The flames burned the logs in the fireplace, making faint, crackling sounds. Their glow fell across the walnut floorboards, painting them a red deeper than blood. Firelight and shadows intertwined and danced, hazy and indistinct, as though a lively musical were being performed on the floor ahead.
Noisy sounds came from behind the walls, yet they only made the room seem quieter. A black-haired man in a black robe lay in a recliner beside the fireplace, resting with his eyes half-closed.
Another figure was using a dropper to drip reagent onto several silver coins laid out on the table. The surfaces of the coins that touched the liquid gradually began to change color, giving off thin wisps of green smoke and faint hissing sounds.
Gloved fingers pushed several of the coins aside. He bent down, his gray pupils sweeping across the row of coins before him. After a while, he straightened, tilted his head, picked up two of them, wiped them clean with a towel nearby, and set them aside. He collected the rest in a brass tray.
Removing the monocle from his eye socket, he walked over and sat in the recliner on the other side of the fireplace. The black-haired man was disturbed and opened his eyes slightly. Blue eyes reflecting the leaping flames of the fireplace turned toward the other side.
"How is it, Doctor?" the black-haired man asked.
"I think the concentration still needs adjusting." A silver coin was handed over.
His fingers stroked the corroded marks on the coin. "It looks like we should add more Moon Frost powder to neutralize the corrosiveness and ensure the medicine can achieve its maximum effect."
"Should we make another batch and try again?"
"I think we can. If nothing unexpected happens, this will be the final batch. Also,