Chapter 41. Puppet

[Answer]-Request received successfully.

Error... System says there is only one procedure of creating a practioner pill.

Second possiblity of a procedure... Invalid. Should I give the only procedure...

Alaric's lips twitched and his smile disappeared before reappearing.

"Alright Sarah, give me the procedure of making a practioner pill."

[Answer]- Procedure name-Pharmacopoeia.

Pharmacopoeia is divided into two. Practitioner Pharmacopoeia and Advanced Pharmacopoeia.

Practitioner Pharmacopoeia.

Details -As an Alchemist, one should know the two major ingredients that should never be lacking in a practitioner pill; Saffron and Cinnamon.

Based on the therapeutical conclusions, one should gather all necessary ingredient's and also not forget about the major requirements. Saffron and Cinnamon.

With the first step complete, the second part involves one's personal understanding of the ingredients. There are few determining factors to the ingredients.

The first is their weight. One should not just go aimlessly adding any ingredient without knowing the exact ratio in terms of grams that one should use. For example, 100 grams of Cinnamon always pair up with 200 grams of Saffron. One should make sure that every ingredient is of the required weight. If not, the final pill will lose their purity.

The second factor involves time. Every ingredient has its own time that it takes in order to completely refine. Some ingredients take longer than others. This means that an alchemist should know the exact time required for a pill to refine. For example, Cinnamon requires only 30 minutes.

The third factor is temperature control. One should make sure that the temperature never gets past 500⁰ or takes a drop. This factor though is dropped in the Advanced Pharmacopoeia.

One should then heat the cauldron at a temperature of 500⁰. One should know that Saffron is first entered and heated for 30 minutes before the second ingredient is entered.

A good alchemist should have a good sense of time for one should know that a practioner pill is made in exactly two hours.

The reason Saffron is entered first is because it takes longer to refine than other ingredients.

With this knowledge, it means that a good alchemist should know which ingredient will take longest after Saffron and enter it within its correct time range.

Cinnamon is entered last due to its ease in refining and it only takes 30 minutes like stated above.

After the two hours period is over the ingredients should combine together and form a pill. Based on your timing and accuracy, one will decide the grade of your pill. If your pill is concocted in less or more than two hours, it means that it will lose a grade.

Advanced Pharmacopoeia.

Details- This procedure involves placing all the ingredients into the cauldron. This process required one to have complete control of heat and heat the ingredients directly at the same time.

This is where complete heat control comes in. An expert could form a practitioner pill in five minutes.

This is because Advanced Pharmacopoeia involves heating the ingredients directly based on their heat requirements in ratio to the time frame of 2 hours.

Saffron will obviously have to be at the hottest part part of the couldron and Cinnamon will have to be at the coolest part.

With the ratio to two hours, an expert will know how much heat to use on every ingredient. Due to the expert's skills and experience, the pill will definitely be a First Grade.

Advanced Pharmacopoeia is adapted as one increases their level.

One could think that this process took long but its wrong. With a 100% awakened brain, the entire process did not take more than a mere fraction of a second.

Alaric did not waste time and instantly spoke and everyone's jaws dropped. Karl was the most embarrassed. He was the one who chose such an easy question.

As Alaric continued, he wrote the term Pharmacopoeia on the board alongside what he labelled 1. By the time he finished under the silence, three smiles that had appeared on the three had disappeared and each had an ugly expression.

"Any questions?" Alaric asked not regretting his first action that led to all this. "I now see that you all have grasped the concept of Pharmacopoeia. I can now rest assured."

He stood there for a while waiting for anyone to raise their hands and ask a question and after around a minute, Aurora raised her hand.

Alaric could feel an incoming danger from the mischievous smile that she was trying to suppress. Maybe only he could see it.

"You wrote two methods, its not that you were planning to leave us in the dark with only one method, right?" Aurora voice was sweet and calm and everyone nooded after that. How had they forgotten?

Maybe it was because they thought he was going to tell them anyway. No ome had ever seen him in an alchemy class at all. Wherever he got that knowledge, maybe he had gotten a second method...

Alaric rubbed his nose and scratched the back of his head as he went to the board and erased the number 2. He walked to the table and stood next to the teacher.

"The second method does not exist," he spoke and there were slight murmurs. Even Aurora gave him that look that asked really!?

Alaric picked the chalk once more and went to the board and wrote the number 2.

"... Exist yet. The second method I have discovered is non other than array alchemy. This is a new branch that I plan on introducing soon." Pin drop silence reigned. Was it even possible?

Everyone was in daze and even the teacher gave him a glance. A minute later Aurora nodded in agreement.

" I now understand. Mind if we do that research together?" Aurora asked. Alaric looked at her and gave that smile that brightened up the room.

"You know you don't have to ask for such things. You have every right to trek this path with me. You know I have limited alchemy knowledge," Alaric said solemnly.

Everyone was taken aback. Were they flirting infront of the whole class? Even before the teacher? Where was this world heading to? Different gazes fell on him. The one from the teacher was that of disbelief.

Those from some students were schock. Others were calm but few gazes from men bore daggers. Three in particular were trying their best to keep their butts on their seats.

Alaric walked back to sit next to Aurora. He just could not understand why but the moment their eyes locked for a second, it felt perfect. Like he was not supposed to leave her side.

No! He was imagining things. They were just friends. He wondered why he was having such strange emotions inside him. He had completely closed his heart. For all those years he had been with her and the emotions never came to life. Something had changed.

Why was the system telling him to protect Aurora? How did the system know that he would be able to protect her from whatever threat she was about to face? Well, he could only keep an eye on her.

Something he really knew was that he was yet to meet his soul mate. He would know the very first moment that it was her. Whatever time it took him, she would find her way to him.

He did not even realize that Aurora had already started taking notes as the teacher had started her lesson. He could only smile as he remembered the first time he entered the smithing class was without a book.

It hit that the lesson had already started and it was going to cost him three good hours. He could not just walk out after causing a commotion. He could be arrogant but he could not be disrespectful.

He always respected those that deserved respect from him. The teacher had gained his respect after not chasing him away even after his actions. Who knew if she would ever allow him to enter after he left.

He could only lay his head on the desk and watch Aurora making notes. He watched her constantly looking up at the teacher before continuing to write. She would oftenly remove the hair that fell on her face but not once did he see he concentration fade or waver.

What was this? But he could not stop staring. He looked at her smooth caramel cheeks and went further to stare at her faintly violet lips which also could be said to gain some pink. He stared at he shallow nose bridge and the few strands that fell on her face.

He could not help bit feel hindered by them as he blew air from his mouth and used the wind element to help achieve the desired result of blowing the hair from her face. The wind worked well as he forced open the hair she had tied in a ponytail.

Her hair fell and covered her face. He caused it to fall on the left side as he made some tuck on her right ear. This made the right side of her face all clear for him to see as he then glanced at her slender neck. He could feel his heart racing...

Aurora who had been trying her best to concentrate finally lost her control and glanced at him. What was he thinking though? Well her thoughts instantly disaligned immediately her eyes met his green ones.

She stared even deeper and in the lush green fields his eyes appeared to be,she could also see the blue sky! Whatever this feeling inside her was, she knew that she had only felt it once. The first time he made a move on her.

She was finding it even harder as she screamed in her mind to look at the board but her body refused. Looking at Alaric at the moment, he was nothing more but a fragile child. He appeared so innocent that one could not pair him with the arrogant words that usually came from his mouth.

Or maybe the monster that had killed over a hundred beasts and brought back their cores. She raised her hand and like a puppet, she could not control it as she reached for his face.