I searched for the Vital Grass, albeit it wasn't that simple. The herb was similar to normal grass, with a slight difference. The blades were separated at the top, unlike the normal grass's blade. Moreover, due to lack of sun, the search became harder. "Do you plan on finding anything today?", Nick asked with a smirk.
"Ha ha, funny. It's dark, and Vital Grass is barely any different from normal grass. I'm looking for it", I replied annoyed. "We already passed a few patches. Are your eyes just for show? Focus, you should be able to spot them, and stop rushing", Nick replied. He made me focus as much as possible, and take a bit longer to examine my surroundings. After a while, I finally managed to find a patch of Vital Grass.
"Now, how do you pick this up?", Nick asked. The method was rather simple, I dug the whole patch out, and showed it to him. "Good. With Vital Grass, you don't want to simply grab the blades and yank them out. Though the herb would be usable, it's last you for a short time. If you take the whole patch, we have a few days to make it work", he explained. "I know, that's why I'm doing it. This is a common herb, I've memorized everything about it", I said a bit annoyed. That was very basic knowledge, there was no need for him to explain. "Alright mister know it all, search for at least two more patches".
A while later, we had enough Vital Grass, but that alone wasn't enough to make medicine. "Since you are so knowledgeable, what do you think, which herb is next?", Nick asked. Vital Grass could be used in many concoctions, but Nick wouldn't ask me to make something difficult. One of the easiest recipes his book had was Vital Liquid. That required Vital Grass, and Wetland Reeds. "I'd say Wetland Reeds, because Vital Liquid is one of the easiest recipes. Moreover, we have a river next to the village, and Wetland Reeds should grow there", I replied.
"Hooh, not bad. Yes, we need Wetland Reeds. Go on then, lead the way", Nick replied a bit surprised. 'Hah, months of studying these books didn't go to waste', I figured while leading the way towards the river. Wetland Reeds were much easier to find than Vital Grass. Mostly because they were much bigger, and there was only one river in the vicinity.
We found the herb really quickly, and the amount wasn't small either. "Good, we have all the ingredients. Now, since you know we are making the Vital Liquid, do you know the process?", Nick asked. "The proportions were... Half a kilogram of Wetland Reeds, to one hundred grams of Vital Grass. The recipe stated we'll need a litre of water too, though that shouldn't be an issue, since we are next to the river... As for the process? I'm supposed to add the reeds to a warm but not boiling water, let that slowly get to a boil, then immediately remove the pot from the flame. The water needs to be drained, and the dregs removed. The next step is to add Vital Grass into the water, stir and cook for five to six minutes. The mixture can never boil at that point, and should only reach a temperature high enough for Vital Grass to release it's juices", I replied.
"That's pretty good, you remembered well. Today, you will learn how to control the temperature and the mixture. I'll also teach you how to measure the water, as well as the herbs. Moreover, the book didn't specify that, but herbs have their own grades", Nick commented. "What do you mean by grades? As in rare, common and such?", I asked. "No, I mean grades as in quality. The herbs don't grow equally. That is dependant on many factors, therefore adjusting the amount of herbs is necessary sometimes", he explained.
"All the recipes take average grade under consideration. What happens if you use healthier and stronger Vital Grass, instead of the average one?", he then asked. "The medicine will be stronger?", I replied a bit unsure. "Not necessarily. If your Wetland Reeds are of poor quality, and your Vital Grass is of great quality, you might simply fail at making the medicine. That's why it's important to distinguish between qualities. The closer they are together, the closer you'd follow the recipe. Say if both herbs were of great quality, you can simply follow the recipe, and receive a very good Vital Liquid", Nick explained.
"That makes sense. How do I distinguish that? I mean, herbs will be herbs, they look the same", I asked. "Again, not entirely. You see this Vital Grass? What do you think when you look at it. Do you see anything wrong with it, does it look healthy?", Nick asked while showing me the herb we collected earlier. I studied the whole patch, but nothing obvious came to my mind. "I'm not sure... Seems to me there are a few damaged and undeveloped blades, but nothing than that", I said.
