Chapter 519: Is Brewing Magic Elixirs Hard?

Three rare spells cost Gao De three second-class merits.

The remaining two second-class merits, Gao De chose to break into third-class merits, plus his existing third-class merits, to exchange for thirteen standard first-circle spell formulas:

[Artisan’s Blessing] (Alteration, first-circle):

The recipient becomes luckier during the next craft task requiring fortune.

[Sensory Sharpening] (Alteration, first-circle):

The recipient’s sensory abilities are enhanced.

[Despair] (Enchantment, first-circle):

Centered on you, a fifty-foot radius burst fills all enemies within with fear and doubt.

Despair can counter and dispel Blessing spells.

[Rainbow Spray] (Illusion, first-circle):

A dazzling, multicolored cone of light erupts from your hand; creatures caught within are stunned, possibly blinded, or even rendered unconscious.

Each creature within the cone is affected according to the strength of their mental power.

Creatures without sight are unaffected by Rainbow 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 hazards—quicksand (like a snare), rock pits (like a pit), or crumbling stone walls (like a falling object trap).

The amount of information you gain depends on how long you study a specific area.

[Entropy Shield] (Abjuration, first-circle):

A magical field of chaotic, shifting colors appears around you.

This field deflects arrows, rays, and other ranged attacks.

Note: This works by manipulating light and shadow to create an effect similar to concealment; it does not affect spell attacks without trajectory.

[Floating Disk] (Conjuration, first-circle):

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

The disk always hovers approximately three feet above the ground and remains level.

It floats horizontally within the spell’s range and follows your movements at a maximum speed equal to your normal pace.

Without other instructions, it maintains a five-foot distance from you.

If the spell duration ends, the floating disk dissipates.

Similarly, if you move beyond the spell’s range or attempt to increase the distance between the disk and the ground beyond the limit, the disk dissipates.

When the floating disk dissipates, all items upon it fall to the ground directly beneath it.

[Animal Invisibility] (Abjuration, first-circle):

Animals cannot perceive the protected creature, even if they possess extraordinary senses such as blindsense, blindsight, keen smell, or tremorsense—they cannot detect or locate the recipient.

Animals behave as if the recipient does not exist.

If the recipient touches any animal or attacks any creature—even via spell—the Animal Invisibility spell ends.

[Corpse Decomposition] (Necromancy, first-circle):

Through this spell, the caster rapidly decomposes the fleshy parts of a corpse no larger than Huge, leaving behind a perfectly clean skeleton.

[Diagnose Disease] (Divination, first-circle):

You can determine whether a creature, object, or area carries a disease or infection (such as mold, slime, or similar hazards), or any abnormal or supernatural effect causing illness or nausea.

If a disease exists, you know its identity and effects. If the target is a creature, you gain advantage when curing that disease.

[Frostbite] (Alteration, first-circle):

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

[Call to Arms] (Evocation, first-circle):

You create the sound of a giant hunting horn, producing three notes with the volume of a dragon’s roar.

The sound carries up to four kilometers under typical outdoor conditions.

You may control the timing of these three sounds at will during the spell’s duration—long or short—to convey brief messages.

[Burning Passion] (Enchantment, first-circle):

You cause the target to develop intense desire toward another creature or object you designate.

That creature or object must also be within the spell’s range and within the target’s perception.

Thirteen plus three, plus the thirty-five first-circle spells already known, brings Gao De’s total first-circle spell repertoire to fifty-one.

This number of first-circle spells is sufficient to guarantee that his ascension to second-circle will awaken a “Gold”-tier Superior Talent.

Without doubt, Gao De’s bold actions drew the attention of the Supply Office’s mage.

“You’re certain you want to exchange for so many spell formulas?” Old Neil looked at Gao De with suspicion.

He had never seen a Sea Sentinel mage employ such “crazy” and “extreme” exchange tactics.

Gao De naturally nodded, but offered no further explanation.

Since no reasonable explanation existed, silence was better—let others guess.

Compared to exchanging for fifth-circle spell formulas, his actions were merely odd, not suspicious.

Seeing Gao De’s determination, Old Neil respected boundaries and asked no more, swiftly preparing his order.

First, the Spirit Spring Dew Tree seeds, sealed in a transparent crystal vial.

The vial also contained clear Spirit Spring water, in which the seeds were fully immersed.

The seeds appeared crystalline and translucent, like droplets of water, with a single golden liquid slowly flowing inside, as if a living Spirit Spring.

The seed surface bore fine ripples, as if ready to dissolve into water at any moment.

If listened to in silence, one could hear the gentle trickle of water and faint singing emanating from within the seed.

Alongside the seed itself came a cultivation manual for the Spirit Spring Dew Tree and a vial of special soil collected beneath the original Spirit Spring Dew Tree.

Gao De flipped through the manual briefly and finally understood why the note warned the Spirit Spring Dew Tree seeds were extremely delicate.

The soil requirements were exceptionally strict.

It must be planted in a special mixture: powdered moss inhabited by water elementals, blended with fertile mud from the lake bottom, and ice shards from glaciers over a thousand years old, in a 1:2:1 ratio, to sprout and grow properly.

