Rhine's Free Magic Potion

The Sea Hag said impatiently, "Magic works in mysterious ways, with its own peculiar rules and restrictions. If every detail could be explained, understood, and articulated, it would no longer be magic. It would be no different from the intricate workings of your human contraptions and gears."

Ariel looked at the Sea Hag, who was clearly angry:

"It's okay, I accept the risk of death. I was prepared for it when I came to you. Please give me the potion, I'm not afraid!"

Although she said that, her face was as white as snow.

The pain of walking on knives, the risk of death if the mission fails, are these the prices to pay?

Ariel was willing to endure the former.

As for the latter, as long as she could gain the Prince's love and an immortal soul, wouldn't that be enough? Ariel knew that she possessed the most beautiful voice in the sea and on land.

No Mermaid could hear her singing without being moved, let alone a human! She could use that beautiful voice to enchant the Prince, making him pour all his love and soul into her! "Don't forget, you still have to pay me a reward!" the Sea Hag said. "To exchange for this precious potion, you must give me a hefty reward."

"What should I give you?" Ariel said in fear.

She then remembered that the first two prices were the side effects of the potion itself and the Curse the world would inflict after transforming into a human—although they were already so terrifying.

She still had to give the Sea Hag a reward.

It would definitely not be something small!

"Your voice," the Sea Hag said, "because even among all the Mermaids in the Sea Country, your singing is the most beautiful. Only such a reward is worthy of my help! Princess, I will cut off your tongue and use magic to take away your voice. From then on, you will not be able to speak."

Ariel's face turned even paler.

Before she could reply, Aurora protested indignantly:

"This is unfair. A beautiful voice is Ariel's way to attract her beloved.

"If she becomes a mute, how will Ariel gain the Prince's love?

"You know that once she fails, she will turn into foam. Yet you demand the very talent necessary for her success as a reward! Isn't this the same as pushing her into the grave?"

Aurora looked at Rhine, who had been silent since the beginning for some reason:

"Say something for me, teacher.

"It's like, in a duel where failure means death, depriving one of the duelists of their weapon from the start as the entrance fee.

"Such a deal is not fair at all!"

Rhine, who had been thinking about something, finally spoke:

"I think there's no problem with the price the Sea Hag is asking."

Aurora was stunned, momentarily speechless: "Why?"

Rhine turned to Ariel and the Sea Hag, seemingly completely on the latter's side: "Respected Sea Witch, I object to my friend's opinion.

"I think it's perfectly reasonable for you to ask for a high price—didn't we know from the beginning that fulfilling a wish with you comes at a heavy cost? If Ariel cannot accept the price you offer, she can simply refuse the deal and find a merchant with a lower price as a trading partner—if she can find one. Isn't that right?"

"What are you saying?" Aurora was shocked.

"But if you don't get the potion to turn a fishtail into human legs from the Sea Hag, where else can you get it?" She was about to ask Rhine, but suddenly stopped.

Aurora instantly understood what her teacher was going to say next.

The Sea Hag obviously didn't know what Rhine was thinking. All she saw was:

Two humans were arguing among themselves, and the silver-haired boy was unusually opposing the blonde girl, trying his best to speak up for her.

The Sea Witch laughed and praised Rhine, "I didn't expect you to be so reasonable, child. Not at all like your friend.

"Your friend keeps babbling and trying to blame me, shifting the blame onto me. As if Ariel should get my help for free.

"Mermaids, like humans, are always so greedy, wanting to fulfill their wishes but unwilling to pay the price!

"And where in the world is there such a good thing? Where are there powerful Magicians and Witches who will fulfill people's wishes for free without asking for a price? The truth is just as you said, this is a transaction that the Mermaid Princess voluntarily came to me for. If she doesn't want to, then I'll have some peace and quiet and just find someone else."

For a moment, Rhine and the Sea Hag actually reached a consensus.

This scene left the Mermaid Princess Ariel a little confused.

Rhine then looked at Ariel again:

"As I said. Isn't all this voluntary on your part? Since you want to get help, you should naturally pay the price. If you don't want to, then go find someone who is willing to give you the same potion for free!"

Ariel nodded, her face pale.

Although saddened by the impending loss of her beautiful voice and becoming mute, she admitted in her heart that her human friend was right.

It was impossible to expect someone to help her transform into a human for free. "Let's do it this way, I accept the deal!" Ariel mustered her courage and said to the Sea Hag.

"Stick out your tongue."

The Sea Hag then produced a sharp knife.

She would use this knife to cut off the Mermaid Princess's tongue, taking away the most beautiful singing voice of the sea and land.

"You should have decided this sooner, my princess.

"Just as your human friend said, if you only want to fulfill your wish and don't want to pay the price, you might as well close your eyes and pray that someone will give you a magic potion that can grow human legs for free—one that's as effective as the potion I concoct."

"Yes," Rhine agreed with the Sea Hag from behind, his tone resolute, "For example, I would give a potion for free. Ariel can come to me."

"That's right..." the Sea Hag said, just about to agree with Rhine, when she sensed something was wrong.

She turned to Rhine in astonishment and asked, word by word, "What are you saying? Human!"

