「Late at night.」
Everyone in the courtyard was asleep. The sound of snoring rose and fell, exceptionally clear in the silence.
Li Yao was curled up on the bed in Ian's room, covered by a ragged blanket, sleeping soundly.
Ian was not asleep.
He sat cross-legged in the center of the bedroom, a few items laid out before him.
A small iron pot, a ceramic bowl, a few dried stalks of Blazing Flame Grass, a small packet of Bright Moonflower Petals, and a pinch of silvery-white powder carefully wrapped in oil paper.
Starlight Dust.
This was what he had managed to buy after spending his very last Dust Crystal—a tiny pinch, just enough for refining two portions of the Potion.
'My first attempt...'
Ian took a deep breath and lit the pile of firewood at his feet.
He placed the small iron pot over the fire and poured in 500 milliliters of clean water. The water quickly boiled, bubbling vigorously.
Following the formula, Ian dropped the three stalks of Blazing Flame Grass into the water.
