Kays Translations

Chapter 44: Zing!

Matthew King Henry rubbed his eyes in disbelief as he stared at Allison standing before him. He had to make sure he wasn’t seeing things wrong. After a moment of double-checking, his mouth fell open.

“Holy…? This is the greedy, miserly Allison? Am I seeing things?”

Allison gracefully approached Merlin and bowed elegantly. “Pasachi Allison, third-year senior in Alchemy and Magical Dynamics, welcomes you, junior, to the Steam & Stars Alchemical Workshop.”

“Hello, senior. I’m Leo Merlin, a first-year student in the Alchemy Department,” Merlin replied, returning a refined, noble-like bow.

Allison’s eyes lingered on him for a brief moment, caught off guard by the elegance of his gesture. She found herself staring at his face, lost in a daze.

Matthew King Henry rolled his eyes at her lovesick expression. Clearing his throat, she snapped her out of it.

Allison’s cheeks flushed slightly, and she lowered her gaze, a hint of shyness in her voice. “Hello, junior Merlin. Are you planning to commission some alchemical equipment?”

Merlin smiled faintly. “Yes, senior Allison. I intend to craft ten alchemy furnaces. But the high-tier magical crystals on this blueprint—I’d like to replace them with lower-tier crystals. After all, I can’t afford such expensive materials just yet.”

Henry’s interest immediately waned at Merlin’s suggestion to swap out the high-tier crystals. Making furnaces could still be profitable, sure, but high-tier crystals were the real money-makers.

“Junior, you’re really quite frugal,” Allison said with a soft smile. “Actually, I was planning to suggest using lower-tier crystals too. It could save you tens of thousands of gold coins. Look at this blueprint—some of the materials can be substituted with lower-grade ones. I think that would be more than sufficient.”

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, bent slightly, and spread the blueprint closer to Merlin. “These materials are rather advanced. You could completely replace some with lower-tier alternatives. By the way, Merlin, what are you planning to use these alchemy furnaces for?”

“Just for cooking food,” he replied simply.

“I see. In that case, many of the furnace’s functions can be discarded, and the temperature range can be lowered. Doing so could reduce the production cost by around forty percent…”

Henry blinked in shock. When had the greedy, miserly Allison become so generous, proactively helping a customer save money? Could it really be because his junior was just too handsome?

“Junior, this blueprint could still be optimized a little further,” Allison continued.

“Senior, what you’ve done is already perfect. I just want to know—how much would it cost to make one of these furnaces?”

Allison picked up a pen and quickly ran some calculations on the paper. Henry cleared his throat, intending to remind her that alchemists, too, needed to make money.

But Allison seemed to ignore him entirely, leaning closer to Merlin and handing him the blueprint. “With these changes, one furnace would cost around eight hundred gold coins. Of course, if you wait a little longer, the price might drop even further.”

Henry felt his heart twist painfully. Eight hundred gold coins?! A single lower-tier crystal alone cost four or five hundred, and the rest of the materials added up. Was she seriously only charging thirty to fifty coins for labor?

Merlin’s eyes lit up at the prospect of an even lower price. He grabbed Allison’s hands eagerly, his expression full of sincerity. “Senior, I’m not in a rush. I can wait if necessary.”

Allison felt her face heat to her ears at his grip. She forced her smile to stay composed, controlling her emotions. “Don’t worry, Merlin. Leave this to me. I’ll make sure you get an even better price.”

“Thank you so much, senior. Should I pay a deposit?”

Merlin pulled out a magic crystal card. Henry rolled his eyes—of course a deposit was expected; how could anyone start making a furnace without it?

Before he could speak, Allison waved him off. “No need, no need. Merlin, you were recommended by Professor Harrington, right? That makes you one of us. And for one of us, no deposit is necessary. My senior and I will handle it.”

Henry was speechless. No deposit? Even if she was slashing the price, this order was close to ten thousand gold coins! And she just said no deposit? Was she seriously planning to front the money herself?

“Isn’t this a bit… risky?” Henry tried cautiously.

“Not at all!” Allison insisted.

Henry had to stop his junior sister before she ended up paying for Merlin’s furnace herself.

Just as he was about to protest, Allison suddenly spun, unseen by Merlin, and landed an elbow strike squarely on Henry’s stomach.

Bam!

Henry doubled over, almost vomiting his breakfast. He staggered back, his face a mix of pain and disbelief as he glared at Allison.

“Henry, are you alright?” Merlin asked, noticing his unusual expression.

Allison guided him to a nearby table, letting him lean against it, and gave him a warning glance to stay quiet.

“I’m fine… maybe just a little tired, and my stomach feels uneasy,” Henry mumbled.

Allison turned to Merlin with a warm smile, taking his arm. “Junior, we’ll handle the furnace. You haven’t visited the Steam & Stars Alchemical Workshop before, right? Let me show you around and get you familiar with our alchemical environment.”

Merlin happily agreed. After all, Allison had saved him a lot of money; offering some emotional support in return was the least he could do.

About an hour later, Allison reluctantly saw Merlin off personally.

Henry, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and his stomach in the other, walked over. “Look who’s still staring—Merlin’s gone already.”

Allison rested her face in her hands, looking shy and girlish. “Senior… I think I might be in love.”

Henry sipped his coffee and sneered. “Love? That’s not love—you just want his body, you shameless girl!”

Allison pouted, a dreamy look in her eyes. “I never realized humans could be so handsome, besides elves, of course.” She glanced at Henry and sighed.

Henry frowned. “???”

“What’s that sigh for?”

Allison looked at him with utter disdain, pushing him aside lightly. “Ah, if only my partner were the handsome and clever Merlin. Working every day with an old, ugly man like you—no wonder I have no alchemical inspiration.”

Henry exploded in rage. “Zing!”

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