A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 46: Twist Upon Twist
Chapter 46: Twist Upon Twist

Not long after Sims left, Arix finally finished brewing all the potion materials.

”Phew!” Arix sighed in relief, looking at all the potions covering the floor. She glanced out the window, seeing a sky painted crimson by the sunset, indicating twilight had arrived.

By now, Drexel’s training must have wrapped up, and she was probably waiting for Arix in her hospital room.

After tidying herself up a bit, Arix quietly left the Chemistry Department without drawing any attention.

In the testing room, Sims placed the potion he had taken from Arix into a specialized potion analyzer and pressed the start button. The indicator light came on, and a 3D screen lit up above the analyzer, showing a line of text indicating the potion was being tested.

Ten seconds later, a soft ”ding” signaled that the test had finished, and lines of results slowly appeared on the screen.

Potion Name: Planet-Class Potion for Healing

Purity: 99.99%

Efficacy Utilization Rate: 100%

Impurity Retention Rate: 0.01%

Quality Rating: 100/100

Sims stared intently at the results. He rubbed his eyes a few times to make sure he hadn’t misread them.

”This little girl is an absolute prodigy for potion-making, with a bright future ahead!” Sims praised as he stroked his beard, nodding in approval.

After a moment of admiration, Sims grabbed the potion and set off to find Arix. He wanted to ask her if she needed a mentor.

He was a renowned Master Chemist, a top figure in the Alliance’s Chemistry field, and he had no problem thickening his skin to recommend himself.

The more Sims thought about it, the more delightful the idea seemed, and he was already envisioning Arix as his student.

It looked like he would have a new apprentice after today.

Feeling elated, Sims headed to Arix’s brewing room, only to find it empty.

”30, where’s the young lady that was here?” Sims asked, a little stunned.

A sense of foreboding washed over him. ’Has my future prized apprentice have flown away?’

”Not sure. I haven’t seen her in a while,” Assistant 30 replied, equally puzzled.

”How can you not know where she went?” Sims’s anger was on the verge of exploding when he suddenly heard an apologetic voice behind him.

”Master Sims, I’m sorry. The spaceship over at Ceres had a malfunction, so I had to wait for the next one to arrive,” said a polite young man, clearly embarrassed as he approached Sims.

”And who are you?” Sims asked, bewildered.

”Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Grantham. Headquarters sent me to the Fifth Legion as support. I’m a Star-Class chemist,” Grantham said with a courteous smile.

”You...!” Sims’ eyes widened as he pointed a trembling finger at Grantham, his face shifting between shades of pale and flushed.

It wasn’t until this moment that Sims suddenly recalled a few details. He remembered that the young girl initially seemed hesitant to follow him but only did so after hearing what he said.

It turned out that he had gotten it wrong from the start.

Sims almost spat blood in frustration. His whole spirit seemed drained. After dismissing the two men, he wandered the Chemistry Department alone and confirmed that the young girl had already left.

”I got to find her. I’ll definitely take this apprentice,” Sims said stubbornly. He opened his opticomputer and sent a communication request to his cousin’s grandson, a young man he trusted a lot.

Kellan was in his office dealing with paperwork. When he saw it was Sims, he set his pen down and asked with concern, ”Grandpa Sims, what do you need?”

”Kid, I need you to help me find someone.” Seeing Kellan’s concern, Sims felt much better.

”Do you know this person? Any distinguishing features?” Kellan asked warmly.

”No, I don’t know her. She looks like a girl about 18 or 19, dressed in training gear and pretty adorable. Oh, right, she had her left arm in a sling,” Sims replied after thinking for a moment.

Kellan grew increasingly silent as he listened. He finally pulled out a photograph and asked, ”Are you talking about her?”

Sims took a close look, and then his face broke into a wrinkled grin. ”Yes, yes, that’s the girl! Kellan, how do you have her photo? Is she your girlfriend?”

Kellan awkwardly looked at Sims and quickly explained, ”Her name is Arix Kering. Now do you know who she is?”

Sims was stunned for a moment and then fell into an incredulous silence as he remembered, ”Arix... wait! That girl is your sister?”

Kellan nodded firmly and said seriously, ”Yes, that’s right.”

Sims felt both joy and anger at once. He was elated that the prodigy he had sought so diligently turned out to be his own family. He was angry that if Arix hadn’t been lost all those years ago, he could have started training her much sooner. By now, he might have made her the strongest chemist in the Alliance.

He told himself not to dwell on it because the thought alone made his heart ache.

”Are you okay?” Kellan asked, worried as he watched Sims switch between frowning, laughing, and anger.

”I’m fine! I’m just happy!” Sims growled through gritted teeth, his face twisting.

”...” Kellan silently watched the old man with a look of someone ready to devour the world and dared not say a word.

”By the way, Kellan, where is my little Moon Pie staying now?” Sims was so busy wallowing in regrets that he nearly forgot to ask for the address.

”Legion Hospital, Room 505,” Kellan said.

”Alright, got it. You go ahead and take care of your business,” Sims said, ending the video call.

He then prepared to head to the hospital but paused to think it over. He suddenly remembered that he had made the innocent Arix brew potions the entire afternoon. His little Moon Pie must be utterly exhausted now, so he decided to wait until tomorrow to find her.

Still feeling somewhat guilty about mistaking her identity earlier, Sims returned to the Chemistry Department while quietly calculating his next steps.