Seeing the scene outside, Lan Qingyou simply curled back under her covers, hoping to get warm.
To her annoyance, the bed wasn't holding much heat either.
Irritated, she threw off the quilts, dressed quickly, and headed down to the first floor.
Checking the time, it was just past four in the morning. There were about two hours until dawn, meaning she had slept for roughly three or four hours.
"Yawn—"
Rubbing her eyes and yawning, Lan Qingyou decided not to go back to sleep.
She went straight for a hot shower to warm up and wake herself up.
Afterward, she opened the chat channel on her magic desk.
"Dammit, why did it suddenly get so cold?"
"I just lit a fire in my shelter; managed to sleep for about two hours."
"You guys might not believe this, but after I was woken up by the cold..."
"Does anyone have cotton clothes or quilts? I'm buying at a high price!"
"I actually got a quilt from a chest before, but I sold it. FML."
"Who knows why the temperature dropped so suddenly?"
"To hell with this weather."
"Good thing I chose the fireplace when I hit level two. Sitting by the hearth and chatting with you guys feels great."
"Bro, where's your shelter? I'm coming to join you."
"Beat it."
"Same here. I spent half the night moving my bed and everything next to the fireplace. Goodnight, everyone. Sweet dreams."
"Dream my ass."
Tsk tsk.
Lan Qingyou clicked her tongue in envy as she saw someone mention choosing the fireplace.
But there was nothing to be done about it.
She was an alchemist, after all. It was impossible for her to turn down an alchemy workshop when it was right in front of her.
The terrace and storage room were also essential for alchemy.
【Dedicate your everything to the cause of alchemy!】
Lan Qingyou didn't feel like she had made the wrong choice.
Hmm... since she was an alchemist, why not research a solution?
Staring blankly at her desk, the thought suddenly struck her.
Albert had said that alchemy was omnipotent.
As soon as the thought occurred to her, several potion formulas popped into her head—impressive for someone who was currently only a novice alchemist.
For instance, an oral potion to increase frost resistance. She even had the materials; she could use the ingredients for frost potions to make it.
Or perhaps a self-heating potion she could keep in her pocket, similar to a heat pack. The theory could be borrowed from the Glow Potion.
Potions generally came in two forms: oral or topical.
Regardless, they were all consumables.
The key was to see which one was easier to manufacture.
After all, she didn't want to stay cold and unable to sleep forever.
Unable to decide which was better, Lan Qingyou got up and went to the storage room to take inventory of her materials.
She quickly reached a conclusion.
She was an adult; why couldn't she have both?
In Lan Qingyou's view, these 'daily necessity' items were only E-rank anyway, so she might as well make both.
The oral version could be used for hunting or gathering resources outside.
The topical version would be very practical for keeping in bed or warming the body.
Both had their uses. This way, she could cater to any customer base. No plan was more perfect than this.
Lan Qingyou: "Send me these things when you wake up."
She sent Shang Chuan a message along with a list of materials.
To her surprise, the man wasn't asleep—or perhaps he had also been woken up by the cold.
Shang Chuan: "Is this about the temperature drop?"
Lan Qingyou: "Yes."
Shang Chuan: "Understood. I'll get on it immediately, but some items might be scarce. It might take some time."
The list contained several herbs that needed to be collected from shallow waters, such as Blood Coral and Windbreak Shells.
Normally, this wouldn't be an issue.
But in this freezing weather, getting a bunch of those brutes to dive into the sea wouldn't be easy.
So, Shang Chuan gave her a heads-up.
Lan Qingyou: "The wool comes from the sheep's back."
Lan Qingyou obviously understood what he meant. It just meant paying higher wages. Once the potions were made, she could sell them for more to recoup the costs.
She wasn't worried about that part.
After all, she would be the first to enjoy these items once they were made.
One could even say she was planning to make cold-resistance potions just so she could get a good night's sleep.
Once she received the materials from Shang Chuan, Lan Qingyou began her attempt at developing the potions.
Of course.
The 'development' was mainly for the 'heat pack' potion.
The frost resistance potion was already recorded in 《Potion-making》, so it wasn't much trouble.
Besides, it could serve as wages for the 'gatherers' willing to go into the sea now.
Once they had this stuff, their gathering efficiency would increase significantly.
【Apprentice Frost Resistance Potion (E)】
【Effect: Increases frost resistance by 10 points for 10 minutes.】
【Description: A standard apprentice-level potion. It provides a certain amount of frost resistance, but remember it is not omnipotent. You must learn to act within your capabilities.】
By the end of the first day, Lan Qingyou had manufactured a full thousand vials.
The apprentice-level ones gave 10 points of frost resistance, while the crude-grade ones only gave 7.
However, Lan Qingyou tested them and found that even the crude-grade frost resistance potions were actually sufficient; they just didn't last as long.
One vial only lasted a few minutes to ten minutes.
For Lan Qingyou, who had never gathered materials in the sea, she didn't know if that was long or short.
Thinking this, she inquired with Shang Chuan.
According to Shang Chuan, since those materials were in shallow water, ten minutes was plenty of time for the gatherers to work.
So, after one in the afternoon, Lan Qingyou handed the finished products over to Shang Chuan.
In return, Shang Chuan sent Lan Qingyou an old-fashioned kerosene heater and over a dozen liters of kerosene.
Shang Chuan: "I just received this. It has a 4.1-liter fuel tank. Theoretically, it can burn for about 15 hours on a full tank, meeting the heating needs of a space of about 11 to 17 square meters. I believe it should be enough for you."
Although Lan Qingyou hadn't mentioned her sleeping situation, Shang Chuan could guess.
Shang Chuan: "However, kerosene is a bit tight. That kerosene I gave you is all I have. I'll look into buying more later."
Shang Chuan wasn't lying.
He had originally bought this for his own use.
But considering Lan Qingyou's needs were greater, he simply sent it to her.
After all, only by providing researchers with a good working environment could he gain greater benefits.
Besides, he had a charcoal stove with a chimney he could use; it was just a bit colder.
Lan Qingyou didn't think much of it after reading his message.
After all, kerosene didn't exist in this world; it was likely all found in supply chests.
But since people could dig up coal and iron mines...
Then oil should exist in this world too.
She wondered if alchemy could extract it.
Rate on N.U.
