Wizards: Starting with Synthetic Gems

Chapter 108 Applying for a Personal Pharmacy

Locke and Yuri Burns had a meal in the Witch's Kitchen, which Yuri paid for and cost her five magic stones.

After finishing the meal, Locke said, "I didn't expect the food in the Witch's Kitchen to be so good; the culinary skills far surpass those of ordinary people."

"Thank you, Manager Yuri, for treating me to dinner."

Yuri Burns let out a hoarse laugh, stirring the magical dessert with her fork. "You're welcome. You're my benefactor; thanks to you, Lady Irina didn't fire me."

"Don't even mention treating you to a meal, I could treat you to meals every day without a problem. The Witch's Kitchen is a shop run by enchanting witches. It uses a lot of enchanting magic and innovatively harmonizes human tastes with enchanting spells. Therefore, the food here is something that ordinary chefs could never make."

"Take this mango dessert for example. Putting aside the cooking skills themselves, the 0.1 ring magic model [Sweet and Honey] applied to it alone makes this dish unforgettable, increasing its sweetness and aftertaste."

Yuri pointed to the kitchen, which was bustling with activity. "Otherwise, no wizard would spend magic stones just to eat a meal prepared by these witches."

“Those witch apprentices in the kitchen are also called ‘seasoners,’” Yuri said. “Some of the foods made by seasoners are even addictive, so you should be careful and avoid these dishes on the recipes, as they have the characteristic of being chronically addictive.”

Yuri seemed to have been tricked, gritting her teeth as she said, "It's incredibly insidious. Once you're addicted, you'll have to buy a special antidote to cure it."

As the potion master's assistant, Locke automatically considered several ways to deal with this situation. "The narcissus antidote should be able to handle this situation, but its detoxification ability is too weak. The most cost-effective way to remove the spell poison from the enchanting school is the birch tree purification potion."

"Birch tree purification potion can depolarize and is specifically used to remove status-altering spells from the Enchanting school."

Yuri paused for a moment, then looked at the potion master assistant badge on Locke's chest. "As expected of a potion master assistant, knowing the business really saves a lot of money."

"Birch tree purification potion, that cheap stuff, almost 1 magic stone a bottle, only a little more expensive than daffodil detox water. I was terrified at the time, so I just bought a bottle of bear spirit bile detox potion."

Locke shook his head. "That's unnecessary."

"Alright. I've got everything sorted out regarding the group purchase." Locke stood up. "Thank you, Manager Yuri, for informing me of the relevant information in advance, allowing me to prepare accordingly."

It turns out that to be included in centralized procurement, you still have to go through procedures and prove how your product has passed the ethical review mechanism of the White Wizard Association.

Manager Yuri, you must be especially careful about the slave ingredients you use.

After all, there have been instances in the past where the use of human slaves, and the identity of one of those human slaves being questionable, led to failures in the academy's centralized procurement process.

Locke could have prepared in advance, as evidenced by this.

Yuri seemed very confident that the Crystal Palm Fire Lotus would be selected for the academy's final selection. She raised her teacup and said, "I wish Locke all the best in getting your work selected for the academy's final selection."

"Based on my experience, there's no reason why your work shouldn't be included in the academy's final selection."

Locke greeted her and then left the witch's kitchen.

After leaving the Chimera Market, Locke went directly to the office of the Witch Sophia, because he needed to formally apply to the academy's higher-ups for a personal medicine room through her.

In Sophia's office, the witch Sophia put down a magic book in her hand, looked at Locke strangely, and said, "You have a relationship with Wizard Ulion Richie? Recently he suddenly spoke up for you and expedited the review of your advanced meditation method with me."

Locke explained to the witch Sophia, "It's like this, teacher. Wizard Ulrion Rich asked me to tutor his grandson in potions."

"Because it happened so suddenly, I didn't have time to tell the teacher."

Sophia the Witch gave a knowing look. "He's Richie's grandson. He's certainly suffered a lot, and he's not very talented. If he were an ordinary person, it wouldn't matter, but as the only bloodline of a first-ring wizard, he's destined to live under the gaze of many people." "He will live a happier life than most, but at the same time, he will face many more difficulties in other aspects."

Sophia the Witch said, "I have no problem with you tutoring him. His grandson is one of the most important interests of Wizard Ulion Richie. As long as you can get along well with his grandson, you will have another powerful backer in this academy."

"You want to open a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility?"

“It’s true that a potion master’s assistant can open their own personal potion-making room, but the initial investment is quite large, as you should know.” The witch Sophia crossed her arms, leaned back in her chair, and looked at Locke. “Personal potion-making rooms have strict staffing requirements.”

"To pass the review, you must have at least one Potions Assistant Certificate, three Third-Class Wizard Apprentices, and at least one Second-Class Wizard Apprentice."

"Furthermore, there are various supporting equipment and basic process standards. The initial investment in these areas is not a small amount."

Sophia hesitated for a moment, then said, "Even if I lend you my three students, you will still have to hire a second-class wizard apprentice yourself."

"New potion master assistants often do not have unique potion formulas that can generate huge profits to maintain their own personal potion room."

"If you're helping others concoct potions, you don't need your own potion-making lab at all. You can just provide one person and rent a set of equipment, and that's it."

Sophia the Witch reminded Locke, "The main reason that first-class wizard apprentices apply for personal potion-making labs is simply to gain the qualification to sell exclusive potions to potion shops and academies in large quantities."

"The academy's review of potions is quite strict. Potions apprentices have mastered too much professional knowledge, enough to fool some wizards who don't know much about potions, such as wizard apprentices from other wizarding organizations, such as those from the Evocation, Transmutation, and Alchemy schools."

Locke understood that the White Wizard Association did indeed have strict audits of the medicine-making room.

Because in the past, there have been many disgusting incidents where the pharmacy sold counterfeit medicines or used prohibited materials forbidden by the White Wizarding Association to concoct potions, leading to various tragedies.

It can be said that without special restrictions, one-third of the chimera circulating in the market would be counterfeit, one-third would be substandard agents made with cheap and problematic materials, and the remaining one-third would likely have other issues.

Even now, similar things are still happening in hidden corners.

Therefore, the academy's higher-ups must have strict oversight of the sources of large quantities of potions—the pharmacy and the potion shop.

Even now, there are numerous cases of potion shops collaborating with pharmacy labs to openly sell substandard or problematic potions.

However, as a potion master, Locke usually avoids potion shops with traces of inferior potions in the Chimera Market.

The White Wizarding Association and the academy's higher-ups are even more stringent in their review of the pharmacy than the Botanical Garden.

After all, for Lilith's Hut, potions were more important than magical plants.

In the southeastern region, the Four Seasons Garden is the most powerful in breeding and botanical magic; for more niche and less common magical plants, such as ice-type magical plants, the Holly Tower is the most powerful; and for heat-type magical plants, the Summer Academy is the most proficient.

The most powerful magic in Lilith's Hut is potion-making.

In this respect, it can even be compared with the top wizarding organization in the southeastern corner region, the University of Verdandia.

Locke placed a memory ointment in front of the witch Sophia. "Teacher, what do you think of this potion?"

"I was lucky. When I was preparing the Concentration Ointment, I suddenly thought of using maidenhair fern spores and water elemental magic flames, and extracting them at low temperature. This would increase the potency of the Concentration Ointment, and that's how I prepared it."

(End of this chapter)