CHAPTER 240: CHAPTER 232: DWARF ALCHEMIST?

"Blueprint for an egg yolk machine?" Han Qiwu’s eyes lit up as he took out the blueprint and started examining it.

[You have learned how to craft an egg yolk machine]

[Egg Yolk Machine]

[Materials: [Wood] ×40, [Stone] ×20, [Jade] ×5, [Iron Ingot] ×1]

[Effect: The egg yolk machine can transform any type of egg into its corresponding egg yolk sauce]

[Note: The transformation process takes a considerable amount of time]

"Any type of egg?"

Han Qiwu exhaled deeply. Ever since the storage was filled to the brim, his home had accumulated quite a number of eggs. Eating them all felt absurd—he had long been thinking about how to make better use of them.

"Once I get back from the mine, I’ll build a few and give the egg yolk sauce a taste." Han Qiwu thought to himself with excitement.

Off to the mine!

On the way to the mine, Han Qiwu kept looking around for Liu Lang’s location, intending to give him some food.

But after circling around, he couldn’t spot Liu Lang’s leather tent anywhere, so he gave up.

"Did he eat his tent or something?"

With random thoughts swirling in his head, Han Qiwu entered the first level of the mine and approached the entrance of the Explorer Guild, tentatively pushing on the half-open wooden door.

The half-open wooden door swung smoothly open.

"Egger’s back?" Han Qiwu strode inside.

Since he still had money on him, he might as well buy some alcohol quickly.

Who knows where Egger will run off to next time?

That guy Egger had clearly said last time, "Leaving suddenly was an accident. Under normal circumstances, I’m always here."

And yet the next visit found him nowhere to be seen.

Where’s the Dwarf Clan’s sense of reliability???

After walking a few steps further, Han Qiwu noticed something peculiar.

The interior of the guild behind the half-open wooden door had undergone a significant transformation. The chairs and tables were adorned with golden decorations. While he couldn’t be sure if they were actually gold, the opulent appearance certainly gave off vibes of wealth.

On the ceiling hung a multi-colored glowing orb, slowly rotating in sync with the poetry chanting coming from a corner. A few steps forward revealed the floor covered in a layer of soft lavender carpet, making every step feel plush and comfortable.

Although the overall decor looked a bit odd, it at least nailed the appropriate atmosphere.

Han Qiwu mused, "Egger must’ve struck gold or something—what kind of windfall is this?"

At the bar counter, Han Qiwu called out towards the room in the back, "Egger, you’re finally back?"

"Oh, my dear friend, long time no see! I’ve missed you terribly." An intoxicated Egger stumbled out from behind the curtain, excitedly grabbing Han Qiwu’s hand.

Han Qiwu: "....."

I don’t believe you for a second!

"I’ve missed you too. But let’s catch up later—I came to buy booze. I’ll take one ’Pina Colada’ and one ’Tequila Sunrise.’" Han Qiwu cut straight to the point.

If he didn’t get his order in now, he feared Egger might pass out soon.

"Buying alcohol can wait!" Egger waved his hand dramatically. He headed to the back curtain and returned, proudly pulling along a female dwarf. "Let me introduce you—this is my wife, Jin Tu! We just got married a few days ago!"

The female dwarf was wearing a black chiffon skirt and holding a pen in her hand. Her beard was about as long as Egger’s, but her muscles were far more robust than his.

Han Qiwu pieced it together.

No wonder Egger had vanished—turns out he was off getting married.

Since he happened to run into them, Han Qiwu decided to give them a wedding gift. He quickly scanned his inventory, took out two portions of experience rice balls, and handed them over. "Congratulations! Happy newlywed life to you both. I’m Han Qiwu—this is a little gesture from me."

"Thank you!" Jin Tu laughed heartily, accepting the two rice balls and immediately chomping down on them. Her voice was so loud that it nearly deafened Han Qiwu.

"No problem." Han Qiwu glanced at Egger, whose hands were empty, and reluctantly fished out another rice ball to hand over.

Should’ve given them one at a time, in hindsight.

Egger shot Han Qiwu a grateful look, took the rice ball, and was just about to eat it.

Suddenly, Jin Tu’s hand shot out from the side. With practiced ease, she snatched the rice ball and popped it into her mouth.

Seeing Egger’s helpless look for assistance, Han Qiwu shrugged helplessly—he truly had nothing left.

"We had an agreement: if you drink past your limit, you can’t eat for a whole day." Jin Tu cheerfully said to Egger.

Egger’s shoulders slumped as he leaned against the bar counter, looking rather despondent.

Jin Tu paid him no attention. Instead, she patted Han Qiwu’s shoulder and asked, "Friend, did you make those rice balls yourself?"

Han Qiwu nodded.

"They’re average. Your ingredient ratios were good, but you neglected the impact of temperature during preparation. This caused the rice to fail in fully blending with the grease from the roasted meat slices. There’s room for improvement." Jin Tu critiqued bluntly, "Don’t overlook any influencing factors."

Hearing her assessment, Egger, who was sitting beside them with his head lowered, hurried to explain, "Don’t take it personally, my friend. Jin Tu is a pharmacist; she’s overly obsessive with details and tends to forget the essence of life."

"The essence of life isn’t crudeness and muddled thinking!" Jin Tu retorted.

At her words, Egger lowered his head even further.

"A pharmacist?"

Han Qiwu’s mind raced. You two are really unconventional, aren’t you?

Two dwarfs, neither of whom turned out to be smiths.

One mixes drinks, the other brews potions.

[You have received guidance from Dwarf Alchemist Jin Tu]

[You can now see the optimal temperature ranges for most recipe ingredients]

Seeing the system prompt appear before him, Han Qiwu was overjoyed. He bowed earnestly and expressed his thanks, "I appreciate your guidance. I’ll bring more dishes for you to sample next time."

"Don’t mention it." Jin Tu replied with a smile as she reached over to grab Egger.

Han Qiwu glanced over and couldn’t help but laugh aloud.

Egger, who appeared pitifully slumped in the corner, was actually sipping liquor through a metal straw from behind the bar in secret.

When Jin Tu grabbed him, the straw still had a few sips of alcohol within.

"I regret to inform you, tomorrow’s meal is canceled as well." Jin Tu announced with a gentle smile. "At this rate, you’re poised to break the record for the longest hunger streak among dwarfs."

"My bad—I’ll mix the drinks for him now." Egger, suspended in mid-air, gave Han Qiwu a sheepish smile.

Jin Tu also smiled, then leapt up and hooked Egger onto a hanging fixture on the ceiling, turning to Han Qiwu to say, "I’ll mix them for you."

"You know how to mix drinks too?" Han Qiwu asked instinctively.

"In our community, only those who fail to become pharmacists resort to bartending!" Jin Tu scoffed and proceeded to swiftly start mixing behind the counter.

After a dazzling display of skill, two glasses of alcohol appeared before Han Qiwu.

"Impressive, impressive." Han Qiwu nodded, paid 4,000 gold, and put away the drinks.

Fortunately, Egger had promised a 20% discount—it saved him 1,000 gold.