Koji Kosuri

The workshop of Lichen & Lumina hummed with quiet industry, its air thick with the complex aromatics of fermenting rice and carefully cultivated herbs. Golden dust from Aspergillus oryzae cultures caught the lamplight as it drifted between workbenches laden with glass apparatus and ceramic vessels. The apprentice, Matthias, paused in his work, his hands bearing amber stains from Koji cultivation, and fixed his mentor with a look of profound skepticism.

“Master Aldwin, you cannot seriously expect me to believe that this Kojic acid strain was obtained through… negotiations with a supernatural river otter.” He set down his graduated cylinder with deliberate precision. “The very suggestion is ludicrous!”

Master Aldwin, whose silver beard had been stained by decades of alchemical experimentation, adjusted his wire-rimmed spectacles and regarded his protégé with patient amusement.

“My dear Matthias,” he said, his voice carrying the measured cadence of hard-won experience, “you possess exceptional skill in the laboratory arts, but your education has perhaps been too… conventional. In my many years with this establishment, I have learned that the most extraordinary discoveries often emerge from encounters that challenge our fundamental assumptions about reality.” He gestured toward the sealed containers of their most precious cultures. “Seeker Dravendir’s accounts may strain credulity, but they have consistently yielded results that speak for themselves.”

Matthias crossed his arms, his expression unwavering. “Then perhaps you might enlighten me as to how our esteemed Seeker obtained this mystical reagent”.

Aldwin settled into his worn leather chair, the same seat from which he had overseen countless apprentices over the years. “Very well. But I suggest you suspend your disbelief, if only temporarily.”

Reliable reports suggested that a remote village in the mountainous regions of Kyushu harbored knowledge of an Aspergillus strain of unprecedented purity. Local accounts spoke of Koji that possessed not merely fermentative properties, but active therapeutic capabilities, able to break down toxins and promote cellular regeneration at rates that bordered on the miraculous.

Seeker Dravendir, whose reputation for navigating the intersection of natural science and ancient wisdom was unparalleled, set out on his journey. The village elders spoke cautiously of the sacred fungus, warning that its source was jealously guarded by entities they termed Yokai - supernatural beings whose relationship with humanity ranged from mischievous to malevolent.

In this particular region, local folklore identified the guardian as a Kawauso - a river otter transformed by centuries of exposure to spiritual energies flowing through the mountain streams. These creatures were renowned for their intellectual cunning and their fondness for elaborate tests of wit and courage.

Dravendir approached the challenge with his characteristic blend of mystical preparation and field-tested pragmatism. Following the village’s ancient directions, he traced the mountain river to its source, where the water emerged from deep caverns carved from volcanic rock. Here, the morning mist seemed to possess an almost tangible quality, and the acoustic properties of the gorge created an environment where sound behaved in unsettling ways.

The challenge, when it came, reverberated through the canyon with supernatural amplification:

“Seeker of forbidden knowledge, solve my riddle or abandon your quest in defeat!”

Rather than retreating, Dravendir positioned himself on a flat stone beside the water, assuming a meditative stance while seemingly tracing symbols in the air.

“What possesses the power of speech yet lacks a tongue? What demonstrates the ability to run yet has no legs? What can cause drowning yet cannot itself perish?”

As the riddle echoed through the gorge, the environment began to shift in ways that defied natural explanation. The river’s surface churned and steamed despite the cool mountain air. Ancient pines groaned and twisted, their branches reaching toward him with predatory intent. Most unsettling of all, the Kawauso materialized before him—not in its natural form, but as a nightmarish distortion designed to break his resolve.

The creature appeared as a grotesque amalgamation of otter and demon, its limbs stretched beyond anatomical possibility, its maw distended to reveal ranks of crystalline teeth. Its eyes had become pools of absolute darkness that seemed to reflect not the surrounding forest, but glimpses of realms where different physical laws held sway.

Dravendir recognized this manifestation for what it truly was - a test of psychological fortitude rather than physical courage. He relaxed his hand, stopped tracing his symbols and addressed the riddle with methodical precision.

“You speak of a river, honored guardian,” he replied, his voice steady despite the supernatural tempest surrounding him. “A river speaks through the music of its flow, yet possesses no tongue. It runs along its course with perpetual motion, yet has no legs. It may claim the lives of those who underestimate its power, yet the river itself endures through all seasons and centuries.”

The monstrous apparition wavered, its impossible geometry becoming unstable. Then, like a complex optical illusion suddenly perceived correctly, it transformed into the Kawauso’s true form - a sleek, intelligent otter of unusual size, its dark eyes bright with ancient wisdom and unmistakable approval.

“Impressive, stranger,” the creature said, its voice now carrying the melodic quality of running water over stones. “Your composure under duress suggests a mind properly prepared for the knowledge you seek.” It studied him with the intensity of a master craftsman examining a promising apprentice. “The sacred Aspergillus cannot be simply harvested like common grain. It must be cultivated through rituals that bridge the gap between chemistry and deeper natural forces. Are you prepared for such instruction?”

What followed was a three-day intensive education unlike anything Dravendir had seen before. The Kawauso demonstrated techniques for encouraging fungal growth through combinations of precise environmental control and practices that existing mycological texts would have dismissed as superstition. Yet the results spoke for themselves - cultures of extraordinary purity and potency that seemed to possess an almost conscious drive toward therapeutic rather than merely nutritive purposes.

Matthias had listened with growing fascination, his skepticism gradually giving way to reluctant wonder. “This is… this challenges everything I understand about biological processes.”

Master Aldwin rose from his chair and moved to their secured storage area, returning with a sealed container of their most precious Kojic acid cultures. “Examine these, Matthias. Compare them to any specimens in our reference collection. Note their cellular structure, their rate of reproduction, their biochemical activity.”

The apprentice accepted the container with newfound reverence, already anticipating what his analysis would reveal. The evidence before him - cultures of unprecedented quality that had revolutionized their therapeutic formulations - suggested that perhaps the boundaries between empirical science and ancient wisdom were far more porous than his education had suggested.

“Our Koji Kosuri has proven more effective than any comparable formulation available through conventional sources,” Aldwin continued. “We have documented cases of dramatic improvement in skin conditions that previously resisted treatment, accelerated healing of minor wounds, and even enhancement of the body’s natural detoxification processes. These results stem directly from Dravendir’s encounter with forces that exist beyond the margins of our current understanding.”

Matthias nodded slowly, his worldview quietly but irrevocably altered. “Perhaps,” he conceded, “there are aspects of natural philosophy that our current methodologies have yet to encompass.”

Master Aldwin smiled, recognizing the moment when another promising mind took its first step toward the kind of intellectual flexibility that had made Veylins a leader in therapeutic innovation.

“Welcome, my dear apprentice, to a far more interesting universe than the one you thought you inhabited.“​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​