Evan woke early the next morning. Loras was snoring in a chair by the furnace. The workshop smelled of ashes and weak potions but today it felt different. Yesterday he had been a stranger. Today he had a plan.

He began by taking every notebook and handwritten recipe he could find. None of them matched. Some skipped steps entirely. Some contradicted each other. Most were incomplete. To an engineer this was chaos. To a business founder it was also opportunity.

He spread the pages on the table and created three columns.
Known steps
Uncertain steps
Missing steps

Next he wrote numbers beside every instruction he could confirm. Crush for seven seconds Add three grams Heat to medium Add herb until green glow stops Each time he paused he added a question mark. He wanted clarity not guesswork.

Loras woke in the middle of Evan sorting the pages. “What are you doing with my life’s work”

Evan answered without looking up. “Turning it into something other people can use one day”

“No alchemist allows others to copy their knowledge” Loras said.

“That is why every alchemist works alone and struggles alone. But imagine if your formula could be taught to ten people trained the same way. Imagine if fifty shops could use your method. Imagine if adventurers could rely on your potions every time instead of praying they got a good batch”

Loras sat quietly. The idea scared him but also excited him.
“You speak of a future where alchemy is no longer personal”

“No” Evan said. “I speak of a future where alchemy is powerful because it is shared”

That morning Evan built the first “Batch Card.” It was a simple board with lines for ingredients weights heat levels and timing. He used charcoal to draw small boxes for each step.
He created spaces for
Name of potion
Version number
Ingredients by weight
Heat range
Extraction time
Notes on mistakes

Loras examined the card like a child looking at a new toy. “So we write down everything we do Each time”

“Yes. And that information helps us learn faster. It helps us keep every batch consistent. Most of all it helps us teach others to do the same thing. This is how factories work in my world”

Loras raised a brow. “You come from a world of factories”

“And logistics. And supply chains” Evan said. “That will matter here too”

Before noon Evan had reorganized half the workshop. He placed glass vials on one side arranged by volume. He labeled each herb with weight and properties. He cleaned the furnace and tested different distances to find stable heat zones. He even crafted a makeshift temperature rod by sticking metal pieces into the fire and marking how the color changed at each heat point.

Loras tested it and gasped softly. “You can now tell exactly how hot the furnace is”

“Not perfect but far better than guessing” Evan said.

In the afternoon Evan tried making a simple healing extract. He followed the batch card step by step. Weight of crystal root three grams. Temperature steady. Stirring rate fixed. When he finished the mixture glowed a stable warm gold instead of flickering between red and yellow.

Loras tasted it carefully. His eyes widened. “This is stronger than my usual batch”

“Because we controlled every variable” Evan said.

Loras looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. “You truly intend to teach this system to others”

“Yes. Not only teach it. Replicate it. Expand it. Build workshops that follow the same rules the same tools the same layout. I call it franchise”

Loras frowned. “Franchise That word feels new”

“It means many workshops following one shared system. People trust the product because every location makes it the same way. Instead of one master alchemist struggling alone many trained workers create stable results”

Loras fell silent. The idea was too large for him to hold all at once.

That evening word spread that the local adventurers guild was running low on healing potions. Their supplier had lost half his stock to a failed batch. Desperate guild members gathered near the workshop asking if Loras had anything to sell.

Evan stepped forward. “We have three new batches. All tested. All stable”

The adventurers looked at the glowing vials with surprise. “These look cleaner than usual. Did the old man upgrade his skills”

Evan smiled. “You could say that. These are made with a new process. If they work for you spread the word”

The guild members tested the potions. Every face lit up in shock.
“These work better than what we used last month. And they do not burn the throat”

Loras chuckled nervously. Evan nodded with quiet pride. The first customers of his new world had just validated his system.

But as the adventurers walked away Evan noticed two cloaked figures staring from the alley. They whispered to each other then vanished behind the inn.

Loras gripped his cane. “Those are black market alchemists. They do not like change”

Evan exhaled. “Good. That means we are doing something right”

But deep inside he knew the truth.
This was only the beginning of conflict.
If stable potions existed the black market would lose influence.
If standardized workshops appeared the Royal Monopoly Bureau would feel threatened.

Evan looked at the workshop again. It was small fragile and unprotected.
Yet it now held something powerful.
A system
A plan
A future

He whispered to himself
“You cannot stop an idea whose time has come”

The blueprint of an alchemy revolution was complete
Now he only needed to survive long enough to build it