POV Mari
Old Gods of Asgard - Take Control
"I don't like this song, try something different next time."
As usual, the tablet started playing a song at the right time even without me setting an alarm. The downside being that the lyrics are stirring up unnecessary ideas and thoughts, making me feel uneasy about … too many things.
'Almost midnight, haaa, what an unpleasant way to start a day. I really should give this damn tablet back, but it's also an important source of information and a warning system…Tch.'
Tonight is our group's turn to hunt on the winter floor again, and if my math is right then another 2 sweeps will be enough to get us to Lv 2.
"Yawn, five hours of sleep are slowly becoming the standard for us, haa… another week and we can finally get back to following a proper daily schedule."
It doesn't take much time to make my bed and sneak out of the dormitory to meet up with Meiko and Hana outside. Cool fresh air and stretching our legs gets the last of our sleepiness erased. If not, then the biting cold will soon do that job.
"Juliana: Good day Boss Mari, Meiko, Hana. Umm… It kinda looks like it's going to be a girls only party this time."
"Morning." "Yawn, mm morning."
"Mari: Good morning. A new breakthrough?"
This news immediately catches my attention, as there are not that many reasons as to why he would not be joining us. Except for the obvious one: that he doesn't get any exp and should just stay put for his own good.
"Juliana: Mm, yeah, probably. Either that or he is making an apple pie, it's not always easy to guess whether he's engrossed in cooking or experimenting. Either way, I suggest that we leave him be for the night and go hunting by ourselves."
"Hana: Hm! Not like he adds much to the team. I don't see a problem with going without him, we may even return quicker."
"Meiko: I have to agree with Hana. Besides, we are only after the exp and not the loot, his passive skills would be of no use and Juliana can provide sufficient support on her own."
"Caw CAWCAW."
'There really should be no problems.' After hearing everyone's opinions, I agree with them and we head into the frigid environment.
POV Valentine
"Fucking finally! Some progress! These damn potions better earn me a hundredfold for all my suffering!"
Getting the next step right was not any easier than the previous one. Once again, I've been plagued with conflicting feelings from my skills and had to condemn myself to weeks worth of trial and error!
Simply shoving everything into the magic wine barrel resulted in a very minor improvement, around~5%. Basically, useless piss is what I've got for trying out the easiest method.
I've tried making wine out of the berries from the first floor, vodka with the potatoes on the second and cider with the apples from the third. Even though there is correlation between the improvement in quality to the materials used, it was still complete shit in the grand scheme of things.
I needed to find a way to process the ingredients to improve them before mixing everything together and letting the magic tool do the finishing touches.
What instinctual feeling I've got from focusing my entire being on the problem at hand, is that I needed to boil the ingredients… without boiling them…. And it made no sense!
There was no useful progress for the first week, as I've tried to do something that would give me at least a direction to move forward.
Drawing from my previous experience, I've done hundreds of battery tests and finally got a very positive response from one!
…I prefer to not look at the mana reserves, lest I get a heart attack.
Another week of further testing, and having Juliana tell me in the face that I'm wasting mana faster than it's gather, I've got a rough understanding of the correct procedure.
Firstly, I would soak the ingredients in plain water for a day, then comes the tricky part. I need to carefully dip and flash boil their surface in a mana rich water, depending on the material, it requires between 70-120 Mp.
Sorting the ingredients and getting the mana content right is a pain in the ass, and a huge expense that earned me a scolding. Not that I cared, when success was right before me.
I have no idea what the high dose of mana does internally but externally it eats away at the outer layers and gives me an indication of when to remove the ingredients.
Following the pseudo scalding, I need to sort the ingredients again and soak them in a milder mana infused water, still costing over 20 Mp. Refreshing the water two times finishes the job. However, adjusting the mana content at the last stage has yet to be perfected and I get variations in quality by about 20%.
Now, finally, I add everything into the magic wine barrel: healing water, sugar, bonding solution and processed fruit/potatoes/berries.
A few days later I get a stable, mid tier, healing potion… and a failed, high tier, barrel of cooking wine.
