During these past few weeks, your homestead has undergone some major developments.

While the palisades and watchtowers remain to defend this plot of land, what lies within these walls is far from familiar. In place of a lush and bountiful fruit and vegetable garden, your land instead hosts a deep pit, from which dirt and stone are extracted.

The goal of this quarry is clear, to unearth the underground volcano hidden beneath the meadow and obtain the Fire Crystal in its core.

Needless to say, the Stoneweaver Dwarves are the ones helming the operation. To dig and to mine is in their blood. A day after the deal was signed, the dwarves sent their hardiest miners and strongest tools to your compound, where they tirelessly worked on excavating the grounds.

As you are willing to aid them in their endeavors, the elves also lend a hand, providing the dwarves with Elderwood timber that serves as sturdy scaffolding and platforms. It was a wondrous sight, to witness these masters of stone and wood collaborate so closely on this effort.

Earlier today you received a letter from Silvain. It details how the mining team has finally broken into a cavern that connects to the underground volcano.

However, before you head over to the compound you pay a visit to the now-restored apothecary. Entering the building no longer tainted with purple sludge, you are greeted by Elder Anna.

"Hey, Nameless Seer!" Anna waves at you from her alchemy station. "Fancy seeing you here. I figured you'd already be at the excavation site."

"I will in a bit. I just came here to finish something."

"Finish something? You been fermenting ingredients here or what?"

"No, nothing of the sort. I'll simply be brewing some potions."

"Well, if you need my guidance, I"ll be right here as always."

Upon registering her words you flinch, only to mutter under your breath, "Soon I won't."

You patiently set up a lab using things from the storage room. The clinks from the glass apparatuses have become sounds you've grown used to.

The recipe you're following calls for Whitewidow Mosses and Blue Caps, two ingredients you've gathered from Whitewidow Grotto. It feels like forever ago since you explored those caves and incinerated those spiders.

And using a mortar and pestle, you mash the ingredients together into a fine paste.

"Oh, you're making healing potions?" Anna deduces from the smell alone. "I suppose you'll need scores of them if you're traversing flame-ridden chambers."

"Heh... as always, your experience in the field is second to none," you remark with a stifled laugh.

"Gosh, again with the compliments. I can't focus on my work if you make me blush like that, you know?!"

You chuckle at her comment as you light a fire beneath the water-filled retort. Once the water comes to a boil, you add the blend of ingredients while stirring constantly. You can't help but hearken back to the time you whisked egg whites to bake into ladyfingers.

Even that seems like a distant memory.

When the mixture thickens, you pass it through a strainer and pour the remaining fluids into an alembic. It is from this necked flask that a vibrant pink and bubbly concoction is distilled.

A healing potion, made by you and you alone.

A month ago, such a prospect would have been seen as impossible. But here you are now, brewing concoctions like a pro. And in a few minutes, this prospect of being a certified pro will become more than a mere pipe dream.

Anna saunters to your side and observes the process.

"It's hard to believe you only started learning recently," she folds her arms and admires your handiwork. "This is already a high-quality product!"

"Mm. I can't have done it without you," you try not to look at her.

Suddenly, you feel her arms wrap around you from behind. And the Elder rests her head on yours.

"You should praise yourself more," she softly says as she hugs you tightly. "Alchemy isn't a skill just anybody can master. Just look at Leronil and Celia, they're still working hard to simply get a hang of it."

You nod, keeping your eyes on the pink liquid that drips into the receiver. "I guess..."

"Honestly... Here you are, my greatest apprentice, doubting your own capabilities while I comfort you."

"Elder Anna..."

"As Grimdal would say, 'You're too weak! Be stronger!'," the woman mimics his gruff voice. "Or something like that! That guy always goes on about strength and whatnot."

"Elder Anna..?"

"At any rate, it's a good thing you still have a long way to go. We can work on your confidence till then! We can't have a master alchemist that doesn't have faith in herself right?"

"Elder Anna..!" your voice gets through to her.

And the last drop of the healing potion falls into the glass receptacle.

[Healing Potion]

Description: A bubbly pink concoction that restores your health. Its quality determines how much it heals its drinker.

Quality: Flawless

Weight: 0.5

Silence fills the room as the realization slowly sinks in for the woman.

"Heh..." Anna lets out a poignant chuckle. "What the heck..?"

