose retrieved past issues of *Legendary Enchantments* and painstakingly searched for any relevant information on slimes.
To his dismay, even this renowned magical journal contained only sparse mentions of slimes.
It seemed slimes truly were the epitome of insignificance.
After much contemplation, Ambrose concluded that the only remaining source of expertise on slimes was the City of Alchemy, where living mercury was originally developed.
However, with the city in the throes of a financial crisis and prices skyrocketing, seeking information there would likely result in exorbitant costs.
Ambrose, accustomed to charging others, found the prospect of being on the receiving end of such extortion as painful as bathing in holy water.
With no shortcuts in sight, he resolved to follow the most traditional method of a lich—capture a few slimes for experimentation. Dissecting a hundred or so slimes should make him an expert in the field.
Once again, Ambrose cast a transformation spell, reverting to his human form.
In this world rife with racial discrimination, a lich traveling openly would invite countless troubles. Assuming the appearance of a human boy helped him avoid unnecessary complications.
Disguised as a dark-haired youth, Ambrose left his laboratory and headed beyond the ancient castle.
As he passed by Isabelle's workshop, he glanced inside with the proprietary gaze of a capitalist.
Fortunately, the young girl was diligently working and hadn't pilfered his experimental materials.
In the past, Ambrose had created an intelligent ghoul to assist with experiments, only to find a third of his inventory devoured within days. Infuriated, he had dismantled the bloated creature to salvage what little he could.
Noticing Ambrose's presence, Isabelle looked up in surprise and quickly approached. "Teacher, it's been so long since I've seen you!"
"Teacher?"
Ambrose paused, then asked, "You're calling me teacher now?"
Isabelle nodded earnestly. "Thanks to your guidance in alchemy last time, I've made significant progress. It may be presumptuous, but I'm truly grateful and wish to address you as my teacher."
Ambrose saw no reason to refuse. He had indeed earned the title.
As her teacher, it was only fitting to inquire about her progress. "Do you have any questions lately?"
Isabelle's eyes lit up. "Yes, teacher, please wait a moment."
She retrieved her notebook and opened to a specific page. "I'm having trouble controlling the heat during belladonna extraction…"
"Watch for the appearance of bubbles. Stop heating no more than thirty seconds after the first bubble emerges."
"And the quality of the Animal Communication Potion is poor, even though I followed the recipe precisely."
"It's affected by temperature. The castle's ambient temperature is lower, so increase the suspension ratio by about five percent."
No matter what questions Isabelle posed, Ambrose answered effortlessly.
The more Isabelle asked, the more she marveled at the depth of the seemingly young man before her. Many of these questions had stumped her previous mentor, who either couldn't or wouldn't provide answers. Yet here, they were resolved with casual ease.
For Ambrose, these were basic alchemical principles—simple for a research scholar but invaluable lessons for Isabelle, who might have spent years discovering them on her own.
Awed by the treasure trove of knowledge before her, Isabelle grew increasingly respectful, even reverent, towards her new teacher.
Eager to learn more, she flipped to the back of her notebook and continued asking. "One more thing, about the Hill Giant Strength Potion…"
"Wait," Ambrose interrupted. "Is that something you can handle now?"
"Well… I found the formula, and we have the materials…"
"Ambition without skill only wastes resources. Even if I guided you step by step, you wouldn't grasp it."
His tone turned stern. Basic potions were one thing—consumable and essential for Isabelle's daily practice. But the Hill Giant Strength Potion was different, a high-grade concoction where a single failure would mean a painful loss of rare materials.
After half an hour of instruction, Ambrose finally stopped. "Alchemy is a profound discipline. Do you expect to become a master overnight? Master what I've taught you before seeking more!"
Despite the reprimand, Isabelle felt no resentment.
Compared to her former mentor, Ambrose was an angel of patience, never resorting to insults or withholding knowledge. Each answer was a precious revelation, insights her previous teacher had either dismissed or deliberately obscured.
Just as Ambrose prepared to leave, Isabelle called out once more. "Teacher, wait! I have one last question."
Ambrose turned, curious. "What is it?"
Timidly, Isabelle asked, "Teacher, you… are you an undead? The spirit of this castle, perhaps?"
Ambrose: …
End of Chapter