[Ding. Your chance of success in crafting is increased by 10%]
Liam closed the notification as he adjusted his seated position. He was currently sitting amidst several packets of herbs, flowers, and pails of clean water.
In front of him, there was a huge cauldron with mysterious engravings.
On his right side, there was a small white fox peacefully sleeping, light snores leaking out of her tiny mouth.
And on his left side, Seeka, the attendant for the room, was standing obediently. “Sir, I finished preparing everything.” She informed Liam.
“Alright, first pour the water in.”
The woman nodded and emptied three pails of clean water into the cauldron. She then brought over the first bundle of herbs that Liam would be needing.
“Mmmm. Place it here.”
Liam cracked his fingers and then circulated the mana in his body, placing his palm on the cauldron to activate.
Unlike before, he did not intend to use the runic inscription on the cauldron to regulate the heat inside the concoction.
This time he personally wanted to drive the process.
Though this would require more mental effort, more control over his mana usage, and also a lot more mana overall, it was still best to choose this method rather than the automatic method.
This was because Liam was already at the Intermediate level in alchemy.
To progress any further, he needed to concoct potions a grade above than the basic potion recipes he had been using thus far.
Only low-grade and above would be effective and give the result he wanted in the shortest time possible.
He would need to concoct a hundred basic potions to get the same experience as concocting a single low-grade potion.
Of course, he could try and create high-grade potions for even better efficiency, but that would only give the opposite result.
With the increase in grade, one’s chance of failure also simultaneously increased, especially when using basic methods like automatic regulation of the cauldron.
At the same time, manual regulation of the temperature with mana was also extremely difficult as some of the herbs, and ingredients in higher-grade potions needed a very fine touch.
Even a quarter degree above or below might result in the failure of the concoction.
So taking into consideration all these things, an alchemy practitioner was required to pay attention to everything holistically in order to improve himself.
Liam closed his eyes and only focused on the mana flowing through his palm. He could already feel the difference in everything both within him and the cauldron he was touching.
Compared to the very first time that he had attempted this when brewing the body cleansing potion, his condition right now was like heaven and earth.
He could feel every inch of the cauldron and the water that was beginning to boil within. It was almost like an extension of himself.
His state of focus was also at peak, so not wanting to disturb this near perfect condition, he quickly spoke, his eyes still closed.
“Throw in the first batch of herbs.”
Seeka, the female NPC, who was standing on the side and dazedly admiring Liam’s technique, was startled by his sudden words.
She was only a beginner apprentice practitioner. So she gulped nervously and hesitated.
“What are you waiting for?” Liam once again commanded.
This time she quickly hurried up and tossed the herbs inside the boiling liquid. However, the ideal temperature was already missed, and the liquid bubbled out in an unsightly froth.
“Hmmmm.” Liam opened his eyes and looked at the mess.
“Master, I am sorry. Please forgive me.” Seeka immediately fell on Liam’s feet and started crying.
“Huh?” Liam was confused as he looked at the young woman. She had a simple appearance and wore the common attire that non-noble people used.
“This is not your fault. I do not have enough control yet.” Liam took pity on her and said a few kind words.
This wasn’t entirely untrue. If he had better control, he would be able to both regulate the cauldron and add the herbs all on his own.
Since he did not have that level of control yet, he needed another person’s assistance to get a better chance of success.
Liam looked at the young woman who was a complete mess. She was shaking from top to bottom still affected by the previous try.
He let out a small sigh. He was already running out of time and couldn’t afford to spend some to train someone else from scratch.
“Hmmmm…” He quietly pondered as his gaze shifted to the white fox sleeping peacefully.
Liam scooped up some froth from the floor and flicked it onto the beast which immediately dirtied the snow white immaculate fur.
Kyuuuuu!
Luna woke up with a whine, her crystal blue eyes blinking innocently as she stared at the culprit who disturbed her sleep.
“Get up. I need you to do something.” Liam grinned wickedly.
Kyuuuuu?
A couple of minutes later…
Seeka covered her mouth with her palm as stood at the back, almost sticking to the wall, her eyes glued onto the miracle that was happening in front of her.
A big white fox with three fluffy tails stood near the cauldron, holding a bundle of herbs in her paw.
“Now.” The human being doing the actual concoction would mutter once in a while and the fox as well would promptly toss the herbs into the cauldron.
It was extremely humiliating and humbling at the same time to see a less intelligent beast do the things that she managed to fumble and mess up.
But it also gave her confidence.
As a commoner, her life had not been easy and she was always waiting for a chance to break free from the shackles of her birth.
And now, she finally had the chance to do so.
After a few minutes, she recovered from her initial shock. Her eyes shone with resolution as she slapped her cheeks, wiped her face, and took a step forward.
She might not have enough talents and messed up the opportunity to become the assistant of this esteemed person.
But… she still could become an assistant for this fox!
Someone else might consider this a step down and an embarrassment. However, to her, the fox looked dazzling. Especially, the eyes of the beast had a profound depth.
Even if she lacked the experience to become the expert’s aide, she was determined to impress this fox expert.
“I can do it.” Seeka stepped forward and tidied up the things around them so that the fox could access everything easier.
This definitely made the process a bit smoother, so Luna did not stop her.
And thus… on this fateful day, Luna somehow hoodwinked a person into becoming her first follower.
