The Blue Trash Grass was not intended for combat or spectacular use; it was intended for camouflage. But in The Ascendant City, where every low-level hunter scavenged for coin, I had to ensure my F-Rank disguise was also financially viable. I needed a source of income that was both reliable and entirely consistent with the spirit's known, pathetic utility.
The official registry stated the Blue Trash Grass could perform Rank F Water Purification. This was its single, verifiable skill. In this city, relying on massive, networked Dimensional Engines, the simple act of filtering water was a manual, low-value chore.
However, my infinite knowledge knew the hidden, obscure application of the Trash Grass's essence. Its true property wasn't general purification; it was absolute, localized removal of inorganic contaminants while leaving organic compounds (like sugars and yeasts) completely untouched. It was the perfect, biological Reverse Osmosis filter—a phenomenon considered useless in combat but priceless in artisanal alchemy.
I decided to brew. Specifically, I decided to brew Spirit Wine.
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I utilized my meager earnings from my humiliating waste disposal job to acquire the cheapest, most contaminated raw ingredients available: spoiled fruit mash, low-grade imported grain, and stale water drawn from the city's unregulated cisterns. For any other F-Rank brewer, this sludge would yield a toxic, unsalable swill.
I began the brewing process in the cramped, dank storage closet I was assigned as quarters.
The Purge: I activated the Blue Trash Grass. The spirit, manifesting as a dull blue flicker, began working on the contaminated mash. My Hyper-Focus guided the spiritual energy flow, instructing the grass to pull out every trace of rust, heavy metal, and inorganic pollutant left by the municipal pipes.
The Catalyst: The process was instantaneous and complete. The Trash Grass purged the toxic elements without touching the yeast or fermentation bonds. I was left with a perfectly pure, extremely potent mash—the equivalent of using Mythic-grade filtering equipment on Rank G ingredients.
The result was a small batch of perfectly distilled, ultra-pure spirit wine. It lacked any strong flavor—it wasn't refined enough for that—but its purity was absolute. It was wine that guaranteed no hangover, no headache, and absolute consistency.
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I began selling the wine discreetly to the Jade Feather Clan's internal staff: the overworked Rank C clerks, the stressed Rank B patrol guards, and the cynical Rank A administrative managers.
I established a simple, trustworthy persona: Dax the Simple Brewer.
The Pitch: "Sir, my spirit is only Trash Grass, but it makes the water very clean. I mix it with cheap grain. I call it Clear Brew. It's not fancy, but it won't hurt your head."
The Price: I priced it marginally higher than the cheapest swill, ensuring a consistent small profit but never enough to draw undue attention from the Clan's Legendary financiers.
The profits were small—just enough to cover my basic living expenses, maintain my low-tier armor, and secretly acquire the low-grade essence fragments I needed for my internal, invisible power climb.
The system worked flawlessly. The patrons didn't care about the source, only the result. They enjoyed the predictable purity of the Clear Brew. My clientele grew steadily but silently.
The Clan Elder, previously disdainful of my F-Rank failure, now viewed me as a useful, compliant fixture. My constant, low-level activity—brewing, managing inventory, and earning small, traceable profits—cemented my image as a perfectly mediocre, easily categorized Rank F hunter whose only ambition was small-scale stability.
While the Mythic Enforcers prepared to hunt the unstoppable Controller who defeated their champion, The Ascendant City knew me only as the quiet, slightly clumsy Trash Grass youth who brewed a surprisingly clean wine. The perfect camouflage was maintained.