Erik snapped his fingers. “I forgot about the formula I have. I’ll go have a look at it.”
They headed in their seperate directions, with Erik heading to a tea house.
People met up with one another, talking, reading, or watching the world go by outside the store windows. Erik ordered tea and went to the third floor, finding a place in the corner away from prying eyes.
He pulled out the box he had been given at the end of the contest. He quickly opened the box, whisking out the scroll and stowing the box away before the power of the Mana stones could leak out.
He drank from his tea, looking around as if he, too, was surprised by the sudden increase in Mana around him.
A few people looked over but then went about their own business. Erik settled down and pulled out the formula.
It was written on bamboo that had been sown together.
He rolled it out and started from the top, reading out the list of ingredients that were required and then through the precise steps to prepare the materials and concoct the formula.
Iron Skin, a potion that changes the skin, increasing its toughness for seven minutes; Stamina is spent at three times normal and health regenerates at twice the normal speed. Not bad at all!
He looked through the ingredients and winced.
The cooler the concoction, the more it costs. No wonder they gave away Mana stones to the winners. With the cost in ingredients an alchemist goes through, it can be called nothing but an allowance!
Erik took a breath before he read through the formula again and put it away.
It increases the toughness of one’s skin. So if I have Body Like Stone already, would it increase my Strength or not have an effect?
I need to find something that will increase my abilities and something that is easier to concoct for the next Alchemy test. Erik finished off his tea and stood, dropping the gold for the tea as he left.
He went down an alleyway and made sure no one was around before he pulled on a doupeng and headed toward the alchemist district.
It didn’t take him long to find a few Alchemy stores. He passed a few stores before stopping in front of one.
He looked around before entering.
The guards were both level twenty-eight, while the others were twenty-six or seven.
He entered the building to see a few people heading up to display tables to buy ingredients, sell their own products, or to buy books.
Erik went toward a counter with a selection of formula books behind the counter.
“Can I have a look at your books on Journeyman-level formulas?” he asked the woman at the counter.
She looked at the doupeng for a long second before smiling and nodding. She pulled out a small list and put it on the counter.
Erik looked over the list, reading the descriptions of the available formulas. He read them all before pointing to one. “I wish to buy this one.”
“Blood Sacrifice?” Her body jolted as she read the title.
“That’s correct,” Erik said.
The pill wasn’t kind; it was a mid-Journeyman-level pill. It would increase one’s Agility and Strength by ten percent, but it would consume their blood. It was meant as a final trump card to defeat an enemy or flee, giving them a surge of great Strength but at the cost of their vitality that they would have to recover later on with further concoctions or with the aid of healers.
“I would also like to see your Apprentice-level pills and potions,” Erik said.
She quickly pulled out lists and put them in front of Erik.
They had been using the low-Apprentice healing powder, Stamina and Mana Regeneration from the Second Realm. As they increased in level, Erik saw that the healing properties and the effects of the lower-grade concoctions were decreasing.
He purchased a high-Apprentice-grade healing potion and Stamina Regeneration potion, as well as a Mana Regeneration pill.
He scoured through the assorted formulas, trying to find something that might help Rugrat but his search came up with nothing.
“That will be 1,837 gold.” The woman at the counter smiled.
Erik pulled out two Mana stones and put them on the counter. She quickly accepted them and passed him back gold before she turned and went to get the formula books.
“Thank you for your business,” she said as Erik took the books.
Erik nodded and headed out of the store.
Feels good to have some money!
***
Erik, Rugrat, and Matt met up at a tea house as the day turned to afternoon. Erik hadn’t noticed it before but from the way the patrons were looking at them, it seemed that they had carried the smell of the swamp in with them.
“Were you able to find a caravan?” Erik asked.
“I was. I told them that we were a group of mercenaries looking to get to our next job. They accepted it on the spot. Seems being a level twenty-nine is a pretty good credential as a guard,” Rugrat said.
“Few people would be expecting an alchemist to lower himself to the position of a guard.” Matt nodded.
“The collar?” Erik asked.
“Well, I’ll need some money for that. I spent everything in Girus,” Rugrat said awkwardly.
“How much?” Erik asked.
“Two hundred and thirty gold,” Rugrat said.
“I was able to sell a few of the monster cores. I got rid of the normal monster cores and a ton of the Earth Variants.” Matt passed Rugrat and Erik a pouch.
Erik checked inside, seeing two Mana stones and several hundred gold. “Matt, this is too much.”
Matt leaned forward so that no one else could hear. “Earth Variants can go for three thousand; the rest came to about a thousand gold. You guys carried me in there. I might be okay with summoning but it wasn’t much use down there. If it wasn’t for you guys, then I wouldn’t have even known about it.”
“Thanks, Matt,” Erik said.
“No worries. Might not be that useful in a close fight, but I can sell the hell out of things and my appraisal skill isn’t bad.”
