Momona's Potion Shop (2)

I peered into the broadcast screen. I'd almost missed it after falling asleep way too late last night.

"Phew. Good thing I set an alarm. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to give real-time feedback if a bug popped up."

Honestly, I didn't think any bugs would show, but who knew for sure? I couldn't be certain, no matter how much my skills had improved.

"Looks like it's starting off properly, though? I was worried she'd get lost in the forest."

There was a system where a spirit would come guide her if she didn't reach the potion shop within about five minutes, but it was a shame it hadn't gotten a chance to shine.

"Still, things seem smooth right from the start? No hitches, no ping spikes or optimization issues. I can just sit back and watch."

If any problems cropped up, I'd fix them on the fly, so I relaxed and focused on Momona's stream.

*

She stepped out of the shop and checked the timer floating by her side. Two hours—that matched the session time listed in the description. She glanced around.

Spotting a spirit fluttering right in front of her, she pointed at it with a grin.

"Look at this! It's a spirit! A Mokong-i!"

Its cute little light-green form, flapping tiny arms as it hovered, made her laugh. She poked at it playfully.

Beep-! It let out a cheerful chirp and nuzzled her finger happily. She chuckled, recalling the rules.

"Since the Mokong-i are forest spirits, they must guide you to gathering spots, right?"

"Whoa, you're watching? Yeah, I'll have tons of fun. Thanks for making this."

She thanked them and chased after the sparkling Mokong-i as it zipped away.

Following its quick little flight path, she arrived at a spot blooming with all sorts of flowers.

"This must be the gathering point. But how do I know which is which to pick?"

She tilted her head at the flowers around her. Sure, she was RPing as an alchemist, but she didn't actually know flowers or alchemy in real life.

As she pondered how to identify ingredients, the Mokong-i circling her zipped over and started tapping her bag.

"Huh? Why're you poking my bag?"

Startled by the sudden action, she opened it just in case. Inside was a small notebook.

"A notebook?"

She pulled it out and checked. "Aha, so it existed. I should've looked around more."

She grinned at the camera, seeing Alchemy Notes neatly written in the center. Rushing out without exploring because she was eager ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to make potions had been her downfall.

"Pfft, heehee. Alright~ Let's check out the notes Mokong-i found!"

She flipped through the notebook slowly, reading the contents.

"Hmm... Just explanations of potion ingredients? Nothing else. Guess we have to discover potions ourselves to log them?"

Notebook open, she examined the flowers around her. This one's this, that one's that...

"Ugh, memorizing these'll take forever."

"What?! I could memorize it if I tried! I'm just too busy having fun right now."

She pouted at the teasing chat, then giggled. "Heehee, fine~ For now, let's just grab whatever and head back to brew some? You all wanna see potion-making more anyway, right?"

"See? Alright then~" She plucked flowers left and right. They vanished neatly into her bag—a nice convenience feature.

"Whoa, see that? They go straight into the bag when picked. But won't they get crushed like this?"

Giggling and chatting with viewers, she spent the gathering time. It felt satisfying plucking them up so easily—this alone was pretty fun.

A bit more, then... time to head back!

*

"Eek! Already? Feels like I barely got any."

She jolted at the donation alert and looked around. The gathering spot was utterly devastated. She scratched her cheek with an awkward laugh.

"Uh... time to head back?"

"Aghhh... was it too much?"

Even she had to admit it looked extreme. If this were real life, no flowers would ever grow here again after how she'd ravaged it...

"It's fine, though. Momona's got Mokong-i! As nature spirits, they'll restore it. I believe~"

"Ugh! So mean! Anyway, let's head back!"

Her bag was stuffed, more than enough for potions. At this rate, she'd have leftovers even after brewing till the end.

Guided by the Mokong-i, she retraced her steps to the shop.

"I'm baaack!"

The urging chat made her bratty. "Keep that up and I'll farm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right here? No potions for you!"

"Anonymous Mokong-i's ten thousand fruits~ Momona hugs you tight! Thank your anonymous Mokong-i, or I'd really start farming."

Giggling, she headed inside. Time to brew potions...

"But how do I make potions? Notebook didn't have recipes."

"Nah~ Asking would ruin the fun."

She snickered at the perfectly timed donation and headed to the cauldron. The rules had popped up here before, so most interactions were probably with this.

"Lemme see~"

She tapped it, and the water inside started bubbling vigorously.

"Whoa, it's boiling! Add ingredients now?"

She gulped at the vigorous boil. Looked super hot—hope it didn't splash.

"Eek! Okay, adding!"

She rummaged in her bag for gathered flowers. What to add? Uh... uh!

"Red one first, then this yellow, and black flower!"

The message made her relax, thinking it worked—until a new hologram popped up! She yelped in surprise but followed along.

"Eek! What's this?!"

She mimicked the hologram's text and dance moves below. Dancing to craft potions?! She'd never imagined this. At most, she'd pictured stirring with a ladle!

"Creator's too cruel! There were easier options!"

"Eep! MokongKnight's ten thousand fruits, Momona snuggles! Thanks for the donation, but don't boss me!"

After a minute of dancing, she stopped. Even in VR, why was it so exhausting?

"Haa... haa... ugh! But potion crafting success!"

She'd flubbed a few moves, but it let it slide.

"But... do I gotta dance every time?"

"Oh, so I unluckily got dance first? Dang it!"

Irritated, she flailed her arms, then stopped to eye the finished potion bobbing on the cauldron.

She chuckled and grabbed it. "So, what potion is this?"

She shook the coffee-colored potion, wondering. Looked unappetizing, but skipping the first one without knowing felt wrong.

"Alright. It's my first potion, so I'll drink it."

She gulped nervously and uncorked the potion. A pleasant pop~ released a sweet, latte-like aroma. She tilted her head.

"Smells decent? Kinda like latte."

"Gah, quit rushing me. Drinking now, so chill."

She chugged it in one go. Surprisingly, the sweet-tart mix ended with nutty, floral notes—not bad.

"Oh, pretty good? Urk."

Thump thump. Her heart suddenly raced.

Her head heated up. Her spine prickled, body shivering.

"Hnnngh!"

But just as quick, it passed like nothing happened. She tilted her head.

"What was that? Some effect, nya?"

Something felt off. Viewers laughing, and... that last word definitely felt weird!

She whipped around to the shop mirror.

"Nooo! What's thiiiis, nyaang?!"