Breathing in deep as I exited the humid cavern, I was glad to be in a place where I could stretch my arms out fully.
'That is something I wish to never have to do again.' I tried to push the images of those goblin sacs out of my head.
It was just after midday by this point, and I didn't really feel like hunting for any more monsters. Plus, there weren't many creatures left in this forest that would give me much XP, seeing as levelling up above the creature's level will drastically reduce the amount you gain from killing it.
For now, I decided to take a leisurely walk back to the village, while collecting herbs and such, as alchemy will become something important in the future. not to mention that recalling and memorising information was a way to increase both intellect and mind, albeit slowly.
By the time I had arrived back at the outskirts of the village, I had a plump inventory of alchemy ingredients. Though none of them were anything special, all of them were useful still. The one remaining issue was that I didn't have anywhere to process them, not to mention that I didn't have the talent or the skills to do so. The herbalism manual only gave a very simple explanation and nothing more.
So, my destination was to a very familiar shop, that was now given a wide birth from players, due to most of them getting thrown out on the first day.
Pushing the door open, I was greeted by the overpowering smell of herbs in varying stages of being dried. Walking towards the counter, I couldn't see anyone manning the counter, in fact, the shop was strangely empty.
Just as I was about to call out, the curtain behind the counter that led deeper into the building was pushed to one side.
"You better be here to buy something," the familiar voice of Stein spoke as he moved into the shop. Unlike his usual plain robe, he wore a shirt and trousers with a thick leather apron over the top. The strong scent of herbs followed after him.
Spotting me standing in his store made him drop a little bit of hostility, but seeing as this man didn't like people, it was only by a small margin.
"Not to buy something per se, but I have a proposal to offer," I replied with a small grin.
No sooner had my words left my mouth, than I felt a slight tingle at the back of my neck and saw Stein looking at me intently.
"…You have a strange aura that clings to you. What could you have possibly done in a single day?" he asked with creased brows.
It was obvious that he used a spell to scan my body since my [Mana sense] flared up. But I also knew that he wasn't someone who cared about others, so he wouldn't pry.
"Oh, this and that." I half-assed a response, but like I predicted, he didn't seem to care and just sighed.
"Hah. What's this offer you mentioned? Bear in mind, if it turns out to be a waste of time, I'll kick you out as I did with those other pests." Even though he pretty much called me a pest, I didn't mind. It was just his character, after all.
"Of course, I'll get straight to the point. I ventured into the forest today, after reading through the manual you gave me yesterday and collected a variety of herbs and such. But I don't have the place to process them, nor do I have the ability. So, I would like to offer half of what I have gathered, in return, allow me to work as your assistant in processing the ingredients I have into their respective tonics and tinctures." Stein patiently listened to my proposal, as one of the only things he took seriously were offers and bargains.
After a long pause, that almost broached into an awkward silence. He began to laugh. Though, it wasn't a mocking laugh, it was one of surprise and amazement.
"You do always bring the most interesting offers," Stein said through a smile, once he finished laughing.
"Firstly, show me what and how many herbs you have brought." I nodded at his request and began to bring out a little more than thirty herbs of six different kinds.
I didn't miss the flash of greed in his eyes as soon as I began to put them on the counter. Seemingly noticing that I spotted his greed, he cleared his throat.
"Very well. Seeing as you not only had the skill to collect these ingredients in near-perfect condition. And have the necessary spells, I will accept this offer. Though, it'll only be until the ingredients have been processed and I will not dumb things down, so you'll have to keep up." He said as he turned around and walked back behind the counter. I collected the herbs and followed after him.
And just like that, I spent the rest of the day helping Stein prepare the ingredients. Even though he said that he wouldn't slow things down for me, he was actually a good teacher. By the time the sun had fully set, he had fully explained to me what parts of the ingredients were good for what and how to extract the useable parts. This took a while, so we stored the rest of the ingredients in containers, ready for the next day.
I spent the next few days working under Stein. Luckily, while in the capsule your body was in a state similar to sleep, so you didn't need to worry about getting any sleep. However, you did still need to worry about your bodily functions, so it was still good practice to log out when your character was asleep.
"Good, now all that's left is to slowly pour the liquid into the vials, to avoid infusing too much oxygen into the fluid. Then, we can infuse mana into them to increase their potency." Stein instructed me, as I used a pair of tongs to lift the boiling copper jug and gently pour its contents into the line of waiting glass vials.
The vials were placed in a stand not only to stop them from falling over during pouring but also, to keep them close during infusion, to not lose any energy.
With Stein's help, I was able to learn how to use [Mana manipulation] to infuse energy into things.
"That should do it." Stein declared once I had finished the process.
"That was the last batch, which marks the end of our deal," Stein added.
"Thanks for the lessons. I learnt a lot from you." I said as I put all the equipment down.
"Well, it helps that you're quite intelligent and have a talent for alchemy." It was the first time I heard Stein give a compliment, well what he considered to be a compliment.
After cleaning up, the potions had cooled down enough to safely store them away. However, they won't be able to be used for another several hours as they not only need to be cooled down to room temperature, but they also need time for the mana to completely spread through the liquid.
I said a few words of parting to Stein and left his shop, only then did I notice that it was early morning and as soon as I realised it, my body started to feel fatigued. But seeing as I didn't want to log out and sleep, as I was starting to get bored of that repetitiveness. I took out one of the tonics I made the other day and drank it. It was bitter and tasted slightly minty. It was a tonic of rejuvenation, and it helped to relieve the effects of lack of sleep.
Heading to the inn, I planned on having something to eat before I stacked up on supplies and headed out towards the nearest city, Novrad.