“The mission did not even last for a month, so why do I feel like a lot of time has passed?”
Leylin shut the door, placing the cross blade, sack, and other items aside before lying on his bed.
He enjoyed the soothing comfort provided as he rested on the soft bed.
“A.I Chip! Show me my current stats!”
[Beep! Leylin Farlier, Level 2 Acolyte, Knight. Strength: 2.5, Agility: 2.7, Vitality: 3.0, Spiritual Force: 4.2, Magical Power: 4.0. Status: Healthy]
There was an overall increase in the stats; his Strength, Agility and Vitality had all increased by 0.3, while his Spiritual Force increased by 0.1.
“After advancing to a proper Knight, all my stats have risen. As for my Spiritual Force, this is the result after one month of continuous meditation!”
Leylin gazed at the 3D image of him, “A.I Chip, calculate how much more the internal life energy in my body raises my stats.”
After a Knight ignites their internal life energy, there will still be a breakout period for their stats to increase. However, Leylin had already increased his stats plenty through meditation, so the effects may be diminished slightly.
[Establishing task, calculation in progress……]
[Beep! The simulation has ended. Expected increase in Host’s stats: Strength: 0.6, Agility: 0.3, Vitality: 0.1!] The A.I Chip’s voice sounded.
If my stats were at 1.9 like the average person, this internal life energy would be able to raise all my stats by at least 1. However, now that my foundation is so high, raising it will be even more difficult!”
Leylin reasoned.
“The Farlier Family is only a newly established line of Knights. They have no training methods to pass on for after one turns into a Knight, so I have no inkling of how to advance to a Grand Knight.”
Although there should be information regarding this aspect in the academy, the potential of Knights are much inferior to that of Magi, so I can forgo this goal for now!”
Ever since he entered the academy, Leylin had devoted all his time and effort to his Magus studies and delayed his training to become a Knight.
Even a Grand Knight will only end up as a follower or servant of an official Magus. Besides, a Knight’s journey will end after becoming a Grand Knight. As for Magi, they can continuously advance, so Leylin naturally chose the path with a better prospect.
“Besides advancing to a Knight, this map is the only benefit of my trip outside this time.
Leylin projected the image of a huge map.
Faint blue lines formed the general outline of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy as well as its surroundings. It was even more detailed than the one Kaliweir had.
On this map, the path that Leylin and his party had taken was the clearest. Furthermore, the vicinity of where the Spider Faced Mushrooms had been found was even marked as a dangerous zone.
This map was formed through his own exploration, the scanning from the A.I Chip, as well as the map that Kaliweir had.
It could not be said to be completely free of mistakes. But this was definitely the most detailed map amongst the acolytes. He would be able to fetch a price of at least 2 Magic Crystals if he were to sell it.
In the centre of the map, green words highlighted the location of Abyssal Bone Forest Academy.
“From this map, it can be seen that our Abyssal Bone Forest Academy is only taking up an insubstantial area in the South Coast. It could also be said to be in a rural area.
“Furthermore, with Abyssal Bone Forest Academy in the centre, the Death Seas would be to the south. To the north, it would be the Mountain Plains of Despair; to the west, Sage Gotham’s Hut; and lastly, the Poolfield Kingdom to the east.
The north and south area are all forbidden regions, with countless dangerous creatures residing within them. Some with differing bloodlines, some of which have been contaminated. They are also haunted by evil spirits that are filled with grievances. Any acolyte stepping foot in those regions would die ten out of ten times.
“As for Sage Gotham’s Hut, it is another faction of the Magi. I have heard that there are some conflicts between Sage Gotham’s Hut and Abyssal Bone Forest Academy, so I can’t go there either.”
“The only one left for acolytes to explore would be the Poolfield Kingdom.”
Leylin thought indifferently. The factions in this world were similar to those of the Japanese during the world war, where various factions were divided in accordance to their territory and they controlled the various kingdoms from the dark.
In these kingdoms, the Magi bloodlines would be either royalty or nobility. As for the Knights, their bloodlines would commonly be those of wealthy families.
“In regards to their social hierarchies, the Magi would be like the feudal lords of the Warring States and the Knights would be the warriors and soldiers serving under them. Furthermore, they don’t have a lone sovereign governing them as a whole; there are as many small kingdoms as there are stars in the sky, fighting solely for their own benefits in a chaotic era.
