Having the space of a large estate had its own perks. One of them, Kai realized was the number of rooms at his disposal.

Most of the guest rooms were empty, and storage rooms overflowed with forgotten trinkets, gifts received by the previous lord and just general items that had long been replaced— leaving more unused space.

He had decided to use one of those storerooms as his alchemical workshop.

As he opened the wooden door with a creak, the scent of dust and disuse gave way to a more pleasant medley of woodsmoke and simmering herbs. The storeroom that had been cluttered was now his personal alchemy workshop.

He had seen what was in the room before, and now seeing it after Francis had ordered the maids to clean it up while he oversaw it, it looked like another room itself.

Sturdy wooden tables, their surfaces gleaming with a thin coat of oil replaced the dusty crates of the storeroom. Glass jars of various sizes, filled with different colours — blues, greens, and fiery oranges — lined the shelves against the wall.

In the centre of the room, a large iron cauldron rested on a strong brick stand, its blackened belly showed that it wasn’t a new one but instead a used one which wasn't a big deal for him.

Kai ran a satisfied hand over the smooth surface of a mortar and pestle. He would have to start his craft with what Francis could obtain from the market, and the selection of ingredients was far from ideal.

There was no glowstone dust, no blackwood beast scales, and the closest he’d gotten to Void Pinch was a pouch of something labelled “Shadowbloom” that looked suspiciously like common nightshade. But he has to manage what he receives.

Creating portions from these could at least help their chances.

In his former life, he wasn’t exactly a novice when it came to alchemy. A third-grade Alchemist— far from a master, but close enough to be considered an expert.

He had spent hours learning it because his master had pushed the fact that a good Mage needs to have mastery of the magical arts.

Therefore his mind was filled with knowledge of magical items, the properties of rare herbs, and the delicate art of potion-making.

It wasn’t the same here, of course. The ingredients were different, and the techniques he could use were slightly unfamiliar, but Kai believed that the core principles had remained the same.

He might not be able to brew all the potions that he has practised making in his previous life, but with these basic ingredients, he could create potions that would give his men a fighting chance.

Healing draughts, stamina enhancers, even rudimentary firebombs— honestly, anything to tip the scales in their favour.

Moreover, in this era, he could find ingredients without worry, so if he actually tried to ask Malden to search for them, he might be able to get his hands on stuff that had long past gone extinct when he had started his training.

Thinking about it, he smiled and looked towards the cauldron.

Now, it was time. Time to finally get on with making the potions. Two nights had gone by in trying to find all these ingredients and he didn't want to waste more.

Let’s get it started with.

First of all, he moved towards the safety equipment. Years of experience had made it natural for Kai to give priority to safety, especially after the experience of seeing one of his fellow apprentices blowing his head off right in front of him.

The safety suit Rosalind created was amazing. A hood covered his face alongside a mask, and the measurements she had done were perfect. There were gloves and everything was covered.

In the case of an explosion, he was sure that he would easily survive.

Even if she was known to be a master in what she did, Kai silently expected that there would be adjustments that needed to be made. But it seemed like Rosalind understood what could be expected in alchemy.

Kai’s hands raked over his clothes one last time.

The final touch— he cast a simple protection spell, [Eye shield]. It was a simple spell that would protect his eyes from flashy lights and fumes, especially when he worked around the cauldron.

With that done, he walked towards the table in front of the shelves that had jars and vials. Looking at what was displayed, he noted where everything was and placed whatever he needed on the table.

He went back to the cauldron and lit it up.

Kai began.

He reached for the first ingredient— a bundle of Nightshade leaves and Nightshade dust, a pale imitation of the Void Pinch he craved. He crushed them into a fine powder, releasing a pungent aroma that filled the air.

With that, Kai pushed his mana out.

That was to enhance the effects of the ingredients. He poured the Nightshade powder into the bubbling cauldron, whispering an incantation under his breath. His mana, a subtle blue energy, went from his fingertips, weaving through the air.

The goal was simple, a health potion. Therefore, a majority of the products were herbs.

A few minutes passed by as his mana gelled with the herbs, and then he started mixing the ingredients slowly.

As he stirred, he focused on manipulating his mana to get the effect out of the herbs. They turned blue before slowly turning into shades of purple.

He started adding colourless water of purity and elder wood roots. It all blended in quickly as the bright purple began to sparkle.

He mixed it all with a ladle, being careful about the amounts of ingredients he had used. Soon, it started giving off a certain aroma which meant he was in the right direction.

The final step was to add the byproducts of Emblem Elks.

Kai held his breath, waiting for the potion to stabilize. He continued to manipulate the fire and the ingredients using his mana.

The ingredients were no longer there to be seen. The bubbly water started to sparkle. But its aggression made Kai hesitate with the ladle.

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Will it explode?

He held his breath, waiting for something to happen. Although he had put in efforts to make sure he had all the ingredients right, he had used a few replacements he wasn't sure would fit.

It was very dangerous normally since you never know how a particular ingredient would react to another, but Kai had been fairly confident in his eye.

Now, it was time to find out if he had been right.

A few seconds passed by as he waited and stared at the potion.

Slowly, the bubbling subsided and a sigh of relief escaped his lips.

But soon, his relief shattered by a sudden hiss. Fumes, acrid and pungent blasted from the cauldron.

He reacted instantly.

Fuck…

He flung open the window, forcing the fumes to escape.

The air was getting thicker and stronger making him cough. He wiped the tear from his eye.

Soon, the smoke disappeared through the window and the air felt better.

His eyes immediately went to the potion. Thankfully, the cauldron looked like it was unaffected.

The bubbles calmed down. It was not blue anymore, or purple— but green.