Rhine smiled at Ariel and said, "Since we've become friends, I can brew a potion for you for free—with the same effect as the Sea Hag's. Well, not exactly the same, the side effects will be smaller."

"This doesn't sound funny," the Sea Hag looked at Rhine, "What are you talking about? The potion that makes mermaids grow legs is my invention. Only I can brew it on this sea and land!"

I believe what you're saying is true, but what I'm copying is your alchemy skill... Rhine thought.

The Sea Hag was furious:

"Stop making ridiculous jokes, human. The potion I'm brewing contains powerful magic, and only someone who knows magic can brew it!"

"Yes." The silver-haired boy returned a warm smile, "Didn't I mention it before? I am a Magician."

Ariel looked at her two human friends in surprise.

"Yes." Aurora also introduced Rhine in a proud tone, "He is a particularly powerful and very talented Magician! The most outstanding Magician in the kingdom we come from."

"Wait!" Ariel was extremely surprised, staring at the silver-haired boy with disbelief.

So, this good friend who had been with her for a while was actually a Magician? As far as the Mermaid Princess knew, magic was a profound and mysterious knowledge, and there was only one wise man in the Sea Country who understood magic, and that was the Sea Witch.

No wonder they, as humans, could ride strange big fish to the Sea Country! "I always thought you were a knowledgeable human scholar," Ariel said.

"That's not contradictory," Rhine smiled, "Almost all Magicians are knowledgeable scholars."

The Sea Hag interrupted them:

"Alright. With that strange big fish with a transparent belly, I believe you are indeed a Magician.

"But what's the use of that? The magic potion that can cut open a mermaid's tail and turn it into human legs is my invention! I have never told anyone that secret recipe.

"No human or sea creature can brew a potion with the same effect except me!"

The boy smiled and said to Ariel:

"In that case, let's try it. Give me some time, I'll brew the medicine and give it to you for free."

"Free?" Ariel couldn't believe it.

"Yes. It's a friend's gift." Rhine squatted down in the belly of the big fish.

Clusters of mist appeared in his hands, and he conjured up medicine jars, herbs, mortars, pestles, and other necessary props for brewing medicine out of thin air.

This magical scene made Ariel marvel: "Is this magic? So many things appeared all at once."

Many of the medicinal materials and tools were things that Rhine had touched when he first traveled to this world and treated civilians.

As long as Rhine had touched those items once, he could summon them from afar.

—This was the magic he learned after fulfilling the Soldier's wish to "find The Tinderbox"!

The young Magician then began to brew the medicine, his movements skilled, adding something to the medicine jar every once in a while.

Strange-shaped steam floated out of the jar from time to time.

The Sea Hag watched in a daze:

"This medicine recipe, the technique of brewing the medicine, why are they so similar to mine?"

It was almost as if she herself was decocting the medicine!

No, there were still many differences.

The sea snake, which should have been in the medicine, was replaced with a land snake; and the silver seaweed, which was only useful when picked under the moonlight, was replaced with some land herb that the Sea Hag didn't recognize.

Obviously, Rhine had slightly modified the recipe, replacing many of the sea ingredients with similar medicinal materials from the land.

There were herbs from the forest, herbs from the grassland, and even herbs from the mountains and deserts. There were far more things on land than in the vast deep sea! And some medicinal materials, Rhine simply gave up on and didn't add at all.

Because the divination told him that not only did these materials not contain effective ingredients, but they would also cause serious poisoning—the original recipe also had flaws.

The Sea Hag saw strange-shaped steam coming out of the medicine pot, and knew that the medicine was almost ready.

Moreover, the color and quality of the medicine were definitely better than the best medicine she could concoct!

The Sea Hag couldn't accept this fact at all.

She questioned the little Magician in front of her again:

"Don't think I don't know its pharmacology. If you want to imbue this medicine with magic, you have to pour in a large bottle of magical blood.

"Are you really so kind as to voluntarily offer your own blood? With your small body, releasing so much blood, I'm afraid you'll be exhausted before the medicine is even ready!"

"Isn't it just magical blood?" Rhine smiled. He found a piece of soft flesh in the belly of the big fish and cut it open with a dagger, letting the fish's blood flow into the medicine pot.

The Sea Hag had to use her own blood to make magic potions, but he didn't need to.

This big fish was transformed from the dog summoned by The Tinderbox, so the blood naturally came from the big dog, containing natural magic.

That big dog had much more blood than he did! Before long, the medicine boiled, and a wonderful sound came from inside—not the sound of crocodiles crying as in the original work, but like the melodious singing of a lark.

The medicine was decocted just like that.

This pot of magic potion was colorless and transparent, looking like clear water.

"Heavens! How could such a thing happen? This is impossible!"

The Sea Hag exclaimed.

She didn't even need to watch the Mermaid Princess try to drink the medicine. Just hearing the sound when the medicine was ready, she knew that Rhine's medicine must be better than her magic potion.

"Please take this medicine to the coast and drink it before the Sun comes out," Rhine said. "My magic potion has a similar effect to that of the Sea Witch, and it will also give you human legs, but the side effects will be much smaller!"