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"Wrong, take a closer look... See these little dots on some blades? That makes it's quality worse. Not only this, you have to check the colour, the form and sometimes look for bugs and such. This herb is about average, with some impurities. The herbs portrayed inside the Encyclopaedia are the highest quality. In other words, no blemishes, no bugs and pure luscious colours. That's why it was important for you to memorize everything, not just the look", Nick explained.
"I see... That makes sense, the herbs inside the book really did look perfect. I'll make sure to study the Encyclopaedia once more. I need to make sure that the perfect state of these herbs remain in my mind", "Good, I'm glad there's no need for me to say this. Now, how about this Wetland Reed? What can you see?", He asked next.
I studied the reed with much more attention, and found only some damaged parts of it's crown. "Not bad, and to be honest, this is quite good quality Reed. The colour could be a bit more brown, and there is a slight damage, but the herb is of good quality. Now that we know their qualities, we can adjust the measures. Since your Vital Grass is of average quality, and the Wetland Reed is of good quality, we'll use a bit less Reeds. Or we could use a bit more Vital Grass. Both ways are correct, it will depend which herb is rarer. Here's how you measure these herbs", Nick replied, before setting up a scale.
He mentioned that a scale as well as a good pot were the vital tools for medicine, or poison making. He showed me how to use the scales properly, and also how much more poorer quality Vital Grass needed to be used. That was dependant on the gap between the herbs' quality. The bigger the gap, the more would be required. "These are the measured herbs. We used half a kilogram of Wetland Reeds, as well as two hundred grams of Vital Grass. You don't need scales in order to measure such weights. With time and experience, you'll be able to use your hands to judge the weight. Let me show you", Nick said before grabbing a few Wetland Reeds into his hand.
"This weights about two hundred and thirty five grams", he announced before placing the reeds on the scale. "I'll be damned... You were only one gram away from the correct result", I said stunned. "See, I told you it's possible. One gram each way will not change the recipe, and once you learn such skill, it saves you having the scale altogether", he replied.
After that, he showed me the pot, which had specific markings carved inside. The pot could hold a few litres of water, but the markings made it really easy to measure out the required amount. They went as far as to two litres, and as low as to two hundred millilitres. He then started a fire, and explained the whole process as he went on.
He also showed me how to check for temperature with a few methods. One such method was for low heat medicines, where one's elbow would be used. Another way was to simply watch the water. The hotter the temperature, the more bubbles would form. Once the bubbles rose to the surface rapidly, almost creating a constant stream, this meant the water was almost boiling.
"Some recipes, especially poison, require a lid to be on at all time. This makes it harder to monitor the temperature, but it's not impossible. That's why I said you need a good pot. See this here?", Nick asked while pointing at a certain spot of the pot. "What is that hole?", I asked a bit unsure. "It's not a hole, but a window. This will help you gauge the temperature. Moreover, this tap is also used for some recipes. Some poisons are really dangerous when making them. This tap is there in order to extract that poison without taking the lid off", he explained.
"Who knew there'd be so much to a simple pot...", "Heh, nothing's simple with medicine or poison. Anyway, you don't have to worry, this pot and all the tools will be yours. After all, I'm not going to need them in the future", he added. After the whole process, the Vital Liquid was finished. "You will always need bottles for your medicine, or poison. Once you leave this place, each time you buy supplies, buying a few bottles isn't a bad idea either. Anyway, did you understand the process? Are you ready to give it a go now?", he asked. "Sure, I'm eager to try myself", I said full of spirit.
My first attempt ended up in failure, so did my second attempt. The measurements weren't the problem, but rather me overcooking or undercooking the mixture. I knew how Nick tested the temperature and all, but it still required some focus and experience. "No worries, this is normal. Once you get a hang of it, you'll be able to make this medicine. We ran out of herbs, and it's getting late. We should return now, and try again tomorrow. Besides, you know what to do, so there should be more time to practice", Nick said before hiding all the tools. 'Yea, it looked easy and all, but making even the simplest medicine takes experience. I've long road ahead of me', I thought on our way back.