Apothecary store in the small marketplace of the trading district.
A figure walked into the entrance, and Auric could feel the abyss-like aura emanating from the other party. Almost every encounter displayed a different degree of progress in the other party, a momentum that one could only envy.
“Ivan, please come in quickly.”
“There are no potions for sale this time.”
Seeing Auric’s enthusiastic demeanor, Ivan preemptively threw a dampener on his spirits.
“No matter, just come and have a chat with me,” Auric said, his expression unchanged.
“Auric, you remember what you said that time, don’t you?” Ivan said solemnly, his aura spreading out as he spoke.
At that moment, Auric further sensed the levels of his strength.
The limit of a 3rd Class apprentice!
Auric’s eyes widened involuntarily. He had already overestimated the other’s capabilities, yet he had still underestimated by several graduated degrees, to think he had advanced this far so quickly. Was this still an apprentice from Tidal Island?
“You haven’t really forgotten, have you?”
“Of course not, I’ve been waiting for this day. No power would turn away a heaven-sent talent like yours.”
Auric knew his capabilities in Apothecary Skill and Enchantment Skill. Such a person, wherever placed, belonged to those who needed to be wooed. He didn’t hesitate and made a commitment on the spot, preparing to contact the elders in his family.
“I almost forgot, Ivan, what 3rd Class talent do you possess?”
“You don’t know?”
Ivan looked at him puzzled. Auric was always shrewd, yet he made such a blunder.
“I remember you never mentioned it,” Auric said with certainty, suddenly feeling a bad premonition inside yet not showing it. “What I value is your talent, and talent doesn’t deceive.”
“You didn’t ask me to explain.” Ivan was speechless for a while before he admitted, “3rd Class talent, primarily in the Wood element, followed by fire and water.”
“3rd Class, that’s also pretty good,” Auric muttered and then contacted his family elders.
Seeing his Secret Method Seal light up, Ivan tactfully left the apothecary store first and went to an enchantment store nearby to pre-order some materials.
When he returned, Auric gestured, “Come, follow me, the elder wants to meet you.”
“At the academy?”
“Yes, the elder works at the academy. He probably wants to talk to you first to see what your intentions are.”
Upon hearing Auric’s explanation, Ivan, however, didn’t think so. The so-called elder was likely just an apprentice, hastily arranging a meeting which showed their lack of seriousness, but he still decided to accompany Auric.
Beat the bushes and see if anything flies out.
The elder’s residence was also in the residential area, closer to the exterior of the Ant Land Barrier. It was a separate residence—small in size but a better environment than the dormitories.
In the living hall of the residence, Ivan met the elder from the Richie family.
He was tall and thin, with short and stiff whiskers, and deep-set eyes that conveyed a stern and rigid impression.
“Elder John, this is Ivan who I’ve talked to you about; he’s currently at the limit of a 3rd Class apprentice,” Auric greeted the other party and then introduced his companion.
“Auric, you go out for a while. I want to talk to your friend,” Elder John requested.
Auric looked at Ivan, signaled to him, and then left the Richie family’s living room.
“You must be Mr. Marichadon; I’ve heard Auric mention you more than once,” Elder John greeted him with a smile, his stern demeanor completely disappearing.
“I’ve traded with Auric several times; the quality of the herbs sold by the Richie family has always been good and trustworthy,” Ivan also exchanged pleasantries.
“Ha ha, maintaining quality is something my Richie family always strives for; we never dare slack off,” Elder John laughed cheerfully, then continued, “You come from Tidal Island, don’t you? I visited when I was young; it’s a beautiful place.
“You have grown so rapidly to your current level, and I believe what Auric says: you truly possess extraordinary apothecary and enchantment talents. Your works, whether it’s the Mental Power Recovery Potion or the Green Tree Star, are quite exceptional—”
Elder John kept praising him, and the more he did, the more Ivan felt the other party was setting him up, probably to make an outrageous demand soon.
“I actually heard some other news about you,” Elder John slowly broached the main topic when Ivan started to get a little impatient, “about something that happened two days ago. I heard you exterminated a Blood Hunter for the academy and repelled the bandits.”
Ivan frowned slightly. Wasn’t it supposed to be kept strictly confidential? How had people inside the academy, unrelated to the matter, found out as though it was a sieve?
Saying this, he might be eyeing the Aqua Alva.
Elder John’s next words confirmed his thoughts.
“Aqua Alva is a good thing. Using two during promotion is just right; three would be extremely dangerous, literally a nine-in-ten chance of death.”
“Elder Richie, I will not sell any Aqua Alva,” Ivan flatly refused. He had never intended to give anyone Aqua Alva, especially since it was strictly forbidden by the academy.
“You don’t need to worry about the academy side; we have our ways to ensure no one bothers you because of this,” Elder John spoke frankly, revealing his intentions.
