Chapter 135: Chapter 135: Red Candy
Once again Siderius found himself in the lonely room of the Crossroads Inn. In front of him was the Red Candy that he had bought from Tanya. A parasitic plant that connected itself onto the body of another plant.
"Let’s see if you actually have four elements."
With the white salt, Siderius drew the Body Revelation Seal. It was the seal he had always used to know the attributes of a plant.
Siderius cut out a leaf of the Red Candy and placed it upon the seal.
His hands swirled into the sequence of signs.
Immediately, the leaf absorbed all of the salt into its body and glowed gently. No smoke came out. No hardened body. No burning flame. And no liquefaction.
It showed no sign of any of the elements. That was because its body had all four of them.
Siderius smirked. "What a bright kid. If I was here sooner, our fates might have intertwined."
Siderius was referring to Tanya’s grandmother. If she was alive, she would be a hundred years old at max. Compared to Siderius’ two hundred years of experience, Tanya’s grandmother would still be a kid to him.
"Let’s register this new plant. I’ll keep the Red Candy name to honor Tanya’s grandmother."
[NEW PLANT SPECIES REGISTER]
[RED CANDY HAS BEEN ADDED TO LIBRARY]
[Alchemical Name: Rubrasaccharo Quadrellan]
Siderius wiped away the salt seal on the floor and drew a new seal. Now it was the Salt Directing Agent Seal.
He placed a wooden bowl on top of it and poured a few drops of pure alcohol into it.
This alcohol was purified by Siderius himself, not the ale that was everywhere in his world. It had a higher concentration, exceeding ninety percent.
Then he grabbed a handful of Red Candy’s fruit and crushed it into bits. He dropped them into the bowl.
Lastly, he dropped a little bit of sulfur into the mixture.
Siderius clasped his two hands together and began the sequence of signs.
The sulfur lit up and absorbed the surrounding alcohol and Red Candy’s fruit.
The seal beneath shone a blue color, making the content inside bubbling.
"I need to find some Mercury soon." Siderius mumbled. This process needed Mercury for it to react faster. Without it, Siderius needed to wait a few hours.
He remembered Nadia had said something about a hot spring called Rose Springs near Mucktown. A hot spring was a great place to find Mercury. Siderius thought maybe he should take a look when he came back to Mucktown.
Rose Springs were on the path he needed to go.
Meanwhile, Siderius took out a wooden pipe and started to clean it. Thanks to the courtesy of the Baron, Jeffrey had prepared a new pipe for Siderius.
It was crafted with love and care. The pipe was beautiful with a slightly curved stem.
It wasn’t dirty but Siderius liked to get to know his pipe before actually using it via cleaning.
The bowl had a humble size with a short stem at the end. Siderius preferred a big bowl so he could stuff a lot of tobacco in it. He was a heavy smoker in his past life.
The hunter had bought a little bit of tobacco in Scalize’s market previously. He pinched a little bit of the leaves and dropped it inside the bowl first, making the first layer.
Then he filled the bowl halfway and pressed the leaves down hard. The final layer was filled and pressed lightly, just enough to create an even surface.
Siderius reached into his pocket only to find nothing there.
He chuckled at himself. He usually stored a few fire matches there for smoking but they weren’t invented in this world yet.
He went downstairs to the tavern to borrow some wooden spills to use.
Quinlan and Bas were sitting at the corners of the bar. After Siderius received a small spill from Jayce, a tiny wooden stick used to light candles, he approached the pair.
"How are you these days?" Siderius said.
"Ah, my man! We’re good! But you! You’ve been busy these days." Bas started the conversation with a laugh. "We have heard about the white witch of Scalize!"
"That was an impressive feat, Siderius. I heard you saved seven people from the grasp of a ghost." Quinlan said.
"A phantom actually. And yes, you heard it right."
"Ghost really exists?" Quinlan brow furrowed.
"They are as real as you and me." Siderius sat down at the table. He lit the spill by hovered it over the candle then lit up his pipe.
He swirled the flame around the circle of the bowl, lighting the tobacco evenly.
"Didn’t know you smoke?" Quinlan said.
"A bad habit from a long time ago. Can never get rid of it."
Siderius took a huge puff from the pipe, leaving the smoke dancing in his mouth. Its taste and sensation reminded him of home.
[PYSCHOSIS -1]
[PSYCHOSIS LEVEL: 27/125]
People did say that psychosis could sometimes drop on its own, depending on the mental state of the witch hunter. Siderius had never heard anyone dropping psychosis by smoking though.
"We actually drop by to say goodbye." Quinlan said.
"You’re returning to Everia?" Siderius said.
Quinlan nodded. "I need to get back. My trading guild will be in shambles if I keep disappearing."
"I see. Then before you go, we can start that examination." Siderius said.
"I thought you forgot about that."
Sideriua shrugged. "I forget many things. But not this. When are you leaving?"
"Three days from now."
"I will examine you tomorrow. You have the time?"
"Of course. I’ll be staying in this inn tonight then." Quinlan said.
The trio continued to have a little bit of banter over the table. Siderius enjoyed his pipe while listening to Quinlan talk about his trading guild and Bas talk about the stories while he was a mercenary for hire.
They had met many people and encountered many things, dangerous and otherwise. The monastery was only one of the many memorable things in their lives.
After the short encounter, Siderius returned to his room, where the alchemical reaction had finished completely.
Siderius took a look inside. The leaves of Red Candy had lost most of its color and moisture, becoming dried brown leaves.
Siderius grabbed a handful and smelled it. Surprisingly aromatic.
"This should be sufficient."
Siderius dumped the remaining tobacco in his pipe. He filled it again with the new alchemical processed Red Candy leaves.
There were many ways to access Alchemy Palace. It didn’t necessarily need to be via drinking a tonic. Smoking a Quadrellan plant could yield the same result.
All this time, Siderius was trying to recreate the gateway into his Alchemy Palace, reusing the former Psychosis Meditation of his past life.