Returning Laden with Spoils

After dividing the spoils, satisfied expressions appeared on everyone's faces. No matter what, the gains from this trip had far exceeded their expectations.

The least valuable items were naturally the Sabertooth Tiger's fangs—the Adventurers' Guild mission was complete, and they were merely ordinary magical materials. The Earth Essence Gold, however, was an unexpected windfall. Enough Earth Essence Gold to forge six sets of armor would probably stir up quite a frenzy if word got out.

The one who had gained the most was naturally Xia Ming. Setting aside the Earth Essence Gold for now, the appearance of the Elemental Crystal had already filled him with boundless delight. Perhaps, with the Elemental Crystal, he could brew the [Mana Source Potion] and advance to a fourth-level mage!

"Let's go. We'll head back and wrap up the adventure mission. We've been out for two days already."

"Let's go, let's go!" Tang Ge was the most eager of them all. His heart had long since flown home, and he wished he could immediately find a master blacksmith to forge him a set of armor and weapons for him to wear around and show off. Not just Tang Ge—even Xia Ming felt a little homesick at the thought of the Elemental Crystal.

Outside the cave, the bright moon hung high in the sky, with sparse stars scattered around it. Cold moonlight spilled over them, carrying a faint chill.

Xia Ming still used an Illumination Spell. At the same time, he cast a Lightness Spell on both Tang Ge and Su Weiwei, making their night journey exceptionally easy.

The return journey was naturally familiar territory. With Xia Ming's Illumination Spell, everyone treated the darkness as though it were nothing. By the time they returned to the streets of Azure Flame Island, the sky was just turning gray, and a faint glimmer of light was already shining down from the eastern horizon.

At this hour, the Adventurers' Guild was nearly deserted as well. Tang Ge hurriedly handed over the Sabertooth Tiger's fangs. Once the necessary procedures had been completed, the adventure mission was officially finished. A guild staff member took out a flax-colored cloth bag and handed it to Tang Ge.

Inside the flax-colored bag was the reward for Tang Ge and the others' mission—three hundred gold coins. Of course, those three hundred gold coins meant little to Xia Ming. His main purpose in accepting the adventure mission had been to gain experience.

Tang Ge still split the three hundred gold coins evenly. Xia Ming received one hundred gold coins, and as he looked at the fruits of his first adventure, he could not help but smile—this feeling was pretty good.

"This is your Earth Essence Gold." Su Weiwei also handed the Earth Essence Gold to Xia Ming. To avoid drawing attention with so much Earth Essence Gold, Xia Ming deliberately rented a small warehouse in the city to store it, only then feeling somewhat at ease.

Next came the time to part ways.

Tang Ge patted Xia Ming on the shoulder. "Brother Xia Ming, now that the mission is complete, we're heading back to the academy. We're both on Azure Flame Island, so I'm sure we'll have plenty of chances to meet again. If you ever need your brother for anything, just come find me at Azure Flame Academy! First-year Flame Pavilion Warrior Class, Tang Ge!"

Xia Ming nodded silently and gave Tang Ge a punch to the chest. Friendship between men was sometimes just that simple.

"Brother Xia Ming, I hope you'll give me plenty of guidance in magic from now on." Sherlock dipped slightly in a standard mage's salute.

Su Weiwei nodded at Xia Ming as well and said softly, "I'm in the first-year Flame Pavilion Knight Class at Azure Flame Academy. If anything comes up, you can come find me anytime." After saying only that, she turned and left. Her graceful figure vanished into the air, leaving only a trace of fragrance drifting freely on the wind.

"Damn, no way! Brother Xia Ming, you really are my idol. Su Weiwei, the icy holy knight who never gives anyone the time of day, actually thinks so highly of you! You really are a man of talent, brother. It seems I am not alone on my path after all. The two of us can start a joint investigative group for the study of beauties in the future..." Amid Tang Ge's string of bizarre cries, everyone went their separate ways.

There was no sorrow at parting. Xia Ming merely felt a slight pang of emotion before beginning to consider how he should arrange the remaining time.

"Teacher told me to go out and gain experience. Although this adventure mission brought enormous rewards, I barely got any real training from it," Xia Ming thought to himself.

"Improving my strength is the true path. After all, I've only been exposed to magic for one month, and the gap between me and them is still rather large." Not to mention a genius like Su Weiwei—even compared with Tang Ge, Xia Ming still lagged behind in class level.

Xia Ming quickly set a goal for himself. "For the next stretch of time, I'll improve my strength and practical combat experience."

He already had a lead on improving his strength. He had obtained the rarest ingredient in the [Mana Source Potion], the Elemental Crystal. What remained were several relatively common ingredients.

"To brew the [Mana Source Potion], I'm still short of four materials: Jade Blood Flower, Elemental Liquid, Sacred Spirit Tree Leaf, and Thousand Gold Herb. But they should all be easy enough to obtain," Xia Ming thought.

Time waited for no one. Xia Ming immediately began preparing to brew the potion. Based on the regional map Anthony had left behind, Xia Ming learned of a place called the Myriad Phenomena Trading House.

The Myriad Phenomena Trading House was also a century-old establishment on the continent, one of the continent's three major trading houses. It had branches in every major city-state, and it was said to be the property of some powerful magic family.

At the very center of the city-state's plaza stood a building four or five stories high. Before it was erected a massive black stone tablet, carved with five large words: Myriad Phenomena Trading House.

The reason Xia Ming had chosen the Myriad Phenomena Trading House was that Anthony had once praised it lavishly. He had said that its service was attentive and that it could practically provide anything one could want. Of course, there was only one condition: money.

Thus, before the doors of the Myriad Phenomena Trading House appeared a mage draped in a magic robe, his face hidden beneath a gray cloak, with only his tall, slender figure visible.

To avoid attracting attention, Xia Ming had chosen the combination of cloak and magic robe, giving him a somewhat mysterious appearance. In truth, Azure Flame Island was home to all manner of people, a place where dragons and fish mingled together. Though this outfit was somewhat strange, it was not enough to cause any stir.

The moment Xia Ming stepped through the trading house's doors, a welcoming attendant immediately came forward with a sweet smile. "Hello, how may I help you?" The attendants here had clearly received special training, giving people a warm and comfortable feeling. Moreover, she could tell from Xia Ming's attire that he was a mage, so she was all the more careful and respectful.

"Do you sell herbs here?" Xia Ming used magic to alter his voice so that no one could discern his real voice or judge his age.

At the word "herbs," the attendant's eyes lit up. Could this mysterious mage before her also be a potion maker? "Of course. May I ask which herbs the esteemed sir requires?"

The attendant's smile grew even brighter as she bent slightly at the waist. As she did, her loose uniform faintly revealed a patch of delicate snowy skin, a highly enticing sight.

"I need four herbs and materials: Jade Blood Flower, Elemental Liquid, Sacred Spirit Tree Leaf, and Thousand Gold Herb. About five taels of each," Xia Ming said slowly.

Xia Ming had made his request. Presumably, the Myriad Phenomena Trading House would be able to fulfill it with ease.

Yet unexpectedly, the attendant's expression changed, and surprise filled her eyes. "You want materials such as Jade Blood Flower, Elemental Liquid, Sacred Spirit Tree Leaf, and Thousand Gold Herb?"