The prescription Noel had written originated from a medicine known as Amblica (OC). The process for crafting this secret medicine appeared simple at first glance.
First, Noel placed the Frost Mist Flower pistils into a container, using the flower's natural coldness to freeze the water around them. Once the water froze, he shaved it into ice-like shards, marking the completion of the pistil preparation.
Next, Noel took out an herb called Purple Bamboo, placing it into a heated instrument. Once it boiled, he removed the Purple Bamboo.
After that, he processed a small purple flower known as Blue Stem, which only required being ground into a fine powder.
Processing the ingredients one by one was too slow, so Noel decided to place all the remaining alchemical materials on the lab table at once.
Twilight Root, Cloudleaf, Blazing Shell, Sweetgrass, and Chuan Qiong(Ligusticum)—all were common ingredients that only required thorough grinding.
The process looked deceptively simple. However, this was not the hard part. During instantaneous alchemy, it was necessary to adjust temperature, humidity, airflow, and the environment—this was the true challenge.
Noel hadn't performed instantaneous alchemy many times, but he had gained some experience and had grown in skill.
Still, the efficiency of the incantations he used was quite low.
For example, conjuring a single magic circle would consume five to ten times the usual amount of magic power.
Improving his chanting method would be difficult, and although he had reviewed many alchemy manuals, he had yet to find a record addressing this problem.
This time, while crafting the secret medicine, Noel realized once again that he needed to improve his instantaneous alchemy techniques.
He poured all the prepared liquid mixtures into a single container, where they quickly solidified. However, this solid form was unstable and required the alchemist's precise control.
"Instantaneous Alchemy."
The crystal's color began to change, shifting from green to a gradually deepening red—a vibrant, beautiful red that was just right.
Noel calmly closed the container's lid. Now, it was only a matter of waiting for a short while.
Even so, Noel did not let his guard down, staring intently into the container while taking a deep breath.
At last, the secret medicine was complete.
"So it's done."
Noel sighed with relief, realizing this experiment had been more demanding than he expected.
Yet crafting such a medicine filled him with deep satisfaction.
Although there was no one else in the lab with him to share this joy, for an alchemist, loneliness was a constant companion.
The crafting method for this secret medicine was indeed simple, but it required a significant amount of money, mainly due to the difficulty of gathering the rare ingredients.
Furthermore, the material loss during the process was considerable. Though the resulting vial was only filled nearly to the brim, it had consumed a substantial amount of materials.
With the Amblica complete, Noel felt the heavy weight on his shoulders lift, a sense of liberation washing over him.
Outside, Sebas was waiting. When he saw Noel emerge holding a vial, he immediately understood.
"Please wait in the reception room. I will inform the Duke," Sebas said calmly.
Although his demeanor remained as usual, Noel could tell that Sebas was inwardly delighted.
Returning to the reception room, Noel found Wendy chatting with Carla about guild-related matters, sipping red tea with a touch of a noble lady's elegance.
"This tea is really good," Wendy said, taking a small sip, finding it delicious, then taking another.
"It's red tea, and it seems to be of high quality," Carla noted, adding a bit of sugar, preferring a sweeter taste.
Noel rested in the reception room for a moment. The high-intensity alchemy experiment had exhausted him.
He looked at the vial in his hand as if appreciating a piece of art. This single vial should be enough to cure the affliction.
Bang!
The door suddenly burst open, and Duke Aurelius, upon hearing the news of the medicine's completion, rushed over. Perhaps from excitement, the door opened with an unusually loud sound.
Startled, Noel nearly dropped the vial.
But instead, it floated in the air.
Noel blinked in surprise, realizing it was wind magic keeping the vial aloft, though he hadn't cast any spells himself. Why was it floating?
Reaching out, Noel carefully grabbed the vial from mid-air. This time, no matter what happened, he would not let it go.
"Is the vial okay?" Wendy asked nervously.
"It's fine," Noel reassured her, then asked curiously, "Was that your wind magic just now?"
"I know a bit of wind magic, yes," Wendy admitted.
"What a coincidence, I use wind magic too."
"Really?" Wendy's eyes lit up with interest. "But I can only manage to make small, light objects float."
"That's already impressive," Noel praised her. "If you keep practicing, you'll be able to use more advanced wind magic soon."
"Really?" Wendy asked again, eager. She couldn't yet use offensive spells, being purely a support-type mage.
"Please teach me! I want to become stronger," Wendy declared with unwavering determination.
Carla continued sipping her tea, not commenting, which was as good as giving silent approval.
"Sure!" Noel agreed readily. Teaching others magic sounded like an enjoyable challenge.
Seeing that the two had finished talking, Duke Aureli cleared his throat with a loud:
"Ahem."
The pair immediately remembered that they were still on a mission, and the client had been standing at the door waiting while they chatted, which was indeed rather rude.
"My apologies for the interruption," the Duke said first, "but please, I beg of you, save my wife."
"We will," Noel replied confidently. If this prescription didn't work, he would simply try another until one did.
"I will do my best," Wendy added with newfound resolve.
"Sebas, take them to the Madam's room," the Duke instructed.
Sebas gestured for them to follow, and Noel walked in front holding the medicine, Wendy following behind, with Carla bringing up the rear.
Perhaps because the corridors were dimly lit, their steps were cautious as they proceeded.
Suddenly, a strong scent of perfume wafted into Noel's nose, the fragrance drifting through the hallway—likely from a broken bottle of cosmetics.
Sebas's expression grew subtly strange, though Noel could not discern why.
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