64 – Meruru, Disappearing
As the guild master, Filsstone was the worst of humans.
He seemed to be quite remarkable in potion manufacturing.
The Kuber Refinery, operated by Filsstone, supplied potions to all Kuber stores that handled potions.
Moreover, it was exporting to other cities through the port, so his absence was significant.
When he was arrested for the incident called “Varian Creation” and the Kuber Refinery burned down, many alchemists gathered at Kuber upon hearing the rumors.
Originally, Filsstone, who held a monopolistic position in the potion manufacturing industry, never sold potions at the refinery.
However, now Kuber and other refineries were competing to see who could dominate the potion market faster.
The newly emerging refineries on the outskirts of Kuber were even willing to sell directly to win the competition.
“Excuse me! We have a hemostatic potion that stops bleeding immediately when consumed!”
“We have an animal lure that can attract herbivores with just a drop!”
Just as Algott said, there were many newly established refineries near Kuber.
Due to the nature of the refinery with a pungent herbal scent, they couldn’t establish themselves in the center, so they were not visible.
Some of the newly established refineries completely left Kuber and set up makeshift buildings or tents in nearby forests to operate.
As we approached, there were also refineries that engaged in street peddling.
It was almost too much competition.
“I never imagined something like this would happen.”
I looked at the makeshift refineries lined up like a street market with astonishment.
Silphy, who was following behind me, covered her nose with one hand.
“Ew… The smell is incredible.”
“To think people would gather like this just to devour the pie that Philstone left behind.”
I wonder why potions fetch such a high price.
With so many people gathered, it felt like there would be a fair share of swindlers among them.
Once some of the refineries start dominating the market, the rest of the refineries will go bankrupt.
“Just as Yunoa thought, there were many scammers among the alchemists gathered in Kubele.
With the immediate supply of good-quality potions cut off, the goods imported from other cities were too expensive.
At least half of the alchemists gathered here didn’t even know what side effects their potions had.”
Isn’t that incredibly dangerous?
If you buy potions from some shady place, you could end up in big trouble due to side effects.
“Hey, buddy! Are you an adventurer? We’re currently offering a discount on healing potions that are more powerful than divine magic!”
An old man who looked suspiciously approached me, shaking a bottle filled with red liquid in front of my eyes.
He reeked of a scammer.
I needed a reliable alchemist right now.
“Sylphi, don’t be tempted there, come here.”
I called out to her since she seemed to be falling for a swindler not far away.
It seemed like she was just about to take out almost all of her money from her pocket.
It’s dangerous, so dangerous.
Now I understand why Algot said there are many shady places.
In a situation like this, buying potions would be too much of a gamble.
I guess I’ll have to establish my own criteria if I want to find a proper potion in a situation like this.
First of all, I avoid selling potions like makeshift tents or street stalls.
I also avoid places where people stop passersby and engage in hawking.
I’ve seen the Philstone refinery several times before, so I roughly know what proper refining tools are like.
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I need to filter out any strange places, whether they are refiners or peddlers, and find a refinery with proper refining tools.
It seems like everyone in the forest area gives off a scammer or peddler vibe, so I return back inside Cubel.
From the refining list Algot gave me, I eliminate all the ones in the forest area and focus on the ones that operate in properly rented buildings.
“Hmm, about three places….”
Then, I’m left with exactly three places worth visiting.
All of them are recently opened refineries that have rented buildings on the outskirts of Cubel.
The first place I visit feels more like a general store than a refinery.
Perhaps they adopted this atmosphere to supplement their sales and not fall behind in competition.
The owner was a young man, and although he didn’t engage in hawking like the people in the forest area, the potion refining tools looked shoddy.
Without hesitation, I move on to the next refinery.
The second one had its door closed.
Peeking through the window, I could see that the interior was well-organized.
This is a lost cause.
With a sigh, I head towards the last refinery.
And so, I arrive at the third refinery.
“Oh…”
It feels familiar.
The setup was not as well-stocked with ingredients as the distillery run by Philstone, but it had a similar structure.
The desk was filled with neatly organized boxes of ingredients and complex refining tools whose purpose I couldn’t even begin to fathom.
Above all, the owner, who never took his eyes off the refining apparatus even when I approached, instilled a sense of trust.
You could sense the aura of a master, someone slightly obsessed with potion refining.
Well, there’s nothing I can do if I’m wrong.
