Once my tent was set up and my workspace was ready, I took a moment to consider my options. Out of all the projects I could attempt, two ideas appealed to me: strengthening potions for our hunters and fighters, and alchemical products to help with animal husbandry.

  I gave the matter some serious thought before deciding to be a little selfish.

  Not a lot, mind you. This was absolutely beneficial for the future of the entire town. However, I wanted my own creature comforts, and good food was definitely near the top of that list.

  Alchemy for the not-so-humble farmer it is, then.

  I only let the thoughts of delicious cheese, milk, and various meats distract me for one minute before I dove into step one: ingredient analysis. Pulling out all the local herbs, plants, and minerals I’d collected, I studied them with a careful eye.

  Hmmm, the real question is: what is the goal of this product? I could angle it in the enhancement direction. If I strengthen the animals, they’ll have an easier time thriving out here. On the other hand… maybe I can help our farmers increase the numbers of livestock we’ve got, and fast?

  Actually, who says I can’t do a bit of both?

  There were several herbs which would be helpful to the general health of the animals. I could just give those herbs a little nudge towards boosting fertility and virility as well. It wasn’t a field of alchemy in which I had done much studying, but how hard could it be? All it required was blending and strengthening the effects of the herbs enough for them to affect common animals…

  I forced myself to stop and consider. After only a few moments of reflection, I realized the matter required more careful thought.

  I’m always careful with the side effects of my alchemy, obviously. But I’ve only needed to keep in mind the health of the consumer, whether I wanted to improve or… worsen it. Gah, now I need to worry about the taste and texture of the creatures consuming my alchemical products!

  I refused to be the reason why herds of animals raised for generations to produce excellent milk, eggs, and meat were suddenly of subpar quality. Yet… how would I go about testing for such a thing? I’d never had to think about the taste of the people taking my potions.

  I was briefly tempted to try and join the Snowdrop Alchemy Guild, on the condition that they teach me how to keep animal products tasty while feeding those animals my potions. The mental image of the expression such a request would inspire on the face of whoever was sent to meet me had me quietly chuckling to myself for several moments.

  The higher levels of the alchemical arts were notoriously difficult to master. As a result, most alchemists had a healthy sense of pride. They wanted to craft potions that granted immense power, or contained incredible healing effects, or even imbued the consumer with immortality.

  I had no doubt someone had researched the topic of alchemical effects in animal husbandry, but was it a popular field of study? Doubtful.

  Hmmm, let’s see here… licorice? Helpful, but probably not as a main ingredient. Turmeric? Can work, but again, probably not as the core of this particular recipe. Ginger? Ha. Yes, ginger’s a solid choice. Maybe even some of the honey?

  I considered that for a moment, feeling vaguely amused. If I added just a couple new herbs to my honey ginger candies, I could probably exaggerate the effects I hoped to accomplish in this new alchemical product of mine. I also had to hold back snickers at the thought of making candies for various farm animals.

  The next moment, though, I paused. A shiver raced down my spine. Nasha, Arandel, and Alys all enjoyed my candies a little too much. They would never let me hear the end of it if I started using honey in a manner they saw as ‘wasteful’, not until we had easier access to the treat and a decent supply set aside.

  I resisted the urge to peek outside my tent and check if anyone was around. Even if someone was, I’d been careful to break my habit of thinking out loud. I would only be in danger if the lurker had somehow gained the ability to read my thoughts.

  And nothing said I had to incorporate the delicious sweet treat into my newest project in an obvious manner! A small, undetectable amount of it could be immensely helpful.

  Even so, I made a mental note to do something about the honey soon.

  The wild hives were our only current source. This was less than ideal for several reasons. First, the hives were out in the forest, and thereby not easily accessible. Second, the bees’ potent stings made it dangerous for most people to approach the hives. Finally, the bees were in a symbiotic relationship with direbears.

  While I could handle those with relative ease, especially if Alys, Nasha, or Kiri tagged along, I didn’t want the beasts dead. That would open up the hives to all the natural predators of the bees, which the direbears were keeping at bay.

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  Meanwhile, repeatedly chasing them off while harvesting the honey would almost certainly result in them following us back to town eventually. I didn’t want to endanger the townsfolk.

  I finished processing the ingredients as these idle thoughts swam through my head. The results included a paste I’d made from ginger, another paste made from licorice, and a pile of turmeric root which I’d diced as finely as I could.

  I decided to set some time aside soon and pound most of my turmeric into powder to make it easier to work with. There were only a few alchemical reactions I could think of that would benefit from the root being in a fresher state, and even those wouldn’t suffer too much if I substituted powder.

  Now, of course, I had to decide what form my next alchemical product would take.

