Fat Wus pulled a black wooden box from the shelf behind him and placed it on the table, then dug out a piece of parchment from under the counter. It looked quite old, with several corners frayed and torn.
"One Stamina Potion formula — one Magic Stone!"
"One set of raw materials, enough to refine ten batches — one Magic Stone!"
Leilin opened the black box. Inside were ten blood-red fruits arranged neatly, their surfaces covered in hairline cracks. Beside them lay a green plant root and a small bottle of black powder.
He put the box away, then picked up the parchment. On the pale yellow surface, black ink detailed various formulas and notes. Though the handwriting was somewhat faded, it was mostly legible.
Leilin nodded, tucked the parchment into his robe, and handed over the last two Magic Stones from the pouch at his waist to Wus. Without a glance back, he left the wooden hut.
He'd only had four Magic Stones to begin with. Just a small purchase of materials, and he was completely broke. The terrifying cost of Potionology was truly more than ordinary people could bear.
After that, Leilin's life fell back into its previous routine — the same few points connected by a line.
Every day he shuttled between the dormitory, dining hall, teaching building, laboratory, and library.
More than a month slipped by before he even noticed.
"Data collection complete!" the Chip's prompt sounded.
Sitting at a long table in the library, Leilin closed the book in his hands.
Aside from attending lectures and assisting his mentor with experiments, most of Leilin's time had been spent in the library. He'd read through nearly all the free materials, building up the Chip's knowledge base.
"Phew… I've finally digested the potion formulas!" Leilin let out a long breath.
Guofate had passed on his knowledge of Elementary Potionology to Leilin, but much of it was beyond his comprehension. There were specialized terms, vocabulary, and concepts he had to look up in the library on his own. Asking the mentor for explanations would have cost money, and Leilin was already a pauper without a single Magic Stone to his name.
Consulting free materials in the library was the common practice among apprentices who were short on funds, but without Leilin's Chip, searching through the mountain of books for the information they needed typically took ten days or even a full month.
As for Leilin, by now he had recorded virtually every readable book in the library, building a searchable index. From now on, whenever he ran into a problem, the Chip could look it up directly.
But Elementary Potionology truly lived up to its reputation as advanced paid knowledge. Even with the Chip constantly analyzing it, Leilin had only managed to understand about a third. Yet even that one-third was enormously helpful.
At the very least, when he now revisited the fundamentals of Potionology, he had the feeling of standing on high ground looking down.
And the Stamina Potion formula — a basic potion — had been completely decoded. He could now attempt to actually make it.
"My knowledge base is sufficient. Tonight, I'll begin crafting the Stamina Potion!"
Leilin returned the book to the wooden shelf and left the library.
A female apprentice with long brown hair nearby glanced up at him, then refocused her attention on the dark book in her hands.
The library was filled with apprentices, yet everyone followed the rules and kept the noise down. It was an ideal place for reading — one of Leilin's favorite spots.
"Hey! Leilin!"
As he stepped outside, an apprentice greeted him. Leilin looked up. "Good day, Kreweir!"
Kreweir was wearing the apprentice's grey robe, and much of his former arrogance had faded. "Congratulations on becoming a First-rank Apprentice!"
"Thank you — congratulations to you as well!" Leilin replied with a smile.
Through his sensing, he could tell that Kreweir had also become a First-rank Apprentice.
"Everyone in our circle has made First-rank Apprentice!" Kreweir put heavy emphasis on the opening words, clearly glossing over Gulicha and the others.
"We've taken on a few missions recently. Interested in joining?" Kreweir asked.
It was clear he was working hard to hold the old group together.
"Go on missions now?" Leilin frowned. "From what I know, the area around the Academy is very dangerous — especially for First-rank Apprentices who can't even cast a spell…"
"Can't be helped. Everything here costs money, and they only take Magic Stones! The ones we brought are all spent!" Kreweir smiled bitterly.
"You want to become an Apothecary — that requires a huge investment in resources…"
"I'll consider taking on missions after I reach Second-rank Apprentice. Be careful out there!" Leilin still declined. The rewards from completing missions were tempting, but you had to be alive to enjoy them.
"Fine! I heard you've been giving lessons to earn Magic Stones. Could you teach us too, at your old rate?"
When Kreweir heard that Leilin wouldn't go, a flicker of disappointment crossed his face. He asked another question.
"Of course — I'd be happy to. And I can even give you a discount!" Leilin smiled. Mutual benefit had always been the code of conduct among wizards.
After they settled on the time and place for the lessons, Kreweir finally took his leave.
Watching his retreating figure, Leilin's eyes glinted for a moment. "Still trying to recruit people? What a pity — Kreweir still doesn't get it. In the wizard world, personal strength is what matters most!"
He shook his head and headed back to the dormitory.
Black Bone Forest Academy's dormitories provided each apprentice with their own private room — both confidentiality and security were taken care of.
Leilin locked the door, hung up the "Do Not Disturb" sign, and then stepped into the room adjacent to his bedroom.