The Alchemists

"We came at the right time. Thanks to the high tide, I can cross by canoe. I need to go to Santarem to meet my old friends in jungle. Next month, when the water is low, the forest can be explored on foot. The Piripkura tribe, whom I want to meet, recently choose nomadic life because they are hunted by many illegal loggers who want to drive them out of their territory."

"That is horrible..." said Finland, looking concerned. Lauriel told her that there were still many indigenous tribes in the heart of the Amazon who lived a primitive life and did not want to be associated with modern humans. They did not wear clothes and blended with nature.

"The people in the Amazon have extraordinary knowledge about plants. A lot of modern medicines were produced based on their heritage and knowledge. What is on the rise right now is ayahuasca. This is a psychedelic drug that has the same effect as DMT. During ceremonies and tribal rituals, the ayahuasca potion is used to cure depression, make humans maximize their brain capacity, and much more. Ayahuasca is one of the ingredients I need to make the potion for Jean. I also need several other plants like acabaya and liana. Liana is easier to obtain. To find acabaya, I need to rely on luck."

Lauriel continued to explain the various types of plants he needed and where to look for them. After he finished explaining, Finland finally realized just how difficult it was for Lauriel's to create a cure for Jean.

The more Lauriel explained to Finland all the herbs he needed and the depths he had to go to obtain them, the more tears welled up in her eyes. Her debt to Lauriel was piling up by the minute, and she had no idea how she could ever pay him back.

"Mmm... why are you crying?" Lauriel asked suddenly.

"Uhm... it's nothing," Finland tried to smile, "I'm just touched."

"Oh..." Lauriel shrugged, "It is my pleasure to help you, don't think about it too much."

Their taxi had arrived at a beautiful inn located by the bank of the Amazon river. The property consisted of various wooden villas that faced the water, which provided a view of the river and the very exotic jungle.

Some of the lodgings were built on trees which provided the comfort of a home and an impression of living as one with the jungle. Finland couldn't hold back her admiration seeing the scenery around them.

"Good afternoon, Sir," said the hotel manager. "Do you want to stay in the tree house like usual?"

Lauriel laughed, "My daughter is still small, she can't climb it yet. I want a regular villa. Maybe in a few years we can stay at the tree house."

The manager looked at Finland, then at Aleksis who was in Lauriel's arms, and immediately nodded in understanding. He smiled kindly and signaled to the staff to carry their bags as he guided them through the wooden bridge to a beautiful wooden villa at the very end.

"Hope you enjoy your stay here. As always, food is served at the main restaurant three times a day."

After making sure everything was done well in the villa, the manager excused himself.

"Thank you, Jose," Lauriel said, patting the hotel manager's shoulder. "We want to rest now. Please tell Maurice that I need a boat tomorrow."

He then chatted briefly with Jose in Portuguese and the two laughed. Finally, Jose excused himself.

"You also speak Portuguese?" Finland pinched herself for the unnecessary question. "Ah, what kind of question is that... If you speak the less popular Vietnamese, I shouldn't be surprised if you speak Portuguese..."

"Exactly," Lauriel replied, smiling. "Looks like you are getting to know me better."

"Well... after two years. Actually, it's quite embarrassing. I should already know everything about you in two years," Finland shrugged, "But the fact is that I don't know much."

"You don't need to know everything, just the important things," Lauriel commented. He then carried Aleksis and took her to see the river. "Look at the river, it is so beautiful. Tomorrow we will go out to see the pink dolphins... You will love them."

"Uhm... there is only one bedroom in this villa," Finland said after going around their villa to check things out. "How are our sleeping arrangements?"

"You guys sleep in the bedroom. I will just sleep in the hammock over there..." Lauriel pointed to the hammock that was hanging on the veranda of the villa. "I prefer it that way."

"Oh..."

Lauriel seemed to be in his element every time they went out of San Francisco and lived close to nature. He looked like an adventurer when he rode his horses on his farm, also now, as he relaxed in a hammock that faced the Amazon river, with a book in his hand.

His hair seemed to have grown a little longer after they arrived in Brazil and he often tied it up casually for practicality.

When Lauriel was playing with Aleksis, Finland decided to have a look around their lodging. In her entire life she never thought that she would be able to visit the Amazon. From Lauriel's story, this place was very interesting. There was an area called the Meeting of Waters, where two rivers of different colors, black and white flow side by side for as far as 6 km.

Then, of course, there were various fruits and berries that had extraordinary health properties such as acai. They could also go hunting piranhas and observe a variety of wildlife that could only be found on Amazon.

Tomorrow they would take a walk to see the beautiful pink river dolphins. She could imagine how excited Aleksis would be to be able to feed and swim with the dolphins. This was truly a once in a lifetime experience.

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