  The most convenient form would likely be pellets, but I didn’t have everything I needed to make those. I wasn’t even sure how to go about it.

  Perhaps Alys would know? I shouldn’t assume, though, and pellets don’t exactly have anything to do with woodworking… Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. Paste or powder will have to do. I know how to handle those.

  In the end, I opted for a thick paste mixture. If this product ended up working, I would need to make a vast quantity of it to supply everyone interested in rearing animals. A paste took much less time to produce than a powder.

  Then again, if I simplified the recipe as much as possible, I might be able to teach the townsfolk how to make the paste on their own…

  Ah, but that would risk word getting out that the recipe uses small amounts of honey.

  Nasha must never find out.

  I wasn’t worried about the hyperactive beagle trying to hurt me. But I could definitely envision her moping around just to shoot me pitiful looks whenever I made the product, until I yielded and gave her the honey instead.

  Having decided on paste, I set about the actual production process. I was still not sure what effect this project of mine would have on the animals, so I decided to minimize the risks by limiting my focus. I simply aimed to reinforce their long-term health while temporarily boosting their virility and fertility. Both goals would ensure that the local farm animal population flourished.

  Since I wasn’t trying to strengthen their bodies beyond normal levels, I hoped the paste wouldn’t affect the quality of their meat and other products. In fact, it might even improve them! Healthier animals had to taste better, right? True, I had no proof of that, but it made sense to me.

  Maybe I could visit that wolfkin family who make the cheese? A couple of the other families with farm animals, too…

  I realized suddenly that the project I had so casually chosen would actually result in far more work than I anticipated.

  I groaned in annoyance as I began mixing in earnest. Yet despite the irritated front I was putting up, I couldn’t deny that I was enjoying myself.

  Somehow, trying to make the animal equivalent of an aphrodisiac was still far, far more appealing to me than what my family had forced me to use my alchemical skills for.

  —

  As my work slowly wound down, I found myself the proud owner of a substantial amount of paste which would hopefully revolutionize local animal husbandry. About two kilograms of the stuff, in fact.

  I had burned through a large amount of my supplies to craft the paste, but that was all right. I now had more than enough to hand out to the townsfolk currently raising animals, so I could ask them to test the effects of it for me.

  I considered getting a chicken and testing things out myself, but soon dismissed the thought. What did I know about rearing animals? Besides, unless I obtained multiple chickens, raised them with care for a few months while only serving special feed to one of them, and then slaughtered them all for a taste test, how would I even be able to tell?

  The farmers to whom I ended up gifting the paste would probably do something similar, but at least they would know what to watch out for and how to monitor the animals’ health. They could also comment on all the intended effects of my newly developed paste.

  I was glad that I had managed to keep the recipe rather simple. I could cheat and use my mana to catalyze certain reactions and draw out the qualities I wanted from my ingredients, which meant I could make the paste faster and ensure it was more potent.

  However, I did make one batch while imitating the skill level of a complete beginner at alchemy. In other words, a somewhat skilled cook! The batch was roughly twenty percent less effective, from what my diagnostic spells could tell me, and it took much longer to make. Still, it was good to know that I could reasonably teach people to do the work themselves, if the paste proved beneficial.

  And I had high hopes that it would. Everything I knew about alchemy suggested that this paste would have nothing but positive long-term effects on the animals ingesting it. All that remained was to watch for any unexpected side effects cropping up.

  A secondary concern could be the effect of the paste on the animals’ descendants, especially a few generations down the line, but there was no way to rush the testing of such matters. We would all have to wait and see.

  Packing my things up, I pondered whether I wanted to dip myself in the river or not. I had been making the paste the entire day, so I hadn’t produced any unpleasant or dangerous fumes.

  I was a little sweaty. But frankly, rather than a dip in the river, I would prefer taking my chances with the Ruby of Waves. Perhaps I could set up something like a rough shower behind Alys’ house? The water the jewel produced couldn’t possibly be colder than the river, and I’d be able to escape into the warmth of Alys’ home immediately afterwards.

  The idea sounded both prudent and pleasant to me, so I picked up my storage bag and started for the house.

  I found an easy smile claiming my lips and a warmth sparking in my chest as I walked, knowing I would see Alys soon. Separating for the sake of our work was normal, but I could admit to a recent sharp increase in my longing for her presence. I felt almost clingy.

  Besides, despite the fact that I had set up my tent within view of her house, I hadn’t caught a glimpse of her the entire day! The paste was new, so I’d given it all of my attention. Even the few times I’d stepped out of the tent for a refreshing breeze, I hadn’t seen her near the roofed-off area where she kept both processed and unprocessed logs. That was where she usually worked…

  It was at that point that a large gust of flames flared up from behind Alys’ house, making my heartbeat and walking pace both pick up dramatically.