6.51 – Patron


    "Certain requirements?" Sabina prompted.


    Heat rose on Zoey''s cheeks. "The skill uses up Holy Energy, which I collect through—all of the stuff involving Aria and the temple." She didn''t need to specify. Seeing how Sabina was a bright woman, she could read between the lines. "And in doing so, it can move a person through advancements."


    Sabina stared at her. As far as reactions went, that was her equivalent of gaping.


    "Move a person through advancements," Sabina repeated tly.


    "Yeah. It''s ridiculous, I know." She hesitated. "What advancement <em>are</em> you, anyway? That''s a personal question, I know, but it''s bing relevant. Like I said, I want to use it on you, and it''s gonna be more expensive the higher you are. At least, that''s the assumption."


    Sabina studied Zoey, obviously digesting the shocking announcement, before she answered as smoothly as ever.


    "Fourth."


    "Fourth?" She wasn''t so rude as to say, <em>that''s it? </em>But her tone probably gave it away.


    Fortunately, Sabina only seemed amused, not offended. "Craftsmen-type sses advance slower thanbat ones," she said. "Or rather, there''s fewer means to advance—and the best of them, obscenely expensive. I''ve been working with limited resources. I''m no scion of a noble family." An eyebrow went up. "Nor sponsored by a goddess. Fourth advancement is respectable for my circumstances."


    "Sorry, yes, of course. I didn''t mean to imply it wasn''t." Sheughed abruptly. "My expectations are just way out of whack. I mean, I''m <em>also </em>fourth in my alchemy rune." As Sabina already knew. "And you''re like a thousand times the alchemist I am."


    "Mm," Sabina said. "You''re developingpetency quite quickly."


    Which was a nicepliment but not a rejection of what Zoey had said. Sabina <em>was </em>the expert here; she was intelligent, passionate, and had years of experience. The two of them weren''t evenparable in the field of alchemy. Just, as Sabina had said, she had no goddess''s patronage to cheat her way through ranks in mere weeks of dabbling.


    "And I suppose I''m <em>indirectly </em>about to be sponsored," Sabina mused. "Simply by an uing goddess rather than an established one." She waved her hand. "You mentioned requirements?"


    "Right." Her cheeks colored, and she wondered how best to broach the subject.


    "Sex?"


    Zoey briefly choked on her reply. "Well … yes." Of course Sabina had made that deduction. "It''d be a ritual. Aria would have to help, I think."


    "A religious rite," Sabina said, considering. "Yes, of course."


    "I don''t even have holy energy to <em>use </em>right now, but I figured I should make you aware of the situation sooner rather thanter." Not the type of announcement she should drop in Sabina''sp the day of. She hesitated. "Is that something you''d want?"


    "Would I <em>want</em> to be magically pushed through advancements?" Sabina asked, an elegant eyebrow arching. "No, I wouldn''t turn that opportunity down."


    Zoey considered how to express her actual concern. "You mentioned preferring <em>giving </em>rather than <em>receiving</em>, once." Hence why most of her interactions with Sabina ended up with her strapped to a table or rutting into a ''milking machine.'' "So, you know. Aria seemed to think the ritual would be pretty involved."


    Sabina shrugged, more nonchnt than Zoey would have expected. "It''s not that I have an aversion to, hm, more traditional methods. It''s not that I dislike it. I just find it more interesting to have tools on hand. To <em>extract</em> reactions<em>.</em>" Her lips twitched in amusement as she looked Zoey up and down. "But as I said, it''s no <em>problem. </em>Besides the fact that my student will be cheating her way to her final reward."


    "O-Oh?" she asked in surprise.


    "That was supposed to be your prize for an exceptional performance on a quiz," Sabina tutted. "How am I supposed to motivate my student to stay focused without that?"


    With heat rising on her face, Zoey managed to fight back on Sabina''s straight-faced teasing. "You''ll have toe up with something equally enticing, I suppose."


    "Hm. Yes, I suppose I will."


    Zoey tried to hold eye contact without growing too flustered, but those calm gray eyes and that utterck of emotion won out easily; she coughed and looked away.


