Just One Drop?

Although he had told Nfirea it was a potion that didn't exist here, if he could brew a lower-tier healing potion, then it would indeed be a potion that didn't exist here. Still, he didn't expect the materials available here to be capable of producing anything high-grade.

In a low-level New World like this, the materials probably weren't very high-grade either. The blue potion Brita was holding was most likely nothing special. He didn't know what it did, but it should at least have the effects of a lower-tier healing potion, right?

It was just that YGGDRASIL's lower-tier healing potions weren't blue.

"These are all the ores we use to break down alchemical solutions. Please take a look and see which ones you need." Nfirea dragged a basket of ores over to Hades. He actually wanted to remember which materials the other man would choose.

It was a little improper, but since the other man hadn't refused to let him watch, that meant Sir Jimi didn't mind the recipe being revealed. His curiosity about an unfamiliar potion made Nfirea bend his principles a little for once.

Hades rummaged through the ores in the basket.

Hmm, he didn't recognize most of them.

But judging by Nfirea's explanation, they used these kinds of ores to brew potions. In that case, there shouldn't be a problem using them to brew his own.

"I'll take this one." Hades casually picked out a brown ore.

"Huh, is this Nuran ore?" Nfirea asked in surprise. This ore could be used to extract alchemical solution, but it wasn't an ideal material for making potions. He couldn't imagine what kind of potion could be made from it.

"Nuran ore? Yeah, this one." Hades nodded, silently committing the name to memory. He knew very little about the New World, so it was always good to remember things, whatever they were.

"Please wait a moment, Sir Jimi. I'll prepare a mortar." Nfirea was exceptionally enthusiastic. Getting to see a potion he'd never encountered before was something that made him very happy.

"Wait, why do we need a mortar?" Hades called after Nfirea, puzzled. Then he added, "Prepare a larger vessel for me, and get some clean water."

"Don't we need to crush the ore first, then use distillation to extract the alchemical solution?" Nfirea asked at once, surprised.

"Uh..." Hades paused and glanced at the distillation apparatus in the corner, which was taller than a person. So this was how people in the New World extracted alchemical solution.

YGGDRASIL didn't do things this way. Probably because this was reality, the process couldn't be simplified like it was in a virtual world. But in that case, he didn't know whether YGGDRASIL's method would work here.

"Let's not do that for now. Prepare what I asked for, and if it doesn't work, we can switch to your method." Hades sounded less certain now.

In the Great Forest of Tob, he'd used lumber and some YGGDRASIL materials to build a bed, but he didn't know whether brewing a potion entirely from materials from the New World would work.

Still, he might as well give it a try.

Nfirea left the room. Before long, he returned with a transparent glass vessel about the size of a washbasin.

"I'll also need a funnel stand. I have to put the ore in the funnel," Hades said. He already had a funnel of his own, a cash-shop item that could increase production, but there was no need to bring it out now.

At Nfirea's request, he set everything up. Then Hades placed the brown Nuran ore in the funnel, which was supported by a triangular metal stand.

Nfirea watched with intense curiosity. He had no idea how Sir Jimi planned to extract the alchemical solution, but this was clearly different from the method he and his grandmother used. No wonder Sir Jimi had said he didn't have the potion Nfirea needed. This really was a different approach.

Once everything was ready, Hades held out a hand toward the ore in the funnel.

"Silent Magic: Advanced Extraction."

Red magical light enveloped the ore, making it seem as if the ore itself were glowing. Then it began to shrink bit by bit until it vanished completely.

Nfirea stared, almost dumbstruck. He had never seen magic like this—or rather, this kind of technique for extracting alchemical solution.

Extracting alchemical solution was a very time-consuming process. First, the ore had to be crushed. It was even better if it could be ground into a fine powder.

Then it was mixed with clean water and processed in a distillation apparatus. The resulting liquid was alchemical solution. After that, magic was infused into it, and the potion's effects would immediately appear.

Finally, the "Preservation" spell had to be cast to keep the potion from deteriorating and losing its potency over time.

But Sir Jimi seemed to have skipped all of those steps. And the color of the liquid extracted from the ore...

Hades crouched on the ground, staring at the single drop of red liquid at the bottom of the funnel's spout, lost in thought.

No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't understand why such a large piece of ore had yielded only a single drop of alchemical solution. He even wondered whether he'd used the wrong spell.

He had indeed cast the sixth-tier spell Advanced Extraction, which increased yield and slightly improved quality, rather than the ordinary second-tier spell Extraction. If he hadn't used the wrong spell, then the ore had to be the problem.

The single drop of thick red liquid was about to fall. He'd chosen a larger vessel because he was worried that the solution extracted from such a large piece of ore wouldn't fit in a small one.

But if that drop fell in, he might never be able to get it back. Hades reacted quickly, grabbed an empty bottle from the table, and placed it under the funnel.

The drop of thick red liquid fell into the bottle. It didn't even cover the bottom of this narrow-based container.

What should he do next? How much clean water should he add? Hades was caught in a dilemma.

Alchemical solution extracted from ore was the basic ingredient for making healing potions, and the materials determined the potion's final grade. Adding extracts from other ingredients to the solution could give the healing potion additional benefits.

Adding clean water, on the other hand, made the most basic healing potion. The ratio was three to seven: three parts solution to seven parts clean water. After mixing them, all that remained was to infuse the mixture with magic, and it would become a healing potion.

"Bring me a dropper," Hades said to Nfirea.

Nfirea was still in shock. When he heard the instruction, he hurriedly took a long, thin dropper from a nearby shelf. Hades accepted it, then drew up a dropperful of clean water from a bucket nearby.

He carefully added five drops of water. The solution and water quickly mixed together, barely covering the bottom of the bottle.

After giving it a shake, he began infusing it directly with magic. In YGGDRASIL, magic had to be infused by using the data panel, but here, he could transmit magic directly into an object.

Hades's expression turned a little awkward. He had never made such a "pocket-sized" healing potion in his career. He'd already lowered his expectations as much as he could, but the result still exceeded his imagination.

"Here, take a look. What do you think of this potion?"

The quantity wasn't important. What mattered was how well it worked. Since the extraction yield was so low, he could just use more ore next time.