Chapter 10: Nine

A variety of stalls lined the three streets dedicated to the night market. Which was a lot busier than I expected it to be, considering most players would be out of their capsules. The spicy scent of meat mixed with a seasoning I couldn’t identify filled my nose, as we stood waiting at a stall Darius insisted we visit, claiming it to sell the best meat skewers in the market. 

Noctus was at another nearby stall, bartering with a merchant over the price of a ten-inch slab of pink stone that the vampire had beelined towards the moment we passed the stall. Skewer’s in hand, we made our way back over to Noctus, who was putting away the slab with a triumphant smile. 

The pink stone Noctus had purchased was, according to the placard, ‘star rose quartz’, and looking at the stones on display, I saw placards identifying different gemstones. Several I was familiar with, and dozens more I’d never heard of. A yellow tinged crystalline stone stacked in a crate towards the back of the stall caught my eye, as did the placard affixed to the front of the crate. 

“How much is the brimstone?” I enquired after catching the attention of the stall-holder. 

“Five silver’s a kilo,” the dwarf grunted, glancing at the crate. 

“Two silver,” Noctus chimed in, causing the dwarf to glare at him in annoyance. 

“Four silver, three copper.” 

“Two silver, five copper.” 

This carried on several times before the dwarf agreed on a price of three silver and two copper. Using a pair of gloves which the dwarf let me borrow, I picked out three pieces of brimstone, and was about to pay when Darius placed a hand on my shoulder. 

“What do you need the brimstone for?” 

“Brimstone, otherwise known as sulfur, is one of the twenty two key elements used in alchemy.” I told him, and he nodded, removing his hand from my shoulder to pull out his own pouch.

“The guild will cover purchases for alchemic research. However, you will need to keep records of what you purchase, and notes on the purpose of the purchase. During the next council meeting, we will discuss a budget and provide a book for you to record your purchases, but for now I’ll cover the items you require within reason.” 

“I can pay for it myself, I have gold.” 

“I told you we would allocate resources towards helping you train. This is part of it. However, I would ask where possible you source items you need from within the guild, as it will lower costs, and help our guild members further their own crafts.” He said as he paid for the brimstone, which the dwarf put into a linen sack before handing it over. 

“I need protective equipment, and some tools. Do we have a leather worker who can make gloves and an apron? I also need eye protection, and a mask, as breathing in fumes can be dangerous.” 

“We have crafters who work with leather, so they can make those items. As for the eye protection would goggle's suffice? The saddle maker sells goggles for those who have flying mounts. They also sell masks so we can get both there, and the seamstress can make you more later.” 

“I need a mask with filtration.” I told him as we walked further down the street. 

“Would an air purification enchantment work?” Noctus asked, and I shrugged. 

“I don’t know, as I’m not familiar with the magical side of alchemy, just the scientific.” 

“Well, it worked well on strips of cloth to keep out the stench of that bog Darius got our team lost in last month.” The vampire jested, looking over at the guild leader, who was feigning interest in a stall that was selling fruits and vegetables.  

Next to the fresh food stall was one selling spices, and seeing the bundle of cinnamon sticks in a jar, I dashed over the two stalls waving over the seller who’d just finished serving another customer. 

“Good eve to you lass, what can I be getting ya?” 

“All the cinnamon, please.” I said, glancing at the price which was scrawled on the jar's label. 

“All of it, lass? Do ya mean just what’s in the jar or what’s in stock? I can do ye a good price for bulk purchases.” The woman said, giving me a bright smile. 

“How much do you have in stock?” I asked, glancing at the other spices she sold. 

“Thrice this amount on hand, more if I send the boy over to the warehouse.” She replied, gesturing to a young boy stacking crates behind the stall. 

“I’ll take all you have here, and a kilo of salt, sugar, mint leaves, and…” 

Chewing on my thumb nail, I stared at the mixture of dried herbs and spices, many were ones I knew such as fennel, ginger and even garlic. Things like elven root, blood grass and fey blossom were mentioned in the common plants book, but the properties of each were not, so I wasn’t sure how to use them.

If they are sold at a stall that sells spices, then those must be safe for consumption.

“A kilo of everything you have here, and an extra two gold if you can deliver it to the Eternia guild hall in the morning.” Darius cut in, and I glanced at him, then back to the spices before nodding. 

“Yes, a kilo of each please, uh, how much cinnamon is in your warehouse? You said you had more?” I asked the delighted looking woman who was writing on a piece of paper with a stick of charcoal. 

“Ay, lass, we have more. Got a full crate this week, I’ll take two hundred gold for the lot, and let's see, I’ll do you fine folks a deal with the other spices as well, leaving your total at an even four hundred gold.” 

“Here, please deliver the spices to the guild hall in the morning, let the guards at the doors know it is for Kadia.” Darius instructed, placing the payment for the spices into a wooden box that looked similar to the one used in the bank. 

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“We’ll be doing that sir, thank ye for your patronage.” The woman said, waving at us as we left the stall. 

“What are the spices for? I thought you were studying alchemy, not cooking.” Noctus questioned as soon as we were away from the stall.

“Some spices have medicinal properties. Many common herbs, and plants are still used on earth to create herbal remedies even now,” I lectured as we continued through the market heading, the food stalls decreasing in number to be replaced by those selling fabrics, pottery, and other crafted goods. 

“Why so much cinnamon? You bought more of it than the other spices.” Darius asked. 

Looking away from a stall selling wooden figurines, I turned to face him with a grin. 

“Do you know about Hennig Brandt? He was one of the many alchemists who sought to create the fabled philosopher's stone.” 

