"What are those two kids talking about in there?" Makarov and Mond were chatting outside when, with a sudden push, they opened Noel's room door. Seeing the two of them getting along so well, they finally relaxed.
"How's it going between you two? Getting along?" Mond asked with slight concern. He couldn't help but remember how things were with him and Makarov in their youth: outwardly peaceful, but both of them constantly sporting bruises. Anyone with eyes could tell what really happened.
"Um… Noel is really nice," Laxus said shyly.
"Noel, I need to borrow you for a bit." Mond shot Noel a look.
Noel immediately understood. Right now, he was Mond's alchemy assistant, playing a crucial role in the experiment.
"We're about to get to work. If you want to watch, you can, but don't touch anything," Mond said casually.
Laxus's interest was immediately piqued. Alchemy was still a mysterious art he had never seen in person, and children naturally felt drawn to such mysteries.
"I want to watch," Laxus declared confidently.
"Just so you know, we're about to test the potion, so it might be uncomfortable, but don't worry, we're professionals," Mond offered a bit of reassurance beforehand.
"I see. That's fine. It's my issue, so I believe I can handle it." Laxus said, full of confidence.
But in truth, he still felt uneasy facing this kind of situation, even a bit afraid. Still, his source of courage was Noel.
Makarov tried to follow them in, but Mond stopped him. "Old friend, you can't come in. Only the patient is allowed. You won't get to enjoy this kind of service," Mond explained.
Makarov, understanding, didn't press the issue. Meanwhile, Noel and Mond prepared for the experiment, with Laxus sitting in a chair, quietly observing them as they worked.
"How are you feeling? Nervous?" Mond asked in advance. If Noel felt too pressured, he would handle the experiment alone.
"No, I've got some experience now. Not a lot, but I should be able to handle it." Noel gathered his courage and replied.
"Then all the prep work is on you. We'll work in parallel. Take a look at the formula first." Monde instructed.
"Some of the ideas in here came from you, so you should be able to follow it," Mond said, handing over a notebook filled with dense black annotations, each line marked as important.
Noel carefully studied the complex notes, recognizing that they contained Monde's personal experience—notes like these were more precious than any book.
Notes with an alchemist's personal annotations were far beyond what any apprentice could produce, and the handwritten manuscript of an S-rank alchemist could sell for a fortune.
The value wasn't just in the notes themselves. Using them would greatly improve the potion's effectiveness and reveal advanced techniques.
These were things that couldn't be bought with money, making them priceless.
> Grind the skin of a fire lizard, using the upper scales, as they provide better consistency.
Since crocodile tears are too hard to obtain, replace them with water lizard tears. The effect isn't quite as strong, but it's much easier to acquire.
Replace the leaves of the Tree of Life with a purple fruit known as the Spiritberry, which contains life energy. Juice it carefully, ensuring no impurities remain, or the effect will drop significantly.
Use thunder lizard teeth as a secondary ingredient, grinding them into powder.
Mond didn't dismiss Noel's idea of using cicada husks from the Wind Cicada, as they are mild and can neutralize unnecessary pain.
While Mond began drawing the magic circle, Noel prepared the ingredients. Normally, Mond would use instant alchemy for client requests, but out of respect for his old friend, he was using focused alchemy this time.
Mond was already working, so Noel moved on to processing the thunder lizard teeth.
After assessing the material, Noel determined grinding would be best. However, the teeth were quite tough, and it took a full minute of grinding before he produced a small amount of white powder.
It was simple but tedious work. Noel estimated they only needed about a quarter of the total, which would be enough for the experiment.
His hands began to ache from the repetitive motion, but the powder gradually accumulated, and soon there was enough for the procedure.
Noel then moved to the next step: preparing the fire lizard skin.
All he needed to do was scrape off the outer layer of the skin, but he had to be careful not to dislodge the scales, as they would release fire poison if they fell off.
It was delicate work. At first, Noel thought of using a small knife to scrape it slowly, but then he realized he had a better option.
Using Wind Blade to scrape it off would be much more efficient. A near-invisible blade formed in Noel's hand as he carefully shaved the white layer from the scales, letting it all fall neatly into a container.
When it came time to process the Spiritberries, Mond stepped in and said, "Let me handle this one. Just watch."
Noel knew of the Spiritberries' delicacy. They had to be juiced immediately and stored in a container to preserve their potency; otherwise, the oxidation would ruin the potion's effectiveness. Given his current speed, he would have wasted the ingredient.
Mond handled the Spiritberries with practiced ease. With a few swift motions of his knife, he peeled the skins, dropping the fruit into a juicing device, letting the purple liquid slowly drip down.
He collected the juice in a small vial.
"All the prep is complete. Now, leave the rest to me and watch closely," Mond instructed.
He mixed the thunder lizard powder with the fire lizard skin at a precise ratio.
Initially separate, the two substances reacted immediately upon contact. The fire lizard skin retained its color, but the thunder lizard powder turned bright red.
Noel didn't fully understand the principle, but it was fascinating. The concept of two ingredients enhancing each other, creating an effect greater than the sum of their parts, was an insight he knew would serve him well in the future.
Next, Mond added the Spiritberry juice, turning the mixture into a red paste.
The color was ominous, making it look suspiciously like some dark, forbidden cuisine.
Finally, Mond added the powdered cicada husk and a few drops of water lizard tears.
Strangely, the mixture turned into a black, pudding-like paste.
"We're done." Mond announced.
Noel finally relaxed. Even though he hadn't been the one leading the experiment, he had been under considerable pressure and responsibility throughout the process.
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