Potion

The witcher first booked a room at the tavern. After taking his luggage upstairs, he briefly processed the griffin's anatomical materials.

Then he asked Roy about what had happened to him in Edersberg recently. Roy focused on telling him about the "Child Hunter Ghost" he had encountered beneath the Horn Tree at House of Cadell.

"You were lucky. In terms of combat strength and danger, that thing's about on par with a drowner, so it was perfect for a rookie like you to practice on," Letho said gravely. "As long as you avoid its fangs and claws and make good use of fire and salt, you can kill it easily. Using a Dancing Star on it was a bit of a waste, but you survived and it died, so it was worth it.

"Kid, you handled the matter at House of Cadell very well." Letho praised him sincerely. He wasn't referring to Roy's performance in the fight beneath the tree, but to how he'd analyzed the suspicious details and uncovered clues throughout the whole affair.

A witcher who knew how to think lived longer than one who relied only on force.

Next, Roy showed the witcher the lump of yellow, cheese-like vomit he'd accidentally brought back with him.

The witcher examined it from every angle, including its smell and appearance, and clicked his tongue in amazement. "Child Hunter Ghosts are extremely rare. Of the people I know, only Oakes and Cerret hunted one down over fifty years ago. Unfortunately, they weren't able to get any vomit while it was still fresh."

He furrowed his brow. "I don't know its exact composition, but I can feel it greatly impeding the flow of magic inside me. I can't even cast a single Sign."

"There's too little of it to have its original 'separating' effect, but it at least works like Demonic Gold. To some extent, it can counter spellcasters and monsters that rely on magic... Maybe some sorcerers would pay a high price for it. It's your trophy, so keep it safe." The witcher handed it back. "You'd better store it in an earthen jar. Its effects will diminish once it's no longer fresh."

Roy's eyes lit up as he listened, then he immediately felt regret. Why hadn't he steeled himself and brought all that "vomit" back?

Still, he didn't need to preserve it in an earthen jar. He had a better way to keep it fresh—he could toss it into his space.

After chatting for a while longer, the witcher took him to a patch of open ground outside the city and tested his crossbow skills and knowledge of herbs.

Roy had already unlocked Crossbow Mastery LV1, and he hadn't missed a single night of training. His stance, accuracy, and reaction speed were all impeccable for someone who'd trained for such a short time, so the witcher was naturally very pleased.

As for his knowledge of herbs, besides the more than fifty types the witcher had etched into his mind with Signs and taught him along the way using actual specimens, Roy had broadened his knowledge considerably while helping the swindler Tross run a herb stall at the market. Every day, he handled common plants like Sage, Calendula, Belladonna, and Mandrake, and had also seen rarer herbs such as Bidens flowers, Blood Moss, Buckthorn, and Four-leaf Paris.

Roy now knew the growing conditions, medicinal properties, and distinguishing features of more than eighty herbs. That left Letho with nothing to criticize, too.

His theoretical knowledge of herbs was solid enough. It was time to put it into practice.

"You said you spent most of the past month studying Common Script at school?" Letho rubbed his bald head. "I should've thought of that. I forgot you had a weakness in that area. Since you haven't started studying the potions in your notes yet..."

"Then this is perfect. I'll teach you hands-on. I've run out of potions and Alchemical Bombs anyway, so I need to brew some more to replenish my supplies."

"Oh, and there's the Pre-medication for the Grass Potion. That's a troublesome job. You can give me a hand with it."

Potion-making was a branch of Alchemy.

Witcher Alchemy produced potions, decoctions, blade oils, and Alchemical Bombs. They all needed to be blended with magic, and some could only be used by witchers. The products of potion-making, on the other hand, could be brewed and used by ordinary people, too.

With virtual Alchemy, you just had to collect all the ingredients and press a button for the finished product to appear in your inventory. Unfortunately, the real world didn't work that way.

Alchemy was an extremely complex discipline, and its branch of potion-making was no less complicated. It involved ingredients, tools and equipment, and technique. Ingredients were further divided into bases, primary ingredients, secondary ingredients, neutralizers, and so on.

The tools and equipment used for brewing were even more complicated. All of these things combined made up what could be called an Alchemy setup.

Letho spent a day buying herbs and assorted bottles and utensils in Edersberg, then rented a room and made a few modifications to turn it into an Alchemy lab.

After Roy entered the lab to look around, he was completely stunned.

How was this any different from a kitchen?!

The first thing that caught his eye was the stove in the middle, fitted with a hand-cranked bellows. A conspicuously large iron pot sat on top.

In front of the pot, at about waist height for the person operating it, stood a stone mortar, a sand bowl, plates, and a Gooseneck Distiller set over a small stove.

A clock hung on the top shelf to the right, for keeping track of how long the herbs had been brewing. Beside it were various dried herbs needed to make potions.

The second shelf on the right held the Pestle used to grind herbs in the stone mortar below.

On the left, beyond the bellows' pull cord for heating the large iron pot, the top shelf held jugs of Dwarven spirit, water, oil, and other liquids. Different potions used different liquids as their base.

The second shelf on the left held containers for potions and other brews, in several different sizes.

"This... This isn't what I imagined," Roy said hesitantly.

"Kid, what did you imagine? Have you seen a different kind of Alchemy setup somewhere else?" Letho asked, puzzled.

"I just thought it'd be a little less... crude. Does our school in Gors Velen use the same equipment?" Roy found it hard to believe that Alchemy equipment could be so "rustic." It looked more like a country shack making some kind of illegal product.