Healing potions and green? Did anything change its colour?

At one glance, he could proudly say that it was what it was supposed to look like other than the colour. But has he created the portion properly?

With some hesitation, Kai dipped the ladle into the potion, a small amount clung to the wood. He brought it to his lips, wondering what spell to use if things go wrong.

He tasted it a little, but the sound of the door opening made him drop the ladle down.

A flustered Francis burst into the room. “Lord Arzan!” Francis exclaimed.

“What is it?”

“Malden has returned, and… and he’s brought mercenaries with him.”

Kai immediately put down the ladle. He could come and taste this later or even try making this once again from the beginning.

The mercenaries were a priority.

***

Malden fidgeted under the weight of four pairs of eyes. He’d taken a gamble.

He stood in between the four mercenaries he’d managed to scrape together after getting his information network in place and going through the profiles of several mercenaries.

Lord Arzan had requested him to bring mercenaries for a good price of gold coin.

He had promptly accepted it since it meant that he was being relied upon and going by his calculations, it was the best situation for him since he was planning to do business in Veralt for a long time.

Moreover, just being close to Lord Arzan meant getting his hands on products such as the Heat Stone. But he couldn't be sure whether the lord would like the mercenaries he had brought with him.

As he wondered about that, his thoughts once again came back to the four people he brought with him.

They were quite a sore sight to his eyes.

Gorak, the leader, stood like a granite monolith, his scarred shaved head turning from side to side as he surveyed the room with a wary curiosity.

His massive hand, dwarfed by only using his great axe, wandered across the polished wood of a nearby table, leaving a faint smudge in its wake. Malden shot him a withering look, a silent plea for restraint. Yet, his plea went ignored.

The man kept scraping the smooth surface. His nail scratched the edges.

Please don’t ruin the wood. I don’t want to replace this furniture!

Malden thought to himself.

These people were a band of monster hunters that mostly got employed by merchants and even if a noble called them for work, they wouldn't be allowed into their estates.

This was the first time for them and although their curiosity was understandable, Malden still frowned.

His eyes went to Raven, the lone female merc. She casually leaned against the wall, her arms crossed and a single eyebrow raised in amusement. Her gaze never left the door, almost as if she was waiting for someone to walk inside. A wickedly curved dagger hung at her waist.

His eyes momentarily went to her ears, but he dropped his gaze before he got caught.

At least that one’s behaved, Malden thought again.

Then, there were the twins. Finn and Finnigan. They were a blur of identical grins and nervous foot-tapping. They were anything but still.

From time to time, they would move like restless sparrows, their fingers brushing against every decorative object mounted on the wall.

Malden cleared his throat. "Alright, alright," he stammered, forcing a smile. "Let's just keep things calm, shall we? We're guests here, remember? Lord Arzan is a man who likes peace and will be here soon. Remember, he is calling for you all while taking the risk of relying on mercenaries."

Gorak let out a snort, the sound rumbling like an earthquake. "Risk, you say? More like desperation," he muttered, his voice a gravelly rasp.

Malden winced, shooting Raven a pleading look. She just shrugged, her lips curling into a smirk.

The twins laughed, giving each other a grin. "Desperation or generosity, Malden," chimed Finn, his voice tinged with a mocking lilt, "We appreciate the offer. Just don't expect us to play nice."

“I mean, he needs us. So, why can’t we just look around?” Finnigan added to the fire.

Malden gripped the corner of the table, frowning. When he had told his employees to find the best mercenaries around, they were the only ones meeting most of the criteria, so he had no choice but to be silent for now.

Mercenaries were known to be foul mouths and other than a few famous groups, they weren't respected in the kingdom.

Deciding to deal with them after the meeting, he sank onto the bench he was seated on.

Just then, the door creaked open.

Lord Arzan entered the room with a smile. Malden immediately stood up, his action followed by the rest of them.

Looking at the mercenaries, the lord offered a weary smile. “Malden, these are the mercenaries, I presume?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow at the motley crew.

Malden cleared his throat. "Yes, Lord Arzan. Meet Gorak, the leader of the team, Raven, the archer, and the twins, Finn and Finnigan." Each mercenary offered a curt nod or a gruff greeting in return.

Lord Arzan nodded and sat in the chair that was to their front and gestured to everyone to sit behind the table. They all followed along.

The tension in the room eased slightly as they all settled down. Once Kai gave the signal to speak, Gorak, the leader of the group, cut to the chase. “We heard you have a good job for us that pays well. Malden didn't tell us many details aside from the fact that it's exterminating monsters. We are good with that, but would like to know what we would be getting into if we accept your offer.”

“That is right, Gorak… right?”

“Yes, that’s my name.”

Lord Arzan nodded. His eyes went from one merc to another, looking them up and down, observing every detail closely.

A few seconds later, he spoke.

“There’s a monster nest inside the mines where the bandits were staying. I'm pretty sure you have a clue about the bandit situation. This will be a big task for a good coin, but I can’t promise anything about safety. I witnessed the monsters closely and I can say they won't be an easy task. I’d like to give you all the information, but I want to know if you’re interested.”

Lord Arzan finished his explanation, the silence in the room thick enough to cut with a dagger.

Malden could see the deep thought process mirrored in each mercenary's face. Raven, the quiet one, finally broke the silence.

"A monster nest, you say?" she asked, her voice a low rasp. "What kind of monsters are we talking about here? Cave trolls? Goblins making up a camp?"

Lord Arzan shook his head. "No, these are… different. They have nothing on cave trolls or goblins. They are called vermal larvae.”

The nervous eyes looked at each other as soon as the words came out.