Kuch, my newly named construct, approached the fallen tree and I watched carefully. Their arm came up, and down came the mighty stick. The shattered bark caved in without any self-breakage this time and I held back the urge to whoop triumphantly. I've done it.

  I'd upgraded the arm from firewood to magical firewood!

  Pouring [Infuse] into the poor woodwork had given it quite a bit of reinforcements, enough to be labeled as something that probably could work as very early game armor in FLOW terms. It was still mob fodder and probably ridiculously impractical- sparkling trash was still trash. But it worked, enough that I could probably task Kuch with taking apart these trees that obstructed the manor. I could probably leave them to it and focus my efforts onto other things.

  Like making potions.

  Using [Infuse] so many times had been a lengthy process owing to how many times I had to pause and just breathe to replenish myself. It wasn't unlike taking a short break after a frisk jog, but the time wasted bothered me. Especially when I could very well craft something so easily that could address it.

  In FLOW, potions served as very handy consumables which could provide immediate benefits or over a short period of time. Among the massive catalog of them was the humble mana potion, which did what the name suggested. Better yet, it was a simple thing to make. There was a reason why most player homes had a flower garden other than aesthetics.

  Heading back outside, I searched for and found what I was looking for. Blue flowers with a faint glow to them, the type associated with mana potions. I plucked them and some others for variety experimentation, making sure not to take too many. It would be disastrous if I ran out and Noel hadn't been built for farming. There was plenty at least.

  I took my haul back to the workshop and began to sort them out. Blue, blue, red, might want to make some health potions just in case. Blue, blue, yellow, that one could be useful for speed, blue-

  "Huh?" I voiced aloud in mild shock and held up a flower that I only noticed now was quite strange. It looked exactly like the blue ones at first glance but at the edges, a crimson shade had developed. This wasn't something that I recall from FLOW. A quick check confirmed I had a few more examples of this odd development, confirming it wasn't just a one-off mutation or quirk.

  Was this something the world had developed after the servers shutdown? Only one way to find out. "[Infuse]."

  Bloodstained Hydrangea (Item Quality: 470) (Infuse Level: 650)

  I sat there in silence, perfectly still. Literally. Puppets could just stop all their movement at a whim and become a statue if need be. But while physically I didn't move, my crystal brain was rapidly running some calculations and theories.

  Cordelia, my- Mikel's- faithful servant, was buried in those flowers she loved. Could her body decomposing have fed them? Not, that wasn't quite right. Vampires dissolved into ash when they died and knowing Noel, they wouldn't have tossed them over and be done with it. They probably made a full coffin and placed her ashes within to keep them safe. Something that I wouldn't be surprise if it had lasted all this time given the quality of the headstone made too.

  But those ashes could leak ambient mana. Something that could seep into the ground, and into the flowers. It wouldn't be much but Cordelia had also been a level-capped retainer of mine. Definitely one of the strongest NPCs in Lighthouse. So her remains, whatever they were, likely radiated even more than normal, perhaps even resonating with her attachment to the gardens.

  When my body began to twitch again, it was my lips in a sad smile. "Cordelia, did you know? Or was it just something you thought sounded wonderful?" I asked aloud, maybe vainly hoping her spirit was watching. "Upon your deathbed, new life blossomed."

  I wanted her to quip at me now about how she would adjust the gardens for this new inclusion.

  My arm raised instinctively to rub at my face, but like Noel had said: there were no tears. I took in a deep breath, feeling my mana return, and set aside the unique development for now. I'd love to see what sort of concoction I could make with it, but I wouldn't dare risk it as my very first potion. Especially given that absurd quality and level.

  Hydrangea (Item Quality: 12) (Infuse Level: 117)

  That was more like it. A few more [Infuse] usages later, and I had enough petals ready. I made my way over to the cauldron and made to dump them in, only to freeze at the sight of the empty bottom.

  Right.

  I needed water.

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  As expected, any perishable foodstuff in the kitchen had long since rotted away and become dust. I'd probably still want to give it a good cleaning still. But the cellar below had sealed barrels filled with a mix of drinks.

  I wasn't quite sure at what point aged spirit turned into concentrated poison, but that was a thought for another day. Including among the selection should be...there. Water. Hopefully it was still good.

  It did look fine and clear into the old bucket I found for the task. Just to be sure, I gave it an additional [Infuse] to check its quality.

