Seeing as Leon could find no real help in the books he had chosen, he decided to glance over other books, specifically theories regarding alchemy. He wanted to know more about impurities within herbs and pills. If he could figure out ways to reduce them, like Leo had, he felt that he was a step closer to creating a better pill for Jin Li. After all, his main fears about consuming pills were only in part due to the side effects, a build up of impurities was a major worry and problem for all consuming pills, as they could effect cultivation in the long run.Sometime later, he left the library with a loud yawn and a rumbling stomach. He had learned much of what he could already guess, impurities were common in all herbs, but varied between plants. Impurities within the herbs transferred into the pills. Certain detoxifying plants such as the common sweet sunclover and the less common dew strand gra.s.s could reduce impurities and even help break them down within a body. In a very dusty book called the foundations of Alchemy, the author had mentioned that alchemists once believed that the young, fresh herbs contained the least impurities, but they now knew this theory to be untrue.
Leon felt that the subject was not explored enough and he couldn"t help his mind reviewing it as he sat down to eat a bowl of stew and bread. Impurities could be waste products produced by the plant, he thought, but somehow this did not ring true of all herbs. Especially as there were as many impurities within fresh young plants that had less time to build up waste products as older plants, that and the impurities could be found in root, stem, leaf and flower, though he didn"t know if this would be in equal parts. So there was probably some other factor involved as well. Maybe environment? Like in his old world where pollution played a key and pesticides, his mum had even gone through an "organic" stage despite the cost.
He was still mulling over this when he was along in the direction that would lead to his home when he was shoved aside with a loud "Look out!"
As he fell to the ground, a dark shape shot past his face and there was a loud, metallic clunk. Leon groaned in discomfort and groped around the earth for his gla.s.ses that had fallen from his face as he was pushed. "Are you alright?" The person who had shoved him asked. Leon felt that the voice was familiar, but he could not place it.
"Am alright," Leon confirmed, he was more concerned about the fact that he could not see a thing that the soreness of his behind. "C-Can you see my g-g-gla.s.ses anywhere?"
"I am sooooo sorry!" Came the sound of shuffling footsteps and a pretty, clear toned and slightly breathless voice that rang out in the wooded s.p.a.ce. "Is anyone hurt?"
"No, no injuries," the cold voice confirmed.
"Really, Maimai," came a gentle chiding voice from behind, that somehow remained as calm as still water. "Have you lost another cauldron? I can lend you mine for now, if you need it."
"It"s fine, sister," the other girl replied, sounding sheepish. "I really just have trouble with clear spiritual pills and burning energy pills. I can"t seem to form them before "poof!" Um, where did my cauldron go?"
"Over there," the cold voice stated, before a shadow formed over Leon where he still searched upon all fours for his elusive gla.s.ses. "I"ll help you," the man murmured.
"Thank you!" Maimai said, earnestly, before a loud crunch came from a similar direction to her voice. "Oh, I seem to have trod on something..." There was a slight silence, before the shuffling of feet and limbs and a tinkling of metal on gla.s.s. "What was this?"
"Those would have been his gla.s.ses," the cold sounding man said with a sigh. Leon froze and glanced futilely upwards. One of the two roughly humanoid shapes grabbed him by the arm and lifted him to his feet.
"Oh, I do apologise!" The girl said, sounding honestly upset. "Do you need them badly?"
"Well I..."
"What"s going on here?" That sounded like Teacher Sagi. The man had been in the Herb Hall when he had heard a large explosion and decided to come out to see what sort of damaged had been caused. Alchemist students caused such explosions frequently, but this had been particularly loud and required investigation. He came to see a small gathering of students; many were first years, including the two young sect ladies meaning Teacher Sagi could guess who was the root cause. If her cauldron needed replacing again, it would be her fifth.
The other girl, young Merylin, although outwardly calm was glancing around with her eyes, as if trying to find something or someone and looked faintly disappointed. He also noted Leon, looking bewildered and unfocused and another student, Tor, who was holding a mangled pair of broken gla.s.ses. Teacher Sagi sighed. It was going to be one of those days.