The Talented Alchemist

After Yohan gouged out a few of the green dragon's scales and then took a few drops of its blood, the dead dragon's body suddenly shattered into flakes of ash. He crouched down and touched the flakes. It felt very smooth, almost too smooth when compared to the ashes left over from burning wood. He also sniffed the aroma, and there was no burnt scent at all from the smooth flakes.

"Would a dead dragon disintegrate like this?" Yohan muttered. He went back to check the dragon scales he had taken and they remained intact as they should. The blood he put into the bamboo container was also still safe.

Out of curiosity, Yohan put some of the soft flakes into the leaf container he had picked up carelessly nearby. Perhaps he could study the item later. Who knows if the flakes were as useful as dragon scales or blood?

After an expedition, hunters would usually be given two or three days to rest and be free from training. During this time, they will normally use the time to sleep and restore their depleted stamina. If injured, the free time is used to rest and seek treatment. Yohan did not have any serious injuries, nor was he severely exhausted, so he was able to make good use of his time off.

The next day, Yohan got ready to go to the city market. He asked Ancel if there were any people in this country who knew about the items that came from the Nox area. Ancel said that in the city market, there were various people selling their skills. Ancel only advised Yohan not to fall for the witch's tricks. Ancel was worried and wanted to accompany him, but his body was tired. In the end, Yohan sets off alone to find out the uses of the dragon scales and blood he got from the previous expedition.

The city market was really crowded. Ancel warned Yohan to wear a cloak when walking around in crowded areas to protect himself. The people already knew about the extra saint girl who came from another world. Their curiosity might endanger him.

"Wow, how crowded..."

Yohan looked around at the items offered by the merchants there. There were a lot of items that he did not know about. It was only natural, he was not from this world.

"Hey, are you a foreigner?"

Yohan was surprised when his shoulder was suddenly tapped from behind. He turned his head and saw a young girl in a fiery red robe staring at him intently.

"Who are you?" asked Yohan.

The girl rubbed her chin and brought her face closer to Yohan. "How strange. If you're from Freda, I should recognize you. Ah! Perhaps you are an extra from-hmmp!"

Yohan covered the girl's mouth and pulled her into a nearby alley. She thrashed and punched Yohan hard in the chest.

"Ugh, it hurts," Yohan complained. He bent down while rubbing his chest, which was in excruciating pain. His body did not suffer any severe damage after the battle with the dragon in the Nox area, but that did not mean he was perfectly healthy without any pain.

"Hey, you're the saint's extra, right? The one who came into this world during the summoning process?"

Yohan looked at the girl with a frown. "You know what? I thought the palace kept that a secret."

"Hahaha, why keep it a secret? You're not an important person either, are you?"

Damn.

"Yes, yes, you're right. So, what do you want from me? Money?"

The girl chuckled. "You think I'm just a market punk who likes to extort passersby, huh?"

"Then what do you want? Sorry, but I'm busy. I only have a few days off. After that I won't be able to walk around freely like this."

"Hey, what's your name?"

Yohan's brow furrowed. "What's in it for me to tell you my name?"

"Cih, do you want me to keep calling you the saint's extra? Or, do you really want the people around the market to know that you are the saint's extra?"

Yohan let out a long breath. "Yohan Dharmawijaya."

"Dha-Dharma... um..."

"Yohan, it's okay," Yohan said quickly.

"Your name is very difficult to pronounce."

Yohan chuckled softly. "Probably because I come from a different world. So, what's your name?"

"Rymenhild Hooper."

Yohan frowned. "Rymen-what was that? Can I call you Ry? Your own name is too hard to pronounce for my tongue."

The girl laughed and nodded. "Yeah, no problem. So, where are you going?"

Yohan rolled his eyes and passed by the girl. "None of your business."

"Hey, hey, come on... I have nothing to do right now and you're an interesting person. I'll accompany you. You must not know much about the area on Friday, right? I'll show you around."

Yohan stopped walking and looked at the girl. "Do you know where I can get information regarding items originating from the Nox area?"

Ry's face was shocked. "You have items from the Nox area? What is it? Show me!"

" You know or not? Otherwise I'll go alone."

The girl laughed softly. "Just leave it to me."

Yohan and Ry walked down several alleys in the dark and deserted market area. It crossed Yohan's mind that this girl might be framing him, but that prejudice was quickly dispelled when they came to an old wooden building hidden away from the crowd.

"What is this place?" asked Yohan.

"An alchemist. He's very knowledgeable about the items in the Nox area."

Yohan narrowed his eyes with a skeptical expression. "Are you sure? This place looks gloomy and people don't like it."

" That's exactly it. The owner of this place really dislikes crowds. But you'll be amazed if you know what he's capable of. He also doesn't carelessly provide services to people who ask for them. You live in the palace, right? If you know people who have positions in the palace, just ask them about this place, I'm sure they'll know."

The girl's explanation sounded very convincing. The two of them immediately entered the wooden building and were immediately greeted by various strange items neatly arranged on tables and shelves. Yohan cast his eyes around the place. There were tons of items that he did not know about. Glass bottles filled with colorful potions and protected by layers of magic, strange shiny plants infused with strange liquids, and several weapons with unusual shapes.

"Woah, how disgusting. Is this-"

"Ladies and gentlemen, is there anything I can help you with?"

Yohan turned his head. A young man who was probably the same age as Captain Indark greeted them with a friendly smile. Yohan was momentarily stunned when he saw his face. Considering how gloomy this building looked from the outside, Yohan thought the owner must also be someone gloomy and creepy. He did not expect the owner of this place to be a young man who was quite handsome and had a radiant face.

"Sir?"

Yohan blinked. "Ah, sorry. I wanted to ask about this." He reached into the pocket of his sling bag and revealed his packet of green dragon scales, a small bottle of green dragon blood droplets, and a packet of ashes from a dead green dragon's body.

"Um, Sir?" called Yohan to the man.

"Sorry, let me introduce myself. My name is Athlas. I'm just surprised you have this item."

"Yeah, I got it while on an expedition in the Nox area."

"Expedition? You're a hunter?"

Yohan nodded. "I guess it's only temporary until the summoners in the palace figure out a way to return me without changing my destiny."

"Ah, I see. Dragon body parts are very valuable items. These materials can be used to make very powerful weapons."

"Is that so? Then, make me a good weapon out of it. It feels strange that I always have to borrow Captain Indark's sword when I go on expeditions."

"Oi, can you afford it?" Ry elbowed Yohan's arm.

"Eh? Right."

Athlas smiled. "I'll make you a weapon that matches these items, but may I ask for just a little bit of this green dragon ash? As payment for the weapon."

"That would be fine."

Athlas smiled kindly. "Then, please come back here next week."

Yohan nodded. He stepped out of the place. He paused for a moment before opening the door and looking back. His eyelids widened when he saw what was behind him.

"E-Eh?"

***