Chapter 23: The Daily Life of an Eight Year Old - Formulating and Training
Thanks to "Mixing 1", I now know how to make simple potions.
For making a healing potion, I dried powdered Theron leaves, then heated them in an alchemy solution to 40 degrees. The process takes about thirty minutes. The healing potion is ready when it cools naturally to room temperature. It's easy to say, but if you use the wrong amount of Theron grass or alchemy solution, or if you take it off the heat at the wrong time, you'll end up with a meaningless liquid like the one you started.
The "Mixing" skill was a strange sensation. It didn't tell me something obvious but resembled an unconscious action that had implanted in my body and mind after years of training. Perhaps an ordinary alchemist would not feel any different. I don't have any education on mixing a potion. Maybe that's why the effect of the skill and my own experience diverge, and that's why I feel uncomfortable.
After that, I continued to work quietly on my mixing. I refused to eat with my mother and father and continued to make healing potions as long as I had the ingredients. Before I knew it, it was dawn, I was out of items, so I had no choice but to go to bed.
At the sound of a visitor's voice, I raised my heavy eyelids.
I don't know how long I've been asleep. I don't know how long I've been sleeping, but I'm still looking for my watch.
"What the hell is this ……!?"
Roland looked around the room and was in raptures.
As soon as his eyes met mine, he sighed in exasperation.
"What are you doing, boy?"
"I was just sleeping ……, remember?"
"That's not what I meant! Why are you sleeping wrapped up in the dead grass! Is this an encampment!"
"I thought I'd take advantage of the General's greatness."
I had spread out his alchemy tools and had no place to put them, so I evacuated them onto the bed. I was too lazy to move it, so I just fell asleep, but it's indeed great, so I'm not wrong.
"Isn't something getting crazier every year?"
"That's rude."
"So, what's with all these little bottles and cups and stuff on the table? There are some strange utensils, too. It's like a weird store in a back alley."
I pointed to the left end of the line of vials.
"From there to around here are inferior healing potions, and beyond that are low-quality healing potions."
"Is ……? You didn't think you could make it, did you?"
"Of course not. I don't have any taste in arranging those things."
Roland peered into the cup in surprise.
It's low quality. It's quite a beautiful scarlet color.
"Bullshit, this color, and smell …… is a healing potion."
"There's nothing to lie. Yes, I've come to the right place."
I lay back down and throw the leather bag at him. Roland caught it and immediately noticed the contents.
"Get me some alchemy solution. I want you to negotiate directly with the alchemist if you can. I don't care about the quality as long as it's usable. If it's too good, the price will go up, so please do in moderation. Oh, and please make sure you buy it from someone who hasn't ordered the cure. I don't want to interfere with your work. And I'll need 30 Theron grass. I'll double the amount for the alchemy solution to 60 bottles. If you don't have enough money, buy what you can. Now please, I'm going to get some more sleep."
"Oh, wait a minute, se …… what? And what the hell is this money?"
"It's leaves off the Theron grass. You can tell it's an ingredient in healing potions. Don't worry about the gold. Oh, drink whatever's in there. I was having trouble finding enough empty containers. It's slightly sweet and delicious."
"It's such a light healing potion, ……."
Roland took the vial and walked out of the room. No, don't take it with you.
Later, for some reason, my father, mother, and even my brother came in, "I heard you made a new drink. My father looked at the cup and drank it down in one gulp, saying, "Wow, it's delicious with a hint of sweetness. It's like a healing potion," he said, guessing the contents. As I looked at the three of them, who were now a little more energetic, with my eyelids on the verge of falling off, out of the corner of my eye, Meredy drank two bottles and then hurried off. Yeah, right, let me sleep.
◇◇◇◇
As I'm dumping the crude potion out the window, Roland came back carrying a giant bag and changed his blood color when he saw me.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm emptying it."
"That's three silver coins!"
I tilted my head and washed the vial with "Fresh Water Piyua Water". What the hell is this guy talking about?
"The potion you just gave me, when I had it assessed at the store, they said they'd buy it for three silver coins!"
"It was of low quality, wasn't it? Don't worry, these are inferior, so they're even cheaper. If it was low quality, it would have been empty long ago."
"Daaah!!!"
Roland lamented, picking up the empty vial, "What a waste." What a noisy fellow.
"More importantly, did you get it for me?"
"Yes, I have it here, though. I don't think so – are you planning to make a cure?"
Roland's eyes took on a serious hue.
I was about to open my mouth and was at a loss for a response.
I couldn't say for sure that I was. My ‘concoction' is up to 2 after a night of training. I don't know if it's a difference in concentration or quality, but it's much faster than my combat skills. Even so, I have no confidence in my ability to create a cure that my real job has spoonfed me. The more I can understand with my senses, the more I can't imagine the things that come from the materials of the cure.
"…… I wish I could, but I doubt it. I don't know if I can get my skills up enough to challenge you before you create it."
"There's no way you can–"
Roland cut his words short and looked at the vial in his hand.
"If you have created a healing potion in this short amount of time – no, I'm still not sure. If I had more time."
"Is that bad?"
