Chapter 27: Hard to Earn Money

“There’s actually a spell like this...”

Gao De had gained some understanding of spells, knowing they could produce all sorts of miraculous effects—stunning destructive power and lethality were merely part of those effects.

But he hadn’t expected spells could even enhance craftsmanship.

“Divine Guidance Spell.” Gao De mentally noted it; if he could escape this predicament, he would surely find a way to obtain the spell’s formula in the future.

Undoubtedly, Divine Guidance Spell was an essential spell for alchemists, potion-makers, and all other arcane artisans.

For now, though, he still needed to figure out how to earn money. With the two major projects finished, Gao De sat cross-legged again and began today’s cultivation.

He knew well that both Guiding Method and Meditation Technique required time to accumulate—no major breakthroughs were possible in a short span.

At least, no breakthrough would occur before his next test dose.

And if he failed to resist Master Seda by then, all his current cultivation would be wasted time.

Yet that was the most likely outcome.

So, was his current effort pointless?

But Gao De understood even better that no circumstance justified neglecting cultivation.

For anyone who consciously aspired to become a powerful mage, cultivation admitted no laziness or rest.

It demanded astonishing perseverance.

Yet for every mage, this was the most fundamental thing.

Gradually, Gao De’s mind emptied, his spirit withdrew inward, and he sank into the Guiding Method.

Silent and unseen, the abundant magic power permeating the world flowed into Gao De’s body under the guidance of his mental force, slowly refined into magical energy.

Though casting spells consumed magical energy, controlling their release also required mental force.

Thus, because he had used [Repair+], to mend the Divine Guidance Ring, Gao De’s mental force was not at full capacity when he began cultivation.

Less than two hours later, his mental force had depleted by forty percent—the critical threshold—and his efficiency in guiding magic power began plummeting sharply.

Gao De promptly halted his Guiding Method cultivation and switched to Apprentice Meditation Technique.

Only after the lost forty percent of mental force was fully restored through Meditation Technique did his daily cultivation officially end.

He checked the time—it was nearly midnight again.

“The sixth petal of the lotus is almost materializing. Compared to my previous body, my Guiding Method progress hasn’t changed, but my Meditation Technique speed seems much faster—could it be because of my soul transmigration?”

Gao De mused silently: “Guiding Method’s cultivation talent depends on physique, on the body’s affinity with magic power.”

“But Meditation Technique’s talent depends on the soul—does my soul’s talent surpass that of my former body?”

Most likely yes.

But regardless of the reason, faster Meditation Technique progress was always good.

“Time to rest,” Gao De said contentedly, dragging his weary body out of the workshop and returning to his room to rest.

The next day.

Awakening Month, Day Fourteen.

Afternoon.

Gao De finished preparing today’s batch of Chujizhuduyaoji . His work for the day was done.

But there was one extra task—originally Yilan’s duty.

The herb garden had accumulated a sizable stock of potions; it was time to deliver them to Phil’s Potion Shop.

Conveniently, Gao De had planned to go into town today to return the repaired Divine Guidance Ring.

He counted the types and quantities of potions to be delivered.

Chujinailiyaoshui , ten batches.

These were potions brewed by Master Seda—only he could brew Chujinailiyaoshui in the entire herb garden.

Chujizhuduyaoshui , thirteen batches.

These were Gao De’s own work, and one batch belonged to him. Gao De’s daily quota was one batch (three small bottles) of Chujizhuduyaoji .

With his technique, each batch of Chujizhuduyaoji yielded an extra half ounce.

One small bottle of Chujizhuduyaoji contained two ounces—so every four days, Gao De accumulated one extra bottle.

Twelve days had passed since his last delivery; he now had exactly one batch of Chujizhuduyaoji saved for himself.

Gao De left the herb garden again, heading for the city’s commercial district.

By the time he reached Phil’s Potion Shop, sweat had already beaded on his forehead.

This time, Amy wasn’t with him—all the potion weight fell on him alone.

Over twenty batches of potions on his back—the potions themselves weighed one pint (1.8 liters)—plus the weight of the bottles—was a heavy burden for a thirteen-year-old with poor nutrition and an underdeveloped body.

As before, he exchanged goods for payment.

Chujizhuduyaoshui was bought at two gold per batch; Chujinailiyaoshui was two gold five silver per batch—there was a difference even among Chujiyaoshui .

That wasn’t the worst: Chujizhiliaoyaoshui could fetch three gold per batch.

Among all Chujiyaoshui , healing potions had always been the most widely applicable, with no shortage of buyers.

Yet their formula was also the most precious—held only by established factions, rarely sold, and effectively unobtainable on the market, worth being passed down as a family treasure.

Twenty-two batches of potions earned him a receipt worth forty-six gold ten silver.

It looked like a lot, but actual profits were far lower.

He didn’t know the rest, but for Chujizhuduyaoshui alone, based on his observation, if all raw materials were bought from a pharmacy, each batch cost roughly thirty silver.

That meant, for a potion-maker, the actual profit per batch of Chujizhuduyaoshui was only about ten silver—assuming a hundred percent success rate.

If a potion-maker failed even once during brewing, he bore an extra cost of thirty silver.

After years of hard study to master a formula, spending half a day laboring, he earned barely twenty percent in labor fees.

—Unless he controlled a rare formula like healing potion, low-level potion-makers earned roughly this much profit.

Fortunately, Master Seda owned his own herb garden.

So he could grow some of his potion ingredients himself, avoiding pharmacy purchases and increasing profit further.

This was common among most potion-makers: nearly all owned their own herb gardens, cultivating herbs to reduce potion costs.

Hence, a saying circulated among potion-makers: “A potion-maker who doesn’t study herbology isn’t a good potion-maker.”

Gao De tucked the receipt into his chest and carried the remaining one batch of Chujizhuduyaoshui and the repaired Divine Guidance Ring to Pierre’s General Store again.

“It’s really repaired?”

Even with expectations, Pierre couldn’t help being astonished when he saw the Divine Guidance Ring restored to perfect condition.

“Try it yourself,” Gao De said, reluctantly handing the ring to Pierre.

Pierre took the ring, slipped it onto his right finger, and after a moment of focused sensing, smiled in satisfaction.

“Your craftsmanship is excellent. Had I not known beforehand, I wouldn’t have guessed it was ever damaged,” Pierre praised.

“It’s decent,” Gao De didn’t humble himself. “The cat’s out of the bag. Boss, you’ve got wide connections—keep an eye out for anyone needing magical item repairs, and refer them to me.”

“Of course, of course,” Pierre smiled broadly.

It was a small favor—he wouldn’t refuse.

Besides, acting as a middleman, even without taking a commission, earning goodwill from both sides was no loss.

“The potion buy price remains the same as last time. The Divine Guidance Ring repair fee follows our agreement.”

Pierre opened the drawer beneath the counter and pulled out several gold and silver coins, handing them to Gao De.

One batch of Chujizhuduyaoshui was bought at thirty-three silver; the Divine Guidance Ring repair fee was thirty silver—total sixty-three silver.

Looking at his new three Xian gold coins and three Trilobe silver coins, Gao De’s mood lifted noticeably.

Adding his remaining thirty-five silver savings, his total stash reached four gold fifteen silver.

(End of Chapter)