Quality Improvement

"Do you have any refreshing potions?" Chen Chuan pointed to a bottle of pale blue potion on the counter.

He touched the glass bottle with his fingertip, feeling the slight chill of the liquid inside. "I'd like to know the price."

Aikte followed his gaze. His hands paused slightly, and a barely perceptible flicker of surprise crossed his eyes. "Refreshing potions? Reserve-level apprentices rarely need them, and they aren't cheap."

"I want to study one. If nothing else, I'll splurge and use it." Chen Chuan explained without betraying anything, though his gaze remained fixed on Aikte's expression. "How much per bottle?"

"Fifteen elementary magic stones." Aikte's answer was brief, his voice somewhat dry. "It's designed to keep your mind alert during long periods of meditation. It's three times as effective as an ordinary spirit recovery potion."

Chen Chuan raised an eyebrow. It certainly wasn't cheap. He noticed that Aikte's brow had furrowed involuntarily at the mention of the refreshing potion, his expression growing subtly different as his fingers tapped unconsciously against the edge of the counter.

"Does this potion sell well?" Chen Chuan asked tentatively, keeping his voice even steadier.

"Well enough. It mainly works on reserve apprentices. It's basically useless for third-rank apprentices and above," Aikte answered casually, but his gaze flickered, and he didn't dare meet Chen Chuan's eyes. "Are you interested?"

"Just curious," Chen Chuan replied calmly, without a hint of change in his tone. "My mind has been wandering during meditation lately, so I wanted to find something to help."

Aikte fell silent for a moment, seemingly weighing something, before finally taking a small bottle from under the counter. "If you're really interested, you can try this."

Chen Chuan took the bottle and saw that it contained a refreshing potion. He gave it a gentle shake. A swirling blue glow appeared in the potion, and tiny droplets condensed on the inside of the bottle.

"A sample?" Chen Chuan asked, feeling the potion's temperature with his fingertips.

"It's a substitute I developed myself." Aikte lowered his voice and leaned a little closer to Chen Chuan. "Its effects might not be as consistent as the regular product, but it's enough to give you a feel for it.

"I can charge you ten magic stones."

Chen Chuan thought for a moment, then took ten magic stones from his cloth pouch and handed them over, feeling their icy chill against his fingertips. "Deal."

Aikte quickly took the magic stones and pressed the sample bottle into Chen Chuan's hand. "Remember, its effects don't last as long. It can only sustain three hours of meditation at most."

"I know." Chen Chuan carefully tucked the sample bottle into his pocket, feeling its outline with his fingers. "I'll take my leave, then."

Aikte nodded and went back to arranging the shelves, but he glanced from time to time in the direction Chen Chuan had left. He seemed unconcerned about the deal, yet also seemed to be concealing something.

After leaving the potion cottage, Chen Chuan squeezed the sample bottle in his pocket, feeling the hardness of the glass and the liquid shifting inside. A trace of doubt arose in his mind.

A strange blend of herbal and magical potion scents filled the air, a stark contrast to the bustle of the commercial street.

The market for refreshing potions seemed more complicated than he had imagined, and Aikte's behavior had been strange. His flickering gaze didn't suggest a simple business transaction.

He walked slowly along the commercial street, the bluestone pavement slightly warm from the sun. He currently had only twelve elementary magic stones left, far too little capital.

Each step seemed to be spent calculating the accumulation of wealth. Every magic stone was capital for the future.

His main goal now was to build up his capital.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his unease, and turned his attention to more practical matters.

With a thought from Chen Chuan, the familiar crimson panel appeared before his eyes.

Crimson System · Host [Chen Chuan]

Class: Life wizard

Physique: 8.7+

Agility: 8.6+

Spirit: 30.3+

Skill: Tree of Life Meditation Method: Elementary Part Lv3. (23/300)

Elementary Potionology lv.1 (6/100) expandable

Talents/active: Light of Wisdom, Seed of Life.

Source of Magic Power: 550

For the next month, Chen Chuan essentially replaced sleep with meditation.

Late at night, when all was quiet, he lay in bed and closed his eyes, guiding the magic power within him along the route of the Tree of Life Meditation Method and feeling his spiritual power grow slowly.

Because his meditation method was at lv3,

a regular six hours each day increased his meditation method experience by 3 points and his spirit by 0.03. With time, even these tiny gains became considerable.

As he meditated, he could feel his Source of Magic Power growing slowly, like a trickling stream.

He spent most of the remaining time brewing elementary life potions.

The lights in the villa's basement stayed on all night, the hum of the extractor accompanying the rhythm of his work.

Chen Chuan was already making considerable progress with many potionology techniques.

His fingertips felt the texture of the herbs, his nose caught their different scents, his ears picked up the sound of the extractor running, and his eyes watched the subtle changes in the potion's color. The coordination of these senses gave him a deeper understanding of potion-making.

Extraction, separation, temperature control, and every other step required precise control.

Morning sunlight streamed through the villa's windows onto the workbench. After washing up, Chen Chuan felt refreshed as the water ran over his face.

He looked at the potions on the table. The liquid in the bottles was a perfect emerald green, glowing faintly in the sunlight like a spring forest in concentrated form.

He carefully picked up one bottle and gave it a gentle shake. There were no bubbles in the liquid, and its color was uniform. That was the standard for an acceptable potion. The bottle was cool, yet carried the warmth of life.

In just one month, his Elementary Potionology had risen to lv.2 (2/200), and his success rate had stabilized above seventy percent.

The satisfaction of each successful potion supported him as he continued onward.

Chen Chuan put the potions into a wooden box and began counting today's results.

Six bottles of elementary life potion were neatly arranged on the table. Every bottle had reached the best quality he could currently achieve: good quality.

He took out a cloth bag and put the six bottles inside, ready to sell them at the potion cottage the next day.

Over the past month, he had maintained an output of two or three bottles a day. Chen Chuan had made no deliberate effort to increase production, focusing only on improving quality.

After all, for him alone, improving quality was what mattered most. Making money was merely incidental.

A thin mist still hung over the commercial street in the early morning, and dewdrops glistened on the bluestone pavement.

Chen Chuan pushed open the wooden door of Alex's Potion Cottage, and the wind chime rang out clearly. Aikte, the blue-robed apprentice, was arranging the shelves with his head down. He looked up when he saw Chen Chuan, his gaze behind his lenses somewhat complicated.

Chen Chuan set the potions he carried directly on the counter.

"Six bottles in total?" Without looking closely, Aikte picked up a potion and gave it a quick glance.

He froze at once.