Chapter 427: Is concocting potions difficult?

Three rare spells cost Gao De three Second-Class Merits.

For the remaining two Second-Class Merits, Gao De chose to break them down into Third-Class Merits, and together with the existing Third-Class Merits, he exchanged for 13 common First Circle spell formulas:

【Artisan's Blessing】 (Transmutation, First Circle):

The recipient will become luckier in the next step of their craft that requires luck.

【Sensory Sharpening】 (Transmutation, First Circle):

The recipient's sensory abilities are improved.

【Despair】 (Enchantment, First Circle):

With you as the center, in a 50-foot radius burst range, Despair fills your enemies within the range with fear and doubt.

Despair can counter and dispel Bless.

【Color Spray】 (Illusion, First Circle):

A colorful and dazzling light scatters from your hands in a cone shape; creatures covered by it will be stunned, potentially leading to blindness, or even unconsciousness and falling to the ground.

Every creature within the cone area will be affected to different degrees according to their mental strength.

Creatures without vision are not affected by Color Spray.

【Detect Traps】 (Divination, First Circle):

You can detect simple pits, traps, snares, and mechanical traps made of natural materials;

You can also detect certain natural dangers—quicksand (like a snare), rock pits (like a pit), or stone walls on the verge of collapse (like a crushing trap).

The amount of information you obtain depends on the time you spend studying a specific area.

【Entropy Shield】 (Abjuration, First Circle):

A magical field flashing with various chaotic tones appears around you.

This magical field can deflect arrows, rays, and other ranged attacks.

Note: This works by manipulating light and shadow to achieve an effect similar to concealment; it does not work for trackless spells.

【Floating Disk】 (Evocation, First Circle):

You create a slightly concave force disk that follows you and carries cargo for you.

The disk always floats at a height of about 3 feet from the ground and remains horizontal.

It floats horizontally within the spell range and follows your actions, with a maximum speed equal to your normal speed.

If there is no other guidance, it will maintain a 5-foot interval from you.

If the spell duration ends, the floating disk will dissipate.

Similarly, if you move out of the spell range, or try to make the distance between the floating disk and the nearest ground exceed the range limit, the floating disk will also dissipate.

When the floating disk dissipates, everything on it will fall to the ground below the disk.

【Animal Ignoring Spell】 (Abjuration, First Circle):

Animals cannot be aware of the protected creature, even if they possess supernatural sensing methods, such as blindsense, blindsight, keen smell, and tremorsense, they cannot detect or locate the recipient.

Animals will act as if the recipient does not exist at all.

If the recipient touches any animal or attacks any creature, even if done through a spell, the Animal Ignoring Spell will lose its effect.

【Decompose Corpse】 (Necromancy, First Circle):

Through this spell, the caster can quickly decompose the flesh part of a corpse of size Huge or smaller, leaving behind a perfectly clean skeleton.

【Diagnose Disease】 (Divination, First Circle):

You can determine whether a creature, an object, or an area carries a certain disease or infection (such as mold, slime, or other similar hazards), or any sickness or nausea effect caused by special or supernatural abilities.

If a disease exists, you can know what it is and what its effects are. If the target is a creature, you will find it easier to cure the target's disease.

【Frostbite】 (Transmutation, First Circle):

Your melee touch attack deals additional cold damage and makes the target fatigued.

【Assembly Horn】 (Evocation, First Circle):

You create the sound of a giant hunting horn, which can produce three notes and a volume like a dragon's roar.

The sound can travel up to 4 kilometers under typical outdoor conditions.

You can control these three sounds to be emitted at any rhythm as a free action during the spell's duration, long or short, to allow you to convey short messages.

【Fire Burning Body】 (Enchantment, First Circle):

You make the target have a great interest in another creature or object you specify when casting the spell on you.

This creature or object must also be within the spell range and within the target's perception.

13+3, plus the 35 First Circle spells already mastered, Gao De's final First Circle spell library will reach 51.

This number of First Circle spells is enough to ensure that the strength of the specialty he awakens when advancing to the Second Circle will be a "Gold" super-tier specialty.

Undoubtedly, Gao De's bold actions attracted the attention of the magic user at the supply department.

