The Glorious Evolution

Sometime later...

The alchemist responsible for Shia’s research was a lean man with a short, graying beard and dark stains around the cuffs of his robe.

As a Certified Alchemist, he earned himself a modest reputation among clients searching the dimensional network for someone to handle their formulas.

His completed commissions brought him referrals, but the market held no shortage of Certified Alchemists, only a shortage of Masters... securing a contract required more than displaying his certification.

Clients wanted results, preferably results that resembled what they needed.

That made Shia’s project valuable to him.

A Perfect evolutionary formula suited to a Gorathi descendant would make a fine addition to his portfolio and give potential clients a reason to choose him over the other names in their search.

Unfortunately, months of research still gave him nothing worth displaying.

When Shia arrived at his laboratory with a package of materials, he assumed she wanted to fund another round of experiments.

Then she placed a set of notes beside the package and asked him to follow them to the letter.

”Miss Bloodsicle... where did you get these proportions?”

”A friend helped me work them out,” she said.

He recognized Crimson Leech’s Blood Pearl, Bloodvein Vine, and Redmarrow Coral from his research, but the other two entries surprised him... Red Lace Coagulant and Threaded Bloodstone.

He knew both materials, yet never bothered testing them for her formula. The coagulant encouraged blood to clot, while the bloodstone directed healing essences through fixed pathways.

From Shia’s explanation, her Gorathi Bloodline relied on freely manipulating blood and reforming her body... he expected those properties to restrict her development rather than support it.

Why would her friend choose them?

The quantities also differed from the balance he considered promising.

All in all, at first glance... the notes made absolutely zero sense when it came to Shia’s evolutionary path.

”A friend...”

The alchemist examined the notes more closely, hoping to find an explanation for the tiny portion of coral... Instead, he found a warning against increasing it.

”I don’t recommend it.” He shook his head in disapproval. ”These materials might work together in a recovery potion, but this balance doesn’t seem suitable for your evolutionary path. The coral supplies much of the vitality the concoction needs... reducing it this far could make the whole attempt pointless.”

”I understand... try it anyway,” Shia insisted.

”Miss Bloodsicle, you would be wasting your materials,” he warned.

”They’re my materials. If it fails, I’ll accept the loss.”

Her confidence troubled him more than her insistence. Whoever helped her clearly gave her a reason to believe those notes, yet they provided no complete extraction or concoction method to support that belief.

Still, his research contract gave her the right to prioritize a relevant experiment.

She acknowledged his warning and supplied the necessary materials... he had no grounds to refuse.

”It’s your money.”

He murmured while clearing his workstation... Shia settled into a chair nearby, quite determined to witness the process herself to ensure that he followed Levi’s notes.

A few hours later, he began introducing the prepared extracts into the cauldron.

The alchemist followed the proposed balance, relying on his earlier research to choose the extraction methods and the order of mixing.

He expected the small amount of coral to cause trouble once the reaction developed... Instead, its essence dissolved into the nectar without disturbing the mixture.

He checked the readings, then added the Red Lace Coagulant.

The reaction remained stable... even the Threaded Bloodstone’s essence joined the mixture with less resistance than he anticipated!

’That’s strange...’ He frowned.

He compared the changes with his previous trials, and his disbelief grew.

Several combinations he spent weeks investigating performed worse than the one he just advised his client to abandon!

For the remainder of the trial, he barely remembered Shia’s presence.

Unfortunately, the first attempt failed during the final concentration.

The liquid darkened as the rising temperature spoiled the reaction, leaving him with an acrid smell and a few interesting findings he swiftly recorded.

”What went wrong?” Shia asked from the side, somewhat bored, but still attuned.

”The temperature rose too quickly during the final stage.”

”But the combination worked?” she asked.

He went silent for a moment, still studying the spoiled mixture, then nodded.

”Much better than I anticipated... I still can’t believe these materials worked together like that,” he admitted. ”Without those notes, I could’ve spent decades researching your formula before stumbling upon this combination.”

”That’s some good news.”

Shia finally left her chair with a satisfied smile... she requested an update when he finished, then departed while he prepared the next trial, understanding that the process was going to take many days at a minimum.

She only came to see him confirm Levi’s combination so he would build on it instead of dismissing it.

Over the following days, the alchemist adjusted the heating stages, altered the order of mixing, and compensated for the useful essence lost during extraction.

The notes gave him a balance to preserve, but he still needed to determine how to achieve it inside the cauldron.

Each failure narrowed the remaining problems until, at last, he sealed a clear crimson concoction inside a bottle and began examining it.

The results left him laughing alone at his workstation.

A Grade B Perfect Evolutionary Concoction! (Tier 5)

His first one ever!

He checked the result again, hardly daring to believe it... Then burst into laughter and planted a firm kiss on the sealed bottle.

”About damn time!”

He held it up, already imagining the faces of his old classmates.

”Go on... ask me how my research is going now, you smug bastards!”

With this addition, he could attract more research contracts... perhaps even afford to become selective about the ones he accepted.

Still admiring the crimson liquid, he reluctantly set the bottle down and organized the records before calling Shia.

”Miss Bloodsicle, your formula is ready.”

...

Shia arrived before he finished preparing the handover... the alchemist explained the results, noticing how often her attention returned to the bottle.

He couldn’t blame her... a perfect evolutionary formula for a Tier 5 evolution was extremely sought after, and many Rifters would rather spend years stuck in Tier 4 to obtain a perfect formula than settle for a Remarkable one.

Before handing over the completed records, he returned to the question that occupied him throughout the trials.

”This friend of yours... what rank does he hold as an alchemist?”

”He doesn’t have one yet.”

”Huh?”

The alchemist was left stunned.

”He only recently started taking alchemy seriously,” she added with a wide grin as she gazed at the crimson bottle.

’An Aspiring Alchemist?’

He considered the notes again... their lack of a proper method made more sense now, though it did little to explain how a beginner found such a precise balance.

Then again, Shia had given him his research... months of failed trials that ruled out plenty of combinations. Surely, knowing which approaches to avoid helped him find a better one.

Perhaps he simply got lucky when choosing the other two materials.

Alchemy certainly had its share of lucky discoveries... or so he told himself to feel a little better about owing his first Grade B Perfect evolutionary formula to an Aspiring Alchemist.

”Your friend must have gotten quite lucky,” he said, smiling.

”Perhaps.”

Shia gave him an amused look that he couldn’t quite understand... she had no intention of exposing Levi’s mutation just to defend his achievement.

The alchemist himself admitted that finding the same combination could have taken him years, if not decades... yet she had her Perfect evolutionary formula in less than five Boundless months!

She understood just how mind-blowing Levi’s tongue was... a cheat code that could start a universal war if the wrong people learned about it.

Thankfully, she went by Miss Bloodsicle in the Boundless Expanse, leaving no way for anyone to trace her identity back to Levi.

As for the name? Well, Shia was known for her blood abilities and her love of popsicles... put the two together, and she got Bloodsicle.

”Let me know how the evolution goes.” ℴ𝗆

She agreed and left with the bottle and records, while he returned to his workstation to prepare the completed project’s entry for his portfolio.

***

Back at the camp, Shia gathered everyone around the central table and placed the crimson bottle in front of them.

”I’m going to evolve right now,” she added with a wide grin. ”With a Perfect Evolution!”