One Month Later

Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, a month had gone by.

In the dim basement, only a single Magic Lamp burned on the table, yet it was enough for Roland to clearly carry out the potion brewing in his hands.

Under Nuwa's control, as the final trace of Mental Power was injected, a Level 3 Spirit Agility Potion successfully appeared before Roland.

"Whew... finally finished." Roland let out a soft breath.

This Level 3 Spirit Agility Potion was already the eighty-eighth bottle he had completed this month.

Yes, Roland had kept up a pace of brewing almost three potions a day for an entire month.

Aside from going to the Apothecary Guild twice to replenish his raw materials, he had not stepped outside even once.

It gave Roland the feeling that he might die right where he stood. He had never expected that, after transmigrating, his workload would be even heavier than in his previous life. Compared to this, the 996 work schedule of his past life actually seemed like happiness.

Even so, he still did not dare slack off in the slightest.

Although he had successfully accumulated a considerable sum of gold coins through his efforts over the past month—

—it was still far short of the amount Nuwa had calculated he would need to establish his territory.

Moreover, Roland had suddenly run into a very awkward problem.

He could no longer find buyers for the potions he brewed.

Because he simply did not dare reveal that his brewing success rate exceeded ninety percent.

Such a terrifying success rate, even for Beginner Potions, would be enough to attract the attention of countless people.

After all, even master-level apothecaries were probably only this capable when brewing Beginner Potions.

But Roland was merely a Beginner Apothecary. What right did he have to achieve such a thing?

Once his potion-brewing success rate was exposed, countless covetous eyes would inevitably fall upon him, pushing him into an abyss of no return. Forget the Solomon Family—even the Terra Kingdom might not be able to protect him.

And Roland believed that if such a situation arose, the Solomon Family or the Terra Kingdom would absolutely be the first to move against him in search of the secret he possessed.

Thus, although Roland had brewed a total of eighty-eight Tier 3 Potions this month, he did not dare sell them all. He could only sell forty percent of them.

He kept his public brewing success rate at around forty percent. Even so, his reputation had already spread through this small circle.

Fortunately, he bore the status of a Pioneer Knight, so no one had tried to recruit or make trouble for him.

But that also meant that the potions in Roland's possession could not be exchanged for the supplies he needed anytime soon.

It was not that Roland had not considered concealing his identity and selling them on the black market in Highland City, but with his current strength, he simply could not hide himself from high-level mages. There was a strong chance that someone would see through his identity.

Especially since Magic Potions were practically strategic goods, they would inevitably draw the attention of interested parties.

According to Nuwa's calculations, doing it once or twice might be fine, but the more potions he sold on the black market, the greater the chance that Roland's identity would be exposed.

So Roland did not dare act rashly.

"Nuwa, how many more gold coins do I need before I have enough to purchase everything needed to establish a territory?" Roland asked, his mood somewhat low.

"Master, you still require two thousand eight hundred gold coins." Nuwa's mechanical voice rang out.

Upon hearing this, Roland's expression grew even more bitter.

After Jonathan had reported the purchase prices of various supplies to Roland, Roland had immediately asked Nuwa to analyze them and create a target progress chart.

But after a month, Roland's progress was still below ten percent.

Over the past month, after deducting the cost of materials, Roland had only been able to sell around thirty-five Tier 3 Potions. His income had amounted to just over three hundred gold coins.

Although this was an extremely generous income even for an Intermediate Mage, it was obviously still far from Roland's target.

And this meant that Roland simply could not accumulate enough for establishing his territory within three months.

"Nuwa, can the various requirements for establishing the territory be reduced to cut expenses?" Roland asked irritably.

"Master, analysis indicates that reducing all requirements by ten percent will increase your risk by twenty percent."

"Reducing all requirements by twenty percent will increase your risk by fifty percent."

"It increases progressively?" Roland asked in surprise.

"Yes, Master. The fewer supplies you prepare, the weaker your ability to withstand risks will be. This can very easily trigger a domino effect. Once one link collapses, the entire plan will fail."

When Roland heard that even the domino effect had come up, he immediately abandoned the idea of reducing supplies.

"Nuwa, if they cannot be reduced, then what do you suggest?"

"Borrowing money, or brewing Intermediate Potions."

As soon as Nuwa spoke those words, Roland fell into thought.

Neither of the two methods Nuwa proposed was particularly good.

The first was borrowing money. In truth, given Roland's identity as an apothecary, he could obtain a sizable loan from any faction, and the interest would not be too high.

But the problem was that Roland also had the identity of a Pioneer Knight. That identity meant that the risk to any faction lending him money would far exceed their expectations.

After all, no one could guarantee whether Roland would survive in the dangerous and complicated Sea of Ten Thousand Islands. Once a territorial war broke out, his opponents would not care whether he was an apothecary or not.

So if Roland died, all their loans would turn into nothing.

