Chapter Thirty-Seven: Ancient Potions "According to the Chip's simulations and calculations, the basic Meditation Method is most effective when constructing
"No wonder even apprentices with fifth-grade aptitude have to linger at the third-rank threshold for so long!"
Leilin studied the calculation formulas and results, falling into deep thought.
"I've been at the academy for ages, and I've never heard of any apprentice possessing an advanced Meditation Method. Besides, the personal disciples of other mentors all spend at least a few years stuck at Second-rank Apprentice. It seems that even mentors can't help with Meditation Methods — I can cross that off the list!"
"As for material supplementation, there are a few recipes among the basic potions that can enhance Spiritual Power, but they're pricey, the raw materials are expensive, and the success rate is frankly dismal…"
"But I have the Chip — my success rate will definitely be higher than other apothecaries'. Pursuing this path to boost Spiritual Power is still viable!"
Leilin made up his mind. "Next, I'll collect potion recipes that can enhance Spiritual Power, and sell potions outside to trade for resources to brew them!"
"But the area outside the academy isn't safe right now. How am I supposed to go out and find the black market and small trading gatherings?"
Leilin frowned again. "With these problems, the academy's mentors certainly won't sit idle. I just need to wait a while and things will resolve themselves. I'll get the Spiritual Power potion recipes first."
If even official Wizards couldn't handle the problems outside, then he, a mere Second-rank Apprentice, had no chance either. With that thought, Leilin drifted off to sleep.
Early the next morning, Leilin arrived before Mentor Guofate.
"Potion recipes that can enhance Spiritual Power?" Guofate was somewhat surprised.
"The success rate for brewing these potions is far too low, and the required resources are terribly expensive. Many apothecaries have gone bankrupt over this — only heirs of great families could possibly afford them…"
Although Leilin had exceptional talent in apothecary work, Guofate still felt this student of his was being overly ambitious.
"Master, you know my aptitude is only third-grade, and the gap between a third-rank apprentice and an official
Leilin spoke softly.
"Sigh… you!" Guofate sighed and slowly sat down. "I do have a few recipes for basic Spiritual Power potions, but when I obtained them, I signed a contract with the other party — I'm not allowed to resell the recipes. And the formulas I've improved myself are definitely beyond what you could afford…"
"How many Magic Stones would it cost?" Leilin's heart sank, but he still asked the question.
"Hehe! I knew you wouldn't give up. Five thousand Magic Stones — and that's only because you're my student!"
Leilin drew in a sharp breath, then gave a bitter smile. "Looks like I don't have a chance then!"
"An improved Spiritual Power potion formula requires an Apothecary to experiment continuously for over a decade, sometimes even decades. The cost involved is enormous. Plus, once you possess a unique potion recipe, that's usually the beginning of an Apothecary's fortune. So it's only natural that formulas would be this expensive," Guofate explained.
A monopoly was where the real profit lay. Leilin nodded slowly.
But that depended on who held it. If an Apprentice possessed a precious recipe — forget about a formal Wizard, even Leilin himself would be tempted to get up to no good. However, Guofate was a formal Wizard with Black Bone Forest Academy as his backing, and he had plenty of connections too, so he had nothing to worry about.
"But if you really have your heart set on it, it's not entirely hopeless!"
Just as Leilin, crestfallen, was about to take his leave, Guofate spoke those words.
"There's a chance!" Leilin thought to himself with a surge of excitement, and immediately bowed respectfully.
"I can't give you the improved formula, but I do have a few recipes from ancient-era Wizards that I obtained during several expeditions. You're welcome to take them and give them a try," Guofate said slowly.
"Ancient Wizard formulas?" Leilin asked, somewhat puzzled.
"That's right! The ancient era was the most glorious age of Wizards. They not only established the Old Byron Empire that spanned the continent, but also set their sights on distant other worlds, conquering one plane after another!" Guofate's face flushed red, his eyes filled with reverence for the power of the ancient Wizards.
"Unfortunately, for reasons unknown, the Old Byron Empire perished overnight, and the legacy of the ancient Wizards was severed. We only managed to piece things together from documents and research materials left behind in the remnants of ancient ruins, and from that, the rise of modern Wizards began…"
Guofate slowly revealed a piece of hidden history — something that was never mentioned in the Academy's history of Wizardry.
"I wonder just how powerful the ancient Wizards truly were?" A look of longing appeared on Leilin's face, and he asked: "So these formulas — do they have some kind of flaw?"
"That's right! You're very sharp. These ancient formulas may produce better results, but many of the ingredients listed in them are already extinct. In all my two hundred years of life, I haven't heard of any of them appearing…"
Guofate continued slowly: "But many Apothecaries are still deeply fond of ancient formulas, because they hope to find substitute ingredients. Even if the substitute only produces a fraction of the original's effect, it's still incredibly useful to us!"
