Chapter 48 Rhine’s Free Potion
The sea hag said impatiently:
"Magic works like this, with its own strange laws and restrictions. If every detail can be explained, understood and elaborated, then it is no longer magic, and is closely related to your human mechanisms, gears and the like. The instruments that work are no different.”
Ariel looked at the obviously angry sea hag:
"It's okay, I accept the risk of death. I was prepared when I came to you. Please give me the medicine, I'm not afraid!"
Although she said this, her face was as white as snow.
The pain like a knife when you step on it, and the risk of death if you fail the mission, are these two the price you have to pay?
Ariel is willing to put up with the former.
As for the latter, as long as you can get the prince's love and immortal soul, don't you have nothing to worry about?
Ariel knew that she had the most beautiful singing voice in the sea and on the land.
No mermaid can hear her singing and not be moved, let alone humans?
She can charm the prince with her beautiful singing voice and make him pour all his love and soul into her!
"Don't forget, you have to pay me a reward!" said the sea hag. "In exchange for this precious medicine, you have to give me a heavy reward."
"What should I give you?" Ariel said fearfully.
Only then did she remember that the first two costs were the side effects of the drug itself, and the second was the curse given by the world after turning into human form - although they were already so terrible.
She must also pay the sea hag.
This is definitely not something tiny!
"Your voice," said the sea hag, "for even among all the mermaids in the sea kingdom, your song is the most beautiful. Only such a reward is worthy of my help! Princess, I will cut you off tongue, and took away your voice by magic. You have not been able to speak since.”
Ariel's face turned even paler.
Before she could reply, Aurora protested angrily:
"It's not fair. Beautiful singing is how Ariel attracts her sweetheart.
"If Ariel becomes a mute, how can Ariel win the love of the prince?
"You clearly know that once she fails, she will turn into a bubble. But you asked for the talent necessary for her success as a reward!
"What's the difference between this and pushing her to the grave?"
Aurora looked at Rhine, who had been silent for some reason:
"Please say something for me, teacher.
"It's like depriving one of the duelists of their weapon as their ticket to a duel in which failure means death.
"Such a deal is not fair at all!"
Rhine, who had been thinking about something, finally spoke:
"I think there is nothing wrong with the price offered by the Sea Hag."
Aurora was stunned and speechless for a moment:
"Why?"
Rhine turned towards Ariel and the sea hag, and seemed to be completely on the latter's side:
"Dear Sea Witch, I disagree with my friend's opinion.
"I think the high price you ask for is completely reasonable - didn't we know from the beginning that there would be a heavy price to pay to fulfill our wishes?
"If Ariel cannot accept the price you offer, she can simply refuse the transaction and find another merchant with a lower price as the transaction partner - if she can really find it. Can't she?"
"What kind of words are these?" Aurora was shocked.
"But if you don't get the magic potion to turn fish tails into human legs from the sea hag, where can you get it?" She was about to ask Rhine, but suddenly stopped.
Aurora instantly understood what the teacher was going to say next.
The sea hag obviously didn't know what Rhine was thinking, she only saw:
The two humans started arguing among themselves. The silver-haired boy opposed the blonde girl for the first time and tried his best to speak for himself.
The sea witch laughed loudly and praised Rhine:
"I didn't expect that you are quite sensible, child. You don't look like your friend at all.
"That friend of yours keeps nagging, always wanting to blame me and put the fault on me. It's as if Ariel should get my help for free.
"Mermaids, like humans, are always so greedy, wanting to realize their wishes but not willing to pay the price!
"How can there be such a good thing in the world? How can there be powerful magicians and witches who can grant people's wishes for free without paying the price?
"The truth is just as you said. This is a transaction that the mermaid princess voluntarily came to me to make. If she is not willing, I will be free, so I might as well find someone else."
For a moment, Rhine and the sea hag actually reached a consensus.
This scene left the mermaid princess Ariel a little confused.
I saw Rhine looking at Ariel again:
"As I said. Isn't this all of your own free will?
"Since you want help, you should pay the price. If you don't want to, then find someone who is willing to give you the same potion for free!"
Ariel's face turned pale and she nodded slightly.
Although she was sad that she was about to lose her beautiful voice and become mute, she also admitted in her heart that what her human friend said was not wrong.
It’s impossible to expect anyone to help her transform into an adult for free, right?
"Let's do it this way, I accept this deal!" Ariel mustered up her courage and said to the sea hag.
"Stick out your tongue."
The sea hag then took out a sharp knife.
She will use this knife to cut off the mermaid princess's tongue and take away the most beautiful song of the ocean and land.
"This decision should have been made a long time ago, my princess.
"As your human friends said, if you just want to realize your wish but don't want to pay the price, then you might as well close your eyes and pray, who will give you a free potion that can make you grow human legs - —As effective as the potion I mixed.”
"Yes," Rhine also agreed with the Sea Hag's words from behind, his tone was firm, "For example, I will give you a free potion. Ariel can come to me."
"That's right..." the sea hag said. She was just about to agree with Rhine's words, and then she felt something was wrong.
