Without a guide to show her the exact location, Nisha might have passed this place a hundred times without figuring out the secret it hid. Under the pressure from Carmen’s hand, a rock slid aside first and then revealed a mechanism, made purely from cleverly hidden and balanced metal threads. Not even Nisha’s [Spirit Eyes] caught sight of the open passage behind the wall, not a single bit of it containing an enchantment or inscription to aid the mechanism hiding it.

As the wall rippled and parted like a veil, the dragon admired the workmanship that must have gone into creating such sophisticated workings. A voice ripped her out of her musings.

“Remember to not touch anything without good reason, not that I don’t trust you, but there are a lot of dangerous substances scattered around without a care in the world, literally everywhere.

Also, if the old man offers you anything, drink, potion, food or anything else, just decline. I have no idea what he might be thinking most of the time, and, true to his profession as a potion mixer, some of his creations are harmless while others rot your stomach out straight away. Everything clear?”

Nisha blinked, somewhat confused.

While the Golden Heel still talked fast and verbosely, the woman clad in the fancy dress conveyed a gravitas and cautiousness that granted her words credibility.

“I would hate to explain to the council fools why you suddenly became a bloody puddle so soon after we agreed to work together.”

Returning to her rather jovial mood, Carmen led the elf into the darkness.

 

Dust floated through the air as the narrow passage opened into a reception room. While the construction hardly looked unused, with foot trails drawing a distinct pattern going in and out, the entire area did appear neglected. Especially around the corners and furniture far away from the trails, several of them already rotted away and left the origin of the dust clear for all to see.

“We can probably see him right away, most of the time the Alchemist is doing one experiment or the other. If it weren’t for the regular shipments he prepares, I’d say he does nothing but what he pleases. It’s a curious thing, really.”

Leading the girl down one of the lesser trodden paths, the two soon arrived at a wooden door, which happened to be slightly ajar. Bright light spilled out of the opening and a male voice mumbled to itself, repeating some words while cursing himself at other times. Based solely on speed, he had a good chance to take on Carmen in a contest of speaking.

Before entering, Nisha already had a good idea that they were about to meet the Alchemist. Compared to the plain walk so far, the room before them concentrated mana and aura in abnormal quantities, shining even brighter than the light, probably a magically conjured source, flowing out of the door.

“It’s me, Golden Heel. We’re coming in; don’t do anything dangerous!”

A mumbled and somewhat redundant ‘It’s open’ allowed them to enter.

 

Nisha’s first impression happened to be quite contradictory. Littered in every corner of the room was glassware with liquids, rare ingredients, and bubbling fluids which revealed why he bore the title of Alchemist. Contrary to the messy state of the unrelated components, the working area bore an immaculate image, with none of the instruments lying around or even a spot on the prepared baskets and tubes.

Standing behind a magical flame, which currently boiled a milky concoction, the Alchemist stared at the process, not even registering the visitors.

In spite of his grayed out robe, his white and drooping hair, and long mustache, the dragon noticed an overwhelming cloud of death, medicine, and corruption emanating from the old fellow, making her hair stand on end.

His mumblings and unfocused eyes attested to his distracted state and hinted at his combat ability. Which happened to be next to nonexistent.

His cultivation barely exceeded Nisha’s, the pinnacle of the third rank in both fire and earth, a rare dual attribute magician.

In a combat situation, either the elf or Carmen should be the longest survivors; the man in front of them almost certainly would die first.

His presence still eclipsed almost all of the experts and craftsmen she had seen so far.

“Alchemist, can you put down your work for a moment? I have someone to introduce to you.”

Prodding carefully and keeping her distance at the same time out of caution told a lot about the fear and vigilance the fancy clothed lady held against him.

From the biting stench, the bitter scents, and devilish appearance of the ingredients presented on the walls, Nisha concluded it was prudent to adopt the same stance.

 

“Can you wait for a moment? I don’t want to blow up another set of ingredients; it won’t take long.”

Never prying away his eyes from the cauldron, he did not even meet eyes with them and threw in more strange components, which in turn dyed the colorless smoke first red, then blue and finally opaque again.

Carmen stepped back and pulled Nisha along.

“Take your time. I learned that lesson long ago.”

The dragon felt quite intrigued to hear the story behind that particular statement, yet she also sensed the severity and kept quiet alongside Carmen.

Apparently, the two parties had a different view on the definition of ‘a moment’. Going through several stages, the potion changed colors and the smoke billowed beneath the high ceiling while the Alchemist controlled the flame with his own mana and silently, as far as one can be silent while muttering all the time, finished the process when the final product turned sky blue.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. The [Dawn Fern] potion is somewhat rare to come by; several scarce ingredients came in when the expedition returned. If the whole thing blew up, I’d lose all my savings and nonetheless make no progress with my research.”

Pouring the finished compound into several vials, the Alchemist turned his attention towards his fellow Seat and studied them for a while, saying nothing else.

