Game in Marvel-Chapter 114

"You're already on the second Chapter?" Keira had returned after tending to her garden and noticed that Liam had proceeded to the next Chapter.

"Armor's helping. It can scan the pages, process formulas, and even measure precise ingredient compositions," Liam said.

"That's cheating." Keira didn't like it at all.

"It's efficiency," Liam defended himself. She was silent for more than a couple of seconds. She wanted to stop Liam from taking shortcuts, but could she ever do that? He wasn't exactly cheating by taking help from others. He was taking help from a piece of metal made of magic and technology.

It was cheating, but at the same time, not at all.

"Fine. But you still need to understand the fundamentals. Let's start with ingredient classification." Keira huffed a bit at the end. She pulled a bundle of dried herbs and several vials from a cabinet, placing them in front of Liam.

"Every alchemical ingredient falls into a category. Reagents can be broken down into primary and secondary effects. Primary effects are the most potent, while secondary ones may alter or enhance a potion's properties. This is celandine extract. Primary use? Healing. Secondary effect? A mild detoxifier. That is what's written in the book, right? Now tell me what else is there."

Liam picked up the vial, his armor immediately scanning its contents. A list of chemical properties flashed in the holographic projection.

"It also contains trace amounts of natural ethers, meaning it can be used as a catalyst in mutagenic potions."

"Yes... that's right." Keira could only sigh and move on. "Now, onto preparation techniques. Different ingredients require different methods—grinding, distillation, infusion, or direct synthesis. Some are volatile and need to be stabilized, others need to be fermented for days."

She handed him a mortar and pestle along with a handful of dried herbs.

"Start with the simple stuff. Crush these into a fine powder."

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Liam took the herbs and began grinding them down, using controlled pressure and strength. Though the armor had to hold the mortar since his other hand wasn't there. He felt very uneasy doing this, and Keira noticed his problem with his handicap and felt a bit bad but didn't speak a word.

Everyone has a story, even herself, so the struggle always remained. It only differed in the nature of the struggle. As Liam worked, his armor provided precise feedback on how much force he was applying, ensuring he didn't overdo it.

"Not bad. Most students struggle with consistency, but you're maintaining an even texture."

"The suit's giving me feedback."

"Alright, then let's up the difficulty. Alchemy isn't just about crushing herbs. You need to understand how ingredients interact. Take these." Keira rolled her eyes as she could already see it on the projection. What she complimented was his control. Even with the feedback, most people failed in their alchemical progress, but Liam seemed just fine. She handed him a few vials—one containing venom extract from the arachas he had killed, another filled with a dark, viscous liquid.

"Mix them, but carefully. The wrong ratio, and you'll end up with an unstable compound," Keira said. He carefully poured the right amounts into a mixing flask, stirring with slow movements.

"You're making this look way too easy. But remember, these are basic ones. I would like to see what you do further," Keira said.

"Not my fault I have an advantage. But you are right. I will have to tackle the magic part too in the future," Liam admitted.

"Good that you know. And there's one thing your armor won't help with—intuition. Sometimes, alchemy isn't about calculations. It's about feeling the process. The best alchemists can sense when a potion is going wrong before they see it. Still, I have to admit... you're progressing at a ridiculous pace. It took me months to learn what you're picking up in hours."

Liam smirked but said nothing.

"Fine. Since you're so efficient, let's move on to distillation," Keira sighed. "And this will be more delicate than the previous process."

"Bring it on." Liam was happy with his progress now.

In order to learn basic alchemy, it took Liam three months. At first, Liam thought it would be easy, but then it turned out that it wasn't. There were processes that took a lot of time, and Liam would make mistakes even with the help of Interceptor.

But he also enjoyed his time with Keira. At the beginning, he was in a hurry, but gradually, he just let go of some of the burden and allowed himself to enjoy his progress. Since the hut was small, Liam had asked the locals to help them build a better home and also a better garden for her.

Keira was very strict about it and definitely had OCD when the new garden was tilled. She supervised it all the time, and Liam actually felt bad for the men doing the job because she shouted at them and cursed them verbally. Liam sneakily gave each of them more crowns so that they didn't hold grudges.

Keira noticed it but didn't say a word. She felt Liam was giving away money way too cheaply, and someday he would suffer for it because greed in people could never be stopped. Especially these worthless people who had nothing better going on in their lives.

Meanwhile, the locals had seen Liam around and had accepted that either Liam was the son of the woman or was an apprentice. They had seen Liam tend to the garden quite often and also make alchemical mixtures once in a while. Unlike Keira, Liam interacted with them like equals, and thus, they were quite happy to help the local doctor's apprentice/son.

Liam had also relayed his findings in Velen to Geralt, and he was sad to know that it was a dead end. But Geralt was also making progress in his search for Ciri, as he was now in Novigrad, going to meet Djikstra.

Liam remembered the problem Triss would face. Thankfully, there was Steve and Natasha with Geralt, and they could follow his advice here.

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