Equipment was essentially useless if there was no one to run them. It'll be like putting the cart before the horse. Before starting to make the vat containers, Alex still needed one more person in the mix.

From what she saw and smelled in Solemn Stay Inn, the kind of vinegar they had here was of the weak kind that barely counted as vinegar at all. Not to mention, she still needed an acid catalyst for the production of Ethyl Acetate.

She could cheat and use ether machinery, but that would defeat the purpose of automating. Though, that wasn't off the table for the production of sulfuric acid as the catalyst. There was no way to produce that in an efficient time horizon, not for her plans anyway.

Gulping down the caffeinated water in her cup, Alex deliberated, except there were 3 of her employees in front of her ruining his thinking session. A great distraction.

"My Lady," Grey spoke up first. "There were complications—"

"What complications?"

"The barbarians from the west tried to break through our walls while you were out on your quest."

"And?"

"We've managed to defend against them without casualties. However, it delayed the delivery of equipment and tools that Chief Product Officer Aurora needed. It was delayed by 2 days, extending the delivery time to 3 days."

"3 days?" Alex asked. She was expecting Grey to take at least 4-5 days to liquidate the vault. After that, it'd take at least 1-2 days to source the vendor and make a deal. Once that was all set up, he would need to bring down his men again to the kingdom to grab the items to haul them back to the camp, which would take another day.

"I'm sorry, it took so long, my lady."

A laugh started to roll from Alex's chest. Looks like she was right on the mark when it came choosing her COO "Fun-fucking-tastic, Grey. You did pretty well. Now what do you want?"

The carrot and the stick method. If employees did well, reward them, else give them the stick.

"My lady, I do not understand your question," Grey said.

"A reward. What do you want?"

For a moment, Grey looked like he was thinking about what he wanted. When his eyes landed on the sword at his hilt, it looked like he'd already decided.

"I want a new sword, my lady. The fight with the barbarians completely chipped mine and it is no longer usable," Grey said.

"Done," Alex said. Materializing the cube of metal that she got from the vault, she floated it to the air in front of her and cast a spell to superheat it. The three employees took a step back, away from the heat.

As the metal cube turned bright hot orange, Alex formed it into a line of metal that would be the maximum length of the sword. Quickly, she folded it exactly 44 times before stopping as it perfectly formed a blade and a metal handle where the hilt would be.

Water formed and coated the molten hot metal, causing a loud hiss as steam violently tried to escape to the top of the ceiling.

From the room, she telekinetically ripped out one of the rugs beside her and took its leather, forming it into a hilt around the metal handle of the sword. But Alex wasn't done yet. The metal cube was highly dense. It needed a lightening enchant.

Resource Access: Multifaceted Energy(120,000). Module Access: Force_Access_Essence. Predefined Function: Convert_To_Essence. Execute.

Resource Access: Essence(1200). Resource Access: Gravity. Resource Access: Create_Enchant. Resource Access: Predefined_Enchant(Gravity_Multiplier(0.1). Target: Ad_hoc_sword_creation_142579. Predefined Function: Wielder_Authorization(Target(Grey Hadkin)) Execute.

Runic inscriptions and rhomboid patterns appeared on the sword, etched into it, glowing with latent energy. The enchantment would allow only the defined wielder to carry it just like a normal sword. To anyone who is not authorized, it would have the weight of 12 full plate armour, 23 swords, and 10 kite shields, which was all the bullshit that pig had in the vault.

It had cost Alex 120k of her own energy to convert to a higher type of energy to access the gravity resource. It was an extravagant expenditure, but nonetheless, still a drop in the bucket.

Alex took the sword by the handle, bearing its full weight. Handing it over to Grey, he knelt first before taking it like he was being crowned with it. 

"Dude, just take it. Stop with the theatrics."

"Right away, my lady." Grey stood up and took the sword by the handle. He swung it a couple of times while also completely marveling at her work. Of course he'd marvel at it. It was made by her. No one on Earth could beat her magitech engineering.

