Above the mage

Chapter 11 Phil's Potion Shop

The term "genius" is not unfamiliar to Gao De; from childhood to adulthood, everyone around him has praised him in this way.

But his genius lies in mathematics, which seems to have little significance in the world of magic.

His past as a genius in the field of potion-making is what is truly useful now.

The basic spider venom potion can be bought by the mage Sedar for 2 gold per set (3 small bottles).

This is based on the premise that Master Seda has a certain level of strength and can reliably deliver goods.

It's obviously impossible to get this price by shipping on a small scale, but it won't be much lower either. The advantage is that it's pure profit with no costs.

"What a pity," Gao De couldn't help but sigh.

Besides his outstanding talent in potion-making, his predecessor was also much more intelligent than the average person when it came to scheming.

Gaode is not the only one who remains clear-headed in this environment.

The person who came before was also like that.

Like Gao De, he was unwilling to passively wait for his predetermined fate to arrive, but instead tried to change his destiny.

He began preparing early on to escape his predicament and miraculously found a breakthrough with his talent.

—With enough money, it's not impossible to find a way to crack the tracking marks.

Unfortunately, before he could save enough money, he was chosen by Master Seda to be a test subject for the medicine.

Always stay with me.

If given more time, he might actually have created a miracle of his own.

"Now that I've been given a second chance, I'm sure I'll succeed this time."

With the savings left by their predecessor, the newly acquired right to freely enter and leave the herb garden, and the "Wind Spirit Moon Shadow," that originally faint hope finally began to appear faintly.

After having the standard dinner of rye bread and pea soup, Gao De and Amy left the herb garden before it got dark, carrying a full package.

The package contained five sets of basic spider venom potions, which he was going to deliver to the potion shop in the city.

This job, which originally belonged to Ilan, was handed over to him after he stabbed Ilan to death.

Because of the tracking mark, Master Seda was not worried about his apprentices escaping. Under normal circumstances, he did not restrict the apprentices' range of activities. At the same time, to save trouble, Master Seda had entrusted the task of shipping the potions to Ilan with peace of mind.

Of course, the price was negotiated by Master Seda himself, and Ilan was only responsible for delivery.

The herb garden of the monk Seda is located on the outskirts of Hogan.

The establishment of a medicinal herb garden requires a large and fertile area of ​​land.

As a potion master, Sedda has many ways to make money, but his expenses are also enormous, so he can't be extravagant.

Therefore, even in a place like Hogan City, which was equivalent to an unknown small county town in his previous life, Master Seda could only choose to locate his medicine garden in the suburbs where land prices were cheaper.

The place Gaode wanted to go was the commercial district of Hogan City.

In most cases, a city's commercial district is located in the best part of the city.

Hogan City is no exception.

Its commercial district is located in the very center of the city.

Even though Hogan City isn't very large, the location of the herb garden is indeed remote.

It takes about an hour to walk from the medicinal herb garden to the commercial area.

The round trip takes only two hours.

Before crossing this distance, Gaode Maps offers many modes of transportation.

Subway, bus, and even taxi.

The only thing they wouldn't consider is walking.

But here, he only has one means of transportation—his own two legs.

Although carriages still exist as a mode of transportation in this world, the problem is that carriage rentals start at 2 silver coins per hour, and then an additional 6 copper coins are charged for every 5 minutes thereafter.

At this price, only the monk Seda is qualified to ride, and it has nothing to do with them, the junior apprentices.

The first impression Gaode had of Hogan City could be summed up in three words: it was too run-down.

Along the way, the roads twisted and turned, with almost no planning whatsoever, and most of them were also very narrow.

Because of the rain a couple of days ago, many sections of the road were flooded with dirty water, and litter was everywhere.

A sense of confinement and crowding washes over you.

Along the way, most of the pedestrians I encountered were in a hurry, as if they had something urgent to attend to.

Gao De knew that most of these pedestrians were factory workers in the city. They had to get home before dark, finish their chores as quickly as possible, and go to bed to rest, so as to save as much money as possible on kerosene.

As you enter the slums on the outskirts of Hogan, the stench in the air grows ever stronger. Along the roadside, you can see many ragged, unemployed people doing temporary work, as well as homeless beggars.

Gao De and Amy are also from here.

It's chaotic and poor here, and there are a lot of people.

There are also many thieves.

Gao De subconsciously tightened his grip on the package's strap, bent slightly, quickened his pace, and, led by Amy, lowered his head as he walked through the chaotic street.

Although he could barely be considered a mage apprentice and had mastered two magic tricks, neither of them had any destructive power and were mainly functional. Coupled with his not-so-strong physique, Gao De had to proceed with caution.

This is why Gaode brought Amy along on this trip.

All his predecessor left him was knowledge; his current situation is equivalent to that of someone with amnesia.

In other words, he doesn't know the way.

As they continued on their way, and the stench in the air gradually faded and the houses on both sides became much brighter, Gao De straightened his back and looked straight ahead.

