Chapter 93

Sunlight passed through the mottled tree shadows by the window, casting patches of light on the simple dormitory floor.

Luo En was sitting at the table, focused on studying the magic potion formula notes, and the liquid in the refining vessel beside him was slowly churning, constantly emitting a faint fragrance.

It would take two more days for the workshop application to be approved, but of course, he couldn't just sit idle.

Ever since he transferred to Magic Potionist, he felt that his understanding of herbs and grasp of formulas had gone up a level.

Those subtle balance points that used to require repeated deliberation now seemed to have become instinct.

Focusing on adjusting the flame intensity, Luo En carefully added the last ingredient—Silver Leaf Essence.

The liquid immediately changed from light blue to clear sky blue, with strands of silver light patterns flowing on the surface, as if it had life.

【Magic Potion Refining experience +1】

"Perfect." Luo En smiled with satisfaction and carefully sealed this bottle of "Mental Stabilizer," placing it in the queue of completed magic potions.

Just as he was about to start refining the next magic potion, a gentle knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

Opening the door, a pair of golden beast pupils stared straight at him—it was Trish's leopard-woman, Liyue.

She had a tall figure, and her pupils still maintained that innate sense of vigilance.

"Liyue?" Luo En was a bit surprised, then stepped aside to let her in: "Does Trish have something to find me for?"

The leopard-woman's movements were elegant and light, and the special structure of her paw pads meant she slipped into the room without making almost any sound.

She lowered her head slightly, her expression respectful as she spoke:

"Master asked me to bring you a message. She hopes you can accept a batch of new magic potion orders. The quantity is larger than the last time, and the reward will naturally increase accordingly."

The leopard-woman's voice was not pleasant, like a beast growling at him in a low voice.

Luo En raised an eyebrow and took the parchment list that the leopard-woman took from a pocket close to her waist.

As soon as he unfolded it, he took a light breath. The quantity of magic potions listed on this list was almost twice that of the last time.

It also included several advanced magic potions, such as "Mental Shield" and "Sobriety Potion."

"This is a big order, Liyue."

Luo En browsed the list carefully, his brows furrowed: "Why does Trish suddenly need so many magic potions? Especially these defensive ones."

A flash of hesitation crossed Liyue's beast pupils. She looked around, her sensitive ears twitching slightly, as if confirming no one else was eavesdropping.

Then, she leaned close to Luo En, her voice extremely low: "Master might... have some trouble recently."

The leopard-woman's tail swayed nervously, her voice almost just a breath:

"She needs these magic potions to deal with possible... dangerous situations."

Luo En's brows furrowed even tighter. Although Trish and he were on relatively close terms now, everyone in the Black Fog Forest had their own calculations.

The struggle in the candidate wizard sequence was even more undercurrent, and one wrong step would lead to eternal damnation.

Reason told him it would be better not to get involved at this time, but on the other hand, this could also be considered a rare opportunity.

As a magic potionist who had just become independent, a stable source of orders was crucial to him.

After weighing the pros and cons, Luo En still nodded:

"Tell Trish I accept this order. However, I still live in the candidate apprentice dormitory, and the refining conditions are limited. In two days, I should be able to obtain my own independent workshop, and then the efficiency will be higher."

A flash of joy crossed Liyue's eyes, and she took a heavy bag from another pocket at her waist:

"This is the advance payment, 50 magic stone fragments. After completion, Master will pay the same amount."

Luo En took the bag, feeling its weight; this was even more generous than he had expected.

"In addition..." Liyue added, a flash of cunning in her eyes.

This might be the first time Luo En had seen such a "human" expression on the face of the heavily guarded leopard-woman:

"Master said if you need any rare materials, she can help you obtain them through the special channels of the sequence members as part of the reward."

This was indeed a tempting condition:

Members of the candidate wizard sequence could generally access many rare resources that were difficult for ordinary apprentices to obtain.

He hadn't forgotten that he wanted to obtain the complete "The Whispers of the Star Eater," and he was still missing several rare materials to exchange with Lady Ailan.

And to complete the advancement of [Bloodline Knight], some rare materials with yang attributes associated with the Corona Breathing Method were also indispensable.

"Thank Trish for her kindness on my behalf. I will start preparing these magic potions as soon as possible." Luo En nodded and accepted this big order.

After sending the leopard-woman away, he immediately threw himself into work.

He first checked his material inventory, calculated the herbs that needed to be purchased additionally, and the magic potions that could be started immediately.

"Start with the basics..." Luo En began to prepare to refine "Refreshing Potion" and "Wound Healing Potion."

The benefits brought by transferring to Magic Potionist immediately appeared. Not only did the refining process become smoother, but the utilization efficiency of materials also had a significant improvement.

