Ling Qi nodded primly as she sat down, drawing a small glass bottle from her storage ring. It was only a fingerlength long, but filled with foggy mist, with a small amount of clear and sparkling water at the bottom. "As you suggested we looked into the cultivation materials first in case they represented any unintentional danger toward the citizens. Together with Meng Duyi, I discovered this. We are calling it Clearwater Mist, and it is generated from the mist created when the main falls strike the surface of the lake. But the mist only gains special properties at the exact hour surrounding daybreak and sunset."
So funny that while its a Moon reagent its collected from the last rays of the sun dancing in mist heh.
Collecting it seems like its more a skill issue than an availability issue though, since it has to be collected over water, into airtight containers at a narrow window of time. Presumably it liquifies under stoppering pressure.
"Hoh, interesting!" Gan Guangli said, peering at the bottle held in her hands. "It has a bit of the same scent about it as your Muse, no?"
"It has some small properties of Dreaming Qi. Meng Duyi said it would be quite potent as a reagent in crafting cultivator grade alcohols, in addition to being useful for alchemy in general, as a base for separating and distilling the essence of mixed reagents," Ling Qi said.
Xia Lin narrowed her eyes. "The reason you used expensive glass cleansed of all residual fire qi instead of ceramic is that, isn't it?"
Ling Qi lowered her head in acknowledgement. "It is very difficult to bottle. If the container has more than a single qi alignment, the mist will break it down over time. In addition it does not like to stay in liquid form and very easily becomes mist at the slightest disturbance, requiring firm sealing methods."
Of the two uses:
-Alcohol - I'd note the alcohol readily becomes mist. Which means fizzy alcohol as it percipitates out of solution after being poured. I wonder what flavoring we have locally...
-Alchemical base - It breaks up other reagents into their base components, so it can be used to process potent reagents eith two affinities into one. And since its volatile, it evaporates readily once you're done.
But the amount of liquid harvestable is exprcted to be quite low for some time. So probably better as an alcohol than industrial solvent.
"We will need to make a small adjustment to the maintenance wards, but the breakdown effect is most potent when the mist is contained like this. Meng Duyi has already drawn us up some notes for the adjustment," Ling Qi replied.
So generally not an issue but that sounds like the boats used to harvest the mist is also going to take increased wear and tear on formations if any. Regular mortal boats with glass containers and purified mundane bellows would be best...but its right below a waterfall, so thats rather rough on the boat due to complex and strong water currents.
"Excellent. I will have them copied and distributed to the work crews by evening," Cai Renxiang said. "We will consider plans for how to gather the mist at an effective cost. Is it toxic to mortals?"
"...it would be if they remained immersed in it for some time, for the single hour in which it naturally exists? No."
I'm guessing its effects wears off within 12 hours even if they got the maximum possible dosage of an hour twice a day harvesting?
Good way to discover Dream Qi aspected common talents though.
"My investigation took me near the initial lumbering area, where the workers reported a strange fog in the middle of the day," Xia Lin said crisply, fully professional now. "The source was a patch of dull gray clay which appears to have overtaken the mundane deposit in the area. It is very cold to the touch, painfully so for a mortal, but is as soft and pliable as clay at normal temperatures. It retains these properties even when removed from the deposit."
Ling Qi hummed. "Is it even possible to fire it then?"
"Testing is underway. It is difficult requiring two or three times the length of a normal firing, which is labor intensive," Xia Lin replied. "And several batches were ruined, losing their properties."
Difficult to make into pottery without ruining it, but being naturally icy is useful enough raw, assuming quantity. Sounds like you could have some mortals harvest it with a shovel and a bucket easily.
"I will see about acquiring expertise, for now, see what can be harvested. Is there only one deposit?"
"No, there are several, arrayed around the lake shore, most are much further from Shenglu," Xia Lin said.
"I could see many benefits for cold storage if we can find the proper uses," Gan Guangli said thoughtfully. That would have great benefits for the mortals foodstores and many other things beside."
With numerous deposits though, we could just line storage areas walls with raw icy clay then place a brick facing over it. Not floors - we have a high moisture area and the cold would make condensation that may freeze to the surface.
Its easier to scrape frost off walls than floors and if its merely cool and not freezing the condensation running down the walls is easily directed into drainage trenches.
There was a faint pop of displaced air. Ling Qi stared.
"...Do I need to rally the guards?" Xia Lin asked blankly.
In Gan Guangli's arms was a massive fat fish. It must have been over two meters from head to tail, closing in on three. Its scales were a dull muddy brown shading into a bright verdant green in irregular spots… and around its head, which was thick with bony jade green plating, which extended to the rubbery whiskers which dangled from its jaw.
"Catfish! The men are calling them 'Jadehelms!" Gan Guangli said brightly. "They are quite meaty fellows!"
That is a big fishy.
"I have no reports of anyone being hurt," Cai Renxiang said calmly. "Docile?""
"Not quite, but the ones in our fishing zone are mostly a meter or less. I did have to go out quite deep to find this fellow, who was actually a red realm spirit beast," Gan Guangli chuckled, making the fish disappear back into his storage. "Most interestingly beyond the bounty of meat, the bones of their skulls, which are quite thick, have proven to take to bone carving quite well. The bone also has some wood qi properties, but the full extent is unclear. The beast's mucous also has some minor medicinal properties as well but we will need a proper alchemist to find more than that."
A meter long catfish could probably surge up the shore for a bite if it fancied its odds. Keep small children and pets away from the waterline!
It sure is a useful fish though.
Lots of meat, if considered bland flavoring, its good quality meat. Probably should look into local seasonings.
Large carvable bone supply means a good secondary industry in bone tools and ornaments. Metal needles may be more durable, but fine fish bones have been good for sewing and have few other uses. The Wood aspected side would probably take formations well, though wood qi is best for health and agriculture stuff.
And if the mucus is medicinal eating the catfish is going to be a low level health tonic on top of a readily available reagent for health drugs.
"We do have a handful of junior alchemists amongst our hires from Xiangmen. With all of this it may be best to give them a space to work soon," Cai Renxiang said thoughtfully.
"Well we do still have that pill furnace of mine," Ling Qi said, thinking fondly back to robbing Yan Renshu for all he was worth and then some.
"We do, one will likely be enough at this stage," Cai Renxiang agreed. "These are everyone's findings?"
After all the demand for healing is never low. Good practicing.
Ling Qi nodded and stood, glancing at the pond and the little tortoise swimming there. All joking aside, there was a conversation she needed to have with Zhengui.
Probably should define which are kin and level of protection that should be extended to them.
Given tortoise breeding strategies in general I suspect its easier than Qi thinks.