“I’ll go and get the collar for George then,” Rugrat said.
“When does the caravan leave and what kind is it?” Erik asked.
“It leaves in two days. It’s transporting locally produced items, mostly ingredients. We’re heading through two other cities with stops in both, then straight to Khusai. It’s run by one of the larger trading conglomerates in the Third Realm. Should take us five weeks to get to Khusai.”
***
Elan waved to Yui and Qin as they headed out of the gate, a number of complex emotions hidden beneath the surface.
“What are you thinking of, Father?” Wren asked.
“I’m thinking that it would be in our best interest to listen to your brother and sister’s strongly worded recommendations,” Elan said.
Wren looked at him in question.
“Their Strength has increased at a rapid rate, so where Erik and Rugrat sent them must not be simple. The items that they are asking for are not simple either. They have also asked us to look at gathering motivated people who are looking for a new life. They’re recruiting more people. I feel that a new power has arrived in our area and it would be best if we grab onto their leg and see if we can get some benefits out of it and help your brother and sister out while we do it,” Elan said.
Wren nodded. “I believe that we should hold off from trying to learn more and let the group establish contact with us as they want. If they have made their members take such oaths, I doubt they want people to find out more information than possible.”
He had grown since his last mistake. Now that there was just him, the pressure had rapidly increased. Instead of floundering and rolling over like he would have before, he had stood on his own feet and flourished, removing many of his old vices to focus on the business.
“It seems that you have been listening,” Elan said with a pleased smile.
Wren laughed awkwardly. He might act differently now but he knew he h
ad done wrong in the past.
Chapter: Beast Mountain Trial
Lord Chonglu looked over to the totem in the middle of Chonglu. It started to glow as more people arrived from the Second Realm.
The Blue Lotus had already been advertising their auction made to interest the local nobles and the people from the Second Realm.
A wide range of families and groups that wanted to attract the attention of the higher realm sects sent over their people to try to establish friendships and apply to enter into their schools.
Chonglu looked over to the Beast Mountain Range. It was sure to turn lively in the next month.
***
“We have confirmed the arrival of the sects from the Second Realm,” Glosil reported to the rest of the council.
“We continue with our plan. No movement in and out of Alva Dungeon. All traders and people outside of Alva are to remain so. Egbert, let us know if you need any help in running the battlefield dungeon event,” Elise said.
“We should be fine. In fact, we might be better than ever before as the trading groups have passed out more tokens, increasing the number of people who have arrived. Also, Special Team Three will be joining in on this trial.”
“I wonder what their expressions would be if they knew that they were clearing out our dungeon and increasing our power.” Blaze laughed.
“I don’t think they’d thank us,” Elise said dryly.
The others grinned around the table. The sects and powerful groups were known for their high-handed ways. They just wanted to stay out of their way before, but now they were using them to clear out the annoying pests they had in the basement.
Elise smiled. She couldn’t help but feel it was a little funny.
“I still don’t like how they get the dungeon points and can use the prize hall,” Taran complained.
“They can only use it once a year while we can use it all year round. Though none of them are over level twenty, so they’ll clear out the small fry and we can deal with the big ones,” Glosil said.
“With enough power, then we can start letting the other parties into the dungeon to challenge it and increase their Strength,” Blaze said.
“For now, I don’t want anything to leak out about our presence. We’ll watch and observe, but we won’t interrupt.”
***
“Elder Rei, it is my honor to have you in my home once again,” Elan said as he personally greeted the elder leading the group from the Willful Institute.
“Mister Silaz, I am happy to say that your son has put his all into training and even made it to the Third Realm. I knew that he had great potential.” Elder Rei sipped the tea Silaz had served.
“It is good to hear that he is doing so well.” Elan Silaz smiled even as he sighed on the inside. Domonos had become more powerful, but he was now farther away.
The two of them made idle chatter, with Elan paying Elder Rei with some monster cores before he left to meet up with the rest of the party that had come to Chonglu.
***
Elder Rei looked at the bag of monster cores and put it into his storage ring, pleased with his gains.
He moved with the other elders through the Beast Mountain Range. There were few things that could harm them in the range but still, if they were ambushed by several beasts, it might be difficult.
“Does the Beast Mountain Range feel a bit empty?” one of the elders asked.
Elder Rei turned his head to the side. As they had passed through the Beast Mountain Range, they had found fewer creatures willing to attack them.
“The state of the mountain range matters little,” Elder Rei said as the Beast Mountain Range stage entered their sights.
It looked as if it had been repaired in stages and gave off a grand atmosphere as they stepped onto the large stage that no beast dared to desecrate.
The other elders from different sects stood there.
Elder Rei could only frown as he didn’t see Elder Oui. Both he and his Apprentice niece Julia had entered the Third Realm. He could only grit his teeth, wondering what item she had received from the prize hall to increase her and her teacher’s level.
Time passed but their students quickly appeared. A number of them had run into beasts but nowhere as many as the previous years.