In the past, a whole Evening Primrose was needed to make three bottles of Refreshing Potion, but now the same materials could make four bottles, and the quality was higher.

………………

Two days passed quickly. Luo En threw himself into magic potion refining almost forgetting to eat or sleep, and the sense of physical exhaustion was reset by him using the pocket watch.

Even so, the mental burden made him feel like he was about to collapse, no less than when he stayed up all night playing games with his roommates on Earth.

When he carefully sealed the last bottle of Mental Stabilizer, more than twenty bottles of high-quality magic potions were neatly arranged on the table.

"For the most difficult 'Mental Shield' and 'Sobriety Potion,' I'll wait until I have an independent workshop to try them."

He whispered to himself in his heart, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and felt his eyelids fighting each other.

Besides the magic potions ordered by Trish, he also refined several advanced magic potions, and a large batch of ordinary magic potions refined along the way, all of which he had hoarded in advance.

"After the workshop is established, these can be used as exhibits to show my magic potion refining level to guests."

After completing these preparations, Luo En began to take stock of his financial situation.

He took out a piece of parchment and carefully recorded his income and expenses:

"Trish's advance payment of 50 magic stone fragments this time, the royal family's monthly sponsorship of 20 fragments, Trish's previous commission, plus the accumulated salary from working in Lady Ailan's shop, minus expenses..."

Adding it all up, there were about 200 magic stone fragments.

This was more than enough for personal daily expenses, but if considering the various investments coming up, it would likely soon be stretched thin.

"Even if the rent for an independent workshop is cheap, it will cost at least a hundred magic stone fragments per year. Paid courses like 'Magic Circuit Optimization' and 'Mental Power Stabilization Techniques' will cost 50 fragments..."

Luo En calculated with furrowed brows: "Plus the need to continuously purchase high-quality magic potion materials, at least 50 fragments must be reserved as turnover funds."

Not to mention his biggest investment plan currently—buying a Multi-armed Snake Demon as a combat slave and training opponent.

Even for a mixed-blood species with the thinnest bloodline, the price was around 300 magic stone fragments.

"And the most critical manpower problem..." He stood up and paced back and forth in the small room: "It's hard for one person to take care of refining, sales, and procurement at the same time."

He recalled the tree spirit he saw at the Blake Exchange. That ability to have a natural connection with plants was undoubtedly extremely precious for a magic potion workshop.

He had Andre inquire about the price afterward; it was about 80 magic stone fragments, which was not a small investment.

But if it could improve magic potion quality and material utilization efficiency, it was absolutely worth it in the long run.

"The funding gap is at least several hundred fragments..." Luo En sighed lightly, his gaze falling on the ironwood sword.

His basic swordsmanship was only one step away from mastery, and breathing body-tempering was also close to breaking through.

The only obstacle was the constitution attribute, which was currently only 1.7, still a bit away from the 2.0 required by [Bloodline Knight].

However, through the auxiliary effects of various potions on knight cultivation, wanting to cross this threshold shouldn't be too far away.

"The first goal is to complete the breakthrough in swordsmanship, and then the job transfer to Bloodline Knight." Luo En pondered.

As his train of thought gradually became clear, a comprehensive development plan began to form in his mind:

First, consolidate the foundation of a professional magic potionist, and stabilize the source of income through Trish and possible other clients;

At the same time, use the income of the magic potionist to support the dual development of knight and wizard;

After accumulating enough funds, buy a tree spirit and a Multi-armed Snake Demon; the former as a workshop assistant, and the latter as a combat training partner;

In this process, continue to explore other professional routes, such as alchemy, enchanting, and the bloodline "modulation" he is currently most interested in...

"However, the most urgent thing is the operation of the workshop." Luo En thought while touching his chin:

"Relying on Trish alone as a client is far from enough. I need to expand my client base while taking a niche boutique route. After all, I can't delay wizard cultivation for the sake of earning magic stones; that would be putting the cart before the horse."

"Still need to improve my core strength." His gaze fell back on the ironwood sword: "After all, in a place like the Black Fog Forest, strength is always the most important thing."

After the skill reaches the Proficient level, the accumulation of experience points becomes abnormally slow.

The ability of Basic Magic Potion Science to break through to Mastery relatively quickly was largely due to his long-term practice and guidance in Lady Ailan's shop.

Under the personal teaching of a professional mentor, he was able to master many advanced techniques in a short time.

Now is not the time to rest. Come to think of it, at this age on Earth, it was also the time to stay up late livering test papers without sleeping...

At your age, how can you sleep? Luo En thought of this well-known exhortation to comfort himself.

(End of this chapter)