e-booksonline Chapter 22 The Strength of a Level 2 Wizard Who Stockpiled Goods [Please Read On!]
Chapter 22 The Strength of a Level 2 Wizard Who Stockpiled Goods [Please Read On!]
The third floor of the Potions Masters Association, the council's offices.
As usual, Wizard Herman sat in her office. As the rotating wizard, she had several new potion recipes for official wizards in front of her. The verification period for these first-tier potions often took several months, and various data from the laboratory were required before they could proceed to the next stage.
In addition, she also oversees the review and approval of apprentice-level potions.
She opened the review form submitted today, her gaze lingering on the rating column for a moment.
"Rating: 90, with all practicality and effectiveness indicators rated as excellent?"
Herman looked at the approver's signature: Leonard.
A three-star potion master wouldn't be so foolish as to misjudge this.
She opened the report attached to the review form. The cover of the report read: "An Improvement Strategy Based on the Formula of Tranquilizing Herbal Balm," by Ian Lister, a Novice Wizard Apprentice.
A novice apprentice, improving a calming herbal ointment?
Herman's lips drooped slightly.
She flipped the report back to the cover, paused her fingertip on the signature line for a moment, and then turned to the next page.
Tranquilizing Herbal Ointment is the most basic auxiliary potion during the apprenticeship stage. Its formula has been stable for over a hundred years, and generations of potion masters believe that there is no room for improvement.
But precisely because of its fundamental nature, the market size is also enormous, and even the slightest change can have a huge impact.
Judging from the introduction of this report, the focus is still on research into reducing material costs.
"Even if the cost of the calming herbal ointment is reduced by only 10%, the resulting profit would be enough to buy a low-level spiritual essence, giving Leonard renewed hope for advancement."
Herman the wizard chuckled and casually flipped through a few pages of the report.
When her gaze swept over the elemental reaction formula, her eyes suddenly fixed.
"How does the reaction equation achieve elemental balance by reducing the amount of Gloomy Mushroom and replacing it with Shadow Flower?"
Herman couldn't help but be curious: as a first-level wizard, his understanding of elemental balance far surpassed that of a wizard apprentice.
The reduced dosage was replaced with an inexpensive alternative material, and the efficacy of the active ingredient not only did not decrease, but became more stable.
Such an alternative requires a deep understanding of potion-making. Finding a substitute from a vast array of ingredients that can achieve the same effect without disrupting the reaction balance is itself a process that requires a significant investment of time and money.
Moreover, to achieve this level of precision in calibration, an elemental spectrometer is typically required. This is a high-end product developed by the City of No Light, and the price of one unit is comparable to that of an epic artifact.
However, elemental spectrometers are mostly used by wizards of the elemental school when conducting elemental research on the mysteries of the human body.
This novice apprentice calculated the elemental reaction formula manually using just a few pages of papyrus. Is he an elemental being?
Hermann put down the report, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
Then pick up a more exquisite Trifle Mirror.
……
That afternoon, several large material suppliers in the Modo City trade zone discovered that the market's stock of Shadowflower had been completely wiped out.
The price nearly tripled in half a day.
Potions masters who have undergone the same apprentice-level review report will usually exchange a glance and then knowingly walk away with their heads down when they meet in the association's corridors.
No one brought up the news of the price increase of the Shadow Flower, but everyone read the same message in each other's eyes.
"You must have bought one too!"
In the office at the end of the corridor, Vice President Fabian looked at the latest documents on the table. The most eye-catching one was an urgent inquiry from the Tower Council, asking whether it was normal for members of the Potion Masters Association to purchase large quantities of Shadow Flowers.
As the vice president, Fabian learned the inside information immediately.
But these purchases are completely legal. It's not the vice president's place to interfere with what materials a potion master wants to hoard.
"Why didn't these guys notify me when they were stockpiling goods?"
……
The following morning, members of the Potions Masters Association simultaneously received a notice: the application for improving the formula of the Tranquilizing Herbal Balm was withdrawn from review, and disclosure was prohibited; violators would have their membership revoked.
Herman the wizard was the first to knock on the vice president's office door.
Why?
"Why is that, Vice President?"
Fabian looked troubled when faced with the aggressive Hermann.
This seemingly frail wizard is the only one in the White Forge with the potential to divine the constellation of Valkyrie.
Perhaps hundreds of years from now, he will still have to respectfully address the other party as the Morning Star Wizard.
"Lord Fabian, you wouldn't be saying that you missed an opportunity, so..."
Fabian interrupted Herman by waving his hand, got up, turned right, and pushed open the door to the office of the chairman, wizard Benjas.
There was no one inside.
Fabian sat down, rubbed his temples, and recounted the whole story.
Last night, Fabian was preparing to meditate after finishing his exploration of the spirit world when he suddenly found himself in a dream.
Since becoming a full-fledged wizard, he had not dreamed in a long time.
In his dream, he found himself on a boundless sea, with a ghost ship sailing toward him. Just as he was about to be hit, he suddenly woke up.
On the table to the side was the report on the improved formula of the calming herbal ointment, with a red cross clearly marked in the final review section.
"Who else could be a second-level wizard who possesses the spirit form of a ghost ship and can enter dreams invisibly, but Lord Labia of the Crimson Tower?"
Fabian produced another intelligence report, which contained information about Celsus and Sun. He spread his hands and explained, "One is a level two wizard who has already constructed two pillars, and the other is a level one wizard who has only been a formal wizard for a hundred years and has only constructed a flesh and blood pillar. To be honest, this matter has little to do with us."