They are now in the working-class residential area of ​​Hogan City; crossing this area will take them to the commercial district.

After walking for about twenty more minutes, Gaode finally arrived at the commercial area before dark.

The commercial district of Hogan City is very bustling, and as it was getting dark, the streetlights on both sides of the road were already on.

The streetlights here are all magic crystal lamps, powered by a strange crystal called magic crystal, which are much brighter than kerosene lamps.

In the same city, only thirty or forty minutes apart, one side is reluctant to turn on the lights at night to save a little money on kerosene, while the other side has more expensive magic crystal lamps that are lit all night long.

It was as if they were from two different worlds.

The streets in the commercial area are very wide and clean.

The upscale restaurants lining both sides of the road wafted out various tempting aromas.

As they passed by a bakery called "Panter Bakery," the sweet aroma wafting from the freshly baked pastries and biscuits made Gao De and Amy, who had been eating rye bread all day, instinctively swallow.

However, the price list outside the bakery made them simply walk past without glancing at it—the cheapest maple syrup cake cost 6 copper coins for a small portion.

The pedestrians on the street were all dressed in elegant clothes, but the men's clothing was very monotonous in color, mainly brown and black, while the ladies' and young women's dresses were much more colorful, with different colors and gorgeous decorations.

Amy bent down slightly again, lowered her head, and quickened her pace, just as she had done in the slums.

But it's different.

Gao De, however, looked around with great interest, taking in the exotic scenery that he had never seen in his previous life.

Following the house number, Amy led Gaode to their destination.

"Phil's Potion Shop".

A medium-sized shop that occupies the addresses 18, 19, and 20 on this street has a large signboard, and there is also a water signboard at the entrance.

"Phil's Potion Shop is calling for diligent herb gatherers."

"The harvest season for thorn grass is approaching. Since this grass grows high in the mountains, the harvesting period is extremely short and the demand is high. We urgently need to hire 5-10 temporary herb gatherers who are physically strong and hardworking."

"This job requires going out into the mountains and sleeping outdoors, and you must follow the instructions of the pharmacist at this store."

"Payment will be based on the quantity and quality of the collected items. We will provide necessary outdoor equipment and food."

"Those interested are welcome to come to our store for an in-person meeting as soon as possible."

"."

It's a job posting for a general laborer.

Thorn grass, a herb with small thorns on its surface, is used to restore physical strength. After being dried, thorn grass is often used as an adjunct in the preparation of physical strength restoration medicines.

Stamina recovery potions are among the best-selling low-tier potions, so when thorn grass matures, pharmacies usually collect it in large quantities, then dry and preserve it to ensure a stable supply throughout the year.

Herbal knowledge about thorn grass flashed through Gao De's mind.

He looked away from the signboard and strode into Phil's Potions Shop.

This is the supplier that Master Seda negotiated.

Because the specific details had already been agreed upon, and this wasn't the first time they had cooperated, plus Gaode was only responsible for delivery, the transaction was completed very smoothly.

He entered the shop, identified himself and explained his purpose, handed five sets of basic spider venom potions to the shop assistant, and received a "receipt" stamped with Phil's Potion Shop's seal, thus completing his mission.

—The money does not pass through Gaode's hands. Every once in a while, Master Saida will come to collect the payment himself with a "receipt".

"Gold?" After leaving Phil's Potions Shop, Amy saw Gold looking around as if searching for something.

Gao De came to his senses.

The basic spider venom potion belonging to the mage Seda had already been sold, but his own set of basic spider venom potions remained quietly in his inventory.

Gao De didn't remember where his predecessor had sold these medicines, but that wasn't a big problem; he could open up a new channel.

"Amy, I want to wander around a bit more. You should go back first," he said, turning to Amy.

Amy was taken aback, then instinctively said, "It's so late already, there aren't any magic lamps in the slums."

Gao De thought about it again and realized that it made sense. This world was different from his previous life. Public security could not be guaranteed, especially in places like slums. It was safer to travel in groups.

He took six copper coins out of his pocket and stuffed them into Amy's hand. "Wait for me at the entrance of Pande Bakery. I'll come find you after I'm done shopping, and then we'll go back together."

"Gordon." Amy wasn't surprised that Gordon had money. Instead, she advised, "Now that Mage Seda's potion has been successful, we should be able to live a peaceful life. You are the most talented among us, and you will definitely be valued by Mage Seda."

"Are you sure?" Gao De wasn't surprised that Amy knew anything, but simply asked in return.

After all, they lived under the same roof, it would be strange if Amy knew nothing.

"I guess so," Amy stammered, sounding quite guilty.

Clearly, he knew what kind of person Master Seda was, but he was deceiving himself subconsciously.

"I've already offended Master Seda by killing Ilan. Besides, things can't get any worse, can they?" God said, then turned and left. "I'll be back for you soon."

(End of this chapter)