"That sword will last about 12 years before it runs out of juice. After that, it would go back to its original weight," Alex said. If this place had something like mana stones or gems that could hold energy, it would last much longer.

"Understood."

"So anyway, how's the farm-I mean, garden doing?"

Aurora stepped up. "I was able to gather some pollinators after finding a bunch of fin bug nests around the camp. I've placed them into a wooden crate near the thickest patches of flowers growing." She paused. "However, I'm worried. The skies at night have not been too clear lately. It's disturbing the flowers..."

"Don't worry about that. I'll take care of it," Alex said. A simple weather control module etched out of a rock and charged with Prana would do the trick. "And next is, welcome our new Director of Chemistry, Distillation, Fraser Laslett."

Fraser looked to the two other employees. "Nice to meet you, everyone. I just arrived yesterday."

Alex clapped, the other two followed along. "Now, Fraser. What do you need to make the highest alcohol by volume liquor possible?"

It looked like Grey was about to say something, but he didn't.

"My lady, there is a potion maker that I've been working with to create the yeast for the king of Dragus. I was tasked with creating a high alcohol by volume beverage for him, but I needed a stronger yeast to—"

"Just tell me what you need."

"I need the yeast from the potion maker, my lady."

"Alright, time to go," Alex said, briskly walking towards the door as a gust followed her behind. She exited and flew up into the air where the three employees could no longer see her.

"Is she always like that?" Fraser asked.

"You'll get used to it..." Aurora said. "The lady is indeed eccentric."

"Eccentricity is the sign of genius," Grey said. "The lady is planning something. Those plans are far, far in the future that we cannot see the end."

"How do you assume so, Sir Grey?"

Grey cleared his throat. "My title is Chief Operations Officer."

"I'm sorry, Chief Operations Officer Grey."

"Why else would she have gathered you, Aurora, and you, Fraser? Far and wide throughout Nulfrea, you two are masters of your craft. The contract already states that the kingdom of 'the Path' is what her lady plans. For that, she must get the talents that would stand up that kingdom."

"Yes... but can a royal gardener and a brewer really make a kingdom?" Aurora asked.

"Hush, Aurora. We do not question the lady's plan. We only execute her plans with utmost proficiency."

"What were you before you were a bandit, Grey?" Fraser asked.

"Hadkin sounds like a fake name," Aurora said.

"I was no one before I was a bandit. That is all," Grey said.

☕︎ ☼ ☕︎ ☽ ☕︎

Alex pulled out her phone from her pocket. Turning it on, it showed that the time was now 13:00. Over the past couple of days, she'd been monitoring the time to see how long each was. To her surprise, it was only off by 3 minutes, which meant this backwater dump spun at a similar rate as Earth.

And to her, 13:00 was basically night time. As such, she was taking an enthusiastic walk through the kingdom of Dragshit. When all of a sudden, she found herself right in front of the potion maker's shop.

How convenient.

Alex walked to the door and opened it normally this time. "Anybody here?"

"Yes! I'm here...." Elador opened the door from the back. When he saw the familiar figure of the woman, his shoulders drooped as he let out a long sigh. "Yes, my lady. What is it this time?"

While he had opened the door, Alex took note of the faint familiar smell that lingered. It was the ingredient she needed.

"You remember Fraser?" she asked.

"Yes, the master brewer of the kingdom. Of course, I remember."

"Well. He's asking for his yeast. You got it, right?"

"I do..."

"Give it."

"Yes, my lady," Elador went back to the back of the shop, wafting the familiar scent again, and then came back out with a jar with paper tied as a lid. He extended it to Alex and said, "Here you go."

"That easy?"

"The lady will just extort me for it. There is no point in fighting," Elador sighed.

"Extortion sounds so hard. Just call it aggressive bargaining."

Elador rolled his eyes.

"So, what did I smell from the back over there?"

