Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

"Hehehehe! That's right. Whether you push it in all the way or... cough cough cough. I mean, yes. It saves us time."

Layla said and straightened her dress for no reason. She then hurriedly picked up another scroll and spread it in front of Eren. The latter kept his smoke between his lips and picked up the scroll with both hands.

Layla continued speaking as the butcher kept on reading the content through the smoke.

"The next thing we need is an Astral Projection potion. I don't have to say this at this point. But I'll say it anyway. This one's also a transcendent-grade potion.

There are a couple of good points in regards to obtaining this potion. First, I can make it just fine if I have all the necessary ingredients. Second, most of the ingredients used in the potion are relatively cheap and easy to obtain. There are only a few herbs that are difficult to find or expensive.

Additionally, it is produced in sufficient quantities by many famous potioners of your time. It is a somewhat common potion among high-ranked entities after all. Some potion makers have become rich concocting this potion. So it shouldn't be too challenging to find either."

Layla said and started pacing around the house in front of the work desk. She adjusted her specs and scratched her nose before continuing.

"As for the usage of the potion. The potion is used for detaching the ranker's soul from their mortal body so that they can experience a deeper state of epiphany.

We know that the state of epiphany occurs less frequently as rankers age and progress forward in their journey. The more you age or the higher your rank, the less likely you are to experience that state. This holds true for most rankers."

Eren thought of interrupting the young witch because she had gotten into the zone of explaining things. Her zone was more for herself than for her listeners. The butcher thought that this was her way of dealing with the stress just like he used his smoke to relieve some pressure off of his mind.

So he sighed and let her continue.

"This is the reason Astral Projection Potion is famous among high-ranked entities. To induce Epiphany, they lock themselves in an array-induced environment and consume potions that could help them achieve it.

They use the Astral Projection potion at the end just when they feel they are about to slip into the state of epiphany. As a result, their souls leave their bodies temporarily when they experience that ethereal state, enabling them to reap greater rewards than they possibly can.

This potion is especially famous among high-ranking elves. They also use this potion before starting their elven ale process to get better attuned with the way of their elements."

Eren thought of Lensa and her grandfather-like figure Dan Karran when the effects of the potion were explained by Layla. He had heard that old monster speak extensively about the way of the elements and the state of epiphany. Plus, he had heard that the old elf was a recluse and would often lock himself somewhere.

'That cunning elf must be using this Astral Projection drug. His erratic behaviour and the addiction he seemed to have towards the state of epiphany suggest he might be a frequent user of the potion. He might also be overdosing on it in fact.'

Eren thought and made a note of Dan Karran's potential relation to the potion. By this time, Layla had spoken some more geeky stuff about the potion that Eren considered unimportant. Soon after, she concluded her explanation.

"In the end, I can say with certainty that finding the ingredients and concocting the potion ourselves would still be a cheaper option. I've listed the ingredients as well as the price difference between the two ways of obtaining the potion."

Eren kept on reading the ingredients listed by Layla as she spoke about the potion. She had also written down a rough recipe of the potion along with ways to change the process in case any anomaly occurs.

The ingredients ranged from Ranks F to S. Thankfully, the young witch had also written down lower-ranked variants for the high-ranked herbs while adjusting the portions and recipe accordingly.

This was Eren's first time seeing even a rough layout of the transcendent-grade potion. He had to admit that Layla had left no stone unturned when it came to potioneering details. Even after seeing it for the first time, Eren could understand half of what she had written. That was a lot for him.

"You spoke about the good news. Tell me the terrible one."

Layla gave him an awkward smile. She re-adjusted her eyeglasses before speaking up.

"The ingredients are relatively easy to find. The concoction is where things get a bit complex. First of all, I'll need a special array made for the concoction process. Then, I'll need a unique set of equipment that is etched with ether-element runes…"

This time Eren didn't wait for Layla to finish her explanation. He cut her off with his next words.

"Don't worry about the potion-making process. Don't worry about the concoction at all. We will try getting the potion ourselves."

Layla was impressed that a miser like Eren was prioritizing getting the potion in such a manner. But she started having doubts. So she thought it was better if she voiced them.

"You want to pay for the potion as well?"

Eren chuckled and released another cloud of smoke from his mouth before responding.

"Hahaha! If things work out as per my plan, we will get that stuff for free."

Eren dropped the scroll that described the potion on the desk. He already had a lot of information in his head. He could see that Layla had put a lot of effort into coming up with the Lazarus Project. It was as detailed as it was grand.

Having gone over the project's details, the butcher was starting to have a mini project of his own.

AN: Dan Karran has been introduced around chapter 147.