"Fuck, 120 Mp was too much but the 90 Mp potion gives of a good vibe, hmmm… two months before it starts breaking down... yeah, 3-4 months before it becomes just a normal drink or a spoiled drink. I'm not too sure on that."
'Well, as long as it can be kept at full power for a month, it already has fulfilled evening that I could ask for!' "Haha ha ha ha!!! Yess!! Yes damn it! In your face, alchemy! Cooking for the win!! Haha ha ha ha!"
I can almost hear the briefcases of cash being laid out and opened before me. This will bring me the big bucks! Now … now .. I only need to upgrade the system so that I can actually move around and enjoy life outside my fucking cage.
I can't risk drawing too much attention to the HQ. I need bases a bit of a distance away, especially if I want to get some intimate action.
"Uggh shit. Fuu fuu, deep breaths fuu fuuu."
I haven't gotten rid of the phantom pain from that incident, and thinking about sexy time brings back unpleasant feelings of being … .
"Fuck my life, haaaaa, all the women here are crazy anime people! Is there a single normal woman in Japan? Or am I going to be fucked over again if reach out to a call girl? Haaa, why must I have been sent to Japan? Why not France? I'm sure that I could have found a normal woman there just by taking a few steps!"
'Hehe, of course not, that wouldn't have been entertaining enough for that Devil! I bet that it has sent me here to be tormented for shits and giggles! That piece of shit!'
"`Sigh, I'm not in the mood anymore. Let's just clean up for today. Hm, what time is it anyway? Oh.. 3 a.m. … Doesn't matter, they can have fun by themselves today, a simple shout out that they are going would have been good manners."
'Unless I have been too engrossed and didn't pay attention to anything around me. Hmm… better make them breakfast in case it was actually my shortcoming.'
The girls should be hunting for another hour and then an hour spent on the small things: walking back, putting gear away, maintenance, shower, girl things, etc.
"Ok, plenty of time to sort out my own things here."
Now that I have a passable method for making healing potions, some horrible questions will need to be answered.
I fill up a one liter bottle and ask myself: "How much healing can you actually do?" A bathtub worth of water, infused with 100 Mp can pretty much heal any damage up to missing parts. How much can a single bottle heal, if the cost of making one full batch is around a fucking 1200 Mp?
'Damn, this is a sooo inefficient! I lose half the total mana cost to the fucking air! This needs to be fixed, otherwise it's no better than using a bucket with a dozen holes to store water!"
There will also need to be … trials. Clinical experiments to get some concrete data. A volunteer to undergo "testing".
This is something that I've avoided thinking about, fearing that the volunteer will be chosen from the male members of our little group… and there is only one male in this group if you exclude the old pervert that hasn't come around after his major fuck-up.
Honestly, I fear that men and cattle are at around the same standing in the eyes of the women here. The unspeakable incident sure as hell doesn't make my fears any less unfounded.
I spend the next hours busy working in the kitchen, while also thinking about a good way to broach the subject of clinical trials and how to not end up as a lab rat myself.
"I've suffered one too many nightmares already, and I don't want to add to that number willingly."
POV Mari
"Caw caaw."
"Mari: Good work everyone! That's the last of them for today."
With the last of the monsters slain, I retrieve my arrows before they get absorbed by the dungeon. They are good for another dozen uses before succumbing to the eventual bending, or chipping, or fracturing, or simply being lost in all this snow.
Empowering the arrows with my skill does help with dealing damage, but I've lost too many arrows before grasping the fine adjustments needed to not break them.
"Hana: Picked up the further ones, here you go."
"Mari: Thank you Hana. Your display with the wind blades was a work of art, if only your opponent was more pleasant to the eyes it would have been perfect."
It isn't really an exaggeration, her handling of the weapons and skills deserve praise.
"Hana: Thanks. I think we all deserve a bit of a celebration for coming this far."
"Meiko: Oh? Anything in particular on your mind?"
"Hana: Actually, yes. I was looking up places to go rafting. Now, hear me out: we've had floors with a forest, a mountain and this frozen wasteland, how soon will we get down to a flooded floor or worse, a completely submerged floor? I have no illusions that we'll be able to fight freely underwater, but getting some experience with rafts can come in handy."
