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 dicinal 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 rely 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 ntal power potion formula.
And sure enough, he rely ntioned 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 sowhat deceitful."
He examined the formula again, and a fla 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 ntal 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 ntioned in casual conversations that everything related to ntal power potions, including formulas, potions, and dicinal 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. anwhile, mid-grade magic stones were extrely rare and seldom fell into the hands of apprentices.
The next day, Ivan returned to the trading area and found a sowhat less formal point of sale; he waited over an hour for the watching sorcerer to arrive and exchanged his last 10 credits for so knowledge in Elentary Apothecary Skill.
"These sorcerers are really pragmatic."
Back in the dormitory, he discovered that this knowledge was nowhere near as detailed as the Elentary Enchantnt Skill taught by his ntor; it was evident that the sorcerer who crafted the knowledge hadn't put much effort into it. With the sa 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 Elentary 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 ti, for the concoction of Magic Crystal Water, he only had ten portions of raw materials. Since ntal power potions were the hardest potions to concoct, unparalleled, he had to be even more cautious.
Before beginning the concoction, a mbrane of light erged 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 transford into a murky blob of ink, and the ergence 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 ford from the dissolved magic stone was resisting his ntal power. Each movent was a minor ntal 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, thodically 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 beca completely turbid.
"It didn't work."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and shook his head in resignation.
A ntal power potion was truly not sothing an ordinary apothecary could craft. The ingredients even generated a strong resistance, forcing him to divert half of his ntal power to suppress this reactionary will.
This potion-making session was more exhausting than any before.
As ti moved into the afternoon, Ivan lit up a 2nd Class Light of Wisdom to contemplate the ditation runes he had been decoding for over a month, finally deciphering the 14th rune of the Black Beard Chapter.
He spent the remaining ti 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.
[ditation Skill Experience Points 12]
[ditation Skill: Lv2(4/200)]
As expected, his ditation 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 ntal 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 fla trembled slightly, churning the potion into disorder.
"ntal 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 enlistnt order from the Patrol Team. Please assemble at the Hall of Tasks by six o'clock tomorrow morning," the Shadow Ant servant said, having confird his identity.
"???"
Hearing this, Ivan suddenly beca alert, taking the parchnt handed over with a puzzled expression—it was indeed an enlistnt order from the Patrol Team.
"Wait a mont." The Shadow Ant servant, seeing its task completed, transford 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.
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