Expensive Learning

To learn runes, he actually had to study herbalism too. Otherwise, he would not even know how to prepare the materials needed to draw runes. No wonder Kael'thas's smile had been so strange. Lister busied himself in Kel'Thuzad's laboratory, where Kel'Thuzad gave him three hefty tomes: Encyclopedia of Herbalism, Alchemy Formulas, and the one he had wanted to study, Frost Runes: Kel'Thuzad's Collector's Edition.

The Encyclopedia of Herbalism required more than memorizing the appearance, properties, growing environments, and harvesting methods of all kinds of herbs. Some special herbs could not be picked barehanded; once their roots or other parts were damaged, they lost their medicinal effects. He also had to learn cultivation, so he could grow the herbs he needed himself.

Alchemy Formulas was even more headache-inducing. The steps, comparable to chemical experiments, were enough to kill a man. How was he supposed to process all sorts of herbs at fixed temperatures and in a predetermined order? He had to know herbalism like the back of his hand, from the simplest Peacebloom to Firebloom, Purple Lotus, Dreamfoil, Black Lotus, and more. The temperature and properties of every herb had to be memorized.

Damn alchemy! Memorizing the dates of historical events in high school had already given me splitting headaches, and now you want me to memorize all this?! Good thing my chemistry foundation is solid! Every day, Lister spent an unwavering three hours memorizing them. His sleep had now been squeezed down to a pitiful six hours—six hours in total, including bathing.

Thinking of all the herbs he had wasted through his own mistakes, sweat streamed down Lister's head. Yet he did not wipe it away. Every second counted in alchemy. Any single second could alter a potion's properties and, in turn, affect its success rate.

Staring at the translucent, viscous green liquid in the test tube, Lister immediately let out a mournful sigh. He had failed again. This attempt had come closest to success, but unfortunately, the Silverleaf had been roasted a little too long. Adding the Peacebloom had taken quite some time as well, and throughout that period, they had been smoked over the flames, causing this potion to fail.

"It hasn't failed yet." Kel'Thuzad's voice sounded behind Lister. An Ice Arrow struck the test tube with a soft puff, freezing the thick green liquid inside solid. "What are you standing there for? Heat it while adding water to dilute it!"

Lister immediately took out a beaker. Fire roasted it from below, while pure water from the Plane of Water diluted it from above, and a stirring rod continuously churned it in the middle. Kel'Thuzad said coldly, "This is a highly specialized treatment method. A sudden drop in temperature ensures that the properties of the healing potion do not change, even if it is a failed product. This potion's flaw is that its medicinal effect cannot spread quickly. We only need to dilute it."

A few days ago, Lister had still wondered whether stronger medicinal effects were not a good thing. Kel'Thuzad had demonstrated it for him on a white mouse on the spot. Overly potent effects would only concentrate at a single point on the wound, causing the muscles in one small area to heal rapidly or even swell grotesquely, while the other parts received no treatment at all. It was as terrifying as cancer. Thus, the efficacy of healing potions had to be adjusted according to race; simply increasing the dosage would not do.

"To achieve better healing effects—to turn a Minor Healing Potion into a Lesser Healing Potion—we need to add Heather. Of course, that knowledge is still a little too early for you. Wait until you are familiar with Minor Healing Potions and have learned Minor Mana Potions and Minor Rejuvenation Potions." Kel'Thuzad changed the subject. "What did Modera want with you?"

Modera... indeed, her reasons for seeking him out had seemed strange. Every time, they had been strange. Those scattered, half-hearted conversations were truly irritating. To outsiders, Lister already seemed to be heading in Kel'Thuzad's direction. If not for his "enthusiastic" elf companions, he would have been in real danger.

So what exactly did Lister go to Kael'thas for every night? That was what everyone was deeply curious about. More than once, people had seen him drag his exhausted body back to the dormitory, which only gave them more room for wild speculation.

Nightly revelry? Gatherings complete with color, fragrance, and flavor? Or little fencing games? Though Lister was very young, the high elves' lifestyles made it hard not to let one's imagination run wild.

"She is indeed strange." Based on what he had learned, Lister did not know many details about Magic Beast World from his previous life, only the rough plot. "I think she has ambitions, because she wants to win me over."

"What ambitions?" Kel'Thuzad asked coldly. That third-rate female warlock was as laughable as a circus clown. Her hopping and prancing would not be any more elegant than a monkey's. "Ambition without strength to support it is not worth mentioning."

"Indeed. What does an ambitious person without strength look like?" Lister thought of a famous television series from his previous life, Game of Thrones. Those who played with power without strength would eventually be played by power, just as uncontrolled arcane magic was a failed product. "That is not ambition. That is stupidity."

A cynical smile flashed across Kel'Thuzad's face. He then turned and left, and the door opened with him. "Well said."

"You need to speed up your progress. You can learn from Lady Dorothy. She happens to be short on assistants."