'Indeed, this is one of our big worries. Considering the increase in danger with every floor, a submerged level with aquatic monsters will be too dangerous to even attempt.'
"Mari: We can look it up and discuss with the rest. I'm sure that a few days away from all this cold would do good for moral."
As we move from one downed group of monsters to the other waiting for them to turn into exp, we have some time to relax and chat between us. Juliana, being a serious bodyguard, is keeping a vigilant watch on the surroundings, allowing us to let our guard down.
.. .. .. ..
Once we are back, we set aside our gear to dry and do a bit of maintenance. Dipping into the hot springs infused with a couple points of mana washes away every minute damage to our skin, leaving only unblemished perfection and a touch of tiredness.
'A small price to pay for keeping us in top form. .. ..Hmmm, smells like breakfast is ready.'
Hours of walking and fighting leaves us craving for a hefty breakfast and the prepared table before us doesn't disappoint.
"Caw Caw Caw."
"Valentine: No, I didn't put your portion on the table. Have you had a proper bath after coming back? With shampoo and a brush? No? Then you eat separately!"
"Caw CACAW Caw!"
"Valentine: Write up a complaint then. Oh, right! You don't have hands!! It's basic hygiene and not discrimination. Just take the damn bath next time!"
I can't help but look away when they turn to look at me. 'It's not like I would mind having you all around our table, but I also have to take into account everyone else and follow table manners. I've even suggested for you to get washed! You reap what you sow, my hands are tied this time.'
"Mari: I'll make sure to get you all nice and clean after our next delve, there is plenty of shampoo left. You can call the others and eat together on the roof."
As a compromise, I take the bowls upstairs myself and set the table for my little brave warriors.
..
"Meiko: Lady Mari, have some of this apple pie it is especially good today! And this juice too!"
I taste the offered drink, confirming my suspicion.
"Mari: Meiko, this is wine, don't drink too much of it. It tastes to be around 3%? A bit less?"
"Juliana: Tastes like juice if you ask me, good juice mind you. I also agree about the pie, I know what I'll be asking for takeout today."
"Meiko: Really? It doesn't taste unpleasantly, so I didn't notice, please excuse my lack of awareness."
"Hana: Come on, it's not a big deal, this barely qualifies as wine! Simply good juice!"
"Mari: Hana, one glass will be enough for you too. We still have a long day ahead of us, have some tea instead."
If the alcohol content was any higher I would be suspecting foul play. This… this is an unexpected result. 'How come they are this weak to alcohol? I don't feel almost anything from drinking it and Juliana is fine after finishing the third glass. I guess it's better to know such facts now than during an important event.'
As we continue relaxing, I notice that Mr Valentine has been throwing glances our way but hesitates to do anything after lingering on Hana and Juliana. I don't think that Hana notices and Juliana is pretending to not notice. I call out first, to dispell this slowly building tension.
"Mari: Mr. Valentine, how did your tests go? Is this wine one of the results?" 'I don't remember tasting this wine assemblage before just now. It carries refreshingly light notes and has surprisingly no clinging aftertaste. I may ask to send a couple of bottles home.'
The response is given with a face of a person sucking on a whole lemon.
"Valentine: Yes.. ..it was supposed to be a 120 Mp potion.. .. it's a failure that I'm half inclined to blame on the low quality ingredients, and half on my lack of understanding the underlying principles of potions making."
'Oh.. another failure then and looking at the mana reserves, an expensive one at that.'
"Haaa… I have. Made progress. .. `Thud .. Here, 90 Mp, full strength for at least 2 months and slowly degrading for another month."
A bottle of clear liquid is set before me, and we all pierce it with our eyes as soon as the details are said out loud.
'Two months…and infused with 90 points of healing mana. This can be used outside, across the whole world.'
"Valentine: Here comes the tricky part: there is a need to actually test its potency. As you can see it's not exactly a bathtub filled with healing water, we need to know what a small amount can do… You've done this sort of experiments when the healing function was just added, do them again. Also, when someone gets injured, have them use this, unless it's a life threatening injury."
