Chapter 35

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Chapter 035: Potions Must Not Be Wasted

After nearly agreeing on the new terms, the old mage continued his work, while Jesse started envisioning his future.

Normally, Malin knew that he was an ordinary person without magic skills or outstanding fighting abilities, so he shouldn’t be sent on very dangerous missions.

For example, infiltrating an Orc camp, capturing black dragon hatchlings, and other outrageous tasks would probably be assigned to other mages, apprentice mages, or hired mercenaries.

But all he did was deliver letters and bring things, otherwise Malin wouldn’t only give him 10 silver coins each month.

By noon, Jesse should have gone to make potions right away, but his curiosity led him out to see the stables instead.

Outside the west city gate, the stables of the Wizard’s Sanctum were next to the city wall. Looking north from here, beyond the horse field, one could see the sea beyond the cliff.

At this time, some young people who looked like mages were gathering under the wizard tower at the cliff edge, and even from far away, you could faintly hear their chatting and laughter.

The horses in the stable looked quite healthy and beautiful, mostly chestnut and black, with a few spotted horses. They were all well-groomed, with shiny coats, broad chests, and muscles tight and prominent on their legs.

The Mage Quarter was indeed wealthy, even the horses exuded an air of prosperity.

Jesse remembered when he specifically visited the stable there in Eastvale, even though the stable was much larger than this one, the horses there always seemed to be kept in a poorer condition compared to here.

The Eastvale Logging Camp was where the knights of Stormwind got their warhorses. In theory, the horses there should be stronger and more disciplined than the ones here at the Wizard’s Sanctum.

Jesse guessed that because the war had just ended, many of the strong warhorses had died on the battlefield or were injured and couldn’t stay here anymore, so many of the remaining horses were of lower quality.

As they got closer, some horses who weren’t familiar with his smell snorted nervously but energetically.

He wondered when he would be able to have his own horse. Owning a horse required not only money to buy one, but also a stable income to cover the costs of care and food. He also needed a house with a stable, making him feel overwhelmed just thinking about it.

It was impossible to think about a job that paid only 10 silver per month.

However, when he remembered riding Greed, the gryphon he had ridden before, this horse didn’t seem as appealing.

Thinking back to the top characters he had ridden in the game – Kodo, dinosaurs, Guardian’s head, baby dragons, and phoenixes – this horse didn’t seem so special after all!

Jesse returned to the Alchemy Room feeling dejected. He opened the package he had brought with him and looked at the few things he had managed to salvage. The difference in his situation was disheartening.

He sat in the chair feeling lost, realizing how frequently he had been feeling unhappy lately because he lacked a "golden touch".

The frequency of his unhappiness had increased recently because he had faced a lot of challenges and encountered many powerful individuals, leaving him feeling unbalanced.

However, he still had a unique advantage – the ability to foresee the future. This sole advantage had to be utilized effectively.

Thinking like this, he felt more motivated.

He prepared the crucible, poured in clear spring water, and sprinkled in a bit of Grave Moss. The disgusting smell reminded him of the tragic experience in the tomb.

Taking out a small bag filled with ground Wicked Claw, he poured it into the boss’s mortar for making medicine, and started grinding while waiting for the water to boil.

Since the recipe said that the ground Wicked Claw should be as fine as possible, he decided to focus on grinding it throughout the whole process of making the medicine, as Wicked Claw would be added in the final step.

Not long after, he glanced at the rolling water surface, which had turned a light purple color. Even though he didn’t understand why the green Grave Moss turned purple after boiling for a while, the recipe was correct.

A strange fishy smell emerged, different from the smell in the tomb. This smell… he seemed to have smelled it somewhere before.

Right, it was in the underground basement of The Slaughtered Lamb, that’s the scent of Shadow Power. Is this purple color also the color of Shadow Power?

He started gently stirring with a mixing spoon, while keeping an eye on the pocket watch to measure time. After 20 minutes, when the water turned dark, he poured in the Kingsblood powder.