“Ah, no sorry, I wasn’t much for history when I was in school.” Darius admitted, and I turned to look at Noctus, who shook his head with a light shrug. 

“Hennig Brandt is the alchemist who invented Phosphorus by boiling thousands of liters of urine. He believed that by distilling the urine to remove any impurities, he would discover the philosopher's stone. Instead he found Phosphorus. These days there are much better methods to create Phosphorus, but those are not likely to be viable here, so the method I want to try is an adaptation of the original method Hennig discovered. Using ground charcoal, I can lessen the boiling time needed, as charcoal binds with the impure elements. Adding cinnamon while boiling the urine also helps to- oh, sorry.” Seeing the look of concealed disgust on Noctus’s face, I broke off my explanation. 

“You want to make potions with pee?” Darius asked, looking equal parts horrified and intrigued. 

“No, not consumable potions. Alchemy isn’t just about creating medicine.” I assured him. “I’ve always wanted to try more experiments with Phosphorus. Pure Phosphorus is flammable when exposed to air, it was historically used to create alchemical fire. Later it was used to make matches, explosives, fertilizer and cleaning products. Marcus and I once burned down part of the pool house trying to make our own homemade Phosphorus.” I told them, as the memory of Danica’s enraged face when she saw the damage brought a smile to my lips. 

Marcus may not have been interested in pharmacology, but he was always keen to help me with some of the more interesting chemistry experiments I’d attempted. 

“Explosives? Wait, can you make gunpowder?” Noctus asked, looking excited. 

“That depends, gunpowder in its modern form might not be possible. But blackpowder, which was first created in…” I began, only to be cut off by a hand clamping itself over my mouth. 

“Noctus, save your questions for later. No more talking about any of this in public.” Darius cautioned, pulling his hand away from my mouth. 

“Right, you’re right, we shouldn’t be talking here.” Noctus said.

 I nodded in agreement, staying silent while my cheeks felt like they would burst into flame, just like the Phosphorus I wanted to make. 

Wait, where am I going to find urine? We don’t pee!

“We don’t pee,” I mumbled, staring ahead as my mind raced with the different methods I could use to create Phosphorus. 

I can make Calcium Phosphorus from animal bones, and if there is brimstone in Kaledon, then is it possible there are phosphorite and apatite rocks? 

“No, we don’t pee.” Darius agreed, rubbing a hand over his chin. “The farm animals do, I think. I know they create manure, as Calidus uses it to fertilize the fields.” 

“Farm animals? Fields?” 

“Yes, Calidus and Bell didn’t want to live in the guild hall, so they ended up using Bell’s land token to build a farm near the city. They live there along with some other guild members who’ve taken up farming and animal husbandry. The farm supplies meat and fresh vegetables to the cooks at the guild hall, which saves on food costs. It is also where most of the guild keeps their mounts to save on stabling costs.” Darius explained. 

“What happens to the bones of the animals used for meat? Is it already being rendered down for use? Can I have some? Is it possible to collect urine from the animals there? Oh, and manure too.” I asked, my previous enthusiasm returning in a rush. 

“We can talk to Calidus about getting what you need from the farm, but for now let's focus on getting what we came here for.” Darius said, pointing to a row of stalls selling clothing. “We have seamstresses, and tailors at the guild, so just get a few basic outfits for now until you can have some made.” 

As instructed, I moved to the clothing stalls, inspecting the items they sold one by one before I ended up at a stall run by a girl who looked around my age. The girl who introduced herself as Delainy was a tabby cat Bakeneko with long hair that was a mixture of gray and black, just like her striped ears and tail. 

“Here, here, I sell clothing for those with tails, wings and more!” The girl called out when she spotted our group looking at the clothing at a nearby stall. 

I’d been just about to concede defeat to the fact that I’d be stuck wearing dresses in order to allow room for my tail, as none of the trousers I found accommodated extra appendages, when I’d heard the girls shouting and made my way over to her stall. 

An hour later, I’d changed from my knee length kimono and was wearing a pair of soft black cotton trousers with a maroon blouse worn beneath a leather vest. I also purchased six blouses, three with a long tapered sleeve, three with a shorter cap style sleeve, along with two leather vests, and six pairs of cotton trousers. I’d also needed to buy undergarments, which had been more than a little embarrassing, but it was better to suffer the momentary embarrassment now than be stuck with only one set of underwear. 

Once Delainy learned I was newly digitized, she had also written a list of things I would need, some of which I hadn’t even thought of. I’d not even considered I would need to re-buy even the day-to-day items which I previously took for granted, such as soap, a hair brush and ties for my hair. I didn’t even have a towel to dry myself with, though when I’d voiced that concern to Darius, he informed me that soap, towels and things like bed linens were provided in the guild hall for those who lived there. I’d been right that Markion hadn’t done his own laundry. The bull had simply dropped the dirty linens into the laundry shoot and gotten clean ones from the linen closet. 

“You will find a laundry bag in your wardrobe with your room number on it. Toss anything that needs to be washed in there, and drop it into the chute. It will be cleaned and be left folded in the bag outside your door.” Darius told me as I picked out a copper handled brush and comb, along with some leather ties for my hair. 

We ended up skipping the stalls selling weapons and armor, because I was sure Marcus would have a stroke if I used a weapon he didn’t make himself and because Darius said it would be better to have a set of leather armor custom made in order to ensure it was comfortable to wear. 

As we reached the end of the second street of the night market, Noctus pointed to another street to our right where pressed in-between two larger stores, was a narrow shop with a metal sign shaped like a feather quill with the words, ‘Inked and Bound’ written in gold lettering. 

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