Mandrake Essence
Classification: Potion Base
Quality: High
Status: The active ingredients have been fully extracted.
I cooled the beaker in a bowl of ice water created with a simple Water spell. Now I had to add the venom sac and coil, but if I messed up the flow of mana while activating it and it exploded, I’d be in big trouble. I was worried about the strength of the glass.
I placed the beaker into a slightly larger metal bucket for safety. Very carefully and gently, I lowered the venom sac into the mandrake essence using tweezers. The sac dissolved instantly, blending with the essence.
Petrification Cure???
Classification: Medicine, Toxin
Quality: Low (-3)
Status: The ingredients have only been combined. Do not touch. Very dangerous!
I definitely needed a lid for the reaction step. I rummaged through random odds and ends left in the corner of my lab and found half of the lid to a small wooden container. It had split cleanly in two, and the wood was still thick and solid. It was the perfect size to fit over the top of the bucket. I slipped the coiled wire into the cracked edge so that the spiral stuck out, then lowered the two U-shaped ends into the potion mixture, sealing the bucket with my makeshift lid.
I put on a pair of thick gloves just to be safe, then picked up the lodestone. I brought it slowly to one end of the coil and then pulled it away, repeating the process a few times. According to the book, this would create an invisible flow inside the wire.
I carefully infused mana into the lodestone, gradually boosting its magnetic pull as I worked. I very slowly continued the process. Honestly, I was terrified. My heart was pounding so loudly I could hear it in my ears.
After a while, there were no signs of an explosion, so I cautiously lifted the lid and peeked inside.
Petrification Cure?
Classification: Medicine, Toxin
Quality: Low (-2)
Status: The ingredients have begun to react slightly, slowly transforming into medicine. Still dangerous. Do not touch!
“Oh, it’s working!” Relief surged within me. I had been so terrified, I was beside myself.
I needed to take it slow and steady—safety first! If the reaction was occurring properly, all I had to do was keep going.
The whole afternoon I kept pouring mana into the lodestone, guiding its movement steadily and patiently. As evening fell, orange light filled the lab. I used Appraisal once again. I’d done it so many times already I’d lost track.
Petrification Cure
Classification: Medicine
Quality: High
Status: A medicinal potion that cures petrification. It must be applied evenly across all affected areas.
“I did it!” I threw my hands in the air triumphantly and leaned back to stare up at the run-down ceiling.
“That was so scary…”
I sat there in a daze for a while and then realized something.
“I should’ve asked for more pay because of how dangerous it was. I really need to be more careful when I negotiate contracts.” I sighed and strained the finished potion through a cloth, then poured it into a large bottle and sealed it.
“All right! Time to send an invitation to Mr. Oliver and his daughter!”
I cleaned up the lab, carefully took the potion bottle with me, and made my way back to the house.
That night after dinner, I sat with Father, who helped me write a proper invitation to Mr. Oliver to ask him to bring his daughter to visit us. Three days later, Mr. Oliver and his daughter Katya arrived at our home by carriage.
“I heard you’ve completed the potion to cure my daughter’s petrification!” Mr. Oliver looked overwhelmed with emotion.
One thing at a time, please!
Katya slowly stepped down from the carriage with a servant’s help. Once she was on the ground, she used a cane to help move around and came to stand by her father’s side.
“Hello, I’m Katya,” she said. “I was told you created a potion to treat my foot. Thank you for seeing me today.”
She bowed, her light blue pigtails slipping over her shoulders. She was taller than me and slender, with a sharp, strong look in her eyes.
Kate and I walked slowly at Katya’s side and led her to one of our smaller guest rooms. We had already set out the treatment potion, a basin, and a towel on a table in front of the sofa. There, we had her sit down.
In our culture, a lady’s bare feet were something to be kept hidden out of modesty. Since we would need to remove her socks, it felt improper to have a man in the room, even if that man was her father, so we asked Mr. Oliver to wait in a different parlor. Elly was attending him there.
“Miss Katya, I’m going to remove your left shoe and sock now,” Kate said, kneeling before her. She gently slipped off the sock and placed Katya’s foot into the basin. As a noble young lady, it would have been improper for me to touch the foot of a commoner girl even for treatment, and so Kate was assisting me.
“Katya, we’re going to apply the potion now,” I said. “Please let me know if it hurts or if it feels strange at all.”
Katya clenched her hands into fists in front of her chest. Whether it was from anticipation or anxiety, I didn’t know. Then she nodded.
