After settling the bill, Ren Isana left Baoshutang carrying a large box. He didn't linger outside and headed straight home.
Upon returning, Ren immediately got to work. He first sorted and arranged the medicinal herbs, then took out the equipment and gave it a quick wash.
Once that was done, Ren began extracting the medicinal liquids. The equipment wasn't particularly large; to process all the ingredients he had on hand, he would need to run at least several batches.
Ren busied himself in his apartment. As he worked, a fragrant herbal scent began to permeate his room, soon wafting all the way upstairs.
At that moment, Asuna was meditating in her own room. She paused in surprise when she caught a whiff of the herbal aroma. *Has Ren already started?* she wondered, slightly astonished.
Intrigued, Asuna quickly got up and headed downstairs. She was incredibly curious about the potion-making process and naturally wanted to observe it firsthand.
Arriving downstairs, Asuna knocked directly on Ren's door. Hearing the knock, Ren paused for a moment before calling out, "Give me a second!"
He couldn't exactly open the door right now—he was at a critical stage. He needed to finish extracting this first batch of herbs. Hearing his reply, Asuna wasn't in a rush and patiently waited outside.
About five or six minutes later, Ren finally came to open the door. Seeing Asuna outside, he wasn't particularly surprised; after all, she was the only one who would come looking for him at this hour.
"Come on in!" Ren ushered Asuna inside before turning right back to his work.
Asuna followed Ren into the room. When she saw the array of items on his table, she asked in amazement, "Did you really learn how to do it?"
He had bought so many herbs... This didn't look like a mere practice run at all. He was clearly planning to mass-produce potions right out of the gate, which was absolutely absurd.
How long had it been since he first mentioned making his own potions? Yet here he was, already putting it into practice. Only a single night had passed. This speed was simply ridiculous.
"Isn't this something anyone with hands can do? Have a seat wherever, I'm going to keep at it." With that, Ren lowered his head and got back to the grind, continuing to extract the medicinal properties.
"Okay, you do your thing. I'll just watch from the side. Oh, by the way, should we tell Megumi and the others about this? They might want to buy some too, right?" Asuna suddenly thought of Megumi Kato and Yukino Yukinoshita.
They would need to stock up on potions as well, wouldn't they? It would be better to have them buy from Ren, since he was planning to sell them anyway.
"Go ahead and tell them. I'll keep working; I should have a batch ready in a bit." Hearing Asuna's suggestion, Ren figured that recouping some of his massive expenses would be pretty nice.
Having said that, Ren lowered his head and resumed his work. With his approval, Asuna pulled out her phone and contacted Yukino and Megumi, telling them that Ren was currently brewing potions. She even snapped a quick photo and sent it over.
On the other end, Megumi and Yukino were currently out shopping together. They had originally planned to buy a batch of potions themselves. Seeing Asuna's message, the two exchanged a glance.
"Should we go take a look?" Yukino couldn't help but suggest. If Ren could actually make them and the quality was decent, they could absolutely just buy their stock from him.
"Sure!" Megumi had no objections. She shared Yukino's thoughts—if Ren's potions turned out to be of good quality, they could just buy directly from him.
Having made their decision, the two headed toward Ren's apartment. By the time they arrived, they were immediately greeted by the rich, fragrant aroma of herbs.
This instantly raised their expectations. Could Ren actually brew high-quality potions? At the same time, both girls gained a profound new understanding of Ren's monstrous talent for learning.
His learning speed was simply outrageous. To think he could unlock the Pharmacist profession in such a short amount of time and was already putting it into practice.
They knocked on the door, and it was opened shortly after by Asuna. Seeing the two of them, Asuna warmly ushered them inside.
As soon as they stepped into Ren's apartment, they saw him hard at work. Ren was highly focused, completely unfazed by their arrival.
The first batch of red potions was nearing completion. Ren was currently mixing various medicinal extracts together. The process would only be considered a success once the liquid's color transformed into a brilliant, ruby red.
Furthermore, this step required extreme caution. The slightest mistake would ruin the entire concoction. Since this was Ren's first time, he naturally had to be meticulous.
When Yukino and Megumi entered the apartment, they didn't make a sound. Instead, they stood quietly beside Asuna and watched. Although they didn't understand the process, they knew this was a critical moment.
Under Ren's stirring, the liquid in his hands slowly began to turn red. It was as if a chemical reaction was taking place, the color gradually deepening into a vibrant crimson.
He didn't stop until it reached a specific hue. Looking at the potion before him, Ren nodded in satisfaction. With this, it was a success.
"Is it done?" Seeing Ren stop, Asuna quickly stepped forward to ask. The color of the potion in the flask was simply gorgeous.
"The color seems a bit different, doesn't it? The one you brewed is much more vibrant than the ones sold in stores," Yukino noted, slightly puzzled.
The potion Ren had brewed was visibly more beautiful in color, unlike the duller ones sold outside. Could it be that the quality of Ren's potion was actually higher?
"That's because I haven't watered it down yet!" Ren rolled his eyes at Yukino's question. He wasn't finished yet; right now, this potion was just the pure concentrate.
"Watered down?!" the three girls exclaimed in unison, completely dumbfounded. Potions needed to be diluted with water? Good lord! They really had no idea how the manufacturing process worked.
"Of course. This is just the raw concentrate. It's like alcohol—drinking the pure stuff will still give you the effects, but it's bad for your body. So, it needs to be diluted with water to mellow out its potency," Ren explained.
Hearing this, the three girls exchanged glances, truly at a loss for words. So, it turned out that all the potions everyone bought outside were just watered-down juice.
"By the way, do you guys have any favorite flavors? It looks like I can tweak it a bit." Ren stared at the concentrate in front of him. If he made a few minor adjustments, it would taste much better—maybe even good enough to drink like a regular beverage?
Hearing this, Yukino instantly lost her composure. She couldn't help but blurt out, "You aren't seriously trying to add something weird to it, are you? Please, absolutely do not do that!!"
Good lord, this guy. Whether it was cooking or brewing potions, the most terrifying thing was a sudden stroke of "inspiration." If he actually added something weird into the mix, things were going to get incredibly bizarre. It was definitely best if he didn't!
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