Is it wrong to fleece adventurers at the item shop?

That night sleep won't come easy and that isn't just the coffee's fault. No, my mind races about as much as my pulse does, my thoughts jumping from one topic to the next before I can properly finish any individual line of thought.

Most of those thoughts revolve around adapting the ice box enchantment to different containers or purposes though. Cooled displays in the shop? Cooled bags as portable potion containers for adventurers? Bigger ice boxes for transporting fish from the seashore further inland?

Most of these lines of thought run into the same problem sooner rather than later though. I can't afford experiments like that. Not yet anyway. I'm already risking a lot with the enchanted potion bottle idea as is.

Is that why I have never encountered the other applications of the enchantment that come to my mind now anywhere out there? Probably. I doubt that I'm the first or only one who ever came up with these ideas after all. Enchantments are mostly a thing for the wealthy, adventurers and those who can make them for themselves after all. Most regular craftsmen and women would not be able to afford most of those things.

I force my eyes shut and turn this way and that way in bed for a little while longer before sleep finally claims me.

Although I can't possibly have slept enough I feel refreshed the next morning anyway. My little feline bed warmer gets her morning treat. Then I'm off to the bath house. My ankle is finally good enough that I dare make the trip without leaning on my makeshift crutch with every step. I bring the trusty staff along anyway. After all it is better to be safe rather than sorry.

The place is a little quieter today than it is usually. That doesn't mean that I'm alone though. Quite to the contrary. Today both Krystina and her mother Maryla are relaxing in the warm water and neither appears to be in a hurry to get back out.

The older of the two woman chuckles as she notices my look.

“It is rather quiet at the inn with most of the adventurers out. My husband can take care of things on his own today. We have to make the best of opportunities like that.”

That makes sense. Sadly I can't afford to spend more time here than necessary though. Neither any alchemy nor any enchanting will get done if I don't do it. It is simple as that.

I stop on my way back, after washing up and soaking in the warm water briefly, as a smell, both strange and familiar at the same time tickles my nose. No, that isn't right. It isn't strange. It is out of place! It is the smell of smoke on the wind and not just a little of it either.

I stop on the dirt road an look around. It is thankfully none of the nearby houses or even the slightly further off farmhouses that is on fire. No, there is a smoke column, thick and black, rising from a little further upstream, possibly already inside the Twilight Forest.

This has to be the adventurers at work. It would seem that they found the nest of those deranged pixies. My heart aches a little. It is a little sad that this is necessary. Normal pixies are some of the most hard working and kind creatures one can encounter, especially by fey standards. When a community starts to develop a taste for blood and meat though, there is no helping it. Thankfully that doesn't happen too often though.

If the adventurers are thorough with exterminating this bunch I'll probably not encounter another case like this anytime soon. Maybe even never at all if I'm lucky.

I'm not the only one who noticed the unpleasant smell of smoke either. Sour Cream seems a little agitated. I open the shop, but instead of manning the counter I retreat to the backroom to pet her a little. I make her a little wreath of aromatic kitchen herbs as well, using some of the dried plants hanging from the rafters.

Thanks to those it is already much more bearable here inside but having them a little closer probably won't hurt either. As far as I know none of the herbs I use can cause cats any problems. Some are even recommended as treatments for any digestive problems a feline companion might suffer.

Considering the latter it probably shouldn't have surprised me that Sour Cream starts chewing the wreath almost right away, after smelling it briefly. The way she purrs suggests that it is helping her calm down, thus I won't complain, even if it means that she is slobbering on the foot end of my bed.

Once I'm reassured that she will manage I head out in the garden with a small wicker basket. The junipers carry some berries, probably thanks to Dario's efforts. I collect those.

Then I turn to the plants growing clinging to the walls of the house. From them I gather some wild rose petals. I have to be careful not to upset any of the bees buzzing about. They already seem a little agitated due to the smoke after all.

In the end I manage to get a nice little handful of the petals without getting stung. It wouldn't be a big deal, but I really can do without the pain. Especially as my ankle is just getting better again.

The last ingredient I'm looking for is Bitterleaf. Thanks to Dario's work it grows in a nice thick patch under the junipers. I cut some of it with a sickle. With that I'm set for now.

Well, I'm set to get started preparing the ingredients needed for a basic healing potion anyway, as I can't exactly use them fresh. At least I can process all three ingredients together though, thus it isn't too much of a hassle.

The worst part is moving the heavy cauldron from the fireplace once again. Even after I scoop out most of the water, to water the plants in the garden and around grandma's grave, it still is heavy. I manage though.

Then I have to get firewood, which includes chopping some up into kindling. The only easy part is lighting the fire, thanks to my staff's lens and the enchantment. It isn't a big fire but it is big enough. I place a grate pretty high over the flames. On it I put a pan in which I drop the various ingredients. The juniper berries and the rose petals can go in as they are. The Bitterleaf I have to chop into smaller pieces first.

Then I have to pay close attention to make sure nothing burns. It takes only about half an hour, or maybe a little more, until all three ingredients have dried and shriveled to the desired degree and I can move the pan away from the fire.

I don't extinguish the fire though. Instead I put the same kettle on to boil which I already used for my first batch of coffee.

While the water heats up I grind the dried ingredients. I have some time to prepare the potion bottles and the stoppers as well as some wax.

Once the water is hot I brew this most basic of healing potions very much like any tea. This, among other things, means that the ingredients go into a small silk bag for the brewing. That way I won't have to filter the brew afterwards.

Instead of just waiting for the brew to get done I get the potion stand. I remove the bottle with the iced coffee, noting that the bottle is still cold to the touch, as intended. This does bode well. I remove it from the stand for now though, to make room for the empty bottle. I get the funnel again as well.

Then everything has to happen quickly. I pour the finished brew into the bottles, filling five of them in total. Next I stopper and seal them with wax. Only than can I allow myself to take a deep breath. I'm done.

Well, I'm done with these five potions. It isn't much, but at least the shelf with the healing potions won't look so terribly empty anymore. I take a moment to check the potions with the appraisal skill. The result is, as expected and hoped for, the same for all five bottles.

[Lesser Healing Potion, Quality: Common, A healing potion that will heal a minor injury. Still good to use for another 35 days.]

I tie price tags to the bottles, taking a moment to make sure they show the correct price. Then I put them on the shelf out front. Now it is time to get something to eat though. And maybe I can post the mana mill quest with Krystina again.