After a day together, the old wizard and Mulan had both confirmed that the other possessed extensive knowledge. At the very least, working together would pose no problem, so they began immediately to make the most of their time.
Mulan's priority was to cure Redhead and the others as quickly as possible, while the old wizard's concern was that nothing interfere with his journal submission.
The old wizard's laboratory was now filled with all sorts of materials from his stock: lizard tails, basilisk eyes, scorpion venom sacs, turtle urine, and Ancient Tree Worm molts.
This assortment of bizarre or frightening materials was stored in separate glass bottles, and the old wizard and his young student were searching through them one by one for suitable ingredients.
Redhead and the others huddled on four small stools in the corner, clutching their cups and hesitating to drink the functional beverage the wizard had personally mixed for them.
The thick, vivid green liquid did not actually smell unpleasant, but drinking it still required some mental preparation.
"Boss, I'm a little scared."
"Scared of what? You were bragging so loudly earlier. If you chicken out now, won't that make you a ball-less bastard?"
"Exactly. I'm not scared at all!"
"You're shaking so hard the drink's about to spill out of your cup."
"Why did they clip our fingernails?"
"No idea. They didn't even spare our toenails."
Just then, Mulan came in carrying two trays and happened to overhear their conversation.
"Mixing your nail clippings into the ingredients lets us neutralize them beforehand, reducing your souls' rejection response and improving the chances of success. You must be hungry. You don't have to drink that if you don't want to."
Mulan handed over one tray, and Redhead took it instinctively. On it were four large homemade burgers,