Genshin Impact: I'm The Envoy of Snezhnaya
Chapter 454: Bet You Didn't See This Coming—It Was Already Gone
"Mm, not bad."
Looking over the assortment of strange and unusual objects displayed on the exhibition shelf, Bai Luo couldn't help but nod in approval.
With his current knowledge of alchemy, he could only understand the purpose of a small portion of the items. Most of the rest left him completely baffled.
Still, there was a saying:
Whether you understand it or not, just praise it.
Nobody dislikes being complimented.
"What's this?"
A bottle filled with a special solution in one corner of the display caught Bai Luo's attention.
Based on what he knew about alchemy, it didn't look like something that could be produced through ordinary alchemical techniques.
Or rather, it wasn't something the current Silver should be capable of creating.
Inside the bottle floated two tiny fleshy spheres, their surfaces covered with fine capillaries.
Such exquisite craftsmanship...
Only Rhinedottir herself could probably produce something like this.
After examining it for a while, Bai Luo carefully returned it to its place.
"The medicine... is on the shelf below."
Noticing Bai Luo admiring his creations, Silver spoke up.
After Bai Luo had left, Silver had brewed quite a few more of those cat-transformation potions.
He knew that whenever Bai Luo returned—whatever the reason might be—he would inevitably take another batch with him.
"I still haven't used up the last batch. No rush."
Even as he said that, Bai Luo pulled open the lower drawer.
Inside, dozens of potion bottles were neatly lined up.
Despite not using a measuring cup, every bottle contained exactly the same amount of thick liquid.
"And this one...?"
Spotting a bottle tucked away in the back whose contents were noticeably darker in color, Bai Luo looked toward Silver.
"I extracted blood from both myself and Durin. Then, using the Art of Khemia, I maximized the effects of Gold's remains. This... is the result."
In a sense, Silver had been trying to recreate one of Gold's miracles.
Although it couldn't grant him Gold's level of power, it at least allowed him to glimpse that realm, laying the groundwork for future growth.
"And what does it do? Turn people into cats too?"
Holding the bottle up and gently shaking it, Bai Luo asked.
If this was truly a potion approaching Gold's level, would it have an extraordinary effect on Barbatos?
Bai Luo was genuinely curious.
"Yes. But compared to the ordinary potion, this one is much stronger. It should completely alter a creature's species, permanently leaving it in the form of a cat."
Silver nodded.
In a sense, the potion was actually a failure.
It hadn't reached Gold's level.
Yet it far surpassed anything the current Silver—or even Albedo—could create.
Silver had no idea how many failed attempts it had taken before producing this single bottle.
After all, Gold's domain was not so easily reached.
After hearing Silver's explanation, Bai Luo, who had been about to sniff the potion out of curiosity, suddenly froze.
He only enjoyed becoming part of the joke when someone else was becoming part of it too.
If he ended up being the only punchline...
Then even Bai Luo couldn't find it funny.
Sharaf, standing nearby, looked noticeably disappointed.
If Bai Luo also became a cat, then even if he had to remain a cat for the rest of his life, he'd happily accept it.
"Hey... what's with that look?"
That tiny expression didn't escape Bai Luo's notice.
After putting the potion back, Bai Luo moved so quickly that Sharaf didn't even have time to react.
In an instant, he appeared beside the cat and grabbed him by the back of the neck.
"Meow!"
Pinned down by Bai Luo, Sharaf could only let out a helpless cry.
His four paws instinctively flailed as he desperately tried to escape.
Sss—
The sound of steel wires cutting through the air echoed inside the cave.
Several tough steel wires appeared, binding Sharaf's limbs and securing him to the laboratory table that Silver had only just finished setting upright.
Watching Sharaf struggle frantically, a peculiar smile slowly spread across Bai Luo's face.
Because he was about to do something he'd wanted to try on Diluc for a long, long time.
A dagger—large enough now to be called a short sword—appeared in Bai Luo's hand.
Sharper even than a surgical scalpel...
It was the perfect tool.
But just as Bai Luo searched with a wicked grin on his face...
His expression suddenly froze.
There was...
Nothing there.
"Meow!"
Didn't expect that, did you? I got rid of those a long time ago!
Sharaf wore a smug, mocking expression, even letting out a triumphant meow.
Before long, however, that victorious cry turned into a rather pitiful whimper.
At that moment, Bai Luo finally realized what those two strange little fleshy spheres on the display shelf were.
So they were Sharaf's family jewels.
No wonder they were being preserved in that special solution.
What a tragic fate.
"You did this?"
Looking up, Bai Luo turned to Silver, who was still tidying up the laboratory.
There was probably no one else here capable of performing something like this.
"Mm."
Without even looking up, Silver picked up a book nearby and tossed it to Bai Luo.
How to Better Get Along with Cats
The book bore Albedo's name as the author.
It had absolutely nothing to do with alchemy.
When Bai Luo had borrowed that pile of thick alchemical texts, he'd never noticed a book like this hidden among them.
Opening to the first page, he immediately read:
"If you truly love your cat, please have it neutered. Not only will this increase its lifespan, but it will also improve its temperament. The procedure is as follows."
Looking at the illustrated explanation on the very first page, Bai Luo instinctively felt a chill run through his crotch.
He could only think:
Albedo... as expected of you.
Without releasing the steel wires binding Sharaf, Bai Luo walked back to the display shelf and picked up the jar containing the two preserved little flesh balls.
"You were keeping these here?"
"No. He asked me to," Silver shook his head and pointed toward Sharaf.
From Sharaf's perspective, as long as the two "treasures" were still intact, he could simply beg the now highly skilled Silver to reattach them someday.
And if that didn't work...
He could always save up enough money to hire someone from the Akademiya.
Even if they never worked again, it didn't matter.
After all, as long as you still owned a gun—even one that couldn't fire anymore, a rusty and harmless gun—it was still better than having no gun at all.
"So... you don't need these?"
Bai Luo gently shook the jar.
The two little flesh balls floated and spun in the preservative, making the bound Sharaf's heart ache...
And, metaphorically, making his nonexistent balls ache too.
After all, phantom limb pain was a thing.
"Mm."
If cat-form Sharaf hadn't repeatedly begged him to preserve them, Silver would've long since tossed them out as trash—or fed them to the martens living outside the mountain.
"Mind if I borrow them?"
Bai Luo casually tossed the jar up and caught it again as he asked.
What? You're wondering why he didn't ask Sharaf's opinion?
Come on, those things had already been permanently separated from their owner, they no longer had anything to do with him.
Now, Bai Luo intended to let them shine in a different place.