Chapter 193 Newton's Alchemy and Portugal

Lao Lei stroked his chin and looked at the commission content of the post.

He was the administrator of the Shilan Middle School forum, so deleting a post was a simple matter of moving his fingers. But he was puzzled as to why someone in the Hunter Market would commission something like this?
If he hadn't seen that the account level and authority of "Born like Summer Flowers" were quite high, Lao Lei would have almost suspected that this was a commission issued by Lu Mingfei himself.

However, Hunter Market is a website that only caters to mixed-bloods, and registering an account requires a strict authentication process. Even if Lu Mingfei really has dragon blood, he should not have awakened at this age, let alone have such a high-level account.

He thought about it for a while, and decided to give up on studying the issue. He would just accept the commission first. If he didn't make money, he would be a bastard.

He clicked on the client's profile picture and sent a private message.

……

On Lu Mingfei's side, less than ten minutes after the commission was sent out, the computer prompt sounded.

"There is a reply." Xia Mi said.

"So fast?"

"It depends. Sometimes I just happen to meet a suitable hunter and get a quick response. Sometimes I send out a request but don't get a response for a month."

Xia Mi said as she opened the private message.

"The other party said they want 10,000 yuan, what do you say?"

“Ten thousand?” Lu Mingfei was stunned. His original price was only two to three thousand yuan. “It’s just deleting a post. Is it necessary to pay so much?”

"What else?" Xia Mi said, "These bounty hunters are all people who eat meat without spitting out bones. Once they catch a job, they will make a killing. In fact, a reward of 10,000 yuan is not considered high in the hunter market. The really expensive rewards are not measured in money. Many bounty hunters prefer to barter and use rare things to pay their rewards."

Lu Mingfei hesitated. It's not that he couldn't come up with the ten thousand yuan, but the WCG finals were about to begin. In Lu Mingfei's eyes, the ten thousand yuan was not just ten thousand yuan, but a small investment for a big gain.

“Actually, after thinking about it, it seems that there is no need to delete the post so quickly. It will be okay after a while.” Lu Mingfei said.

"I think you think it's too expensive and you're reluctant to spend the money, right?"

After Xia Mi pointed out his inner thoughts so sharply, Lu Mingfei suddenly became deflated and immediately changed the subject.

"Do you think there are any commissions on this hunter website that I can take on?" Lu Mingfei looked at the computer screen.

"Give up, brother. Even if there is a commission you can take, we are still students. The time and distance alone will be difficult for you." Xia Mi said, "But you can see if there is any commission."

After Xia Mi finished speaking, she exited the private message box, entered the homepage of the Hunter Market, then gave up half of the space and handed the mouse to Lu Mingfei.

The so-called hunter market is actually a forum. In 2006, the functionality of many websites was not as diverse as it is in later generations. Most of the gathering social platforms were imitation BBS communities. The forums then screened and divided according to keywords.

Most of the commissions were also posted in the form of posts. Lu Mingfei casually browsed through them and found that the commissions were indeed varied.

There are all kinds of responses, from "Ask for help in arranging a dinner with Emma Watson for a large sum of money" to "My grandmother's cat, which she has raised for more than ten years, is missing. Is there any mixed-blood person in the capital who has seen it?"

Lu Mingfei curiously clicked on the post about the dinner with Emma Watson, and the most-liked reply came from an ID called "Governor of Gaul".

The Governor of Gaul said, "I had a candlelight dinner with Emma Watson last week. I can try to help you make an appointment with her. But I need to know what kind of compensation you can offer first."

The poster asked how much the "Governor of Gaul" would cost, and the "Governor of Gaul" replied:
"I'm not short of money. I heard that there is a falcon called 'Hai Dong Qing' in China, known as the 'God of Ten Thousand Eagles'. If you can find a way to get one for me. Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare is the best seat in the hotel. Ms. Emma Watson is waiting for you at any time."

Lu Mingfei then looked down. This reply was six months ago, and the poster did not reply again. He did not know whether the reward required by the "Governor of Gaul" was too harsh, or whether he had gone to find Hai Dongqing.

But how could someone even get an appointment with Emma Watson? This was in 2006, when the three little actors who played in "Harry Potter" were at their peak. Emma Watson was only 16 years old and was one of the hottest child stars in the West.

If this guy called "Governor of Gaul" is not bragging, then his level of boasting is probably not much less than that of Caesar, the president of the Student Union.

Lu Mingfei left Emma Watson's dinner date post and flipped through the posts below. Not to mention the tasks that were suitable for him, there were only a few that were posted in China. Most of them were abroad.

