The magician of the fairy tale world.

Chapter 48 Rhine's Free Potion

The sea witch said impatiently:
"This is how magic works. It has its own strange rules and restrictions. If every detail can be explained, understood and described, then it is no longer magic. It is no different from the mechanisms and gears of humans that operate precisely."

Ariel looked at the sea hag who was clearly angry:

"It's okay. I accept the risk of death. I was ready when I came to you. Please give me the medicine. I'm not afraid!"

Although she said this, her face was as pale as snow.

The pain of stepping on a knife and the risk of death after mission failure, are these the two prices to be paid?

Ariel was willing to put up with the former.

As for the latter, as long as she could gain the prince's love and immortal soul, wouldn't she have nothing to worry about?
Ariel knew that she had the most beautiful singing voice on the sea and land.

There is no mermaid who can hear her singing and remain unmoved, let alone humans?
She can charm the prince with her beautiful singing voice and make him devote all his love and soul to her!
"Don't forget, you still have to pay me!" said the sea witch. "In exchange for this precious medicine, you have to give me a generous reward."

"What should I give you?" Ariel said panickily.

Only then did she remember that the first two costs were the side effects of the drug itself, and the curse bestowed upon her by the world after she became a human being - although, they alone were terrifying enough.

She also had to pay the sea hag.

This is definitely not something tiny!

"Your voice," the hag said, "for your song is the most beautiful of all the mermen in the Sea Kingdom. Only such a reward is worthy of my help! Princess, I will cut out your tongue and take away your voice with magic. From then on, you will not be able to speak."

Ariel turned even paler.

Before she could reply, Aurora next to her protested indignantly:

"That's not fair. Ariel's beautiful singing voice was her way of attracting her crush.

"If Ariel becomes mute, how can she win the prince's love?

"You knew that she would turn into nothing if she failed. Yet you demanded the talent necessary for her success as a reward!
"How is this any different than pushing her into a grave?"

Aurora looked at Rhine, who had been silent for some reason.

"Please say something for me, teacher.

“It’s like, in a duel where failure means death, depriving one of the duelists of his weapon as a ticket from the start.

"This deal isn't fair at all!"

Rhine, who had been thinking about something, finally spoke:

"I think the price the sea hag offered is reasonable."

Aurora was stunned and speechless for a moment:
"why?"

Rhine turned to 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 it's completely reasonable for you to ask for a high price - didn't we know from the beginning that it would cost a lot to ask you to fulfill our wishes?
"If Ariel can't accept the price you offer, she can simply refuse the deal and find another merchant with a lower price as the transaction partner - if she can really find one. Isn't that right?"

"What are you talking about?" Aurora was shocked.

"But if we don't get the potion that can turn a fish tail into a human leg from the sea hag, where else can we get it?" She was about to ask Rhine this, 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, and the silver-haired boy, for the first time ever, opposed the blonde girl and tried his best to speak up for herself.

The sea witch laughed loudly and praised Rhine:
"I didn't expect you to be so sensible, kid. It doesn't seem like your friend at all.

"Your friend keeps grumbling and grumbling, always trying to blame me and put the blame on me. As if Ariel deserves my help for free.

“Mermaids are just like humans, always so greedy, wanting to fulfill their wishes but not willing to pay the price!

"How could such a good thing happen in the world? How could there be powerful magicians and witches who would fulfill people's wishes for free without asking for a price?
"It's just as you said. This is a deal the mermaid princess voluntarily made with me. If she doesn't want to, but I've got some free time, I might as well just find someone else."

All of a sudden, Rhine and the Sea Ghost actually reached a consensus.

This scene made the mermaid princess Ariel a little confused.

Rhine looked at Ariel again:

"As I said. Didn't you do all this voluntarily?
"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 about losing her beautiful voice and becoming mute, she also admitted in her heart that there was nothing wrong with what her human friend said.

It's impossible to expect someone to help her transform into an adult for free, right?
"Let's do this, I accept this deal!" Ariel mustered up her courage and said to the sea witch.

"Stick out your tongue."

The sea witch then took out a sharp knife.

She will use this knife to cut off the mermaid's tongue and take away the most beautiful song in the ocean and land.

"This decision should have been made long ago, my princess.

"Just like your human friend said, if you just want to fulfill your wish without paying the price, then you might as well close your eyes and pray. Someone will give you a potion for free that can make you grow human legs - it's as effective as the potion I prepared."

"Yes," Rhine also agreed with the sea hag's words from behind, his tone was firm, "For example, I will give you a potion for free. Ariel can come to me."

"That's right..." said the sea witch, and was about to agree with Rhine's words when she felt something was wrong.

