The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch

Chapter 291.2: Tier 1

"We need to go to Adele's place," Ciel said. "I commissioned her to make a potion for me, and I want to see her progress.""I'll have someone prepare the carriage. Change your clothes." Avena didn't waste time either. After leaning over to press a light kiss to Ciel's cheek, she turned and left the room.

By the time Ciel finished washing up, changed, and went downstairs, two carriages were already prepared. Avena and Ciel rode in one, while Tara and Percy sat in the other.

Ciel's group soon arrived at Adele's doorstep and rang the doorbell.

The butler came out to receive them. At this time, Adele's home had not yet been completely converted into a laboratory; there were still a butler and maids responsible for Adele's daily life.

"Dr. Adele is upstairs. She seems to have gone without sleep all night," the butler said, bowing slightly to Avena. "Would you like me to call Dr. Adele down?"

Adele's public identity was still that of a private doctor. The maids and butler at home all added the title "Doctor" to her name out of respect for the profession.

"No need, we'll go up to find her ourselves." Avena politely declined the butler's company and led the group upstairs, arriving at the door to Adele's room.

This was a four-story building, but all four floors were rented by Adele, making the actual area even larger than Ciel's and Amy's homes.

The fourth floor had basically been opened up, leaving only a small room to serve as a lounge, while Adele’s bedroom was on the third floor.

After confirming Adele wasn't in her bedroom, the group went to the fourth floor. Upon opening the door and seeing the scene inside, almost everyone was startled.

Ciel had stayed at Adele's house in a simulation and understood it somewhat, but now… the fourth floor of Adele’s house was like a completely unrenovated shell, with nothing but the wooden structure and storage boxes of all sizes strewn across the floor, utterly unorganized.

This was entirely different from the tidiness of Adele's house in the simulation. Although there were no maids or butler in the simulation, it was still kept in perfect order.

It was then that Ciel remembered.

She had indeed asked Lucy to help Adele buy experimental equipment, but at the same time, she had told Adele to keep the experiments a secret…

So all of this had been moved and organized by Adele herself, bit by bit? She hadn't even asked for help?

Truly single-minded… she did exactly as she was told, without any thought of improvisation or cutting corners.

A narrow path ran between the boxes. After Ciel squeezed through the passage with difficulty, she saw a small area that had been cleared out in the center of the floor.

Adele had a small cauldron set up on a large iron table, using an oil lamp underneath to heat and boil its contents.

Various reagent bottles surrounded the cauldron, all containing different potion materials. The figure with long silver hair sat before the pile, her head drooping lower and lower toward the tabletop. Her hair looked as if it were about to be singed by the oil lamp beneath the cauldron.

"Adele?" Ciel reached out and gently shook her, pulling her back so she wouldn't lean any closer to the flame.

"Uh?" Adele, having pulled an all-nighter, opened her eyes hazily. She slowly looked up at Ciel and the others, her mind seemingly not yet functioning.

With her brain not yet fully awake, her body could only react on instinct—she continued whatever she had been doing in her dream.

"Heh heh… I'm roasting meat, do you want some…?" Adele grinned at Ciel, stretching out her hand to touch the scalding cauldron.

Ciel quickly intervened, pulling Adele’s hand back. Only then did Adele, sitting blankly in her original spot, gradually wake up.

It was obvious that Adele probably hadn't eaten much all day; to be able to dream of roasting meat while such a foul smell wafted from the cauldron.

"How is the progress?" Ciel looked at Adele and asked.

It wasn't that Ciel was cold-blooded or didn't care about Adele's health, but this matter truly had a higher priority.

Adele was a transcendent, had potions on hand, and was on the "Physician" path, the most resilient of all. Going without sleep for a few days was nothing.

"The materials weren't very complex; they were quite easy to acquire… it's just that the brewing process uses a lot of old antiques that aren't used anymore. There are even specific requirements for the mortar's material… it has to be made on the spot." Adele felt more weary the more she spoke, unable to resist complaining, "It feels like a preparation method from hundreds of years ago."

The time this formula had existed was likely more than just a few hundred years; it might even be a potion formula updated by the Pure White Armor, but in Adele's eyes, it was still a bit outdated.

"How much longer until it's finished?" Ciel pressed.

"It’ll be about done once this pot of materials is boiled down. The rest is just adding the transcendent materials in order…" Adele thought for a moment and said, "Probably two more hours."

"Alright." Ciel nodded and said, "If you have time, you can write down the sources of the materials, the entire preparation process, and the points that need attention now. I have a use for them."

"Okay." Adele had no complaints and agreed directly to Ciel's request, starting to look around for paper and a pen.

Ciel could afford to wait these two hours.

Ciel looked around the iron table and found a relatively clear spot to sit.

Ciel didn't want to waste the waiting time either.

Considering that Sadhana might manifest at any time and that she might unlock the Old Days, Ciel had to prepare for being "out of contact."

She didn't know in what form the Old Days would appear—whether she would enter a simulation within the Old Days or if the Old Days would descend directly upon the world... Ciel knew nothing about it.

And the fastest means of communication in this world were only trains and horses; the efficiency was not high.

Ciel had to give everyone something with which they could contact her.

The call from the Other Side just now had made Ciel fully realize the importance of conveying information. Compared to the tiny bit of whispers "Omniscient" might cause in the mind, information was more important now.