The Bait (Recommendations and Bookmarks Wanted)

"Magic... Magic Cores..."

Seeing that each of his old companions and the newly picked-up newcomer had been tossed one of the little things, Luo Luoji's face showed a trace of shock at such lavishness.

Only ranked magical beasts could condense Magic Cores, and most of the time, they dissolved on their own when extracted. Even the most ordinary Magic Core was worth fifty Gold Coins! That was five thousand silver coins!

Gold Coins had considerable purchasing power in Reizel. Gold, silver, and copper were exchanged at a hundred-to-one ratio. A meter-long black bread could be bought for a few copper coins. The total haul brought back by Luo Luoji's Scavenger Squad after more than two months out, with dozens of people, was only around twenty thousand silver coins, not counting hidden costs.

Though Scavenger Squads could not compare to mercenary teams, they were still the quickest way for commoner Knight Attendants to earn money! And Luo Luoji's Scavenger Squad was itself more efficient than most!

Yet Xuan Ye and the others were each holding a Magic Core. Added together, their haul had already surpassed the entire team's gains from more than two months!

That overwhelming air of wealth left Luo Luoji, a poor and shabby Professional Rank Expert, utterly stunned. Magic Cores took up almost no space, so they would be easy to carry. Once they loaded up on ranked magical beast materials and dried meat, they would make a fortune. As Scavenger Squad members who picked up anything they could, they might even have to start choosing what materials to carry back—discarding inferior goods!

Then he stared eagerly at the hand of the blue-haired youth, Aide. Everyone else had received something, so there was no reason he should be left out.

"I won't be giving you anything. Let Dean give it to you."

Aide rummaged through his pockets as if he had emptied them out. Looking at the burly man staring at him, even more muscular than his own companions, he shrugged.

A trace of contempt flashed through his eyes. They were only a few Magic Cores. Just as expected of filthy lowborn trash—even becoming a Professional Rank Expert could not conceal the baseness ingrained in their bones.

"Catch. A Restoration Baptism Potion. It was something I made for practice, but it's still a fairly good one."

Just as Luo Luoji was feeling slightly disappointed, the potion tossed over by the Mage Apprentice and his words made Luo Luoji freeze after catching it. Then delight appeared on his face.

A Restoration Baptism Potion! This was exactly what he needed!

Even a defective one cost nearly a hundred Gold Coins, no cheaper than a Professional Baptism Potion. More importantly, it was rare and perfectly suited to him. It was hard to obtain even in Stanrosai City!

This was a special potion capable of healing old physical injuries in body-strengthening professions. For someone like him, with the Guardian profession, it was even more useful.

"Are you an apothecary?"

Carefully placing the crystal bottle inside his clothes, Luo Luoji's expression became respectful. As a Professional Rank Expert, he was showing respect to an apprentice who had yet to reach the rank!

That was not merely because of the status of a Spellcaster. Being an apothecary was also a major factor.

The reason Mages had attained their current status was not just because they were rare. The main reason was their various research abilities. For example, collecting magical beast materials and rare resources for sale—among the various production professions capable of turning waste into treasure, most were related to Mages.

Enchanting, scrollmaking, potion-making, and alchemy were all Spellcaster-exclusive specialties with equally enormous costs and returns. Probably only the legendary blacksmiths of the Dwarf Race and the engineering of Goblins and Gnome Race could barely compare.

"Only an apprentice, but the bottle I gave you is barely comparable to something made by a proper apothecary. I needed quite a bit of luck to make it. If you cooperate well later, then after we return, give me the Magic Cores and I can try to prepare Professional Baptism Potions for you. But I can't guarantee the success rate, and under normal circumstances, the finished product will be somewhat worse than one made by a proper apothecary."

Dean remained seated on the floating Small Carpet without getting up, speaking casually. He did not seem proud of his achievements, nor did he look down on them with contempt. There was only indifference.

Yet his promise brought delight to the faces of Jack and the other Senior Knight Attendants. Even Xuan Ye could not help widening his eyes.

After all, the reason he had ended up in such a miserable state was because of one High Quality Professional Baptism Potion!

Though inferior, ordinary, and High Quality products had considerable price differences, and High Quality potions even had a certain chance of increasing the probability of awakening Bloodline Power during advancement, whenever the Mage Tower of Stanrosai City put out defective potions made by apprentices for practice, they would still be snatched up by Knight Attendants from the commoner class.

