Chapter 131 Chapter 132 The First Potion Refinement
After finishing breakfast, Jima walked into the alchemy room.
The alchemy room felt like a kitchen. On the white countertop, there was a pot, and on either side, there were some basic materials: water, dwarven spirits, and oil, along with an hourglass for timing.
The blowpipe was aligned with the stove, and a lever hung in the air, ready to blow fire with a simple pull.
Jima approached the materials cabinet, opened the door, and pulled out a bag of nutmeg, dried ginger slices, and other ingredients, also bringing a bundle of sanctified green candles, which she tossed onto the countertop.
These materials had been purchased in bulk, enough to make hundreds of “Fortune Charms.”
Although she possessed the extraordinary ability to see the magical properties of herbs, she still prepared for failure.
This was not like a chemistry experiment. As long as the steps were correct, success was guaranteed, and even if something went wrong, it wouldn’t be too severe.
But with this, as long as you are an ordinary person, even if your actions were identical to Singe’s and the materials the same, nine out of ten would be ineffective, and the remaining one would have significant side effects.
In short, the reproducibility was extremely low and varied from person to person.
After weighing out the materials on the scale, Jima sorted them into piles.
After sanctifying each pile, she tossed them into a ceramic bowl and began to blend them. She kept the steps in mind, stood straight, and focused intently on the spices in the bowl.
How about spice-roasted chicken for lunch…? No, she needed to concentrate.
She straightened her back and stared at the spices in the bowl.
The pale golden light in the nutmeg still shimmered softly, while the light white color of the dried ginger slices flowed gently.
She recalled Singe’s demonstration, remembering how the magical power of the herbs had detached from the herbs themselves during his blending.
What should she do?
She contemplated and glanced over the herbs.
Suddenly, the nutmeg began to vibrate, like a water balloon pricked by a needle; the pale golden light burst forth, and wisps of jagged smoke emerged from the ginger slices, forming a fog that began to spread slowly.
Jima quickly picked up the ceramic bowl, turned it upside down in her palm, concentrated her mental energy into her palm, and recalled the image of herself swimming through the pile of gold coins in the vault.
The pale golden magical power stopped dispersing and was miraculously confined to the surface of the herbs by an invisible force.
“Similar to Singe’s blending results, but his herbs seemed to be smoking a bit too?”
Jima was uncertain if this phenomenon was good or bad. There were many uncertainties in the supernatural world.
A wisp of black smoke drifted over, landing in the bowl and adding a hint of gray to the pale gold.
Was it contamination?
Jima quickly leveled the bowl. She sprinkled a circle of pure white salt, and the chaotic black smoke halted at the boundary of the salt.
Jima lit the sanctified green candle, took a sprig of sage, ignited it, and with the smoking sage, she rotated it clockwise over the bowl, allowing the pale golden magical power to flow out, blending together with the subtly varying colors of the different herbs.
Was this what they called blending through “vibrational frequencies,” leading to mutual integration?
Jima thought as she placed the smoking sage in the bowl. The green smoke fell into the bowl, but nothing happened.
Jima blew out the sage, extinguished the sanctified green candle, and although she didn’t find this candle particularly useful yet, she cut the half-solidified candle wax into pieces and tossed them into the bowl, then put the materials from the bowl into a small pouch, tying it securely with a string.
It was quite similar to the fortune charm created by Master Singe, except that hers was darker in color, with a broader area of golden light.
She wondered whether it was her lack of skill that led to the severe dispersion of magical power or if she had exceeded expectations.
Jima thought for a moment and realized that feeling she had surpassed a twenty-year veteran just a few days after starting was perhaps a bit too optimistic.
Even though she had made many potions and possessed extraordinary abilities.
It was time to test the effects.
Jima didn’t touch the fortune charm, instead calling out, “Lianna, Lianna!”
“Master! I’m coming!”
Soon, Lianna, who had been hanging laundry in the yard, hurried over, wearing a straw hat.
Jima casually removed the tattered hat and said, “I like cat ears.”
Lianna looked surprised, her eyes sparkling as she whispered, “Thank… you.”
However, Jima didn’t hear as she turned away, pinching the fortune charm between her thumb and index finger, lifting a piece of string in her left hand, saying, “Lianna, wear it around your neck, close to your body.”
“Master, is this for me?” Lianna said, cupping the charm with both hands, unsure of what to say, “Thank—”
“Thank you for what, you foolish maid,” Jima said. “This is an experiment.”
“An experiment?”
“Yes, I am an alchemist researching potions.” Jima released her hold, saying, “This is my first product; I need someone to test how effective it is.”
With that, she focused on Lianna, who was now acting as the test subject.
Lianna’s reaction was strange; she seemed to exhale, saying, “I will do my best, Master.”
As if relieved to be of use, she quickly tied the charm onto the string, then wrapped it around her neck, tucking the charm into her V-neck garment, where it rested against her skin.
Jima watched as the golden light from the fortune charm emitted a faint golden smoke that ascended along Lianna’s skin, gathering above her head.
It was similar to the effect of Singe’s work.
“How does it feel?”
Lianna shook her head, saying, “Nothing.”
“Keep wearing it and continue with your work.”
“Yes, Master.”
Lianna promptly turned back.
Jima looked at her retreating figure and nodded in satisfaction. She liked this obedient, well-behaved maid who didn’t cause trouble.
She glanced again at the pile of spices on the alchemy countertop, deciding not to practice further.
Before receiving feedback on the effects, it was unknown whether the outcome would be good or bad; any further practice would only solidify unnoticed bad habits. It was like surviving in the wilderness; to stay alive, one must first ensure the right direction rather than push forward blindly.
Jima intended to take a break.
With nothing else to do, she lay down on the bed, attempting to rest efficiently, but her mind was very alert. She walked outside and saw Lianna finishing hanging the last piece of clothing on the rack, the black silk flapping in the sunlight.
Jima said nothing, turned away, and picked up the book she had stolen from a noble apprentice, said to be written by Gelt. She intended to take a look, flipping open the bronze cover, a line of text catching her eye.
“This book contains my insights; it’s normal not to understand, as I didn’t think about making it comprehensible while writing; I just wrote as I thought.”
Very genuine…
What followed was the usual praise of alchemy, as every magician would boast about their magical system.
Gelt was no exception.
“Alchemy is the art of studying the transformation of metals, also known as the metal system; from the experience of those who have been there, this field has great prospects; only a fool wouldn’t choose the metal system.”
“…The offensive spells are not weaker than those of other systems, and they are very convenient outside the battlefield. You can turn lead into gold to deal with greedy people. Once, I took a boat to the port of Marlin; the captain was a greedy person, and seeing me as a student of the Aldao Magic Academy, he wanted to charge me three times the fare; I turned lead into gold and paid him five times the fare…”
“…The people of Marlin are just too greedy.”
“Of course, using lead as gold requires full confidence in yourself; there is currently no method to turn lead permanently into gold.”
“That foolish and greedy captain trembled with rage and hired assassins to chase me. Naturally, they posed no threat to me because with a wave of my hand, I turned the blades in their hands into rust…”
What a truly special talent.
At that moment, a commotion was heard from outside: “Thief! Scoundrel! Die!”
“Damn bastard! How dare you?!”
Jima quickly grabbed her crossbow and rushed outside.