'That is not enough, this requires in-depth testing and … practical case studies on injured people. I'll need to call in father for a lengthy discussion.'
"Valentine: Additionally… The cost of making one batch.. haaa… If I count absolutely everything, to make 50 bottles… it's around a thousand."
"Juliana: FUCK! A thousand mana!? That's two days of hard work, clearing all the floors!"
"Valentine: That's already the best I can do, if the healing water was more stable I could have cut it down more, if I go to personally kill the monster for loot that's another 30% of savings. You know the problem with both of those, and I also need a day to work on the ingredients, plus two days of fermenting it in the barrel."
Upon discerning the dark tone in his reply, I hastily intervene.
"Mari: This is already a worthy accomplishment. We will have more free time to gather mana during the vacation after we no longer need the exp. Do you need anything to make the first batch?"
"Valentine: No, I have enough ingredients for one batch if that's enough for you. …It will cost you more than the one before."
I smile at that menacing comment. What he is asking for is loose pocket change and if you take into account the revolutionary product, it's basically given away for free.
"Mari: I'll inform father. Thank you for your hard work."
"Valentine: hm! a smile won't give you a discount."
A quiet retort and fidgeting almost send me laughing. I'm really tempted to come clean and tell him to ask for more.
"Valentine: Kuhum! There's another matter I wanted to talk about. The byproducts I get from making this potion type. If my calculations are correct, I'll be getting 40 kg of apple mush. Now, usually I'd use it in for something, either turn it into powder for flavouring or a dye. BUT! This time, the ingredients are specially processed and retain a fraction of the healing properties, even after I run them through the magic drying tool. So, that will be close to 800 grams of powder. I've just done a quick test before you have arrived, a gram of powder dissolved in a liter of water heals scratches. And before you ask, no, it's not potent enough to heal more than a paper cut no matter how it's processed. Haa..what I'm getting at is…can we sell this? Turn it into an improved version of cream for cuts and scrapes, or hand lotion? I've used to need one when after a week of working the skin on my fingers got cracks. I would have been willing to pay for a very good one a bit over 10£, you know make it a premium price around 30£ per 100 ml bottle."
"Mari: e ehe he ha ha ha ha haha!" This is too much, I couldn't hold it in.
'God, how oblivious can one be? High-end cosmetics that magically heal your skin in moments without any side effects would be worth ten times for a tenth of the volume! Haa…, now that I think about it, can this be used for our plans? Hmmm? Yes, yes it can.'
"Mari: Sorry, sorry. Don't mind me. Haaa, ha. Anyways, I think that we can surely make something out of this. It will also require testing, like any new skin products do, so don't expect any dividends too soon. I'll take the powder with the first batch of potions to run trials."
'Aah, that was a good laugh. This promises to be a good day.'
"Valentine: Sure…"
"Meiko: Oh! It's about time for us to go, we need to get changed before the lecture."
..
"Hana: Hm! Men are too stupid for this, like putting pearls before swine. 5000 ¥ for 100 ml of a magic, skin healing lotion! Can you believe that nonsense!? People would scoff at it and not even consider buying!"
"Meiko: Perhaps for a 10 ml sample, as an advertisement? To wet people's taste? If it works as good as the healing hot springs… There will be people fighting to get a single bottle, or offering to pay any price."
"Hana: Just looking at all the girls harping us to share what we use to keep our skin pristine, I'd say it's a starving market from the get go."
"Mari: Now, now, ladies. It's quite understandable that not everyone has our sensibilities… . Don't you think that this can be used to further our plans? A clear example of our collective "inventions" that can build up a company worth billions? I think that it will get plenty of people to take us very seriously."
"Meiko: …It would help the seniors to make a strong case, and if the potions prove to be effective, then I can't see any way for their parents to refuse."
"Hana: Yeah, not many people are as naive as he is."
"Mari: There will be much to do and little time, heh, nothing new there."
"Meiko: Yes, that is unfortunately true."
"Hana: An extra cup of coffee and we can tackle anything!"
'… It's gratifying to have comrades to lean on.'
"Mari: Ha ha ha! Then we better get this done by the next week so that we can go on a proper vacation!"
