The moment Darius clicked yes, the familiar mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.

[Ding!]

[Mission Completed Successfully.]

[Evaluating Host Performance...]

[Evaluation Complete.]

[Reward Distribution Beginning...]

A bright golden screen appeared before Darius.

His heartbeat quickened.

Ever since obtaining the System, this was the first major mission he had completed.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations Host.]

[You have successfully completed your first large-scale commissioned mission.]

[Reward 1: Basic Alchemy Inheritance.]

[Reward 2: Low-Grade Spirit Cauldron.]

[Reward 3: Alchemy Chamber Unlocked.]

Before Darius could react, a torrent of information flooded his mind.

Thousands of unfamiliar words, symbols, medicinal names, refining methods, flame control techniques, herb combinations, and pill recipes surged into his consciousness.

"Argh!"

Darius grabbed his head as his vision blurred, making him close his eyes uncontrollably; the information was simply too vast. Fortunately, the pain only lasted several breaths before slowly fading away.

When it finally ended and the information was digested, Darius sat motionless in his chair with his eyes widened.

"So this is alchemy..."

The inheritance was nowhere near enough to make him an expert in alchemy. However, he now possessed all the foundational knowledge required to refine ordinary First Realm pills.

He knew medicinal properties, he understood herb compatibility, and he could identify common mistakes. Most importantly, he finally possessed a genuine profession that could provide constant income for his Pavilion and make it even more famous than it initially was. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Just then, another notification appeared.

[Ding!]

[Alchemy Chamber Construction Beginning.]

Darius frowned.

"Construction?"

The moment those words appeared, a faint vibration spread throughout the Pavilion.

Unlike before, the trembling was incredibly mild. Most customers would not even notice it, but none were inside anyway, so Darius felt a wash of relief pass through his body. He didn’t think the System would do something that stupid, but still.

In the next moment, several golden runes briefly flashed across the ceiling before disappearing. From his position outside the Pavilion’s door, he could easily see the golden lights flickering before vanishing as if they had never existed.

’Truly miraculous as ever.’

Moments later, the System’s voice rang out once more, taking Darius out of his daze.

[Ding!]

[Construction Complete.]

[Alchemy Chamber Successfully Established.]

Darius immediately stood up and hurried toward the second floor without a second thought. The second floor had always contained only his personal quarters. Yet as he arrived at the corridor, he froze.

A door had appeared at the very end of the hallway that hadn’t existed before. The dark wooden door was covered with faint golden inscriptions resembling the runes he had seen in countless anime; it was truly a beautiful sight.

Darius approached cautiously before pushing it open.

The sight inside instantly stole his breath. The room was nearly twice the size of his bedroom. Several wooden shelves lined the walls from top to bottom, and many compartments designed for herbs and materials filled the room.

This knowledge he didn’t possess before, but after the System’s reward, he could tell what everything was at first glance, as though he had worked in this field for several years already.

At the center sat a dark bronze cauldron covered with mysterious runes. The surrounding spiritual energy naturally gathered around it; even someone who had only just received an alchemy inheritance could immediately tell this place was extraordinary.

"This..."

Darius slowly walked forward.

The closer he got to the cauldron, the more excited he became.

Unlike cultivation rooms that benefited members, pills could be sold repeatedly. Whether it was healing injuries, increasing cultivation, recovering spiritual energy, or breaking through bottlenecks, cultivators would always need pills.

Just then, the System spoke once more.

[Reminder.]

[Host currently possesses theoretical alchemy knowledge only.]

[Success rates depend on talent, comprehension, practice, and experience.]

[The System will not refine pills on behalf of the Host.]

Darius rolled his eyes.

He had expected this much. The System never allowed shortcuts and always made him work for something one way or another. It literally didn’t believe in charity except for what it absolutely had to provide.

Still, a smile slowly spread across his face. He felt that with missions, cultivation rooms, members, and now alchemy, everything was being put in order, and the real fun would begin from now on.

And more importantly...

Money would start rolling in!

Reaching the thought of money, his mouth drooled before he casually wiped it off with the back of his hand.

’Wait, something is missing.’

Looking at the bronze cauldron before him, Darius couldn’t help but wonder what kind of pills would emerge from it in the future.

But his mind immediately reached the most important question.

’Ehm, System, I don’t see any medicinal herbs here. Are they placed on the receptionist desk or something?’

Knowing the System’s peculiar traits and personality, a bad premonition rose in his heart.

’Don’t tell me...’

Before he could even finish his words, the robotic voice of the System sounded in his mind, almost sounding sarcastic.

"Did Host think the System is a charity? You are getting paid well, you have enough information to know what to buy, and you are good to go."

"Damn it," Darius cursed aloud. He really knew the System wouldn’t leave him alone. Even a 5% cut wasn’t enough for it, and it also wanted him to buy medicinal herbs himself. Wasn’t that blatant bullying? Who the hell made this System? It must be broken!

Darius yelled, but no response was given.

After several minutes of ranting, a wave of spiritual tiredness washed over him before he took a chair next to one of the shelves and sat down.

’Sigh, others get ancient inheritances with all resources available, and I have to buy almost everything from my own pockets. This is truly evil.’

"Host, if you want to become the Supreme Pavilion Master, you’re going to need experience on how to use your money, make connections, and handle all sorts of related matters. If the System becomes a charity, the Host becomes lazy, and that in itself might end up with you being dead one day."

"You got this!"

Hearing these encouraging words, Darius couldn’t help but roll his eyes. He could tell from the tone, albeit slightly, that it was full of sarcasm.

’Still, I think the overall idea is right.’

Smiling, he stood up and got ready to finish his business hours before he started practicing that night.