Fun.

Everybody has their own take on what’s fun. Many enjoy drinking and dancing. Some find joy in the arts. A handful don’t truly feel like themselves outside of live combat. For Nox Ratra, there was no better source than alchemy.

Mass production, of course, had little joy in it. It was a means to an end and still a significant part of his profits. It was alchemical research that helped him truly feel like himself. It wasn’t his only source of joy. Spending time with Aria and his friends and watching his little empire grow also made him happy. However, unlike alchemy, none of them were necessarily permanent.

Given the Cabal’s existence and the enemies he had made during his meteoric rise, everything could disappear in an instant. Nox believed no matter what, he would always find solace in his artisanal talents. It would survive the end of his relationship, his friends leaving or dying, his business failing, and the complete destruction of his magic system. As long as Nox had his mind, he’d have alchemy.

Thanks to Mou, her assistants, and a small army of new apprentices and helpers, Nox no longer needed to worry about his business’ day-to-day brewing. The city and university contracts paid their salaries, suppliers, and almost half of Ratra Galleria’s running costs. His aunt also kept the shop stocked, and the sales team kept her updated on demands and stock. Nox primarily assisted when the demand for specialist potions or custom orders got too high for one adept alchemist to deal with alone. He spent the rest of his time on research, product development, ward creation, and spell weaving.

“The Gedges are inbred,” Nox said as he reentered the laboratory. He had spent far too long in the storeroom, and the ceiling runes were glowing again.

After getting the property functional, Nox dedicated a significant amount of time to securing the property, fixing and updating the wards. The Singhs, obviously, had too much confidence in their security systems, and he refused to make the same mistake. Far too many talented mages had the means to overcome security, which relied on detecting psychic presences.

Louis, his half-brother, and Joey, the party’s newest member, both had the means to overcome such defenses. Spells like Swati of Ruipur’s Terra Traversal also enabled moving through stone and earth without triggering wards. So, Nox constructed special security systems for parts of the facility dedicated to research and development. He improved them as he completed beginner and intermediate warding courses, using Kris’ notes and his allies' spells to design the best counters.

The ‘smart’ defenses had the ability to memorize telepathic presences, arcane signatures, and key phrases. They activated on detecting any unfamiliar entity or motion and triggered traps if the appropriate deactivation procedures weren’t followed. Alexander Woodson assisted with the testing. His squirrel summons suffered a terrible fate.

The rest of the formerly-called Round Table’s production wing had lighter defenses designed to repel saboteurs and counter the most obvious attacks. Far too many people frequented the area to use anything more complex or focused. Nox refused to make the same mistake as the Singhs, so he regularly updated the wards as his mastery of the craft improved. His Sigil of the Artisan made his growth in the field enough to gain his professors’ notice and favor. Despite the handful of seats available, its competitive nature, and several unmet prerequisites, the research department had eagerly let him enroll in the advanced course. If he completed it, he’d qualify as an adept wardwright.

Nox owed his progress in the field and magehood to alchemy. His dedication to the craft had built an excellent grasp of mana flow and the runic language necessary for all arcane fields. It was his keen understanding of runes that helped him continue as an alchemist and mage despite his scarred mana circuits, small mana zone, and dysfunctional primary star.

Before using the ingredients he had just retrieved, Nox checked on the bubbling cauldrons. He had four stations in his new workshop, and two contained potential new inventions. One furthered his study and development of weaponized slimes. The other, a hair rejuvenation serum, had the potential to make Ratra’s Knightly Brews hundreds of thousands of gold. Mou suggested its creation following the success of the male enhancement drug. Pink Sellis abuse often resulted in impotence, making the concoction high in demand amongst the nobility and with pockets deep enough to smoke the intoxicant.

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Ratra’s Knightly Brews had already started selling frost slime concoctions. As far as Nox could tell, no one else had popularized any essence-bonded slime products. It wasn’t tailor-made for myconids or any other beasts but had a wider variety of uses. The slimes didn’t reproduce as fast but lived significantly longer, making them useful for delvers, war mages and a more economical option for merchants. Frost enchantments demanded expensive mana gems to keep functional.

