Observing Alchemy

 "Oh, you are here," Euralle said, looking excited at their arrival. "So, how did it go?"

 Ian did not said anything and merely put the basket filled with materials in front of her. Her smile grew brighter as she nodded. 

 "Excellent, I will get to brewing right away," she said as she took all the materials into her hands. But before she could leave the room, Ian stopped her.

 "Can I see how you perform alchemy?" he asked. Euralle bit her lower lips, unsure whether to agree or not before finally deciding.

 "Yes,"

-x-

 While the others waited inside another room, Euralle lead him to the alchemy station. Unfortunately, it is smaller than expected, being filled with many other objects.

 "S-sorry," she apologized, "I forget to clean this place,"

 "It's alright," Ian reply, his hands near his hips and so close to touching her butt. Not to mention, her big breast is pressing against his gut, the difference in height become more apparent.

 "Quick question, how old are you?" he asked, because her height would have make her mistaken for 15 years 15-year-old girl, yet her chest seemed to be from someone older, with how big it is.

 "Oh, me, I'm 19 years old," she replied cheerily. He was grateful for the difference in height as he did not want her to see his shocked face.

 "Is that so? How about I help you clean this place up?" he suggested.

 "Really, but you are the customer," she said with a frown.

 "I insist," 'and with me helping you, we can get you to work,' he added in his head.

-x-

 With his help, the room is clean, somewhat. It still looks like a place where hurricanes have a party, but at least it look cleaner.

 "Let me see the recipe one more time," she said as Euralle began to look around the room before taking out a book that is similar in size to the encyclopedia of all the plants and animals in Darna Forest and Midar Range.

 She then flipped through the pages before finding the correct recipe.

 "Here it is," she said triumphantly before beginning to work. She walk towards the cauldron before putting several fire woods underneath it. She then burn them, before putting the Flame Berry inside.

 As the Flame Berry hear up the cauldron, Euralle grabbed the moss and begin to pound it with a pestle, turning it into green mush. After she was done with moss, she then cut the fruit before pressing it for the juice, the juice dripping into the mortar.

 She then stir it using the pestle before stopping. Afterward, she grabbed the snail before removing it, throwing the snail into a beaker filled with what he assume salt water as the snail writh and died in agony.

 The shell is then put inside the mortar, where it was crushed as well. After Euralle done turning the shell into dust, she check the cauldron by putting the tip of a long wood inside.

 Touching the tip, she nodded in satisfaction before taking the mushroom and flower and pouring it inside the cauldron. Ian watched as the heat seemed to dry up the two ingredients, yet instead of being burnt, the two shrivelled as liquid dripped from the flower and mushroom.

 She then removed the two shirvelled up ingredients before putting the crushed paste in the mortar, into the cauldron. 

 Ian observed as the liquid and the paste seemed to mix up, as Euralle begin to stir the concoction. The ingredients slowly turned into a red liquid, that seem to emit some kind of energy.

 "Now, for the hard part," Euralle suddenly said.

 She put her hand near the mouth of the cauldron, before using her mana to stir up the concoction. The concoction bubbled, as it soon look like some was boiling it, even though there is no more firewood.

 Ian wanted to ask what she was doing but he knew doing anything will ruin her concentration. Soon, the potion stop bubbling, turning an even brighter red than before.

 Euralle opened her eyes and sigh in relief at the result. "It work," she would have fallen on the floor if not for Ian's helping her.

 "Thank you," she said as she slowly get up.

 "Of course," he said, "But why do you said something like it work," he had been having suspicion on the young woman but had been hiding it for quite sometime. But even he wanted to know what she was hiding, especially with her being their private alchemist.

"You know how I am in debt, and how I can no longer operate the store, right?" she asked. Ian nodded, not seeing where this is going.

 "That means I have not done alchemy for almost 4 years. So, there is a high chance that I will fail. After all, while doing simple concoction is easy, it's the mana manipulation at the very end is the vital part. 

 The mana manipulation is done to remove mana from the potion, so it will not effect the potion. Only mana potion should have mana inside it. For other potion, mana might cause the effect to greatly differ, and might even be dangerous,"

 Euralle said all of this while looking downward, not wanting to see his disappointed or angry face.

 Ian sighed, as he dragging his palm down his face.

 "I cannot become angry with you," this cause the smaller woman to look at him in surprise.

 "Remember our agreement," he said, Euralle's eyes lighten up. "For the price of the three magic books, we will help you gather the materials," he recited their agreement.

 "So, if you fail, it will not effect us," he told her. "It only deprive us from buying your potion, which will effect you even more," he added.

 "Thank you," she bowed to him, feeling relieved all of the sudden.

 "Of course. But still, you said this is an improve version. So, how much improvement it is from the regular Stamina Potion," Ian asked.

 She tapped her chin as she struggled to say it. "It is something my father said, and I am not sure if he is lying or not, but,

 He said it is twice as better compared to the ones in the market,"