Above the mage

Chapter 694 Green's Day

The cold wind from the North carried a chill and a fresh scent of grass and trees that Grin had never smelled before, brushing against his cheeks.

He wore a thick, dark gray fleece cloak that was both warm and not bulky, and strode down from a "wolf" wagon loaded with extraordinary minerals.

A wooden landmark stands by the roadside, with vines entwining it to form the words "Flora Forest" and an arrow pointing into the woods.

There's really no need for road signs. There's such a large forest right there; he's not blind.

After walking for a while, a busy figure in the woods came into Ge Lin's view.

It was a middle-aged man carrying a smooth bamboo tube on his back. The opening of the tube was sealed with burlap, and the pale green liquid inside could be vaguely seen shimmering.

That's diluted plant nutrient solution.

He wore a distinctive uniform with tight cuffs and sewn-on leather wrist guards, which could protect him from scratches by thorns in the forest and also allow for flexible movement.

A wide cloth belt was tied around his waist, with a small, specially made shovel and a wooden tag for recording hanging from it. A simplified, peculiar leaf-shaped logo was embroidered on his chest, clear and easy to read.

At this moment, the man was half-squatting next to a thick tree, tilting the bamboo tube to let the nutrient solution slowly seep into the soil along the tree roots.

He would also occasionally reach out and touch the leaves of the magic tree to check if the leaves were bright in color and if there were any abnormalities in the roots and stems.

Ge Lin immediately recognized that this was a staff member from the Forestry Office.

He didn't rush forward to disturb them, but stood quietly to the side.

After the man finished pouring the nutrient solution from the bamboo tube, Ge Lin quickly stepped forward, a slightly restrained smile on his face, and asked softly, "Hello, could you tell me how to get to the Quantitative Magic Potion Research Institute?"

The man looked up, his gaze sweeping over Green before sliding down to the mark on the left chest of his clothes.

It was a silver school badge, designed as a simple rune symbol.

Below is a line of neat small print: Phoenix First General Education College.

The man recognized the uniform of the First General Education College at a glance.

Because his son also had a similar school uniform, except that it said Phoenix 20 General Education College in small print.

"A student from the First Academy, huh?" The man smiled and nodded, his tone becoming more friendly. He casually asked, "What brings you to the Quantitative Potion Research Institute?"

Ge Lin quickly straightened his back, spoke a little faster, and clearly explained the cause and effect in one breath, afraid of missing any details: "I have completed the training of the mage apprentice stage and passed the academy's mage assessment. According to the regulations, I can apply for a bottle of weak silver star dew to help with the ring upgrade."

However, the academy's teachers said that my cultivation progress was too fast, far exceeding expectations. The potion factory hadn't been established yet, but the quantitative potion research institute definitely had stockpiles, and they told me to come and collect them directly.

Students are like that; they're afraid they won't explain things clearly enough, but in reality, when others ask them questions, it's often just a formality.

But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

This earnestness is truly commendable.

The forestry office staff glanced at Ge Lin, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes.

As a "government" employee, he was fairly well-informed.

Therefore, he knew that the education of monks had only been included in the basic education system for less than half a year. Although the First Academy had actually started the pilot program for monk education much earlier, it had only been a little over a year.

In other words, Gelin in front of us completed all the training of the apprentice mage in just over a year.

If relying on the power of the Iceborn bloodline, this speed is not particularly exaggerated.

But this is self-cultivation.

Although he was an Iceborn mage, he also responded to the call and practiced the "Azure Wood Longevity Scripture".

With the boost from the later stages of the "Secret Transmission of True Ice" skill, it took almost two years to complete the mage apprenticeship.

This Green's cultivation speed is so fast, no wonder the academy wasn't prepared.

Despite his shock, the man was still very decisive and clearly pointed out the direction to Green: "Just follow this path and you'll see the research institute."

It's located on the edge of Flora Forest. It's a two-story log cabin with a roof covered in broadleaf leaves, making it easy to spot. You'll also see forestry officials along the way. If you really can't find it, just ask.

"Thank you so much!" Green quickly clasped his hands in thanks, a grateful smile on his face. He turned and walked briskly in the direction the man pointed, his steps lighter.

To Green's surprise, the quantitative potion research institute was not hard to find, nor was it as magnificent as he had imagined; in fact, it was rather simple and lacked heavy security.

It stands quietly on the edge of Flora Forest, surrounded by a lush patch of magical plants.

It is a two-story log cabin that blends into the surrounding forest, exuding a natural and wild charm.

From afar, you can see the seven large characters woven from vines above the lintel: Quantitative Magic Potion Research Institute.

