The grass was trampled, evidence of the recent presence of troops, when Viki returned in the morning to the town called Zor. She jumped off the cart as the wagoneer was slowing down to a halt completely, but she couldn’t be bothered to wait.

She rushed straight to the workshop, ignoring the intrigued looks of the locals, who clearly were interested in her return. She burst inside, finding Bruno busy with his elixirs. He was standing behind the table, measuring portions of ingredients in preparation for the next step, which involved mixing them.

„Good morning,” he greeted her with a smile. „I hope you are in a rush to deliver me some good news.”

He surprised her, making her freeze on the spot. „Good morning,” she replied cautiously before closing the door behind herself, then she quickly approached closer. „What the hell is going on?” she hissed, lowering her voice.

„You mean the attack?” Bruno paused his alchemical efforts, placing the bottles down, then sighed heavily. „It was bound to happen sooner or later. We actually got lucky because we got plenty of peace, but don’t worry. They are just poking and sniffing around, hoping to get something. It’s unlikely they will force their way past the fort.”

„Hopefully,” she snorted. „I spoke with Durian, the leader of the rebels. He is keen to cooperate. He said it pretty much to my face that he wants more weapons.”

„I don’t care what I can do for him. I would much rather find out what he can do for me,” he countered with a cheeky smile.

„They have a number of people, ready to fight Katyan or die trying to take him down. He pretty much told me this to my face. I think that’s why they want the weapons...” Bruno suddenly started to chuckle, which forced Viki to stop speaking. She glared at him, and when he finally finished she couldn’t help herself but had to ask, „What’s so funny?”

„I had a dream last night. We started a rebellion to take over the Zoulan. We even won… But it didn’t end well in the end, so maybe this time we find a peaceful way? What else can they offer?”

Viki shrugged. „They are currently only stealing from the king. From his warehouses. It's mostly food. I saw bags of grain. There were barrels and crates as well, so I believe they are taking alcohol too. They bragged that they had access to the castle. I saw some pricey wine, so there might be some truth to that. They have this web of basements under their control...” She paused noticing that Bruno raised his hand to stop her.

„Wine? What wine did you see?” He asked, raising his eyebrows.

„Expensive brand...”

A big smile twisted his lips. „Expensive wine means it's probably what the king drinks. That’s something… Now… How can we use this?” His gaze shifted to the side, and he went silent, thinking.

Viki understood that it was a bad idea to interrupt him, so she waited.

Quite a moment later his gaze returned to her. He smiled. „Thank you, Viki. You’ve done great. Now… I need some time to come up with a proper plan, but I believe I’m close to finding a solution to our situation. A perfect solution… Yes,” the smile only widened. „Go get some rest.”

She rolled her eyes. „Sure,” she mumbled. „I’m going to tell the guys that you have something,” she added.

„That might be hard because they left with the army to fight.”

„What?!” She snapped.

Bruno stepped out of his workshop a few days later. The sun shone brightly, casting a gentle breeze that added to the beauty of the day. What greeted his eyes was a line of young people—some in their late teens, others in their early twenties—standing behind Bahir Veleryn.

Even further at the back, he noticed Viki, standing in the shadows of an alley between the inn and some kind of house. She watched the group with her arms crossed on her chest, leaning against the wall with her shoulder.

Some locals, passing by, gave her a curious glance, but only on a rare occasion, as most of them were focused on the strange gathering. Despite the size of Zor, the amount of humans in the heart of the town was surprising. Something far exciding what Bruno was used to when he first arrived in that place.

The youngsters appeared to be in high spirits, their wide smiles captivating. Their eyes focused on him, beaming with anticipation and excitement. To appear polite, he returned the smile.

"You summoned me," the young alchemist began, addressing the old man, "and I believe I know why."

"These are the brightest boys from their regions, each eager to learn the secrets of your incredible skills," Bahir replied, his face a perfect mask concealing any emotion the old fellow could be experiencing.

"Thank you, Sir Veleryn. I will make good use of them. Now, without further ado, let's begin." With those words, Bruno turned around, heading back into the laboratory. He gave Viki a last, quick glance in the process.

It was obvious she was pissed, and he could understand it. Sending Javohir and Raul to a battle was dangerous, but he had to make this gamble for the approaching future. Brish was the crucial military figure in the kingdom, so having him despise the whole group was beyond dangerous. They had to prove themselves in his eyes, and what better opportunity to stay behind the walls of the fort, occasionally shooting arrows at the enemy, until they decided to leave?

He left the door open as an invitation, so the group of youngsters followed with the old man closing behind them. Upon entering their eyes scattered to scan the interior as the view of alchemical equipment, plant samples, and the ingredients, as it all had its allure to the young, bright minds.

"Let's not waste any time and begin immediately," the young alchemist reiterated, pointing at the equipment on the table. "I should probably start with the growth formula, but it would be troublesome to arrange the means of production for you. Besides, it could be challenging to grasp without any prior alchemical education. Instead, we will focus on my recipe for fertile soil. I will then give you a tour of the facilities here, explaining everything so that you understand why you need to replicate them in your regions. Later, I will provide you with plans and, of course, the correct measurements for the soil's ingredients. That's the plan for today."

As he finished speaking, he gestured toward rows of pots housing fully grown plants still inside.

"This is something I expect you to establish as well. You see, the soil in your regions may differ from what we have here, so you'll need to determine the right proportions before expanding from a pot to a field. I'll provide more information after our return, but first, we need to take a short tour around the town." He approached the racks as he continued speaking, then proceeded straight out of the workshop. „After all you will have to establish similar facilities...”

And so began their stroll, visiting all the places he had established. They started outside the settlement, where charcoal was being produced, then moved on to the pottery workshop before passing by the dump on their way to the newly cultivated fields, already covered in green plants that would soon bear fruit. In the middle of the journey, Bahir decided to leave them.

Their last stop was back at the laboratory, where the young alchemist distributed a written recipe for the soil and architectural plans for the workshop he had prepared himself. He provided detailed explanations, concluding their long meeting.

"See you tomorrow. We'll be mixing the soil, so you'll gain some hands-on experience," he concluded, gesturing toward the exit. „When we cross the basics, then we will move to the next thing. I expect you here first thing in the morning.”

Most of them left, tired from the long walk and the exhaustive explanations filled with memorization-worthy details. However, three decided to stay. Two approached the racks with potted plants, examining the soil and the plants themselves, while one explored the alchemical equipment.

"You are full of curiosity," Bruno commented after observing them for a moment. He noticed that all three were trying their best to pretend as their eyes weren't lured toward the desk, where the book with his notes lay.

All three turned around, their faces displaying a mix of embarrassment and happiness.

"It's just unbelievable how much you were able to create with so little," one of them said, stepping closer to the young alchemist while scratching the back of his head.

He had short brown hair and a wide face with plump lips. There was a hint of hair on his chin, a sign of entering adulthood.

"My name is Rex, and I'm honored to be working with you. My region is to the southeast of here, and rumors of your achievements have already reached us. From the moment I heard about what you did, I dreamt of an opportunity like this," he said, grinning broadly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Rex. I'm also delighted to work with you. I hope you can bring prosperity to your region through what you'll learn here. I know you're all curious, but I have some tasks to attend to, so I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave," Bruno replied, maintaining a slight smile to project a sense of friendliness.

All three mumbled their apologies and promptly exited. He kept an eye on them until they left, and then his gaze drifted toward the notes on the desk. „Working like a charm,” he mumbled.