Chapter 280: The Hidden Batch
The appraiser let the untreated line die away before leaning closer to the surviving blue bridge. He tracked its length against the marks carved into the measuring cradle.
He then used a second instrument to test the darkening residue at the bottom of the vials. After checking the reading twice, he shared the result.
[Provisional Appraisal Result]
[Material classification: Blue Mana Crystal.]
[Observed function: High-density stabilizing catalyst within the tested linked formula.]
[Observed result: Improved bridge stability and extended linked-effect duration.]
[Observed toxicity increase: None.]
[Exact processing method and formula compatibility remain undetermined.]
The clerk stopped watching the vials and focused on the crystal fragment resting on the black tray. "Crucible Concord can expand this into a complete compatibility study. If Night Espresso grants us exclusive appraisal and first negotiation rights, I can apply today’s fee toward the larger study."
"No," Rias said.
The clerk paused. "You may want to hear the reduction first."
"We paid for a nonbinding result. Record it that way, reseal our material, and return it."
"For a resource with this much potential, an exclusive study would protect both sides. If you can tell us where it came from and how much is available, I may be able to secure far better terms."
"Today’s visit is for information. If Night Espresso decides to commission a larger study, you’ll receive a request and can submit standard, nonexclusive terms."
Rias gave the clerk no hint that Night Espresso’s failed search for Forest Hidden’s Level 60 Hidden Dungeon had made this alchemy lead urgent. The clerk tried once more, warning that another client might book the next available slot for restricted testing before they did.
"Then include your next available date in the proposal," Rias said. "We aren’t reserving anything today."
The appraiser sealed the remaining crystal inside a new inspection pouch and attached the written result. Rias accepted both before the clerk could turn one tiny shaving into a claim on the whole mine.
They still had no recipe or access to production, and one successful test did not prove that every paired formula would accept the crystal. The licensed result established one narrow but valuable fact: blue mana crystal could stabilize a linked magical effect and extend its duration without making it more toxic.
The stable bridge gave Night Espresso a result it could use to commission further research. The crystal might lead to new support potions, shared equipment effects, or even protection built around the bond between a player and a beast. None of those ideas were ready to use, but the failed dungeon search had finally produced a lead backed by an appraisal instead of another theory.
Rias returned the sample to her inventory. By then, the assistant’s breathing had blended back into the ordinary noise of the shop, and the oil on his gloves no longer cut through the other scents around the counter. Martin could look at passing customers again without immediately focusing on exposed throats or the backs of their knees.
The effect that had sharpened their senses was gone, but nothing on Clearthread’s label accounted for it.
Rias reopened the linked history. "The secondary reaction started before the capsule left my inventory. The log caught it during the final Clearthread test."
"So the crystal didn’t cause it," Martin said.
Rias nodded, then faced the clerk. "I want the trace information for this batch of Clearthread Pair."
"The public label contains the complete effect list."
"Then your public label is incomplete. The registration terms give licensed tasters access to the source trace when they report an undeclared reaction."
The clerk pressed her lips together, then opened the trace record. Lucid Current’s cheerful label disappeared, revealing a second production number hidden behind the public lot code.
[Carrier Batch: CC-L17]
Rias selected CC-L17 in the unlocked trace record and cross-checked it against every sample registered to their paired pass. Bedrock Accord returned a match. It came from Stoneward Blends and was credited to a different alchemist, yet its public formula had no stated connection to mana clarity.
[Carrier Batch: CC-L17]
"These products were sold by different member stores and credited to different alchemists," Rias said. "Why does the same carrier batch sit beneath both lot numbers?"
"Some members purchase prepared bases from central suppliers. That doesn’t mean the finished formulas are connected."
"Then name the shared base."
Before answering, the clerk glanced past them. An attendant in a gray apron was already crossing the floor of Lucid Current with an empty black case.
He cleared every remaining vial of Clearthread Pair from the display and fitted them into padded slots. Rias looked toward the open arcade. Martin followed her gaze and spotted another attendant removing Bedrock Accord from Stoneward Blends.
No recall notice appeared, and no one warned the customers who had already drunk either potion.
Martin lowered his voice. "They moved fast."
"Only after I asked for the trace."
Rias slipped her arm through his again and steered him toward the next public display. Martin leaned closer while she smiled at a rack of heart-shaped bottles. The couple act let them keep the recalled stock in view without standing in the middle of the arcade and staring.
Behind them, the attendant closed the black case and carried it to an inspection plinth at the edge of the arcade. A manifest flashed across its side while the security seal formed.
[Restricted Transfer Manifest]
[Recalled tasting stock — CC-L17 confirmed.]
[Monster Blood Inputs — approved and logged.]
[Sea Dragon Monster Blood — approved.]
[LBS-4 / Live-Bond Source — coded transfer.]
Rias copied the final line into her circuit notes before the case left the plinth and the manifest disappeared.
"Live-bond source?" Martin whispered.
"I don’t know yet." Rias lowered her notes. "CC-L17 was used at both stores, and both displays were cleared the moment I asked for its trace. The recalled vials are in that case, so we follow it."
The attendant carried the case toward a narrow storefront near the rear of the quarter. Its lamps were going dark while every other shop remained open. A new notice on the door claimed the store had closed early for inventory calibration.
Rather than use the public entrance, the attendant pressed the black case against a staff seal beside the storefront. A section of the paneled wall opened onto a corridor that visitors were not allowed to enter.
Rias’s hand slipped from Martin’s arm.
The red line inside Martin’s visitor token followed the movement of her wrist, confirming that their link remained active.
"Stay visible and keep acting like my boyfriend," Rias said. "I’m following that case into the staff corridor."