In the residential area, Ivan didn’t notice Conley behind him as he hurried back to his dormitory.
After checking the box of raw materials he had purchased, under a batch of medicinal herbs, he found what he was looking for – a formula for “Magic Crystal Water”.
“I knew that fat man had connections, just saved 10 credits.”
His subtle transmission just then was merely a test, after all, Auric was the kind of person who dared to help apprentices in the apothecary group earn credits; it was very likely that he would secretly sell a widely circulated mental power potion formula.
And sure enough, he merely mentioned the Magic Crystal Water formula, and there it was among the raw materials.
He eagerly began to read. Magic Crystal Water had a fairly broad application, usable by both 2nd Class and 3rd Class apprentices. After reading the content of the formula, his eyebrows furrowed and remained locked, deep in thought.
“No wonder it sells for only 10 credits, this formula is somewhat deceitful.”
He examined the formula again, and a flame erupted from his palm, completely burning the formula to ashes.
The main ingredient of Magic Crystal Water was Demon Crystal, a substance extracted from low-grade magic stones, condensing their essence into crystals that could be fashioned into various forms, such as cards, all referred to as ‘Demon Crystals’.
There were no natural deposits of Demon Crystals, they could only be extracted from low-grade magic stones, and they also served as a currency within the hierarchy of magic stones.
The selling price of one Demon Crystal was 1000 low-grade magic stones.
With such expensive raw materials, the cost of one failure was too high, enough to deter most apothecaries, who would instead choose other mental power potion formulas.
“Perhaps I could give it a try.”
After much contemplation, Ivan decided to try it.
His success rate in potion making was at least 90%, so earning magic stones was not a difficult task for him.
Auric had mentioned in casual conversations that everything related to mental power potions, including formulas, potions, and medicinal herbs, were always in short supply in the sorcerer world; it wasn’t just a matter of having credits and magic stones to be able to purchase the raw materials.
By comparison, Demon Crystals were easier to obtain raw materials, as long as one had enough low-grade magic stones. Meanwhile, mid-grade magic stones were extremely rare and seldom fell into the hands of apprentices.
The next day, Ivan returned to the trading area and found a somewhat less formal point of sale; he waited over an hour for the watching sorcerer to arrive and exchanged his last 10 credits for some knowledge in Elementary Apothecary Skill.
“These sorcerers are really pragmatic.”
Back in the dormitory, he discovered that this knowledge was nowhere near as detailed as the Elementary Enchantment Skill taught by his mentor; it was evident that the sorcerer who crafted the knowledge hadn’t put much effort into it. With the same price of 10 credits exchanged, he felt he had significantly lost out.
Regardless, this knowledge would compensate for the systematic gaps in his potion making, filling a critical gap so that he wouldn’t fall behind the apprentices in the apothecary group.
It took him half a month, but he had fully grasped the Elementary Apothecary Skill, increasing his Apothecary Skill Experience Points by nearly a hundred.
“Raw materials are indeed expensive; one mistake wastes over two hundred magic stones.”
To gather a bit more raw material, he had been incredibly busy over the past half month. Just yesterday, he had spent a large sum of money purchasing two magic crystal cards, delighting the shop owner Auric so much that his mouth barely closed and he generously gave Ivan a 5% discount.
Along with the other raw materials, even after the discount, the cost had still reached over two thousand low-grade magic stones. Now, the magic stones in his pocket were nearly depleted.
Each concoction required only one fifth of a Demon Crystal; this time, for the concoction of Magic Crystal Water, he only had ten portions of raw materials. Since mental power potions were the hardest potions to concoct, unparalleled, he had to be even more cautious.
Before beginning the concoction, a membrane of light emerged in Ivan’s vision, and a 1st Class Light of Wisdom illuminated; he simulated the potion making process in his mind and indeed noticed several critical areas to pay attention to.
“Let’s start.”
Returning from the Light of Wisdom to reality, his gaze intensified, the firelight in front of him casting a clear, solemn light across his face.
The apothecary process of making Magic Crystal Water began as he sliced off one fifth of a magic stone and dropped it into the solution in the glass vessel. Soon, the magic stone transformed into a murky blob of ink, and the emergence of this ink blob was bound to be anything but calm.
It was like a newly born creature, this inky beast weaving through with a haze of gray murk, lively and lifelike.
From the perspective of a potion maker, its appearance was particularly annoying. Since Ivan had embarked on the path of potion-making, he had gone through nearly a thousand sessions, but never had he felt as he did now, sensing the ingredients in the glass vessel resisting on their own.
The potion formed from the dissolved magic stone was resisting his mental power. Each movement was a minor mental shock, the potion itself fiercely trying to break free from his control, appearing so defiant.
Facing such circumstances, Ivan was as steady as an experienced apothecary, methodically adding other ingredients to the glass vessel while suppressing the inky beast and fostering the fusion and transformation of the potion.
After a long standoff, a sudden change occurred. Ivan thought he heard an inexplicable roar of anger, and the potion in the glass vessel surged violently, shaking the vessel itself.
The potion in the glass vessel became completely turbid.
“It didn’t work.”
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and shook his head in resignation.
A mental power potion was truly not something an ordinary apothecary could craft. The ingredients even generated a strong resistance, forcing him to divert half of his mental power to suppress this reactionary will.
This potion-making session was more exhausting than any before.
As time moved into the afternoon, Ivan lit up a 2nd Class Light of Wisdom to contemplate the meditation runes he had been decoding for over a month, finally deciphering the 14th rune of the Black Beard Chapter.
He spent the remaining time of the Light of Wisdom reflecting on the previous potion-making process. His tripled insight and spirituality helped him see his deficiencies and ways to improve.
[Meditation Skill Experience Points +12]
[Meditation Skill: Lv2(4/200)]
As expected, his Meditation Skill advanced to level 2, obtaining a 2nd Class Light of Wisdom in return, essentially making it a cost-free session.
The next day, Ivan effortlessly sketched the first 14 runes in his mind, his mental power reaching 4.2 graduated degrees, a step closer to becoming a 3rd Class apprentice.
He began the second attempt at crafting Magic Crystal Water.
Twenty-odd minutes later, the glass vessel on the flame trembled slightly, churning the potion into disorder.
“Mental Power is still too low. It’s a bit strenuous to suppress the restlessness within the magic stone,” he noted, not minding that he had scrapped over two hundred low-grade magic stones. His thoughts lingered on the issues encountered during the potion-making process.
There were still many minor issues, but he believed that problems which were exposed were no longer obstacles and there was always a suitable solution—a belief as a potion maker.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
A rhythmic knocking at the door of the dormitory snapped Ivan out of his reflection.
He furrowed his brows and opened the door, finding a Shadow Ant servant waiting.
“Apprentice Ivan Marichardon, there is an enlistment order from the Patrol Team. Please assemble at the Hall of Tasks by six o’clock tomorrow morning,” the Shadow Ant servant said, having confirmed his identity.
“???”
Hearing this, Ivan suddenly became alert, taking the parchment handed over with a puzzled expression—it was indeed an enlistment order from the Patrol Team.
“Wait a moment.” The Shadow Ant servant, seeing its task completed, transformed into a puff of black smoke and drifted away.
Ivan wanted to call it back to ask for more details, but it did not stop and vanished in the blink of an eye.