Gotchard in DC Ch 13

Isaac speeds through the streets of National City on the BMW, heading towards the small villa tucked away in the suburbs. The wind whips past his face as he weaves through traffic, a sense of purpose driving him forward. His destination isn't just a random house; it's a gateway, a portal set up by X Wizard to reach her new underground lab.

He pulls up to the villa, parks the motorcycle in the garage, and heads inside. The place is quiet, still and undisturbed. He hasn't figured out how to tell his parents about his double life, let alone the existence of a magical alchemist from another world. For now, all he can do is make sure X Wizard remains hidden.

He sighs, knowing this charade can't last forever. But for now, keeping his superhero activities a secret is his top priority. That's part of why he supports X Wizard's move. The small villa isn't a sustainable base of operations. It's too exposed, too vulnerable.

Plus, the villa is too small. It simply isn't suitable to be modified into an Alchemy laboratory, which is one of the biggest reasons for her relocation.

After much discussion, X Wizard finally decided to open a space underground somewhere in the suburbs of National City as her new base. She left a portal in the small villa's utility room for Isaac's convenience. He heads to the back of the house, to the nondescript utility room.

He faces a blank wall, takes a deep breath, extends his fist, and points the Alchemy ring on his finger directly at the wall. He softly chants an Alchemy spell. As the last syllable fades, a blue light emanates from the ring, and a doorway quietly appears on the wall. Without hesitation, Isaac reaches out, pushes open the door, and steps inside.

The scene before him instantly transforms from the cramped utility room into a brightly lit white corridor, much like the passages in laboratories from movies, giving Isaac a feeling that is both familiar and strange.

Walking quickly along the passage, after passing through the long corridor, Isaac finally arrives at the main body of the X Wizard's Alchemy laboratory—a massive oval-shaped hall.

The hall's dozen or so workbenches are filled with various Alchemy equipment and materials, and the air is permeated with the peculiar, mixed scent of the materials themselves.

Currently, X Wizard stands before a wide workbench, wielding a pen. She meticulously sketches something on a blueprint, appearing immersed in a complex design.

After setting the snack bags on the table, Isaac walks closer to X Wizard. The blueprint is covered with strange animal designs.

"Wizard, are you busy with that gadget I asked you for? Want to take a break? I brought you some snacks."

X Wizard finishes sketching the animal, and Isaac pats her shoulder, greeting her.

He specifically went to a snack supermarket to select these snacks as a gift. Although they are now partners, this time, it was Isaac's sudden whim to ask for help, so he couldn't skimp on showing appreciation.

He thought hard and remembered that X Wizard had once raved about the snacks he had stored, so he made a special trip and bought many of her favorites as compensation.

"Hiss~ This spicy strip tastes great."

Looking up at the bags Isaac placed on the table, a smile flashes in her eyes. She puts down her pen, stretches, walks to the table, opens a bag, takes out a pack of spicy strips, tears open the packaging, and takes a bite.

Sitting on an alchemically-made sofa, X Wizard savors the snacks, occasionally gasping in praise.

"Hmm, Wizard, the designs for these animals on your blueprint are great, but can their functions be enriched? For example, this spider, can it shoot webs? That way, it could bind enemies and let me pretend to be Spider-Man."

Walking to the bench, Isaac picks up the blueprint and examines it. After a moment, he proposes his ideas.

The designs are intricate, but their functions are singular, mainly focused on investigation, tracking, and information gathering. Although they meet Isaac's needs, he hopes they can be even better.

"You really dare to dream big. However, the function of shooting webs isn't impossible; it just requires adjusting the formula and material ratios."

Hearing Isaac's words, X Wizard raises her eyebrow, swallows the strip, and after a moment, speaks in a teasing tone.

"Then I'll leave it to you! After all, these animals are important assistants, so the more complete their functions, the better."

Seeing that X Wizard agrees, Isaac is happy. The more complete the functions of these tools, the more they will help him.

"The spider's webs can be realized through special materials synthesized, and as for the sparrow and octopus, some auxiliary functions can also be added based on their characteristics, such as the sparrow being able to add short-distance flash interference, and the eel being able to release weak currents..."

Sighing softly, although X Wizard complains about Isaac increasing her workload, her hands already begin to modify the blueprint, and she explains her ideas as she draws.

"That's great! This way, the practicality of these animals will be greatly improved."

Listening to X Wizard's explanation, Isaac nods repeatedly, his eyes sparkling. He also offers his own thoughts.

After more than an hour of discussion and revision, the two finalize the design plans for six types: the sparrow, locust, rat, eel, spider, and octopus.

In addition to their basic tracking and information collection functions, each animal also has some special abilities added based on their characteristics, which can provide excellent assistance to Isaac in his daily life and battles.

"Alright, the design plan is done; next is the production."

Stretching, X Wizard turns and walks toward the cabinet, beginning to select the materials needed for this project.

All the items and facilities, as well as most of the materials, were purchased by Isaac from his own savings, based on the list provided by X Wizard.

She really is going all out, Isaac thinks. I need to make sure I don't let her down.