Thereafter, daily irrigation with freshly gathered morning dew was required.

But no matter—it was Flora’s problem.

Gao De remained calm.

Next came the Ascension Elixir: [Green Vine Spirit Dew].

Its liquid was semi-transparent green, dotted with tiny golden specks that shimmered and emitted a crisp tinkling sound when shaken.

It looked extraordinarily remarkable.

Finally, the sixteen spell formulas.

Gao De departed the Supply Office, fully satisfied with his haul.

After watching Gao De leave, Old Neil sank into thought at his desk, muttering to himself:

“Is he really about to ascend to second-circle so soon? Or is he exchanging for someone else?”

Gao De chose the Ascension Elixir for one of these two reasons.

The latter is understandable; but if it’s the former, that exceeds Neil’s understanding.

Selection exam details aren’t classified.

So Old Neil knew: during the exam, Gao De’s mage rank had just barely reached mid-first-circle.

His distinction lay in his mental power, far exceeding ordinary mages, with potential to break limits.

Only half a year has passed since the selection—yet Gao De is already exchanging for Ascension Elixir??

What kind of cultivation pace is this?

Is he truly a hidden dragon leaping into the sea?

While Old Neil’s mind wandered, Gao De was already wandering through the major magic-material shops in the Dorn Commercial District.

Sixteen new spell formulas meant sixteen spell elixirs, requiring seventy to eighty primary and secondary materials combined.

To gather all these materials, he’d need to visit multiple magic-material shops, and some might require waiting for restocking.

But today, Gao De was lucky: after visiting several shops, he easily collected all primary and secondary materials.

The sixteen spell elixirs cost nearly 650 Jin Quehua coins for raw materials.

The fortune he gained from trading fifty Bingyu Wutong leaves has now shrunk to 2,657 Jin Quehua coins.

It still seems like a lot—but Gao De knows it won’t last.

First, ascension is imminent: second-circle spell formulas cost 120 Jin Quehua coins on the market; the cost of second-circle spell elixirs approaches 200 coins.

That means these 2,657 Jin Quehua coins won’t even cover ten second-circle spells.

Equipment upgrades after ascension aside, Lord Drake just granted him a shop in the Vanzolen District—opening it would require another major expense.

Yet Gao De wasn’t particularly anxious.

Back in Lagos City, he spent a fortune setting up shipyards and shipping routes precisely to solve his financial problems.

Though most of the profits from there are now being reinvested into purchasing more fixed assets for the shipyard.

But since it’s a zero-capital venture, the return on investment will be extremely fast—profit is inevitable soon.

After completing his major purchases, Gao De did not return to his dormitory but went to the Walma Magic-Material Shop.

Because Sea Sentinel dormitories lack kitchens and cooking equipment.

He first went upstairs and “cooked,” simmering the sixteen spell elixirs one by one.

Like pouring water, he gulped down all the potions one after another.

Sixteen doses of potion filled him to the brim.

Such a large number of new spells—even for him—would take days to fully construct all the spell models.

For the time that followed, he became like a child who had just received a new batch of toys, wholly absorbed in building spell models, ignoring everything outside.

But some things do not cease to happen just because Gao De ignores them.

Normally, when he accomplished a great feat, it might not stir much attention, since few would know unless he actively boasted about it.

But this time, it was a group mission, and the military merit was announced publicly; within a single day, his astonishing achievement—securing three First-Class Merits as a First-Class Apprentice Mage—spread rapidly.

And it wasn’t just spreading within the Sea Sentinel ranks; whispers of it had reached the noble circles of Doen City.

With three First-Class Merits to his name, the phrase “unlimited future” had become inseparable from Gao De.

Such a young mage, still a “wild mage,” with no faction or power behind him.

An undeniable “prized catch.”

Of course, the way people viewed this “prized catch” carried both goodwill and malice.

Goodwill meant they saw potential to invest in Gao De; malice meant they saw him as helpless, holding such great merit, and wanted to buy his First-Class Merits with gold.

In a large forest, all kinds of birds exist; naturally, all kinds of people and thoughts arise.

But none of this concerned Gao De.

After four days of seclusion, having constructed all sixteen spell models, Gao De began packing his belongings, preparing to return to the Northern Frontier.

It must be said that, although only a month and a half has passed since I left the Northern Frontier and am now preparing to return, the gains have far exceeded expectations:

Sacred Empire blood-crystal wheat seeds, fourth-rank spirit-spring dew-magic tree seeds, an alien raccoon egg, a rare magic plant—Dragon Bird Blood Fungus—and an unexpectedly discovered hummingtree seed.

These were all unexpected gains.

In addition, there were the local tree seeds Gao De purchased during his missions, and the tree seeds long-term acquired from Wolma Magic Materials Shop, totaling over forty new tree species and two first-rank magic tree seeds.

It was as if a hamster had been hoarding treasures for its nest.

After organizing all his gains, Gao De, as agreed, used a spell-canceling spell combo to “pull” Florala, still in the Northern Frontier, into the Jin Quehua Dynasty.

