Alchemy

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! 

Getting an alarm clock was a good idea, especially one that guaranteed it would wake him up. Though Eli was not a morning person; mornings were always a struggle for him. Extracting himself from bed was particularly challenging as Bonnie clung to him tightly, resembling a koala with an iron grip and with a satisfied grin.

"Alight, I'm up! I'm up! I'm up!"

Eli shouted as the alarm clock kept screeching.

In Terra, most technologies were powered by Magic Stones, crystals formed from the life force of monsters. These stones were crucial as an alternative to fossil fuels. For example, his alarm clock, equipped with an E Rank Magic Stone that will run for years, was advanced with voice control features, akin to smart devices like Alexa, albeit with limited functions.

Terra featured various adaptations of technology from his world, all operating on Magic Stone energy. The technology, inscribed with magic runes, was limited and could not support complex machinery such as engines. However, the inhabitants had access to common household appliances like refrigerators, stoves, boilers, lights, heaters, communication devices resembling smartphones, and even holographic TVs.

Yet, they lived in a quasi-Medieval era without advanced transportation—relying on horses, carriages, wagons, and sailboats. This was due to teleportation circles in every town and city, rendering the need for a steam engine obsolete. Citizens and traders could simply purchase a ticket to teleport with their goods, safely bypassing threats from monsters and bandits, by just purchasing a ticket from the Magician's Guild.

His head pounded, his body was sore, and the concept of energy seemed alien to him, leaving him feeling like a lifeless husk after their late-night activities. Getting up from the bed, like a zombie raised from his grave, Eli stumbled over to the bathroom. 

His initial impulse was to reach for a Stamina Potion to alleviate his condition.

However, this would start a precarious cycle. Once the effects of the Stamina Potion wore off, he would be back to square one, tempting him to consume another, thus repeating the cycle.

Not to mention the side effects, which he learned about from an Adventurer who ingested over a dozen potions during a battle with a monster horde. Although victorious, the Adventurer fell ill shortly after, suffering from what Bonnie identified as Mana poisoning.

Mana poisoning, caused by an excess of mana in the body beyond what it can process, manifests as blue veins on the skin, typically on the arms, neck, and face. It's not particularly dangerous if one stops treating potions like water. With adequate rest and nourishment, recovery is expected in the long term.

In the short term? Engaging in combat would be ill-advised for a few days. While it's possible if necessary, it would be excruciating, and the mana poisoning would take longer to dissipate.

Moments later, Bonnie was grinning, having learned that he could concoct a flushing potion capable of expelling all poisons and ailments from the body. Consequently, she placed a warning sign outside the store to inform customers of the side effects of their products and to encourage the purchase of the flushing potion.

By the end, she had him list all the potions he could make, and she was surprised to learn that his skills extended beyond potions. What caught her attention most was his ability to create high-quality toiletries.

These were personal care products for the body, including skin, hair, nails, lips, and teeth, designed to clean the customers, protect them from harmful germs, and maintain their beauty.

After lying on his bed for a few minutes, Bonnie, having lost her snuggling toy, finally got up. She moved like a zombie to his kitchen, which was now hers, followed him to the lab, and placed a tray of food on a table near his workspace. She had brought a cup of coffee, eggs with bacon, and toast, and he immediately sat down to devour the meal.

"So, this is where you make your potions, It looks... so, simple?"

 Bonnie noted as she looked around at his alchemy lab.

There was a massive fridge in the back, holding the ingredients that needed a specific temperature. The rest were neatly placed on a couple of shelves that lined the wall. Next to those, there were a bunch of crates with empty bottles he created with transmutation but still purchased from the three dwarf brothers.

A mortar and pestle alongside a few different knives and other tools sat on top of a table with two chairs, and finally, the alchemy table was the last thing in the room with a large jug of water sitting next to it.

"This is honestly all I need to brew potions."

Eli said, shrugging his shoulders as he continued his work. He began crushing the ingredients that Garek's people had brought with a mortar.

"Can I watch?" Bonnie asked, her eyes alight with excitement.

"I don't see why not. So, yes, of course, you can."

He responded, unable to refuse the hopeful look she gave him. He wouldn't mind the company anyway.

