Alvin did as he was told.
Vries crouched down and carefully applied the ointment to Alvin’s wounds.
Alvin did not dare lower his head.
He only felt that her touch was very gentle as her hand moved over him.
If Alvin had not inherited all of his original self’s memories, he might have thought Vries was his mother.
At the thought, his eyes lowered slightly, and something stirred in his heart.
The ointment felt cool on his skin.
Most astonishing of all, when it was applied to his wounds, there was not the slightest pain.
After about ten minutes, Vries had finished applying the medicine to Alvin’s wounds.
She studied the wounds on Alvin’s body carefully with her dark eyes.
The bruised, bloodied areas were already beginning to fade, at a speed far beyond what an ordinary person could manage.
“This is… truly incredible.
The mutation has given your body a powerful ability to recover.
That is very much worth studying.”
Vries sighed in admiration and opened her palm, showing the little green ointment that remained.
“Can you guess how this ointment was made?”
Alvin sniffed.
The scent was fresh and clean.
After thinking for a long while, he slowly said, “It seems to contain Knitbone, Arnica…”
There, he got stuck.
Vries continued, “And Calendula.
They are all herbs used to heal wounds.”
Alvin silently committed this valuable formula to memory.
It might prove useful someday.
[Herbal Alchemy Experience +5!]
Oh?
Alvin’s cat-like eyes flashed.
Even this gave experience points?
Vries stood up and threw Alvin’s clothes into the trash together with her own gloves.
Then she quickly took a clean Apprentice’s robe from a cabinet nearby.
“Put on a different set of clothes.
That Apprentice robe of yours stinks.
It cannot be worn anymore.”
As she said this, a hint of disgust passed through Vries’s eyes.
Alvin rubbed his nose and glanced at the filthy Apprentice robe in the trash.
It was true.
He disliked this sort of thing as well.
But for some reason, Witchers were extremely resistant to bathing.
Going half a year without a bath was nothing unusual.
Fortunately, Witchers had powerful immune systems of their own, so they did not suffer any major illnesses because of it.
“Thank you, Lady Vries.”
Alvin reached out and took the clean clothes.
The moment they touched his hands, his eyes lit up.
The Apprentice robe Vries had given him felt incredibly smooth, worlds apart from his original coarse linen clothes.
It seemed to be made of silk.
Alvin was quietly surprised.
Silk was not cheap in this world.
Only high officials and nobles were fit to enjoy it.
Yet here it was, used merely to make a set of Apprentice robes.
Lady Vries was definitely not simple.
Alvin put on the clothes and moved his wrists.
To his surprise, they fit him perfectly.
The style was much like Vries’s own robe, with wide sleeves and narrow cuffs.
Vries returned to her seat behind the desk.
“Some of the mutation data from your body is quite interesting.
I need to record it.
Do not disturb me from now on.
Get to work.”
With that, she spread out a sheet of parchment, picked up the quill on the desk, and began writing and sketching.
Alvin composed himself.
He took a pair of gloves from the place where Vries had just taken hers and slipped them on neatly.
After their brief time together, he had learned one obvious thing about Vries.
She loved cleanliness.
He pulled the entire box out from beneath the shelf.
His cat-like eyes focused, and [Alchemy Sense] activated.
Ripples of different colors spread out from the box.
With just one glance, Alvin had a general idea of what was inside.
Just as Lady Vries said, they’re all very basic herbs.
Alvin picked up a small flower.
It had orange-yellow petals, dense stamens, and a sweet fragrance.
A daisy.
It has the same effect as White Fern.
It can neutralize medicinal effects, but it weakens the senses.
Alvin placed it into the antidote drawer.
Pop.
A pale green ring of light spread from it, as if responding to Alvin’s correct choice.
Alvin then took out a plant that looked very much like celery, with large, broad, serrated leaves.
After carefully confirming it, he placed it into the drawer marked with a poison symbol.
This is Banewart.
It is toxic to ordinary people, but Master Vesemir said it can be used to make the Potion, Cat.
Next came juniper, mint…
Alvin sorted them one by one.
For every five herbs he finished, the system notified him that 1 point of Herbal Alchemy experience had been added.
[Herbal Alchemy Lv2: 49/1000]
Alvin glanced at the panel.
He had sorted about sixty herbs, which was exactly 12 points of experience.
Together with Vries’s guidance just now, that made 17 points.
This was far more efficient than practicing swordsmanship.
His gaze fell on the final herb in the box.
He carefully took it out.
It had thin gray-green leaves, with a bright silver edge around each leaf.
What is this?
Alvin frowned.
[Dual Soul] searched through all the herbal knowledge in his mind, but found not a single clue.
Under [Alchemy Sense], the strange little grass gave off a faint silver halo, so weak he would have taken it for a roadside weed.
“What is it?”
Vries’s voice suddenly came from behind him.
Alvin stiffened and turned around.
Vries first glanced at the herbs in the wooden box.
“You sorted them this quickly?
Your knowledge of basic herbs is very solid.”
“Mm…” Her gaze shifted to the herb in Alvin’s hand, and her expression turned serious.
“You do not know this one?
It is quite basic.”
Alvin frowned, then confirmed again and again that he had never learned it before.
“I’m sorry, Lady Vries.
I don’t know what this herb does.”
A soft light flashed through Vries’s eyes, and she looked Alvin over carefully once more.
“Good.
You did not try to deceive me with guesswork.”
She took the little plant from Alvin’s hand.
“This is Moonflower, a very precious alchemical plant.
It only grows among reeds in clean lakes and can serve as a medium to stimulate energy.”
“But most importantly,” Vries’s tone suddenly deepened, and her long, snow-white fingers curled slightly, “it contains magical power.”
As the words fell, Vries released a terrifying aura.
A dreadful suction force emerged from her palm, making her sleeves snap and flutter while the light in the room dimmed.
Tiny silver particles appeared on the silver leaves of the Moonflower, like stars gathering around the moon.
It was beautiful beyond words.
Under [Alchemy Sense], the Moonflower burst into a dazzling silver halo.
Alvin stared at the scene with wide eyes, utterly shaken.
Even his breathing slowed without him realizing it.
Although he had already had his suspicions, seeing Vries cast magic with his own eyes still left his heart in turmoil.
A female Sorceress!
But in the next instant, Alvin realized a major problem.
At this point in time, how could there be a female Sorceress in Kaer Morhen?