“No need, all Aqua Alva will only be used on myself,” Ivan refused again, then suggested, “Elder Richie, let’s talk about other matters.”
Seeing his lack of cooperation, the smile on Elder John’s face disappeared, returning to his original stern expression.
…
While the two were conversing privately, Auric was waiting in the front yard.
“Even the clan leader isn’t willing to meet, it’s probably hard to reach an agreement. I hope Ivan won’t blame me,” Auric thought worriedly. As perceptive as he was, he could not be unaware of his family’s attitude.
Having watched Ivan grow up step by step, he genuinely recognized Ivan’s talent and had hoped to form a good connection between the Richie family and Ivan. Once Ivan became an official sorcerer, the Richie family would also greatly benefit.
Soon enough, Ivan walked out of the hall quickly, his face showing not a hint of joy.
“Ivan, how did the talk go?”
“It didn’t work out. I can’t afford the resources your family offers.”
Although Ivan’s tone was calm, Auric detected a hint of anger in it.
Seeing him walk out of the yard without turning back, Auric pondered for a moment, then decided to go into the living room to learn more about the situation.
“Elder, why didn’t the negotiations succeed?”
“He doesn’t agree with the conditions the Richie family offered, so naturally, the deal wasn’t completed.”
“What were the conditions?”
Auric entered the hall and saw the elder still sitting there, and directly asked the question.
Elder John looked forward stoically, his expression unreadable. Hearing the question, he didn’t hide anything from Auric, a member of his household, and calmly brought out a draft of the contract.
“Must attempt the sorcerer breakthrough within three years?”
“If unsuccessful, must find a way to return a set of advancement resources, and also provide free apothecary and enchantment services for the Richie family for twenty years without wasting energy on attempting a second advancement?”
“If he becomes a sorcerer, return a set of advancement resources, provide apothecary services ten times, enchant ten times, take five apprentices recommended by the Richie family unconditionally, and agree to do one thing?”
Auric stared wide-eyed at the draft terms, muttering them out loud.
He couldn’t help but doubt, “Elder, does our Richie family’s advancement resources improve the advancement rate by twenty to thirty percent? I wasn’t aware of that.”
Elder John gave him a look as if he were looking at a fool.
Auric understood; it was still the same as before, only a ten percent increase, and it carried certain risks.
“Then, aren’t these demands a bit too harsh?”
“He only has 3rd Class talent; there are plenty of apprentices with that kind of potential. If it weren’t for some of his abilities, do you think he’d be qualified to come here? There are no few talented apprentices, yet he still presumes to negotiate terms with the Richie family, absurd,” Elder John stated matter-of-factly.
Auric still wanted to argue a few points: “Ivan’s talent is different, more—”
Elder John rebuked him, “Auric, the family has its rules. Don’t bring this kind of person here again in the future; it’s just a waste of time.”
“You—you stubborn old men, you’re infuriating,” Auric wasn’t afraid of Elder John, glaring at him. Seeing that the elder was unmoved, he could only hurry out of the living room.
In his heart, Auric cursed the family’s stubborn elders over and over. He’d been better off not bothering at all, since now neither party had gained anything from the attempt.
Just as Ivan arrived back at his dorm, about to enter, Auric followed right behind him.
“I’m sorry, Ivan. I had no idea the family would make such harsh demands.”
“I know, it’s not your fault. The negotiation simply didn’t succeed, and it hasn’t caused me any harm,” Ivan responded, waving his hand dismissively, not really angry, just speechless with the other party.
That old man hadn’t laid out his conditions yet and had just thrown a pile of demands at him, and this was only the preliminary negotiation. When asked what the Richie family could offer in return, they said if there’s no agreement, there’s no need to ask so much, switching faces quicker than an opera singer.
With such miserly bargaining, it would have been more enjoyable to agree to marry into the Lidia family.
Of course, he had no plans of marrying into anyone’s family.
Ivan opened the door to his dorm room, inviting, “Come in and sit.”
“No, I need to tend to the shop,” Auric declined, his embarrassment too great to linger.
On the way back, he felt he must do something to salvage their relationship, or he might lose this potential big client.
Ivan had no idea about Auric’s thoughts. He hadn’t held much hope for the Richie family initially, so he wasn’t very disappointed. If this path didn’t work, he would try another; eventually, he would find a suitable one.
“Some sorcerers definitely have resources for advancement. It’s just that I don’t have anything here to sway them,” he thought.
“I heard there’s a sorcerer’s market away from the academy, and big markets usually have regular auctions. Such auctions occasionally feature anonymous sellers who dare to sell anything, including the banned water scalding bubble fruit from the Flash Vortex Alliance.
I might find other academy’s advancement resources there, or failing that, seek some leads, long-abandoned laboratories, for instance—”
His plan was to look for solutions around the academy first. If all else failed, he would apply for a long-term mission and roam other areas of the Moon Pincer Peninsula; eventually, he would find some clues about advancement resources.