Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 102 Memory Ointment
Locke considered the matter carefully, weighing the pros and cons, before tentatively asking, "Wizard Ulrion Richie, can I tutor your grandson?"

"I cannot guarantee that I can lead him into the field of potions."

"But I will teach him seriously."

Wizard Ulrion Rich gave a satisfied smile. "Of course, no one can guarantee that someone else will become a potion master's assistant, otherwise there wouldn't be so many first-class wizard apprentices, spending decades just to obtain that certificate."

"That's common sense."

Wizard Ulrion Rich stood up and nodded slightly to Locke. “I owe you a favor for this. As for how you will repay this favor, I suggest you come to me to repay it when you are about to break through to become a formal wizard.”

"When breaking through, it is very likely that more Advancement Potions will be needed. However, Advancement Potions are very precious, and the White Wizard Association has strict review procedures for them. From legitimate channels, a wizard can generally only obtain one or two Advancement Potions."

“I have a… breakthrough potion, originally intended for my grandson,” Wizard Ulrion Richie sighed. “But it seems I won’t need it now.”

"I'm just happy that he's alive and well."

"Due to confidentiality agreements, I cannot reveal the name of that potion."

When Locke saw Wizard Ulrion Richie stand up, he stood up as well, after all, it would be foolish to maintain a certain status in front of a formal wizard.

Even if the other party happens to need your help in some way.

Conversely, by tutoring his grandson, he could gain the friendship of this formal wizard.

Locke greeted Wizard Ulrion Richie and saw him and his grandson out before closing the door. “This is quite an unexpected surprise,” he said.

“I’m about to obtain the Advanced Meditation Technique, and I might even get a potion for advancement.” Locke pondered, “But why can’t I even tell anyone the name of that potion?”

"If it were just that the potions were very precious, it wouldn't have gone to this extent. As a potion master's assistant, I've learned a whole bunch of potion names from Professor Sophia that ordinary first-class wizard apprentices wouldn't know. Aren't all those potions extremely precious?"

"There must be some other reason for blocking the news."

Locke stopped thinking about it. "Never mind, some things I'll naturally come into contact with once I reach a certain level. Teacher Sophia will tell me about them then."

"I don't know now, it's just because I'm not qualified enough to access that knowledge."

Locke sat on the sofa and began synthesizing the Concentration Ointment with renewed enthusiasm.

……

After Wizard Urian Richie left Locke's residence with Calvin Richie, on the way, Wizard Urian Richie asked Calvin with a smile, "What did you think of that tutor? Did you like him?"

Kaven looked up and said, "Hmm, Professor Locke has a very unique demeanor. I rarely see a first-class wizard apprentice who can remain so calm in front of Grandpa."

"I like him very much."

"I'm just worried... I won't be able to learn it. I'm not very talented, and my health isn't good either."

A pang of heartache crossed Wizard Urian's eyes. He gently patted the boy's forehead and whispered comfortingly, "It's alright if you don't learn it. I just asked him to give it a try." "But just attending his tutoring sessions will be very beneficial for you," Wizard Urian smiled. "I have high hopes for his future, although most people probably aren't as perceptive as I am now. If you truly regard him as your teacher, perhaps in the future, he can also protect you."

“This is one of the safeguards that Grandpa found for you,” Urian said with a smile. “It’s a kind of exchange of benefits.”

“I mentor young talents, and these young talents will be able to develop a good relationship with you.”

Kaven nodded. "Yes, Grandpa, I will listen to what Teacher Locke says."

……

Half a month later, Locke synthesized a level 7 Concentration Ointment. The synthesis recipe was to use three level 6 Concentration Ointments to create a level 7 item.

However, this is not a special synthetic formula, so apart from a slight increase in efficacy, the other effects are not very noticeable.

During this time, Locke attempted to synthesize two level 6 Concentration Ointments and a bottle of the cheapest Concentration Incense bought from a level 6 Chimera shop, and surprisingly, a special synthesis recipe appeared.

Locke was in his room, staring at the ointment in front of him, lost in thought. The ointment was originally blue and white, but now it had turned blue and silver.

The color difference wasn't significant, but as a potion master's assistant, Locke still keenly noticed the change in color.

The Concentration Fragrance is just one of the simplest potions for increasing mental power, but after Locke synthesized it to level 6 and combined it with two Concentration Ointments, the [Memory Ointment] before him appeared.

Based on the original Concentration Ointment formula, 5 grams of amber and 30 grams of maidenhair fern spores were added. Using the water elemental magic flame's 'low-temperature cold extraction' for thirty minutes, the heat-sensitive special magical structural components in the maidenhair fern spores were extracted separately and added to the original Concentration Ointment to form a new ointment.

This ointment has all the effects of the concentration ointment, and within four hours of applying the ointment to the temples, attention and memory will increase by 50%.

Note: Because maidenhair fern spores contain moderate toxins, the potion master used earth elemental magic flames to boil them for twenty minutes at the end of the refining process to reduce the toxicity to a slightly toxic level. For external use only; do not ingest.

Locke's eyes changed slightly. This special synthesis formula had actually created a new potion formula, and it even explained the instructions for using the magical flame, the timing and heat, as well as the ingredients of the formula.

As a potion maker's assistant, I could easily concoct a memory ointment based on this recipe.

Locke quickly recalled various potion recipes and confirmed that the memory ointment should be a completely new recipe. Furthermore, Lilith's Hut should not have a similar recipe for increasing short-term memory, at least not among non-magic potion types.

Locke's heart skipped a beat. This meant that if he opened a pharmaceutical shop, he could survive just by selling memory ointment.

In the past, among wizard apprentices, the higher the talent level, the faster the learning speed.

Most potions rarely directly increase memory, so even if one can catch up with high-talent wizard apprentices in meditation speed by accumulating resources, there's still not much that can be done to improve learning speed.

Learning speed is closely related to memory ability.

If Locke had had the memory ointment that boosted his memory by 50%, it would have been even easier for him to pass the exams for the potion master assistant and the breeder assistant, as his theoretical foundation would have been more solid.

Therefore, Locke deduced that Lilith's Hut, as well as the wizard apprentices in other wizarding organizations, would definitely have a large demand for memory ointment.

(End of this chapter)