“You over there, come out of the shrubs! What are you sneaking around for?” an elder asked, a bow and arrow in their hands as they pointed into the woods.
“I was told to come here.” A man came out of the bushes with a medallion held up.
“Audacious!” The elder sent out an arrow at the man.
The man was sure to get hit by the arrow before a bolt of lightning appeared in the clear sky, destroying the arrow.
“Trial participants from the First Realm will be protected by the Beast Mountain trial!” The commanding voice of the Beast Mountain trial rang out in the ears of everyone present.
Birds flew out of trees at the noise created by the trial as its words passed over the forest before another lightning strike descended in the distance.
One of the elders seemed to feel something was wrong and pulled a piece of jade out of his bag. It looked as if one of his sect’s students had been killed.
“Have you ever heard of a dungeon protecting people?” one of the elders asked their fellow.
“I haven’t. Maybe the rules of the Ten Realms have changed a bit? We should make sure to tell our students to not do anything reckless!”
The people from the Second Realm naturally looked down on those in the First Realm. If they knew that they would have to participate in the same trial, then they would undoubtedly try to kill them and take their medallion, giving it to their sect so they might earn a great merit for finding another medallion to enter the trial.
Time went on and more lightning strikes landed as people from the First Realm appeared in groups and as individuals. They grouped together, looking at the sects and trying to remain inconspicuous.
Elder Rei’s gaze passed toward them. People were creating groups to go into the trial with; it seemed that they knew the rules of the trial.
“Go and see how they learned of the trial and got their medallions,” Elder Rei told one of his juniors.
They clasped their hands and headed over.
Based on their numbers, there looked to be around a hundred people from the First Realm. There were only about fifty people from the Second Realm.
Once one lost their medallion, they wouldn’t be able to get any more. The number of spots in the Beast Mountain trial had only decreased in the previous years.
The junior returned with a frown on his face. “They said that they received the token with a letter. I was able to buy a letter from one of them.” He opened it and passed it to Elder Rei.
In the letter, it described what happened in the trial, the fact they would be going up against the dungeons beasts, the kinds of things they could get as rewards, and the location of the dungeon. It explained the payment of monster cores they would need to make to take part in the trial and the purpose of the medallion.
Elder Rei had never seen something like it before. Certain dungeons did pass out invitations or keys to certain people at different times, but these dungeons were incredibly strong.
Although no one had beaten the Beast Mountain trial, as long as one broke their medallion, they could escape.
What lays at the end of the battlefield dungeon?
Elder Rei had been coming to the First Realm for a long time now. Still, no one had completed the Beast Mountain trial. It seemed as if it would only call upon endless beasts to be destroyed.
Time went by as the people from the Second Realm and those from the First kept to their different sides of the stage.
The people from the First Realm kept a low profile; those from the Second Realm tried to oppress them but they couldn’t attack for fear of the lightning.
Finally the Beast Mountain trial began.
The people from the Second and First Realms offered up their m
onster cores.
The stage lit up with power and the Beast Mountain trial tower appeared.
People from the Second Realm rushed in; the First Realm headed in afterward, quickly trying to get away from the gazes the elders gave them.
They all disappeared and the tower disappeared as well, the stage dying down in power.
Elder Rei looked at where the tower had been. In the last years, it had never disappeared but remained there.
What changes has the Beast Mountain trial been through?
Chapter: White Orchid Trading Company
Roska paced outside the door. With their current funds, it hadn’t been hard for them to rent an entire house. Imani had recovered and the others were resting. The only other person awake was Yang Zan, who had ordered his party leader out of the room as she paced around, nervous about Tully’s condition. The poison was indeed deep but with the healing powders and Yang Zan’s spells, he was quickly dispelling it.
The door opened and a tired Yang Zan stood there. “She’s awake—groggy but awake.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Roska said as she entered the room.
He headed out to get some sleep. He had barely slept, surviving off Stamina Regeneration powders to keep caring for Tully.
Tully was looking around. Her eyelids seemed as though they weren’t under her control as she looked around the room.
“Tully, how are you?” Roska asked.
“Dizzy as hell. Damn, how long was I out for?” Tully tried to half open one eye, having a hard time getting rid of the Touch of Sleep’s effects.
“Nearly a week,” Roska said.
“Shit,” Tully said. “How bad?”
“Poisoned, lost your legs. Yang Zan is dealing with the poison in your body,” Roska said. “It got into your organs—was a bit nasty there, but at least you don’t have to temper your organs now.” Roska smiled.
“Yay,” Tully said, holding up her thumb as if drunk, dropping it back to the bed. “Can he fix the legs?”
“The poison was the worst of it. Now, with it gone and you tempered a bit more, you’ll be able to regrow your limbs faster. Add in healing, Stamina powder, and Yang Zan’s help, should be good to go in a few days, before we head down to the First Realm,” Roska said.
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