Steam curled from twelve celadon cups lined up along the stone balustrade of the lower alchemy terrace.
Morning sunlight cut through the crisp mountain air, illuminating the shimmering, silver-flecked liquid inside each cup.
Alchemist Linnea stood beside the stone table with a wooden ladle in her hand.
Beside her, Sera Thorne and Princess Valeria watched with keen attention.
In the center of the terrace sat a clean wooden barrel filled with boiling mountain spring water from Cold-Spring Grotto.
Old Barnaby stood beside the barrel, gripping a long iron paddle in his muscular right hand to stir the fragrant liquid.
Floating in the center of the water were the remaining seven Cloud-Veined Supreme Nine-Turn Lotus Renewal Pills that Kaelen Vance had refined the previous morning. Saturated with thousands of hours of zero-poison intent, the pills dissolved into liquid starlight.
Even diluted across fifty gallons of pure water, the celestial broth radiated intoxicating, sweet medicinal energy.
