Outside Magnolia, in the forest, Granny Poluchka's newly built laboratory!
Because Jet had been very serious about learning alchemy from Granny Poluchka during this time, the soft-hearted Granny, despite her tough exterior, built a new laboratory right next to her residence.
It wasn't out of pure kindness; mainly, Granny Poluchka was genuinely afraid that Jet, this clueless fellow, would blow up her house with his experiments.
Based on her understanding of the guild members, this possibility was very high.
Inside the laboratory.
Jet's nose was almost touching the crucible, and he carefully stirred the purple liquid clockwise with a silver stirring rod.
The rich scent of mint permeated Granny Poluchka's herb garden, and sunlight streamed through the glass skylight, casting a shimmering spot of light on the surface of the potion.
"Add three more drops of Moonlit Catnip Essence..." Jet muttered to himself, his trembling hand gripping the dropper, terrified of adding even one extra drop.
"Stop." Porlyusica suddenly spoke, startling Jet so much that he almost poured in the entire bottle of essence.
The old woman narrowed her eyes and tapped the edge of the crucible with her wooden staff, "How many times have I told you? The dosage of this material must be halved, unless you want to turn all of Magnolia into a city of cats."
Jet chuckled as he put down the dropper: "I just wanted to ensure the vitality effect..."
"Vitality?" Porlyusica snorted, "Last time you said that, you drank the potion and tap-danced for three days and three nights."
"Granny... that..." The liquid suddenly shimmered with rainbow-colored ripples, and Jet's eyes widened in surprise.
Porlyusica, however, frowned: "Damn it, why is there an iridescent reaction? You didn't secretly add..."
"Absolutely not!" Jet quickly waved his hands, but accidentally knocked over the bottle of Moonlit Catnip on the table.
A few drops of clear liquid silently seeped into his sleeve.
Just then, the wooden door of the herb garden was pushed open, and Macao, with his messy hair, poked his head in: "Kid, it's lunchtime! Thank Natsu and Happy, they caught a big fish, today the guild special is roasted..."
His voice abruptly stopped, and his nose twitched a few times: "What's that amazing smell?"
Before Jet could stop him, Macao had already strode to the experimental bench, curiously leaning closer to the potion that was emitting purple mist.
A drop of sweat rolled down Jet's forehead — and fell right into the crucible.
"Boom!"
A puff of pinkish-purple smoke exploded, splattering Macao's face.
He stood frozen for a few seconds, then —
With a "poof," a pair of fluffy orange cat ears sprouted from the top of his head.
"Uh..." Macao confusedly touched his new ears, "Is this some new prank magic?"
Even more surprisingly, a tail of the same color emerged from behind him, uncontrollably wrapping around Jet's neck.
Porlyusica's face was as black as the bottom of a pot: "Jet..."
"This... this was an accident!" Jet's face turned green from being choked, "Antidote! I'll make an antidote right away!"
Macao's tail, however, tightened its grip: "Kid... how long does this thing last?"
"A... about six hours..." Jet squeezed out the answer with difficulty.
Porlyusica sighed and took a bottle of green potion from the shelf: "Drink this; it will shorten it to three hours."
Her sharp gaze turned to Jet, "As for you..."
Jet swallowed hard.
"Clean up the laboratory, then go tell everyone in the guild not to touch any purple liquid." Porlyusica finished, leaning on her staff as she left the herb garden, "I'm going to gather some antidote materials. I hope I don't come back to a worse situation."
Macao released Jet, curiously touching his cat ears: "Actually, it doesn't feel bad..."
His tail wagged happily, "Should we go scare Romeo?"
Jet wiped his sweat: "You go ahead, I need to clean up here..."
After Macao left, Jet let out a long sigh of relief, only then noticing that there were still 5cc of the original solution left on the table.
He inexplicably picked up the small bottle and held it up to the sun, looking at the captivating purple color.
"Just to take back for research..." he muttered to himself, slipping the bottle into his pocket... The guild hall was as lively as ever.
When Macao pushed open the door, Natsu and Gray were wrestling in a corner, with Happy and Yuumi cheering them on.
Mirajane stood behind the bar, smiling as she wiped glasses.
"Yo, Macao, was lunch to your liking?" Mira handed him a glass of beer.
Macao took the glass, his cat ears twitching unconsciously: "Ah, not bad..."
Mira suddenly froze, her gaze fixed on the top of Macao's head: "Wait, what's that on your head...?"
Before Macao could explain, his tail accidentally brushed Mira's wrist.