Therefore, borrowing money was basically not an option. Even if someone was willing to lend to him, the interest would certainly be high enough that Roland could not accept it.

As for Nuwa's second method, brewing Intermediate Potions, the risks involved were simply too great.

According to the classification of potion-making, the higher the potion's grade, the more difficult it was to brew.

Although Intermediate Potions were only one grade above Beginner Potions, the required materials doubled, while the brewing difficulty increased threefold.

Even so, with the Chip's assistance, Roland was confident he could brew them.

But what about the time required? He had less than two months left. Brewing Tier 3 Potions guaranteed a profit. Even if he could not reach the target Nuwa had set, he at least still had a chance to struggle.

Once he began brewing Intermediate Potions, Roland could not guarantee how long it would take to succeed. If he failed to brew an Intermediate Potion within two months, Roland would truly have to establish his territory with nothing but the clothes on his back.

"Nuwa, have you finished analyzing the Intermediate Potion formula?" Roland slowly asked after a long silence.

Given his current situation, if he borrowed money, it would inevitably be a high-interest loan. There would definitely be endless trouble in the future, and even if he successfully established his territory, he would be saddled with enormous debt.

Thus, Roland was undoubtedly more inclined toward Nuwa's second method.

"Master, the analysis has been completed. I have determined the most reasonable brewing procedure for you."

"Good. In that case, starting tomorrow, I'll begin brewing Intermediate Potions." Roland gritted his teeth and made his decision.

Either he would brew Intermediate Potions and head proudly to the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands to establish his territory.

Or he would find a small island and hide there. Even being wanted by the Human Alliance was better than dying.

Having made up his mind, Roland took out twelve bottles of potions and hurried out the door toward the Apothecary Guild, intending to purchase materials for brewing Intermediate Potions.

When he arrived at the Apothecary Guild again, Roland was clearly already very familiar with the place.

"Apothecary Roland?" Just as Roland entered the hall, a man in his forties wearing a spotless white apothecary robe called out to him.

Hearing this, Roland stopped and turned to look.

The moment he saw the man, Roland immediately bowed slightly and greeted him respectfully. "Respected Apothecary Orson, Roland greets you."

Orson Claire was not only a High-level Mage, but also an Intermediate Apothecary. He was kind, talkative, and very willing to guide younger generations. As such, he had an excellent reputation and was respected by many Beginner Apothecaries.

Roland had met him during his previous visit to purchase materials, and they had exchanged some experience in potion brewing.

It was called an exchange, but in truth, it had been instruction. Orson's skill in potion brewing was certainly superior to Roland's, and Roland had benefited greatly from their conversation. His respectful attitude now was also meant to thank Orson for his earlier guidance.

"Apothecary Roland, just call me Orson. There's no need to be so formal." Orson said with a hearty smile.

"Then please call me Roland as well. Before you, my knowledge of potion-making is not worth mentioning," Roland said seriously.

"No, no. If your potion-making skills are not worth mentioning, then no one else could be called an apothecary."

"After all, not just anyone can achieve a forty percent success rate in brewing Beginner Potions while still a Beginner Apothecary." Orson said with a look of admiration.

"Apothecary Orson, you flatter me," Roland said modestly.

"Roland, you're still as humble as ever."

"Before you, I have no right to be proud," Roland said with a smile.

"Haha, talking with you truly puts me in a good mood." A smile appeared on Orson's face, and his mood seemed to improve further.

"I only spoke from the heart."

When Orson heard Roland's reply, the smile on his face grew even broader. He then said, "Roland, a month from now, I will be holding a gathering here for Beginner and Intermediate Apothecaries. Would you have time to come and share some potion-brewing experience with us?"

Roland did not refuse Orson's invitation. Although such gatherings certainly would not involve each apothecary's closely guarded skills, such as their own brewing techniques or methods for injecting Mental Power—

—even so, the gathering would still be of great value to Roland. For example, it could help him learn what other apothecaries paid attention to when processing ingredients, or broaden his horizons.

So Roland readily agreed.

Upon seeing Roland's response, Orson also appeared very pleased. He gave Roland's shoulder a heavy pat before bidding him farewell and leaving.

After parting with Orson, Roland headed directly to the Kingdom Apothecary Service Center.

"Apothecary Roland, good day." When Chiard saw Roland, a hint of delight immediately appeared on his face.

"Good day." Roland nodded in reply.

"Are you here to sell potions again this time?"

"Yes." After speaking, Roland casually placed the box in his hand on the counter.

The smile on Chiard's face immediately grew more pronounced.

Over the past month, he had earned quite a bit in commissions thanks to Roland. Roland not only sold potions through him, but also purchased materials from him. Coming and going, Chiard could earn two commissions every time.

Moreover, Roland was extremely efficient. In just one month, he had already sold potions four times, more than a dozen bottles each time. This was nearly twice the output of apothecaries at the same level.