"So you're just going to let the Potions Masters Association be controlled by a mere level two wizard?"
"You should know that the life stars corresponding to the souls of Labia and Celsus can only be Kraken of the Wild Path or the Wind King of the Dominant Path. Regardless of which one, the spiritual elixir they took during the soul transformation ritual already destined them to be mortal enemies."
Fabian hesitated, then his expression turned somewhat serious.
The process of becoming a full-fledged wizard and undergoing a soul transformation ritual is a momentous event that determines one's future path.
Once the spiritual elixir is ingested, the spiritual body transforms into a spirit body, which cannot be changed. In fact, the very first spiritual essence determines the quality of the soul's form.
In the theories of wizards, the soul of a mortal is a chaotic and disordered mass of energy.
When mortals embark on the path of wizards, through the tempering of their spiritual power and the catalysis of their spirituality, their souls gradually reveal their true form.
This true form often contains a wizard's unique insights into his own power, which ultimately coalesces into a soul form based on personality and destiny.
The soul form is the anchor point for a wizard to resist spiritual corruption, and it is also the key to future advancement to a Star Wizard and the ability to divine one's destiny.
According to the Book of Astrology, all constellations revolving around the Moon, including the twelve constellations that govern the laws, belong to the nine paths of domination, enlightenment, wildness, precision, magic, order, destiny, abyss, and miracle.
Since the ruling planet is unique, Rabia would naturally regard Celsus as a mortal enemy.
This is a debate about truth, not about personal grudges.
"Even if the academy knows, no one will interfere as long as it's within the rules."
"Rules? Rules are meant to be broken."
Herman chuckled, giving him no chance to catch his breath, and continued his witty remarks: "You know better than I do how the Potions Masters Association monopolizes the supply of potions and the setting of rules for the entire tower. How many magic stone coins flow through the association's account every month, and how many eyes are eyeing this lucrative prize?"
"The competition between Labia and Celsus has nothing to do with the Association, but those wizards hiding behind the scenes have discovered that if they're held hostage by a second-level wizard while the Chairman is away, there will be a second and a third tomorrow. Will any potions masters still trust the Association then?"
"I'm not afraid of Rabia, I'm afraid of..."
"What's there to be afraid of? He's not a blasphemous blood..."
Upon hearing Hermann utter the name, Fabian felt a sudden tremor in his heart.
The Blood of Desecration is the Crimson Tower's Destiny Star title. It remains to be seen whether the Guild Master's office alone can withstand the senses of this Level 3 Wizard.
"Since you insist..."
To prevent Herman from spouting nonsense again, Fabian interrupted directly: "Then let's proceed with the vote as usual. I will keep the president informed."
……
The Potions Masters Association's monthly meeting was held as scheduled.
The first item on the agenda is to vote on the potion master certifications that have passed the council's review.
The leading report was none other than Suen's "Improvement Strategy Based on Tranquilizing Herbal Ointment Formula".
Six formal wizards sat in the meeting room. The atmosphere wasn't tense, since they had all stockpiled a large amount of Shadow Flowers and were just waiting for the vote to pass so they could obtain authorization from the formula improver to refine them and quickly seize the market.
Fabian looked around and was just about to announce the vote when the temperature in the meeting room suddenly dropped.
Everyone simultaneously felt the boundless seawater pouring in from a spiritual level, squeezing the air out of the conference room inch by inch.
The ceiling turned into lead-gray clouds, within which surged waves that did not belong to this dimension.
The silhouette of a ghost ship slowly descended from above the clouds, its bow piercing the boundary of the plane.
Even before it had fully arrived, merely its outline had already put pressure on the first-level wizards present, with Fabian feeling a chill deep in his soul.
"It really was him..."
Fabian felt a chill run down his spine. He hadn't expected that this Labya wizard would disregard rules and decorum and directly descend into the conference room in his spirit form.
"Lord Rabia, we have been following the rules. Please do not implicate us."
Labia smiled and gently reassured him, "Don't worry, I have no ill intentions towards the Potions Masters Association. It's just that Celsus and I both favor the Kraken Star in the North Sea, which is the path to dominance. It's rare to see such a gifted apprentice, so I need to see through his intentions."
Having said that, his gaze was piercing, as if he could see through the void, looking down at Suen, who had just stepped into the Great Library, as if he were admiring a grand feast.
"He is a seed with abundant spiritual potential. If Celsus cultivates him for a period of time and harvests him to refine a spiritual elixir, it may truly allow him to take another step forward in building the pillar of the soul."
Fabian, standing to the side, had a stern expression. His mental energy was affected and spontaneously formed a barrier to resist the pressure from Labia.
The wizard Labia was promoted to a second-level wizard in 1280 of the Silver Moon calendar and has been studying soul magic for hundreds of years.
This soul ship incorporates his research findings on the soul school; if one's own spirit is invaded, one might become a member of the ship in the next second.
Therefore, Fabian has made up his mind that if any association members are affected, he will immediately seek help from the parliament.
Just then, a sigh suddenly came from the corner.
Celsus emerged from the shadows, his wizard robes still bearing traces of strange blood.
A soft laugh echoed from the ghost ship: "Celsus, I knew you'd show up for this apprentice. Being soft-hearted isn't a good habit."
Celsus looked up at the descending soul ship on the ceiling.
Behind him, the void silently cracked open.