Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Chapter 14: Alchemy

"... I wonder when mom will have to copy a magic book, do those exist here?" Rain wondered one day when he was thinking about getting a new book to read and to improve his magic skills as well.

Until now, that never happened… Rain also never heard of things called magic books or scrolls or tomes. Maybe it was about time for him to check the stores in the city. Then again, he didn't have money, and he couldn't ask his parents for it since they had been raising him for over three years, giving him a pretty good life.

"Maybe I should also pick a profession and try to make money out of it," Rain thought. "The sooner I start, the better I will become later on."

Rain had to think seriously about that. Trying to master everything will be a waste of time… being all rounded didn't work in reality. It might be boring, but repetition and continuous learning on a single path was the key to success. Regardless, Rain considered his options.

People, mainly women, would spend hours at their spinning wheels, converting raw fibers, such as wool or flax, into thread. This thread would then be woven into the fabric using a loom. The process required skill and precision to produce high-quality cloth for garments, linens, and household textiles.

"I wound need some tools, so I guess this is a no," Rain thought.

Tailors and seamstresses worked diligently with needle and thread, creating and altering garments. They would cut fabric, stitch pieces together, and add decorative elements. From simple repairs to intricate embroidery, they contributed to the creation of clothing tailored to individual needs.

"It doesn't require a lot of tools, mainly skills, but…" Rain furrowed his eyebrows. "I guess I need something that will work well with my plan of becoming strong."

Embroidery, pot making, candle making… they seemed like options, but they wouldn't work well with his main goal. Things like metalworking, herbalism, and woodworking perhaps would work, but they would be too hard for a kid of his age. Few people in those fields would accept apprentices and products of someone that was at his age as well.

"This is tough…" Rain thought. "It seems like copying Mom is my only option, even though it won't make me stronger. I suppose making arrows is also a good way to make money in times of war. Still, I don't think that without Iron Arrowheads, it will be useful against the magic people that can do all kinds of crazy shit."

In any case, Leiah never ran out of work, and while making copies of books didn't seem that profitable unless you were a bookstore owner, it was better than nothing.

While Leiah was busy, Rain tried to do her job for a bit. Keeping an eye on the main book and writing the words in the same spot without making any mistakes sure was difficult, but it wasn't impossible. Rain could do that with enough focus… around five times slower than his mother, though.

"Dexterity and experience should be the cause of it, and the skill level of writing," Rain thought. "Anyway, practicing a bit at a time until I can show Mom that I can do it on my own is the way to go."

Leiah seemed a bit confused when she noticed that, apparently, she wasn't in the parts that she was supposed to be. Still, since the handwriting was identical, she didn't think much of it.

Rain assumed that in a month, he should be able to write at least three times slower than her… it was a weird way to compare and make his goal, but it was the only way.

Fortunately, Rain found another thing that he could do to make money that was even more profitable… Leiah suddenly received the order to make some copies of an alchemy book, and when Rain went to read it, he found some formulas for potions.

"Even with the knowledge of the system, I guess we can change the formula and create potions that don't make part of the system," Rain thought while he was reading the titles of the chapters. "Hmm? Minor Spiritual Potion?"

The title was interesting, but the contents made Rain even more curious… It basically was the instructions on how to make the minor potions that restore one thousand points of mana. That seemed a lot, but it actually wasn't. That was why it was called minor… Regardless, the advanced versions seemed to need other products like water from magic fonts or branches of magic trees. Still, the minor only needed water, the mana, and the skill of the alchemist.

"It seems simple, but the instructions are hard… it is a complex technique. That must be why they wrote this instead of hiding the contents to avoid the formula from being stolen and making people mass produce them," Rain thought.

The first stage was to gather pure mana. The alchemist begins by entering a deep state of concentration, focusing their mind and tapping into their inner mana reserves. They draw upon their magical energy, channeling it to create a pure and potent form of mana. This requires immense control and mastery over their magical abilities.

Rain knew how difficult it was. He tried hundreds of times to use Rasengan and Kamehameha. Still, it never worked… not even a fart of mana escaped from his hands, but learning how to do that for the potions might make him control his mana better as well. It was worth the shot.