Chapter 89: Preparations

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Preparations

"Phew!" Andre casually set up his stall and laid out his Potions for sale.

The moment he brought out the Potions, a huge crowd gathered, surrounding him so completely that no one could get through. They all took out their Magic Stones, eager to buy the Potions Andre had concocted.

"No need to rush. This time, there are other conditions!"

Andre looked at the packed crowd, waved his hand, and then pulled a wooden sign out of his Storage Ring.

The sign listed the names of some materials. This time, Andre was collecting these materials to cultivate the Dragon Transformation Fruit Tree and other rare Magic Plants.

When Andre displayed the wooden sign, the crowd grew even larger. People began taking out Magic Stones and materials they owned to trade with him.

"One at a time! They’re just some basic Potions, is all this really necessary?"

Andre said helplessly, looking at the sea of hands that threatened to swallow him.

’It’s not like there aren’t other Alchemists in the academy.’

Andre conducted his business in an orderly fashion, pausing from time to time to listen to requests for custom Potions.

When it came to these custom orders, Andre accepted all requests from those who had the materials and rejected all those who did not.

He showed no mercy. No matter how much they begged, Andre flatly refused to take the order.

’Illusion Vine Fruit... The last time that material was seen was five years ago, wasn’t it? And Ling Fengye... I think that was three years ago. I can’t possibly take these jobs!’

Andre couldn’t help but inwardly complain as he listened to the list of missing ingredients for certain Potions.

While these materials weren’t as rare as the ones missing for the eight Potions Lian had given him, they still only appeared once every few years.

He didn’t have many of them himself, and the ones he did have were brought back from a Secret Realm. They were all still growing and not yet ready for use.

「And so, after a morning of trading and selling, Andre’s Storage Ring was filled with a pile of Magic Stones and materials.」

After he was done selling, Andre did the same thing as last time. He left the market, found a secluded spot, cast a Transformation Technique on himself, changed his clothes, and after altering his face, returned to the market to start hunting for bargains.

This time, Andre suddenly discovered that there were far more bargains to be found than on his previous two trips.

’Strange, how come there are so many clueless people this time?’

Andre’s heart skipped a beat. He warily examined these hidden gems among the ordinary materials, pushing his Eye of Truth to its limit. Looking at all the potential bargains, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

The people at the market were the same as always, and no one at the academy had recently had a stroke of luck or found a Wizard’s inheritance.

If someone at the academy did have a fortuitous encounter and find a Wizard’s inheritance, their name would spread throughout the academy in no time.

But he hadn’t heard anyone at the market mention anything of the sort, which meant these "bargains" might have been planted intentionally.

’But why would they plant them? Could my bargain hunting the last two times have attracted someone’s attention? Are they trying to bait me?’

’But that’s impossible. I always buy large quantities of similar materials from a few stalls, mixing the real prize in with the rest to get it.’

’This time, though, all these juicy targets are laid out in the open, as if they’re waiting for someone. Could someone be faking them?’

Andre’s mind raced, countless thoughts spinning through it in the blink of an eye.

When the thought of someone faking the items occurred to him, Andre’s heart gave a violent lurch.

He thought he understood what these people were up to.

’Are they really after me? If they are, it must be because my large-scale Potion sales have attracted their attention!’

’But there are plenty of Alchemists in the academy. They sell off their stock and Potions every so often, just like me!’

’I can’t get a read on this. It’s best not to touch anything!’

Andre walked past the various stalls with his head down, stroking the new stubble on his chin.

Soon, Andre had passed a dozen or so stalls. When he reached the end of the row, he turned and headed in another direction.

’These are all Magic Plants, and they’re all real. But whenever someone tries to buy them, the stall owners get extremely impatient with the inquiries.’

’It’s like these guys are waiting for someone specific to arrive.’

Andre changed direction again, melting back into the crowd that milled about the stalls.

’Body-Swapping Grass, Butterfly Flower, Insect Poison Fruit... these are all main ingredients for specific Potions!’

’Could it be Selena and her group again? Are they trying to make a move on me?’

Andre kept walking, cross-referencing the Magic Plants he saw with the records in his mind.

Soon, he had identified the names of all the Magic Plants, and once he knew their names, he knew their uses.

The effects of a Potion brewed from a combination of these Magic Plants were the same as the eight Potions Lian had brought him before.

They all helped a Wizard Apprentice advance to the rank of Official Wizard.

While not as high-end as the ones Lian had, the cost of brewing them was still considerable.

The question was, why would these people display them so openly?

Andre occasionally bent down to chat with a stall owner, buying items that caught his eye.

During this process, he did his best to avoid any contact with those suspicious Magic Plants, so this time he mostly picked out mineral-based materials.

In doing so, Andre ended up wandering through half the market.

Growing a bit tired, Andre found a spot to squat down, chewing on a piece of jerky as he recalled the places he had just passed.

’With these Magic Plants, you could basically brew the entire set of Potions, like the Wisdom Enlightenment Potion and the Illusion Potion.’

’But they’ve deliberately placed these materials on the stalls, one type every few stalls, and even disguised their appearance.’

’Still, any experienced Alchemist would definitely be able to see through the disguise and recognize these Magic Plants.’

’But they aren’t selling them. That basically confirms they’re targeting someone specific.’

Andre didn’t fully assume he was their target.

After all, he had only been to the market a few times, and it had been over a month since his last visit.

Magic Plants require specific conditions for preservation. If these stall owners had been waiting for him, leaving the plants out on their stalls for over a month, the Magic Plants would have rotted long ago.

’Whether they’re waiting for me or not, it’s best to stay away!’

Andre chewed on his jerky, his mind racing. After swallowing a few pieces, he went back into the market and started searching for bargains he could safely pick up.

He wouldn’t go anywhere near those schemers.

「Soon, the sun set and the moon climbed into the sky. Andre returned to the Wizard Inheritance Hall, carrying his haul from the day.」

’Without a Magic Value Space, I need to brew Potions to keep these Magic Plants alive.’

Andre laid out all the equipment needed for brewing, placed a Magic Stone in it, and activated the Witch Array on top to get it running.

At the same time, he flipped through his Potion Book, noting down the Potions that could be used to cultivate Magic Plants, and then began brewing.

’When you get down to it, these Potions are just fertilizer for Magic Plants. If you want to revitalize a Magic Plant, you just have to use more Magic Stones, grind them into powder, and sprinkle it into the soil.’

Andre’s hands didn’t stop moving, nor did his mouth as he complained about the Alchemist predecessors who researched these fertilizer-type Potions.

Fertilizer-type Potions could be summed up in one sentence: use Magic Stones as if they were common soil.

’Then again, there is one benefit: they’re easy to handle and brew!’

Andre took a pile of Magic Stones from his Storage Ring, put them in a pulverizer to break them into chunks, and then moved them to a grinder to mill them into powder.

Finally, he mixed the powder with a Magic Plant solution, creating bottle after bottle of fertilizer Potion that shimmered with an earthy yellow light.

"This’ll have to do." After brewing the Potions, Andre went to the forest that had been utterly destroyed by Seven Rings.

Using the light from a Magic Energy Lamp, he took out the flower pots he had bought at the market from his Storage Ring and began to dig. Thankfully, he had the Earth and Stone Manipulation Talent Witchcraft.

For Andre, digging was ridiculously simple.