Ch. 18 - Potion Crafting, Alertness Draught

The Black Mist Forest was still draped in thin morning mist, but Robb had already arrived at the herb shop well ahead of time.

He gazed at the weathered wooden door, his mind churning.

The horrors of Locke and Emily kept resurfacing, the past few days' events had robbed him of sleep, yet only hardened his resolve to grow stronger.

He checked the sky. Still half an hour before the agreed time.

This kind of caution had become second nature. He wasn't about to gamble on what might happen if he were late.

The bronze wind chime by the door rang softly in the breeze. Though the shop was closed, he could faintly detect Lady Elena's distinctive mana fluctuation from within.

Robb took a deep breath and rapped gently on the door.

Soon enough, Lady Elena's characteristic raspy voice drifted out. "Come in, boy."

The moment he pushed the door open, the familiar medley of strange scents greeted him.

After several days of exposure, Robb could now identify most of the ingredients by smell alone.

He picked out the crisp bite of evening primrose, the sharp spiciness of serpent-fang grass, and several other distinctive aromas he still couldn't name.

"Earlier than the agreed time again."

Lady Elena stood behind the counter, a flicker of approval passing through those faintly green-glowing eyes. "It seems you truly aren't the lazy sort. Good."

Robb imitated the noble's bow his etiquette tutor had once drilled into him. "It's my honor to be valued by you, Lady Elena."

"Spare me the useless pleasantries."

The old woman waved him off, her gaze sharpening like a hawk's. "Let me check your homework first."

Robb nodded and responded immediately. "Yes, Lady Elena. I've reviewed the section on alertness draughts in Introduction to Potioneering three times, and I've prepared some notes as well."

He produced a thick notebook from inside his clothes.

It was crammed with records of ingredient properties, reaction patterns, and even minute observations, all documented in meticulous detail.

Lady Elena took the notebook and leafed through it casually. The light in her eyes gradually brightened.

"Interesting... You've done more than just transcribe the textbook. You've incorporated your own insights. This idea of linking spirit perception to ingredient properties, that's quite novel."

She closed the notebook and fixed Robb with a piercing stare. "Follow me. There's plenty to teach you today."

The old woman led Robb through a narrow corridor to the brewing chamber at the back of the shop.

Unlike his last visit, the workbench was already laden with instruments and materials, clearly prepared in advance.

A bronze crucible sat atop a specially made furnace stand, beneath which danced an eerie blue flame.

"First, I'll teach you to prepare the most basic alertness draught."

Lady Elena introduced the materials on the bench as she spoke. "Though this potion is common on the market, producing a flawless batch is far from easy. Every ingredient requires precise dosage and timing."

Robb approached the workbench and used his [Herb Identification] ability to carefully examine the materials.

Fresh moonlight grass leaves still glistened with dew, their surfaces shimmering silver under the blue firelight.

Carbon-breath grass stems trailed wisps of pale blue smoke, a sign their active properties hadn't yet faded.

Several other materials with distinctive signatures but unfamiliar names were arranged neatly in glass dishes.

"Every material has its own specific rhythm."

Lady Elena's voice rang out. "A true potioneer must not only understand an ingredient's properties, but master the resonance between them."

The words struck a chord in Robb.

He recalled his insight during yesterday's Solar Breath practice, whether it was spirit power, breathing methods, or these ingredients, they all seemed to follow certain governing principles.

"You seem to have already grasped something?" Lady Elena had keenly noticed the shift in his expression.

"Yes." Robb nodded. "Like that stalk of stargrass yesterday, when I handled it in a particular way, I could sense a kind of rhythm contained within it."

"Good." The old woman allowed herself a faint smile. "Every true potioneer is chasing the balance of this rhythm."

She gestured toward the materials on the workbench. "Now, show me your understanding."

Robb took a deep breath and began preparing the potion according to his own comprehension.

This time, he didn't slavishly follow the textbook method. Instead, he tried to feel each ingredient's character.

The silver glow of moonlight grass bore a striking resemblance to spirit power fluctuations. He experimented with handling the materials using a tempo similar to his meditation rhythm.

As the preparation progressed, Robb gradually entered a wondrous state.

Each material seemed to have its own "voice," and his task was to blend those voices into harmony.

"Interesting..." Lady Elena spoke up suddenly. "You're using the rhythm of spirit power to guide the fusion of ingredients?"

Robb blinked. "You mean..."

"Keep going. Don't answer me." The old woman cut him off. "Let me see how far you can take it."

Robb nodded and returned his full focus to the preparation.

When the final ingredient entered the copper pot, the liquid began changing color, shifting from murky to clear, finally settling into a pale amber.

In his perception, the energy fluctuations within the entire pot had reached a delicate equilibrium.

"Just as I thought..." Lady Elena murmured. "You do have a genuine talent for spirit perception. This approach of applying spirit rhythm to potion preparation isn't something just anyone would think of."

She scooped up some of the liquid with a silver spoon. "Still rough, but the direction is right."

Just then, footsteps approached from outside the shop door.

"Sounds like a customer." Lady Elena shed her instructional tone. "I'll go attend to them. In the meantime, tidy up the shelves. While you work, think carefully about what I've taught you today, in this world, every form of power follows specific principles. The key lies in how you perceive and apply them."

She was about to turn and leave when something seemed to occur to her. She glanced back at the liquid in the crucible. "This batch is more or less acceptable, but it's only substandard quality at best. Bottle it up and take it with you, sell it or use it yourself."

Robb felt a spark of delight. An unexpected bonus.

He thanked her with a nod and, after she left, began decanting the liquid into several small bottles.

Before leaving the brewing chamber, Robb cast one last look at the still-steaming bronze crucible, lost in thought.

Since transmigrating to this world and fully merging with the original soul, his rate of improvement had far outpaced anyone else's.

The most critical factor was naturally the cheat's ability to solidify every bit of progress. But his unique [Dual Soul] talent had clearly played no small role either.

"Two souls, two ways of thinking..." Robb murmured inwardly, his fingers unconsciously tapping out a rhythm on the tabletop.

He recalled the description of [Dual Soul] on his panel.

"Increased comprehension; when spirit power reaches a certain threshold, enables dual-casting."

At first, he'd focused entirely on the latter half, the "dual-casting" ability, while overlooking the seemingly unremarkable "increased comprehension."

Now he finally understood what that "comprehension boost" truly meant.

It was precisely because he possessed two fundamentally different souls that he could approach this world's arcane rules from an entirely new perspective.

"Rhythm..." Robb gently closed his eyes and felt the flow of spirit power within.

In his perception, spirit power was no longer just a vague mass of energy. It carried a specific melody, each movement like a note in an exquisite composition.

This perceptual ability was an additional benefit of his [Dual Soul] trait.

His Earth soul's understanding of music and art, fused with the native soul's instinctive sensitivity to arcane forces.

Bridged by the [Dual Soul], the two merged seamlessly, allowing him to comprehend the "rhythm" of various powers faster than anyone else.

Potioneering, meditation, breathing techniques, even spell construction, on the surface, these were entirely different disciplines. But in his perception, they all followed similar principles, differing only in tempo and harmony.

"Like a musician who plays multiple instruments, effortlessly switching between them..."

His [Dual Soul] gave him the ability to understand "rhythm" across disciplines, allowing him to draw analogies and find common threads between seemingly unrelated fields.

As for the multi-casting ability that might awaken later... for now, it seemed the time hadn't yet come.

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