In the shop, as soon as he walked in, he could smell the strong scent of medicinal herbs. Various herbs were displayed inside, along with tools for potion making.
“What do you need?” The shopkeeper was a rather plump middle-aged man, wearing an apprentice robe, lazily lying on a lounge chair, and didn’t bother to get up when someone came in.
“Do you buy Physical Strength Potions?” Ivan withdrew his gaze from looking around.
“Buy? Of course, I’ll buy.” The shopkeeper bounced up from the lounge chair, a smile already on his face, “How many do you have? As long as the quality is up to standard, I can take them all. Just to let you know, I will need to inspect the goods first.”
Without any fuss, Ivan handed over a Physical Strength Potion directly.
The shopkeeper took it and examined it carefully, even opening the lid to sniff it, then looked up and said, “Auric. You can call me Auric. Did you make these potions yourself?”
“That’s right.”
“The quality of the potions is upper class. I can offer you four magic stones per potion, what do you say?”
Ivan took out the remaining Physical Strength Potions, a total of fifteen, all his stock was here.
Auric displayed the caution and shrewdness of a businessman, checking each potion in detail, and finally nodded in approval: “All pretty good. That’ll be 60 low-grade magic stones in total. Do you need anything? All the herbs here are of upper-class quality, and I guarantee with my name, Auric, that there’s no fakery or fraud.”
Ivan asked, “Do you have basic potion formulas?”
The gleam in Auric’s eyes brightened, “Of course, I have formulas for stopping bleeding, antidotes, insect repellents, nutrition… Eh, since you can make Physical Strength Potions, aren’t these a bit low-grade for you?”
“What’s the price?”
“These basic potion formulas aren’t very valuable, just two magic stones each. The raw materials cost one magic stone, and you can make ten potions from one set of materials. The cost for buying back the finished product is two magic stones per potion. What do you think?”
Auric was extremely experienced with the pricing of formulas and herbs.
With a decision made in his heart in the face of his expectant look, Ivan said, “I’ll take the first three formulas. Two magic stones each for the raw materials and also a new set of apothecary tools. Here’s a list; please prepare the materials listed on it for me.”
“No problem.” Auric quickly grabbed the list, his eyes growing brighter the more he looked. This was a big customer coming to him. “I’ve got all the materials on the list, and the apothecary tools are on me. And how should I address you?”
“Ivan.”
“Mr. Ivan, let me tell you, of all the shops on this street, mine has the most complete selection of herbs.”
Faced with a major customer, Auric was packing herbs while ensuring Ivan wouldn’t feel neglected, spouting various trivial and interesting tales related to the academy.
Regarding raw materials, each basic potion material cost one magic stone, each Physical Strength Potion material cost one and a half magic stones, and each Endurance Ginger Water material cost two magic stones, all at comparatively low prices.
Ivan did some quick calculations. If he turned all the raw materials into potions, basic potions would net roughly twenty times the cost after expenses, Physical Strength Potions around a twenty-six-fold return, and Endurance Ginger Water sold for eight magic stones, netting forty times the cost – an alchemist’s earning speed with magic stones was truly terrifying.
Auric lowered his voice and said, “I’ll tell you, there are quite a few apprentices in the potion group who are really disappointing. Their potion success rates are a complete mess. In the end, they have to secretly buy potions from me, pretending to have made them themselves to surrender to the academy to earn credits. With people like them around, our potions will never lack buyers.”
“I see,” Ivan replied, suddenly enlightened. It was no wonder he had always felt something was off. He had neglected the potion success rate.
His own journey so far, with the help of Small Light of Wisdom and Light of Wisdom, had given him an unusual understanding and proficiency in apothecary and herbs, which in turn had led to a potion success rate far above the average person’s.
If the potion success rate was too low, every attempt at potion making was like gambling, with a high chance of complete loss. It was more economical to directly buy ready-made potions.
However, a potion more or less carries the aura of the alchemist who crafted it, so wouldn’t such maneuvers be easily discovered by the academy?
“Mr. Ivan, the next time you need anything, be sure to come to me.”
Moments later, with a beaming smile, Auric saw him out of the store.
Leaving the store, Ivan still had thirty-two low-grade magic stones and a large pile of boxes filled with raw materials.
The price of these raw materials was not high, but the pricey items were those related to the mental power potion. He had asked Auric about the price of Magic Stone Water; the market price was fifty magic stones per vial, with the transaction price often around sixty magic stones.
As Gina had said, both the mental power potions and the raw materials were perennially in short supply.
Gina and Auric both hinted at one thing: compared to ordinary potions, mental power potions were unanimously regarded as one of the most difficult types of potions to craft, without a doubt.
Having returned from the trading area, Ivan converted his study into an apothecary lab with simplicity, placing all his purchases inside.
After lunch, Ivan hurried to a classroom in the teaching area for an important public class—Basic Apothecary Skill.
The courses offered by the academy were either free or paid, with the free ones being public lectures typically delivered by 3rd Class apprentices discussing basic and superficial knowledge.
“Ivan, you’re here,” Conley called out from afar upon spotting him.
“Free classes. If you don’t take advantage, it’s a waste,” Ivan said.
“Haha, that’s what I think too. Maybe we can learn some useful skills,” Conley laughed. He belonged to the potion group and his tutor had already taught him more comprehensive basic potion knowledge.
Like them, there were many with similar thoughts, and each found a seat for themselves.
After the class, Ivan felt that it was truly a free course; after much rambling, only a few minutes of useful content was presented, and even that was relatively simple knowledge.
Not all free courses were like this. Courses such as Language, Basic Anatomy, Spiritual Power Use, Energy Particle Use, Basic Energy Shaping Course, Science of Everything, etc., were explained in more detail. However, most of these were topics Ivan had already mastered.
When the course ended, Conley proposed with sudden enthusiasm, “How about a competition to see who can become a qualified alchemist first?”
Are you serious?
Ivan gave him a look, unable to resort to bullying, “Forget about it, I need to spend more time on Enchantment Skill.”
Hearing this, Conley could only give up the idea reluctantly.
Ivan said all the right things, but he turned around and began taking paid Basic Apothecary classes, costing two low-grade magic stones per class. The 3rd Class apprentices demonstrated apothecary on-site, nearly exclusively discussing the essentials. Yet, not many attended because of a shortage of magic stones.
Such expenses were trivial to him.
His main purpose was to systematically learn apothecary knowledge and transition from an unorthodox approach to a formal one.
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These days, in addition to learning basic potion knowledge, he spent time crafting potions daily and practiced both the Meditation Method and the magic Blackbeard Crown. He was also contemplating Runes Skill and Enchantment Skill.
The potions he crafted included Ginger Summer Water. Every wood silkworm that merged with the Spring Bud, he would transfer a bit of the curse’s power to it with Ginger Summer Water, gradually diminishing the strength of the Curse of Demon’s Resentment within himself.
After the integration of a minute amount of curse power, the rapid wood silkworms experienced no adverse effects or significant enhancement, which he guessed might be due to the minuscule quantity of curse power absorbed.
And so, Ivan’s life at Mongna Ant Land Cottage settled into a smooth routine, with everything progressing methodically.