Chapter 60: Basic Stamina Potion

“Same price as before—two gold coins for one spell formula. No problem?” Gao De haggled with Yom in Pierre’s Grocery.

After striking a deal with Gao De, Pierre quickly contacted Yom, the original seller of the spell formulas to Gao De.

Yom, indeed, still had interest in trading spell formulas; after being contacted by Pierre, he nodded without hesitation.

This was exactly as Gao De had expected.

In his view, secret trades of forbidden spell formulas were either the first time—or countless times.

After all, spell formulas could be infinitely copied with almost no cost, yet sold at high prices.

It was faster money than gambling.

Most people dared not earn this money because it was forbidden and carried extreme risk.

But once you tasted the sweetness, it was hard to quit.

“Last time I sold you three as a bundle, and I was especially tight on cash then—that’s why I gave you that price,” Yom now wanted to raise the price.

“Then forget it. Too expensive—not worth it. I haven’t even digested the three formulas from last time. Greed makes you choke!” Gao De feigned abandonment of the deal.

“Ah, ah—just give me a little more,” Yom hurriedly called out, helpless.

“This is the price. Not a copper more,” Gao De, always a man of principle, held his ground. “I’m just being kind—say two gold, even two silver, you still profit.”

“Alright, alright,” Yom saw he could squeeze not a single copper from Gao De, and surrendered.

In truth, Gao De desperately needed these two spell formulas.

And after the previous transaction, Yom’s credibility with the spell formulas had been verified.

So if Yom had stubbornly held his price—even at the official rate of six gold per formula—Gao De would have gritted his teeth and accepted.

But unfortunately, Yom didn’t know that.

So he could only be manipulated by Gao De in return.

After settling the price, Gao De reluctantly pulled four gold coins from his pocket and handed them to Yom.

The spell formulas for [Read Magic] and [Blade Protection] were now in hand! After leaving Pierre’s Grocery, Gao De went to the herb garden in town, specializing in medicinal seedlings, and spent eight gold to buy a batch of seedlings.

After haggling, he got the shopkeeper to include free delivery—and enough fertilizer for half a month.

Budebushuo ， Zaijiangjiazhegelingyu ， Gaodeyepoyouwuxing 。

Actually, medicinal herbs themselves produce seeds; directly collecting and cultivating those seeds could still sprout.

But the medicinal properties of herbs grown from such seeds were far inferior to those cultivated by expert herbalists.

Using such inferior herbs to brew potions yielded only inferior potions.

Though herbalism was not as advanced as alchemy, its scope of knowledge was no less vast.

Seedlings cultivated by herbalists who understood cultivation techniques had medicinal properties far superior to naturally grown ones.

Gulu gulu~ Ramos brought in a large basin of freshly stewed meat broth.

The heat still made the broth bubble with a simmering sound.

“This is the meat broth, prepared as you suggested,” Ramos spoke with great restraint.

Having personally killed Yilan and Ceda the mage, even though Gao De was young, he had established his authority in the herb garden.

“Thanks,” Gao De didn’t care much, waved his hand, muttered a thanks, and told Ramos to leave.

After Ramos left, Gao De washed his hands, then eagerly lifted the lid covering the wooden basin to retain warmth.

Milky-white broth, rich with aroma, rushed toward him.

Tender peas and fresh meat were the main ingredients, each piece of meat the size of a baby’s fist.

Potatoes and onions garnished the dish; a loaf of wheat bread, soaked in the broth, absorbed its flavor and heat, becoming softer and more fragrant.

A full basin of stew.

Gao De couldn’t help swallowing his saliva, quickly grabbed chopsticks, and scooped up a potato—forks and knives always felt unnatural to him; since becoming master of the herb garden, he had made his own chopsticks. The potato’s unique texture mixed with the rich broth exploded in his mouth.

“So delicious!”

That first bite warmed his entire stomach.

Gao De picked up a piece of meat; the stewed flesh nearly melted on contact, releasing an instant burst of aroma.

His hunger was fully awakened; saliva began pouring out.

Ignoring the heat, he grabbed the bread soaked in broth and devoured it greedily with the pea-and-meat broth.

After finishing all the meat and accompaniments, he lifted the entire basin and drank the thick broth clean.

“Perfect!” Gao De set down the basin, contentedly patted his belly.

With continued training and richer meals, his body grew stronger day by day, and his appetite improved steadily.

His once slightly frail frame was gradually becoming robust; his complexion turned ruddy, his gaze sharper and more radiant.

This further proved the correctness of training.

The greatest gain was that Gao De discovered his stamina had improved with his physical enhancement—benefiting both cultivation and potion-making.

This was an unexpected hidden benefit he hadn’t anticipated.

Indeed, good physical condition was the foundation of everything.

Returning to the workshop, Gao De tidied up the cluttered desk.

It was the mess left from his afternoon attempt to brew the Basic Stamina Potion.

Thinking of the Basic Stamina Potion, Gao De grew frustrated.

The three main ingredients for the Basic Stamina Potion: Gaoshan Ironwood Root, Sunfire Fruit Core, Wild Wolf Gland Fluid.

The herb garden could produce the first two itself; only the Wild Wolf Gland Fluid needed to be purchased externally.

Due to increased hunting in Hogen City recently, the price of Wild Wolf Gland Fluid had dropped nearly thirty percent—from eight silver per unit to six silver.

Knowing this was the optimal time to practice brewing the Basic Stamina Potion, Gao De acted decisively.

He spent six gold at once to buy twenty units of Wild Wolf Gland Fluid, aiming to master the Basic Stamina Potion in one go.

But the results were unsatisfactory.

He had attempted brewing the Basic Stamina Potion six or seven times, yet still far from success.

His best attempt completed only half the process.

Not a single bottle of Basic Stamina Potion had been produced; no returns at all—he’d already spent two gold on ingredients.

And this negative return would continue for a long time—given this trend, he absolutely wouldn’t master the potion within twenty tries.

Though his heart ached, Gao De could only grit his teeth and continue.

To master a new potion, upfront investment was unavoidable.

There was no way around it.

“It seems I really should thank Ceda the mage for his discernment.”

After personally experiencing the difficulty of potion-making and the massive upfront investment, Gao De felt a pang of reflection.

The original body’s mastery of the Basic Spider Venom Potion wasn’t just due to innate talent in alchemy—Ceda the mage’s “willingness to spend” was also crucial.

He at least had the generosity to provide expensive herbs for “Gao De” to practice with.

Without the unavoidable “test subjects,” bringing street children back to the herb garden, providing food and shelter, teaching cultivation methods and alchemy knowledge—Ceda the mage was, frankly, a great benefactor to his apprentices.

But there was no “what if.”

(End of Chapter)