But it makes sense, after all, Europe is where the most mixed-blood forces are located. For example, although Kassel College was built in the United States, the directors are basically from ancient European mixed-blood families. The Gattuso family, a mixed-blood family that has existed for more than 200 years, can only be regarded as nouveau riche in the eyes of other mixed-blood families.

It seems that the idea of ​​making some extra money is difficult to achieve.

Lu Mingfei sighed and returned to the homepage. Only then did he notice that there was a post on the homepage that he had not seen.

Although the Hunter Market is also a pseudo-BBS community similar to a forum, its layout design is different from the Shilan Middle School Forum or the Kassel Academy Night Watcher Forum. The pinned posts are placed at the top of the homepage, making a clear distinction from the ordinary posts below.

Xia Mi also curiously leaned over and took a look at the title of the pinned post.

"Portugal imported abnormally high levels of 'elemental antimony' in the second quarter, thirty times the amount of the first quarter. Are there any hybrids in Portugal who can help track the flow of these 'elemental antimony'? The reward is negotiable, and it will be paid in US dollars."

As soon as he saw the word Portugal, Lu Mingfei thought of the little angel for no reason.

Xia Mi suddenly smiled and said, "Importing so much 'antimony' will be fun now."

"What's wrong with 'antimony'?" Lu Mingfei was confused. "Isn't 'antimony' just an ordinary metal element? I remember that semiconductors and art pigments both need this element."

"Hey, senior brother, you didn't know?" Xia Mi asked.

"I don't know." Lu Mingfei said truthfully.

"I thought you, senior brother, were so powerful that you knew everything. After all, you even saw through my true identity." Xia Mi narrowed her eyes like a fox.

After Xia Mi said this, Lu Mingfei suddenly realized Xia Mi's true identity. Having been with Xia Mi as a senior and junior brother for too long, the boundary between Xia Mi and dragon and human has become increasingly blurred in Lu Mingfei's mind.

So much so that sometimes he even forgot that the cute girl in front of him who could accept all his nonsense complaints was actually a first-generation dragon king who was decisive in killing and had the ability to destroy the world.

Even now, looking at the beautiful girl in front of him who was three parts proud and seven parts delicate, he found it difficult to confuse her figure with that of the dragon Xia Mi whose body was covered with green scales.

But even though he almost overlooked that Shami was Jörmungandr, the king of earth and mountains, the Dragon King is still the Dragon King, and the girl named Shami is the disguised side of Jörmungandr.

Although everyone can get along happily now, one day in the future, they will and must go to opposite sides.

For some reason, Lu Mingfei suddenly felt depressed and muttered, "Isn't it normal for me to not know something? I'm not Nagato Yuki."

Yuki Nagato is a character in the anime "Haruhi Suzumiya" that Xia Mi is watching recently. She is a beautiful girl with short hair, glasses, and a love of reading. Her real identity is a super-tech robot from outer space. In "Haruhi Suzumiya", she is an almost omniscient and omnipotent being who can answer all the questions of the protagonist and even change the timeline.

"In short." Xia Mi held up a finger, "Antimony is one of the important materials in alchemy and is essential for extracting the Philosopher's Stone. Brother, do you know the Jade Record?"

"The Emerald Record? The book on alchemy written by Newton?"

"It was translated by Newton! The author of The Emerald Record is said to be the Egyptian Pharaoh Hermes. Of course, the contents of The Emerald Record are actually the alchemical principles of Nidhogg that Hermes got a glimpse of from somewhere."

Xia Mi said: "Newton is not only a famous physicist, but also a famous alchemist. In fact, Newton was exposed to alchemy even earlier than he was exposed to science."

"Newton's manuscripts show that he had copied and translated many alchemical works word for word, and also compiled a detailed alchemical vocabulary. He spent half of his life studying alchemy in his later years, looking for a way to refine the philosopher's stone. John Maynard Keynes called him the last alchemist."

Lu Mingfei had also heard that in the Middle Ages, theology and science were not so clearly separated, and chemistry was just a branch of alchemy at the time. He listened to Xia Mi continue to explain:
"In addition to translating alchemical works, Newton himself also conducted a large number of alchemical experiments. The most famous of these was referring to Basil Valentine's alchemical work, The Screw-Wheel of Antimony, and successfully refining a beautiful crystal that sparkled with starlight. Newton named it 'Regulus', which means 'star antimony'."

"Newton believed that asterism was not the philosopher's stone, but a completely new alchemical drug."

Xia Mi blinked and said slowly, "But in fact, Newton was wrong. Star Antimony is actually the Philosopher's Stone, but it still contains a lot of impurities that have not been purified. The moment when Star Antimony was refined was the moment when he was closest to the Philosopher's Stone in his life."