 

“I have someone to introduce to you. Are you free now? This adorable little girl here is called Nisha and I think you will quite enjoy her company.”

Treating her earlier earnestness like a complete lie, Carmen gave a practiced little courtesy and gestured towards the elf, deliberately making a mystery of their purpose in his home.

Thankfully the man seemed used to her flowery style of speech and only sighed in an exasperated way before answering.

“Did you find another candidate? I told you, alchemy is no easy field of study. I doubt this one is any good either. Leave it to me to find a successor.”

“Oh no, I gave up on that after you sent me the last batch back … at least what remained of them. We are here for business, and not the pleasurable kind. It is regarding the food issue you requested from the other Seats. Dear Nisha here might be the solution; there is a corresponding offer in the works. Would you listen to her questions and explain the situation to her? In case we can reach an agreement here, we will be able to fund and import the number of edibles specified by you.”

Nisha’s ears perked up at the mention of alchemy being taught but pushed it out of her mind as Golden Heels approached the subject they came for.

“Indeed. Miss Nisha made an offer and the only thing preventing us from finalizing the deal is an explanation. In case you agree, and I think you should, please elaborate your report why exactly you need edibles to be distributed. There are some concerns on her part, which would imply complicity, in order to commit fully to the suggestion.”

Considering who addressed him, the Alchemist felt surprised how fast she actually addressed the topic and scanned Nisha over again.

 

“You’re from one of the branches then? Why do you need to know?”

Focusing all of his attention of the elf, his full atmosphere converged on Nisha, who in turn bore the full brunt of it without giving in. The alchemist considered that feat even more astonishing. He knew his air and the influence he exercised over others. While he had no major accomplishments aside from his field of study, the old man used all tools available to him to control his position as a Seat. To resist the pressure without any visible signs of unease or agitation made her stand out compared to the regular underlings the Seats delivered to his doorstep every now and then.

“You almost got it. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nisha Dharnas and I have come in my own capacity. In order to ensure my investments bear fruit, I have approached the [Thieves Guild] for negotiations. After discussing the issue at hand with several of the Seats, there is a chance for us to cooperate. As the details were finalized, the only thing that worries me is the food acquisition requirement. Golden Heels brought me here and hinted you can explain that to me in detail. Can you do that?”

Without explaining her status or exerting pressure on the old man, Nisha calmly stated her matter of concern, observing his reactions.

Mentioning a major duke household by her last name seemed to leave no impression on the Alchemist, although one of his brows twitched for a second.

Keeping silent while he contemplated some manner, the old man finally moved and pulled out one of the vials he filled up earlier.

 

“Sure, I can explain. Just drink this and I will show you the knowledge you seek.”

In contrast to his easygoing manner, Carmen loudly complained.

“Old geezer, you know she is an important guest. What are you trying to do? If you poison  her and she dies, there will be many more complications than there already are.”

“It’s not that hard. The girl drinks the potion and we go over the whole ordeal or she does not and I won’t say a word. You know why and I know. Nothing complicated at all.”

“Give me a little face here and don’t insist on doing another stupid test of yours. The last disciple I sent to you for training came back with half of his face missing.”

“You heard me. It’s not that I want to make things difficult or act unreasonably. Nonetheless, the girl drinks the potion and passes or we are going nowhere. That’s it.”

Carmen and the Alchemist bickered back and forth, with the gorgeously dressed woman becoming increasingly more short tailed and the old man giving out more and more explicit responses.

While their argument went back and forth, the dragon inspected the vial on the table. The Alchemist had concocted it earlier, even putting off another Seat to finish it. Now the small glass radiated a steady haze of aura and mana in a spiral shape around its body. Based on the intensity of the glow and the brightness of the light, the ingredients combined into a potion or elixir of the fifth grade at least.

For what use it is intended or what effects it might have was beyond the elf’s expertise. She did not dare to make guesses either; the potent mixture might frighten ignorant laymen. Rightfully, Nisha should wait for the Golden Heel to broker a deal, but that was the thought of a coward and for lesser creatures.

 

She swept the glass tube off the table before either of the other two adults had a chance to protest, uncorked it and swallowed the contents in one big gulp.

The liquid went smoothly down her throat before it started wreaking havoc in her stomach.

Aside from the cool aftertaste and spicy flavoring, the rampaging fluid tore at her flesh and did its best to eat through her, much like the elf did to it before, in a rapid manner.

“Oh my, she went and did it. What am I supposed to do now? The others will not like to learn about another contract going up in flames. I liked the girl really well, too.”

Nisha grinned at the older female, who held her hands in front of her face, shaking her head.

The Alchemist, on the other hand, studied the elf, who did not behave as expected. Instead of thrashing around and melting into a puddle on the ground, the girl had the leeway to grin and stay composed.

“Interesting …”

Before he had a chance to voice his questions, Nisha beat him to speak up.

“It disturbs me how little faith you have in me, Carmen.”

Compared to her own blood raging through her veins and forging her flesh, the feeble little potion counted almost as only an afternoon snack.