“The wheat here is growing the best. Huh?”

Florala looked around, confused, as if searching for her wheat, then spotted Gao De smiling at her.

“I’ve disturbed your work, Lady Florala,” Gao De apologized.

He could summon Florala to Jin Quehua at any time, but the flaw was he had no way of knowing what she was doing in the Northern Frontier at that moment—it was “blind pulling.”

From Florala’s lingering posture, it was clear she had just been “working.”

Florala instinctively frowned.

She was always a responsible adult; being interrupted during work left her unsettled.

But the frown lasted only a moment before her face brightened into a smile.

She was, above all, a child who loved to play.

Florala knew: if Gao De pulled her here, something fun was coming.

“Mage, Lady Florala does not blame you,” she said seriously.

“Good.”

Florala stared at him straight on, silent.

Gao De chuckled. “If I remember correctly, today is Doen’s Fiftieth Day Festival. There will be festivities tonight—I’ll take Lady Florala for a stroll.”

“Will it be fun?”

“Very lively. Crowds everywhere, and all kinds of activities.”

“If the mage goes, Lady Florala goes.”

“I’m going, of course.”

“Lady Florala goes too!”

Outside, the streets were indeed far more crowded than usual.

This grand scene reminded Gao De of certain festivals from his past life.

“Lady Florala, don’t fly off randomly, or you might get lost,” Gao De warned.

“Lady Florala is very clever.”

A clever person wouldn’t get lost.

“True.”

Gao De smiled and followed the crowd in one direction.

The Fiftieth Day Festival, also called the Ocean Festival, is a special occasion to worship the ocean and pray for its protection and bountiful fish harvests.

It is unique to coastal cities.

Besides building altars by the sea, the night brings bustling markets and all manner of performances.

Each district has its own market.

Wolma Magic Materials Shop is in the East District; Gao De led Florala toward the East District market.

The pedestrians were all heading there too.

Gao De walked with the crowd, while Florala sat on his shoulder, looking left and right.

From this height, her view was filled with countless faces and heads; she peered through the gaps between dense skulls at the street-side scenery.

Night fell.

Streetlamps on both sides had lit up, forming a beautiful night scene.

The closer they got to the market, the livelier it became.

Food vendors, shell craft sellers, fishing net merchants, boat model vendors, and performers filled the air with shouts and haggling—creating the festival’s unique flavor.

Suddenly, Florala’s eyes widened as she stared at something nearby.

A large crowd had gathered, packed so tightly there was no gap for her to see inside.

She tugged at Gao De’s collar.

“Let’s go see,” Gao De immediately understood.

“Mage, are you curious too?”

“Yes.”

“Then Lady Florala will accompany the mage to see.”

“Thank you, Lady Florala,” Gao De whispered.

The adult and the child reached the crowd’s edge—but still saw nothing.

Gao De smiled faintly, stepped forward—and without any visible motion, the surrounding crowd inexplicably parted to form a narrow path for him.

[Mage’s Hand].

Those pushed back slightly felt a flicker of annoyance, searching for the culprit—but found no one, and gave up.

Once inside the inner circle, they discovered it was a potion master demonstrating potion-making, while also advertising his own shop.

Honestly, potion-making lacked much spectacle—it was far less captivating than the acrobatics Gao De had glimpsed earlier.

The reason so many gathered was because after each potion was made, the master randomly gifted it to the onlookers.

For instance, the one he was now brewing was “Cooling Fire-Relief Potion,” a zero-rank potion that, once consumed, left the drinker cool and refreshed for a full day, eliminating all heat and irritation—a rare treasure in summer.

The potion master’s hands were skilled: he poured the prepared ingredients into the flask in sequence, then, like a mixologist, his fingers danced like butterflies—swaying left and right, occasionally adding more ingredients.

Throughout, he maintained perfect stability in monitoring and adjusting the potion’s properties.

As he worked, the liquid inside the flask changed color; a sweet fragrance mingled with herbal notes, spreading through the air.

After a flurry of actions, a pale green potion formed.

The master took a small cup, portioned the pale green Cooling Fire-Relief Potion, and randomly handed it to the front-row onlookers, their faces full of curiosity.

Those who received it took a sip—and instantly widened their eyes, clearly delighted.

Immediately after, the potion master enthusiastically promoted his shop.

Seeing this, Gao De shook his head and quietly stepped back out.

Once outside the crowd, he realized something was odd.

Florala, usually so noisy, had remained completely silent the entire time.

Gao De turned his head—and saw the child staring intently at the now-repacked crowd, lost in thought.

“What are you thinking about, Lady Florala?” Gao De asked.

“Mage, what was that man doing just now?”

The child tilted her head, curious.

“Making potions. What’s wrong?”

“What is a potion?”

“A magical concoction made by combining various ingredients.”

“Are potions valuable?”

“Yes.”

“Then why is only he making potions? Why don’t others?”

“Because making potions is difficult—it’s a profound art and knowledge not everyone possesses.”

“Difficult...” Florala frowned, puzzled. “Why is it difficult?”

(End of Chapter)