Chapter 74

The Failure Alchemist of the Royal Capital

Let’s make safe Oshiroi (White Powder) [ 2 ] #

The next day, Kachua and her companions gathered various items, so they decided to go to the commercial guild. And when it comes to ores, that would be Ana-san. She is my mentor and senior. I explained the situation to her and asked her to come with us.

Naturally, I also brought the “starch” that I had created in a bottle.

We went to the reception desk on the first floor of the commercial guild, and I introduced myself to the receptionist.

“I am Daisy von Presslaria, and this is Anastasia-san accompanying me… We have an appointment with the guild master today…”

“Oh! Miss Daisy’s visit has already been notified by the guild master. Please follow me, and I’ll show you the way!” The receptionist interrupted me before I could explain our purpose, and we were quickly led to the reception room on the upper floor.

In the spacious reception room, Oliver-san and Kachua were already there. There were many tables in the room, and various ores and “white powder” were arranged on them. Some were already in powder form, while others were displayed in both forms.

“Oh, you gathered a lot. It’s just as expected from the guild master.” Ana-san seemed to understand what they were and looked at each one with interest.

“Miss Daisy, who is this?” Oliver-san asked me.

“She is Anastasia-san, my alchemy mentor. She has a lot of knowledge about ores, soI asked her to come with us and help out.” I introduced Ana-san to the two.

“I apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused. We will do our best to assist you.” Oliver-san bowed his head as he spoke.

“When a cute disciple like Daisy says she wants to help a friend she’s indebted to, her mentor has to lend a hand. I may not be very agile, but I’ll use my knowledge to help.” Ana-san smiled at us, alternating between looking at me and Kachua.

Kachua’s stiff expression also softened a bit with Ana-san’s smile. “Daisy… thank you!” She ran and hugged me, tears in her eyes.

“I was scared… I made a mistake that shouldn’t have been forgiven, but His Majesty gave me a chance to make up for it by creating a product from scratch… I didn’t know what to do, and I was worried. I can’t go back, and I’m scared.”

She then put her arms around my back, trembling.

“It’s okay, I’ll help you. We’ll work together, okay?” I put my arms around Kachua’s back and hugged her tightly, then gently stroked her back with my palm while wiping her tears with a handkerchief from my pocket.

“You’re a merchant, right? Aim to create a valuable product that’s better than what you mistakenly brought here, and export it to other countries. If that increases the country’s industry, itwill create more jobs and earn more foreign currency. If you can make that kind of contribution to the country, it’s a great thing. The first failure is just a scratch.” Ana-san encouraged Kachua by tapping her back.

“Yes! I’ll do my best!” Kachua lifted her head, wiped her tears with her hand, and nodded with a smile.

“Thank you very much!”

Oliver also deeply bowed his head. And when he lifted it up, his expression showed a firm determination with his lips tightly pressed.

“Shall we begin?” Ana said, and I handed her the “starch.”

“This is the white powder extracted from potatoes. It’s called ‘starch.’ Although the whiteness is a bit unsatisfying, the fact that it’s made from food could add value to it in terms of safety. Also, I heard it’s good for baby rashes,” I explained.

The three of them gathered around me, and Ana opened the lid of the bottle, took a bit of powder with her fingertips, and spread it on the back of her hand.

“Indeed, compared to ‘white powder,’ the whiteness is a bit unsatisfying. But in the current situation, high safety is a very good selling point,” Oliver nodded in agreement.

“Let’s include this in the base powder candidates,” Ana said, and the other two also nodded. Thus, a bottle of “starch” was placed on the table.

Then, they gazed at the ores that had been lined up.

Who brought this in?

…Hm, what’s this?
I noticed white powder on the shiny ore.

“Oh, it looks like my appraisal level went up from repeating the appraisals. Just now, the item gained the ‘rarity’ category. Does it represent the rarity level?” Ana wondered aloud.

“Anyway, this zincite is amazing! It has so many additional effects!” I exclaimed as I wiped the white powder on the rock with my finger and spread it on the back of my hand. My skin became noticeably whiter with some transparency.

“Oliver, what is this? Is it easy to obtain?” I asked.

“It’s called zinc and is something that can be mined. It usually contains harmful substances like sulfur, but when fed to ‘mine slimes,’ they purify and spit out only the pure zinc. Our country produces a lot of it. Are you interested in zinc?” Oliver came to my side and explained carefully.

“No, not really the zinc itself, but this ‘zincite’ around it. It’s not just white powder; it also has sun protection and deodorizing effects!““Oh, really! You’re good at noticing even the rust on metal, aren’t you?” Ana said as she came over and patted my head.

“Why do you know that just by looking at it?” Cautia and Oliver looked at me curiously.

“I have the ‘appraisal’ skill, so I can understand the properties of things by consciously looking at them,” I explained.

“Of course, we won’t leak what you’re about to say,” Oliver said as he lowered his head and placed one palm on his chest. “I’ve already pledged my life to you, Miss Daisy. I would never do anything that goes against your wishes.”

“You’re my friend, and you helped me heal my feet. It’s impossible for me to break my promise to you!” Cautia said as she clenched the pendant I gave her tightly to her chest.

“I have the ‘appraisal’ skill, so I can understand the properties of things by consciously looking at them,” I explained.