The white-haired girl gasped, and a pair of white cat ears sprouted from her hair.
The entire guild instantly fell silent.
Natsu was the first to rush over: "Wow! Mira, you..."
His gaze shifted to Macao, "What new game are you playing?"
Macao scratched his head awkwardly: "Well..."
Natsu had already snatched the beer from Macao's hand and chugged it down: "Let me try too!"
"Wait! Don't drink it!" Macao's warning came too late.
With a "boom," a pair of flame-like cat ears exploded from Natsu's pink hair, the flames flickering in size with his emotions.
Happy and Yuumi simultaneously shrieked and pounced: "Natsu is so cute!!!"
Gray sneered from the side: "Idiot..."
Before he finished speaking, Natsu's tail swung over, and a spark splashed onto Gray's ice-made beer glass.
"Bang!"
The glass instantly melted, and icy water spilled onto Gray's pants.
He stood up angrily, but found his scalp itching — a pair of ice-blue cat ears had popped out.
"Pfft ha ha ha!" Natsu pointed at Gray and laughed, "You look so ridiculous!"
Gray, furious and embarrassed, punched Natsu: "Shut up! Flame brain!"
Chaos spread like a plague:
After Elfman drank milk that had been touched by a cat-eared member, he transformed into a giant ragdoll cat, his backside crushing two tables;
Cana used her cards to divine when it would be suitable to wear her newly bought tiger-striped short-sleeved shirt, and the result was "now"; Natsu, who had been punched away, crashed into her, causing black stripes to appear on her body;
Even Wakaba, who was passing by, was infected; the smoke from his pipe formed cat faces.
"Hey, guys, I've got a new potion! Anyone want to try..." Jet pushed open the guild door, shaking the potion in his hand, and the next moment, seeing the chaotic scene in the guild, his smile froze... At three in the afternoon, the guild doors were violently pushed open.
"I heard there's a potion here that can make people grow cat ears?" A richly dressed noblewoman strode in, followed by a group of excited young girls.
The noblewoman's gold card slapped "thump" onto the bar: "Give this old woman ten bottles!"
"I... I didn't prepare that much..." Jet stammered.
"Fifty thousand per bottle, cash upfront." The noblewoman said, leaving no room for refusal.
Jet's brain raced.
He looked at the room full of "live advertisements" and suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"Everyone!" He jumped onto the bar, "Starting now, we're selling 'Meow Meow Vitality Potion' in limited quantities!"
He quickly set up a price list:
Basic Version (Cat Ears 6 hours): 5000
Deluxe Version (with tail and purring): 20000
Premium Version (customizable fur color and pattern): 50000
In less than an hour, Jet's pockets were stuffed with cash.
Female customers surrounded Natsu, taking crazy pictures: "Flame cat ears are too unfair!"
"Lord Gray's cool cat ears are also amazing!"
Mira smiled, maintaining order, her cat ears twitching occasionally, drawing more screams.
"Kawaii ne ớ ₃ ờ!"
"Jet!" Macao pulled Jet into a corner, "You know what Granny Poluchka will do when she gets back...?"
"Shhh!" Jet wiped his sweat, "Let's earn more before she comes back, I'll give you twenty percent!"
Macao's tail wagged happily: "Thirty percent."
"Deal!"
...As the sun set, Porlyusica finally returned to her cabin in the woods, but Jet wasn't there. She checked the laboratory, and the potion was also gone.
Feeling a bad premonition, Porlyusica immediately grabbed her herb basket and finally arrived at the guild before dark.
She stood at the doorway, her staff hitting the ground with a "thump."
The entire guild instantly fell silent.
The tables were piled with perfumed handkerchiefs given by female customers.
In the guild hall —
Half the members sported various cat ears;
Cat fur and spilled drinks were scattered on the floor;
Elfman, in his giant ragdoll cat form, was stuck on the ceiling chandelier, letting out a pitiful "meow."
Porlyusica's face was so dark it could drip ink.
"Jet." Her voice was soft, yet it sent a shiver down everyone's spine, "Explain."
Jet's legs trembled like a sieve: "Um... this was an accident... and then it turned into a business opportunity..."
"Business opportunity?" Porlyusica sneered, holding up two fingers, "First, make the antidote within two hours; second, all profits will be confiscated to buy cat food and feed all the stray cats in the city."
Jet hung his head dejectedly: "Yes..."
Just then, a Council official timidly poked his head in: "Um... can we customize a dog ear version? Our chairman is very interested..."
Porlyusica's roar echoed through the sky: "Get out!!!"
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