Chen Rui left the Council Hall and headed straight for Joseph's magic shop instead of returning to the laboratory. The Vine Stone had shown that magic materials could provide a substantial amount of aura, and he wanted to find out which materials might be useful.
Shea had announced the day before that he had been appointed record keeper. As a result, quite a few demons cast strange looks his way as he passed, but Chen Rui had long since grown used to it. He made his way to the magic shop.
After losing the Aerial Competition, Joseph had left Dark Moon for the Chiyou Territory. The shop was now run by Royce, one of the Greater Devils Chen Rui had seen following Joseph last time.
Chen Rui had learned from Sli that Royce, the female Greater Devil Vasasha, and another Greater Devil, Alaux, were three of the sharpest scythes in Joseph's hand. Joseph never acted personally; whenever trouble arose, those three handled it. Chen Rui knew, however, that Joseph himself was even more formidable.
Royce was not only powerful but exceptionally clever, making him Joseph's most capable aide. By comparison, Vasasha's main duty was serving as Joseph's personal bodyguard. She had returned to the Chiyou Territory with him this time, while Alaux was a battle fanatic in charge of the arena.
Royce was surprised to see Chen Rui. He had been present at the Aerial Competition the day before, and, logically, the princess's side should have known that Joseph wanted this human dead. Why had they sent him here alone today?
"Lord Royce." Chen Rui greeted him, but Royce clearly looked down on this powerless human. He merely gave him an arrogant look and ignored him.
Chen Rui didn't take the Greater Devil's attitude to heart. "Grandmaster Aldas is currently refining a magic potion, so he sent me today to look at the magic materials."
He knew that the record keeper's title might impress ordinary demons, but it meant nothing in front of a powerful figure like Royce. Aldas's name would serve him better.
As expected, Royce looked enlightened and finally spoke. "The alchemical ingredients and magic materials are on the first floor. The second floor has magic equipment. Take a look around."
Joseph's shop was far more orderly than Alice's odd little store. Each type of merchandise was neatly arranged on shelves. A Servant Demon acted as the shopkeeper, while a few Dark Goblins played the part of shop assistants.
Before long, Royce heard a report from the Dark Goblins and came inside. Seeing Chen Rui ask for a piece of every material, he grew suspicious. "What are you planning to do?"
Chen Rui ran his fingers over the materials and took notes with a pen. "I need to determine their purity and specific gravity. The grandmaster said that potion-making is a rigorous discipline and allows no room for carelessness."
Royce knew little about potion-making. Since Chen Rui sounded as though he knew what he was talking about, Royce didn't press him further. After Chen Rui had tested each material, he thought for a moment, then approached Royce with a hesitant look. At last, he said, "The grandmaster has a small favor to ask. He wanted me to speak to Lord Joseph, but unfortunately, Lord Joseph has already left Dark Moon. I wonder if Lord Royce might be able to decide?"
Royce didn't dare take the matter lightly, given that Aldas had poisoned the Imperial Capital's genius. "Tell me first. What is the favor?"
"The grandmaster wants to know if you could give him a small sample of each selected material to test. Once he confirms which ones he needs, he'll buy them in bulk next time." Chen Rui saw Royce frown, so he quickly added, "The grandmaster said that if you agree, then once the magic potion succeeds, he'll sell it to Lord Joseph's magic shop at the lowest price."
"May I ask which magic potion the grandmaster is testing?" The Servant Demon had taken an interest in Chen Rui's words and walked over. Servant Demons were a race skilled in magic, so they were especially interested in such matters.
Chen Rui put on a cautious air and glanced around. Only after making sure the Dark Goblins were far enough away did he lower his voice and say mysteriously, "This involves a secret experiment. Please keep what I'm about to tell you confidential. The grandmaster seems to be testing a potion that greatly enhances spiritual power for a limited time, without any side effects. It's still in the experimental stage. He's run into some difficulties improving the potion's purity and reducing its side effects, so he urgently needs to test various materials."
In truth, it was just a lost advanced potion Chen Rui had read about in his study of potion-making. He'd made the story up on the spot.
"A Spirit-Enhancing Potion... with no side effects?" The Servant Demon suddenly jolted and asked in a trembling voice, "Could it be the True Spirit-Enhancing Potion? They say only a Grandmaster can prepare it! Has Grandmaster Aldas reached that level?"
Chen Rui didn't want to let his lie get out of hand, so he explained, "It's still only in the experimental stage. The grandmaster has failed several times and wants to adjust some of the ingredients, which is why he sent me here. Some of the materials are too expensive, so he asked Lord Joseph for this favor."
The grandmasters who had tried to reach that level over the last few thousand years must have been numerous. He could always just say the attempt had ultimately failed.
