The bells of Glasmint chimed seven times, a soft, melodic echo that rolled across the tiled rooftops and misty hills. Elena Virelle stepped out of the Lantern Rest Inn, tucking her notebook and a charcoal pencil into the inner pocket of her borrowed cloak.
The street was waking slowly. Shopkeepers pulled open their shutters. A sleepy bard strummed a lyre on the fountain steps. Steam rose from bread ovens as bakers set out trays of crusty loaves and fruit-filled pastries. A child ran past her, clutching a roll stuffed with something purple and fragrant.
Elena's stomach grumbled in envy.
She patted the coin pouch tucked under her belt—its weight was modest, but reassuring. Five crowns jingled within. Her first honest earnings in this world.
"Crowns," she whispered, tasting the word. She still wasn't sure how much they were worth.
The day before, Mira had given her a crash course over stew. The currency system here was tiered:
Copper Crowns for small goods—bread, apples, a cup of tea.
Silver Crowns for equipment, meals, or daily lodging.
Gold Crowns for enchanted items, high-level training, or bribes.
Ten copper made a silver. Ten silver made a gold.
"Five copper a day is low," Mira had said, "but it'll keep you fed and under a roof."
Elena didn't complain. She was used to budgeting tightly. Back in her world, she'd survived grad school with instant noodles and recycled lab coats.
She passed a stall selling crystal-pickled roots and another hawking hairpins shaped like star moths. Each item had a price tag: 2CC, 7CC, 1SC.
Good. She was starting to read the local script, thanks to the system's language perk and sheer necessity.
[New Objective: Purchase Basic Supplies Using Local Currency]
[Bonus Objective: Negotiate Price Successfully – Reward: Persuasion Skill +1]
Elena snorted quietly. "System, you really want me to haggle this early?"
A short while later, Elena entered the alchemy shop, hair slightly windblown, hands warmed by a paper-wrapped pastry filled with tangy-sweet moonfruit.
Liora looked up from a levitating scale, her expression unreadable behind those shimmering goggles.
"You're late."
"Two minutes," Elena said, biting into her pastry and offering a crooked grin.
"Two and a half," Liora corrected, lips twitching at the corner. "Try not to set a precedent."
"I brought you one," Elena offered the second pastry.
Liora accepted it without comment, but Elena noticed the slight easing in her posture.
The shop smelled of dried mint, ashbark, and resin. Vials glowed faintly on their floating shelves. The workbench had already been arranged—mortar, pestle, burners, reagents. Today's task was simple: replenishing common health tonics for the town's guards.
But Liora had other plans.
"I want to see how you extract Moonshade Resin from unprocessed bark," she said. "The process is volatile if rushed."
Elena blinked. "Isn't that an intermediate extraction?"
"Yes."
"I've only studied it in theory."
"Then it's time you practice."
The next hour was tense, but focused.
Elena worked with meticulous care, heating the bark fragments to the correct temperature, timing her stir rotations, and adding a pinch of powdered catalyst when the liquid began to shimmer. A minor mistake would result in a spoiled batch—or worse, a mild explosion.
But Elena's hands were steady.
The resin separated in delicate golden threads. When it cooled, it formed a crystalline web inside the vial.
Liora inspected it closely, then gave a single approving nod.
"You'll make a passable apprentice," she said.
Elena smirked. "High praise from Glasmint's own ice queen."
"Ice queens don't share breakfast pastries," Liora replied dryly.
Elena grinned, more than satisfied.
During their midday break, Liora brought out a weathered map of the region.
"If you plan to stay longer," she said, "you should know what surrounds you."
Elena studied the parchment. Glasmint lay nestled in a valley between two minor rivers. To the north sprawled the Sylaen Forest. West, the Jarnet Mountains—dotted with ruins and mining posts. Eastward was the shimmering lake called Veirn's Mirror. Southward: plains, roads, eventually other towns.
"No capital city nearby?"
"Not within safe walking distance. The nearest city is Redhollow—three days by carriage."