    "Though, I''m not actually sure what the ritual would require," Zoey said. "We''ll need to speak with Aria about it. I wouldn''t want to, um, cheat my way to my reward, either. Maybe something else will work. Just a normal—" She coughed. "Handjob, or something, not to be crude."


    "Ah, ever diligent and hard-working. Refusing to take the easy path. It''s why you''re my favorite student."


    Her cheeks grew hotter. "That about catches you up," she said. "I''d stay and help you with all of this," she gestured around, "but there''s a lot I have to do today. Have to catch Adrienne up, among all the headaches I''ve already mentioned." Plus whatever would be developing with Enzo and Rosalie''s sisters. Zoey still had to meet Elodie and Charlotte, which could happen at any moment, with one missing and the other on a shard expedition. There was also the matter of her lightning rune, which she wanted to practice. Alchemy was taking a brief back seat.


    "Of course," Sabina said. "Lessons will resume once you''re settled in. Though as I said, we <em>will </em>need to perform another extraction. My experiments need supplies."


    Over Sabina''s shoulder, Mini-Mel nodded in effusive agreement. Seeing Zoey look over, the slime girl pointed down between her own legs, waggled her hips, then sped her hands together in a begging gesture, making puppy-dog eyes. By the barely repressed smirk, though, it was more taunting than a genuine request.


    "I''ll figure something out for that too," Zoey said, managing to keep her voice level.


    "Also, I have a few announcements of my own," Sabina said. "Then I''ll let you run along."


    "Oh?"


    "Namely, recent forms I''ve stabilized, which I think will interest you. Still refining the recipes, but they''re in a functional state."


    Zoey''s heart rate picked up. When it came to new potions delivered by Sabina, there had been few misses. Each one, Zoey had much appreciated using. And even if she didn''t personally, having varied merchandise for their future store would be an obvious plus.


    "Particrly the one I catalyzed using Mel," Sabina continued. Raising her hand and pulling filled ssware from her inventory, she disyed three vibrant green potion vials. "Duration can be improved, but as I said, I think you''ll appreciate them as is."


    Zoey took the potions from Sabina, inspecting them as she did.


    <em>[Potion of Gooey Transmutation]: Temporarily transmutes a living being''s body into a gel-like substance.</em>


    "Ah," Zoey said. "I was wondering whether something like this would be possible." She had intended to ask Sabina to try to make one. "But you beat me to the punch. Great minds think alike?"


    "Seems like it might have various utility orbat applications," Sabinamented. Her lips twitched. "Though I think you''re interested in it for other reasons."


    The ability to turn Rosalie, Delta, Maddy, or anyone else into a gooey creature like Mel? Yes, Zoey''s thoughts had definitely not gone to the <em>utility </em>or <embat </em>uses of the potion.


    "I''ll take note of its effects and get back to you," Zoey coughed.


    "Additionally, I''ve cracked those two stubborn reagents from so long ago," she said. She withdrew six more potions, three each, and handed them to her. They were both a murky white color, though different shades. "Thetter will make collection sessions easier."


    <em>[Potion of Internal Stretchiness]: Allows internal organs to sustain significant stretch without damage.</em>


    <em>[Potion of Virile Output]: Greatly increases the virile output of the consumer.</em>


    "Ah," Zoey said, trying to fight down the fantasies that came with both of <em>those </em>descriptions. The two reagents Sabina had referenced were the ones that hade from that oversized dildo they''d collected parts of so long ago. The one Delta had enthusiastically ''conquered.''


    Zoey already had natural affinities for … <em>amodation </em>and <em>output, </em>but these potions would take those aspects to the extreme.


    "You''ve been busy."


    Sabina shrugged. "All there''s been to do is work. It''s what I prefer, anyway."


    "Well, thanks. I''ll put them to good use." Somehow she managed not to blush when she said that.


    "I hope you do," Sabina said. "An alchemist wants her work to be appreciated. That''s all I had for you. Don''t let me hold you up."


    She could tell Sabina also wanted to return to her experiments; she wasn''t <em>just</em> letting Zoey go. She really was someone who preferred working more than almost anything.


    So. Now, she owed Adrienne a short visit to catch her up, then it was back to Rosalie—and nning the rest of what was sure to be a chaotic day.