The Servant Demon looked extremely excited. Only Potion Grandmasters could prepare potions in the "True" series. The Demon Realm hadn't produced a Grandmaster in thousands of years, and those potions had been lost with them, surviving only in a few ancient texts. Aldas had been obscure for a long time. Only after he had effortlessly poisoned Sandru, the empire's greatest genius, at the recent Master Challenge Tournament had he begun to show his true talent. And now he was challenging the very pinnacle of potion-making!
Even if Aldas had failed many times, the very fact that he was trying to make a Grandmaster-level potion proved how formidable he was. Besides, what if this seemingly unremarkable Dark Elf grandmaster actually succeeded one day?
Royce might not understand potion-making, but he knew what a Potion Grandmaster represented. If Aldas truly broke through the bottleneck and became the Demon Realm's first Grandmaster in thousands of years, even Prince Heiyao would treat him very differently. The materials the human had chosen included some valuable items, but compared to this, their worth was negligible.
"I'll agree to this on Lord Joseph's behalf! Geluqi, immediately give this human one of every magic material the grandmaster needs. Don't give him fragments—give him whole pieces!" Royce was shrewd and quickly weighed the pros and cons. Besides, Joseph had already expressed his desire to keep Aldas on their side, so Royce agreed without hesitation.
"Wise decision, my lord!" Servant Demon Geluqi also wanted to witness what might be a Grandmaster's first creation. He answered at once and went to pick out the materials. Sure enough, the Servant Demon chose complete pieces of excellent quality, not the "fragments" Chen Rui had asked for.
Royce's use of the words "this human" wasn't very polite, but Chen Rui was too excited to care. "Thank you, my lord! I'll convey your generosity and kindness to the grandmaster!"
The "experimental samples" had been a spur-of-the-moment idea, and he hadn't expected to get such a windfall. He could test them with Aura Conversion back at the laboratory and see which materials yielded the most aura. Though he still coveted all the other materials on the magic shop's shelves, Chen Rui knew better than to overreach. Greed could backfire. Most importantly, that True Spirit-Enhancing Potion was nothing but a bluff.
There were more than thirty kinds of magic materials, altogether a heavy bundle. Chen Rui thanked the Servant Demon again, then pretended to struggle under the weight as he carried it out.
After Chen Rui left, Royce said to Geluqi, "Go upstairs at once and contact Lord Joseph with the magic stone. Report that Aldas is testing a Grandmaster-level potion! This must be kept secret. Don't let a word get out! Wait for Lord Joseph to decide what to do next."
"As you command." Geluqi didn't dare delay and immediately went upstairs to do as he was told.
With the heavy bundle on his back, Chen Rui suppressed his excitement and headed for the laboratory. Halfway there, however, he felt someone watching him from behind. He thought that, judging from Royce and Geluqi's attitude toward the Grandmaster-level potion, they wouldn't send anyone to follow him. It had to be some petty crook. After a moment's thought, he headed toward a quiet spot.
The person behind him followed. When they reached a deserted alley, the human ahead suddenly disappeared. Startled, the pursuer cautiously approached. It was a Dark Goblin in a little cloak, looking around. Then a voice sounded from behind him. "What are you looking for?"
The Dark Goblin jumped in fright and turned around. His target was staring at him, and the bundle had been set on the ground.
"R-record keeper!" The goblin even bowed, his face wreathed in a fawning smile.
This was the first time Chen Rui had been addressed as "sir" while posing as a human, and it felt a little strange. A record keeper was little more than a minor clerk, but to lowly figures such as Dark Goblins and Lesser Imps, he was still a kind of government official.
The goblin seemed well informed. Chen Rui didn't know what he was after, but he wasn't worried about a character like this. "You followed me all this way. What do you want?"
The Dark Goblin was startled to learn that his movements had been noticed from the start. He hastily protested, "You misunderstand, sir! I saw you carrying so many things and wanted to help. Nunu can carry them to the laboratory for just five White Crystal coins."
A porter? Chen Rui eyed the goblin's little frame and shook his head. "No need. I can carry them myself."
"Sir, if five is too much, four will do..." The Dark Goblin hurried closer, lowering his price again and again. "Two White Crystal coins. I can't go any lower."
As he spoke, the goblin suddenly flicked his hand, sending a cloud of powder over Chen Rui. Chen Rui had learned plenty in the laboratory and recognized the scent of Rosemary Flower. It could sap a person's strength for a short time. He immediately pretended to be affected, staggered, and sank to the ground.
"What record keeper? He's just a stupid human!" The Dark Goblin was delighted and reached for the bundle. Suddenly, a hand clamped around his throat, lifting his entire small frame off the ground. He couldn't breathe, and his limbs kicked wildly in the air.
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