A Groundbreaking Discovery and a Looming Calamity

“So, Madam Ursula, are you implying that your research has made little progress?”

“Ah, Miss Audrey, what I actually mean is: the crux of the matter lies in grasping the key to the problem. The development of magic potions is a process where quantitative change leads to qualitative transformation; haste makes waste, and success is never achieved overnight…”

“…”

Audrey propped her chin in her hand, nodding with an expression that suggested she only half-understood.

“Rhine.”

“Yes.”

“Hang Madam Ursula from the first lamppost to the left of the manor’s entrance, if you please. I sincerely hope the circuitous and euphemistic language she so carefully prepared won’t further impede the progress of our discussion.”

“Eek!!”

“What Miss Audrey means is for you to speak plainly, damn it.”

“I’m merely an overly conceited fool who once boasted beyond their means! I’m so sorry! Please spare my life; don’t bury me!”

Rhine eyed Ursula’s abject posture, before whispering into Audrey’s ear:

‘She’s ready for burial now.’

Audrey, who had been sitting with one leg crossed over the other, raised a hand, signaling for them to stop.

“No rush. Let her struggle a bit more; this young lady is quite reasonable, after all.”

“Precisely! I believe I can certainly struggle a little longer.”

With that, Ursula swiftly pulled several thick stacks of reports from her luggage, then, trembling as if clutching a lifeline, handed the bottommost page of the research summary to Audrey.

“Please, take a look.”

“First Prototype Greenhouse Plot: a yield of 500 pounds per acre… After applying the water-soluble magic potion, the first experimental plot’s yield increased by 200 pounds per acre, and the growth cycle shortened by two weeks…”

After scanning through a few lines, Audrey’s brow furrowed, then relaxed, indicating that while the results were promising, they still fell short of her expectations.

“The optimal magic potion configuration is an average of nine liters per acre, which is most beneficial for rice growth… However, considering the analysis of mana accumulation in the soil, it cannot be used continuously, and might even attract magical beasts… Furthermore, the mana content in the rice exceeds human requirements, and long-term consumption would be detrimental…”

Evidently, none of this was good news.

Having finished perusing the dense list of cautionary regulations at the end of the summary, Audrey felt a weary ache in her eyes and instinctively reached to rub them, only for Rhine to swat her hand away.

“Germs. Here’s a handkerchief for you to wipe them yourself.”

“Oh.”

Ursula nervously watched the unperturbed young lady, then cautiously inquired:

“Um, while the optimal experimental plot did reach your stipulated standard of a thousand pounds per acre, and the growth cycle permits two harvests annually, the side effects are truly… too significant. The resulting rice grains also fail to meet the conditions for healthy consumption.”

“What is the cost to configure one liter of magic potion?” Audrey interjected abruptly.

“One silver Koller; it absolutely won’t exceed that amount. At its cheapest, it’s eight copper Kollers.”

“That’s quite sufficient, then. This magic potion has already met the conditions I desired, and I must say, it even somewhat surpassed my expectations.”

“Huh?”

Audrey’s sudden shift in tone left Ursula with a sense of unreality, making her suspect it was merely a rhetorical tactic of feigned criticism followed by praise.

“At the outset of seed selection, this particular rice variety naturally had a limited yield. My mention of a thousand pounds per acre was simply a jest, yet I never imagined, Madam, that you would actually achieve it~”

“Huh??”

“Furthermore, when I first conceived of this, I merely aimed to shorten the growth cycle and satisfy the demand for two harvests annually. Whether the yield increased or not was quite irrelevant.”

“Huh???”

“Therefore, given the cost of your magic potion, even a diluted dosage would be more than sufficient for its intended purpose. This truly is a groundbreaking creation.”

Ursula froze completely. After several seconds, she abruptly sprang from the sofa, clapping her hands and bursting into laughter:

“Yay! Excellent! I’ve won!”

No sooner had she spoken than, with heavy dark circles under her eyes, she stumbled backward, collapsing unconscious, her teeth clenched tight.

For a long moment, Rhine silently mourned for Ursula in his heart, then turned his gaze to pointedly ignore the self-satisfied culprit leisurely seated on the sofa.

“After all that convoluted talk, the bottom line is that you, the client, arbitrarily raised the requirements! Look at what you’ve tortured this perfectly good young person into becoming!”

Audrey merely shrugged.

“Well, without pressure, there’s no motivation, is there? Setting stringent requirements and high standards is immensely beneficial for improving one’s capabilities. For a scholar like Ursula, if you don’t push them, won’t they just stagnate? To simply stand by and watch her squander her precious youth without striving—this young lady, with her kind heart, simply couldn’t bear it.”

Perhaps, it seemed, there was some twisted logic to it?

“…Alright, but then why didn’t you find some more positive, optimistic, and mentally resilient scholars? This one is clearly a cautionary tale.”

“Ahem, precisely because of that—”

Audrey puffed out her chest, crossing her arms smugly.

“Ursula is the type who is so self-deprecating, she’s like a single-celled organism crawling in dark, twisted ways, convinced that all her peers are superior to her. Thus, for the sake of her pitiful, meager self-esteem, she spirals into anxious overwork every day without even realizing it. Even when she achieves something, she remains incredibly self-effacing, making her a truly magnificent social recluse who simply cannot refuse anyone’s requests!”

Rhine couldn’t help but palm his forehead.

“I think you’re the social terrorist here. Is this some new form of manipulation?”

“From the results, it’s a win-win for everyone, so let’s not dwell on the minor details.”

Following that, Audrey and Ursula—who seemed to be perpetually teetering on the brink of collapse—began to finalize the various details. Rhine, though aware that this was a matter of great national and public benefit, had no interest in participating.

While magic potions and alchemy were inextricably linked, specialization was key. Plant science was a field he had barely touched upon; he couldn’t offer any decisive advice. Even the high school biology textbook on the device Anjemuel gave him surpassed his comprehension.

He had, for instance, never known that sperm were tadpole-shaped. Nor did he possess the perverse curiosity to observe his own reproductive cells under a microscope.

Moreover, his attention was currently captivated by another nationwide event that had sent ripples throughout the Norman Empire—

A Dragon Calamity! Led by the most ancient and potent Black Dragon, it was a colossal disaster that had swept through nearly all the southwestern counties of the Empire!

Between the Black Dragons and the Norman Empire, a deep-seated enmity had long festered. Whether it was the play ‘Slaying the Dragon’ performed during the nation’s founding, or the myriad dragon calamities, both major and minor, that had wrought significant devastation across the lands over the past century, all bore testament to the blood feud between dragons and the Empire’s inhabitants.

Yet, why this time, specifically? The reclusive Black Dragons had emerged from their hidden mountain lairs, once again revealing their mythical, razor-sharp talons to the Norman Empire, their dragon’s breath, capable of incinerating entire cities, rewriting the legends of widespread devastation.

He naturally found himself unable to comprehend the Black Dragons’ intentions. As intelligent beings with incredibly long lifespans, the higher dragon races possessed worldviews vastly different from humanity’s, and their wisdom was utterly unfathomable.

A century prior, during the nation’s founding, the most powerful wing of the Black Dragon clan had been decapitated by the Emperor. Now, facing an ascendant Norman Empire, if one of their dragons were to rise in rebellion, why would they still choose such a desperate, all-or-nothing method, almost guaranteed to result in mutual destruction?

Regardless, these were not matters for Rhine, a mere attendant, to concern himself with. As the saying went, ‘it’s none of my business,’ and he could still quietly remain a spectator.

However, to his knowledge, there was one person who, by all accounts, could absolutely not remain aloof…