(MC POV)
My head hurts.
I woke up staring at my ceiling after feeling like I was suspended in some dark place for a long time.
Woah, big sense of deja vu there. I didn't travel back in time again did I?
My clothes shifted slightly, "Master? Are you alright?"
"Oh, Xun Guan? That's you right?"
If she's here then it means I didn't travel back in time or hallucinate the whole thing.
"Yes Master. I… Wasn't sure what to do when you started acting all weird just now…"
Acting weird? I remember going into the alchemy room that was filled with smoke and then…
Ah.
"How long was I out?" I asked.
"Umm… Just a few hours I think? It's hard to tell inside this room."
"You weren't affected?"
"No, Master. As a slime, I'm quite resistant to these kinds of drugs naturally."
Makes sense.
"So where's my disciples?"
She seemed to hesitate for a moment, "Well… The girls were quite upset that Brendan got you into that trouble so… They went to scold him after taking you to this room..."
Oh, hope they aren't too rough on him, it's not really his fault.
I swung myself out of bed and as soon as my feet touched the floor, the door to my room was flung open.
"MASTER!!!" The girls screeched, flinging themselves on me.
Lian Li looked up at me, teary eyed, "Master… Master is alright… Right?"
I patted each of their heads, "I'm fine. The more important question is if you guys are fine?"
Kiyomi sighed, "Master, it's fine to worry about yourself sometimes you know?"
"But I am fine. I think I was a little bit out of it and may have… Well… Done some weird things. I definitely remember seeing weird things."
"Ohhh~ What kind of weird things, Onii-sama?" Elaria asked, a little too enthusiastically.
"You don't want to know," I said simply. "Where's Brendan?"
The girls looked at one another.
Diao Chan poked her fingers together, "He's… Well… He's reflecting on his actions right now…"
Huh… I didn't think Brendan would be as serious as the girls in this kind of thing.
I stood up on my feet, "Well, I think I better go see if he's alright then. Don't want him to be too hard on himself."
The girls made quite complicated faces when I mentioned I was going to check on Brendan.
I found out why when I stepped into my courtyard, seeing Brendan tied up, gagged and hung upside down under the tree.
I turned back to look at my girls with a raised eyebrow.
At least they had the decency to look shamefaced.
Brendan gave me a look of gratitude when I freed him from his confines, although I did accidentally drop him on the ground.
"I didn't know you were into this sort of thing, Brendan," I noted, raising my eyebrow at him.
Brendan sighed but did not comment.
"So, you mind explaining what you were trying to do?"
"Well I thought this would serve as sufficient punishment for--"
"No, no, no," I interrupted him. "I didn't mean your hobbies, I meant what were you trying to make?"
"Ah that…" Brendan scratched his cheek in embarrassment. "Umm… I was trying to make a pill that would enhance your senses when taken… But…"
"Let me guess, you used the entire Peyo plant?"
"Umm… Yeah… I did…"
"And the branch didn't break down and instead sucked up everything before spewing out fumes?"
"It is as you say, Master… I should have only used the leaves and not the wood."
Elaria tilted her head at us, "Is brother Brendan trying to make what I think it is?"
I narrowed my eyes at her, "No. It's supposed to be a pill that enhances one's senses to the Quarks around them, making it easier to cultivate during its effects. Do not ask him to make what he did, the smoke it produces is actually not good for the human body."
Manami frowned, "Ara? But Master inhaled so much of the smoke inside the room…"
"No, I had a barrier up. It was me touching the wood itself that caused that… Incident… I'm completely fine so no need to worry."
My fox disciple doesn't look convinced but relented, "If Master says so…"
"Anyway, where is Cai Hong?" I asked, realising my loli dragon was missing from the group.
Lian Li stepped forward, "Oh, we didn't want to worry her so we did not tell Cai Hong what happened to Master. I think she's still playing with her new friend."
At least they are getting along. I was a little worried when I found them just staring at each other just now. I guess they really were just shy.
"Umu… In that case, all of you can go back to what you're doing before. I'll help Brendan clean up the alchemy room."
"I don't think Master should trouble yourself with such menial tasks…" Brendan muttered.
I raised an eyebrow at him, "You called me precisely because you didn't know how to clean that up right?"
His eyes darted to where the girls were before directing back to me, "Ye… Yes, Master…"
"Umm… We can help too, Master…" Diao Chan suggested, poking her fingers together.
I shook my head, "You girls aren't experienced in handling these types of things so it's safer for just Brendan and I to do it."
"I… I see… Understood, Master."
I shrugged, "Well, it's no big deal. Come then, we'll clean that up and I'll teach you how to make a proper sense enhancer pill as well."
Brendan bowed his head, "I would be greatly honored, Master."
Hmm? Not sure if I heard growling coming from the girls? Must have been my imagination.
The girls soon dispersed leaving my alchemist disciple and I to clean up the mess.
It wasn't really that hard, Brendan already figured out how to make a neutralizing agent for the smoke. As expected of the genius of course.
All we needed to do was to use the neutralizing agent, turn it into a gas and then flood the room with it. That should eradicate the smoke or at least render it harmless.
Brendan did get a little too enthusiastic and went in before the smoke was completely cleared though.
I could have cured Brendan straight away but I admit it was interesting to see him start dancing around in the room and leaping over tables and chairs before tripping over one.
He even started singing some random song about him dancing in the rain or something along those lines. Couldn't really make out what exactly he was saying anyway.
He made me promise not to tell the girls after he sobered up.
Oh well, at least he knows how to make those pills now.
All in a day's work I guess.
Brendan still had quite a bit of the plant and he said that the 'high' sensation was quite interesting and wanted to do some experiments on it.
I'm kind of worried about what he planned to make but… I guess as long as it isn't addictive, it might be an interesting drug to introduce into the market.
Hopefully Brendan doesn't become a druggie in the process.