Grinding Kingsblood into powder was much easier than Wicked Claw. This herb dried itself in the wind, and once crushed, it couldn’t be any finer.

After the ceasefire, the hot liquid in the crucible was starting to become somewhat transparent.

Things were going smoother than expected. Jesse even felt a bit like following a cooking guide in a short video as he saw each step of his dish coming together perfectly. It was a strangely satisfying feeling.

While the potion was gradually stabilizing, he took a break outside the Alchemy Room.

By now, he was covered in sweat, his shirt soaked through. He looked as if he had just jumped out of the water, causing passersby to glance at him sideways.

He didn’t care about his appearance at this point. The soy sauce mages before him would all be minor characters once he made the Shadow Protection Potion, once he learned warlock magic…

Has it been too long? He turned back to the Alchemy Room. The potion was now semi-transparent. He quickly lit the fire again to boil it.

The final step, adding the Wicked Claw powder.

The slightly nauseating smell from before had almost disappeared. The potion now emitted a somewhat tolerable fishy smell. After turning off the fire, even though the potion was still steaming, it looked close to the description in the recipe.

He tried a bit with a stirring spoon, a bit sour. It seemed to be ready.

Jesse used the lead bottle he had bought earlier to fill seven bottles at once. He sealed them one by one until the last drop was poured out, and then put them into a bag.

He couldn’t wait until the next day, so he brought a bottle to the front of The Slaughtered Lamb in the evening.

The barbaric bartender, Jarel Moor, was still standing there, and the tavern still had a lifeless look.

Jesse drank the bottle he brought in one gulp. Maybe because he drank too fast, the sour and spicy liquid rushed down his throat and into his stomach. He leaned against the wall for a while before the intense dizziness from the medicine he brought passed.

At least it seemed to match what the recipe said. He guessed that his first attempt at making medicine should turn out fine. Luckily, it was a simplified recipe suitable for alchemy beginners.

In order not to let the people inside know he brought medicine, he hid the bottle in a flowerbed under the tavern’s steps before entering and approaching the bartender.

"I’m back, Mr. Moor."

Jarel glanced over, cleaning the table and asking, "What will you have? Mead, malt, dwarf ale, red wine."

"You don’t remember me?"

"Ah… it’s you." Jarel couldn’t help but smile and said, "You’re the kid who fainted at my bar, Jesse. I remember you now. I even gave you an extra silver coin."

"I fainted here?" Jesse tried to remember that day, from the basement to the garden outside the door, but he couldn’t recall it at all.

Jarel explained, "I had two people throw you out. Don’t blame me, you were lying here affecting my business."

Jesse wondered, "Is this considered doing business?"

"Unfortunately, you came at the wrong time," Jarel Moor said. "They have already gone back."

Jesse couldn’t believe his ears, "What? Your people are not in the basement?"

Jarel frowned and whispered, "Keep your voice down."

"Sorry," Jesse leaned closer to the bar and said, "I really need two silver coins."

"Well, I can’t help you with that," Jarel replied. "They don’t live in my basement, so of course they went back home at night."

Jesse whispered, "Tell me their address, Mr. Erlan and Ms. Surena, anyone will do. I’m willing to try their magic, I can even ask for less money."

Jarel shook his head helplessly and said, "Erlan lives on a farm outside of Goldshire, and Surena… is in Old Town. Are you sure you want to go?"

Jesse felt like there was a chance and immediately said, "Tell me Ms. Surena’s address, I can’t go to Goldshire tonight."

"I might be meddling too much, but I warn you." Jarel pulled out a note and as he wrote, he said, "Surena is not someone you can approach easily. If she agrees to pay you to try the spell, take the money and leave, don’t get involved."

Jesse grabbed the note and rushed out of the tavern’s front door, heading straight for the Mage Quarter. He was not in the mood to think about such things now.