They Called Me Trash? Now I'll Hack Their World-Chapter 153: A Genius!

It worked

Relief flooded through me.

I looked at Agnes, who was watching her mother with wide, terrified eyes.

I nodded once.

She understood immediately, the tension in her shoulders easing just slightly, and moved to kneel beside the chair.

"Mother?" Her voice was soft, careful. "How are you feeling?"

Sira opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the morning light filtering through the window. She looked down at her arms, at the skin that was clearer than it had been in weeks, turned her hands over to examine them.

"Different," she said, her voice hoarse but steady. "I feel... lighter? Like something heavy that’s been sitting on my chest for weeks just..." She paused, searching for words.

"Lifted."

She looked at Agnes with an expression that was equal parts wonder and confusion.

"The ache is gone. I didn’t realize how much it hurt until it stopped."

Her eyes filled with tears, and she reached out to cup Agnes’s face with trembling hands. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Agnes’s composure cracked.

She wrapped her arms around her mother and buried her face in Sira’s shoulder, her entire body shaking with silent sobs she’d clearly been holding back for weeks.

Sira held her, tears running down her own face, one hand stroking Agnes’s hair.

I stood there for a moment, feeling like I was intruding on something private.

Then I moved quietly toward the door.

Neither of them noticed me leaving.

I stepped outside, closed the door softly behind me, and stood there in the morning sunlight.

Then I started humming and began walking back toward the infirmary.

I yawned halfway there, jaw cracking, and stretched my arms above my head.

That was one dose.

Three more people needed treatment.

At least I know the process works now.

I was passing through the village square when I spotted Tessa and Rowan standing near the well, talking in low voices.

Rowan’s expression was animated, explaining something with his hands, pointing toward the northern section of the palisade.

Tessa was listening with the patient attention.

I changed direction.

"Tessa."

She looked up, saw me, and smiled.

"Young Master. Back already?"

"Are you busy?"

She glanced at Rowan, who immediately frowned, then back at me.

"Not particularly. Why?"

"I need your help."

Her smile widened. "Of course."

She started toward me without hesitation.

Rowan’s expression did something complicated.

"Tessa, but you just said—"

"I can do that later," she said over her shoulder, already falling into step beside me. "It’s not going anywhere."

Rowan gritted his teeth but followed anyway.

We walked toward the infirmary.

"Do you know how to brew medicinal compounds?" I asked.

Tessa tilted her head, considering.

"I’ve helped prepare teas and simple tinctures. Basic herb work. But nothing complex." She paused. "Why?"

"I need to make three more doses of what I made. You know the materials, you can identify them quickly, and you’re methodical. That makes you useful."

I thought she might have actually done proper alchemy before. Would’ve made this easier.

"I’ll teach you as we go. Think you can manage?"

Her eyes lit up with genuine interest.

"Absolutely."

---

The infirmary was quiet when we entered, most of the recovering patients were outside taking advantage of the morning air, leaving us the workspace relatively undisturbed.

I set up at the same table I’d used before, laying out the materials in order, organizing the process mentally before I started explaining.

"First step," I said, pulling forward the dried silverleaf stems, "is extracting the active compounds from these without breaking them down. That means controlled heat, specific timing, and watching for color changes in the water."

I demonstrated once, talking through each step, the temperature of the water, the timing of when to add the material, how to tell when extraction was complete by the way the liquid shifted from clear to pale amber.

Tessa watched with absolute focus, occasionally asking clarifying questions that were sharper than I expected.

Rowan stood nearby.

She either didn’t notice or was very good at pretending not to.

"Your turn," I said, gesturing to a second pot and fresh materials.

Tessa rolled up her sleeves and got to work.

The first attempt went wrong almost immediately, she added the material too early, before the water had reached the right temperature, and the compounds started breaking down before they could extract properly.

I caught it and had her dump it before it got worse.

"Temperature first, then material," I reminded her. "The order matters."

She nodded and tried again.

The second attempt was better, the temperature was right, the timing was close, but she pulled it off the heat too early, leaving the extraction incomplete.

"Feel the weight of it," I said, lifting my completed batch. "When it’s done, the liquid should feel slightly thicker when you swirl it. Yours is still too thin."

She frowned at her pot, then at mine, clearly cataloging the difference.

Third attempt.

And this time she got the temperature perfect, added the material at the right moment, and watched the color change.

When she pulled it off the heat, I checked it immediately.

[COMPOUND_ANALYSIS]

quality: 98.6%

stability: STABLE

I blinked.

"You’re a genius."

Tessa’s face lit up, and she pumped one fist in the air.

"Ha! I did it!"

She turned to me, grinning wide, and held up her hand for what I eventually recognized as an invitation for a high-five.

I obliged.

The slap echoed in the quiet infirmary.

Rowan stood to the side, his expression caught somewhere between proud and annoyed.

"Let’s keep going," I said, already pulling forward the next set of materials. "We need eleven more of these, then we start on the second compound."

Tessa nodded, still grinning, and got to work.

---

The rest of the day blurred into a steady rhythm of preparation, monitoring, correction, and repetition.

Tessa learned quickly, faster than I’d expected, actually. By the third complete compound, she was catching errors before I pointed them out, adjusting temperature by instinct rather than instruction.

Rowan tried to help where he could, but mostly he just stayed close, watching her work.

By evening, we had the second compound completed for all three doses.

By midnight, the third.

The final combinations were the most delicate part.

I did those myself, with Tessa watching carefully over my shoulder, occasionally asking questions about why I was doing something a particular way.

When the last vial sealed and the debug vision confirmed all three were stable at 100% confidence, I set down the cork and exhaled.

"Done."

Tessa slumped onto a stool, her energy finally flagging after hours of sustained focus.

"That," she said, "was waaay more complicated than making tea."

"Just slightly."

I looked at the three vials, glowing faintly blue in the lamplight.

"Get some sleep," I said to Tessa. "You earned it."

She nodded, already standing, moving toward the door with Rowan close behind.

At the threshold, she paused and looked back.

"Thank you," she said. "For letting me help."

"This would’ve taken me twice as long alone."

She smiled, gave a small wave, and disappeared into the night with Rowan.

I looked at the vials one more time.

Then I gathered them carefully, stored them in a secure cabinet, and finally let myself think about sleep.

Tomorrow, I’ll give them the remaining doses.

Tonight, I was going to collapse into bed and not move for at least eight hours.

That’s the plan, anyway.

I extinguished the lamps, locked the infirmary door behind me, and walked through the quiet village toward my room.

The moon was high, the stars clear.

Oakmere was silent except for the distant sounds of night watches on the walls and the occasional creak of wood settling.

It’s peaceful.

For now.