"So..." Lu Mingfei asked, "Newton is actually a mixed-race?"

Xia Mi tilted her head, "Maybe. Many famous people in history are actually mixed-bloods. For example, Attila the Hun was actually... a dragon, so he was super strong and no one could stop him all the way to Rome. The Chinese emperor calling himself a dragon is not bragging. Going back to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, those who could become leaders were all mixed-bloods of the dragon clan."

After Xia Mi's explanation, Lu Mingfei roughly understood the role of "antimony", and then he realized why the bounty poster was so concerned about Portugal's import of large amounts of metal "antimony", and also wanted to appoint a hybrid to track the flow of these "antimony".

"So, a certain mixed-race person, or a mixed-race force in Portugal, intends to refine the Philosopher's Stone, so they imported so much 'antimony'?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"It's hard to say. Maybe it's just like what you said, that they import 'antimony' for a certain company to develop its semiconductor business? Obviously, the person who posted this commission is not sure about this matter, so he wants the hybrid in Portugal to help track down the whereabouts of this 'antimony'."

"It's just that..." Xia Mi suddenly stretched out the last syllable, "One thing that is obvious is that in the next period of time, Portugal, and even the whole of Europe, may not be peaceful in the short term."

Lu Mingfei patted his chest in fear and said, "Fortunately I'm not going to Portugal, so the chaos won't be as bad as here."

Xia Mi shrugged, "I hope so."

……

Yiyinling Villa, inside a villa.

Su Xiaoqiang lay on his side on the bed.

She didn't know when it started, but she had become accustomed to the feeling of lying in bed without turning on the lights.

At first, it wasn’t that I didn’t want to turn on the light, I was just lazy. After returning to my room, I just wanted to lie lazily on the bed, as if the strength supporting my body was drained away the moment I stepped into the room.

I pretend every day and endure every day. In the beginning, I always feel that after getting used to it slowly, everything will get better and I can return to the way it was at the beginning.

But apparently, some things are not so easy to get used to.

When he jokingly pushed Liu Miaomiao towards Lu Mingfei; when he teased the two of them as a friend; when he was clearly upset and sad, but still pretended to be calm.

Maybe it’s because putting on a smile is so tiring, so I feel so tired when I get home every day, so tired that I just want to lie in bed and I don’t even have the strength to get up and turn on a light.

Even so, I still have to face those two people with a smile tomorrow.

"Su Xiaoqiang, when did you learn to fake a smile?"

Su Xiaoqiang talked to herself while holding the 101 Dalmatians doll that her mother gave her.

Three "dong dong dong" sounds came from the door. Su Xiaoqiang quickly sat up, wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand, and asked:
"Who is it?"

"It's me, Qiangqiang." Su Zhenqi's voice came from outside the door, "Is the light in your room not on? Are you asleep?"

"No, I was just getting ready for bed."

"So... do you have time now? I have something to tell you."

"Yes, Dad, come in."

After that dance, for some reason, Su Xiaoqiang felt that the relationship between his father and himself had eased a lot. His father no longer forced him to go to parties he didn't want to go to, meet people he didn't want to meet, and even took the initiative to ask about his life at school.

Su Zhenqi pushed the door open and touched the lamp holder beside the door. The dazzling incandescent light came on, and for a moment it was so bright that Su Xiaoqiang could hardly open his eyes, so he had to squint.

"Dad, what do you want to talk to me about?"

"Um……"

Su Zhenqi lowered his head, hesitated for a moment and then said, "It's about your mother's death anniversary."

"My mother's death anniversary?" Su Xiaoqiang paused, then said with a smile, "Dad, you have something urgent to do, so you don't have time to go? It doesn't matter, I can fly to Portugal by myself. Didn't I often go alone in previous years?"

"No..." Su Zhenqi paused for a moment and said, "I received an email from your aunt in the evening, saying that Portugal seems to be quite turbulent recently and not very safe. She asked us if we still want to come. If we do, we need to contact them in advance and they will send someone to pick us up at the airport."

"What I mean is that since Portugal is so dangerous now, we might as well not go this year."

Su Zhenqi raised his head and carefully observed the expression on his daughter's face, but he saw his daughter staring at him blankly, her pupils filled with water, like the smooth surface of a mirror-like lake.

He wanted to continue to persuade his daughter, saying that since she would visit her mother every year, it shouldn't matter if she went less often this year.

But he couldn't say this because the mirror in Su Xiaoqiang's eyes shattered in an instant.

The lake ripples like falling rain.

……

(End of this chapter)