Lillian moved quickly.
It wasn’t long before a temporary alchemy lab permit, stamped with the Student Council’s seal, was handed to Camilla. The permit specifically designated Advanced Alchemy Lab No. 3, which was one of the most well-equipped rooms available.
“Let’s go. I’ll accompany you,” Lillian said with a smile, taking one of Camilla’s hands.
“I… I want to go too.”
Emma followed suit. After hesitating for less than half a second, her face flushed slightly as she took Camilla’s other hand. She was full of anticipation at the prospect of seeing Camilla brew a potion with her own eyes.
The three of them walked hand-in-hand through the academy’s main teaching area until they reached a freestanding, silver-gray octagonal building.
This was the Alchemy Department Experimental Building. The air here was constantly filled with a faint, complex scent of various medicinal herbs and alchemical products.
Advanced Alchemy Lab No. 3 was located at the end of the hallway on the third floor. Protective and purifying runes were inscribed on the heavy oak door. Lillian used the magical imprint on the permit to activate the lock, and the door slid open silently.
The interior was more spacious than expected. In the center was a massive main refining table inlaid with various elemental crystals, surrounded by a wide array of instruments.
Distillation apparatuses, extractors, centrifuges, constant-temperature magic circles, and elemental separators… these were all the academy’s finest alchemical tools. One wall was lined with rows of potion cabinets and crystal glassware racks, while the other held data tables and bookshelves.
However, there was already someone in the lab.
Professor Bernard was standing by the main refining table. Wearing a specialized monocle, he was carefully observing a small drop of pale gold liquid in a crystal dish. It was a sample of the Mitigant Camilla had given to Korova the previous day.
Hearing the door open, Professor Bernard looked up. When he saw Lillian, Camilla, and Emma, a slight smile appeared on his serious face.
“Princess Lillian, Camilla, Emma, good day.” He set down his tools and stroked his beard. “Are you here to use the lab?”
“Yes, Professor Bernard,” Lillian bowed politely. “Camilla wants to try brewing a potion.”
“Oh?”
Professor Bernard’s gaze turned toward Camilla, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration.
“Camilla, I’ve done a preliminary analysis of that Mitigant you gave the Headmistress yesterday. The conceptualization of the formula is ingenious! You made bold adjustments to the proportions of several common herbs and even added Moonlight Moss, which is rarely used for energy stabilization. It perfectly neutralized the most violent Soul Fire characteristics of the Black Husk Medicine… while it isn’t a permanent cure, the time it buys for rescue is crucial!”
He grew more excited as he spoke, walking up to Camilla. His grizzled beard even twitched with his agitation.
“Child, your alchemical talent and quick wit are astonishing! This line of thinking is simply… anyway, are you interested in transferring to the Alchemy Department?”
“Uh, not for now.”
Camilla waved her hand. Rimuru poked its head out from her shoulder bag.
“I see…”
Professor Bernard shook his head regretfully.
“A pity, a real pity. But that’s fine; my daughter has a good student.” He sighed, then asked enthusiastically, “So, what kind of potion do you want to brew today? Do you need my help? I’m very familiar with the equipment here. Some of the advanced instruments might be a bit tricky for students to operate.”
“That would be a great help, Professor Bernard. I’m looking to brew a potion to assist with meditation and stabilize mental energy.”
Camilla nodded. Although she could refine it herself, there was no reason to turn down free labor.
“A meditation stabilization potion? There are many such formulas, but effective ones are rare. Come, let me see your recipe and materials.”
Professor Bernard rubbed his hands together eagerly, clearly treating this brewing session as an academic exchange.
Camilla took a pre-prepared list of materials from her bag. The herbs listed were common enough, but the proportions and brewing steps were adjusted based on a simplified version of a purification formula from the Emerald Tablet Fragment. It was specifically designed to target abyssal mana, particularly the Lust Attribute.
Professor Bernard took the list and read it carefully, his brow furrowing and relaxing in turns.
“Hmm… a base combination of Silverleaf and Peacebloom, but the dosages are quite unique… You’ve included Purifying Crystal Powder? That’s usually used for treating monster toxins or lingering dark energy… And Starlight Dew as a catalyst? Interesting… The overall idea is to strengthen one’s own mental barrier while gently washing away and purifying unstable factors.”
He looked up at Camilla, his admiration deepening.
“A very rigorous approach, and you’ve considered safety by avoiding any harsh ingredients. Good, let’s begin! Emma, could you please get the Silverleaf and Peacebloom from cabinet three? Princess Lillian, the Purifying Crystal Powder on the top shelf of cabinet seven, please be careful — it’s finely ground.”
Under Professor Bernard’s direction and assistance, the brewing process went smoother than imagined. Camilla herself had a solid theoretical foundation and practical experience, while Professor Bernard was a top-tier master. The two worked in perfect harmony, with Emma and Lillian acting as diligent assistants.
Extraction, purification, mixing, catalysis, elemental harmonization, and mana infusion — each step proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Three hours later, the liquid in the crystal flask on the refining table gradually changed from cloudy to clear. It finally took on a crystal-clear, pale silver hue that seemed to contain inner starlight.
A cool, tranquil aura spread through the room. A single sniff made one feel a sense of mental peace.
“It’s a success!” Emma cheered softly.
Professor Bernard carefully took a drop of the finished product and tested it with various detection spells and reagents. A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
“Perfect! High purity, stable energy, and negligible side effects… This is no longer an ordinary meditation aid. Its purification and stabilization effects could likely provide excellent relief for mild mental trauma or external energy interference. Camilla, does this potion have a name?”
Camilla looked at the bottle of pale silver liquid and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
On the surface, this potion indeed possessed excellent properties for soothing the mind, purifying mana, and assisting in deep meditation — effects that would entice any mage.
However, its core function was actually to suppress and purify the silver markings on her lower abdomen. Drinking a single bottle would put a person into a Sage Time state for three days.
‘Let’s call it… the Purity Potion.’
She casually gave it a relatively decent name. After all, she couldn’t exactly call her potion the No-Lewd Potion, could she?
“Purity Potion… appropriate.”
Professor Bernard nodded and carefully poured the finished product into several prepared crystal bottles, sealing them.
“Seven bottles in total. That should last you a while. Remember, even if the side effects are small, you shouldn’t overdo it. One small spoon a day at most, preferably before meditation.”
‘I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Professor Bernard.’
Camilla thanked him sincerely. Without the professor’s help, it wouldn’t have gone this smoothly.
“Haha, no need to thank me. It’s your own skill,” Professor Bernard laughed heartily, then lowered his voice. “Uh… Camilla, if your teacher, Master Aminos, ever teaches you any other interesting formulas in the future… would you mind coming to exchange ideas with me? Of course, I won’t pry into any secrets you can’t share!”
Looking at the pure curiosity and longing of a researcher in the eyes of this respected old professor, Camilla felt a momentary pang of awkwardness.
“I’m sorry, but Master Aminos isn’t interested in worldly affairs.”
“I see. That’s a real shame… Well, never mind. To celebrate the birth of a new potion and to thank you for the inspiration, dinner is on me tonight! How about we go to the Oak Heart Restaurant? The grilled meat and mushroom soup there are legendary!”
Professor Bernard’s suggestion was met with unanimous agreement.
But just as they finished packing and prepared to leave the lab, Lillian seemed to remember something and turned to Camilla.
“By the way, Camilla, there’s a monthly auction at the Cain Chamber of Commerce in the city this weekend. I heard there are many good items — perhaps even some unknown artifacts from ruins and rare materials. Are you interested in going together? I can get us invitations for a VIP box.”
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