He'd thought Alchemy would have at least some connection to chemistry. Surely there'd be a few glass test tubes, an alcohol lamp, and an iron stand.

"Not satisfied?" A flicker of surprise crossed Letho's eyes. He couldn't understand where Roy got the confidence to say that, but patiently explained, "The Alchemy equipment at the School of the Viper is certainly more advanced—more complete and more elegant. But you have to understand, conditions are limited out here. It's not easy just to meet the basic requirements for Alchemy."

"It's another matter if a sorcerer is willing to lend you a lab. Most of those people are obsessive about details and demand perfection in everything, so they tend to have the most sophisticated Alchemy equipment."

"But this setup is more than enough for a beginner like you." The witcher suddenly reached out and rapped Roy on the forehead, his tone growing stern. "Now pay attention. I'll demonstrate the process for brewing the most basic and simplest potion: the Marigold Potion."

Roy rubbed his forehead, gathered himself, and watched attentively.

Letho first took out a bag of Calendula and Nettle and set them on the platform to his right. He measured out the required amounts with the Scale, placed them one by one in the stone mortar, and crushed and ground them with the Pestle. Then he showed the sample to Roy.

The degree of grinding mattered, too. If the herbs weren't fine enough, it would affect their medicinal properties; if they were too fine, they could easily be over-brewed and ruin the potion. As for how to judge the right consistency, under these rudimentary conditions, it could only be done through experience.

Once Roy had seen enough, Letho poured a quarter-pot of water into the large iron pot, added one ounce of ground Nettle and two ounces of Calendula, then stirred them evenly with a spoon. The liquid turned into a pale yellow suspension.

Next, he pulled the bellows' cord to fan the charcoal beneath the pot into flame. At the same time, he glanced at the clock and waited quietly.

Roy seized the chance to ask about all the amounts involved: how much Nettle and Calendula to use as the main ingredients, and how much water to use as the potion base.

The witcher explained each one, then quizzed him in turn to test how well he understood the two herbs used in Alchemy.

After fifteen minutes, the liquid in the pot still hadn't boiled, and a faint, pleasant fragrance wafted from it.

Letho immediately put out the fire, gripped the iron pot's handle, and poured the liquid into a translucent Snake-neck Bottle about as long as a finger. His thickly muscled arm was astonishingly steady; not a drop spilled, as if a musclebound man were knitting, each stitch perfectly placed.

Finally, he neatly plugged the bottle with a cork.

To Roy, the whole process could be summed up as follows: stand over a large iron pot, add water and ingredients, pull the bellows' cord, light the fire, brew the mixture, then pour it into a bottle.

A somewhat ridiculous thought popped into his head.

If he watched the entire process from behind, he'd probably think the bald giant before him was a cook preparing some kind of exquisite dish.

"Marigold Potion. Taken orally or applied externally, it speeds up the healing of external wounds and prevents infection... It works much better than simply applying or swallowing Calendula." Letho shook the Snake-neck Bottle, looking pleased. "It's the most basic potion and one of the most widely useful. You have to master it. Your small frame still can't handle potions like Swallow."

It's more like herbal soup than a potion, Roy thought. He looked at Letho expectantly. "How effective is it, exactly?"

"You'll find out when you're injured and take a bottle," the witcher said. "If the wound isn't too serious, it should cut your healing time in half."

"Should I try making one?"

The witcher stepped aside, leaving him the place in front of the Alchemy setup.

Roy rolled up his sleeves, deftly took a bag of Calendula and a bag of Nettle from the side, then went to the Alchemy table and began to copy the process from memory. He measured out the ingredients and ground the two herbs into powder with the Pestle.

He thought he'd memorized the whole process and that it didn't seem difficult. But as soon as he got started, problems cropped up. Measuring out the right amounts with the Scale alone took him quite a while, and he was much slower than the witcher.

After finally measuring the herbs, he had to grind them with the Pestle. But how finely should he grind them?

"Uh... Maybe a little coarser than flour from a Mill?" As he ground the herbs, he launched a sneak attack, stealing a glance at the bald giant beside him to see if he could glean anything.

But Letho was ready for him. Without changing his expression, he lifted his chin to tell him to keep going.

Sigh...

There was no point getting nervous, so Roy simply let go and followed his instincts...

A quarter-pot of water. Ten seconds pouring from the jug should do.

Heat it over a low flame. Three puffs from the bellows should do.

Fifteen minutes later, the steaming potion was ready. It had turned a deep, turd-yellow and gave off a pungent burnt smell.

Roy's face was solemn. The potion Letho had brewed had been pale yellow and smelled pleasant.

How had the difference ended up so huge? Still, Roy wasn't discouraged. It was his first time brewing a potion, so it was normal to fail.

He gritted his teeth and began pouring the contents of the pot into a bottle. He'd put his fingers in the wrong place and burned them on the iron pot, and a stream of potion splashed out.

He pretended not to notice and continued slowly pouring the remaining potion into the Snake-neck Bottle. He gave it a slight shake, plugged it with a cork, and set it on the Alchemy table with a show of confidence.

"Is this Marigold Potion? Does it stop infection and bleeding?" Letho took the bottle with an expressionless face and examined it closely. He opened it and sniffed. Then the muscles in his face visibly twitched. "Kid, I think the only effect this potion has is as a laxative."

"Unacceptable!"

"Again!"