She turned to Rhine in astonishment and asked word by word:
"What are you talking about? Human!"

Rhine smiled and said to Ariel:
"Since we have become friends, I can help you boil a dose of medicine for free - the effect is the same as what the sea hag said. Well, not exactly the same, the side effects will be smaller." "That doesn't sound funny." The sea hag looked at Rhine, "What are you talking about? The medicine that makes mermaids grow legs was invented by me. I am the only one who can boil it in this sea and on land!"

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 want to boil contains powerful magic. Only someone who knows magic can make it!"

"Yes." The silver-haired boy smiled warmly in response, "Didn't I tell you before? I'm a magician."

Ariel looked at her two human friends in surprise.

"Yes." Aurora also introduced Rhine with pride, "He is an extremely powerful and talented magician! He is the best magician in the kingdom we come from."

"Wait!" Ariel was extremely surprised and stared at the silver-haired boy in disbelief.

It turns out that this good friend who has followed me for a while is actually a magician?
As far as the mermaid princess knows, magic is a kind of mysterious knowledge that is unfathomable. There is only one wise man who understands magic in the sea country, and that is the sea witch.

No wonder they, as human beings, can come to the ocean kingdom by riding on strange big fish!
"I always thought you were a knowledgeable anthropologist," said Ariel.

"That's not contradictory," Rhine smiled, "Almost all magicians are knowledgeable scholars."

The sea hag interrupted them:

"Well, with that strange big fish with a transparent belly, I believe you are indeed a magician.

"But what good is that? 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 other human or sea creature can make medicine with the same effect!"

The young man said to Ariel with a smile on his face:

"In that case, let's give it a try. Give me some time, I'll boil 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 big fish's belly.

A cloud of mist appeared in his hands, and out of thin air he conjured up medicine jars, herbs, mortars, pestles and other necessary tools for decocting medicines.

This magical scene made Ariel amazed:
"Is this magic? So many things appeared at once."

Many of the medicinal herbs and tools were the ones Rhine encountered when he first traveled to this world and was treating civilians.

As long as Rhine touches those objects once, he can call them to hand from a distance.

——This is the magic he learned after fulfilling the soldier’s wish to “find the tinderbox”!

The young magician then began to decoct the medicine. His movements were very familiar and he added something into the medicine jar every once in a while.

From time to time, strange-shaped steam would float out of the jar.

The sea ghost was stunned:

"How come the formula for refining the medicine and the method of decocting the medicine are so similar to mine?"

It was as if she was decocting the medicine herself!

No, there are still many differences.

The sea snakes that were supposed to be used as medicine were replaced with land snakes; and the silver seaweed that was only useful when picked under moonlight was replaced with some land medicinal herbs that the sea witch did not recognize.

Apparently, Rhine slightly modified the recipe, replacing many marine herbs with terrestrial materials with similar medicinal properties.

There are herbs from the forest, herbs from the grassland, and even herbs from the mountains and deserts. There are many more things on land than in the vast deep sea!
As for some medicinal materials, Rhine simply gave up and did not add them at all.

Because the results of divination told him that not only did the material contain no effective ingredients, but it would cause serious poisoning - the original prescription was also flawed.

When the sea witch saw strange-shaped steam coming out of the medicine jar, she knew that the medicine was almost ready.

Moreover, the color and quality of the medicine are definitely better than the best medicine she can decoct!

The sea witch could not accept this fact at all.

She questioned the little magician in front of her again:

"Don't think I don't know its pharmacology. To give this medicine magical power, you have to pour in a large bottle of magical blood.

"Are you so kind as to volunteer your blood? With your small body, if you lose so much blood, you'll probably collapse before the medicine is ready!"

"Isn't it just the magic 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 witch needs to use her own blood to make potions, but he doesn't need it.

This big fish was transformed from the dog summoned by the tinderbox. The blood naturally came from the big dog and contains natural magic.

That big dog has much more blood than him!
After a while, the medicine boiled, and a strange sound came out of it - not the crying of a crocodile in the original work, but like the melodious singing of a lark.

The medicine is cooked like this.

This potion is colorless and transparent, and looks like clear water.

"Oh my God! How could this happen? This is impossible!"

The sea hag screamed.

She didn't even need to see the mermaid try to drink the potion. Just by hearing the sound of the potion being boiled, she knew that Rhine's potion must be better than her magic potion.

"Please take this potion to the coast and drink it before the sun comes out." Rhine said. "My potion is similar to the one made by the sea hag and will also make you grow human legs, but the side effects will be much less!"

(End of this chapter)