  Old Water (Item Quality: 6) (Infuse Level: 66)

  Not great, but it'll do. I should probably check to see if I could do something like set out rain barrels later. I took my haul back to my workshop and dumped about half into the cauldron. The rest, I wanted to reserve for testing with Cordelia's creation.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  I tossed in the blue petals and watched them float on the water. Then I held out my hand and focused, calling up another game skill. "[Brew]." The plants instantly dissolved and became one with the water, giving it that iconic blue tint so associated with mana potions. But it was quite faint and I frowned, racking my head.

  Then I snapped my fingers, remembering there was a relevant game mechanic in FLOW. Potions started off weak once made with [Brew] but you could increase its quality with further treatment. One of those ways that made the mechanic so in-depth. I could either settle for a probably bad and weak one now, or try to refine it somehow. I chose the later.

  I think I remember heating being a pretty basic method to do so. And at least I had plenty of wood to use. The cauldron sat over a fire pit too, so it wasn't impossible.

  Somehow, the embedded lighter at the bottom also still worked. Maybe it was because that was made from a fire crystal, so of course it would work if Noel did. I piled on some sticks and leaves, watching it merrily cackle to life, then checked the cauldron inside.

  Slowly boiling. Good.

  I checked a little bit later and frowned, noting that while the color had improved a fair bit, the volume was steadily decreasing. Right, there was a trade-off for increasing the grade. I took it off now, pouring out the mix into a set of clouded glass vials I found and cleaned while waiting. That probably didn't do the result any favors and likely contaminated it an awkward bit.

  Potent Mana Potion (Item Grade: 63)

  Yep. That was confirmation that it had. I'd lost the potency that the flowers had, and the bad water likely hadn't helped. Ah, what a waste!

  I clicked my tongue loudly and took solace in that at least there was now a quantity of them. Already in my head, I was wondering if perhaps it would've been better if I continued boiling. That could've increase the final grade a bit, but I would have less of them. At which point, maybe trying to distilling the thing to make it the final tier would have been better? I paused briefly, then laughed.

  How easily did I just slip into thinking of crafting as just another game mechanic to beat? That was why I loved FLOW back in the day. Only that game would be so ridiculously detailed.

  But of course, I had to test it now. I grimaced and brought it up to those artificial lips, taking a small sip. I awkwardly confirmed my body had no taste buds- a true tragedy- and swallowed what I could only describe texture-wise as slime from a sewer. But at least instead of me collapsing, frothing at the mouth, I felt a little more energized.

  It worked. Good.

  I was now a potion maker. No, my wares are too strong for you.

  I was tempted to shelve my experiment with Cordelia's flowers for the time being, every gamer sense screaming I should save the limited material for only the best surrounding. The more practical side of me pointed out that it was hardly so limited, and the emotional also insisted I show it off to her gravestone already. Ah, screw it.

  I repeated the [Brew] process and this time boiled the concoction all the way to the very lowest it could go. The resulting color was velvet, likely from the blue mixing with the red, and gave me a clue to what the mix was. And sure enough, checking it confirmed the result.

  Potent Elixir (Item Grade: 332)

  Tch. Lost even more with that bad water and glass contamination.

  But elixirs were a very useful potion, even considered rare to some. They would replenish both health and mana at the sane time, two potions in one without the disastrous chance of overdose from chugging multiple potions in short succession. It required an equal measure of same-quality flowers to make, and failing to achieve that balance would result in one overpowering the other completely. Given how an item's own quality could vary wildly depending on treatment, only those crafters supported by top gatherers could guarantee such a harvest.

  Those flowers meanwhile was a shortcut that I don't think existed in FLOW. Probably because it was flatly a cheat around the intended mechanic then. "Lighthouse, still breaking the rules," I muttered with a grin. "Thanks Cordelia."

  But I still really wanted to do what she gave me justice. I'd have to look for better water and treat it so, ideally before activating [Infuse] to lock in the quality. And to reduce contamination, I better also actually get clean glassware that wouldn't taint the potion. I didn't actually need make that enchanted at least, not unless I wanted it so tough that it wouldn't shatter under duress.

  Actually, scratch that. Might as well go the extra mile considering I was already all-in as a crafter.

  I did spy some unaspected crystals in my vault earlier, those would do. Comparatively far more common to their charged elemental variants, grinding them up should give me the crystal sand needed to turn into glass. The issue was heating the workshop forge itself- ordinary firewood wouldn't do. I needed something a bit more intense.

  Charcoal was probably the more available option given my home was surrounded by an entire forest. But if I could find coal, then that'd be even better. Optimization demanded I at least check, so I supposed it was time to do a little foray outside.

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