Triiffic-Soul: Can I Be In Control?-Chapter 75 – Another New Home

Chapter 75 – Another New Home

[I’m glad to be out of that shithole.] (Syrus)

[It wasn’t that bad…] (Eva)

[Don’t blame the building. Blame the person.] (Luna)

Anlesa had finally moved out of their building.

Gabby was genuinely shocked by their decision. Syrus could tell by her reaction that she was ready to give a full song and dance about allowing her to rent the single room for another month as the deadline drew near. During that time they had started searching for a new place to live, and if they could find something affordable, they were likely going to move.

Outside of training Ethan–which they only had a few more sessions with, the most recent had Syrus making Ethan try out different wooden weapons to see what he liked carrying–they continued to work, trying to make as much money as possible.

[No more dealing with that walking human disaster.] (Syrus)

Eva placed down her potion pots, stands, and glasses on a nice curved bench in the room.

Eva turned around and said, “Thank you Ash, for the recommendation.”

Ash waved the compliment away. “No problem; my customers have been loving the new supplies. Not to mention I’ve been loving being able to stock up cy-healing potions and mana recovery potions for cheap.”

Ash was a good apothecary; she could make basic potions, and, more importantly, was able to mix powders and medicine to cure sickness and injuries. She knew how to realign bones and disinfect infections.

Proper potions were an important part of the process. Apothecaries didn’t believe potions were the final step to helping someone, but simply one of the ingredients for the soup of recovery.

But proper healing and mana potions–two potions that were vital for her job–required a certain touch she didn’t have, not to mention she had to prepare many types of medicines and supplies for so many different kinds of people that she gave up the time-wasting endeavour that was learning how to make those potions. They required a certain skill in manipulating mana to create, one that could be learned, but her talent and motivation lay in other areas.

“Speaking of which, do you need any more of the cy-healers?”

Cy-healing potions were the standard brand of healing potions made in Arisea Station; created from local ingredients, their quality and effectiveness were easy to judge.

“Maybe. Supply is getting a little low.”

“Well then, I’ll drop by tomorrow with a thank you present.”

“Then I’ll give you a welcome gift of a few coins.”

Eva and Ash had some small talk during one of the potion brewing sessions where the topic of moving was brought up.

Anna wasn’t going to originally talk about where they lived to anyone, but they decided they needed to loosen up a bit. So, the topic was brought up to Ash in case she could help, and she was.

She recommended Syrus as an occupant of the building to the building owner.

It was a small three-room building on the 4th Street west side, on a side road, where she had separate space to sleep, cook, and create. She didn’t plan to move her entire potion-making endeavour here; Ash’s room had better storage and space, but having her own room meant she could make potions during other times of the day.

“I’ll be back in a bit.” Said Ash.

With Ash gone, the trio spoke to each other.

[With the next packages of cash sent, we are broke again.] (Syrus)

[I do apologise for that…] (Eva)

[Don’t be, it’s an investment.] (Syrus)

[Correct, you have already proven the profits before.] Luna added, [Though I can’t help being curious about what you plan on making with what you bought. You gave Ash a lot of money.]

[Sadly, it couldn't be helped, no one would sell any of the ingredients I needed.] (Eva)

[Needed is a strong word.] (Syrus)

[In this case, it is correct.] (Eva)

Syrus was a bit hesitant in spending most of their savings–excluding the portion required to rent this house–on potion supplies. But Eva and Luna were for it, so they went ahead. Eva was open about the fact she wanted to make some powerful healing and energy potions, but the technical words she used went over Syrus’ head.

[Besides that, we could start hunting soon.] (Syrus)

[Animals?] (Eva)

[Yeah, you're skilled enough with Manipulation that we could make traps and tie animals up. That will leave that in a much more valuable state than me burning or chopping their head off.] (Syrus)

[If we did, you would like it if we purchased a longsword first.] (Luna)

[I mean, a sword short would be fine.] (Syrus)

[I see why you were upset about the money now.] (Luna)

[Hey, it’s not that much.] (Syrus)

[I also saw the prices, Syrus.] (Luna)

[Damn.] (Syrus)

Ash came back with a box of supplies. “Here you go, Syrus, your order.”

Eva replied. “Thank you, I've been looking for these for ages.”

“I could see the issue, I had to use my apothecary licences to get some of these, and even then there were so many damn questions.”

“Sorry about that.”

“No problem, that's why you asked me to do it.”

Eva looked into the box and saw a large jar of a thick goo-like liquid, a red crystal the size of her hand, a small box of six black pears, and an orange.

“Sapphire Jam, Zyx Crystal, Black Pearls, and an orange. Thank you, Ash.”

