ALL NOVEL 50: The Wise Person is a Free Person
Eh? You want to know what the deal was with the last magic box incident?
What’s that? I don’t know anything about it.
I stood proudly at the door of the storage warehouse, shouting, “Open sesame!”
“Why sesame?” Grandpa Al asked eagerly, crouching down to listen.
“Well, it’s just the mood, I guess.”
I had no choice but to smile and bluff my way through…
It’s just a vibe! I always wanted to say it once.
Don’t poke fun at me!
Now, I continue from where I left off, opening the secret door of the storage building!
“I’d like to check what’s inside the storage warehouse!” Grandpa Al insisted.
Otherwise, he said he wouldn’t give me the Old Rose trees!
It’s so childish to set conditions like that!
Even though he’s lived for five hundred years!
“A mere eight-year-old child cannot possibly compete with a seasoned veteran of the world.”
Yes, Mee-Mee made an accurate remark!
I heard the sighs of Mee-Mee and Yue right next to my ears.
Ugh.
The storage warehouse is truly vast with high ceilings.
The interior is surrounded by circular walls, with orderly shelves on the first floor like a library. The second floor, which is open to the ceiling, also has shelves along the walls.
The more I look at it, the more it feels like a foreign circular library.
But still, it feels like it’s expanding gradually, is it just my imagination?
Hey, isn’t the ceiling made of glass?
Is it okay with the UV rays?
“That’s just a projection of the sky, so don’t worry. Lighting and air conditioning are well managed. Moreover, when no one is in this space, time is stopped.”
You’re not going to say it’s LED lighting, are you?
Please don’t.
While I was chatting with Mee-Mee, Grandpa Al ran off.
Ah, I knew this would happen.
Is it okay to let him roam free?
“It’s fine. The door at the far end hasn’t appeared today.”
Looking at the far end, the door that should have been there was indeed gone.
Oh, fantastic!
By the way, Mee-Mee?
“What is it?”
I’ve always wondered, can you read my mind?
“What are you talking about? You’re almost always saying everything out loud.”
I stared at Mee-Mee.
Eh?
All of it?
“All of it.”
Mee-Mee’s pitch-black eyes looked like black holes.
“Eeeeek!”
My voice echoed throughout the spacious hall.
But Grandpa Al didn’t come back.
Well, there’s no use worrying about what’s already happened.
Let’s stay positive!
“………..”
Mee-Mee’s eyes were a single line, but I didn’t mind!
Grandpa Al didn’t come back, so we returned to the room with the kitchen to take a break. Can we call this the living room now?
Martha made us tea and pancakes.
With honey and butter on top, dig in.
The spirits took one bite and jumped with joy at the deliciousness.
They seemed to love it.
And I must say, otherworldly honey is super delicious!
I was so engrossed in eating that it was gone in no time!
“It was delicious! Please make it again, Martha!”
When I told her with a beaming smile, Martha nodded happily with a smile.
The spirits lined up for seconds.
Making food for six spirits is quite a task.
Mee-Mee, could you make something like a hotplate?
Mee-Mee seemed to agree and readily accepted the request.
About an hour later.
I headed to a table in the storage room equipped with various tools.
Mortar and pestle, spatula, beaker, flask, glass rod, funnel, balance and weights, white plates, and a magic stone stove.
Beakers and such give me a nostalgic feeling.
Are we going to make potions or medicine with this?
“What about the magic stones for this magic stone stove?”
“For that, we use magic stones or spirit stones.”
Saying that, Mee-Mee took out glittering, colorful spirit stones.
“These are crystallized pure energy from spirits. You can use them regardless of attribute.”
Wow, even the water attribute works.
The spirits’ power is really mysterious.
But I don’t need it.
Mee-Mee put the spirit stones away.
Just then, Grandpa Al came running back, making a commotion.
“Wow, there are so many rare things, I couldn’t decide where to look! Oh, those are common tools used by apothecaries for preparing potions. With these, you can make potions!”
Is the inspection over?
Will he look at it slowly later?
I see.
“We also need medicinal herbs and either distilled water or magic water. Distilled water is used by those who can’t use water magic, but since you have water magic, Hak, you’re fine.”
Since this storage warehouse is made with my magic power, the water here is one hundred percent natural magic water.
Oh, there’s a faucet with a tap.
I turned it, and water came out!
A marvel of civilization!
“Is that distiller made of copper? It’s beautiful.”
The pot, cooling tank, thermometer, magic stone stove, stand, and mini cups were assembled.
It’s small, but the refined shape of the alembic distiller is beautiful.
Copper has good thermal conductivity, right?
In this world, which is harder to make, glass distillers or copper ones?
Probably glass.
It takes considerable skill to make thin tubes from transparent glass.
This one here is small and for tabletop use, but if there were a larger one, could you distill alcohol with it?
Well, I can’t drink, so it doesn’t matter to me.
“I think the spirits prepared that to make rose aroma oil?”
I don’t know how to use it.
“I see, I see. And this is an alchemy cauldron!”
Grandpa Al shouted joyfully.
A pretty large cauldron was sitting there, and Grandpa Al was stroking its rim.
It looks like a big stir-fry pan.
The kind that’s tilted and spins around.
Mee-Mee said it was an option for Grandpa Al.
“Can sages use alchemy too?”
I asked my simple question.
After all, elves live with nature, and I imagined they would dislike metals, right?
Isn’t alchemy the opposite of nature, a world of science?
“Oh, you have a biased view? There are alchemists and blacksmiths among elves. And sages are seekers of knowledge. Pharmacology and alchemy are unavoidable paths.”
Grandpa Al laughed and patted my back.
Truth is stranger than fiction?
“Right and wrong at the same time?”
Mee-Mee tilted his head too.
Thinking this wouldn’t get us anywhere, Mee-Mee snatched the rose tree from Grandpa Al.
He reached into Grandpa Al’s wristband-shaped magic box and took it out!
Huh?
Can you take things out without the owner’s permission?
Grandpa Al didn’t seem to mind and laughed heartily.
Wow…
Terrifying dark sheep!
“Feel free to do whatever mixing or alchemy you need. You can use the materials in the warehouse as you like.”
Mee-Mee exhaled as if to say his work was done.
“Thank you! I’ll use it freely!”
Grandpa Al’s eyes lit up, and he jumped for joy.
Grandpa Al, aren’t you acting differently?
I don’t think he will listen to anything now.
He looks like he’ll forget to eat or sleep and just dive in.
Maybe I should give him a warning…
“Grandpa Al? Please make sure to eat your meals. And sleep in a proper bed, okay?”
He’s not listening!
Back in the living room, I decided to return to the main house with Martha, who was cleaning the room.
“Mee-Mee, please take care of things. Make more cuttings of the roses. Also, please prepare two or three large white peach saplings. And make sure Grandpa Al eats.”
“Understood.”
I said goodbye to Mee-Mee.
When Martha took my hand and we stepped outside, the sky was dyed red by the sunset.
I wonder how many days it will be until we see Grandpa Al again?