Summoner's Second Chance

Chapter 04

Trace walked into the hustle and bustle of the Hall of Knowledge, where certified Alchemists were given stalls to sell their potions. Numerous people, Alchemist or not, filled the hall with their presence and chatter. This morning has been nothing but wonderful for him. He took a lungful of fresh morning air as a sense of gratefulness washed over his heart. After the fall, the only friend he ever had was his summoned beings, and as far as he knows, they are not good talkers!

Giving himself a reassuring nod, he then jogged lightly until he reached a certain room located further back into the Hall of Knowledge. Casting his gaze upwards, he found a wooden sign with 'Testing area' carved into it. He nodded to himself,and pushed the door open.

Inside the room was an aged man with short white hair and a goatee. His calm gaze pierced through Trace like an arrow, but Trace felt no pressure at all. Beside him was a woman still in her twenties, but her sharp gaze and enlightened eyes told the battles that she waged to get to the position where she currently stood.

Trace walked into the room with no sign of restlessness in his gait, and sat down on the wooden chair in front of the testers. For a brief moment, Trace could see the surprise in the old man's eyes, but that quickly fades into a sharp and judging stare. The woman picked up several pieces of paper, and skimmed through them.

"So, you are Trace Redfate?" Trace gave the woman a confident nod. "That is my name, honored testers." The woman glanced at Trace from behind the papers she held, but quickly returned her gaze to the papers.

"You have sent us a very interesting result of your research." She put the paper down and crossed both of her arms on top of the table. "But without proof, we will not accept you as an Alchemist."

The words that destroyed the will of many Alchemists did nothing but sent a tickling sensation in his heart. After a struggle to hold down the smile that almost appeared several times on his face, Trace took out three flasks, each varying in color. One was blue, the other was purple, and the last one was of amber color. The two testers did not show it on their face, but they are fully focused on the peculiar concoction that Trace presented to them.

Trace calmly pushed the flask which contains the amber liquid toward the testers. "This is a mixture of Red flowers, Spider Ant's egg, and Forgrey leaves. One drop in your cup of tea everyday will keep the doctor away. The scent of this concoction can also rid you of any kind of headache."

The woman took the flask, pop it open and took a deep breath on the scent of the potion. "Indeed, this can be used to help those who are afflicted with dizziness." She put the cap back and put the flask back on the table. "But we thought Forgrey leaves was nothing but insect repellant?"

Trace smiled slightly, and continued his explanation. "That is correct, honored tester, but is it not weird that people said that their dizziness is relieved when they smelled the smoke of Forgrey leaves? I merely strengthened the effect of Forgrey leaves by grinding them, mixing them with water, and adding crushed Red flowers and Spider Ants egg." "Spider Ants egg are supposed to be poisonous, are they not?" The aged man squinted his eyes, as he held the flask in front of his eyes. Trace nodded enthusiastically at his remark. "Yes, but it turns out that the poison of Red flowers actually negates the egg's poison."

The man nodded several times in approval and put the flask down. The woman, who seemingly has lost some of her composure, took the flask again and opened it. She poured herself a cup of water and put one drop of the potion in her drink. The drink changed color into reddish brown, and sweet smell wafts from her cup. She curiously sipped the water in her cup, and genuine surprise took over the calm demeanor she had put up this whole time.

"This tasted the same as honey." The young woman then poured a cup for the elderly man, and put a drop of the potion for him too. The man stared at the water curiously as it changed color. He took the cup and sipped on the water. He put the cup down with a smile on his face. "Yes, this does taste like honey."