17 Gathering Ingredients

{Easy aphrodisiac recipe for beginners, frozen saffron root. Please prepare the ingredients and utensils before you start cooking.

Ingredients:

1. Frozen saffron root (2)

2. Frozen saffron (2 grams)

3. Demonic bee honey (1 kilogram)

4. Demonic bee pollen (10 grams)

5. Ginger (100 grams)

6. Cardamom (100 grams)

Crush ginger, cardamom, and frozen saffron root to powder. Mix all the ingredients with a wooden spoon in a wooden bowl until they form a paste. Do not use metal tools as they may oxidize. Store in a cool and dry place away from sunlight. Eat a spoonful every morning and evening for a week. I guarantee you will be on fire after a week.}

A week? I didn't want to wait that long. I wanted to level up as soon as possible and my new body to be strong enough to use my fighting techniques.

''After all, it is a beginner recipe. If you want it to work faster, you should consider looking at other recipes,'' the fox said.

I sighed, ''Then it takes weeks to collect all the ingredients. Besides, all tools I need for this recipe are a wooden spoon and a bowl. Intermediate and advanced tier recipes require silver stuff.''

I got out of bed, getting ready to go out. I would love to have a shower, but there was no such opportunity in the room I rented for a copper a day. ''Where are we going to go?'' the fox asked.

I was uncomfortable that 'we' were going, but the fox could not get away from my body. At least for now according to what it said. ''I can buy ginger and cardamom, but other ingredients are over my budget.''

''I'm sure frozen saffron grows on the north side of the forest. It is a demonic ice forest after all. Demonic bees are not considered a rare breed, either,'' the fox said.

''Yeah, I guess so,'' I said while lacing the boots that went up to my thighs. ''The problem is the only reason I could come out of the forest alive was that I avoided the killing intentions of demonic creatures.''

That was right. Demonic bees were creatures that even a child could handle, but you wouldn't want to be among the hundreds to steal some honey.

Picking some saffron was not a difficult task, the problem was that frozen saffron only grew in soil with high ice Qi energy. The possibility of encountering demonic creatures cultivating in such land was very high.

''There must be a guild I can employ a guard,'' I explained the fox. Bandits mentioned that merchants have bodyguards lately, so it must have been a newly founded guild.

I buttoned my shirt and started braiding my hair. Otherwise, my hair would look horrible from not doing hair care properly for days. ''Do you have money to hire someone?'' the fox asked.

''Around thirty silver from the bandits' money. It'll be fine for a while, but then I'll need a steady source of money. I cannot go and kill someone to rob whenever I run out of money.''

When I open the door to leave the room the fox disappeared. ''You can sell some of the aphrodisiacs you make,'' it said.

''Hmm... maybe. It may be a little problematic though.'' I got out of the room and smiled at my new neighbor. She was currently exposing her tits to get the attention of a man who will warm her bed for once and drop a few coppers.

She smiled back. We were civilized people after all. This hostel was not my first choice, but the fox claimed that in an emergency, for example, if I am seriously injured it would be helpful to have easy food around.

''Why would it be problematic to sell what you made?'' the fox asked. While I was searching the web to find the address of the guild in town, I thought about what answer I would give to the fox.

''If I want to open a shop, there are things I need to do. A residence document, pay my taxes, buy a decent place, and pay its taxes.'' I found a guild in Snowflake town and it was founded a few months ago as I guessed.

I set its address as my destination and followed the instructions of the system. Turn right, go a hundred meters, right again.

''I can also sell illegally, but I don't know anything about the black market here. With no background, more than I earn will go to racketeers probably,'' I said.

''You can use the Web to sell,'' The fox said.

I sighed, ''Sure, with which teleport device will I ship the goods? Beyond that, who and why would buy from someone who does not have any sales experience or a chemist diploma in their profile?''

I stopped and glanced at the town square. A two-story wooden building was placed between the shops of a merchant and a blacksmith. The name on its board was Frozen Drop so it must be the guild.

''Can I make a suggestion?'' the fox asked.

''Go on.''

''Collect more demonic bee pollen, you can use it for the burn on your hand,'' It said.

I looked at my hand. ''It has already healed,'' I said.

''Still, there is a scar.''

I shrugged my shoulders, ''I have a lot of scars. One more will change nothing.''

The fox chuckled in my mind, ''You need to cure them.'' I frowned my eyebrows. ''I'm serious. Scars make it difficult to disguise, and as a succubus, your skin needs to be smooth.''

''Oh? What about your little speech, 'It's okay if you're proud of your body'?''

''I'm behind my words. Now, are you planning on going in or will we be standing here all day?''