Alchemists were very lonely. They had no need for food, but sometimes ate fruit. The smell of meat was extremely repulsive to them. For this reason alchemists couldn’t stand the company of people for more than a couple of minutes. Yet they were not ascetics, and their young and beautiful bodies craved for love and pleasure. The ordinary women, being meat eaters, were not an option: way too stinky! So the alchemists had to look for a worthy substitute.