Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

Healing Potions were a type of versatile Magic Item, suitable for all ages and with a wide range of applications. Unlike the healing methods of Ron’s past life, this Potion could treat almost any type of injury without distinction.

In Ron’s mind, this was the best option for treating Aive.

And right there at the entrance to the shop, Ron spotted a blackboard with a few lines advertising discounted items.

Healing Potion, 10% Off! Only 45 Gold Coins! While supplies last!

”How rare,” Aive said, walking over curiously to examine the writing on the blackboard. ”Honestly, I never thought I’d see Magic Items on sale. Usually, they’re not even sold in shops.”

Ron looked up at the shop’s sign. It featured a black and pale-yellow owl, though it was drawn in a rather cartoonish style.

”Maybe the owner is an Alchemist? That would explain how they can offer a discount.”

”Unlikely,” Aive said, shaking her head. ”If the owner were an Alchemist or a Mage, they’d value their own creations more. To them, a sale like this would be a complete loss.”

”Even with just a ten percent discount?”

”They’re offering ten percent off at all.”

”Are you two just going to stand here guessing?” Delaford pushed the door open impatiently. ”If you want to know why, why not just go inside and find out?”

”Shopkeep! Anyone here?!”

The shop was completely empty of customers. Otherwise, with Delaford’s boisterous shouting, Ron and the others would have surely earned some dirty looks. But strangely, not only were there no customers, the owner and clerk were also nowhere to be... seen?

”This is a shop that specializes in Alchemy,” Aive said, sizing up the various goods inside. ”From raw ingredients to tinctures and concoctions, to alchemical tools... that’s all they sell here.”

”You’re right. The owner is definitely an Alchemist—but why would they sell their own hard work so cheaply?”

”To make money, of course!”

A sudden voice rang out from behind the high counter, startling the three of them. It was followed by the sound of a stool scraping against the floor tiles.

Only after a figure climbed up from behind the counter and stood steady on a high stool could Ron and the others get a clear look at the speaker.

It was a female of a humanoid race, even shorter than Delaford—perhaps not even a meter tall. She definitely wasn’t a child, however, but a fully grown adult. She wore an old robe that looked like it hadn’t been washed in ages, and her short, curly, dull reddish-orange hair was draped messily over her shoulders, giving her a rather unkempt appearance.

At that moment, she was sizing up the uninvited guests with a pair of blue-violet eyes filled with distrust.

”A Half-Elf,” Aive whispered. ”We might have been too reckless coming in. But don’t worry, they’re usually very friendly...”

”That’s not necessarily true,” the Half-Elf behind the counter scoffed. ”Mixed-blood, there are differences among Half-Elves. For instance, I’m not the kind of Half-Elf you’re familiar with, nor am I a Lightfoot or a Stoutheart.”

”A Ghostly?” Aive looked at her in disbelief. ”I thought all of you hid away in isolated forests!”

Ghostly Half-Elves. This clan was the complete opposite of the overly friendly nature of other Half-Elves. They were highly xenophobic and extremely distrustful of outsiders, which was why the vast majority of them lived in isolated forests. To see one like this, who had appeared in a predominantly human town and even opened a shop, was exceptionally rare.

”One gets tired of the forest scenery eventually,” the Half-Elf answered slowly. ”Besides, for me personally, the alchemy ingredients produced in a small patch of forest are nowhere near enough to support my research.”

”Alright, let’s get down to business. I’m Lavinia Feather. Welcome to the Little Cat Alchemy Shop—what can I get for you?”

Although the Half-Elf said ”welcome,” Ron couldn’t detect a hint of it in her tone or expression.

”A bottle of Healing Potion,” Aive said, rolling up her sleeve to show her wound. ”We saw your Potion was on sale.”

”That’s true,” Lavinia said, glancing at the wound on Aive’s arm. ”My recent experiments have hit a few snags, and my raw materials are almost gone. I had to resort to selling some items with a small profit margin just to continue my research.”

”But for a wound like yours... a Healing Potion won’t actually do much good.”

”Why not?” A thought suddenly struck Ron. ”Can’t a Healing Potion treat an infected wound?”

”What are you talking about?” Lavinia frowned at Ron. ”Based on a comment like that, am I to assume you’re some kind of amateur?”

”A Healing Potion can treat injuries, but it can’t cure diseases that arise from them—you’d need a Secondary Healing Technique for that.”

”Of course, you could also treat it with herbs. I see she’s already had a poultice of Cave Algae and Gray Shadow Leaf applied. Did you do that?”

”It was a matter of expediency,” Ron said with a small smile. ”There wasn’t anything else available...”

”Looks like you do have some skill,” Lavinia grumbled, cutting Ron off. ”But Cave Algae is mildly toxic. It’s not a proper solution.”

”Go pick out some herbs from that shelf over there. If you really know what you’re doing, I don’t mind giving a fellow professional a bit of a discount.”

”Otherwise, head out to the church over there. I don’t have the skill to make a Secondary Restoration Potion—and even if I did, it wouldn’t be cheap.”

’Ghostly Half-Elves were rumored to dislike outsiders, and this one certainly was cold. But Ron’s gut feeling told him Lavinia was actually the warm-hearted type, just with a cold exterior.’

’After all, not everyone would show so much concern for a sick stranger. As a merchant, she could have just sold them the Healing Potion and made a hefty profit.’

’But she didn’t.’

”By the way, if you don’t mind my asking, what experiment has you hitting a bottleneck?”

Ron walked over to the shelf lined with various herbs, chatting with Lavinia as he dredged up his knowledge of medicinal botany.

’He’d come from a lab himself; how could he not be curious about her experiment?’

”An experiment to create Healing Potions.” Lavinia didn’t try to hide it. After gesturing for Aive to keep an eye on Delaford, who was running around like a curious child, she climbed back down from her stool and went back to fiddling with the various bottles and jars on the floor.

”I think the current method for preparing Healing Potions is too convoluted. Not to mention the quality is inconsistent, and the cost is still far too high. I’m trying to see if I can find a way to improve any one of those three aspects.”

”That’s where you’re going wrong,” Ron said, walking over and vaulting the counter by placing his hands on the countertop. ”Before an experiment, you have to define a specific goal so you can plan the next steps. With your haphazard approach, it’s no wonder you’re burning through materials so quickly.”

”Do you have any experiment logs or reference books? Let me take a look.”