GameDev Reincarnated into His Own Creation

Vol 2 - Chapter 32.5A: R & D

They were supposed to be researching new potential spells they could use for the tournament—well, that was Tomas's goal at least. For Vel, his spell arsenal was only limited by the sigils he knew. The more he understood about each magical component, the more he could create.

His mind wandered to one thing: if he could understand others, identify their potential, strengths, and weaknesses, it would make his job a lot easier. He'd been trying to find a spell similar to Appraisal or Analysis in the library's tomes, but so far nothing concrete had appeared.

"Hello, Vel," Konomi walked over with her usual pile of books, setting them down with practiced care on their table.

Vel blinked, pulling himself from his thoughts. "Hey, Konomi."

She glanced at Tomas with polite curiosity.

"We've seen each other around, but I don't believe we've been properly introduced," she said.

Tomas straightened up, looking slightly flustered at being addressed by the blue-haired girl.

"Tomas. Mardin," he replied with a small nod. "And you're Konomi, right? I remember from... that time."

Konomi's eyes widened slightly in recognition. "Ah, yes. Mardin—are you related to the Mardin merchant by any chance?"

"Guilty as charged," Tomas smiled sheepishly. "That was my father."

"I'm Konomi, apprentice of the Alchemy Guild"

Vel watched as Konomi's face lit up with recognition.

"I see, my father did transact potions from time to time," Tomas explained, seeming pleased to have a connection with the blue-haired girl.

"The Mardin Mercantile is quite respected in alchemical circles," Konomi replied. "I've studied several formulations that came through your father's trading routes."

Vel observed the exchange with interest. Konomi was clearly more animated when discussing her specialty, and Tomas appeared to be enjoying the attention from someone who appreciated his family's work. Their conversation flowed naturally into discussions of trade routes and rare ingredients.

After a few minutes, Vel saw an opportunity to steer the conversation.

"Say, Konomi," he interrupted, "if you came across an unknown potion, how would you identify its usage?"

Konomi's eyes brightened at the question. She set down the book she'd been gesturing with and adopted a more scholarly posture.

"Well, there's quite a systematic approach," she began. "First, you'd observe the basics—color, thickness of the liquid, how dense or opaque it is. Then you'd test with heat and cold to see what kind of fumes it produces, whether from burning or freezing."

She gestured as she spoke. "You'd mix it with other reagents to see how it reacts. And sometimes, for the more unusual potions, you'd observe the effect on small living things—plants, insects, that sort of thing."

Tomas nodded appreciatively at her thoroughness.

"I see. Not really what I'm looking for," Vel said with a slight frown.

Konomi tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"I thought there would be some kind of spell for that," Vel admitted. "Something that could just... tell you what something is and what it does."