The new product took slimes in more of a defensive direction. Nox hoped to combine elements of his Trap Foam with stone or earth essence to create something new but was still exploring ideas and possibilities. He didn’t yet have a concrete vision of his idea or the direction of his product, but it felt like a decent direction for the side of the business.

Meanwhile, the hair growth serum was coming along brilliantly. Unfortunately, it stimulated all follicles. Testers now resembled wolf-men, forcing Nox and Mou to pause work on the project to manufacture a remedy. He now needed to find the means only to target the hair on one’s head or adjust the delivery method.

After ensuring both iterations were coming along well, Nox finally turned his attention to the third-readied workstation. A familiar spell script and wards decorated the surfaces around it. Mana gems fuelled them. He crushed the roots he had retrieved before throwing them in the boiling water. Once it softened, he used a Galvanizing Touch to stimulate the naturally bonded essences before triggering the scribed spell.

Gold, green, and purple essence glass fragments separated from the mixture. Nox strained them out and continued boiling the liquid. He desired to extract the plant’s medicinal qualities and then reintroduce essences for a more controlled effect. Increasing the burner’s intensity made the cauldron boil with greater intensity. Nox watched and stirred the mixture carefully, looking for any leftover essences and trying to get the concentration just right.

“Are you busy?” Ingrid asked, poking her head through the laboratory door. The runes around the frame stirred to life, emitting a violent crimson light. “The Gedges are inbred.” Her words calmed the lights. “Sapna says she’s ready for you.”

“Already?” Nox raised an eyebrow. “I thought she needed a couple of more weeks.”

Ingrid shrugged. “I think she wants it done before the party and new semester.”

“I suppose it's for the best if we get it out of the way before things get too busy. Can’t afford to waste time on recovery once classes begin.”

“Do you need time to wrap things up in here?”

Nox shook his head. “I just need to filter the brew and put it out to cool. It won’t take me long. Why don’t you put on a cantrip demonstration for me until then?”

A quartet of ethereal hands flickered into existence around Ingrid. They flew around her, moving independently and executing unique manuvuers. She used Haste simultaneously, skipping around the laboratory. The teenager displayed excellent competence with the two cantrips. Her competence with Mage Hand and average-sized mana zone was almost enough to suggest she make it the focus of her Protostar. Then, Ingrid displayed her newest and favorite cantrip.

Blur did what the name said. Ingrid’s form and the hands following her turned hazy. As she pranced around with Haste, she almost adopted the appearance of the trickster spirits from Nox’s spirit walks. Ingrid had an amazing future as a mage, no matter which of the three cantrips she settled on. She displayed incredible arcane talent and, despite her background, grasped concepts faster than most. Unfortunately, Ingrid was more practical than Joey and lacked the patience for academia, forcing Nox to figure out new teaching methods. The master-apprentice relationship proved a learning experience for both of them.

It was a major financial investment, but Nox had discussed with Aria the possibility of sponsoring Ingrid’s education in a more official respect. She could still gain qualifications as a mage without attending Woodson University. However, certificates and letters of recommendation from the institution could improve her life and open several doors for her. Thanks to Ratra’s Knightly Brews and the flourishing Ratra Galleria, Nox had more gold than he ever thought he would. He didn’t know what to do with all the money. Funding a better future for Ingrid felt like a good use of it.

Nox had a few more months before he needed to make a decision. Woodson University didn’t allow admission to anyone until the age of sixteen, which meant Ingrid couldn’t enroll for another semester. He kept his thoughts to himself for the time being. Nox didn’t see the point in making false promises and raising her hopes.

“Alright. I’m ready to go.” Nox placed flasks of the root extract in his cooling cupboard.

Ingrid hesitantly checked her pocketwatch. “I may have exaggerated how soon Sapna wanted to see you. She was expecting you to take your own sweet time.”

“Great Aunt Ratra doesn’t think much of me, does she?” Nox chuckled. He washed his hands and donned his coat. He kept his boots and outerwear in a sealed closet to protect them from brewing fumes. Now that he was one of the most powerful businessmen in the city, he had a far too expensive wardrobe to wear during alchemical research. “It’s fine. I’d like to ensure everything is running fine before Sapna puts me under.”