Lizzy's Workshop. It was an apothecary workshop run by the Baleare family, specializing in the sale of various healing potions.
However, business at the workshop hadn't been good lately.
Due to the unknown situation deep within the Tob Forest, the Adventurers Guild had not provided accurate information, causing a large number of adventurers to reduce their excursions.
Furthermore, the increasingly strict entry checks outside the city gates made sharp-witted adventurers realize something was amiss.
With fewer adventurers getting injured, the demand for healing potions naturally dropped significantly.
But!
This was not a major issue for Grandma Lizzy; having sold healing potions for so many years, she had already accumulated a considerable fortune.
"Grandmother, is this ratio correct?" Enfilea picked up the herbs he had prepared and asked softly.
"Mm."
Grandma Lizzy nodded expressionlessly.
She was very satisfied with her grandson's manufacturing technique; at Enfilea's age, she certainly hadn't been able to achieve this.
Clang! The door opened, and the bell hanging on it gave a soft chime.
A customer!
Enfilea quickly and carefully set down the herbs he was holding and stood up to look towards the door.
A figure wearing something resembling a priest's robe entered the workshop. The modified robe did not look bulky at all; instead, the cinching at the waist made the person appear somewhat tall and upright.
The moment he saw this figure, Enfilea felt that the person must be gentle.
After all, clothing and appearance were the easiest way for most people to judge someone.
But!
When he saw the black hair, Enfilea was visibly stunned and couldn't help but scrutinize him closely.
Doing this to a customer was quite rude. However, Enfilea truly couldn't stop himself, because Lyle's appearance now was completely different from the first time he had met him.
If it weren't for that distinctive black hair, he might not have recognized him immediately.
If the former Lyle gave Enfilea the impression of a slightly mysterious, unpretentious adventurer, the current Lyle looked like an elegant, gentle nobleman.
It wasn't just the change in clothing; his entire temperament was noticeably different, making it difficult for Enfilea to describe.
"Long time no see, Enfilea." Seeing Enfilea rooted to the spot, staring at him, Lyle waved and greeted him familiarly.
"You struck it rich, Tang!" Enfilea held it in for a moment before blurting out this sentence.
"I did make a little money, indeed." Lyle was amused and replied with a smile.
A happy look appeared on Enfilea's face, and he quickly walked forward, "After being gone for so long, I thought you had already left E-Rantel, Tang."
Thump! Enfilea suddenly stopped, noticing the small Ghoul Dog peeking out from behind Lyle.
Simultaneously, a faint, aged voice came over: "A Ghoul Dog. It seems you took a trip to the Tob Forest."
"Madam Baleare, long time no see." Lyle looked up at Grandma Lizzy, who was sitting behind the counter, propping up her chin with one hand while holding something resembling a pipe in the other, exhaling white smoke.
"There won't be any danger, right, Tang?" Enfilea's expression suddenly became tense as he looked at Lyle.
The sentence sounded like he was worried about him. However, Lyle, who had spent time with Enfilea, knew clearly that he wasn't worried about him, but was asking if bringing a Ghoul Dog posed a danger.
"I accidentally found this on the outskirts of the forest, and it's quite attached to me." Lyle said softly, answering both of their questions indirectly.
Grandma Lizzy put down her pipe and turned her head to look at Enfilea:
"Enfilea, go to the back and count the number of healing potions that have started to deteriorate."
Hearing this, Enfilea scratched his short blonde hair, raised an apologetic eyebrow toward Lyle, and quickly said, "Understood, Grandmother."
Having said that, he walked away toward the back, looking somewhat helpless.
As Enfilea's footsteps faded, Grandma Lizzy scrutinized Lyle again and suddenly asked, "Is your trouble resolved?"
This unexpected question caught Lyle off guard, but he quickly realized that Grandma Lizzy must have inferred something based on the changes in his appearance.
"Not yet, but I have some ideas now." Lyle replied.
"That's good then." Grandma Lizzy nodded, took a familiar potion from under the counter, and placed it on top. "This alchemical potion was made by you, wasn't it?"