Dean's promise had struck right at the heart of those Senior Knight Attendants. Even Xuan Ye was deeply tempted. If he did not seize this opportunity, then with his current strength and earning speed, he might not be able to accumulate enough wealth for even an ordinary Baptismal Potion before reaching Ninth Grade Knight Attendant.

After taking a deep breath, Luo Luoji put away his calculating expression and became serious and solemn.

"Then what do you need us to do, sir?"

Before the job had even officially begun, they had already been given such substantial benefits and an even more valuable promise. It was enough to show how highly the other party regarded this employment. At the same time, if people with their strength took it so seriously, the mission would likely be extremely difficult.

But just as Jack had said earlier, as a commoner cultivator with no background, he had to seize every possible opportunity to improve himself in order to obtain the resources needed for cultivation.

Even at any cost, this mission had to be completed!

It was not merely because the reward was generous. The Mage Apprentice before him was already an apprentice apothecary. If he could build a connection with him, then when the chance came, Luo Luoji could prepare the materials and payment and gain another avenue.

Mage Lords generally mastered one or two research specialties, but because Mages themselves were so rare, there were simply too many cases of people carrying pig heads around without being able to find the temple gate. He did not seek friendship with the other party. He merely wanted to make contact, so that he would have somewhere to turn after gathering materials.

Though the other party modestly called himself only an apprentice apothecary, reaching such a level before entering the Professional Rank was enough to demonstrate his talent and ability!

After all...

Once one entered the Professional Rank, one's remaining lifespan would double! Unless they possessed absolute confidence and talent, most people should devote all their energy during their apprenticeship to increasing their chances of reaching the Professional Rank!

"Haha, don't look so serious. It's really nothing major. We just have a guess. The chance of encountering real danger is low. We only need you to act as bait. Don't worry, with us nearby, there won't be any danger."

Seeing Luo Luoji's solemn expression, Ye Man, the muscular Axe Man who looked a little goofy, spoke reassuringly. Compared to the others, this slightly silly-looking burly man seemed the easiest to approach. Being around him, one could not feel the pressure of a Three-Star Professional Expert at all.

The other three were different. Blue-haired Aide's cold arrogance was practically written on his face. The Paladin Girl had the icy aloofness of someone who kept strangers away. Though the Mage Lord seemed easy to deal with, deep down he was much the same as that Paladin girl. Only this huge fellow, almost as tall as Luo Luoji, seemed more down-to-earth.

"It's not a guess! I've already confirmed it! It was definitely man-made!"

Before Ye Man had even finished speaking, Dean sharply cut him off as though his dignity had been challenged. But then he turned to Xuan Ye and the others with a serious expression.

"Still, he is right about one thing. With us nearby, the chances of you encountering danger are not high. We do not need to go deep inside. We only need to conduct a test to verify it.

"The reason we aren't appearing in person is not only because we have too few people. More importantly, I'm afraid our strength will frighten that sensitive thing and make it unwilling to appear. If nothing unexpected happens, the greatest threat you will face will only be at the Two-Star Professional Rank. As long as you are not killed instantly, we can come to your aid."

Standing nearby and listening to their discussion, Xuan Ye suddenly felt that the Magic Core in his hand was burning hot. It really was not so easy to take. Bait! Just hearing that made it clear this would be no easy task. No matter how confidently they spoke, it could not conceal the danger involved. As expected, pies did not fall from the sky.

But at the same time, Jack's earlier words and Luo Luoji's actions afterward had affected Xuan Ye. If they could do it, there was no reason he could not!

If he did not even have this much determination to find the way home, then what the hell was he doing? He might as well divide up his luggage, find somewhere to settle down, get married, and have children.

Besides, if he was truly going to be bait, then he still had a considerable advantage in Perception. He might be able to discover danger in advance. If he were alone, it would naturally still be dangerous because of the gap in absolute strength. But beside him was a Professional Rank Guardian whose focus was defense and protection!

On top of that, he was openly using a heavy bow as his main means of attack. When it came down to it, he should be the safest among the Senior Knight Attendants.

Once they succeeded and he obtained the potion, he could immediately eliminate his concerns before reaching the Professional Rank!

After all, his Bloodline had already awakened, and with his current cheat-like advantage, he refused to believe he could not break through using an ordinary Baptismal Potion!