【Alchemists never worry about money; alchemists are not interested in money.】
—by Albert
Bubble, bubble...
Tongues of fire licked the bottom of the cauldron, and the water inside had long since reached a boil.
Lan Qingyou stood before the cauldron outside the shelter, using a branch about three fingers thick to continuously stir the liquid inside in a clockwise direction.
It had already been six hours since she started the fire.
As for the branch in her hand, she had picked it up four hours ago while fetching more water to prevent the potion from boiling dry.
If someone asked if brewing potions was fun, well, it certainly was.
But it was also incredibly tedious.
After repeating the same motion countless times, even her initial high spirits had given way to a touch of exhaustion.
However, Albert's Alchemy Handbook stated that a batch of potion needed to simmer for at least eight hours. This meant her potion would be ready just about the time the sun rose.
Still, compared to the boredom of lying in bed with nothing to do, what was a little tedium?
Gritting her teeth, she continued stirring while pulling out the copy of 《Basic Herbology》 she had received today.
In truth, she had already read through the book once at the start of the brewing process; bringing it out now was simply to refresh her memory and keep herself awake.
To see the pages clearly, Lan Qingyou had even taken the magic lamp from inside the shelter and hung it on a nearby branch.
It had to be said.
Though the book was titled 'Basic,' it covered everything from herb identification, collection, and preparation to drying, grinding, storage, usage, and safety precautions.
Furthermore, it contained illustrations for many E-grade herbs, allowing her to identify each plant more accurately.
Admittedly, this textbook was far more detailed than Albert's handbook.
Then again, his was just a personal diary of insights and experiences; it naturally couldn't compare to a standardized textbook.
Lan Qingyou had no complaints about this. She wasn't the type of person to accept a favor and then turn around to make disparaging comparisons; that would be beneath her.
Ring, ring, ring—!
Just as Lan Qingyou's eyelids began to droop, the piercing ring of a mechanical alarm clock on the windowsill jolted her awake.
“Eight hours! It's time!”
Her spirit surged. She immediately set down her stirring branch and turned off the alarm.
She had traded twenty units of basic materials for this wind-up mechanical alarm clock on the exchange. Since she was making potions, she had to keep a strict eye on the timing.
To facilitate this, she had specifically used three charges of her Collection Technique on the surrounding trees.
Since obtaining the herb gathering bag, collecting resources had become much more convenient.
She discovered that as long as she stayed up in the trees, she was basically safe. Consequently, she now dared to leave the shelter even at night.
Don't misunderstand—she didn't have any grand ideas; she was simply taking advantage of the fact that wolves couldn't climb trees.
In an Abandoned Forest devoid of flying magic creatures, Lan Qingyou was practically in her element.
It was actually quite strange. Why were there no bird-like magic creatures in such a vast forest?
Lan Qingyou was puzzled by this, eventually attributing it to the newbie protection period.
While there were magic creatures like wolf packs, perhaps even the world will of Planet Karim hadn't expected someone to awaken a flight talent.
Sizzle— Sizzle—
Lan Qingyou used a wooden bowl to scoop water from the bucket and douse the fire beneath the cauldron. She then leaned over to inspect the contents.
The potion in the cauldron had reduced by half, and that was even after she had topped it off with water once.
Otherwise, she might have ended up with a burnt pot.
However, the medicinal scent wafting from it wasn't as strong as she had imagined.
“I guess it's a success?”
Lan Qingyou wasn't entirely sure. She flew to a nearby spot, used her Collection Technique to store some wood in her herb bag, and then returned to scoop out a small bowl of the liquid.
After letting it cool, she took a sip and stared intently at her status panel.
Seeing her mana values rise, Lan Qingyou fell into a silent contemplation, unsure whether to be happy or depressed.
The reason was simple.
It was a success, but not a complete one.
According to Albert's Alchemy Handbook, an Apprentice-level Mana Potion was supposed to restore 5 mana per second for 10 seconds.
In other words, it should have restored a total of 50 mana.
Hers, however, restored 1 mana per second for 10 seconds...
Whatever, whatever. This was a rushed first attempt with incomplete tools and insufficient knowledge. Being able to produce something usable was already an achievement.
After all, she had initially prepared herself to waste the herbs and end up with a pot of sludge.
Well, while she might not be a grand genius like Albert, who crafted a perfect Apprentice-level Mana Potion on his first day as an apprentice, she could at least consider herself a minor genius.
With that thought, Lan Qingyou walked over to her magic desk.
Since she had made it, there was no reason not to use it.
Even if the quality was poor, a potion was still a potion. Selling it would at least help her recoup some of her costs.
Now, she needed to find a container to package the potion for sale.
While she had things like mineral water bottles, the image of someone taking a swig from a plastic bottle to restore mana felt like a desecration of the art of alchemy.
She couldn't help it; the mental image was just too strong to ignore.
Of course.
The most critical issue was that a 550ml bottle of mana potion would be difficult to price.
“Glass bottles won't work either; they're still too big. Shot glasses are inconvenient to carry. It's best to have something small, portable, and easy to consume.”
“For example, these 15ml test tubes aren't bad; they even come with their own corks.”
Yes! Test tubes!
That's it!
Wouldn't a test tube perfectly meet all her requirements?
It was practically the perfect vessel for potion-making!
Seeing the test tubes, Lan Qingyou didn't even hesitate before buying them.
A box of ten cost only one unit of stone.
It seemed that for those who had no use for them, these items were truly worthless. They were being offloaded so cheaply that she was the one getting a bargain.
In fact, many items on the exchange were like this.
After all, the supply chests could contain any sort of daily necessity.
If there were useful survival items like towels and mattresses, there were naturally 'useless' items like toothpicks and test tubes.
Once the test tubes arrived, Lan Qingyou immediately began pouring the potion into them, filling them to the brim before sealing them with corks.
“This should count as one dose of potion, right?”
Lan Qingyou looked at the blue-green liquid inside the test tube and spoke uncertainly.
In the end, she simply walked into the room and placed a tube on the small screen.
When in doubt, use identification; there was no point in agonizing over it herself.
【Crude Mana Potion (E-)】
【Effect: Restores 1 mana per second for 10 seconds.】
【Description: A poorly made mana potion with a metallic, bloody smell. It is truly baffling whose 'masterful' hands produced this; even the dosage is excessive. It is recommended that both the potion and its creator be sent back to the furnace for a complete remake.】
Rate on N.U.