"Is Glasmint really that isolated?"
"We prefer 'self-sufficient,'" Liora replied.
[World Map Updated: Glasmint Region Unlocked]
Elena tapped her chin. "Is it safe to gather herbs in the forest?"
"Mostly. Stick to the outer paths and carry beast repellent. You'll find Glowleaf, Starvine, possibly some Windroot."
"I'd like to start collecting ingredients. Build up a stockpile."
Liora nodded approvingly. "Efficient."
And maybe, Elena thought, figure out what I'm really doing here.
After work, Elena visited the town's small market with her remaining copper crowns. She purchased a half-empty satchel, two wax-sealed vials for storage, and a thin wool scarf. The vendor—a spry old woman with sunspotted skin—offered her a discount after Elena correctly identified three herbs by scent.
"You're the new alchemist girl, huh?" the woman said. "Got good instincts."
Elena smiled, touched by the simple kindness.
Back at the inn, she catalogued her purchases and updated her Grimoire:
Inventory:
Adventurer Tag (Bronze)
Satchel (Worn)
Moonshade Resin (1 vial)
Herb Pouch (empty)
Copper Crowns: 2
Skill Progression:
Herbal Brewing I ✓
Foraging (Basic) ✓
Alchemical Extraction I ✓
Persuasion I ✓ (NEW)
New Quest Available: "First Solo Brew"
Objective: Create and submit a tonic of your own design.
Reward: System Perk + Random Bonus
Elena stared at the quest for a long moment.
Something of her own? Not just copying recipes?
"I'm not ready for that," she muttered.
But the words tasted hollow in her mouth.
That evening, she visited the inn's back garden—a quiet place with a low fence and soft benches. Fireflies danced among the hedges. Elena brought her notebook, lit a small oil lamp, and began to sketch out an idea.
She'd seen Liora combine Frostmint with Sweetroot to make a minor pain reliever.
What if she added Emberbud?
It was a fire-aspected herb, usually avoided in cooling decoctions… but maybe, if properly balanced…
She tapped her pencil against the page.
Trial. Error. Innovation.
This world had magic, sure. But alchemy? It followed rules. And rules could be learned, tested, pushed.
Elena grinned to herself. This was her kind of playground.
The next morning, Elena returned to the shop early.
Liora raised an eyebrow. "Eager?"
"I want to try something."
Elena placed her ingredients on the workbench. "A warming tonic with mild pain relief. Inspired by what you taught me yesterday."
Liora folded her arms, watching silently.
Elena ground the Emberbud last, heating the mixture carefully, and used one drop of honeyroot oil to bind the blend.
The potion settled into a pale amber hue—clear, with a soft glow. Elena poured it into a vial, heart pounding.
She offered it to Liora.
The alchemist examined it, sniffed the mixture, then dabbed a single drop onto her wrist.
A moment passed.
Her lips curved slightly. "Not bad. You've avoided combustion. That's something."
Quest Completed: First Solo Brew
Reward: Perk Gained – [Creative Alchemy I]
Bonus: 10 EXP + 1 Random Recipe Unlocked
Elena smiled widely.
"Keep this up," Liora said, "and you might survive your first year."
"High praise again."
"I'm learning to lower my standards."
They exchanged a glance. Elena felt the warmth again—not from the tonic, but from the way Liora didn't quite look away.
That night, Elena opened her Grimoire again.
A new entry had appeared under Recipes:
Minor Ember Salve – A warming salve to soothe cold-struck muscles and mild pain. Boosts stamina recovery.
It was hers.
Her own contribution to this world.
She leaned back in bed, exhausted but satisfied. Her path was still uncertain, but it was no longer empty.
She had a name. A purpose. A place. And maybe—just maybe—something worth protecting.
As she drifted to sleep, her system chimed softly.
Reputation in Glasmint: Neutral → Friendly
Bond Deepened: Liora (Curious Affection)
....
[End of Chapter 3]