If there’s one thing that catches my eye, it’s that the owner appears quite young.
The owner of the distillery seemed like a boy who couldn’t be more than twenty.
But you can’t judge a book by its cover.
For now, it seemed to be the most well-equipped distillery I had seen so far.
Should I strike up a conversation and see if I can trust him enough to consult?
“Excuse me.”
I cautiously called out to the boy who seemed lost in thought in front of the refining apparatus.
Unlike Philstone, who seemed to ignore me as if he had blocked his ears until he finished with his own work, the owner of the distillery immediately approached me with an alert expression when he heard my voice.
“Oh, are you a customer? I’m sorry, I didn’t see you come in because I’m in the middle of refining. Do you want to buy something here?”
“It’s okay. I’m just looking around the nearby distilleries. Do you also sell here?”
“Yes, we sell ready-made products and also take custom orders. By the way, I’m Lian.”
The boy introduced himself as Lian and politely greeted me with a slight bow.
Not a bad first impression.
“You have quite a well-equipped collection of tools here. It feels more professional than other places, so I came to check it out.”
I pretended to know a little while looking at the complex refining equipment and the boxes of neatly categorized ingredients inside the store.
And then Lian smiled charmingly.
“Ahahahaha… Actually, I was helping Master at his alchemy shop in another city before opening my own this time. He told me it was an opportunity and supported me in various ways, urging me to secure a position in Kuber.”
“Uh… Senior… I… I’ve reached my limit.”
At that moment, Sylphy, standing next to them, staggered slightly, covering her nose and mouth with her hand.
“What’s wrong, Sylphy? Are you okay?”
“I have a headache…”
Seeing Sylphy in that state, Lian looked surprised and took out a small bottle from the cabinet behind and handed it to her.
“Smell it from a distance without drinking it. The smell will make your headache go away.”
Sylphy followed Lian’s instructions and took the bottle, smelling it from a suitable distance.
After a while, Sylphy’s expression, which had been weak, noticeably improved.
“Oh… I feel much better. Thank you.”
“If you smell too many different medicinal scents all at once, it can have that effect. You need to have countermeasures like this when working in an alchemy shop. I do this often too.”
Watching that scene quietly, I became certain.
This alchemist named Lian, he’s the real deal.
At least, he seemed to have more skill than those shady peddlers who set up stalls and sell potions with unknown ingredients in the forest outside Kuber.
“Lian, I urgently need one potion.”
Determined, I immediately got to the point.
“Yes, tell me anything. I’ll do my best if it’s something I can do.”
“Is there a potion that maximizes the sense of smell?”
“You seem to be looking for a very unique effect.”
“It’s because I need it.”
Lian replied to my words with a serious expression.
“Amplifying a specific sense can be dangerous. If you amplify your sense of smell, you may become better at detecting odors, but a human brain can be damaged by sudden excessive stimulation. How much amplification of your sense of smell do you want?”
“To be able to follow the scent of a missing person’s belongings…”
“No, that’s not possible. It’s too risky. Unless you belong to a race with a naturally sensitive sense of smell, suddenly amplifying a human’s sense to that extent can cause fainting. Look at the woman next to you. Even with a normal sense of smell, she already experiences headaches and dizziness from the smell of herbs. What do you think would happen if we artificially amplified her sense of smell?”
Listening to Lian’s words, it seemed more dangerous than I had thought.
I simply thought that if I had a potion that could amplify my sense of smell, it would help me in the search for Meruru’s scent.
By the way, Lian is quite conscientious.
If he was only interested in making money, he wouldn’t bother giving me such a warning and would just sell the potion.
My trust in Lian is growing.
“In fact, we are currently searching for a missing person. Among the belongings left by the missing person, there is something with a strong scent, so we were looking for a potion that could enhance our sense of smell to follow that scent. Is there any solution?”
I explained the situation to Lian in detail again.
Lian is definitely an expert when it comes to potions.
If I explain the situation, maybe he will suggest a new solution that I don’t know about.
“I see…”
Lian pondered for a moment.
I really hope there is a good solution.
I heard that the longer it takes to find a missing person, the more dangerous it becomes.
If only it was clear that the person had left on their own, but for now, we can only assume they are missing.
“What if we transform our senses? So that we can see smells with our eyes.”
After much contemplation, Lian came up with an unexpected solution.
* * *