Kate opened the bottle and began to pour the potion slowly over the petrified area below the ankle. As the liquid soaked into Katya’s hardened, stonelike skin, the dark color began to change. Kate scooped up the potion that trickled into the basin and reapplied it, making sure every inch of the affected area was thoroughly saturated.
“Let’s rub it in a bit to help it absorb better,” Kate said and began to gently massage the liquid into Katya’s petrified foot. Slowly, the dark gray skin began to lighten.
“It’s beginning to feel softer,” Kate said brightly.
“The color’s changing too!” Katya said, her face lighting up with hope.
Kate carefully rubbed each toe, and soon her fingertips were able to slip between Katya’s softening toes.
“My toes moved… They haven’t moved in nearly two years!” Tears welled up in Katya’s eyes. I couldn’t blame her for being happy. The skin of her foot had now turned a pale color.
Kate worked the potion higher to the top of her foot, then her ankle. As she continued massaging, Katya’s range of motion increased.
“I can move the top of my foot and even my ankle now!” Katya pressed her hands to her mouth, a tear rolling down her face. I handed her my handkerchief. She took it with a bow, dabbing at her eyes and wet cheeks.
Before long, her left foot was completely back to a normal, healthy color.
Kate checked each toe’s flexibility by moving them up and down, and then rotated her ankle in both directions. “Does anything feel strange?” she asked, looking up at Katya.
“No, not at all! I want to try standing now!” Katya said excitedly.
Kate smiled, gently lifting Katya’s leg from the basin and drying it with a towel. “I’ll help you. Let’s try standing you up.” She held out both hands and slowly helped Katya off the sofa.
Katya took one step and then another. The joints of her foot moved smoothly to support her movement.
“I can walk! I can move my foot! Oh, Miss Daisy!” Katya turned to me with a smile. “Thank you so much!” Suddenly, she let go of Kate’s hands and rushed toward me with her arms outstretched—but then she stumbled, falling into my arms. She wasn’t used to balancing on two feet again just yet.
“It’s still dangerous, so make sure you practice walking a bit more before you try to run,” I said, helping to steady her as she nodded.
Knowing that I was able to give someone back their freedom of movement filled my heart with happiness and satisfaction. Afterward, Katya sat back down while Kate helped her put on her sock and shoe. Then, we made our way to the parlor where Mr. Oliver waited.
Kate walked ahead of us and opened the door for Katya.
“Father! My leg is healed!” Katya said. “Once I’m used to walking again I won’t need a cane anymore!” Though she still needed her cane for balance, she walked more smoothly than before and approached her father to tell him the good news.
Mr. Oliver gave his daughter a big hug and began to cry.
“Thank you… Thank you so much!” Mr. Oliver said as he and Katya sat across from me in the parlor. Then he handed me a beautiful pouch. “Here is the fee I promised you. Please, take a look.”
I looked inside and found three gold coins, just like we’d agreed upon, but also something that felt like a card. When I took a closer look, I saw it was labeled with the words Temporary Membership Card.
“Yes, this is the amount we agreed upon,” I said. “And thank you for the membership card as well.” I put the items back into the pouch and slipped it into my pocket.
I reached down to pet Leaf’s soft fur as he slept quietly at my feet in his puppy form. He made sure to always stay close.
“The temporary card can also serve as a form of identification, so you should carry it with you regularly,” Katya said. “I heard you’re opening a workshop, Miss Daisy. How are your preparations coming?”
I looked up at her. “I have a general idea of what I want for the shop’s layout, but I haven’t gotten around to buying land or hiring a carpenter.” Honestly, I hadn’t made much progress at all.
“In that case, would you let me help you?” She clasped both hands in front of her, smiling brightly.
“If this is about thanking me for the potion, you really don’t need to…” Although the smile on her face told me it was more than that, it was still proper to decline at least once.
“No, that’s not it!” she said. “I am just really interested in your shop, Miss Daisy! I’m sorry, Father told me about it. You’re going to sell that soft, fluffy bread, right?” Her eyes were sparkling.
Mr. Oliver bowed his head slightly, apologizing for telling his daughter about the bread.
Oh, so that’s what it’s about.
“I’m really excited about the shop. And if you ever need any craftsmen, I can ask my father to put you in touch with someone. Please, I’d love to be part of your workshop team!”
Mr. Oliver placed both hands on Katya’s shoulders and leaned forward eagerly.
“It would be a valuable learning experience for her as well,” he said. “Her dream is to become an independent merchant someday. Please indulge her request.”
And just like that, I had a new partner for my workshop—a merchant’s daughter with light blue pigtails, two years older than me.