nyslfriends Chapter 8 [Alchemy Perception]
Chapter 8 [Alchemy Perception]
Inside the stone chamber.
The witcher apprentices processed the herbs in their hands, and within five minutes, someone had severed the membrane of the Boneweed, from which green sap flowed out, dissipating most of its medicinal properties.
The herbalist nun sighed silently upon seeing this.
Although the Witcher apprentice could recognize herbs, his handling skills were far too crude.
Especially the apprentice named Paul, whose hand holding the silver knife appeared very stiff.
All I can say is that Vesemir of Kaer Morhen is an excellent swordsman, but he is lacking in herbal alchemy.
"I'm afraid we'll waste a lot of herbs in this lesson."
The herbalist nun muttered to herself.
Her gaze shifted, and she suddenly raised her chin, noticing the black-haired boy on the far left.
Alwin's expression was serious, and his right hand, holding the silver knife, did not tremble at all.
With your index finger pressed against the back of the knife, gently push to cut open the veins of the white bracken.
[Herbal Alchemy Experience +1!]
Got it!
Alwin placed the prepared white bracken into a container.
Next up is the large-leaved vine.
Looking at the broad, dense leaves, Alwin frowned slightly.
Suddenly, the refreshing scent of chamomile wafted over.
The herbalist nun walked to his side, extended her slender index finger, and slowly lowered it from the top of the large-leaved vine.
"When processing large-leaved vines, you need to cut along the veins to preserve the medicinal properties. You need to be steady and not rush."
Arwen's cat-like eyes narrowed, and following the herbalist's guidance, he immediately discerned the veins of the large-leaved vine.
The blade cuts along the veins, slowly separating the roots and stems of the large-leaved vine.
[Herbal Alchemy Experience +10!]
The numbers that popped up on the panel shocked Alwin.
With just one simple sentence, my experience points increased by 10.
Is this the role of a teacher in imparting knowledge and resolving doubts?
Arwen looked up at the herbalist with gratitude. "Thank you, Ms. Veris."
The latter remained silent, but the apprentice's voice rang out from behind him.
"Ms. Veris, Ms. Veris!"
The voice was very urgent, and Alwin recognized it as Aiken's voice.
The herbalist turned and walked over, but stopped noticeably when she got close to Aiken.
The large-leaved vines on the tray were haphazardly cut down by Aiken.
Aiken scratched his head sheepishly, feigning embarrassment, and said, "Ms. Veris, I'm so sorry, I'm not very good at handling this."
The herbalist nun wasn't angry. Instead, she picked up a small silver knife from the tray and said, "I'll process it once. Watch carefully."
Aiken nodded seriously, then raised an eyebrow at Alwin, giving him a smug look.
Arwen ignored it and began to process the next Boneweed.
My herbal alchemy experience points have reached 96, and I only need 4 more to level up. I don't have time to care about anyone else.
Time passed second by second.
The herbalist nun returned to the podium, straightened her slightly wrinkled cuffs, and said wearily, "Alright, today's alchemy class is over. You may all go home now."
Hearing this, many apprentices breathed a sigh of relief.
If you let them wield swords and spears, there's absolutely no problem with that.
But the silver knife and herbs were a real challenge for them.
All I could think about was getting out of this stone chamber as soon as possible, even just to get some fresh air on the surface would be wonderful.
The apprentices stood up and quickly bid farewell to the herbalist.
Goodbye, Ms. Veris.
The herbalist nodded very politely to the apprentices.
Alwin stood up and opened the panel.
Herbal Alchemy Lv1: 98/100
He was just 2 points away from leveling up, which triggered Alwin's obsessive-compulsive disorder, making him feel like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat.
No, we have to find a solution.
Alwin glanced at the person beside him out of the corner of his eye.
Paul had already followed the main group out of the stone chamber, but there was still a large-leaved vine on the tray on the table that hadn't been processed.
Got it!
"Ms. Veris, may I help you process these herbs?"
The herbalist nun was clearly taken aback by these words.
