Helos’s gaze fell upon the two glass bottles on the workbench.
The morning light streamed through the window, casting a beam of light and shadow over the surfaces of the poison wine and the Concentrated Poison.
She stared at the two bottles of liquid for a long while.
In search of a solution, Helos had spent last night flipping through the Ultimate Alchemy back and forth.
And as the saying goes, hard work pays off; thanks to her efforts, she had indeed found a usable alchemical technique.
Alchemy: Analysis.
This was neither an attack nor a creation technique, but a key to unlocking the essence of substances.
This incantation seemed to have an effect similar to identification, making it perfect for analyzing the two liquids before her.
It was exactly the tool Helos needed at this moment.
She retrieved a set of clean vessels and smoothly poured the two liquids separately into specially made shallow dishes.
The poison wine gave off a sickly sweet scent mixed with decay, while the Concentrated Poison emitted a pungent aroma mixed with herbs.
The analysis spell quietly activated before her eyes, and the two liquids began to emit a white glow.
Countless tiny fragments of information surged into her mind, gradually condensing into words before her eyes.
“The base of the poison wine… it’s really just ordinary malt beer?”
She stared at the analyzed result in front of her, raising an eyebrow. “If that’s the case, then the so-called ‘Crimson Dream’ is probably just regular red wine?”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
If it was truly just ordinary wine as the base, things would be much simpler.
As for the Concentrated Poison—
Helos’s fingertips lightly brushed the surface of the vial, a cold gleam flashing in her eyes.
“Bleeding Vine is nothing but a façade.”
She murmured confidently.
The role of Bleeding Vine was merely to deceive, disguising the poison as an ordinary healing potion, while also providing a faint blood-stopping effect.
The real ingredient behind the concoction was a mysterious plant from the Abyss—the Corrupt-Heart Grass.
When the name Corrupt-Heart Grass surfaced in Helos’s mind, she clenched the pen in her hand.
She actually knew the origin of this plant.
It was thanks to a book on rare plants she had casually browsed through in a moment of boredom, which happened to record this plant.
It was a poisonous herb corrupted by the power of the Abyss.
Legend had it that Corrupt-Heart Grass fed on vengeful spirits and rotting flesh, taking root in places thick with shadows and deathly miasma.
Anyone who approached would be lured by its sweet, cloying scent, gradually losing their reason.
The leaves of Corrupt-Heart Grass were vividly seductive, like blood in full bloom.
But once extracted and refined, its true toxicity revealed itself.
Its poison silently corroded the heart’s meridians, unraveling the life force of any living being from within.
This plant had long since vanished from the surface world, but now Abyssal cultists used it to brew poison, proving they must have found a place where Corrupt-Heart Grass could grow again.
These dark rats were truly detestable.
Helos opened her eyes, brow furrowed slightly as her gaze flickered between the schematic and the potion bottles.
“This won’t do… I need to hurry.”
She muttered softly, her slender fingertips lightly tapping over the still-damp ink on the paper.
They couldn’t fight them with conventional thinking; adjustments were necessary.
Spreading out a fresh sheet of rough paper, silver hair cascading down her shoulders, Helos’s goal was clear: to create a drink whose taste was close to or even better than “Crimson Dream,” containing a sufficient dose of a modified antidote, with controllable cost—a “wine” that could meet all these conditions simultaneously.
If considered this way, the base wine shouldn’t be too cheap. It had to meet noble tastes, but not be so expensive that the common folk couldn’t afford it.
Perhaps a light fruit wine?
Its price wouldn’t be too high, and its flavor was popular with the masses.
Moreover, fruit wine’s unique taste could easily mask the medicine’s flavor while enhancing the overall palate.
***
However, the production volume of fruit wine was a concern; factoring everything in, the cost might still be somewhat high.
Helos bit her pen instinctively, lost in thought.
Hmm… wait! That’s right!
Suddenly, the girl’s eyes brightened as if she had just remembered something.
There was indeed a fairly well-known wine that could be used as the base!
Its price wasn’t too high, production was abundant, and most importantly, every major and minor merchant guild in the city had access to supply channels.
Dwarven Mead!
The brewing recipe remained a secret held by the dwarves to this day, but Helos knew its taste was excellent and its price affordable.
It was almost everywhere in the city, with stable supply lines maintained by the major guilds.
Both nobles and commoners praised it.
It perfectly satisfied all the requirements for a base wine.
“There shouldn’t be any problem.”
After careful consideration, Helos nodded, excitement gleaming in her eyes.
Since one problem was solved, it was time to consider the next step.
How to combine the universal antidote with Dwarven Mead?
Helos had tasted the antidote; its bitterness and the unique flavor of Snake’s Tongue Grass almost made one frown.
Without improvement, it would never be accepted by the public.
After all, Snake’s Tongue Grass… the name alone didn’t suggest anything sweet.
In other words, something else had to be added.
Not only should the taste be passable, but it also needed to neutralize the flavor of the antidote, preferably adding another effect for marketing.
And cost control was still crucial.
Hmmm—
Blinking, Helos’s mind flickered through various types of drinks.
Finally, a yellow liquid settled in her thoughts.
Vitality Potion.
Made from common Dawn Dew Flowers and honey, it tasted sweet and restored stamina.
She could also mass-produce it herself.
This was simply perfect.
At the thought, even the girl couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
She picked up her pen and quickly wrote down the core recipe.
As for the name… she temporarily decided on “Dawn Dew,” perfectly contrasting with “Crimson Dream.”
Next, after a brief calculation, Helos wrote down a list of required materials.
She needed Julius to provide more Dawn Dew Flowers, honey, Snake’s Tongue Grass, and Moonlight Mushrooms as soon as possible, and to contact a reliable Dwarven Mead supplier.
When she set down her pen, the sunlight outside had quietly crept onto the workbench, casting a gentle shimmer over the scattered draft papers and potion bottles.
Helos stared at the initially formed plan before her, a slight smile playing on her lips as she nodded in satisfaction.
The girl raised her eyes to the blazing sun hanging high in the sky, her long lashes fluttering softly.
“At this hour, Julius and the others should be having lunch already.”
She murmured, her tone a little lighter.
After stretching, Helos turned and pushed open the workshop’s wooden door.
Sunlight and a warm breeze swept over her.
Squinting slightly, the girl’s gaze fixed firmly in one direction as she stepped forward with light, quick strides.
Having lived here for ten years, she moved through the corridors like clockwork, and in less than ten minutes, she found the familiar black figure.
Julius was standing there, carrying a lunchbox and chatting with a maid.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, he turned his head toward Helos’s direction.
The girl smiled faintly at the corner of her mouth and mysteriously beckoned him with a curl of her finger.