Of course, as a seasoned, veteran gamer, I was quite used to the idea of rescuing damsels in distress. I didn’t quite remember what exactly this new quest involved, but I wasn’t particularly worried. Adventure Incarnate was primarily a farming game, with a bit of combat action, but I doubted very much that there would be any real danger for me. Quests in the game were mostly fetch quests. I probably just needed to bring him a loaf of bread or something like that.

Smiling at the thought of giving a prince a burnt loaf of bread, I clicked on the [Accept] button.

[Prince Baiyu needs your help. Prepare a Blight Magic potion.

Requirements: Five Blight Magic potions]

Blight Magic potion? I checked the Herblaw tab, but that potion wasn’t listed on it.

Hmmm, it must be one of those special potions that were only used for quests. The description of it was quite worrisome.

[Blight Magic Potion:

The potion saps away at a cultivator’s innate qi, leaving them feeling weak and exhausted.]

Qi was basically a word for life energy. I couldn’t imagine what use this prince could have for a Blight Magic potion, but none of the God Beast clans around here were evil, so it should be fine.

Right?

I was a little worried, but decided to trust the System, since it hasn’t let me down before.

As for Prince Baiyu in particular, Shuye had mentioned him before. He was the son of the Lady of the West, the ruler of the Westerlands.

Using the recipe provided by the System, I took some [Demon Leaf] and [Red Recluse Spider Eggs] and tried to combine them in a vial of water using the [Create Potion] spell, but the spell failed to activate.

[You do not have the required Herblaw level.]

“Life is pain!” I said, though I knew I was being overdramatic.

I checked the quest text again and saw that the recipe for the potion required level 2 Herblaw. Seeing as I was only level one, not having made even a single potion yet, this meant that I would have to spend a few days on Herblaw.

To be honest, I had been a bit bored, but this new quest was getting me fired up. I grabbed a hundred bunches of [Kussea Grass] and [Dream Root] and tried to cast the [Create Potion] spell again.

[Kussea Grass:

A mythical healing grass that’s incredibly difficult to find in the wild. Famous for its sweet smell and jewel-like stalks, the legendary Kussea Grass is said to be able to bring people back from the dead.]

I really doubted that this grass could bring people back from the dead, but I had to admit it looked really mystical. The herb was a deep green and each blade of grass shone with a delicate luster as though it was covered in pearl powder.

[Dream Root:

A dark brown root that is often ground to a powder. The powder may then be ingested to give people vivid dreams that are said to be prophetic in nature. It can also be used in potions to induce sleep.]

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For this particular recipe, I only had to cast the [Create Potion] spell to combine these two ingredients in a vial of water. The more advanced recipes called for greater quantities of ingredients, and a flask of water instead of a vial.

“Let’s do it…” I mentally selected the spell in the System menu.

A glowing ball of pink light appeared between my hands and a vial of water, and the two ingredients flew up into it. First, the water inside the vial started glowing, then the grass flew into the glass container where it slowly dissolved, turning the water light green. That means that the essence of the herb had been extracted. Next, the [Dream Root] was reduced to powder by the force of the spell. Finally, the powder was added to the vial. After around three seconds, the ingredients had combined, and I had a finished [Dewy Glow Potion].

[Dewy Glow Potion:

This Dewy Glow potion is formulated with natural ingredients to help improve your skin’s appearance.

To use, simply apply a few drops of the potion to your face and body after cleansing. Gently massage it into your skin until it’s fully absorbed. You can use this potion morning and night for best results.]

The finished [Dewy Glow Potion] came in a tiny glass vial. The potion itself was violet in the shade, and I could see that it had fuchsia particles suspended in it when I held it up to the light. Since this was my first ever potion, I put it on a silver display stand and placed it on my windowsill where it sparkled prettily.

On the one hand, this was a rather silly potion to make in Adventure Incarnate, since it wasn’t like the player’s avatars had pimples. On the other hand, this was an extremely useful item in real life.

What woman wouldn’t want a magical item that would improve their complexion?

Definitely not me!

I happily spent the rest of the day and the entire evening making as many [Dewy Glow Potions] as I could. I decided that this was really one of the best things about my life in this world. Herblaw was fun! Making useful items for myself, and possibly other people in the future, was a rather satisfying way to spend the time.

I reckoned that back on earth I would’ve been stuck in some dead-end retail job since I had no degree, experience, or connections. This was so much better.

⁂⁂⁂

Three days later, I was ready with a whole chest full of [Blight Magic Potions]. I put on the [Scholar’s Robe] and made sure that my black hair was looking great. I'd changed it back to my natural color after I got bored with the brown hair color. In a fit of vanity, I used the cash shop to intensify the violet of my eyes.

My mother had named me Violet because she explained that I had violet eyes, just like Elizabeth Taylor. The truth was that my eyes were a sort of light gray that simply picked up whatever color I wore, so if I wore a blue dress, my eyes would look bluish-gray, and if I wore something purple, my eyes would look gray-violet.

I wanted to look good because, after all, I was going to meet a prince. Of course, with my luck, he was bound to be a hundred years old and had eight consorts and dozens of children.

Still, it never hurt to look good when one was meeting one’s boss for the first time. Prince Baiyu was the feudal lord of this region, according to Shuye, which meant that my taxes went into his coffers. I was hoping that I would get a better tax rate if I helped him during this quest.

I turned on the [Quest Guide Mode] and followed the glowing yellow arrows that appeared on the ground. After twenty minutes of hiking in the woods, I deeply regretted my choice of garments and changed into sensible pants and a plain cotton robe. Vanity could wait until I was nearer to the quest area.

Though I wasn’t expecting any trouble, I equipped myself with a baldric and sword and set Mr. Bear on [Alert Mode]. He walked beside me and should be able to identify enemies quicker than I would.

It took over two hours for me to finally get to the place where the quest was supposed to start. The cave opening was half covered by vines, and I wouldn’t even have noticed it if there hadn’t been a glowing yellow arrow pointing right at it. Mr. Bear didn’t detect anything dangerous, so I went behind a tree and changed into the [Scholar’s Robe]. Then I went to the cave entrance, pushed aside the vines, and entered.

The inside of the cave was surprisingly cozy. There was a tall platform with an enormous bed on the far side that was covered in furs. At the foot of the bed was a large brazier where a magical blue fire had been lit, providing warmth and light.

I cautiously approached the bed. Lying on it, half covered in white furs, was the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my life.