CHAPTER 508: UNDERWATER BREATHING POTION [I]

Accepting the task was something that Elaina was not supposed to have accepted, yet she did it for the sake of getting rewards. And thanks to the information that the Grand Sage does have some information on how to make an Underwater Breathing Potion that will be used by her grandparents for the showdown between the Leviathan and the adventurers, Elaina wanted to get it as soon as she could and hoped for the ingredients to be something that she could easily procure without problem.

That afternoon, she decided to head over to the tower. Visiting the Grand Sage, Elaina sees that the old man is currently scribbling notes on a small notebook while observing the flying fairies around the farm. He seems to be enjoying his retirement days and loves observing various things on the farm. As she was approaching, the Grand Sage stops what he was doing and smiles at Elaina.

"Good afternoon, Farmer. Something the matter?" the Grand Sage asked.

"Mr. Grand Sage, can I ask whether you can sell me the recipe for the Underwater Breathing Potion? Julia said that you once used a potion of the same kind that allows you to breathe underwater. I needed it and hoped that you could impart this to me, and in exchange for money."

"Ohoho, Underwater Breathing Potion, you say? I didn’t expect to hear that name again, but you don’t need to pay for it, you know? Considering that I am living in your land for free, might as well help and provide you with some useful stuff that you need for free as well. Don’t worry about the money. At this point in my age, I don’t think money is something I need nowadays."

"Really?" Elaina was not expecting the response.

"Of course. Wait for a bit, come with me, and I will fetch the recipe. I have stashed it somewhere. You can help me look for it if I can’t find it."

The Grand Sage led Elaina inside. Elaina follows the Grand Sage into his study, where countless books and papers are scattered all around. She can tell those books are related to magic, while some are just books related to history and various other purposes.

"I think it should be around here. I have stuffed all those potion recipes I have learned and made in the past here, so it should be in this pile."

Elaina made a glance at the pile and frowned. The pile was not just a pile. It is a mountain of books and papers stacked together, making a huge pile of various stuff.

"What am I looking for? A book or a paper?"

"It should be in a small booklet. It shouldn’t be too hard to find since it is the only booklet in the pile and it has a golden design on its cover. It is too much for an old man like me to search in a big pile all by myself. Can you help?"

Elaina nodded. "No problem. Let’s get searching!"

The two started pulling the books and papers to find the small booklet. It wasn’t a hard task since they already had the book they needed to find. The only thing they don’t know is where the booklet was buried among the stack.

"Why are all these books piled here instead of the shelves? Shouldn’t they be on the shelves to clean up the mess here?"

"I was planning to. But with all the books I have, I barely have space to put them in. I am still getting the finest materials to make those shelves that can house lots of books, and place them soon in the empty spaces of the tower, and put these books there. But without the shelves yet, all of these books will remain here on the side and gather dust for the time being."

As Elaina continued to pull books and papers out, Elaina saw a small golden shine underneath the pile. It was sudden, so she is still not sure if it was the same book she was looking for. However, she quickly grabbed it and pulled it out of the pile. And like what she expected, it was indeed a booklet.

"Grand Sage, is it this?" Elaina asked as she presented the booklet to the Grand Sage, who was still looking.

"Oh? Good job, Farmer. You have found the booklet! Now, hand it over so that I can see which page I write down the potion’s ingredients and procedure."

Elaina handed the booklet, and the old man accepted it while also quickly browsing through the booklet’s contents.

"Alright, got it. Here, let me write the ingredients down. The language I put in the booklet was coded for magic users only, so I doubt you can read it. I heard from my disciple that you have no innate control over your mana, yes?"

"Indeed. Although Mana still flows in me, it doesn’t fully store itself and is just there for regular functions in my body. Other than that, it doesn’t give me any way to fully use it for myself."

"Unfortunate, but it is a normal course of the world. And hearing that you are blessed in the sword and how you are good at farming, magic might not be really a good fit for you in the first place. So, I guess it wasn’t really a waste, yes?"

Elaina nodded. Despite the society’s use of magic, it doesn’t really matter if one can use it or not. She can do things ordinary people will have a hard time doing anyway, so she is somewhat unique in her own way still.

The Grand Sage used his notebook, which he had been using to write earlier, to write the ingredients for the Underwater Breathing Potion. He was quick with it, and in just a few moments, he finished writing the ingredients and even the procedure of the potion.

"What are you going to use this for? Are you going to explore the ocean depths and fish? According to my disciple, you really love fishing a lot," the Grand Sage inquires.

"Not really, but this is indeed useful for that purpose as well. But for now, it is going to be used for another purpose."

Since the Grand Sage is someone who knows a lot, there is no need for her to hide the danger of the incoming monster within the depths of the sea. She explained the discovery of the ancient beast who is now slowly waking up.

"Leviathan, you say? Wow, and here I thought you were going to use that potion for something to use for yourself, but didn’t think you were going to use it for the sake of stopping this incoming disaster."

"I won’t be participating in this battle, but I will be providing the means to procure the ingredients and make the potion for the adventurers who will help deal with it," Elaina explained.

"Still great to know that is your main reason. Anyways, here it is. Some of its ingredients might be foreign to you, but if you want to ask for help, I can procure a few samples myself if you are looking for them."

Elaina nodded. "I appreciate the help, Grand Sage. But first, I should see for myself if I can or can’t get it myself."

The recipe is pretty straightforward. She saw a few medicinal herbs that are present in her garden, and a few herbs that she has no idea what. But instead of asking the Grand Sage, she just opened her Almanac and checked the medicinal herbs page, and she found a few of them, especially the Iron Lung Flower, which is the main ingredient that allows the potion to function properly.

"Iron Lung Flower...it says here in the almanac that this flower is not something easy to get due to how it only grows in special areas like cliffs and ravines. This isn’t something easy to get, I see," Elaina muttered to herself.

"I happen to have a few saplings of that flower with me. Want to have some? I was planning to see if I could cultivate and grow them myself, as this plant is somehow used in some potions I make. I don’t have much experience in growing plants and cultivating them, so if you are interested, you can help out."

"Thank you!"

Elaina then checked the other ingredients and soon found a weird ingredient that she was not expecting to see. Air Socket Fruit.

"Air socket fruit?" Elaina frowned. The Almanac is not even showing it.

"Ah, that fruit is something I named. I have no idea what it was, so I named it as that. I can grab a few of them myself and show them to you."

"If possible, then yes," Elaina nodded.

The Grand Sage nodded and created a small portal in the air and put his hand on it, and grabbed something from that portal. Afterwards, he pulls out a fruit that looks like a bloated blue frog.

"Here, the Air Socket Fruit. It’s a fruit that, if lobbed through the air, can explode and become a natural hand grenade explosive. Be careful handling it, or it will explode."