Chapter 2056: Giant Demon, Giant Cauldron

Seeing four massive demons taking out cauldrons that had to hold over a thousand litres was definitely the strangest thing that Karl had seen that morning.

And despite her early aversion, once she saw the enthusiasm of the four massive demons, and the size of the cauldrons that they were working with, she was more than happy to keep them around for this experiment.

"Alright, the recipe will need to be altered so that you can use that giant cauldron," Remi realized.

"Oh, there’s no need for that. I have a skill, called [Plague is Eternal] that allows me to increase potion volumes by a hundred times. It’s made for toxins, but in a way, all potions are toxic. This one just happens to have a beneficial side effect."

The demon had a point.

"So, you make enough for a cauldron the size that I’m using, and then just increase it a hundredfold to make enough to share?"

The big demons all nodded in unison.

"Sharing is caring. Especially when it’s the plague."

They were definitely a bit odd, but they were friendly, so Remi didn’t ask any questions, and simply continued to make the potions with them, narrating the small tricks and special techniques she had found to make the potions more effective.

The Plague Lords did the same.

There were many things that the ancient demons knew about Alchemy that Remi had never considered. Most of them were questionable from a safety standpoint, but that didn’t bother the Plague Lords.

Most of their concoctions were intended to kill the imbiber anyhow.

But Karl had to admit that the pure volume of potion that they were making was impressive. Four thousand litres, no four thousand and ten, counting Remi’s. That would be enough to take care of a year’s worth of production in an afternoon.

The Spirit Enhancement Potion took all day to prepare, if Karl’s memory served him well, and that meant Remi only got one batch finished on the days that she was working on it. So, the quantity was normally very limited.

"Karl, do you mind if we change the surroundings? I think I know how to make this more comfortable," Remi asked.

"Go ahead. Just don’t get me wet."

Remi laughed as she created a small thatch roofed gazebo for Karl to work in, and then turned the rest of the area into a [Naga Swamp] while they waited for the potions to get to the perfect temperature for the next step.

"Oh, this is nice. Warm, swampy, soft enough to sit without my butt getting sore. Thank you, Miss Remi."

The Naga nodded happily. The swamp was definitely the best place for them to work, and she had confirmed one of Hawk’s theories. The Plague Demons did have an affinity for the swamps. Perhaps not as a water element creature, but they were definitely more comfortable in the swamp than in a standard grassland or stone floor setting.

Hawk was pleased that his observations were validated, but didn’t bother to gloat. He was in humanoid form, working a flat iron grill to show the bunnies his new recipe for spicy lentil patties.

He had been working hard on them, and found that you needed to do most of the cooking on a flat grill, then finish them over open flame for the perfect char to make the flavour pop.

They might not be meat, but they were two kinds of fire, and that was pretty good.

Karl moved the first peerless grade items of the morning to the display case, and warned the Lesser Watchers that he wouldn’t be in the shop today so that they could inform anyone who asked.

They could handle the shop, along with the regular staff and the Dark Elves, he didn’t actually have to be there. It just made people feel more important to go directly to the Branch Leader for a deal when they wanted to make a high-value purchase, and that encouraged them to buy more.

Instead, he kept track of Dana, who was still being dragged around the party by excited bunnies and Cara, while he made more items for the shop.

Let them exhaust the Dana Mage until she no longer worried about the little details.

If they partied hard enough, she might even give up and go hide in her space, where they couldn’t pull her out. That’s what Hawk did when he was tired of being around people.

The difference was that Dana wasn’t used to the new bond yet, so she never thought about retreating to the Dana Space, only to her bedroom. But if she tried to retreat to the bedroom, she wouldn’t be alone, as the bunnies would surely follow her in for a group nap.

They never slept alone.

Somehow, changing Dana’s bond had changed their opinion of her rank in society, though she was still Karl’s wife. It was like they no longer viewed her as an outsider, who happened to live near them. Instead, she was part of the collective, and no part of the collective got to sulk alone in silence.

If you wanted to pout, you did it as part of a group.

And that alone was enough to stop Dana from getting upset about Cara’s teasing, or the fact that she had been kept up all night long. She really was exhausted, but sleeping in a pile of bunnies who were not so secretly aiming to cuddle with her fluffy tail, didn’t sound all that restful.

However, she did eventually give in, and ended up back in the Tiny World’s main house, in the room next to the Library. That was the one where the whole floor was covered in pillows, and where Lotus and the hatchlings liked to take their naps.

Today, it was covered in bunnies, along with Tian, Skadi and Dana, who were all too exhausted to go on any longer.

She didn’t actually need much sleep, but Dana found her mind going blank, and the warmth of the room pulling her under into a deep slumber. That might not be a true "skill" in the system sense, but it was a talent of the bunnies. Their presence calmed others, and in a group like this, it was difficult to stay awake when you were even a little tired.