"Are you sure you want to exchange for so many spell formulas?" Old Neil looked at Gao De "suspiciously."

He had never seen any Sea Hai Shao Bing magic user use such a "crazy" and "extreme" exchange method.

Gao De naturally nodded, but didn't explain much.

Because there was no reasonable explanation to be found, it was better to remain silent and let others guess for themselves.

Compared to exchanging for Fifth Circle spell formulas, this behavior of his was only strange and wouldn't make people suspect anything.

Seeing that Gao De was certain, Old Neil also had a sense of boundaries and didn't ask further, quickly preparing the goods for Gao De.

First was the Spirit Spring Dew Tree seed, placed in a transparent crystal bottle.

The bottle also contained transparent spirit spring water, and the seed was soaked in it.

The seed's exterior was crystal clear, like a water droplet, while inside, a drop of golden liquid flowed slowly, like a living spirit spring.

The surface of the seed still had fine ripples, as if it would turn into a stream of water at any moment.

If one listened quietly, one could still hear the sound of gurgling water and faint singing coming from within the seed.

In addition to the seed itself, a cultivation manual for the Spirit Spring Dew Tree seed and a bottle of special soil collected from under the native Spirit Spring Dew Tree were included.

Gao De flipped through the cultivation manual slightly and finally understood why the note said the Spirit Spring Dew Tree seed was extremely delicate.

This thing had particularly high requirements for soil.

It needed to be planted in special soil mixed in a 1:2:1 ratio of moss powder where water spirits dwell, fertile silt from the bottom of a lake, and ice shavings from a glacier over a thousand years old, in order to germinate and grow normally.

During the subsequent cultivation process, it needed to be watered daily with fresh dew collected that day.

But it was fine; anyway, this was Flora's business.

Gao De expressed that his mindset was good.

Then, it was the rank-advancement potion 【Green Vine Spirit Dew】.

Its potion liquid appeared translucent green, with tiny golden light spots floating on the surface, and it would make a crisp tinkling sound when shaken.

It looked extremely extraordinary.

Finally, there were the sixteen spell formulas.

Gao De was satisfied and left the supply department with huge gains.

And after Old Neil watched Gao De leave, he fell into a state of contemplation in his seat, muttering to himself:

"Advancing to the Second Circle so soon, or is it for someone else?"

Gao De chose to exchange for a rank-advancement potion; the purpose was definitely one of these two.

The latter was easier to explain; if it were the former, it would be a bit beyond Neil's cognition.

The selection assessment information was not considered confidential.

So Old Neil knew that during the assessment, Gao De's magic user rank was clearly just having broken through to the mid-First Circle.

His outstanding point was his mental strength, which far exceeded that of ordinary magic users, possessing the potential to break limits.

Now, only half a year had passed since the selection, and Gao De had actually started exchanging for rank-advancement potions??

What kind of cultivation progress was this?

Could it really be a hidden dragon, leaping into the sea at this moment?

While Old Neil was letting his imagination run wild, Gao De was already wandering through the major magical material shops in the Dorn commercial district.

Sixteen new spell formulas meant sixteen spell potions, and the main and auxiliary materials required added up to seventy or eighty types.

To gather these materials, he would inevitably have to visit several more magical material shops, and perhaps some of the materials would need to wait for stock to be transferred.

But this time Gao De was very lucky; after visiting a few more magical material shops, he successfully gathered all the main and auxiliary materials.

For the sixteen spell potions, purchasing the raw materials cost nearly 650 Jin Quehua coins.

The huge sum Gao De had obtained from exchanging fifty Ice Jade Wutong leaves had now shrunk to 2657 Jin Quehua coins.

It still looked like a lot, but Gao De knew it couldn't withstand heavy use.

Firstly, advancement was imminent; the market price of Second Circle spell formulas was as high as 120 Jin Quehua coins, and the cost of Second Circle spell potions was even closer to 200 gold coins.

In other words, these 2657 Jin Quehua coins weren't even enough for him to learn ten Second Circle spells.

Not to mention the equipment updates after upgrading to the Second Circle; additionally, Marquis Drake had just bestowed a shop in the Vantrolen District, and if he wanted to open it, that would be another huge expense.