“There are a few Magi families supporting the Poolfield Kingdom behind the scenes. The kingdom has a total of 19 provinces. Each area is extremely vast, with many small Magi families, wandering Magi, and travellers living there. They would definitely not come to the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy to make any trades, so there should be some kind of small markets over there. I’ll try concealing my identity and heading there to sell my potions!”
Leylin’s Potioneering skills were only average, but with the help of the A.I Chip, his succession rate for brewing had long surpassed his senior Merlin and could even be comparable to that of his mentor, Kroft. However, all of this had to be kept with the utmost secrecy. As such, Leylin did not dare sell too many of his potions inside the academy.
However, once he advanced to a Level 3 Acolyte, he would reach a bottleneck. Without a vast amount of resources to use, one could only slowly progress with time.
Even a fifth-grade acolyte, without resources, would require at least 3 years advancing to a Level 3 Acolyte!
Leylin was only an average, third-grade acolyte, and could only rely on this bit of income on the surface. To satisfy the requirements for advancement, who knows how long he would have to wait.
“A.I Chip! Simulate the requirements that I need to advance into Level 3 Acolyte!”
[Prerequisites for Level 3 Acolyte: Spiritual Force: 7, mastery of at least 3 spell models, 500 grams of Reactive Elixirs required to aid with breakthrough.]
“Learning the 3 spell models is easy, but the Reactive Elixirs will be troublesome to obtain. I will need at least 500 Magic Crystals!”
Leylin’s expression was extremely solemn. As a Potioneering acolyte, he naturally knew what Reactive Elixirs were. These potions were not the same as elementary potions like the strength potions or hemostasis potions. However, they required someone to have reached the basic level of Potioneering. There are those which increase Spiritual Force, Vitality, or even potions that can reinforce the mind runes at an alarming rate. The demand is always greater than the supply for them.
“500 Magic Crystals is a little too much. However, after I have finished mastering the elementary Potioneering techniques from Mentor Kroft, I can then start practicing with basic potions. I might only need to purchase 100 Magic Crystals worth of ingredients to make the potions myself.”
“It seems like the most important thing will be to get my Spiritual Force up to 7!” Leylin appeared to be deep in thought, “A.I Chip! According to my current status, how long will it take to meet these prerequisites through meditation?”
[Using the Host’s Spiritual Force as a base, simulation in progress!]
[Beep! The simulation has been completed. Estimated time needed: 8 Years 6 Months and 15 Days!]
The A.I Chip responded without any emotions.
“That long?” Leylin’s face turned pale, “What’s the problem? It only took me a little over a year to raise my Spiritual Force to 4.2 from the stats of an ordinary huma
n…… “
[The host has gained a resistance towards meditation, changing to a higher tiered meditation technique is recommended. Another option is to find ingredients that are compatible for raising the effects of meditation!] The A.I Chip projected a screen, with the various data and results on it.
037 - Ancient Potions
“According to the A.I Chip’s simulations and extrapolations, the elementary meditation technique is most useful when used to construct mind runes. However, after a Level 2 Acolyte has finished constructing their 24 mind runes, they can only progress slowly with time……”
“No wonder even fifth-grade acolytes get stuck at the bottleneck to advance to a Level 3 Acolyte!”
Leylin looked at the results of the mathematical formulas and entered into deep thought.
“I have been in the academy for this long, but I haven’t heard of any acolytes who own an advanced meditation technique. Furthermore, the apprentices of the other professors all stop progressing for at least a few years after they have reached Level 2 Acolyte standards. It seems like even the professors can do nothing regarding this matter of meditation techniques, so I can give up on it first!”
“As for the use of ingredients, there was some basic level potion formulas that could help in the raising of Spiritual Force. However, the price for them is rather high and the ingredients are also very costly. Even the results are rather appalling……”
“However, my succession rate will definitely be higher than other Potioneering Masters because I have the A.I Chip. Therefore, increasing my Spiritual Force with this method is highly feasible!”
Leylin made up his mind. “What’s next is to collect formulas for potions that can raise my Spiritual Force. In addition, I should sell my potions outside and obtain more potion ingredients!”
“However, it seems rather dangerous outside the academy right now, so how am I supposed to go find those black markets or small-scale trading groups?”
Leylin’s brows furrowed again. “With these problems, the professors inside the academy will definitely not sit around and do nothing. The problems will be resolved after a while; I had better get the potion formulas for increasing my Spiritual Force before anything else.”
If the problems outside could not be solved by even the Magi, then Leylin would definitely be at even more of a loss. Thinking this, he soon entered a dream state very quickly.
The next morning, Leylin sought out Professor Kroft.
“A potion formula that can raise Spiritual Force?” Kroft was a little surprised.
“The success rate of brewing these potions is too low and the resources required are extremely expensive. Many Potioneering Masters have lost their family fortunes over this, and only those with a strong family background are able to reap the benefits……”
Although Leylin’s Potioneering talent was highly outstanding, Kroft still felt that his apprentice had set his goals a little too high.
“Sir, you know it too. My aptitude is only third-grade acolyte. For a third-grade acolyte to progress to a Magus, there is an even greater bottleneck. Breaking through to a Magus is easiest when it’s done at a young age, so I want to give it a gamble.”
Leylin spoke softly.
“Oh…… You!” Kroft sighed and sat down slowly, “I do have a few basic potion formulas for raising Spiritual Force, but I signed a contract preventing me from reselling the formulas when I got them from other parties. As for my own formulas, you are definitely not able to afford them……”
“How many Magic Crystals are they worth?” Leylin’s heart sank, but he still asked.
“Haha! I knew you wouldn’t give up. 5000 Magic Crystals, and that’s only because you’re my apprentice!”
“Siii!” Leylin sucked in cold air, and then laughed bitterly, “It seems like I have no hope!”
“Developing a potion formula for raising Spiritual Force requires a Potioneering Master to spend a dozen, or even several dozens, of years on continuous experimentation, and the consumption for this is immense. Moreover, possessing an exclusive formula usually boosts a Potioneering Master’s family development. Hence, it is within reason for potion formulas to be this costly.”
Having a monopoly will yield the greatest profits. Leylin nodded his head slowly.
However, it also depends on who owns the formula. If it was an acolyte instead of a Magus, even Leylin would have harboured some bad notions. However, Kroft was an official Magus, and he had the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy was behind him as his patron. Furthermore, his human relations were not bad; hence he did not have many worries.
“However, if you really have this goal, you might not be completely without answers!”
Just as Leylin was prepared to take his leave disappointingly, Kroft spoke these words.
“It seems like I have a chance!” Leylin was secretly elated and hurriedly bowed.
“Although I am unable to give you my personally-developed formulas, I still have a few formulas from the Magi of old, and they were obtained when I went exploring several times before, so you can use them and give it a try!” Kroft said slowly.
“Formulas from the Magi of old?” Leylin felt a little uncertain.
“Indeed! Magi were the most prosperous back in the ancient times. Not only did they construct the Byron empire which spanned over several continents, they had even set their sights on several other distant worlds, conquering different planes one at a time!” Kroft’s face was a little flushed. It seemed as though he held the utmost fascination towards the prowess of the ancient Magi.
“It’s a pity that the Byron Empire collapsed one night, due to some unknown reason, and the legacies of these ancient Magi were lost. We, as Magi in more recent times, have only risen to power through a few remnants of the research and documents left behind by the ancient Magi……”
Little by little, Kroft spoke of the story behind the scenes. This information was never mentioned in the historical books in the academy.
“I wonder how mighty these ancient Magi were?” Leylin put on a fascinated expression, and asked:
“Those formulas, are they all defective?”
“Indeed! You’re very smart! Although the effects of these formulas are good, many of the ingredients have already ceased to exist. At least, I have never come across them in the 200 years of my life……”
Kroft said unhurriedly, “However, many Potioneering Masters still feel some affection for these ancient formulas because they all wish to find a substitute for them. Even if they have only a fraction of the original models, their effects are extremely useful!”
Leylin was elated. With the help of the A.I Chip, he would definitely save a lot of time and effort when researching them.
On the surface, he still put on a frowning and worried expression, “So…… You want me to find substitute ingredients?”
“Indeed! Potioneering Masters often rely on flashes of inspiration for their successes. Many new types of potions are developed on this basis. If you really want to, you can try your luck! However, the success rate will be extremely low!”
Kroft’s face darkened. It seemed as if he was reminded of his past failures.
“Sir! I still want to give it a try. Even if I won’t be able to develop a new formula, I can still improve my skills in brewing!” Leylin gritted his teeth.
“I can rest assured if this is your thinking!” Kroft nodded his head. After rummaging through the shelves behind him, he managed to find some dusty scrolls.
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