Making a potion for the first time

In a four-wheeler car, August, his mother Sophie, and his little sister Lily are traveling to his mother's store.

'How did I end up going to my mom's store?' August thought.

In the morning, he was browsing the association store on his smartwatch, where he found the herbs he needed to make a cure for Aurora. However, lacking the necessary funds, he asked his mother to lend him some money, which resulted in him being dragged along to his mother's store.

'I would have gone there anyway,' August thought. Even if he had managed to obtain the herbs, he couldn't make the solution at home without his mother's store equipment, so borrowing it was inevitable.

During his free time, he often visited the store to assist his mother.

"Why did she tag along, Mom? Are you going to let her clean the store counter?" August teased Lily.

"Yeah, that's why I brought her with us," Sophie joined in, teasing her daughter.

"Mooom! I will not talk with you two, hmph," Lily pouted in anger.

After some time, they arrived at the store, which was situated in a lower area away from the main hub where larger stores competed for customers.

The store appeared quite ordinary, with a middle-aged woman sweeping the front entrance as they approached.

"Hey boss, you're here, and it looks like you've brought your two little bosses with you too!" the worker greeted them upon seeing them.

Sophie smiled, nodding in agreement. "Yes, they insisted on coming along with me today."

"Oh, it's always nice to have some extra help around," the worker remarked.

Sophie chuckled. "That's what I'm hoping for. They can lend a hand with the smaller tasks."

"Well, they're welcome here anytime," the worker said warmly.

"Thank you, Maria. We appreciate it," Sophie replied gratefully.

"Hello, Aunt Maria, how are you?" August inquired.

"I'm fine and fit," she replied.

"What about you, August? I haven't seen you around lately," she asked.

"I've been busy with school," August replied.

Then Lily huffed in anger, stomping her feet as she swiftly made her way into the store.

"What's wrong with little Lily?" Maria whispered.

"I teased her a bit, and she got upset," August confessed, scratching his head guiltily.

"You should make up with her quickly," Maria advised.

"Yeah, I will. Well, bye," August said before heading inside the store.

Inside, he noticed the shelves neatly stocked with jars of herbs, potion bottles, pet foods, and various beast parts. The store was impeccably clean and well-organized.

His mother had let Mooie out of her beast space, and Lily was playing with the pet, which had big green eyes and a vine-like body with leaves on it.

August used inspect to see its details:

[ Vinewisp Guardian ]

Rank: 4 (middle)

Bloodline: B-

Elements: healing, plant

Abilities: Blossom blessing B5, vine whip D4, thorned barrage C7, entangling vines C6, vine veil C3

Status: perfect, happy

Description: {locked} ]

'How can it be?' August couldn't believe it. He had thought Mooie was a low-ranked beast with its healing ability.

'Why did she hide it from us?' His mother could be a big shot in the city if she revealed that she was a rank 4 beast master.

'She must have her reasons,' August thought to himself, his tone reflective as he contemplated the situation.

"Why don't you let me call an alchemist to make the potion?" Sophie approached him with a worried face, thinking something might happen during the potion-making process.

"Don't worry, Mom," August reassured, "I have everything covered, and I don't want to pay those money-hungry alchemists."

Sophie sighed in relief. "Huff, okay then, choose what you need for the potion."

"Thanks, Mom," August expressed his gratitude.

He then started to go through the shelves, checking for herbs of the required potency.

There were multiple common-ranked herbs and some uncommon ones, but there were only a few rare ones, none higher than rare.

There were three uncommon ice element herbs and ten common ones. He chose one uncommon and one common herb.

[ Ice root (uncommon): It is a herb found in snowlands. Its roots come out of the ground, giving it a unique appearance with no branches or leaves. Its roots are imbued with ice element energy, making it a valuable herb for alchemy.]

[ Sallow leaf (common): It is the rime leaf of a frost willow tree. Out of thousands, one can get imbued with ice element, making it sharp as a knife.]

Then he grabbed a bottle of mana water and a bottle of beast blood.

"These are the ones I want," he said to his mother.

"I'll need to use the stock room; please make sure no one enters," he requested Sophie.

"Of course, dear," Sophie responded with a reassuring smile, understanding the importance of his task.

After gathering the necessary equipment, he got to work.

'It's not that hard after getting the Tier I knowledge about alchemy,' August thought to himself. 'I could be considered a novice alchemist if I go to the alchemist guild for a check.'

With steady hands and focused determination, August began his alchemical process. First, he meticulously ground the sallow leaf into a fine powder, ensuring its potency. Using a specialized extractor, August processed the ice roots, extracting their juice and pouring it into a test tube, observing as the liquid took on a vibrant green hue. Next, he measured out the required amount of beast blood, handling it with precision as he added it to another test tube. Finally, he skillfully mixed the powder with mana water, expertly creating a potent solution.

In a glass flask, he poured the root juice, followed by some mana water, then added the beast blood, and finally, the sallow leaf solution.

Controlling his mana to mix the solution made him sweat. If he didn't have the rune body, which made his mana control easier, he might not have attempted it despite his knowledge of alchemy. He needed to mix the solution with his mana in a way that prevented any unnecessary elements from destabilizing it, which could result in failure.

As he poured his mana into the solution, it slowly began to turn blue.

After five minutes of hard work, August beheld the fruit of his labor: a potion flask brimming with a shimmering blue liquid. As he held it, a chilling sensation spread through his hand.

August then opened his beast space and called out to Aurora. She slithered out from the beast space, her serpentine form gracefully moving until she rested in his hand, her gaze fixed on the flask.

Carefully placing Aurora on the table, August poured the potion into her waiting mouth.

As he emptied the flask, Aurora closed her eyes, a transformation coursing through her body. Two ice-like blue horns began to emerge from her head, while her scales took on a glossy sheen, enhancing her already majestic appearance.

[ Ding! You have completed the quest ]