"It is vinegar, my lady. I am one of its many producers in this kingdom."

"And what is vinegar usually used for?"

"Mostly sanitation, but also for farmers to drink with water in the fields."

"Cool. Let me see a cup as a sample," Alex requested.

Elador entered the back again and came out with a cup of vinegar. Setting it down in front of her, he looked right into her eyes.

Using transcendent analysis, it showed the vinegar in the cup was at 6% concentration. It was good enough for household sanitation, but wasn't at the grade where it could be used for complete sterilization.

"Do you know how to create pure vinegar in its purest form?" Alex asked.

"I don't. Does it have a pure form?"

"Of course it does. But I'll only tell you how to make it if you join my company."

"I shall pack my bags and get ready right away," Elador simply said, going to the back. A bunch of glass bottles and jars could be heard clicking. After a few minutes, he came out with a bag, ready to leave.

"No fight?" Alex asked.

"My lady, I have no connection to this kingdom. My pursuit is alchemical knowledge. If you happen to have knowledge beyond my own, I shall follow your will," Elador said.

"Well shit, that's good to know," Alex whipped up the contract from her space storage along with a pen. "Now sign this."

Before taking the pen, Elador took the contract and read through it.

For a full 10 minutes, the man in front of her stared at the page, making Alex feel the tension. This old man said that he was in it for the 'knowledge'. There was no reason to read the contract.

"My lady, can I ask what a company is?" Elador asked.

"Think of it like a guild. Do things that the guild leader seeks to do."

"I see. And the gold is... 2 gold per Ter?"

"Indeed it is," Alex said. Was it too low?! The highest she was willing to go was around 2.5 gold. Each 0.1 gold increase would hit her right in the gut,.

"And my 'job description' says I'd be Director of Chemistry, Formulation. I'd be in charge of vinegar production that works with another Director of Chemistry. What does this job entail, exactly?"

"Chemistry is the foundation of substances. Chemicals are substances. Your job is to work with the other director to mix stuff," Alex said. That was the simplest way she could put it.

"I see... and the location is in the southern Hadstead mountains. Lodgings are provided, but I see no fee. Is it included?" Elador asked.

"Lodging is provided. It's free. Now sign it," Alex said, giving her best effort to make a polite smile, but all it did was make Elador shrink back.

Taking the pen on the counter slowly, Elador signed the signature area. As soon as he was done, Alex swiped it from his hand immediately and dematerialized it back into her space storage.

"Deal's done. When do you wanna go?" Alex asked.

"I am quite hungry, my lady. Can we stop by Solemn Stay Inn for some food?"

"Sure, sure. Whatever. Let's go. Hurry it up." Alex walked to the door and kicked it open, breaking it from its hinges. "Oh shit. Sorry about that."

"No worries. This place will become empty after I leave anyways."

"You got the mother of vinegars?"

"Yes, my lady. I have everything I need to produce vinegar."

Alex and Elador moved through the streets where the usual people stared, though she didn't care about the stares. Glancing beside her, she saw that Elador was trying to hide his face.

Oh well. He'd get used to it.

Arriving at Solemn Stay Inn, just like before, the inn's doors were already open. For once, Alex didn't have the pleasure of kicking the heavy door in. She must make a complaint to Willow.

In the inn, it was partly crowded. Men and women in either iron armour or leather armour ate their meals even though it was already past lunch. These bunch were new faces that Alex didn't recognize.

One of the women had red striped leather armour, and on the same table was a man with long flowing blue robes and a staff that held a gem which caught Alex's attention.

"Hey, Willow. Why do you keep the door open?"

Willow tried not to look at her, but failed. "No reason. Just to let fresh air in."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Fine," Alex said, taking a table along with Elador. "Order what you want. I'll pay for it."

"Thank you, my lady," Elador said.

Willow arrived at their table pretty quickly with a notepad in hand. "What'd you like?"

"I'll have house stew, please," Elador said.

