Commercial Zone – Agnes' Cottage
"Lending you a hundred Mana Stones is fine, but why do you want to buy a Focus Potion, and a premium one at that?" Agnes asked, puzzled by her junior apprentice. "That stuff isn't cheap. Why buy it?"
Edwyn cleared his throat and delivered the explanation he had prepared in advance.
"Agnes, I've been studying Focus Potions myself. I figured a potion made for the same purpose, even if it's from the commercial Zone, might share similarities with the formula our teacher gave me. Buying one might spark some inspiration."
"Inspiration?" Agnes rolled her eyes. "Alchemy is about studying and practicing, not chasing vague notions like inspiration."
Despite her words, she still walked into the back room and returned with a 100ml bottle of light-blue potion.
"Here. Premium-grade Focus Potion. The store sells it for thirty Mana Stones. I bought this secondhand, so it cost me twice as much." She dangled the potion in front of Edwyn, her lips curling into a mischievous smile. "Now that I'm selling it to you, what do you think is a fair price?"
"Uh…" Edwyn eyed the potion, hesitation all over his face. He didn't have many Mana Stones left.
"Finally getting serious, huh?" Agnes couldn't help but tap his forehead. "This stuff is priceless in the academy. If even one bottle hits the market per month, that's considered high output. You couldn't buy it with just money."
"So… are you giving it to me?" Edwyn asked, his eyes lighting up.
"Keep dreaming." Agnes glared at him. "This is a loan. When you manage to produce your own premium Focus Potions, you'll owe me two bottles in return."
"Do you accept those terms?"
"Yes, absolutely, of course!" Edwyn nodded enthusiastically.
Then, as a bonus, he added, "Agnes, you're the best!"
Agnes's cheeks turned faintly red. "Go, go, get back to potion-making. I'm already starting to regret this. I should've asked for three bottles!"
…
Back at his dorm, Edwyn activated the Miracle Furnace with the potion in hand.
[Material: Premium Focus Potion]
[Extractable Skill: Potion Brewing – Fragmented]
[Extraction Cost: 10 Spiritforce]
[Extractable Info: Focus Potion Formula]
[Extraction Cost: 10 Spiritforce]
[Proceed with Extraction?]
"I can extract the potion's formula too?" Edwyn was thrilled. "If that's the case, doesn't that mean I could extract the formula from any potion sold in the academy?"
The idea sent a jolt of excitement through him, but he quickly forced it down. Even if he could extract hundreds of formulas, he couldn't sell them. Mages could tell at a glance whether a formula was truly yours.
Stealing knowledge was a serious crime, even Joron wouldn't be able to protect him.
"But I can still use them for myself," Edwyn grinned. "If a potion's already on the market, getting my hands on a bottle or two shouldn't be a problem."
He chose to extract the brewing technique, and with his 23 points of Spiritforce, he only experienced slight dizziness before it was done.
Absorbing the glowing orb of knowledge, Edwyn instantly felt transformed.
He was a Mage again. Every material in his hands felt like soft clay, easily molded, easily processed. No matter the texture or shape, it was no challenge. In potion-making, he could now react to every scenario without thinking.
When the absorption finished, Edwyn shook his head, stood up, and picked up his ingredients.
Crushing, sieving, extracting, grinding, his hands moved on their own before his brain could catch up.
"The skill of a Mage… is terrifying."
Edwyn exhaled deeply, filled with new respect for the mystic arts.
…
With such skill, potion-making became smooth sailing. He still experienced failures, as was expected, but now he also meticulously documented his results.
He had serious issues with the vague data on most recipes.
In Edwyn's view, the low success rate of potion-making came largely from these imprecise instructions.
And just like that, a month flew by.
"These… all of these were made by you?" Agnes stared at the box of Focus Potions, her mind reeling.
She was convinced she must've botched her meditation. How else could she be seeing her junior apprentice, who'd only started brewing potions a month ago, standing in front of her with an entire box of potions for sale?
This had to be an illusion.
"Agnes, I'm putting these on consignment with you. You okay with that?" Edwyn asked, starting to get annoyed by her silence.
After extracting the skill, Edwyn had thrown himself into potion-making for the month. After spending all the money Agnes lent him, he had produced 65 bottles of Focus Potion, with a success rate close to two-thirds.
"Yes, yes, of course." Agnes snapped out of her daze, then cautiously asked, "How many times did you fail? The Mana Stones I gave you probably weren't enough, right?"
A guilty thought crossed her mind, she kind of hoped he had failed a lot.
But Edwyn's answer shattered her last hope.
"I failed plenty. My success rate was about one in two." He faked a sheepish tone. Joron's book listed success rates from many of his past students, and even the lowest performer didn't dip below two-thirds.
This number felt right for a "novice apprentice" like Edwyn.
"Huh? How much?" Agnes's head spun again. Since becoming a Mage apprentice, she'd never felt so utterly powerless.
"Half," Edwyn repeated, word by word. "I've only just started brewing. Isn't a high failure rate normal?"
"Half...!" Agnes nearly shouted. "Most beginners only hit one in ten. One in five is considered talented. But a beginner with fifty percent success, I-I…"
She was speechless. She'd assumed Edwyn, like her, only had talent in crafting magical gear. But now it was clear: Edwyn's talent was far beyond what she'd imagined.
"Ah… is that so?" Edwyn stiffened, forcing a smile. "I guess I'm not as bad as I thought. I mean, even the worst student in our teacher's notes had better stats than me."
Agnes took a deep breath, trying to compose herself.
"Edwyn, our teacher has guided hundreds of students. Anyone he takes on personally is extremely gifted. But those who make it into his written records? They're the elite among the elite."
"Haha, see? I'm not that bad. I'm not even better than the last name in the book," Edwyn replied, forcing enthusiasm. He'd already given up trying to hide his abilities.
Screw it. Let them call him a genius.
He'd brewed all those potions himself. He could repeat the process if asked.
And with so many brilliant native students around, a transmigrator like him wouldn't stand out that much.
"But don't get cocky," Agnes warned, her tone cool once again. "There are plenty of talented apprentices. But the number who truly become Mages? Very, very few."
"Got it," Edwyn winked.
Agnes counted the potions in the box, 46 bottles. At five Mana Stones each, that meant Edwyn had earned 130 Mana Stones in pure profit.
And this was after he'd held some back. If he sold more, he could've earned even more.
"For consignment sales, I won't take a cut this time," Agnes said. "Here's your 130 stones."
She put the potions behind the counter and handed him a pouch. "Focus Potions are easy to sell, so I'll pay you up front. Go get some rest, you must be exhausted after a month of nonstop work."
Edwyn's heart warmed. He accepted the pouch with a nod and left, heading straight for the Central Black Tower.
Rest? Not now.
He had money.
And money is meant to be spent.