As Bahir approached the newly repurposed warehouse, an unexpected sight greeted his eyes. Two large racks positioned on opposite sides of the entrance displayed rows upon rows of pots. Each vessel cradled a plant at a different stage of growth—some just sprouting, while others would have to be flourishing at least for several weeks.

He paused momentarily, drawn to the intriguing display, before stepping into the alchemical laboratory. Inside, Bruno was diligently engrossed in his work at one of the tables.

The entire interior had undergone a remarkable transformation. While the space was far from brimming with equipment, the young alchemist had made the most of what was available. Additional racks held pots with sprouting plants, while a single bookshelf housed several books.

The most important change, though, was the light pouring down through the freshly cut window, up on the wall, and under the roof.

"I received your message. I intended to visit regardless, to check on your progress," the old man stated.

Bruno turned to face him upon hearing his voice.

"I predicted you would, but the time is of the essence, thus I needed to see you now before you made up your mind to come here on your own," the boy retorted. "Now... Let's move on to more important matters. I require a blacksmith's workshop in town. I requested one, but you haven't delivered on that front. I have a few items that need to be crafted. I also want a piece of nearby land repurposed—the first test field. I believe I have developed a promising formula. Oh, and books. More books."

"Formula?" the old man inquired, raising an intrigued eyebrow. Yet, receiving no immediate response, he pressed on. "As for the blacksmith, there is the local one. I made sure he would be available for you."

"No," Bruno asserted. "I need one just for myself. In fact, I will require several eventually, but that's a matter for the future. For now, I seek a skilled individual who can assist me in constructing the initial sprinkling device," the young alchemist explained animatedly, punctuating his words with sweeping gestures, before he moved toward the desk to pick up the book with his notes, laying on top. „A guy who only knows how to fix a scythe, or make a horseshoe is no good.”

"A sprinkling device?" Bahir's eyebrows shot up, his surprise evident.

"Yes," the young alchemist confirmed, flipping the pages until he arrived at the correct one, then he moved toward the old man, presenting him with the sketches. "You see... It is not enough for us to accelerate plant growth. We must also protect them afterward. Animals pose a minor problem, as we can construct fences, but insects will inevitably find a way in. That's why I'm working on an alchemical substance that repels pests while remaining harmless to the plants and the people who eventually will consume the crops.”

The old man's eyebrows furrowed as he leaned forward to analyze the strange plan of the even stranger device depicted on two pages.

„As you can see,” Bruno closed the book and pointed at the racks, „my elixirs work. Some of those plants are fully grown, and yet it has been only a week since I planted the seeds in those pots. I still am trying to figure out the most affordable recipe that would provide us with the best results, but I believe it’s time to start preparing for the next step.”

"Yes… You seem to be doing remarkably well,” the old man said more as if pondering to himself, than speaking to the young alchemist. „I'll see what can be done," Bahir added after a moment of silence. "I'll come by next week."

With those words, he turned around and departed. Bruno watched him until he disappeared behind the closed door, then brought the book back to the desk, where he left it. „The first step of our little dance,” he murmured before returning to his work. However, his concentration was interrupted when someone else abruptly barged in. Upon turning around, the young alchemist found himself face-to-face with Javohir.

"How can I help you?" Bruno threw at the Exalonian, arming himself with a smirk full of confidence.

"I saw that old fart, Bahir, leaving. Is he spying on us?" Javohir whispered.

"Yes, I told you it would be like this," Bruno reminded him, keeping his voice quiet as well.

The Exalonian sighed in response. There was more he wished to speak about as he didn’t budge from the spot he was standing on, but his eyes darted to the side as if looking for inspiration, or a pretext to continue the conversation. Bruno observed this patiently in silence, but as a moment passed, and Javohir didn’t find the right words, he felt like he couldn’t stale this anymore.

„I see that something else is troubling you, so please feel free to speak,” he encouraged.

„Raul… I think he is in love with Viki,” the Exalonian stated, after his eyes darted back to the young alchemist, and his face became deadly serious.

„I am aware.”

„And that doesn’t bother you?” Javohir's eyebrows climbed up his forehead. „I thought you and her...”

„Were in love?”

„Well… Yes.”

A chuckle left Bruno’s mouth. „I’m afraid the situation is a bit more complex,” he sighed, then turned around to resume his work with the elixirs. „She does have feelings for me, but I can’t, without a doubt, say that my feelings toward her are the same. She is dear to me. Very dear. You, for example, are a friend, a companion. She is more than that, but is that love? I can’t tell,” he sighed again.

A smile bloomed on Javohir’s lips, and he approached the young alchemist to place his arm on the young man’s shoulder. „As smart as you are, sometimes you are a fool, Bruno,” he said, then patted that shoulder.

„Are you suggesting that what I’m feeling is love, but I can’t recognize it?”

The exalonian chuckled, ”Yes. That is what I’m suggesting.”

„There is a possibility you could be right, but even if you are, I can’t allow myself to be distracted with feelings of such volume. There will be time for this, and then I’ll revise how I feel about her, but that is reserved for the future,” Bruno agreed.

„A fool, bigger than I thought,” Javohir patted him again.

This produced a broken laughter from the young alchemist’s mouth, as he turned to look his friend straight in the face. „Fool? Shouldn’t you be visiting the mines by now instead of coming here to throw insults?” He raised his eyebrows.

The Exalonian laughed out loud. „I’m working on it. I visited it once so far,” he informed, and his expression shifted by a hundred and eighty degrees, turning very grim.

„And?”

„And? It’s tragic. People are worked to the bone. The guards are everywhere. One of them was with me at all times. In a way that place reminded me about The Hole,” he sighed. „They are fed well, but…”

„I see… We will help them after I’m done with the farming problems. For now, continue to visit them. Look for a way to speak with the workers alone, so you can learn how they feel about the king. Oh, and take some booze with you. Alcohol is great at untying the tongues… You need to appear as a friend to those people. Try to not annoy the militia as well… You should be getting closer to them too.”

Javohir shook his head, then turned around to leave. He waved his hand dismissively saying, „I’m working on it.”

„Then work harder!” Bruno shouted at his leaving friend before he returned to alchemy.