by CaffeineFueledDelusions
Rowan Ashford died an overworked chemist and woke up in a new world as the son of a humble apothecary. His plan was simple: brew good potions, invent modern comforts, build a quiet manor, and live a peaceful life far from trouble. Unfortunately, his knack for creating stable, revolutionary alchemy keeps ruining his retirement plans. Every improved medicine, efficient golem, and clever invention draws the wrong kind of attention — greedy guilds, ambitious nobles, and ancient forces that see his work as either salvation or a threat. Now Rowan must navigate a world on the brink of a magical industrial revolution while desperately trying to stay out of the spotlight. A cozy progression fantasy about a reluctant genius who just wanted to retire — but keeps accidentally changing the world.
| # | Title | Words |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapter 1: A Perfectly Reasonable Response to Dying | 0 |
| 2 | Chapter 2: The Trouble With Being Four | 0 |
| 3 | Chapter 3: A Girl Who Asks Too Many Questions | 0 |
| 4 | Chapter 4: Helping | 0 |
| 5 | Chapter 5: A Very Lucky Batch | 0 |
| 6 | Chapter 6: The Crystal Problem | 0 |
| 7 | Chapter 7: A Crest on the Road | 0 |
| 8 | Chapter 8: Nine Years, Give or Take | 0 |
| 9 | Chapter 9: The Shape of an Ordinary Day | 0 |
| 10 | Chapter 10: Something in the Water | 0 |
| 11 | Chapter 11: The Anonymous Approach | 0 |
| 12 | Chapter 12: Too Fast to Be Luck | 0 |
| 13 | Chapter 13: A Letter With a Seal | 0 |
| 14 | Chapter 14: The Man Who Reads People For a Living | 0 |
| 15 | Chapter 15: Terms | 0 |
| 16 | Chapter 16: What He Could Say | 0 |
| 17 | Chapter 17: Research Purposes Only | 0 |
| 18 | Chapter 18: The First Favor | 0 |
| 19 | Chapter 19: A Name That Isn't Only His Anymore | 0 |
| 20 | Chapter 20: The Comfortable Leash | 0 |
| 21 | Chapter 21: Harmless Tinkering | 0 |
| 22 | Chapter 22: The Lamplighter's Request | 0 |
| 23 | Chapter 23: The Inspector | 0 |
| 24 | Chapter 24: Guild Standard | 0 |
| 25 | Chapter 25: A New Face in Town | 0 |
| 26 | Chapter 26: The Trap | — |
| 27 | Chapter 27: Telling Someone First | — |
| 28 | Chapter 28: Growing Pains | — |
| 29 | Chapter 29: Questions From a Stranger | — |
| 30 | Chapter 30: A Quiet Evening, For Once | — |
| 31 | Chapter 31: Terms and a Timeline | — |
| 32 | Chapter 32: A Reasonable Shortcut | — |
| 33 | Chapter 33: Someone in the Crowd | — |
| 34 | Chapter 34: Eighteen Months | — |
| 35 | Chapter 35: Asking Around | — |
| 36 | Chapter 36: The Answer | — |
| 37 | Chapter 37: Official Business | — |
| 38 | Chapter 38: Registered | — |
| 39 | Chapter 39: Two Ways of Seeing | — |
| 40 | Chapter 40: A Rival of Her Own | — |
| 41 | Chapter 41: The First Cracks | — |
| 42 | Chapter 42: Following the Thread | — |
| 43 | Chapter 43: In the Open | — |
| 44 | Chapter 44: What the Miners Knew | — |
| 45 | Chapter 45: Telling the Truth | — |
