I received the quest remuneration, stolen treasures, and an item. Honestly, they aren't anything worth mentioning. The true reward is the experience. That's such a stinky line to say.
"Well then, looks like today's rewards were pretty lousy."
"We convinced ourselves to make this gamble and lost. Next time, I won't lose!"
Honestly, his burning spirit never changes. I say my farewells so that I can seclude myself in [Atelier].
I release a sigh of happiness as I arrange a darkish potion and a worn down memo pad before myself, "Haa, time to compound a medicine that cures poison and status conditions."
This compound poison is the [Thieves' Secret Poison]. It's extremely rare. However, since the system randomly generates the effects, there are variations in its performance. Mixing two types of poisons yield an [Incomplete Thieves' Secret Poison]. Three types yield a [Trial Cultivation Thieves' Secret Poison]. Four types yield the [Thieves' Secret Poison]. It's an item with the same name as secret poison along with its effects. Put short, it's a configuration of physical status conditions. It inflicts four effects: poison, paralysis, sleep, and stun. The potency of each condition ranges from 1 to 5.
The current poison here has all four secret poisons, but the potency of each is at its weakest, level 1. "Even so, there's worth in just having it on hand."
I'll thoroughly research this sample and reproduce it. Also, if there's a poison that can inflict a compound of status conditions, then there should be a medicine that cures it.
No, I once tried conducting an experiment to make one and messed up.
"Even if I try mixing status condition medicines together, the effect of the latter medicine overwrites the former. I can't boil poisons down either. Their effects disappears when I boil them too much. In the cases they do mix, various other problems arise from over diluting."
I try mixing them normally, concentrating them, and diluting them. Combining various materials in order to increase the number of effects results in the final ingredient added overwriting the previous one. At the same time, those ingredients thin themselves out. The same applies to creating a status condition potion.
I quit experimenting to stop myself from wasting raw materials on a fruitless task and decided to wait for more information to appear.
"Did you try growing raw materials for this task?"
Did you test the various new materials that have appeared?
"One of those might be a hint."
There was a time I thought that way.
The 1st day
"Nope, this combination is doesn't work. Next."
The 2nd day
"No good. I tried mixing the ingredients, but that was useless. Do I have to complete another step so that I can mixing the poisons in order to combine the ingredients? The cure isn't working out either"
The 3rd day
"Daa! This mixture is too big. I overlooked something somewhere. The problem isn't with the ingredients, but an error in the process."
The 4th day
"..Boiling is no good. Dissolving the ashes in water is no good either. Extracting the component by evaporating the moisture failed. Combining herbs weakens their effects. No, the process of combining herbs can be utilized in a different way to make items, but."
I mumble the messy contents of my notepad aloud. I'm pretty sure looking into a mirror would reveal a creepy sight. Sometimes, acquaintances stopped by and got worried, but these sort of challenges are pretty common for crafters.
"Urghh, this is no good. This is the resurrection potion all over again. No, this is even harder. The library is no help either. It barely has any books covering this recipe. I must have missed something somewhere. Mmmm."
I think about it, but nothing comes to mind. I decide to brush Zakuro and Ryui for a change of pace while I rack my brain on this.
"Since it's a thief's recipe, will I understand something from a thief type quest? Should I accept a thief quest to investigate?" The information might be fragmented and hidden within other quests. As of now, I only know what materials I need to make the status condition cure.
"All right, should I give it my best one more time?"
"Your best for what, Jou-chan?"
"Obviously for the creation of a new recipe. Since I have part of a recipe, the rest huh?"
Since I was enjoying the massage Zakuro's fluffiness was giving my knees, I didn't notice the grinning faces of Mikadzuchi and Sei-nee appear in front of me.
I feel something terrifying hidden behind their smiles. "Etto Sei-anee? Mikadzuchi? What's up?"
"Ufufufufu"
No, when I look up at their smiling faces, all I see is an eerie shadow. In other words, it's like they're saying, "I'm angry."
"..I'm sorry."
"Ara ara, has Yun-chan done anything to apologize for?"
"Etto, this"
I apologized because I felt like I had to, but even that was useless.
"Sei, Jou-chan doesn't get it even with that."
"Haa, you're right. But Yun-chan can tell when I'm angry."
"Like I thought, I really did do something?"
Since I'm oblivious, Mikadzuchi admonishes me with her eyes.
"Jou-chan, do you remember your behavior here these past few day?"
"Of course, I've shut myself in my workshop in order to challenge the recreation of a recipe through trial and error."
"The guys around me are worried. A Jou-chan shouldn't immerse herself in crafting like this."
Is something like that really worth worrying over? Then again, there seems to be a difference in the original image.
"Well, don't lock yourself up so much and come show your face. That sounds like a tsukkomi. We don't need a boke and tsukkomi routine, so don't reply with some halfhearted tears."
Are you sure? You had a lot of spirit there I'm acknowledging that as a tsukkomi.
"Anyway, in other words, we're changing the mood by having party at the [Eight Million Gods]! That's the only solution to this depressive infinite loop."
"E- Eh!?"
Mikadzuchi scoops me up within her arms and hoists me over her shoulder like a bag of rice.
"Right, do you have any dried fish? We need some to go with sake. Yeah, let's go!"
"Wait! Wait! Wait! You're going to carry me out like this!? Cut it out, this is too embarrassing!"
"Aahahahahaa, time to show your energetic self to all the other players. Go ahead and rage about if you want."
"Sei-anee! Ryui! Zakuro! Help!"
I try to struggle, but my legs are pinned tight. I also try striking Mikadzuchi's back, but since my body is swaying around, I can't muster up any power.
"Yun-chan oddly gets so obsessed with what she's doing that she sometimes forgets to reflect on her actions."
Sei-anee speaks with a grin as she takes Ryui and Zakuro along with our conspicuous gander through town.
My face burns with embarrassment. All I can do is hide myself deep inside my hood. Even so, people recognize me and call out my name. My only recourse is to turn away and ignore them. Those light greetings are accompanied by laughs at my appearance. They rile me into struggling again, but I'm held down and the scene repeats itself.
"Forgive me, already. I've reflected on my actions."
Ku- kukuu, not yet. We haven't even started the party."
I slump over exhausted on Mikadzuchi's shoulder. Even though I'm tired, I'm taken all the way to Mikadzuchi's [Eight Million Gods]'s guild platform without logging off. It's only then that I realize my strange integrity.
"All right, we're here, everyone! Get this party started! Get the liquor and snacks ready!"
"The preparations are complete, Mikadzuchi-nee-san!"
"The cooking team is O.K. to go, anego!"
They really look like they're having fun. I have to squint my eyes just to watch. Since I shut myself up in my workshop, everything looks much more radiant than it should.
"Well then, Jou-chan, Sei and I will be nearby."
"Stop calling me Jou-chan, seriously. Fine, I won't run away."
Despite sighing, I help out by contributing some ingredients from my inventory. I give them the last of my fresh fish, dried fish and sun dried squid.
"Ohh, Japanese Flying Squid. Their legs go great with sake."
"You, what kind of ossan are you!?"
Sei-anee provides juice to the minors within the guild like me.
Mikadzuchi takes center stage of the party and says, "All right, let's start!"
"""Kanpai!"""