The font isn't exactly neat, but it complements the natural ambiance of the research institute.

Although there were quite a few people coming and going from the research institute, most of them were staff members wearing green robes, and they all looked like "ordinary people"—lacking the majesty and gloom of a sorcerer.

Their faces either held focused expressions or seemed lost in thought, oblivious to everything else.

Ge Lin even witnessed a man in his thirties with stubble, who was staring intently at the manuscript in his hand as he left the house. His attention was completely focused on the manuscript, and he didn't notice the threshold at the door. He stumbled and almost fell, but luckily he managed to grab the door frame in time. Even seeing this relatively relaxed atmosphere, Ge Lin's tension did not dissipate, and he rubbed his hands together nervously.

He stood at the door for a moment, taking a few deep breaths, trying to figure out how to ask the guards what was going on, when the guard on the watchtower noticed him first and called out, "Hey, what brings a student from the First Academy here? Is there something you need?"

Ge Lin panicked and quickly stepped forward, frantically rummaging through his clothes.

With great difficulty, he pulled out an application form stamped with the seal of Phoenix First General Education College, his voice tinged with barely perceptible nervousness: "It's... it was Professor Damon who sent me to the Quantitative Medicine Research Institute to pick up the medicine. This is the application form."

The guard came down from the watchtower and took the application.

After carefully reviewing the application and confirming that the seal was correct and the application content met the requirements, he smiled gently and said in a softer tone, "Don't be nervous, come with me, I'll take you to see Director Leni."

Green nodded quickly and followed closely behind the guard into the quantitative potion research institute.

A faint scent of herbs and trees, along with a subtle aroma of potions, wafted towards him, a refreshing and pleasant contrast to the pungent smell of medicine he had imagined.

Upon entering the research institute, Green was immediately captivated by the scene before him.

The layout here is meticulous and orderly, with wide aisles between the workbenches, enough for two people to walk side by side.

Several staff members were working intently.

Some held enchanted sticks, meticulously grinding enchanted plant powder in ice crystal mortars, their movements even and powerful; others stared intently at the transparent crystal inside the reaction vessel lid, observing the internal magical element reactions, while simultaneously using charcoal pencils to rapidly record data on the stone slab…

The guard led Green through the busy crafting area and up the wooden stairs to the second floor.

The atmosphere on the second floor was quieter than on the first floor.

Reaching the end of the corridor, the guard gently knocked on the door of a room: "Director Leni, are you busy? A student from the First Academy is looking for you."

"Come in." A clear voice came from inside the house.

The guard pushed open the door and gestured for Green to go in.

Green took a deep breath and stepped into the room, where he immediately saw the girl sitting at the worktable.

She was petite, wearing a light green robe, and her light brown hair was neatly tied back with a thin ribbon.

Her hair was meticulously combed, and the stray hairs on her forehead were carefully tucked behind her ears, giving her a youthful face.

Green was quite surprised.

He never expected that the director of the quantitative magic potion research institute would be a woman who looked only a few years older than him.

For some reason, he suddenly became even more nervous, his face flushed red, and he gripped the hem of his clothes tightly with both hands. He stammered, "Director Leni, I... I am Green from Phoenix First General Education Academy. I have completed my apprenticeship as a mage and passed the assessment. Teacher Damon asked me to come here to collect a bottle of weak Silver Star Dew. This... this is the application letter."

As he spoke, he handed over the application again, not daring to look directly at Leni.

Leni looked up, her gaze falling on Green, then quickly sweeping over the application in his hand. Her face was devoid of any airs, instead displaying a gentle demeanor.

She took the application form, read it carefully, and after confirming that it was correct, nodded slightly and said decisively, "Okay, I understand. I'll take you to pick it up."

With that, Leni stood up, straightened her robe, and headed downstairs first.

Green quickly followed, his tension easing slightly.

This young director doesn't seem as unapproachable as I initially imagined.

As they were going downstairs, Leni casually reminded her, "Are you sure you want to get an IUD so soon?"

Normally, in order to awaken a more powerful feat, most mages will stay in the mage apprenticeship for a longer period of time, accumulating more experience.

Ge Lin was taken aback by her sudden concern and quickly explained, "The teachers at the academy taught us about this. However, I do have Iceborn blood, but it's extremely weak, so weak that I can't even break through to the first level with it."

"But at least it gave me the ability to manipulate magic power early on, and I mastered a lot of tricks before I started practicing on my own."

