*fuwm*

*Snap*

When we arrived, I made a light on the ceiling, and they all let go of me. I then turned to the alchemist boy.

"You go set up your equipment. I want you to make the most basic poison. And leave the slave girl I want to see if you can do it by yourself."(Rina)

*Nod*

He then walked a few meters away and started setting up his equipment. I then turned to Sam.

"And you."(Rina)

He then flinched in fear, but I ignored it and took out a vial of shadow snake venom.

"I want you to tell me what's in this vial. You'll get a passing grade if you can get at least 1 ingredient right."(Rina)

Not that there is more than 1 ingredient in there.

I then handed it to him, and he nodded meekly and walked away further into the cave. I then looked over at the dog girl who started fidgeting around with her clothes.

{Don't talk out loud. Just think about what you want to say. Got it?}(Rina)

"Ye-"(Dog girl)

She was about to say it out loud, but I glared at her, and she stopped.

{(Nervous) Y-Yes.}(Dog Girl)

{Good. Now I have a few questions about your master if you don't mind answering me.}(Rina)

{(Nervous) I-I-}(Dog Girl)

{I wasn't asking. Now, first up what exactly is your relationship?}(Rina)

{(Nervous) U-Um if you asked me, it's master and slave, but master says that he only sees me as an assistant to help with his alchemy by preparing the necessary materials and helping carry certain things and keeping things in order.}(Dog Girl)

{*Nod* Ok, next question. Has he touched you against your consent?}(Rina)

{*Blush* (Embarrassed) N-No, h-he's never d-done 'that' with me. I-I tried when he first bought me b-but he said that he wasn't interested. B-But if he'd asked I-I would.}(Dog Girl)

*Sigh* Well I think I've got somewhat of a grasp on his personality. But the question is why choose her?

{Do you know why he chose you?}(Rina)

{U-Um he wanted a beastman who could tell the freshness of ingredients and I was one of them and I ended up being chosen and he smiled and said that he wanted a cute assistant.}(Dog Girl)

*Cringe* What is that cheesy line!? Bleh! But I guess I can get where he's coming from, she is kind of cute like a little puppy.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

{Wait a minute. You said he originally bought you to tell you the freshness of the ingredients, right? But then why didn't you mention that previously?}(Rina)

{*Droop* Well, master keeps getting swindled by the merchants because they insist on the freshness and when I say it's not true, he'll tell me to apologize for lying.}(Dog Girl)

{(Cold) Did he hit you?}(Rina)

{(Surprised) Huh!? N-no, he's never touched me. Even when I spilled something. He might yell at me and tell me to clean it up. But he usually apologizes for yelling. And I knew he was just frustrated due to his alchemy not working right.}(Dog Girl)

*Pinches bridge of nose* *Sigh* I get this idiots personality now. He's too soft and trusting to the point where he trusts the merchants over the person he bought for that exact reason. In short, an optimistic nincompoop.

First rule of trading is to take everything a merchant says with a grain of salt. Second rule of trading is to make sure the goods are of the best quality and not just listen to what the merchant says. Third rule of trading is if a merchant is very adamant it's likely a lie to swindle you.

And I get the feeling he was getting up charged just so that the merchant could make a bit more money. I mean hell there were a few who tried that on us but, we just left there and then.

And when we went around collecting rotten food from the vendors at the end of the day, for our berry farm there were a few who tried to make us pay a few silvers which we just left. For those who actually didn't try to make us pay we gave them 5 coppers and went on our way.

I mean we are doing them a service by getting rid of their garbage which they'd have to take to a disposal area outside the city to be burned so that it doesn't start infecting the city.

*sigh* I'm getting off-topic. I just get very annoyed thinking about those damn scammers.

{Well, that's all I wanted to know. Now let's go he just finished setting up.}(Rina)

She then gave a slight nod, and we walked over to him.

"So, how did I do?"(Nervous Boy)

"Hmm, well your runes are slightly off, your cauldron is okay but, I'd say get something better at losing and gaining heat, your vials are also okay but, I'd recommend a purer glass and not using corks as those have holes which can contaminate the concoction, same with the beakers, mixing utensils are again the same, you don't really want iron I'd recommend ironwood or treant wood, the magic stones for the fire is of low quality and since you need magic stones, to begin with I assume you don't have fire magic, same with magic stones for the cooling box and I also recommend that gets colder faster, and lastly you didn't wash any of your items or if you did you it poorly. So, all in all, you just barely passed."(Rina)

He then got a depressed face.

"(Mocking) Aww, don't get depressed yet. I haven't even gotten into the atrocity that is your materials."(Rina)

I then spent the next hour lecturing them on how much of a shit job they did on their ingredients. I mean seriously who dries something that needs to be fresh and has something fresh when it needs to be dried? Once I thought they understood I then turned to Sam who flinched when I looked at him.

"Now Sam what have you figured out about the poison?"(Rina)

"That... it's deadly?"(Sam)

"First, it's poison. And second, why was that a question? Now tell me where that poison's from."(Rina)

"U-Um, a... plant?"(Sam)

"*Unamused* (flat) No, well this tells me just how shallow your knowledge of poisons is."(Rina)

I then went over to Sam and took the venom and handed it to the nervous boy.

"Can you tell me at least one component that is in here?"(Rina)

He then started to investigate the vial of blue venom.

"Um, from what I can tell there's some kind of snake venom not sure which. But nothing else as far as I can tell."(Nervous boy)

"*Nod* Well you're right. But the only thing you didn't get right or more like didn't answer was that that venom is from a shadow snake. Everything else is correct. Now-"(Rina)

*snap*

I then took out 5 identical poisonous herbs with a beginner's guide to poison herbs in front of Sam and the same but, with medicinal herbs in front of the slave girl and nervous boy.

"I want you guys to identify what has been placed in front of you. Use that beginner's guide to help you. You have one hour."(Rina)

They then did as instructed and failed magnificently. At which point they were punished with me breaking their arms. This went on for the rest of the day. At which point I shadow warped us back to the knights' training area then shadow stepped back to the room.