"Coming right up."

Looking back over to the staff with the gem, Alex cast Transcendent_Analysis.

[Object: Mana Container]

[Description: A container made of Fraedium Gem]

[Compatible Energy Type: Mana]

[Energy Capacity: 5000]

[Maker: Unknown]

[Special Effect: Water Affinity increased by 30%]

Well shit. Alex just found the battery problem, but it was poor quality. Whoever made that had no idea what they were doing. It was just raw material crafted as a container. There weren't even efficiency augmentations on it. Just from the artificed etchings on it, all they did was tack on a water affinity that served no real purpose.

Crude and barbaric.

However, observing that staff had allowed Alex to open her eyes. Literally. There were other interesting items that were in the inn that she hadn't noticed before due to her headhunting.

The woman beside the mage had a bow on her back with glowing veins. A man was wearing full plate armour, and there was a gem right in the middle of it. It was an information gather bonanza, all thanks to Elador's slow, cozy life that was about to turn into a high speed chase once he arrived back at base.

...

[Object: Armour Gem]

[Description: A container made of Fraedium Gem]

[Compatible Energy Type: Mana]

[Energy Capacity: 250]

[Maker: Lygos]

[Special Effect: Takes physical damage up to 250 mana points]

...

[Object: Holy Tree Bow]

[Description: A bow made from the trunk of the Holy Tree.]

[Mana Capacity: 550]

[Mana Regen: 12/hour]

[Maker: Rinithdir]

[Special Effect: Allows user to project mana arrows to launch instead of physical arrows]

Meanwhile, as Alex was analyzing multiple items, a group of knights passed by the inn. They wore full plate armour, though they wore no helmets. On their armours were multiple gems at the joints and the chest. The one leading had a brooch on the side of his chest. One of them caught a glance at their table, and his eyes stared right at Elador, who tried to hide his face.

The group of knights moved into the inn. All of them locked in on Elador's position, who was in the front most table by the entrance.

"Well, well. Who do we have here? Elador, is that you?" the front most knight said.

Elador didn't dare say anything, but the men kept moving in until they were right at the table. "Please, I wish to live in peace. I no longer have any relation with the royals."

"Really? What happened to the king's orders?" the knight with the brooch on his chest said.

"The king's orders have already expired. Leave me alone, Garret."

"Is that an order I'm hearing?" Garret said mockingly. "Fellows. Shall we go ahead and follow what this mere alchemist tells us?"

"Oh, we definitely should. For our own good, right?" another knight said sarcastically.

"So," Garret said. "What are you eating? Any good?"

"It is adequate," Elador said.

"What's adequate about it? Or are we too dumb to understand?" Garret asked.

"It is simply nourishment, nothing more, nothing less."

"Enough of this charade, Elador. Just admit your wrongdoings already!" Garret grabbed Elador by the collar.

"I did no wrong. I was framed, have you no logic?" Elador asked.

"The potion came from your hands and was branded with your signature. The noble lady said so herself or do you speak ill of her as well?" Garret asked.

"By the king's grace, you have not been beheaded yet," a knight said. "If you confess to your crime, your honour can be restored."

"How would I reclaim my honour if I confess to a crime I did not commit? It would only tarnish it," Elador said, looking up at the glaring Garret holding him closer to his face.

Garret's eyes turned to Alex who was still analyzing other objects around the inn. "I see. You no longer have honour. Paying for a woman like a lowlife."

Surprise flickered across Elador's face, but Alex didn't even care. Who cared about what this fool thought of her? Let her do her analysis and fuck off. If they did anything to hurt her prized employee, that'd be the only time she'd actually bother stepping in.

"Get up," Garret said to Elador.

"I will not," Elador said.

"If you don't get up, we'll rough you up here and now. You don't want to cause the other customers trouble, right?"

Elador's eyes glanced beside him, hoping for Alex to save him. But no answer came. What happened instead was Garret pulling him by the collar to drag him off his seat. In doing so, the jars and bottles in his bag clinked and fell off the table.