[Sapphire Jam?] (Syrus)

[I would assume that is the shorthand?] (Luna)

[Yes, Sapphic Amber Moss Mixed Standard Evos Delanar Formula.] (Eva)

[Sapphire Jam it is.] (Luna)

Ash and Eva talked for a little longer, but before long, Ash left to continue working and Eva went to start preparing some potions.

Looking over the ingredients, there was only one that truly confused Syrus.

[Why the orange?] When Syrus first heard Eva mention it, she thought it was a shorthand for some special ingredient, but no, it was just an orange.

[You mentioned you liked it.] Eva said nothing further as she watched Syrus pick up the fruit and place it on the table.

Oranges didn’t grow anywhere around here, so it wasn’t something Anlesa had tried in this life.

Syrus pearled the orange and took a bite. “It’s a little off.” She said nothing else as she slowly consumed the rest of it.

[Thanks.] (Syrus)

Eva started preparing the main potion she wanted to make today.

One of the recent items she bought was a large cylindrical container.

Within that container, she placed a specially made glass stand on which she placed the Zyx Crystal. Once that was done, she poured the Sapphire Jam into the cylinder until it was a few centimetres taller than crystal.

She placed her hands on the cylinder.

Eva had to pull that mana out of the crystal into the sticky liquid, this caused thick bubbles within the sapphire jam. She then pulled and stretched the jam with mana before raising it and letting it pour into the crystal again.

[Are you making dough?] (Syrus)

[Not a wrong way to think about it.] (Eva)

She continued this process for over an hour, and throughout she slowly poured a little bit of an energy potion in.

She removed the crystal with a pair of pliers and wiped it down with a clean cloth. She then placed it over an empty jar, with a flame below it. Soon the crystal started dripping golden red drops.

Eva grabbed one of the pearls and crushed it in a mortar until it was fine dust.

[Lilly, what are you making?] (Luna)

[A special type of potion.] (Eva)

[Specifics.] (Syrus)

She poured that dust into a beaker with 5ml water and had them mixed until black.

[Similar to energy potions, but are referred to as vitalizers. Same tree but different branches.]

Eva poured the black mix into the glass that the drops were dripping into. The black colour faded away, and the liquid was simply red.

[Vitalizers have a slow effect that lasts over a long time, but they are very mana-light, well, this one is. Sometimes people like to try and mix the benefits of a standard energy potion and a vitalizer together. But they are meant to give the body energy over a long period of time. So, they are great for surgeries and hikes without much food or water.] (Eva)

After a long while, she was able to pour the liquid into three empty standard potions.

[Only three…] Eva was disappointed.

[Going to dilute these?] (Syrus)

[No, that would destroy the efficiency.] (Eva)

Eva fumbled around with one of the open potions.

[Well…] Eva took one of the potions and downed it.

[Lilly!] (Luna)

[Eva, what are you doing!] (Syrus)

Before Syrus could stop anything bad from happening, she could only feel a brimming sensation throughout her body. Like sparks of happiness were emerging from their veins.

“Been so long…” Eva was enjoying the warmth. This was one of the potions she bought to keep her going through very long, rough patches.

“You mentioned conventional methods of healing wouldn’t work, and mana-rich potions were a no-game. So, the vitalizer meets those requirements.”

[Why didn’t you say anything…] Luna asked.

[I… wanted to do something useful…] Eva mumbled her thoughts. [I… figured this would be my only chance… so if I told you guys and you said no…]

[Lilly…] (Luna)

Syrus needed to ask, [Did you have any worry that something would go wrong?]

[No, I’ve studied your expansion over and over again. I was positive nothing bad would happen.] (Eva)

[...if that’s the case… good.] (Syrus)

Syrus flicked her own head, hard.

“Awo!”

[Don’t think like that, you have always been useful.] (Syrus)

Eva’s self-doubt and negatives had lessened over the years, but Syrus was now looking back, realising she should’ve been prepared for this. Out of the three of them, Eva had the most motivation after what happened at the village, but that motivation didn’t stem from only positive emotions.

[Just tell us next time…] Syrus asked, concerned not about their body, but for Eva.

[Okay.] Eva nodded.

It took a moment of silence for everything to calm down.

[Should we go out to eat?] (Luna)

[But I got to make the potions for Ash.] (Eva)

[You can do that afterwards, I’m starving for food.] (Syrus)

[No, we’re not.] (Eva)

[In the sense I want to chew on something.] (Syrus)

[Oh! That’s fair.] Eva understood. [Yeah, I can feel that.]

[Good, any preferences?] (Syrus)

[None really.] (Eva)

[I wouldn’t mind going to the Carlman Tavern again.] (Luna)

[That does sound good.] (Syrus)