She truly hadn't expected that an apprentice would stay behind to help her clean up the mess.
Especially for a Witcher's apprentice, such a patient child is rare.
"Of course, as long as it doesn't affect your rest time."
Having received the former's reply, Alvin smirked and began by quickly dealing with the large-leaved vines, starting with Paul's seat.
The herbalist nun observed Alwin's technique closely; it was much cleaner and smoother than the first time.
The cut is as smooth as a mirror, without a single extra fiber.
"This child..."
She murmured to herself, her tone tinged with a hint of surprise.
Alwin's hands became increasingly skilled.
[Herbal Alchemy Experience +1!]
As he finished processing the last batch of white bracken, the machine's notification sounded again.
[Herbal Alchemy Experience +1!]
[Herbal Alchemy Lv1: 100/100 → Herbal Alchemy Lv2, gain the white talent Alchemy Perception]
Herbal Alchemy Lv2: 0/1000
[Alchemy Perception (White): You are already familiar with the most basic alchemical properties. By focusing your mind, you can sense the energy fluctuations between alchemical items, thus enabling you to better handle them.]
It's a new talent.
Alwin took a breath, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.
"Well done. It seems you've put a lot of effort into herbal alchemy. Vesemir's alchemy instruction isn't as bad as I thought."
Arwen bowed to the herbalist nun as an apprentice.
The latter gave a meaningful smile. "I see you haven't gone through a complete alchemy process yet. Would you be interested in performing one?"
Arwen looked up, trying to see the herbalist nun's face under her hood, but it was as if he were looking through a fog; he could see nothing but her outline.
Without the slightest hesitation, Alwin nodded in agreement.
"Of course, I'd be very happy to."
Just now, with just one sentence from the other party, herbal alchemy gained 10 experience points. Now, with the other party personally teaching him, who knows how many experience points he will gain? Only a fool would disagree.
"Come with me."
Arwen followed the herbalist nun to the podium, where she took two items from a herb box.
"Do you know what these are and what they're used for?"
Alvin glanced at it and, with his [Alchemy Perception] talent, quickly identified it.
"These bright yellow flowers are white celandine flowers, and this brown, dried substance is water ghost brains."
After a moment's hesitation, he said firmly, "These should be the ingredients for making the [Swallow] potion, but we're missing a bottle of strong liquor."
The herbalist nun took out a distillation flask, a crucible, and a bottle of dwarven spirits.
"That's a very correct answer. Let's begin. I'll be watching from the sidelines."
Alwin took a deep breath and began preparations.
The first step is to cut the white celandine flower along its veins, just like a large-leaved vine.
Next comes the brain of the water ghost, which needs to be cut in half and the fascia removed in order to maximize its medicinal effect.
Pour both into a container and crush them.
[Herbal Alchemy Experience +1!]
Arwen focused his mind and activated [Alchemy Perception].
Wave~
He clearly sensed a ring of pale green ripples appearing in the vessel, spreading outwards.
It wasn't until it touched the dwarven spirits in the crucible that pale blue ripples appeared, as if in response.
"That's about it!"
Alwin slowly poured the prepared water ghost brain paste into the crucible.
Instantly, the strong liquor and the water ghost brain reacted violently, bubbles kept appearing on the surface, green and blue ripples intertwined, and the transparent liquid became cloudy.
Until the ripples softened and the liquid turned a clear green.
Alwin's cat eyes lit up!
[Swallow] The potion is ready!
[Herbal Alchemy Experience +1!]
The herbalist nun tapped her fingers lightly on the table, her gaze shifting from initial interest to surprise.
"It took fifteen minutes. Although it was just the simplest swallow potion, it's quite impressive that it was done to this extent for the first time."
She then picked up a silver spoon, scooped some out of the crucible, held it to her nose, and gently fanned it with her left hand.
"The taste, color, and consistency are all basically acceptable. Child, tell me, what's your name?"
"My name is Alwin."
"Arwen," the herbalist's tone suddenly sharpened, "you did very well, but..."