"No wonder you and Enfilea discussed herbs and alchemy back then. I didn't realize you were hiding such alchemical techniques."
Isn't this the alchemical potion he gave to Master Belorri?
Seeing Lyle looking surprised, Grandma Lizzy looked unsurprised. "In a place like E-Rantel, there are no secrets. If there are, it's only because no one wanted to investigate."
Ha! Khajiit of Jiralnong hid here for so long without being discovered. If Bone King hadn't intervened, E-Rantel would likely have been massacred by two Bone Dragons.
Also, when Enfilea was captured, he sought help from Bone King, even wagering his entire fortune.
Hearing Grandma Lizzy's somewhat arrogant words, Lyle couldn't help but inwardly scoff, but his expression remained unchanged.
"With techniques like yours, you shouldn't be here to buy potions, should you?"
"I want to sell some herbs."
"I can do that. I can buy them at the highest price, but before that..." Grandma Lizzy paused, pushed the alchemical potion forward, and looked at Lyle with fervent eyes:
"I hope I can pay to purchase the manufacturing technique for this alchemical solution."
"A price of two thousand gold coins?" "If you think that's not enough, you can name your price."
Grandma Lizzy leaned forward, her wrinkled cheeks showing excitement.
This alchemical technique, completely different from anything she knew, had been tormenting her for some time, making her unable to figure out how it was manufactured.
So that's it. No wonder he had sensed that the way Grandma Lizzy looked at him felt slightly off since he entered the door.
Two thousand gold coins!
To be honest, Lyle was tempted, but he knew clearly that this technique was fundamentally impossible for Grandma Lizzy to learn.
Because it relied on the passive ability of the "Magic Swordsman" class and the level 10 Alchemist profession.
Seeing Lyle remain silent, Grandma Lizzy assumed the offer was too low and was about to propose a higher price.
"Do you have the materials?" Lyle asked directly.
Grandma Lizzy revealed a look of surprise, nodded quickly, and immediately turned and walked toward the back of the hall.
After a short while, Grandma Lizzy returned, holding several intact Hanging Spider corpses, followed by a bewildered Enfilea, who was carrying a pile of delicate instruments.
Enfilea looked at Lyle, and though he didn't speak, he was clearly asking what was going on.
"Put that down and get back to your work quickly." Grandma Lizzy patted Enfilea's head.
"Oh." Enfilea could only respond, walking away while constantly looking back.
"Do you need anything else? Just say the word." Grandma Lizzy was excited.
"No need, these are enough." Lyle waved his hand, his gaze flashing as he looked at the Hanging Spiders.
As a former opponent, he was well aware of how troublesome these Hanging Spiders were, yet their corpses had been preserved so perfectly.
"One Hanging Spider poison sac."
The moment Lyle spoke, Grandma Lizzy nimbly removed a poison sac, clearly not caring about serving as Lyle's assistant.
Under Grandma Lizzy's serious gaze, Lyle picked up the poison sac, threw it into some ordinary water, and casually activated his alchemy.
In just two or three breaths, the poison sac had completely dissolved into the water. Immediately afterward, a large amount of impurities in the solution rapidly vanished at an incredible speed.
With a flash of blue light, a clear, transparent blue alchemical potion appeared.
"Done." Lyle tossed it over casually.
Grandma Lizzy caught it somewhat frantically, her eyes filled with confusion, but she still subconsciously cast the 'Item Appraisal' spell.
Silence.
"Ahem, could you make another one?" Grandma Lizzy looked up at Lyle, her voice much softer.
Lyle casually produced another bottle.
This time, Grandma Lizzy fell completely silent. She had seen clearly that Lyle had not used any special techniques or unimaginable methods.
It was simply the process for creating ordinary, low-grade alchemical solutions. She didn't understand!
But at least one thing was certain: this young man named Tang possessed an extremely high level of understanding in alchemy.
Grandma Lizzy had always considered her grandson a genius, but comparing him to the person before her now, she realized that this individual was the true genius!
After a long silence, Grandma Lizzy lifted her head again, forcing a stiff smile onto her wrinkled face: "Let's discuss the herbs."