Treasure Hunting Craze

A few days later, in the residence.

"Diluent, purifier, neutralizer... everything is almost ready. Let's begin!"

Previously, Roy had placed the entire Aquena Demongold Claw Blade into a specially purchased solvent.

After a few days, it had visibly corroded, with most of it dissolving and settling at the bottom.

Roy stirred it gently with a glass rod. The rust powder quickly turned the clear solution cloudy, and the remaining parts of the claw blade completely disappeared.

After a while, he placed it into a Magic Array, and the liquid visibly vibrated as if boiling.

Roy seized the opportunity to add his homemade alkaline solution. Soon after, he obtained a turbid liquid.

Within that bright yellow, a few wisps of scarlet blood were the essence of the Aquena Demongold he desired!

"Success!

But the cost-effectiveness seems a bit low. It's still not good enough, and it took too long!"

Roy carefully inspected it with his Spiritual Power. After confirming the presence of minute residual laws, his expression became somewhat odd.

No matter what, this was a weapon for a Formal Wizard. Apprentice-level acid or melting methods weren't enough to deal with it. He had to buy some Advanced-grade items from the market to mix.

And Advanced-grade items usually meant expensive.

This required more, even several times, tens or hundreds of times more Magic Stones to purchase.

"It seems Alchemy is a bottomless pit; money is needed everywhere!

Fortunately, I have the success rate bonus from [Skilled Worker], which has saved me a lot invisibly!

But that's not all. Every subsequent step has similar troubles!"

Roy couldn't help but start to worry.

If he ran out of money, would he have to starve?

But then he thought again. Choosing the Hair Ghost Witch Body was a gamble for Demon God-level power.

This was a long-term investment.

He had to spend what he needed to spend. At most, he would work hard to earn more after it was gone.

With his resolve firm, Roy got up, tidied the alchemy bench, took out the second claw blade, and continued his attempts.

"This time, I'll find a more efficient method.

And learn and practice along the way."

To become an excellent alchemist, one had to master a great deal of occult knowledge and be familiar with various recipes.

Late November.

The twenty-third Will Rune, Dazh, manifested as scheduled.

"Good, my Meditation cultivation is also progressing smoothly. I'm only one step away from becoming an Advanced Apprentice!"

Roy smiled with satisfaction.

Thanks to the projects of refining Magic Stones and the Dark Orchard, he had a steady stream of income.

While it wasn't a lot, it was enough to maintain his current Meditation cultivation progress.

Ordinary Apprentices didn't have such conditions.

"The next step should be advancing to Advanced Apprentice."

Roy thought, with a hint of longing.

For Apprentices in the Wizard Tower, this was a major event.

It meant they could manifest all 24 Will Runes, and their Spiritual Power would enter the stage of materialization.

Just then, Renion excitedly came looking for him: "Roy, good news!"

"What good news?" Roy asked curiously.

"The Wizard Tower has increased the rewards again to encourage us to take on missions... Look!"

Roy took the notice he handed over and read: "Clear the West Coast...

Mission Requirements: Slay a Merman Sorcerer and obtain the Fish Pearl from its body as proof.

Mission Reward: Quota for one Apprentice-level Mage Body Modification main material (ordinary modification, not inheritance sequence)..."

Renion gesticulated excitedly: "A main material for Mage Body Modification!

With this, even if you haven't mastered a Spell Model, you can ask an Advanced Apprentice to help with Mage Body Modification or various enhancements!

I plan to get some Star Soul Dust and then ask someone to help refine a Star Soul Beast Arm. Do you want to come along?"

"The situation seems to be getting more and more serious. That previous Forbidden Experiment had such a profound impact?"

Roy didn't answer Renion immediately but considered for a moment.

Renion said: "Why worry about so much? This is a good thing for us, isn't it?"

"All the materials you find are yours. I haven't spent my previous Magic Stones yet, so I'll give those to you too, as payment for the job!"

"That makes sense," Roy nodded. "Alright, I'll go."

With his promotion to Advanced Apprentice imminent, a mission with such generous rewards was definitely worth undertaking.

However, as they headed to the mission center together to inquire about the specifics from a Steward Apprentice, several other groups suddenly arrived.

They were all here for the mission to clear out the west coast.

"A lot of Merman tribes have suddenly appeared over there, possibly due to the radiation of witchcraft energy to the outside..."

"There's a rumor that last year, when the Chalk Country exploded, a lot of materials passed through the Void and fell somewhere on the west coast... That's what caused the Great Demon Uprising!"

"Is that true? If we can find some, won't we strike it rich?"

"Dream on, the Astral Void is shielding it! But even if some slip through, there are still plenty of residues and fragments that would be unimaginably beneficial."

"Of course, what kind of place is the Chalk Country? It's where the Archmages tried to create life! There are all sorts of precious materials! And I heard that the Forbidden Experiment wasn't just about creating ordinary life, but about creating souls, human souls!"

"What, human souls?"

Okmi translated "Alchemy" as a mystical philosophy originating from chemical philosophy. Among the so-called Four Ultimate Pursuits, creating life, or more specifically "man-making," is the core content of "Genesis." It's a forbidden art, enough to challenge the authority of the gods. And creating souls is even more forbidden! Especially human souls! Now, someone is saying that the Forbidden Experiment is related to it?

"So that's why everyone is so enthusiastic, it's not just about hunting Mermen!" Renion realized with a sigh.

"You know, I'd also like to take the opportunity to..."

"It would be great if we could make a fortune!" Nia and Andov said with longing.

Even Roy couldn't help but feel tempted.

At that moment, everyone accepted the mission together and set out with hopeful anticipation. Their objective was similar to everyone else's: complete the Mandatory Task while trying their luck there.

Unexpectedly, they came back empty-handed this time.

While it wasn't exactly "more people than monsters," this swarm of activity meant the mission location had been rushed and cleaned out by others.

Without any storage Arcane Artifacts, their travel was limited. They could only hunt a few Merman Scout squads before hastily starting their journey back.

On the way back, another group was also returning on Necromancer Warhorses. It was Potterning and his team. They had also followed the trend and accepted the mission to hunt Merman Sorcerers, thinking they could complete the Wizard Tower's assignment while trying their luck outside.

In the small valley near the Wizard Tower, neither party saw the other, and they approached each other at a fork in the road.