As he spoke, he secretly glanced up and quickly looked at Leni's profile. Seeing that she was listening attentively, he quickly lowered his head guiltily and continued, "Then, I filled in the gaps in my knowledge this year and mastered several more magic tricks, which should be enough."

Upon hearing this, Leni gave a soft "Oh," only then remembering that the people of the North differed from ordinary people in this way.

The power of the Iceborn bloodline allows the people of the North to automatically master many spells after awakening their Iceborn bloodline.

This innate advantage is actually a double-edged sword, with both advantages and disadvantages.

The advantages are self-evident, but as for the disadvantages... they are fully demonstrated in Green's case.

In terms of the Iceborn Mage class alone, Grin's talent is actually extremely poor.

His Iceborn bloodline was too weak, so weak that it could only keep him at the level of a mage apprentice.

Unless one obtains enough ice marrow to enhance their bloodline power, it is impossible to break through to the first level using bloodline power alone.

But the truth is that his talent as a mage is not only not bad, but also exceptionally outstanding, even astonishing.

Even with the guidance of the "Secret Transmission of Zhenbing" for a complete master apprentice, it only takes a year to complete the entire master apprentice stage of cultivation, and one can also learn several magic tricks along the way.

Within the universal mage system, this is the absolute top-tier mage talent.

He is the kind of top talent that people would vigorously cultivate once they know about him.

But if His Highness hadn't come to the North and implemented universal mage education, Grin's top-tier mage talent would have been wasted and buried.

The two went down to the first floor, passed through the busy experimental area, and arrived at the back of the main building of the quantitative magic potion research institute. There, in addition to fields of magic plants, there was a small building.

Leni went to the wooden door, inserted the key, and with a soft "click," the door opened.

A faint chill, mixed with the refreshing scent of herbs and magic potions, wafted over.

This is the warehouse of the Quantitative Magic Potion Research Institute.

Leni went in first, followed closely by Green.

Upon entering, he was immediately stunned by the sight before him.

The potions here... are practically free.

The warehouse is spacious and clean, with tall log shelves neatly arranged all around.

All the potions were contained in crystal-clear ice bottles, which gleamed with a cool luster. Each ice bottle was precisely placed into a uniformly sized ice box.

These ice boxes are neatly and orderly stacked on the shelves, stretching as far as the eye can see, exuding a sense of rigorous orderliness.

To Green's great surprise, every crystal vial containing the potion had a uniform label engraved on it.

The label is neatly written and clearly indicates three items: the name of the medicine, the production date, and the shelf life.

In the lower right corner of the label, there is a simple logo: a slender vine gently entwines a miniature ice crystal bottle, with the words "Northern Medicine" engraved on the bottle.

In the academy, he had heard his teachers explain a lot about the outside world and the basics of potions. He had even seen some potions that had been brought in from the outside world. But he had never seen such neat packaging and labels.

Green knew perfectly well that potions from the outside world would never do this.

In particular, the production date and shelf life were completely unheard of and unseen by him.

He vaguely remembered his teacher saying that traditional potions were all carefully prepared by potion masters.

Not only does it require a great deal of effort and time, but the success rate is also not high.

Therefore, the production of magic potions is very limited, and they are in a state of supply falling short of demand year after year.

In addition, to ensure that the potency of the potion is minimized, traditional potions are packaged using the highest quality materials.

In this way, the shelf life of the potion will also be extended accordingly.

More importantly, most people who buy potions do so because they have an urgent need for them.

Once purchased, they are usually used immediately and rarely stored away.

Therefore, the issue of shelf life has never been something that traditional potion makers need to pay special attention to, or even have marked on labels.

What they care more about is the potency and effects of the magic potion.

Green stood there, his eyes fixed on the label on the ice crystal bottle, his gaze filled with astonishment.

Leni stood beside him, taking in the surprise in his eyes. A faint smile appeared on her face, and she explained in a gentle and unpretentious tone, "This is His Highness's request. He said that the weak potions refined by our research institute are, in a strict sense, industrial mass-produced products. They are mass-produced and must be manufactured with a standardized approach."

"Although a dedicated potion factory has not yet been built, and our quantitative potion research institute is still in its infancy with insufficient manpower and equipment, we must establish standardized processes and ideas from the very beginning."

"This includes the uniform packaging and labeling practices."

"Although at first I thought it was a bit troublesome and tedious, requiring extra time to carve labels and organize ice boxes, I don't know why..."

'

Leni looked around at Berkut, a hint of barely perceptible joy in her voice. "Seeing these bottles neatly arranged together, with uniform labels, just feels so comforting..."

'

That's absolutely right... Green couldn't agree more.