Chapter 54: Spirit-Link Potion

Five spell formulas, none of which contained repair or mage hand.

Nor was there the strange spell that had caused him unbearable pain when Ceda the mage had asked him about it.

Clearly, these spell scrolls did not include all the spells Ceda possessed.

But that was normal—mages had more than just spell formulas to learn from.

Moreover, even if an algorithm mage learned spells through formulas, after successfully constructing the spell model, they might not keep the formula at all.

After all, under normal circumstances, once a spell was mastered, the formula lost its value.

Unless you still harbored the idea of reselling it.

Although the five spell formulas were incomplete, each one was a “old acquaintance” of Gao De’s.

The [Tracking Mark] need not be mentioned; [Fatigue Touch] was clearly the close-range spell Amy had revealed Ceda possessed; [Flash] and [Flame Arrow], Gao De had personally “tested” during his confrontation with Ceda.

As for [Detect Magic], Gao De had seen Pierre cast it before.

All five cantrips were practical and powerful.

With five brand-new spell formulas laid before him, any apprentice mage would now be drowning in blissful dilemma:

Which spells should he learn first?

For an apprentice mage, mastering a cantrip took at least half a year, up to a full year.

So a priority order was essential.

Human energy and time were always limited.

Just like studying—ordinary students choosing tutoring usually picked one or two high-return subjects for focused improvement.

Of course, that was the ordinary student’s mindset.

For a top student, there was only one phrase: “I want them all!” Top students had no weaknesses.

Gao De had always played the role of top student since childhood.

And fortunately, even in this new world, in the field of magic, Gao De could still continue his “top student” role.

I want them all! The order of learning spells didn’t matter to him.

He could pick up any spell formula at random and begin constructing the spell model.

After all, it was only a matter of a few days earlier or later.

Gao De set the five spell formulas aside contentedly, picked up the three aged parchment sheets, and began flipping through them.

As expected, they were precisely the potion recipes he had longed for.

He first pulled out one: Basic Spider Venom Potion (0th-tier potion): Causes strong paralysis, non-lethal. Main ingredients: One stalk of Snake Tooth Grass, one stalk of Mountain Wormwood, one unit of Green Spider Sac. Gao De was very familiar with Basic Spider Venom Potion—he glanced over it briefly and set it aside without further study.

The second recipe Gao De picked up was the one he found most interesting: Basic Endurance Potion.

Basic Endurance Potion (0th-tier potion): Significantly enhances the drinker’s physical stamina and endurance, with no obvious side effects.

Main ingredients: One segment of High Mountain Ironwood Root, one seed of Sunfire Fruit, one unit of Wild Wolf Gland Fluid; Auxiliary ingredients: Preparation steps: Fresh Sunfire Fruit is dried naturally under midday sunlight for three days, then cracked open to reserve the seeds; the High Mountain Ironwood Root is peeled and sliced. Enchant the three main ingredients: extract the “drought- and cold-resistant” property from the Ironwood Root, and extract the “intense” property from the Sunfire Fruit. Place the enchanted Sunfire Fruit seed in a mortar, add an appropriate amount of mountain spring water, grind clockwise, and gradually add Wild Wolf Gland Fluid to neutralize its “intense” property while ensuring the “intense” component remains above a threshold. Continue until the mixture turns a pale gold. The recipe details every single step and minute detail of potion preparation.

With some understanding and talent for potion-making, one could master Basic Endurance Potion through this recipe and trial.

“Perfect!” Gao De’s joy was plain to see.

Phil’s Potion Shop paid two gold and five silver per set for Basic Endurance Potion—more valuable than Basic Spider Venom Potion.

He must master this recipe, Gao De thought, as he picked up the third parchment.

Compared to the first two potion recipes, this parchment was far more worn, its edges frayed, its yellow hue deeper.

Gao De had a faint suspicion.

Perhaps this was the potion Ceda the alchemist had spent ten years trying to brew? As he thought this, his gaze naturally fell upon the parchment.

The first line that met his eyes made his heart leap violently.

Spirit-Link Potion (1st-tier potion)!

A 1st-tier potion! This was a 1st-tier potion!

Just two 0th-tier potion recipes were enough to sustain an entire herb garden.

If one could brew a 1st-tier potion, even in Bremen City, one would have a place to stand.

As he daydreamed, Gao De continued reading.

Spirit-Link Potion (1st-tier potion): When consumed, temporarily enhances the drinker’s mental power, strengthens spiritual perception and mental control, but causes mild mental fatigue afterward; consuming this potion before constructing a spell model increases the success rate of model construction.

Gao De realized he had jumped too soon.

Now was the moment for a true, violent leap.

Increased success rate of spell model construction.

Don’t be fooled—he found constructing spell models as easy as solving math problems, but that was an exception.

For the vast majority of mages in this world, constructing a spell model was a headache-inducing, time- and energy-consuming task, yet absolutely essential.

Under these circumstances, a potion that boosted spell model construction success rates had an obvious, vast market.

“No wonder this old man clung to brewing this potion for ten years—not just because of his stubborn nature, but because the temptation was simply too great,” Gao De now fully understood Ceda’s obsession.

He read further.

Main ingredients: Half an ounce of Spirit Bone Powder (approximately 14g), one pair of Phantom Butterfly Wings

Auxiliary ingredients: One unit of Silverthread Grass, ××××××, ××××××, ××××××

Preparation steps: Take the colorful Phantom Butterfly Wings, dry them under moonlight, grind into powder, reserve for later. Enchant the two main ingredients: extract the “illusionary” property from the Phantom Butterfly Wings, extract the “spirit-linking” property from the Spirit Bone Powder. Enchant the four auxiliary ingredients: extract the “guiding” and “mental-enhancing” properties from Silverthread Grass, extract the “neutralizing” and “regulating” properties from ××××××. Place the Phantom Butterfly Wing powder and Spirit Bone Powder together in a mortar. The recipe was still extremely detailed, but three of the four auxiliary ingredients had been mysteriously erased.

Every instance of these three auxiliary ingredients in the preparation steps had been similarly erased, without exception.

Clearly, someone had deliberately done this.

Above two of the erased auxiliary ingredients, Ceda had added two new ingredients:

“Mandela Bark,” “Dried Nettle.”

Above the last erased auxiliary ingredient, Ceda had written “Sage,” followed by a question mark—presumably indicating uncertainty.

Ten years of persistent experimentation had not left Ceda empty-handed.

But Gao De didn’t fully trust these “discoveries.”

After all, his predecessor had been poisoned by Ceda’s so-called “breakthroughs.” Gao De shook his head; though he understood the value of the Spirit-Link Potion, he set the recipe down with clear self-awareness.

He certainly wouldn’t attempt to complete the Spirit-Link Potion recipe—such a “wasteful, labor-intensive” endeavor—not for now, at least.

(End of chapter)