However, Gao De wasn't particularly anxious.

Back then, spending a large sum of Jin Quehua coins in Lagos City to lay out shipyards and shipping routes was precisely to solve his own economic problems.

Although most of the money earned there now had to be invested in the shipyard to purchase and add more fixed assets.

But because it was a business without capital, the speed of recouping costs would be incomparably fast, and profitability would inevitably be a matter of the near future.

After a big shopping spree, Gao De didn't return to the dormitory but came to the Walmart magical material shop.

Because the Sea Hai Shao Bing dormitory had no kitchen and corresponding cooking utensils.

He first went to the second floor for a round of "cooking" and boiling, sequentially "concocting" the sixteen spell potions.

Then, like pouring water, he gulped down all the potions into his stomach.

Sixteen potions entered his belly, and Gao De was stuffed.

With this number of new spells, even for him, it would take a few days to build all the spell models.

For the next period of time, he was like a child who had just received a batch of new toys, focusing on building spell models, not caring about things outside the window.

It was just that some things would happen regardless of whether Gao De cared or not.

Usually, if he performed a great service, it might not cause too much of a stir; after all, if he didn't actively show off or publicize it, not many people would know.

But this time, it was a collective mission, and the military merit evaluation was announced in public, so after the event ended, his feat of obtaining three First-Class Merits as a First-Class apprentice magic user spread rapidly within a day.

And it didn't just spread within the Sea Hai Shao Bing; it was also heard of in the noble circles of Dorn City.

With the blessing of three First-Class Merits, the term "boundless future" was basically tied to Gao De.

Such a young magic user, and a "wild magic user" at that, with no force behind him.

A "sweet pastry" undoubtedly.

Of course, among these eyes looking at the "sweet pastry," there was goodwill and malice.

Goodwill felt that Gao De could be invested in, while malice felt that Gao De was helpless and alone, holding such great merit, and wanted to use money to exchange for the First-Class Merits in Gao De's hands.

The forest is big, and there are all kinds of birds; naturally, all kinds of people and ideas would exist.

But these had nothing to do with Gao De.

After four days of seclusion, Gao De, having built all sixteen spell models, had already started packing his luggage and belongings, preparing to return to the northern realm.

It had to be said that although only a month and a half had passed since he left the northern realm until now, the gains were far beyond imagination:

Blood Crystal Wheat seeds from the Holy Empire, Fourth-Rank Spirit Spring Dew magical tree seeds, a Thunder Yili egg, a precious magical plant Longqin Xuejun, and the accidentally discovered buzzing tree seeds.

These were all unexpected gains.

In addition, there were local tree seeds purchased when Gao De went out to perform missions, and tree seeds purchased long-term from the Walmart magical material shop, totaling more than forty new tree seeds and two First-Rank magical tree seeds.

It had a bit of the meaning of a hamster moving good things home.

After organizing all the gains, Gao De, according to the agreement, "pulled" Flora, who was still in the northern realm, to the Jin Quehua Dynasty by canceling the spell-casting combo.

"The wheat in this field is growing the best... eh?"

Flora looked left and right, a bit confused, as if looking for her wheat, and then saw Gao De with a smile on his face.

"It is I who disturbed Lady Flora's work." Gao De expressed his apology.

He could pull Flora to the Jin Quehua Dynasty at any time, but the flaw was that he couldn't know what Flora was doing in the northern realm at that moment, belonging to a "blind pull."

Looking at Flora's inertial state, it was clear she was just "working."

Flora subconsciously frowned.

She had always been a responsible lady, so having her work interrupted made her feel a bit uncomfortable.

But it was only a brief frown, and she immediately beamed with joy.

She was even more of a little person who loved to play.

Flora knew that being pulled by Gao De meant there would be fun to be had.

"Magic user, Lady Flora does not blame you." She said seriously.

"That's good."

Flora stared straight at him without making a sound.

Gao De chuckled, "If I remember correctly, today is Dorn's Pentecost; there will be activities in the city tonight, I will take Lady Flora for a stroll."

"Is it fun?"

"It's very lively, there are many people, and all kinds of activities."

"If the magic user goes, Lady Flora goes."

