Is it wrong to fleece adventurers at the item shop?

I'm really starting to feel the wine as I return home after finalizing the quest with Krystina. I really shouldn't be drinking like that during daytime. Probably not in the evening either. Not regularly at least. I probably shouldn't work on an enchantment like this either. Maybe it would be better to take a little break?

As I return home I take the sign indicating I was out, eating lunch back in and reopen the shop. I don't expect any customers right now but it is better to be prepared anyway, just in case.

I want to study the enchantment I sketched out some more, but as I start I quickly feel a headache setting in. No, I really need to take a break. I sigh, putting the sketch board away, and rest my head in my hands for a moment to think. Damn! Thinking should be neither this hard nor this painful! I'll definitely ask for tea instead of wine the next time! Why is it that other people don't seem to have this problem?

Tea. Yes, I need some tea! Or even better, a hangover cure! I'm pretty sure that the supply of ingredients grandma left me should still contain everything I need. Maybe I shouldn't do any alchemy in this state either though. Or should I? I rub my temples with the balls of my hands. I'll do it! The hangover cure is a simple enough recipe after all.

After putting away the board with the design for the enchantment safely, I prepare everything for the hangover cure. The process is nothing special. Essentially it is just like brewing tea. The ingredients used are different though.

Bitterleaf is common enough. It grows just about everywhere. Dried Slime Jelly is nothing special either. Adventurers who are just starting out tend to hunt plenty of slimes before moving on to more challenging foes.

Dryad Blossoms on the other hand are not quite so common. Dryads grow them in their hair and in theory they could grow plenty of them. They do not part with them lightly though, only giving them away as tokens of affection every once in a while. I'm quite lucky to have one.

Before I do anything else I get a fire started under the cauldron in the fireplace. Thankfully it still contains the water I got in the night. I really don't feel like going down to the creek right now after all. Getting the firewood is already enough of a chore.

Once the fire burns and the water starts heating up I get started with the actual preparations. I roughly grind the Bitterleaf and the dried Dryad Blossom in the mortar. I don't grind them too fine though. A consistency similar to regular tea is what I'm aiming for. The result I fill into a small silk sachet. That way I can let them steep in the hot water later on without having any leaves in the resulting brew.

At the academy we had learned that we could use thin paper instead of the silk, at least in theory, but as far as I'm concerned the paper makes for a bad taste. Thus I'm quite glad that grandma apparently stuck to silk bags as well.

Then things get a little more complicated. I set up grandma's precision scales and measure the exact amount of dried Slime Jelly I will need. My headache flares up again at this point, but I grit my teeth together. I had to get this exactly right!

Once I'm done with that I take a moment to clean the mortar before grinding the dried Jelly into a fine powder. Thankfully that does take neither a lot of concentration nor effort. The repetitive motion even helps ease the headache a little.

By the time I'm done with the jelly the water is hot enough as well. Hot but not quite boiling. I scoop some out with a jug that is just the right size and put the little silk bag with the herbs in to let them steep.

Now I have to wait. Or rather I have time for the last preparations. I grab a mold that, judging by the smell, has been used to make candies in the past. I clean it, just like I cleaned the mortar before and set it down on the workbench. I get a sharp knife as well. After all I will need it shortly.

I still have a little time once I'm done with that. You can't hurry herbal teas like this one after all. They need to steep for some time. There is no way around that. Not as far as I know anyway.

The temperature of the jug and the smell emanating from it allowed me to judge when the brew is done. Now I have to work fast. I can't let it cool too much after all for the next step to work.

With practiced ease I remove the silk pouch. Next I pour the finely ground, dried Slime Jelly into the jug while stirring it with a spoon. The latter is what I keep doing for some time afterwards.

The resistance increases slightly over time. It seems I got the mix just right. What a relief! Before the mixture can harden any further though I pour it out into the mold. I scrape out every bit I can get at to make sure as little as possible goes to waste.

The solidifying mixture has taken on a bluish color with a slight gleam. I smooth the surface with the back of the knife, but it still needs to settle a little more before I can cut it though.

Just as well. I clean the tools I used in the meantime since I already have some warm water at hand. It would be a shame to let it go to waste after all. Especially the jug. It has to be cleaned right away. If I were to let the residue within it settle it would be a real pain to clean later. Thus I get scrubbing.

Once I'm done with the cleaning it is finally time to finish my hangover cure for good. I take the mold, cover it with a clean cloth and turn it over on the workbench. As I raise it away, the mold's contents slip free nice and easy. Nothing gets stuck. Marvelous!

I look at the big blue Jelly from various angles to properly judge its size, as I pick up the knife. Nodding to myself I cut it into equally sized, smaller pieces. Each one a single dosage of medicine.

As I finish I stand there, knife in hand, with bated breath for a moment, but the divine whisper I was hoping for never comes. Well, that would have been too easy. Its not like I just made this alchemical hangover cure for the first time after all. It isn't even the first thing I made in this workshop. The gods don't hand out Karma for trivial tasks after all.

I sigh and decide to analyze the finished product instead of wallowing in self pity. I squint a little and look at the jellies from various angles to trigger the appraisal skill.

[Cure Poison Jellies, Quality: Common, Jellies that will cure a mild poisoning, including all side effects, when eaten. Still good to use for another 31 days.]

“Yay!”

Success! Well it is almost a waste to use them to cure my alcohol poisoning, but that is why I made them. One should be enough.

I grab one of the jellies and pop it into my mouth. My eyes start to water right away at the taste. Oh gods! They are awfully bitter. I guess they have to be since they are medicine. Or maybe I should try to find a recipe that includes some honey or sugar? I don't get to ponder this idea any further though as a divine whisper in my ear demands my attention.

[You selfishly and wastefully made use of your alchemical skills! The Dusk Maiden is your witness and gifts you 1 point for the Riven Tower Arcana as a reward.]

I groan at the notification. That is the kind of reward I could do without. I really don't need the reminder that I acted selfishly. Well, at least the headache is quickly fading! It isn't all for naught at least.

I sigh and look at the remaining jellies. There are still fifteen of them. And each and every one of them can cure a hangover, or any other kind of mild poisoning. I might as well put them up for sale.

With that decided I put them in a clean bowl. I get an unused price tag as well and scorch a price into it with a hot poker from the fire place. I can't exactly tie it to the individual jellies thus I put it in the bowl next to them. With that out of the way I return to the shop to find my newest creation a spot on the shelves.