A blue outline suddenly appeared on the table. This time, Alex turned her head. The mother of vinegars almost crashed onto the floor. It would have been a tragedy if they did, one that would make her lose her mind and kill all of the little shits in front of her.

"So. Who the fuck are you?" Alex asked.

Garret stopped in his tracks while dragging Elador out of the inn. "Wench, this is none of your business."

"Wait, sir. Her beauty is profound. Shall we take her too?"

A smile formed on Garret's lips. "Wench, what is your name?"

"Alex. And you're Gary, right?"

A vein popped out of Garret's forehead, indicating that it hit a nerve, but he took a deep breath before saying again, "The stupid wench is illiterate. Patov, drag her out as well."

Patov, a man with bushy hair and a thin moustache, walked back into the inn towards Alex. He had a clear grin on his face that was very punchable. The only issue with killing these men would be the king, who would cause more headaches if she did kill them.

Option 1: kill these assholes, end up becoming the evil of the world, and be hunted forever, no longer allowed to create a coffee company.

Option 2: use their egos against them, beat them up, and mock them for being beaten up by a 'wench'.

She thought about Option 1 quite deeply. She’s already told people to tell the king to fuck himself. But in pursuit of not making a situation worse than it already is, Option 2 it was.

"Blame yourself for associating with Elador, wench," Patov said.

"You see, that would be scary if you were actually... scary."

"Shut up, wench," Patov took her by the arm, attempting to drag her. "Let's take you to paradise."

Just as expected, this little son of a bitch trying to take her was all talk. Their armours might as well be just for eye candy. He couldn't even make her budge away from her seat. And the expression on his face had already changed, clearly.

"You were saying?" Alex asked.

"Wha-"

Alex immediately slapped him on the face, launching him outside of the inn, skidding on the ground until his back hit the wall of a building. Slowly moving forward, she grinned. "Is that all you got?"

"Get her!" Garret shouted.

"You know," Alex said while slapping another knight in the face. Instant knockout. "I always like the physical route." Again, another knight was slapped, smashing him away to the wall, and planting him into it. "It doesn't take 12 fucking days to get what I want."

Garret slowly stepped back. His hand moved to his sword and hovered it over Elador's neck. "Don't move. Or else?"

"Taking a hostage against a wench?" Alex smirked. "How smart. Normally, I'd try to hire you, but I don't like little shits."

A gust of wind swept through Garret. In the next second, his sword was shattered into a thousand pieces, causing him to fall back on his butt. Elador was free and rushed back to the inn to hug his bag.

Alex stepped on the man's groin. It was armoured, but that didn't matter as it bent inwards. "Get your status glass and fucking look at me."

Garret hesitated but picked up his status glass anyway. Wearing it on his right eye, his eyes widened instantly. "...20?!"

"Guess what. You just got bitch slapped by a wench," Alex looked at the remaining knights that were still standing. "Anyone else?"

All the knights shook their heads.

"Then fuck off," Alex turned back, heading back to the inn to their table. Sitting back down at the table, she patted Elador on the shoulder. "Good job not pissing your pants, I guess."

…

Elador felt the weight of her hand lift off of him as he looked back at his house stew. It was still there, perfectly intact. Alex had gone back to continue staring at the other customers of the inn. Who knows what she was doing.

Turning his head back to the knights gathering up their fallen outside, he now understood what he just signed up for. Garret was one of the people who had constantly harassed him after his banishment from the royal court due to poisoning accusations. The man was part of the Golden Generation, easily having a prowess of 152. Not to mention the knights around him averaging at least 120 prowess.

Beside him, Alex had completely dominated the fight against the knights. It was then Elador understood.

The cozy slow life of being a disgraced alchemist was about to head off in a different direction. He was about to enter a new life where only speed was what mattered, the speed at which Alex lives her life.