"I am naturally going."

"Lady Flora is going too!"

After going out, there were indeed many more pedestrians on the road than usual.

Such a grand scene made Gao De think of the scenes of certain festivals in his past life.

"Lady Flora, don't fly around later, lest you get lost." Gao De urged.

"Lady Flora is very smart."

Smart people wouldn't get lost.

"That's true."

Gao De followed the crowd in one direction with a chuckle.

Pentecost, also known as the Ocean Festival, is a festival dedicated to worshiping the ocean, praying for the ocean's protection, and bestowing rich catches.

This is a festival unique to coastal cities.

In addition to building altars by the sea, there will be lively markets and various performances at night during the festival.

There is one market in every district.

The Walmart magical material shop is in the East District, so Gao De took Flora to the East District market.

The pedestrians on the street were also going there.

Gao De followed the crowd, while Flora sat on Gao De's shoulder, looking left and right.

Looking from this height, it was full of all kinds of faces and heads; Flora peered through the gaps between the dense heads to look at the scenery on the street.

The sky was getting dark.

The street lamps on both sides were already lit, forming a beautiful night view.

The closer to the market, the livelier it became.

People selling snacks, selling shell crafts, fishing nets, ship models, and performances; exclamations mixed with bargaining sounds constituted the unique festival style of this world.

Suddenly, Flora widened her eyes and looked not far away.

A large crowd had gathered there, surrounding it so tightly that there was no gap for Flora to see the scene inside.

She tugged at Gao De's collar.

"Let's go, let's go see." Gao De understood immediately.

"Magic user, are you curious too?"

"Yes."

"Then Lady Flora will accompany the magic user to see."

"Then many thanks to Lady Flora." Gao De whispered.

One adult and one little person came to the outside of the crowd, still unable to see anything.

Gao De smiled slightly and stepped forward; without seeing him make any movements, the crowd that had been surrounding them strangely cleared a small path for him.

【Mage Hand】.

Those who were pushed aside a small step felt some dissatisfaction and wanted to find the culprit, but couldn't find them at all, so they had to give up.

After squeezing into the inner circle, he found that it was a potionist performing potion concoction, and also advertising for his own potion shop.

To be honest, potion concoction didn't have much ornamental value; anyway, it wasn't as attractive as the juggling performance he had just glimpsed on the roadside.

The reason it could attract so many people to watch was that this potionist would randomly give the finished product to the onlookers after concocting the potion.

For example, what he was concocting now was "Clear and Fire-Removing Potion," which is a Zero-Rank potion; after drinking it, it can make the drinker feel cool all over within a day, eliminating all heat, and is a rare good item in summer.

The potionist had skillful techniques, pouring the processed raw materials into the medicine bottle one by one, and then, like fancy bartending, his hands were like butterflies flying through flowers, shaking left and right, occasionally adding some raw materials.

During this process, he could still maintain extremely stable observation and concoction of the medicinal properties.

With his movements, the liquid in the medicine bottle began to change color, and a sweet fragrance and herbal breath instantly intertwined and permeated.

After a round of operations, the light green potion was formed.

The potionist went to a small cup on the side, divided the light green Clear and Fire-Removing Potion, and randomly handed it to the curious onlookers in the front row.

Those who received the potion took a sip and instantly widened their eyes, obviously feeling very good.

Following that, the potionist vigorously promoted his potion shop.

Seeing this, Gao De shook his head and silently retreated again.

After squeezing out of the crowd, he realized something was different.

Flora, who was always "noisy," hadn't made a sound the whole time.

Gao De turned his head and found that this little person was looking at the crowd that had gathered again with a thoughtful expression.

"What is Lady Flora thinking about?" Gao De asked.

"Magic user, what was that person doing just now?"

The little person tilted her head, curious face.

"Concocting potions, why?"

"What is a potion?"

"It is a medicine with magical effects concocted from various materials."

"Are potions valuable?"

"Valuable."

"Then why, with so many people, only he is concocting potions, why don't others do it?"

"Because concocting potions is very difficult; it is a profound skill and knowledge, not everyone knows how to do it."

"Very difficult..." Flora frowned, puzzled, "Where is the difficulty?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 428 =====