Leilin felt a jolt of joy. With the Chip's assistance, he would have a far easier time researching this than any other Apothecary.
On the surface, however, he maintained a troubled expression. "So… you want me to search for substitute ingredients?"
"That's right! An Apothecary's success often comes down to a flash of inspiration. Many new potions are developed precisely on that basis. If you truly want it, you can try your luck! Though I should warn you, the success rate really is quite low."
Guofate's expression grew heavy, apparently reminded of his own failures.
"Master! I still want to give it a try. Even if I can't actually brew the potion, studying the recipe will improve my brewing skills!" Leilin said through gritted teeth.
"That's the right attitude — now I can rest easy!" Guofate nodded, rummaging through the bookshelf behind him for quite a while before finally pulling out a handful of dust-covered scrolls.
"All of my ancient potion recipes are here."
Leilin reached out to accept them, and the scrolls weighed heavy in his hands. They seemed to be made from some unknown material — remarkably dense.
He casually unrolled a green-tinted recipe and was immediately startled by the dense thicket of ingredients listed before his eyes.
"Ghost Spirit Flower, Seven-Leaf Grass… the venom sac of a Human-Faced Serpent… strands of a Vengeful Ghost's hair…"
At least half of the ingredients were ones Leilin had never even heard of, and the remaining third were extremely precious resources even for full Wizards. The sight made his eyelids twitch uncontrollably.
"Quite the shock, wasn't it? I had the exact same expression when I first saw them! But if you could actually brew a potion following these ingredients, it would be enormously useful even for full Wizards!" Guofate remarked with a smile from the side.
Leilin leafed through several more recipes, trying to find ones suitable for a Wizard Apprentice whose ingredients would be the easiest to collect. After more than half an hour, he had barely managed to narrow it down to two.
"These two — the
Both potion recipes were well suited to Leilin's current situation.
"Mm! Both of these potion recipes are perfect for you!" Guofate nodded. "One hundred and fifty Magic Stones each, three hundred total!"
Though the price was over a dozen times cheaper than a Spiritual Power potion, Leilin still felt a pang of distress. He upended all the Magic Stones from his pockets, and they clattered into a small mound before Guofate.
Nestled among the pile were several stones that radiated a far more powerful fluctuation — intermediate-grade Magic Stones, each worth ten ordinary ones.
"There are two hundred and fifty Magic Stones, and I'll add this Serpent-pattern Grass!" Leilin reluctantly fished a small cloth pouch from inside his robe. Inside was a slender silvery blade of grass mottled with markings like serpent scales.
He had commissioned Wus to acquire it, and it had taken a long time before it was finally obtained. But after using a portion of it to brew potions, the remaining Serpent-pattern Grass was no longer of much use to him.
"Mm! Serpent-pattern Grass — slightly damaged, but the medicinal properties are still intact. I'll appraise it at fifty Magic Stones." Guofate's eyes lit up slightly as he turned the silvery stalk over in his fingers.
"Deal! Those two recipes are yours!" Guofate said with a smile and a nod.
Leilin carefully put away the recipes for the Azure Potion and Maria's Tears, gave Guofate a deep bow, and then left the room.
"Three hundred Magic Stones! All the income from the potions I've sold this year has gone into this! The materials needed for these two potion recipes are also very precious — the only way to get resources for experimentation is to quickly sell the potions I've accumulated outside the Academy..."
Leilin felt a pang of pain. His success rate was far higher than what others estimated. Besides the potions he'd sold within the Academy, he'd accumulated quite a few more. If he could sell them outside the Academy, that would be a huge sum of Magic Stones!
Ever since obtaining those two potion recipes, Leilin's mind had been consumed with nothing but how to earn Magic Stones and brew potions.
"Leilin! Leilin!"
A girl's voice rang out, pulling Leilin from his trance.
"It's you, Biji! Sorry, I was just thinking about something!"
Leilin looked at the girl before him. After a year of development, Biji's figure had grown even more voluptuous — particularly the two rounded swells on her chest, which had already taken considerable shape.
"Hmph! You're just the same!
"Ha ha!!" Leilin managed to cover it up. "What's wrong? Feile's ignoring you again?"
"Not at all! Feile has been very good to me lately — we just had dinner together on the second floor yesterday!" Biji's face lit up with a hint of joy. "It's just that he's been completely captivated by that blood-letter mission at the Academy lately, dead set on earning the reward!"
"Three hundred Magic Stones! Plus top-tier knowledge and modified Spell Models — if I weren't still a Second-rank Apprentice, I might be tempted too!" Leilin joked.
"What were you just thinking about?"
"Nothing really, just thinking that selling potions inside the Academy isn't the best deal — I was thinking about trying outside." Leilin said half-truthfully.