Chapter 31: The Alchemist’s High-Grade Potion

As night descended, the crisp chirping of insects resonated throughout the mountain forest.

Her eyelashes fluttering, Nia, who had been lying on the grass, slowly opened her somewhat hazy eyes to gaze at the moon high above.

As the memory of her ordeal resurfaced in her mind, she immediately sat up in a panic.

Yet, upon surveying her surroundings and realizing the vines had vanished, leaving her entirely unharmed, a deep sigh of relief escaped her.

“Splendid! You’re awake.”

Ailin, who had been quietly observing Nia’s condition while leaning against a tree, instantly moved to her side.

“Ailin? And… Qi Lin? Oh, those vines…”

“The Concealing Vines?”

As Ailin’s words reached her ears, Nia immediately nodded.

“Rest assured, we’ve dealt with all those vines. Look, Ailin even has some remnants of them on him.”

Qi Lin, with hands on her hips and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, smiled at Nia.

Nia paused, then looked at Ailin and Qi Lin with heartfelt gratitude. “Ailin, Qi Lin, thank you!”

“Why thank me? You’re my adopted sister, and I also promised Dori I would protect you. Saying such things makes you sound like a stranger.”

Ailin’s expression was earnest as he gazed at Nia.

“Exactly, exactly. What are you thanking us for? If anything, it should be me thanking you.”

After a brief pause, Qi Lin continued, “Your willingness to accompany me to the Candilac Empire to find my friend has already filled me with immense gratitude. If anything were to happen to either of you on the journey, I would never forgive myself.”

Hearing Qi Lin’s words, Nia felt a warmth spread through her heart, and Ailin, too, showed a hint of surprise.

“Alright, in any case, it’s good that you’re safe.”

Ailin sat down on the ground and began, “By the way, Nia, did you find the Flame-tail Grass?”

Hugging her knees, Nia shifted her gaze to Ailin. “I found it. Here.”

With that, she retrieved four stalks of the Flame-tail Grass she had gathered from her pocket and offered them.

Taking the Flame-tail Grass, Ailin nodded.

“You didn’t pick the wrong ones. In that case, leave the rest to me.”

Ailin took out his and Qi Lin’s Flame-tail Grass and spread them flat on the ground.

Qi Lin sat beside Nia, a hint of curiosity in her eyes about what Ailin intended to do with the Flame-tail Grass.

Ailin clapped his hands together, and a yellow radiance began to emanate, glowing under the moonlight.

Picking up a stalk of Flame-tail Grass, Ailin began to knead it with his glowing hands.

Once it had been kneaded into a thumb-sized, entirely red sphere, he channeled the magical energy within his body into the orb.

The sphere floated upwards, and Ailin, with swift precision, retrieved a small, wooden, test-tube-like bottle from his magical energy space, its contents visible through its material.

The hovering orb slowly descended, and Ailin extended his left hand to catch it steadily.

Holding the bottle in his right hand and the orb in his left, Ailin positioned the sphere over the bottle’s opening.

Guiding the glow emanating from his left hand into the orb, Ailin squeezed it tightly, deforming the sphere.

Drop after drop of crimson liquid slid from his left fingers, falling into the bottle’s opening and collecting inside.

Not far away, Qi Lin’s eyes widened in astonishment at the sight.

“What do you think? Ailin is a potion-making alchemist.”

Nia, hugging her knees and resting her chin, watched Qi Lin’s astonished gaze, boasting with a pride that made it seem as if she herself were the one capable of brewing potions.

“An alchemist?” Qi Lin murmured to herself.

Ailin continued his work.

Once the sphere in his hand yielded no more liquid, Ailin casually tossed the now flattened orb into a small pit he had dug earlier.

Gazing at the liquid in the bottle, which barely filled a tenth of its volume, he frowned.

Much more was needed.

Capping the bottle and placing it on the ground, the slightly dimmed glow from Ailin’s hands once again burst forth with brilliant radiance.

Gathering all the herbs laid flat on the ground, Ailin’s hands moved with rapid, fluttering motions, like the wings of a hummingbird.

In the blink of an eye, all the herbs transformed into a series of hovering spheres.

Casually picking up a sphere, Ailin uncorked the bottle he now held, then channeled the magical energy within his body into the orb, gripping it tightly to squeeze out the crimson liquid.

After repeating this process several times, the liquid in the bottle barely reached halfway.

‘No, it’s still not enough.’

Muttering to himself, Ailin’s gaze fell upon the last three spheres hovering before him.

These were the Flame-tail Grass stalks Qi Lin had gathered, notable for their deeper, richer color.

He had reserved them until the end, primarily out of concern for potential mishaps, as it was his first time encountering Flame-tail Grass of such profound color.

Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, Ailin’s expression grew serious.

Glancing at the three hovering spheres, Ailin took down one of the Flame-tail orbs that was slightly lighter in color compared to the others.

Having calmed his inner anxiety, Ailin braced himself, hoping fervently that no mistakes would occur!

Gritting his teeth, Ailin skillfully channeled the magical energy within him once more, directing it into the sphere clenched between his thumb and index finger, and began to squeeze.

A single drop of juice fell into the bottle, instantly merging with the existing liquid and erupting into a translucent crimson glow.

That crimson glow was one Ailin knew all too well.

When his elders were still alive, they had once shown him how to craft cold-resistance potions from Flame-tail Grass, and the moment a potion burst forth with a red light, it signified that its creation was nearing completion.

Furthermore, if the potion’s color was a deep, profound red, it indicated a remarkably high quality.

‘This… have I actually refined a high-grade potion?’

Ailin, his heart pounding with excitement, felt a sense of unreality wash over him.

In that fleeting moment of distraction, the bottle began to tremble.

The trembling of the bottle immediately snapped Ailin back to attention, his mood shifting from agitated to solemn.

The bottle’s tremors signified that the potion’s creation was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

Shaking his head to clear his mind and focus, Ailin gritted his teeth once more.

A yellow radiance, even more brilliant than before, erupted from Ailin’s body, illuminating the surrounding area.

Qi Lin and Nia, who were observing from a short distance away, immediately closed their eyes, dazzled by the intense light.

Channeling the light to surge into the orb between his fingers and the bottle, Ailin exerted all his strength, striving to stabilize the potion and prevent it from exploding.

After a few breaths, the bottle ceased its trembling.

Ailin, too, exhaled a deep breath once the bottle had settled.

As the light dissipated, the bottle stood filled with the juice of the Flame-tail Grass, emanating a hazy crimson glow.

Gazing at the small bottle in his hand, Ailin was overcome with a sense of disbelief.

‘He had actually refined a high-grade potion?!’

However, upon slightly raising his head and noticing the two remaining hovering orbs before him, his somewhat dazed mind returned to clarity.

‘Indeed, my ability to refine a high-grade potion was solely due to the special Flame-tail Grass gathered by others.’

Despite understanding the reason, Ailin’s expression remained intensely excited. Having refined a high-grade potion would give him bragging rights for a long time, for how many races could boast of such an achievement?

After capping the bottle, Ailin reached out and took down the hovering orbs.

The potion was sufficient for now. He would refine these remaining Flame-tail orbs when they ran short, though he wasn’t sure if two would be enough.

“Well? Did you succeed in refining it?”

Nia walked over to Ailin, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.

“Yes, it’s a success, and a high-quality potion at that,” Ailin replied with a smile. “Also, this high-quality potion wouldn’t have been possible without your help, Qi Lin.”

Meeting Ailin’s grateful gaze, Qi Lin felt a touch of awkwardness, as she felt she hadn’t contributed much, making his intense appreciation rather embarrassing.

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