"Yes."
Roland nodded his head with a somber expression.
"It seems to be deteriorating rapidly. I heard he's already coughed up some blood."
"Do you think the alchemists will be able to create it?"
"It looks like it's going to be tough. Simon seems to be holed up in his house, experimenting repeatedly, but it's as if he's getting no response. Oh, and the materials are no problem. "Battle Axe of Destruction" made it last night, and the hunters have returned one after another with the materials. There won't be a shortage."
"All right. I'll go back to work too. If you need Sacrio sake, feel free to take it. I'll concentrate for a bit."
"Yes, sir."
I watched as Roland stepped back, I sat down at the table.
I continued to make healing potions until the evening, but the growth had slowed. The formula was still the same: 2.
But that didn't mean it wasn't growing. Most of the alchemy solutions that Roland had bought were of low quality, and some of those were inferior. After he restarted, he failed to mix them several times, and even when he completed them, they were inferior healing potions. As the owner of the grocery store had said. The quality of the potion depended on how good the quality of the solution was. Nevertheless, as we continued to work, our success rate increased, and before long, we were able to create low-quality products. This suggests that I got the experience even if the rank hasn't increased. Or is it experience in the true sense of the word, different from skill? Either way, it was a little frustrating.
I looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath.
I'm going to do this a little differently. Healing potions can have collateral effects. I have Falafel grass and General grass. The General grass' effect is weak, but it should be worth the experience.
I pick up a handful of the dried-up General grass and stare at it.
A vague image came to me.
A way to prepare it? But it was even more vague than usual. This time, I put them together with the Theron grass and the alchemy solution and concentrated on them.
For a moment, I felt as if I could see something, and then I sank back into the thick fog.
Somehow – I think I can add it.
I powdered the Theron grass and the General grass and mixed them according to my senses.
And I failed again and again. It turned out to be just a liquid or a healing potion with no accompanying effects. After repeating the process, I finally made a healing potion with a faint antipyretic effect.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt more responsive than ever after completing it.
After that, I continued to make potions with General grass for a while. And when I got used to it, I moved on to Falafel grass, and then to potions with both. When I felt that I wasn't good enough, I would focus on one additive and re-train myself. Before long, I could make potions with two accompanying effects, and the quality had improved to the point where I could make standard quality.
"Alter-sama."
I look up at the voice calling out to me.
I see someone in my blurry vision. That someone is looking around and seeing the vials lined up in front of me, I remembered what I had been doing. I wondered when I had fallen asleep. It was as if I couldn't remember.
"Meredy, huh? What's wrong?"
"What's the matter, didn't you take your meal?"
There was bread and stew on the side of the table.
Night had long since fallen, the cool morning air was pouring into the room. No wonder it was chilly.
I looked at the lamp with a start. I was relieved to see that the lamp was off. I don't know what time it was, but it looks like I took care of the fire before I fell asleep. If I'm not careful, I'll end up with a fire.
"Did you bring me breakfast?"
"That's yesterday's dinner, sir."
"Ah, so that's why it's cold. By the way, how long has it been since I've been in my room?"
Meredy thinks for a moment before answering.
"It's the morning of the third day."
"Three days, huh?"
That would make it ten days since we encountered it. So we have about five days left. I'd like to think there's a little more time left now that Pavel has taken care of it, though.
I open my status. I opened up my status and found that my "Compounding" had risen to 3. I guess this is about the same level as the average alchemist. It's crazy to reach this level in just three days. It's a great way to get a feel for the power of growth, but it's still not enough.
When I checked my bag to go back to mixing, I found that I had already run out of materials.
I guess I'll have to eat first, then go shopping.
I was about to eat yesterday's dinner when Meredy quickly took it away from me. I don't mind if it's cold. It's not like it's rotten.
Despite my best efforts to protest, dinner did not come back, and I had no choice but to go to the dining room.
My family had already started breakfast, and when I showed up, my father and brother's eyes widened, my mother was speechless. It must look nasty. It looks so bad, the dark circles and all.
"It's okay, Mother. I'll be like this for a while longer, but don't worry."
I smiled, but to no avail.
My mother's gaze wandered dumbly, appealing to my father and brother with her eyes. Whether they heard it from Roland or just guessed it. They quieted her down.
In a slightly easy atmosphere, I quickly finished my meal and left the dining room, saying, "I'm going out.
I returned to my room and collected my leather bag of gold coins and three bottles of good potions. Then, just as I'm about to leave the gate, I ran into Roland.
"Well, my boy, you've thrown away your offerings and gone out."
"You've just arrived, haven't you? Well, it's right to throw them out."
I asked him if he could spare some more of the alchemy solution and a small amount of the cure material.
"No problem, sir. We've got hunters coming and going."
"Are those guys on their way to collect as often as they can?"
"Yes. They know why, and they want the "Battle Axe of Destruction" to stay by Valerie's side."
I felt a pang and couldn't help but turn my head away.
He had asked for it like that, and yet he had gone that far for it.
No matter what the outcome of this, no matter what it takes. I must heal Valerie. Then I can finally reward them.
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