Chapter11-What the Hell is This Potion??

"I thought you had run off, but you actually dared to come back to honor the bet?"

Watching John return, Fara slowly stood up, her gaze unintentionally catching the timid Lily behind him, her eyes lighting up instantly.

"What a cute little sister! What's your name?"

"Hello sister, my name is Lily."

"Fara Jones, you can call me Fara."

Fara quickly stepped forward, sizing up Lily, pinching her cheeks and poking her belly as if she were handling a delicate toy.

Indeed, Lily had a sweet appearance.

Being underage, she still had the physique of a young girl, appearing mostly cute, but once she grew up, her body would develop into that of white stocking mature lady, the type John was familiar with.

"Mmm... you smell so nice, Lily!"

"Thank you, Sister Fara. Can you let go of me now?"

"Ah, sorry sorry, I got a bit carried away."

Fara stuck out her tongue playfully, then

Fara stuck out her tongue, then turned to John and gave a soft cough. "You can start now."

"Alright."

John nodded slightly and slowly walked over to the alchemy workbench, taking a deep breath as he surveyed the diverse array of materials in front of him.

He had never used an alchemy workbench before; everything would have to be done according to the methods described in the Basic Alchemy Manuscript, starting from scratch.

He began by grinding merfolk herb in a mortar, mixing it with slime fluid to create a blend, then filtering out the impurities.

Next, he added powdered ice silkworm cocoons to ensure a thorough fusion.

The final step was heating.

The earlier processes were almost flawless, something most alchemists could do in their sleep after numerous trials.

The real difference lay in the heat and technique of the heating—this was the critical point that decided success or failure.

Seasoned alchemists could determine the perfect heating temperature by painstakingly experimenting with each solution's composition.

But John had no need to worry about this!

Though his movements were inexperienced, they were far from panicked.

Each shake of the potion was timed perfectly.

The alchemy station was enveloped in a haze of fragrant smoke, and one could vaguely see strands of silver threading around John's form.

The [Kiss of Fate] potion accompanied him silently in this unassuming manner.

Even Fara, who knew nothing about alchemy, was captivated by the spectacle.

Watching the unknown liquid in the container begin to boil, John suddenly turned to Lily. "Quick, use the Light spell!"

Lily immediately understood, lifting her staff as a soft glow bathed the potion.

Immediately after, John turned off the heat, filtered the liquid, and poured it into a container.

"Is that... it?"

John had completed the potion much quicker than Fara had anticipated.

It was also the first time she heard of an alchemist needing a priest's help to make a potion.

Fara scratched her head, moved closer, and carefully examined the transparent container.

Once the light faded, a viscous light blue liquid appeared.

This mysterious fluid did bear some resemblance to a poison antidote potion, but its viscous nature emitted a certain repulsiveness.

It was easier to believe it was poison rather than a poison antidote.

Seeing John about to start his second batch, Fara quickly intervened, "Wait! Is this supposed to be a poison antidote potion? Are you sure you know what you're doing? Don't waste the materials—I need to verify this first!"

"How should I verify it? Do you want to inject yourself with some snake venom and I'll give you a taste of this to try?"

"Hmm... just give me a moment."

Fara pondered for a while, then suddenly seemed to realize something and hurried back behind the counter.

After rummaging around for some time, she finally found a small white mouse in a cage.

"Let's test it on this. If the potion works on him, you pass."

"No problem."

John gladly accepted, carefully removing a small amount of venom from a white-lipped pit viper and injecting it into the mouse.

The rodent immediately let out a piercing squeal, clearly in agony from the venom.

John then quickly injected the poison antidote potion into the mouse as well, staring intently at the animal.

After a few convulsions, the previously frantic mouse, which had been slamming against the sides of the cage, gradually calmed down and began to breathe more steadily.

Not only that, the mouse's patchy fur began to thicken and even the muscle outlines became faintly visible, its pure white fur emitting a soft glow.

At this sight, Fara's eyes widened in amazement.

"Successful on the first try?"

"Not only that," John said. "Look at the attributes of this mouse."

Fara then used a detection spell. [White Mouse, Lv5, Blessed by Holy Light, No Longer Fears Darkness.]

"What?" Fara nearly lost her balance in shock. "What in the world is this…"

John, as if he hadn't heard her, mused, "It seems I was right, there might really be some secrets with Lily. But why weren't they discovered in the previous life? Just a hint of light from that light spell, combined with my alchemy, and it produced such a powerful potion…"

"Respected Alchemist, may I ask for your name?" Fara's words broke into John's thoughts.

"John."

"John," Fara Jones continued, her voice earnest, "I, Fara Jones, in the name of the Jones family, solemnly swear before the God of Contracts and Oaths [Horks], to invite you to be a distinguished alchemist in the Jones household. You will forever be an esteemed guest of the Jones family…"

"Johnny, what is she talking about?" Observing the suddenly serious Fara Jones, Lily seemed a bit uncomfortable and poked John's shoulder, continuing, "She suddenly seems so devout…"

"She is making a vow, similar to a legally recognized contract. Except here, they don't need the law's recognition but require the blessing of the gods. If the vow is broken, they will be punished by the gods."

"I see... So, are you going to accept, Johnny?"

"Why not? We're going to be in Calia city for a while anyway, and staying here seems like a good choice."

In front of him, Fara Jones's chant continued.

"Mr. John, would you be willing to inscribe your name on this parchment, a symbol of justice?"

"No problem, but I have one condition. At no time may you or your family restrict me or my companions for any reason or excuse. If you agree, then let's sign the contract."

"Of course, I swear to [Horks] that neither I nor my family will ever restrict you or your companions' personal freedoms in any way."

With that said, John had no more reservations. He took the feather pen and left his name on the parchment scroll.

The next moment, John clearly saw an additional line appear on his character panel.

[Contract with Fara Jones now established, effective duration: permanent]

"I thought you would change your attitude only after I made a second batch of the poison antidote potion."

"How could that be? It is an honor for the Jones family to collaborate with an alchemist like Mr. John. If I continued to deliberately make things difficult for Mr. John, it would be a disgrace to my family."

Fara was no fool. As soon as John could prove his credentials as an alchemist, how could she continue to be difficult?

Alienating a true alchemist would be of no benefit to her.

Legend has it that there are alchemists in the world who can turn decay into wonder and lead into gold, so every alchemist is a potential gold mine!

Even if she couldn't learn the legendary spells to transmute materials into gold, just the ability to turn rudimentary materials into miraculous potions was enough to make a fortune.

"Mr. John, if you do not already have a place to stay in Calia city, my shop has a few vacant rooms. If you wouldn't mind, you could temporarily stay here. Additionally, I can provide all the materials you need free of charge...

However, in return, could you please prepare potions for me at no cost?"

"No problem, prepare the room first. Also, please deliver the materials I mentioned earlier to my room later. I will make five bottles of poison antidote potion and five bottles of basic HP potion daily without charge, provided you supply the materials."

"It would be my honor."

Feeling Fara's respectful demeanor, John couldn't help but feel a bit sentimental.

Reflecting on his past life, before his second class change, he had endured disdain in every city under the thief class.

This only improved slightly when he changed his class to assassin, though he was still mocked as a sewer rat.

Now, simply revealing his identity had earned him such respect from Fara Jones...

This world really is pragmatic...