241: Poisons
While they were discussing just how valuable that ability was, I looked over what I had. The stew was on and cooking. I would cook some rolls to go with it, and I still had plenty of time to kill.
I decided to work on my quests, in particular:
Second Simmer:
Use a previously cooked dish as a base ingredient in five separate new dishes: 3/5
Create 3 different stocks, then successfully use each in a unique dish: 1/3
I had successfully created and used one stock in a dish. Completing the second part would also complete the first quest as well. The only actual issue I had was a lack of pots. I already took all the pots from the kitchen in the capital, with Archie giving me all but one out of the servants’ kitchen as well after finding out what I was doing.
I was assured he would just buy some more.
But currently they were all full of various dishes for the road in case something came up. Something always came up.
“Milo, long shot, you wouldn’t have a pot on you, would you?” I asked.
Milo shook his head. “No, honestly, I got rid of most of our kitchen equipment when you arrived to save space.”
“The innkeeper should have several,” Liane added.
I had already used one of the innkeeper’s pots to provide the soup for the villagers.
Liane, however, had already taken it upon herself to go and ask, while Milo headed back out of the kitchen. Only a second later Bardo was re-entering the kitchen before walking straight through and opening a cupboard on the side which had a small stack of well-worn and stained cooking pots.
“Will this do?” he asked.
“Perfect!” I said happily.
“Anything you need, just ask. Least I can do for helping our village,” Bardo said with a giant smile.
“No, that’s all. Thank you!”
This was perfect. The cupboard was full of old cooking equipment, and although these pots had certainly seen better days, they would absolutely do the job for what I needed. So, digging through, I found the two largest pots.
I would make both stocks fairly similarly, just with different bones. For the first one, I would use some of the bones from the voidscale hare I just butchered. For the second one, I wanted something simple for regular use. I changed my mind at the last second and pulled out two drake bones that would barely fit.
Liane noticed immediately. “Are you making a drake stock?”
“Maybe…”
Liane nodded approvingly. “Good use of the bones, honestly. It wouldn’t be a terrible idea to use the vertebrae from the dragon tail in a similar manner.”
She appeared to be thinking about something as she stopped abruptly.
“You’re about to suggest I do something crazy, right?” I said with a laugh.
While I waited for her idea to come, I was pulling out the vegetables for the stocks when I had another idea. I only needed to consume one more toxic ingredient and purify four more…
I pulled out a venom sac I had left over from the trip to Boltron, one of two that Jen had removed from the miremaw, just staring at it in my hand. I could burst this and taste it… it would complete the quest.
Liane finally burst in with her idea. “You could make a dragon stock. It might be a good way to have a diluted amount of the intense mana while still maintaining the stat gain. Then you could make a dish with both the stock and the flower powder, and you’d get your boost with second simmer. Also, make it a pie and you have crust too!”
She said it excitedly.
“No one but Lily could eat it,” I said bluntly.
“We don’t know that. You can purify drake, so why not a dragon?” Liane countered.
I shook my head. “Hari would never let you try it.”
“Hari doesn’t need to know!” she said, throwing her hands up.
I just stared at her. There was no world where I would give Liane anything that risky without everyone being aware of it.
She let out a sigh. “Fine. Leave the convincing to me, but I think it’s a good idea, and it’ll make the dragon go even further because a single vertebra I bet would fill that pot. Also, what are you doing with that?”
She pointed to the venom sac in my hand.
“Contemplating biting it,” I said simply, looking back down at my hand.
Liane laughed. “Please don’t. It’ll burst and that venom will go everywhere. What’s it even from?”
“It’s from the juvenile miremaw, and you’re probably right. Maybe if I burst it in a cup, then taste it,” I murmured to myself.
“Can I ask why you want to eat that?” she asked.
“I need to taste one more toxic ingredient, then I need to purify four more as well,” I explained.
Liane seemed to shuffle a little before pulling out a small vial. “Put that away and pull out something to eat.”
I just grabbed a piece of carrot that I was in the process of cutting.
“Will this do?”
Liane nodded. Leaning forward, she put a single drop on the carrot, and I was surprised when it actually hissed a bit before turning black.
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“That’s a very potent poison, easily enough to kill someone. I’d eat it quick though, or that carrot will be mush,” she grinned.
With a shrug, I put it in my mouth and nearly spat it out immediately. It was incredibly bitter, and I could feel the carrot turning to mush—no, rot. Swallowing as quickly as I could, I saw the notification about the poison attempt failing, and I half expected my stomach to rumble or something to happen, but it never did.
“You might be the only person in the world who has willingly digested that,” she laughed.
I was getting a drink of sugar reed juice to wash the taste away.
“That was awful. The carrot was rotting in my mouth,” I said between sips.
“Yeah, it’s a necrotic poison that I never get to use. Now you have to purify four items, right? Can it be the same item with different poisons?” she laughed.
“Yeah, I believe so,” I said, cutting a small carrot into four pieces.
