"I believe you now. Go ahead and do what you need to do. I'll help however I can."
Tias didn't even know what kind of mindset she should have toward this child standing before her.
But there was no denying it: he was genuinely pure and kind. Even some spirits weren't as genuinely pure as this child was.
> "Next, I need you to help me gather some materials as quickly as possible. I need to prepare a simple batch of gunpowder, which is a tedious process." Noel said quickly.
Time was running out. Seeing how anxious Tias was, things must have already reached a critical point. Now, his only job was to race against the clock and try to turn the situation around.
> "What do you need? I'll get it for you. And there's no need for a contract—I trust you now. But remember your promise: if I find out you're lying, I won't forgive you." Tias warned him again.
Deep down, she did trust him. But her pride as a spirit wouldn't let her fully lower her guard.
> "I need sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal. Mixed in the right ratio, these will create black powder." Noel explained calmly.
Tias was completely lost. Sulfur? Saltpeter? Charcoal? Did the forest even have these things?
> "What exactly are these things, anyway?" Tias asked blankly.
> "It's too complicated to explain. Just think of them as raw ingredients." Noel replied, realizing it was too abstract to explain fully.
> "Charcoal should be easy enough, but we'll need to search for sulfur and saltpeter." Noel muttered, half to himself.
> "Saltpeter is a colorless, white, or grayish crystal with a glassy luster. It should be easy enough to find." he continued, showing her a rough shape with his hands.
Tias nodded vaguely, having only a rough idea now. Searching for the right materials in such a vast forest would be a major challenge.
> "Sulfur is a pale yellow stone. Search around the forest, and you should be able to find it."
> "You're really giving me a tough job here. Even though you've described them, I still don't feel confident about finding them." Tias grumbled, her mind already a mess over where to look.
> "Time is tight, and this is the only way. If you can't find them, we have no choice unless you can use high-level magic." Noel said, shaking his head.
Which was impossible. Neither of them could use advanced magic right now. If they could, the Nue would have been dealt with long ago, and this crisis wouldn't even exist.
> "Besides, Nue's hide is ridiculously thick. Trying to learn advanced magic at the last minute would be meaningless." Noel sighed.
Tias was out of options and could only agree to the plan. She had already decided to risk everything—why stop now?
> "I'll try using the forest's plants to search for them, but it will take a lot of energy. After that, I won't be able to help you further, so you need to be careful." Tias said seriously.
On the surface, she seemed the same, but Noel could sense that Tias' attitude toward him had softened. She was gentler now.
> "At first, I thought you were just a thief. But after spending this time with you, I can see you're a good kid." Tias said, a little embarrassed.
> "You have qualities that moved me. I don't know what it is about people like you, but even though you're forcing yourself, I can't help but trust you."
> "Maybe it's just who you are, but... I really admire you now."
Green light began to glow around Tias, and for the first time, Noel felt a sense of pressure from her.
It was as if the entire forest's plants were responding to her call. It was truly a spectacle.
Could a wood spirit really wield this much power? Noel wondered. But remembering how wood spirits were one with the forest, he let it go.
After a while, dozens of slender vines slid into the treehouse, each carrying pale yellow stones.
The vines gently placed them in a corner of the room, and Noel began sorting through the pile.
> "This one's just a slightly yellowish rock. Not it." he said, tossing it aside after a quick inspection.
> "This one has some of the right components." He set it aside in a separate pile.
> "This one's high purity, excellent quality." Noel praised, tossing it onto the same pile as the others he'd kept.
After some time, the stones were sorted into two piles: one with usable sulfur stones, and the other with ordinary rocks.
> "Is this enough?" Tias asked.
> "The sulfur I can refine from these should be enough, but the saltpeter is just as important." Noel emphasized.
> "I'm having the forest's plants search for it now, but it's taking a toll on me. In the meantime, what do you call this again?" Tias asked, holding up a yellow rock, unable to remember its name.
> "Sulfur. Remember it next time." Noel reminded her. Maybe it was his "alchemist's habit," but he really disliked it when people got technical terms wrong.
> "Fine, fine." Tias huffed, focusing back on her search for saltpeter.
Noel didn't disturb her and got to work himself, preparing for the refinement process.
Without his usual alchemy tools, he could only use forced instantaneous alchemy. But after a few experiences with standard-point alchemy, he felt ready to challenge it.
Instantaneous alchemy was less dangerous than fixed-point alchemy—it wouldn't explode even if it failed, and wouldn't harm the user. However, it demanded intense mental focus, and Noel wasn't sure he could handle doing it twice in a row.
> "Instantaneous Alchemy: Decompose. Reconstruct."
A gentle glow enveloped the stones, which slowly began to sublimate within the light. The components separated, the elements reorganized, and the sulfur was successfully extracted.
Noel looked at the pile of yellow powder and carefully gathered it.
Vines slid into the room again, but this time there were far fewer than before—just a few that could be counted on one hand.
One look at Tias told Noel why.
Beads of sweat dripped down her forehead as she gasped for breath, her body clearly pushed to its limits from overusing her magic.
PS: Access advance (40+) chapters at
https://www.patreon.com/c/NanamiTL