Chapter 116
Asking for Money
Sponsored Content
Claude finished yet another potion . Another potion . Landes' instructions had been meticulous and clear, and Claude had followed them to the letter .
He'd outdone even his teacher, and done it without much exertion . It seemed as well that he had outdone most alchemists since the war, as all the textbooks he'd read said only the best post-war apothecaries could make proper potions these days . Potions had vanished from all but the elite circles after the magi's fall .
Modern herbalists relied on machines and experimental apparati to treat the herbs and make the concoctions . That was why making a concoction of eight-tenths efficacy compared to potions was the best they could do .
Yet, Landes mentioned in his diary that anything short of a potion was a failure . Lorist believed it was due to the usage of arrays to synthesize various potions, whereas herbalists had to use other methods to simulate the synthesis . The herbalists were at a disadvantage from the get-go .
Claude had some experience with that as well . He had tried using the machines and tools in his mistress' lab to concoct potions and failed . But now he had an array; all he had to do was handle the materials as Landes instructed .
He looked at the twenty-odd crystal tubes on his shelf and scratched his head . How was he going to deal with the potions? He couldn't just sell them to an apothecary .
Sponsored Content
Maria was an intermediate-rank herbalist, but she could at best create mediocre concoctions . His name would instantly be known throughout the kingdom the moment someone learnt of his ability to concoct potions . However, he'd spent most of his money to get the material he'd used for those potions . He had to sell them one way or another to make his money back .
If only they'd been just concoctions . If he brought superior concoctions to the apothecary, everyone would just think he had an excellent talent his mistress had spotted and cultivated well . There was no downplaying a potion, however . The way he might be able to sell them was to degrade them back down to concoctions . Unfortunately, no one in their right mind would have wanted to do that in Landes' time, so he'd not talked about how that might be done . Claude didn't even know if it was really possible without ruining the potion entirely .
Potions couldn't just be diluted like alcohol or other solutions . Even just concoctions didn't mix with water . Something changed in them during the concocting process and they became like oil to water . They could be mixed with water under specific circumstances, namely, if the concoction was heated to a very specific temperature, but in most cases that completely ruined the concoction .
Half an hour of ponderance gave Claude just two possible solutions . He could either send the potions to his mistress in the capital and leave dealing with them up to her -- the capital had a large enough circle of elites that potions weren't an unheard-of thing, though they were still exceedingly rare -- or he could sell the potions directly to Hurian while doing his utmost to hide his identity . The first option would take time and he'd have to pay for a courier to take it to the city, while the other would force him to deal with that fat old man again .
His purchase had been eyebrow-raising, but not enough to engendre suspicion, and his excuse of excellent backing had allayed much of the wonder as to where he'd gotten the funds to purchase such expensive materials . That excuse, however, would not work for the potions . Hurian would no doubt save no expense to learn who he was once he realised he could make potions .
Even worse, he'd bought most of the materials he'd needed for the potions in his original identity from town . Hurian only had to ask the right people the right questions and he could easily put two and two together .
Sponsored Content
He sighed and decided to leave the stuff in his laboratory . They were properly stored so they wouldn't lose their efficacy, and thus their value, anytime soon . He'd think about difficult things later . Claude headed up to the bathroom to have a bath, and clean up his face and hair . Almost two days of straight work did not sit well with his appearances .
People shouldn't be obsessed over everything, Claude thought when he got out of his bath . He'd not even changed or washed his clothes for several days since he'd gotten started with his array . Siori had come to him the day before to tell him something, but ran away the moment he opened the door .
He checked the calendar hanging above the small desk against the wall . The 18th of the 11th month . Winter was coming on strongly and there were just 26 days left before his graduation . His parents would be there, too .
The thought of his parents reminded him . He'd not been back to his parents' house in over a week and a half . He'd spent the whole time in his new laboratory . If not for him running out of materials, he suspected he might have happily continued locking himself up in that small room for months .
Claude's mind had been wholly occupied with refining or topics related to it, such as how to sell his potions, for days now . No wonder Landes mentioned losing track of time and losing days on end so often . The sense of satisfaction from successfully concocting a potion was positively addictive .
He slapped himself a couple times, got dressed, and left the hut . The sky was dark and it threatened to rain . Well, either rain or snow, Claude thought, shivering as he rubbed his arms furiously to and win back some heat .
Despite his discomfort, he fetched his musket and prepared to go out on patrol .
Sponsored Content
Siori was busy in the stable, and waved at him as he walked past .
"Sorry, Uncle . I was locked in my studies so I couldn't afford being interrupted . About what did you want to see me again?" Claude asked, stopping by the stable door .
"It's nothing much," Siori said a little forced, "Winter is just about here and Lancy and I usually cut down a couple old trees for firewood . You're the supervisor now, though, so we need your permission to fell any trees on the estate . We were hoping to make charcoal . "
"Charcoal? No problem . And no need to ask me . You can make as much as you want . Anyway, I'm heading out on my patrol now!" Claude said as he mounted Jemmy and galloped off for the woodline .
It didn't take him long to spot a drove of goats . Claude let the arrow fly and one fell immediately . He didn't run into anything else that day, and soon was on his way back to the manor .
He stopped by the stream to skin the goat . While he was at it he decided to butcher the entire animal . He gave half the meet to Siori and kept the rest for himself . The meet was quickly stored and soon after he set out with the carriage, heading for town . He arrived just before his mother started with dinner .
He felt the awkward atmosphere the moment he set foot through the door, and his eyes darted around suspiciously . His mother was pale and he saw that her smile didn't reach her eyes . She took the meat he brought with him without her usual enthusiasm and thanks as well, getting back to work again immediately . His father was his usual piped statue by the dining table . All the house's windows were shut .
Bloweyk darted into his embrace the moment he noticed his presence . His cheeks were wet with tears . Even the snowhound, which had turned into the two children's perpetual shadow was appeared lacklustre .
"What happened, Father?" Claude asked, "Did Arbeit cause trouble again?"
Claude naturally immediately suspected his good-for-nothing older brother . He was almost always the cause of any trouble at home . He remembered suddenly, too, that he'd seen the bastard go whoring in the slums and wondered what fresh scandal he'd brought on the family this time .
Morssen shook his head .
"It has nothing to do with him . But don't worry, it should pass soon . And why are you back now? You didn't come for a visit when the school break started . Your mother even made a feast to welcome you home again, but you didn't show . "
"Sorry, I was just too busy with my studies . I completely lost track of the date .
"I happened to hunt a wild goat in the woods today and brought some back . I've also come for my winter clothes . Also, have you received the school's invitation to the graduation ceremony yet? If not you should soon, but you all know when it is . . . " Claude's voice trailed off for a long moment while he gathered himself, "I've been working in the woods for a couple months now, but I haven't taken my salary yet, could I withdraw it all now?"