Liane pulled out four small bottles. This time the necrotic one wasn’t one of them, and if I were being honest, I was surprised she had so many poisons on her, though thinking back, I don’t know why I am shocked. She was equally excited about potent poisons as she was about improved stealth from my buffs.
After she applied four different poisons to the carrots, I went through and purified each of them before checking my notifications.
Notification:
Evolution Quest:
Purify 50 ingredients of poison or toxins. - Complete!
Consume 5 unique toxic ingredients. - Complete!
Purify 5 unique ingredients of their magical toxins. - Complete!
Six evolution options are available for Culinary Transformation.
Evolution Options Available:
Skill: Culinary Transformation → Culinary Transmutation
- Convert organic toxins into food buffs when cooked.
- Allows you to select specific toxic elements to remove.
- Provides immunity to poisons and toxins.
- Allows you to remove all organic toxins and retain them.
- Allows the user to create Antidote mixtures using them.
- When consuming or exposed to any poison or toxins, it will provide you with temporary buffs.
- All meals you cook will have toxins harmful to you removed.
- Provides immunity to poisons and toxins.
- Able to cleanse all monster meat.
- Isolate and remove or extract excess mana from ingredients.
- Provides immunity to poisons and toxins.
It wasn’t until I was reading them out that I started to see the flaw in some of them. For example, culinary transmutation seemed like an easy choice, not only to remove the toxins but to convert them into extra buffs.
Except on others it mentions the immunity while that one doesn’t, so if I don’t cook it, I won’t be immune?
“That’s a tough choice,” Liane said thoughtfully.
I was about to discuss it, but she held up a finger. “Hold that thought. I’m getting Milo. He’s better at this stuff, as you know.”
As she left, I finished both stocks, putting them both next to the fire as Crisplet sent me reassurance and happiness. This choice was fairly important, especially after several attempts to poison me already, so I felt not being immune was non-optional.
Stirring the hare stew, I really tried to consider what would be best without Milo. Immediately I removed digestion and transmutation. Both were strong, but both had giant flaws: not being immune, and not being able to remove it for other people before the key ones there.
Selective seemed like a safe choice, along with purified chef, and it appeared I could still remove all toxins with that.
But the one that was jumping out the most to me was Arcane Purification. If I could guarantee the dragon was safe and remove the dangerous mana from the ingredients, then the permanent buffs would be viable. The cost, however, is that I couldn’t remove toxins at all.
I let out a sigh as Milo and Liane entered the room, immediately feeling the air mana rush past me.
“So what have you got?” Milo said, sitting down.
I repeated everything again and even told him my thought process before he arrived. He didn’t interrupt, just nodding along.
When I was done, Milo pulled out his notebook and began. “So you’re right. Losing immunity would be dangerous and not something I would advise at all. Toxic harvest, I’d consider removing…”
“What?! That’s the best one,” Liane said, looking shocked.
Milo continued as if nothing had happened. “It specifies organic toxins, so it won’t have any effect on mana. Purified chef will remove all things toxic to you, so that would include excess mana, but it all needs to be cooked to count. No more raw dilwater berries.”
I suppose that would still work; I’d just need to be careful of what I give other people.
“Selective purification sounds useful. However, the real question comes down to what the mana cost would be, and is it charging you that cost for every single removal? That might get expensive fast,” Milo said.
“So, the final one,” I said.
Milo nodded. “Indeed, the final one. There is a selfish part of me that sees nothing but gold with that ability, and make absolutely no mistake, Trev. By extracting mana, you would be rich beyond your wildest dreams. Pure mana crystals are some of the most valuable gems you can get from a dungeon, to be able to create them.”
Even Liane was nodding.
“Then you have the ability to purify any monster meat, which gives permanent stats, and remove mana from the powder, which is permanent stats, and that’s such an enormous deal. It would be life-altering to have access to it,” Milo said very seriously now.
“Until I run out,” I said bluntly.
“Yes, until you run out,” Milo conceded.
“Wouldn’t purified chef achieve the same? The excess mana is toxic to me, right? So it will remove that,” I countered.
Milo nodded. “Sure, it would, but as you grow stronger and your tolerance to mana grows, eventually it won’t be removing anything, and what you thought was safe before becomes toxic to someone. Maybe it’ll remove everything, but it saying specifically harmful to you implies it won’t be.”
“So it’s between monster purification and chef ability then?” I asked finally.
I saw Crisplet let off a burst of sparks for the stew, and I felt like it was the perfect timing, with Milo about to answer.
“Let’s eat dinner and think on it, then we’ll select after. Maybe bring it up to everyone,” I said with a smile, going over and storing the stew.
Milo smiled. “Sounds good. I’m starving.”
“Crisplet, you can leave the stocks. They’ll be fine even for a couple of hours,” I said as I got up.
Crisplet gave off a burst of sparks and followed along.
As I left the kitchen, I saw Bardo and realised I should warn him about the stocks.
“Bardo, I have two stocks cooking in there. Just be careful, they are medicinal and not safe to eat right now,” I said with a smile.
The man’s eyes went wide, but he gave a nod all the same.
I really didn’t want him tasting the drake stock and having it cause some issues.