You've maxed out your「ALCHEMY」skill!

Talent Unlocked: Perfect Product

Description: All negative side-effects are removed and all positive effects are enhanced, thus making any potion created the purest possible product.

"I've already maxed out my alchemy skill..." you quietly mouth. "My apprenticeship here is effectively over."

The Elder stumbles backward, releasing you from her embrace, and she faces you with a plaintive stare.

"Congrats, Nameless Seer," you can sense the sadness in her tone. "You're pretty amazing to have gotten this far. You're practically on my level now!"

"Elder Anna..."

"Don't worry! I'm well into my 500s, so I'm used to farewells like this. I understand the nature of your existence makes it hard for you to stay in one place for long. Even I had a phase where I couldn't stand living in this cramped valley!"

"Mm."

"I remember it like it was yesterday. I left, traveled to distant lands, encountered myriad different races, and learned an abundance of fantastical things! It was there that I discovered the wonders of alchemy, and from then on I devoted my life to the craft! I spent every day memorizing recipes, experimenting with unorthodox techniques, and testing the effect of countless mixtures!"

Listening to tales of Anna's past brings great joy to you, and you stand there with a lopsided smile as she goes on.

"But at some point..." the glint in her eyes fade away, "I yearned to return here. I wished to see the luxuriant greenery and colossal trees I had grown up surrounded by..."

"Mm," you keep your gaze on your feet.

"So one day, I simply up and went home. I came back here without so much an explanation and set up an apothecary in the village. I used the knowledge and experience I'd gained over the years to help and treat my kindred."

"Mm..."

"So, that's my story," she awkwardly grins. "I assume after you complete your long-blade training, you'll embark on the same journey I went on."

"Yeah, alongside the Mystfox..."

"I see. That's good. You won't be alone on your travels at least..."

Another lull occupies the space between the exchange, and you turn your mind to the large receptacle holding the healing liquid. You prepare five flasks and pour the mixture into each of them. The result is 5 healing potions, which you promptly stow in your belt bag.

As Anna stays reticent, you figure you should leave now and allow the lingering regrets to be laid to rest.

Approaching the door though, the Elder speaks up.

"H-hey, Nameless Seer?" her voice is shaky and her tone is uneven. "When you exit, please don't come back in for a while."

"Eh..?"

"Just do it, you troublesome apprentice!"

Without thinking much of it, you step outside and close the door behind you.

Taking a deep breath, you sprint for the dug-up volcano with Supersonic Speed. It is as though you run away from the crushing reality of your eventual departure. And when you arrive you are met with a breathtaking view.

"Took you long enough!" Silvain scuttles over to you. "The expedition team is ready to explore the caverns. They almost left without you, you know?!"

"Sorry, sorry," you put your palms together and incline your head. "I was making potions for the trip."

"Oh, you're an alchemist?"

"I wouldn't call myself an alchemist but... I do dabble."

"Again with your modesty," the man sighs. "Mind if I check the goods?"

"U-uh... sure," you plunge your hand into your bag and pull out one of your healing potions. "That aside, I'm surprised you managed to get this much done in less than a fortnight."

"Yes... these dwarves are a close-knit community. They can accomplish anything when they put their heads together."

"No different than the elves then..." you whisper to yourself.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing."

Before you lies a massive quarry, intricately designed to avoid landslides or collapse from above. This bottomless hole is situated a few yards in front of your house, and an enormous chunk of the hill your home sits on has been removed.

You're quite impressed that the house hasn't been swallowed up by the hole, given its precarious position.

"My goodness!" Silvain exclaims. "I've never seen a concoction this pure before! Are you some potion-brewing prodigy?!"

"Ahaha... well, I did have a marvelous teacher."

"C-can I take this one home? I'd like to share it with my colleagues."

"E-eh?! Is it actually something worth showing to your friends?!"

"But of course! If I present this to my order, they're sure to pay me handsomely!"

"O-oi... you're thinking of monetizing my work..?"

"I can give you a cut of the gold I'll receive!"

"That's not really the issue here, dude..."

The masked man's greed aside, you look to the hollow in the center of the compound and brace yourself for the journey ahead. Keeping Elder Anna's sorrow close to your heart, you trudge onwards, resolved to find this Fire Crystal and save the dwarven kingdom once and for all.