Kapitel 48: New Potions!
Back home, ' stepped into his alchemy laboratory, his eyes landing on the glowing mushrooms sitting on the lab table. There were only enough left for one more experiment. "Not enough materials," he muttered, frowning.
Borg had already scoured every pharmacy in Bangor Harbor, nearly clearing out their stock of glimmer mushrooms. Some pharmacists, sensing the demand, had even raised their prices. Despite this, the supply was still insufficient.
Leonard set to work, carefully preparing the potion. With his growing proficiency, what used to take him two hours now took just one. He worked with practiced efficiency, and soon the potion was complete.
A faint notification appeared in the corner of his vision:
"Daily Task Completed: Experiment (I) – Low Difficulty."
"Completion: Good (︾)"
"Reward: 20 General Experience Points, 2% Mutation Knowledge Progress."
Leonard raised an eyebrow. 'Good?' It was the first time he'd received this evaluation, and he was curious. Opening the extended details, he discovered the reason: he had made only two minor mistakes this time, one related to a material and the other likely tied to the experiment's overall efficiency.
'So speed and accuracy matter,' he thought, nodding to himself.
With the completed potion in hand, Leonard reached for a thorn seed from a nearby box. He dropped it into the reagent, watching as tiny bubbles began to form on the seed's surface as it sank. Securing the bottle in a stand, he left it to work its magic. It would take half a day for the mutation to complete, plant seeds mutated faster than animal ones, but patience was still required.
After cleaning up the lab, Leonard left the room, heading to the neighboring courtyard. As he approached, David stepped outside.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you," Leonard said.
"No, Beauvoir is already asleep," David replied, smiling. Since their reunion, no one knew exactly what David had said to Beauvoir, but whatever it was, it worked, she had moved in with him, just as she promised. Despite David's current state, Beauvoir seemed unfazed, accepting him without hesitation.
"If your wife is free tomorrow, could she help gather some herbs for me?" Leonard asked.
"Beauvoir is very grateful to you, Master. She'll be happy to help," David assured him.
Leonard listed a few more materials he needed, including rare herbs and minerals. With his expanding knowledge of mutation science, his experiments required increasingly uncommon ingredients. While some could be sourced from within the Kingdom of Erdoru, though often under different names; many were entirely unavailable locally.
Among the potions he planned to craft were two promising new formulas:
1. Mutant Mental Power Recovery Potion
This potion could rapidly restore a large amount of mental energy in a short time. However, it came with strict limitations: only one dose could be taken at a time. Consuming more would result in severe side effects, including body aches, dizziness, and intense discomfort. The key ingredient for this potion was the rare 'Blue King Flower', a plant that was notoriously difficult to find.
2. Meditation-Accelerated Mutation Potion
This potion was designed to enhance meditation. Once consumed, it cleared the mind, allowing for greater focus and slightly improved meditation efficiency. Though its effects were subtle, they could make a significant difference over time.
As Leonard mentally reviewed his plans, he couldn't help but feel the weight of the challenges ahead. Each step brought deeper understanding but also greater obstacles. The scarcity of materials and the complexity of the formulas underscored just how far he still had to go. Yet, he remained undeterred, progress, no matter how slow, was still progress.
The potion Leonard planned to create required a rare material: 'Rhodum Ore'. This metal, known locally in the Kingdom of Erdoru as "fake silver," bore a striking resemblance to silver. For years, locals used it to forge counterfeit silver until its peculiar properties exposed the deception. Unlike real silver, Rhodum Ore didn't dissolve in water. Instead, contact with water caused it to soften, which led to its true nature being discovered.
Despite its usefulness, the potion had a downside: mild addictiveness. Leonard found himself frustrated. Why did every mutated potion seem to come with a catch? Was it an inherent trait of mutation-based alchemy?
He refused to believe side effects were inevitable. 'If a potion could be engineered to mutate, it could also be refined to eliminate those mutations' downsides,' he thought. All it would take was a careful reversal of the process, working backward from the undesirable effects.
---
The next morning, Leonard returned to his alchemy laboratory. The reagent bottle from the previous day's experiment was nearly empty, the liquid inside reduced to nothing. What remained was a single black seed resting at the bottom.
Pouring the seed into his hand, Leonard activated the 'Whip of Thorns' spell. The seed cracked, and a slender, thorny vine unfurled, writhing from the split like a serpent. As Leonard infused his mental power into the spell, the vine continued to grow, stretching to nearly ten meters in length.
Under Leonard's control, the thorn whip moved like an extension of his arm, twisting and coiling through the air with a snake-like fluidity. It felt natural and responsive; far superior to the seeds he'd tested over the past few days, which had been awkward and stiff to manipulate.
The magic book on the 'Whip of Thorns' had explained this phenomenon: ordinary seeds lacked sufficient power. Forcing magic into them would often damage their roots, resulting in brittle and rigid vines. However, seeds containing extraordinary energy could be activated fully, producing vines that were stronger, more flexible, and easier to control.
From its smooth responsiveness, Leonard deduced that this seed had undergone a successful mutation. Yet, its exact nature remained unclear.
---
Leonard began a series of tests to assess the seed's properties. He measured its flexibility, healing speed, toughness, and the hardness of its thorn spikes. The results were promising but not extraordinary. The vine's flexibility and durability were only marginally better than that of normal thorn vines, falling short of the standards for true extraordinary seeds.
One aspect stood out, however: the thorns themselves. They were exceptionally hard, capable of leaving visible marks on iron. Finally, Leonard tested for special abilities by exposing lab mice to the vine. He discovered the thorns carried a paralyzing toxin, capable of immobilizing small animals within moments.
While useful, the paralysis effect felt a bit redundant. Leonard already knew the 'Sleeping Spell' and 'Mental Shock', two powerful single-target control spells. Nevertheless, he reasoned that the thorn whip offered a distinct advantage: range.
Unlike his other spells, the 'Whip of Thorns' could target multiple enemies at once, making it effective for crowd control. With its extended reach and paralyzing effects, it added a new layer of versatility to his arsenal.
Leonard looked at the vine coiling in his hand, a faint smile on his lips. Despite its imperfections, this mutated seed was a success in its own right. Every step forward, every experiment, brought him closer to mastering the art of mutation. And as he refined his techniques, Leonard knew the potential for even greater discoveries lay just ahead.
Leonard examined the extraordinary seed in his hand, marveling at how quickly it had been developed. 'Mutant seeds… I thought they'd take years to refine,' he mused, turning the small object over between his fingers. 'Yet here it is, so soon.' He chose not to mention aloud that the Thorn Whip spell could only be cast using one seed at a time. This one, then, would make an excellent backup; ready to be swapped out when something better inevitably came along.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein