Chapter Thirty-Three: Collaboration

Hughes looked at the floating liquid in the air, feeling surprisingly calm. This vial of potion had been crafted by Hughes with the aid of his chip, but he had intentionally added a slight excess of certain ingredients, creating deliberate imperfections; if he produced a flawless stamina potion, he would surely give himself away.

Wizard Matt closed his eyes, sensing the effects of the stamina potion.

“Not bad!” After more than ten seconds, Wizard Matt opened his eyes and looked at Hughes.

“But there’s a bit too much powdered sage root in here, and the timing for adding chamomile was off. The effectiveness of this stamina potion will be somewhat reduced. Still, overall, you’ve succeeded; this is indeed a stamina potion!”

“Congratulations, Hughes!” Wizard Matt smiled, offering his congratulations.

Hughes looked at Wizard Matt with excitement.

“I’ve taken on quite a few students over the years, and I can confidently say you are the most outstanding among them.” Wizard Matt sighed with admiration.

“Hughes, being able to craft a stamina potion is an excellent achievement, but remember: just because you can make this potion doesn’t mean you can craft others. Every potion requires a beginner’s mindset. You must remember the feeling you had when making the stamina potion, increase your production, and master it thoroughly.”

“Yes, teacher. I will continue to work hard.”

“Good.”

Wizard Matt replaced the wooden stopper and handed the potion back to Hughes.

Hughes carefully accepted the vial and stored it away.

Wizard Matt then explained the tasks for the day, and Hughes quickly began a series of busy assignments.

During that time, Amy came by. Upon learning that Hughes had successfully crafted a stamina potion, she was astonished, showering him with congratulations.

Amy chattered away in the laboratory with Hughes, until Wizard Matt’s face turned stern and he scolded her; only then did Amy obediently fall silent.

As for their conversation, it naturally revolved around Hughes and Amy.

Hughes had become the model child, standing beside Amy as they listened to Wizard Matt, not daring to interrupt.

Perhaps Wizard Matt’s experiment reached a critical stage, for he soon hurried back to his workbench.

Watching the busy wizard, Hughes and Amy both breathed a sigh of relief, and Hughes took the opportunity to finish his tasks.

After completing his work, Hughes and Amy bade farewell to Wizard Matt and left the laboratory.

Once outside, they headed to the dining hall.

After their meal, Hughes parted ways with Amy. Instead of going to the teaching area, he decided to visit the trading district.

Arriving at the trading district, Hughes found it deserted as usual. He walked alone to Lindsay’s shop, where Lindsay appeared just as he always did.

“I wonder if you’ll still be so relaxed when the second- and third-level apprentices return,” Hughes remarked as he looked at Lindsay seated on his chair.

“That’s why I have to sneak in as much leisure time as I can now. So, Hughes, are you here to buy materials again? Don’t worry; I have as much as you need. How much are you buying this time?” Lindsay didn’t even open his eyes as he asked. Over the past few months, Hughes had frequently come by for ingredients, and their relationship had grown closer.

“This time, I’m here to discuss something with you, and then I’ll buy ingredients.”

“Oh?” Lindsay seemed interested, suddenly opening his eyes to look at Hughes.

“What do you want to discuss?” Lindsay was clearly intrigued.

Ignoring Lindsay’s gaze, Hughes took out the stamina potion hidden beneath his robe and placed it before Lindsay.

“What’s this?” Lindsay looked at the vial Hughes set down, puzzled.

“I can now make stamina potions,” Hughes said calmly.

“What!?”

Hughes remained composed, but Lindsay was anything but. He dealt in potions and was familiar with many potion makers; he knew all too well the difficulty of crafting such brews.

“Did you really make this?” Lindsay asked, incredulous.

“Yes, I made it. My teacher has examined it—there’s no problem.”

“Wow!” Lindsay, now convinced, was still amazed by Hughes’s confirmation.

“So you’re here to...?”

“To discuss a partnership. Are you interested?”

“Interested, of course! Absolutely!” Lindsay quickly closed the shop’s door, pulled Hughes into a room at the back, and sat down.

“Tell me, how do you want to cooperate?” Hughes looked at Lindsay across the table, wanting to hear his terms.

“Hughes, I propose to buy each stamina potion you make for four magic stones.”

He watched Hughes for his reaction.

Hughes said nothing, waiting for Lindsay to continue.

“Of course, I’ll supply all the ingredients you need for free. I’ll also have someone collect potion recipes for you. What do you think?”

Hughes pondered Lindsay’s offer. While he didn’t care much about getting free ingredients—he wasn’t lacking in a few magic stones—the mention of potion recipes tempted him.

Potion recipes, especially rare ones, were both scarce and expensive. With his current means, Hughes could only acquire basic recipes.

Lindsay saw Hughes deep in thought and didn’t interrupt. He knew he was investing in Hughes; the value of ingredients was trivial compared to the true allure for a potion maker: access to a variety of recipes.

“Very well, I agree!” After a moment’s consideration, the lure of recipes persuaded Hughes.

“But what about those recipes?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll have my family send them over. Two are complete, one is partial, but you can still learn from it—it’s beneficial.”

“Good! Let’s sign a contract.”

“Excellent! I’ll draft it right away.” Lindsay got up, found a contract parchment, and quickly wrote out the terms.

“Here, take a look!”

Soon Lindsay had finished, handing the contract to Hughes. Finding no issues with its clear and concise terms, Hughes signed.

The main content was simple: Hughes would deliver a set number of potions to Lindsay each month, with the types chosen by Hughes. Lindsay would supply all ingredients and equipment, and help collect recipes.

It was a fair contract. Hughes glanced through, found no problems, and added a drop of his blood.

Lindsay, seeing Hughes had signed, quickly did the same. The parchment glowed red; Hughes knew the contract was sealed.

Hughes left Lindsay’s shop with a new batch of ingredients, this time without paying a fee.

Returning to his dormitory, Hughes set the ingredients on the table and sprawled out on his bed, finally feeling relieved.

He could now earn magic stones openly by crafting potions.

At least in terms of magic stones, there should be no more worries.

Hughes sat up and took a box from his bed. Opening it, he found dozens of stamina potions arranged inside.

He counted them: forty-seven vials, the result of his months of work.

Converted to magic stones, that was one hundred eighty-seven.

Thinking of this number put Hughes in a good mood; the more magic stones he had, the more advanced knowledge he could purchase.

“But these potions are a bit of a headache,” Hughes mused, gazing at the vials. There were too many to hand over to Lindsay all at once—it would be suicide. He would have to deliver them in batches.

After checking his stock, Hughes put the potions away and began his daily meditation.

The difficulty of his meditation practice exceeded expectations. He had thought, since it took half a month to reach the first-level apprentice, a month should suffice for the second level. Yet, after several months, his progress had only reached eleven spiritual runes—just shy of the twelve required for second-level apprentice. According to his chip’s analysis, it would take at least another month.