CHAPTER 526: CHAPTER 258: YOU NEED SOME VOLUNTEERS_2

Immediately following this, Ethan discovered what made him unique.

It seemed that his "character panel" did not have the value of Rationality, whether when meeting with Old Ba or Old An, his mind was extremely stable, with none of the symptoms summarized by the Reception Bureau, and he could guarantee sleeping like a baby that night.

As for Lindong’s mental state, Ethan speculated it was likely bolstered by her "future version."

After conversing with Sincaro, Ethan’s view of this world changed dramatically. He constantly felt that various signs indicated that "Future Lindong" might very well be the final Boss in the game, as only an entity of that level could possess the ability to control time.

Ethan subconsciously glanced at Lindong, only to find her looking back, squinting her eyes with a smile, harmless as a kitten.

Hmm, upon closer inspection, he felt that it didn’t quite match; how could a final Boss be so cute?

Based on numerical theory, Ethan believed that the concept of polluted zones or the magic web leaned towards the design of game instances, where players could acquire important knowledge and equipment, while the Rationality value served as a limit to prevent players from entering instances too frequently. This is common in large-scale online games, where instances for obtaining high-level equipment in the current version often have a weekly entry limit.

If this theory is correct, there should be natural ways to restore rationality value, otherwise, it would become the worst setting, potentially flooding player forums with angry comments.

Just for some reasons, this world became abandoned, never awaited by players, and its natives naturally couldn’t research ways to restore rationality value.

And now, here he was, not the only one.

In a sense, Transmigrators are like players, gaining the privilege of early access.

Ethan thought of the magic potion related to alchemy, suddenly having a deeper understanding of this "non-believer" path.

Alchemy, elemental cartography, and magic weapon forging are extraordinary paths that don’t require belief in any Divine Spirit. From a gaming perspective, they are side professions each player can learn, not at odds with their predetermined path; the magic potion for restoring rationality value is likely a product of alchemy.

"Teacher, has anyone ever tried using special materials from polluted zones or the magic network to brew magic potions?"

Upon hearing this, Lindong immediately cast a gaze filled with humanistic concern.

This was a terrifying idea, even she thought it was crazy.

She shook her head, "Alchemy most fears the misuse of unknown materials, as that could lead to unexpectedly severe consequences."

Brewing magic potions with materials from polluted zones?

If the Alchemist Association knew of Ethan’s thoughts, they would certainly... uh, on second thought, those High-tier Alchemists couldn’t take on Ethan, and no one in the Empire would dare confront him, but they would definitely send an elite persuasion team to dissuade Ethan from this crazy notion.

"They approach the development of new magic potions with caution and all breakthrough recipes need to be reported to the Alchemist Association first. They undergo evaluation and approval after being discussed by masters, and experts accompany the entire brewing process. Projects of a dangerous nature also require relocation to remote areas, such as the farthest part of the northern frontier, to prevent failure during brewing from causing citywide destruction and mass casualties."

This continuous explanation left Ethan stunned.

Lindong rarely spoke at such length in one breath, and her momentum didn’t seem to cease. She wore a stony expression, monotonously repeating, "Yes, I’ve learned my lesson. From now on, I’ll adhere to the association’s procedures and never use dangerous alchemical materials in the Imperial Capital again..."

"Teacher, what have you done?"

"Just accidentally blew off the top of the Alchemist Association’s building."

Lindong’s face flushed with a shy red, becoming oddly bashful, "That day, I happened to acquire some containment liquid from the Reception Bureau, and on a whimsical thought, decided to experiment a little."

When the explosion resonated across the sky above the Imperial Capital, Lindong was petrified. By the time the High-tier Alchemists rushed over, her face was blackened by smoke, and half of the association’s roof was gone forever in the explosion.

That was also one of the few public apologies Lindong ever made.

She is a person of principles.

For those long-plotted pranks, she would never apologize; the angrier the victim, the more accomplished she felt. Yet, sometimes unexpected events happen, such as Professor Wabul’s hair, or the association roof being blasted away.

For those unexpected damages, she would indeed feel some remorse.

Ethan couldn’t speak for a long time.

Lindong’s past seemed like an epic of lawlessness.

From pranking professors at the academy to blowing up the association rooftop in the Imperial Capital, wielding her magic talent and status so no one could punish her...

Like a player!

He suddenly felt that Lindong better fit the mindset of a player; only a player would ignore the rules set by the Alchemist Association and freely combine those dangerous alchemical materials.

In the virtual world, they could blow up the association’s building seven times in a day.

If it blows, it blows, so what?

Ethan could imagine how players might view the association’s regulations, but it seemed that only through this could they quickly explore more magic potion formulas, because as long as one player’s experiment succeeded, it meant all players mastered that recipe.

"In any case, even if you really plan to do so, don’t do it in the academy’s alchemy classroom, go to the deserted island area."

Lindong showed a worried expression; she was truly frightened by that one explosion and hadn’t done such things again over the years.

She asked curiously, "Why are you suddenly interested in alchemy?"

"I speculate it might be the direction to completely cure magic addiction."

After understanding the principle behind magic addiction, Ethan suddenly found the condition unthreatening.

If the Rationality value is drained, just find a way to replenish it, which seems much more reliable than the "eight-year retirement" limitation.

But this is only in theory; there’s still a considerable journey to put it into practice.

"Teacher, how are new magic potions’ effects usually defined?"

Ethan thought for a moment and continued, "For instance, suppose we successfully brew a new magic potion that doesn’t explode, how would its function be determined?"

"Give it to the death row inmates."

Lindong said, "The Alchemist Association has long cooperated with the Imperial Prison System; unexplained magic potions, after passing animal testing, are first used on death row inmates. Theoretically speaking, the families of those death row inmates would receive a handsome sum of money."

"Theoretically?"

"In practice, I’ve heard that the money is often pocketed by the prison, and the association doesn’t verify whether the money actually reaches the families of the convicts... During my time at the association, magic potion mortality was not high, about one percent, but many potions would cause changes to the user’s body, sparking some prison riots."

Some inmates, after consuming the potion, gained immense strength, tearing open the cell bars bare-handed. Others were able to control their body size, sneaking out of the cell while unnoticed by the guards and attempting to escape prison.

But that was a game between the guards and inmates, to which Lindong was indifferent.

As they discussed this, shattered murmurs entered their ears, and with the whispers, a red fleshy layer invaded the room.

Bazatous, who had been eavesdropping for a long time, finally found a chance to join in.

The seven-eyed female calmly walked atop the fleshy fungal carpet beneath her feet, "I can provide you with volunteers."

"Old Ba? How did you get here?"

This being the real world, Ethan could hardly imagine how many people’s rationality values Old Ba had drained to zero along the way.

"I took your advice and decided to transform this place into my incubation ground. Just now, I completed the formalities, and the academy decided to hire me as the lecturer for the ’Introduction to Art’ course."

The interview process was far simpler than He imagined.

He only said two sentences throughout:

I am Bazatous.

I want to be the lecturer for this course.

Originally, He was prepared to undergo a professional theory assessment and was confident of answering any tricky questions from the academy’s interviewers from any angle.

His understanding of art had no blind spots, and only Ethan could conversate with Him to some extent.

He even thought of a course name—The Art of Flesh and Evolution.

However, until the end, the interviewers asked no questions.

These humans seemed quite pointless, yet fortunately, they had no objections to Him becoming the course lecturer.