She turned to Rhine in shock and asked word by word:
"What are you talking about? Human!"
Rhine smiled and said to Ariel:
"Now that we have become friends, I can cook you a medicine for free - the effect is the same as what the sea hag said. Well, it's not exactly the same, and the side effects will be smaller." "This doesn't sound funny." The sea hag said Looking at Rhine, "What are you talking about? I invented the medicine that makes mermaids grow legs. I am the only one in the sea and land who can cook it!"
I believe what you said is true, but what I copied was your alchemy skills... Rhine thought.
The sea hag was furious:
"Stop making silly jokes, human. The medicine I am about to boil contains powerful magic. Only those who know magic can brew it!"
"Yes." The silver-haired boy responded with a warm smile, "Didn't I say it before? I am a magician."
Ariel looked at her two human friends in surprise.
"Yes." Aurora also introduced Rhine with pride, "He is a very powerful and talented magician! He is the best magician in the kingdom where we come from."
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"Wait!" Ariel was extremely surprised, staring at the silver-haired boy in disbelief.
It turns out that this good friend who has been following him for a while is actually a magician?
As far as the mermaid princess knows, magic is a profound and mysterious knowledge. There is only one wise man who understands magic in the sea country, that is, the sea hag.
No wonder they, as humans, can ride on strange big fish to the sea country!
"I always thought you were a knowledgeable anthropologist." Ariel said.
"This is not a contradiction," Rhine smiled. "Almost all magicians are scholars with rich knowledge."
The sea hag interrupted them:
"Okay. With that strange big fish with a transparent belly, I believe you are indeed a magician.
"But what's the use? The potion that can cut off a mermaid's tail and turn it into human legs is my invention! I have never told anyone the secret recipe.
"Except for me, no human being or sea creature can make a medicine with the same effect!"
The boy had a smile on his face and said to Ariel:
"In that case, let's try it. Give me some time, I will fry the medicine and give it to you for free."
"Free?" Ariel couldn't believe it.
"Yes. This is a gift from a friend." Rhine squatted down in the belly of the big fish.
Balls of mist were turned out of his hands, and medicine jars, herbs, mortars, pestles and other necessary props for decoction of medicines were conjured out of thin air.
Ariel was amazed when she saw this magical scene:
"Is this magic? Many things changed at once."
Many of the medicinal materials and tools included were encountered by Rhine when he was treating civilians when he first traveled to this world.
And as long as Rhine touches those items with his hand once, he can call them to his hand from a distance.
——This is the magic he learned after realizing the soldier's wish to "retrieve the tinderbox"!
The young magician then began to boil the medicine. His movements were very familiar, adding something to the medicine jar every once in a while.
From time to time, strange steam would float out of the jar.
The sea ghost woman was stunned for a moment:
"How come the formula for refining the medicine and the method of boiling the medicine are so similar to mine?"
It was as if she was decoction herself!
No, there are still many differences.
The sea snakes that were supposed to be used as medicine were replaced with snakes on land; and the silver seaweed, which was only useful when picked under the moonlight, was replaced with some kind of land medicine that the sea hag did not recognize.
Apparently, Rhine slightly modified the formula, replacing many medicinal materials from the sea with materials from land with similar medicinal properties.
There are herbs from the forest, herbs from the grasslands, and herbs from the mountains and deserts. There are many more things on land than in the vast deep sea!
There were also some medicinal materials that Rhine simply gave up and did not add at all.
Because the divination results told him that not only did this material contain no active ingredients, but it would cause serious poisoning - the original prescription was also flawed.
The sea hag saw strange steam coming out of the medicine jar and knew that the medicine was almost ready.
Moreover, the condition and quality of the medicine are definitely better than the best medicine she can cook!
The sea hag couldn't accept this fact at all.
She questioned the little magician in front of her again:
"Don't think I don't know its medicinal properties. To give this medicine magic power, you have to pour a large bottle of magic blood.
"Are you so kind-hearted that you voluntarily donate your own blood? With your small body, if you give out so much blood, you may collapse before the medicine is ready!"
"Isn't it just magical blood?" Rhine smiled. He found a piece of soft meat in the belly of the big fish and cut it open with a dagger, letting the blood of the big fish flow into the medicine jar.
The sea hag needed her own blood to make the potion, but he didn't.
This big fish was transformed into a dog summoned by the tinder box. The blood naturally comes from the big dog and contains natural magic power.
That big dog had a lot more blood than he did!
After a while, the medicine boiled, and a strange sound came from it - not the cry of the crocodile in the original work, but the melodious singing of a lark.
The medicine is just cooked.
This potion is colorless and transparent, and looks like clear water.
"Oh my God! How could such a thing happen? This is impossible!"
the sea hag screamed.
She didn't even need to watch the mermaid try to drink the medicine. Just by hearing the sound of the medicine being cooked, she knew that Rhine's medicine must be better than her potion.
"Please take this medicine to the coast and drink it before the sun comes up." said Rhine. "My potion has a similar effect to the sea hag's. It will also make you grow human legs, but the side effects will be much smaller!"
(End of chapter)