Bonnie's smile brightened as she sat down in one of the chairs to watch him.

Since opening his store, Eli had been working from dawn till dusk every day, mostly in solitude. Despite his focus on work, he felt the loneliness creeping in. After all, he was human at heart, even if he was trapped in the body of a Sun Elf known for their superiority complex—not the most sociable of species. Perhaps that's why he had so readily accepted Bonnie as a partner.

The last time he visited Willow, he had dropped off the Dwarven Boozehound's Backpack, hoping she could create a larger version to replicate his potions. In an accidental revelation, Willow let slip that Bonnie was, in essence, married to him. The night he mated with her, he had bitten her, marking her as his own. His scent was now a part of her, a claim for all to recognize.

"Let's begin with a simple Lesser Health Regeneration Potion."

Eli suggested.

He strode to the wall shelves and returned with a box of ingredients.

"Our first step is to boil some water."

Eli measured 500 ml of water using a cylinder and prepared the setup with two beakers, a Florence flask, a funnel, beaker tongs, two thermometers, a stopwatch, three safety mats, two Bunsen burners, three tripods, and gauze atop the tripods. He transferred all the water into the beakers, ensuring none was lost, then positioned the beakers on the gauze, inserted the thermometers, and pressed a button on the table's edge. Flames erupted from the Bunsen burners, warming the water.

"We have about 50 seconds until the water boils, so I need to ready the first ingredient."

He remarked, starting the stopwatch and selecting some dried flowers from the ingredient box shelf.

"The initial ingredient is Moon Lilies, a flower that's quite prevalent here as it flourishes on the nearby plains."

He explained, while Bonnie watched him, seated comfortably in her chair.

"The petals are crucial; they're the magical component."

Eli noted as he plucked the petals, discarding any remaining seeds before tossing the petals into the mortar.

"Now, we grind them."

He declared, seizing the pestle to crush the petals in a circular motion.

"The water should be ready, so in they go."

Eli remarked, transferring the powdered petals into the pot, stirring with the thermometer, then switching off the heat.

"It needs to settle for about 40 to 50 seconds, just enough time to prepare the next ingredient,"

He explained while resetting the stopwatch, fetching a jar of Rosemary leaves from the shelf.

"Rosemary is quite common here, albeit not as much as Moon Lilies. Known for its use in perfumery, rosemary also serves as a decorative garden plant and is cultivated for its culinary and medicinal properties. Its leaves are said to season various dishes, like stuffing and roast meats."

Eli shared, pouring the leaves into the now spotless mortar, a testament to its S Rank in Alchemy.

"I have a few more seconds before I need to mix them, which is just enough time to stir the liquid again to ensure the water has absorbed the first ingredient."

He took the thermometer and, holding the mortar, stirred the liquid several times. Then, he added the ground Rosemary to the second beaker and pressed the button to ignite the flame under the Florence flask, funneling the Moon Lilly liquid into it.

"I must maintain the liquid at a boiling temperature for 30 seconds, then mix and stir it once complete."

Bonnie observed him in silence as he combined the chemicals. She took pleasure in watching him move with enthusiasm as he brewed. However, she made mental notes of questions to ask him later.

"And now for the final touch."

Eli announced as he corked the Florence flask, connecting it with a glass pipe to another large flask equipped with a pouring valve. Bonnie watched the liquid slowly transfer to the other flask. When the transfer was complete, Eli pressed the button to extinguish the flame, noting the first flask's residue of impurities.

"It now needs to cool for about a minute."

He tapped the stopwatch, resetting it, extinguished the fire, and began cleaning the equipment while waiting.

After the liquid had cooled, he turned the valve, decanting the liquid into 50 ml glass bottles.

"With that, we have our first twenty potions for the day."

Eli announced as he began to remove the corks sealing the potions.

RACE: Sun Elf

NAME: Eli Rivers

Level: D-

Job Level: 1

Health Points: 6,530

Mana Points: 6,465

Stamina Points: 8,570

Attunement: 13

Vitality: 13

Endurance: 17

Strength: 14

Dexterity: 19

Perception: 15

Skill: 16

Charisma: 16

Luck: 18

Skill Points: 5

Job History: Adventure, Alchemist