Black sulfate crystals were one of the raw materials needed to make a Philosopher's Stone, an essential alchemical item. A Philosopher's Stone was the necessary medium for transmuting minerals and essences, and could be regarded as a one-hundred-percent catalyst. It was called a Philosopher's Stone because it truly could create exceptionally valuable things, such as Arcanite, a powerful metal synthesized from Mithril and Arcane Crystals. It possessed both powerful arcane conductivity and extremely high hardness and toughness.

For instance, many mages' staves had all manner of ornate heads, but most of their shafts were made of Arcanite. Mages did not have to worry about their staffs wearing down precisely because of Arcanite's strength.

Lister arrived at Dalaran's Magus Trade District, where the vast majority of trade in the human kingdoms was concentrated. Precious minerals, gemstones, merchants skilled in enchanting, mages who made alchemical goods, craftsmen who forged armor, and even courtesans selling smiles were permitted here. But he had no interest in wasting time on any of them.

Indeed, after being in Dalaran for so long, he had come to understand where Kel'Thuzad's coldness came from. Rather than waste time on entertainment, it was better to properly study arcane knowledge. Life was short, while the world was unimaginably vast.

He hurried to the alchemy hut and pushed open the door. Two goblins were whispering to each other inside.

Their skin was green, their bodies short. Greedy and cunning, they were obsessed with studying technology and making explosives, all of which made them exceedingly, exceedingly dangerous—even to themselves.

Most goblins tended to remain neutral. They traded equally with other races and factions in order to sell their mechanical devices, knowledge, and other special services.

Lister's arrival made the two goblins pause. Then they realized that a major customer had arrived and hurriedly came forward. Their suits looked fairly convincing too. "Aha, isn't this Lord Lister, president of the Truth Daily? I was wondering why I kept feeling that a big deal was coming today! Ahahaha!"

Lister greeted them. This alchemy hut had appeared in last week's newspaper. The shorter one on the left was Boss Jaka, while the slightly taller one on the right was his younger brother Jakun. "Hello, Jaka and Jakun."

"I need to make a Philosopher's Stone." Lister's words made both of them beam even more brightly. Jaka said politely, "Ah, I understand. You have been studying alchemy recently. To alchemists, a Philosopher's Stone is practically their treasured tool. Without a Philosopher's Stone's help, many—"

Lister patiently listened to their nonsense. These little fellows were shrewd and particularly skilled at raising prices through empty chatter. Once they finished, he asked, "Then I need to buy one set of materials for a Philosopher's Stone, as well as one Philosopher's Stone formula."

"A Philosopher's Stone formula and one set of materials... hmm, we do not believe you will necessarily succeed on your first try. Our customers generally buy Philosopher's Stones directly. Of course, we believe your financial resources can fully support this small experiment." Jaka nudged Jakun, who immediately ran to the back to find the materials.

"Four kilograms of refined iron, four Purple Lotuses, and four Fireblooms." Jakun first took out four iron bars tied together, then brought over two long wooden boxes. After opening them, each contained four crystal bottles, with a flower in every bottle: four purple lotuses and four crimson Fireblooms with long drooping stamens. Finally, there was a heavy black crystal, its profound color swallowing all light.

Lister carefully inspected every item. He even put on gloves, took out the various flowers, and examined them one by one. They were indeed all very fresh, with almost none of their contained elements lost. His satisfied expression made the goblins exchange glances. The deal was probably done.

"How much?" Lister asked.

"Er, each iron ingot is fifty gold coins, each Purple Lotus is thirty gold coins, each Firebloom is forty gold coins, the black sulfate crystal is five hundred gold coins, and the blueprint makes two thousand gold coins. I'll give you a discount, so let's call it four thou—" Jakun, who had been calculating, was slapped to the floor by the furious Ebony Chill. He suddenly came to his senses. "No, no, no! We'll only charge you three thousand gold coins!"

"As far as I know, Lady Dorothy's herbs are cheaper," Lister said casually.

"On that point, we can guarantee that our quality is definitely superior to Lady Dorothy's. Her caravan is not more efficient than ours. Our airships can deliver the freshest herbs here within a day at any time. Especially lately, the Burning Steppes have been far from peaceful. The monsters in Blackrock Spire are eager to stir." Jakun's sincere words moved Lister, but Lister's cold smile immediately made him think of Kel'Thuzad.

The little green fellow instantly cried out. He truly feared that Lister would freeze them into ice like Kel'Thuzad did. "Fine, fine! We'll give you ten percent off and only charge you 2,700 gold coins, how about that?! Any lower and we'll really be bleeding ourselves dry!"

"Deal." Lister knew very well that these little fellows recognized money, not people, and held grudges fiercely. If he pushed too hard, he could easily offend the entire Goblin Trade Alliance and be targeted by the trade princes. He took out a check, signed it, and handed it over. Jakun accepted it with a beaming smile. "Aha, a perfect transaction! Many people praise you as intelligent and decisive. From what I see, that is exactly right—if anything, the rumors do not praise you enough."

"You had better not talk nonsense." Lister put away his pen and paper. "Just deliver the goods to my residence. I will come to you again next time I have business."

"Thank you, thank you for your patronage!" After seeing Lister out, the two little fellows laughed merrily. The most expensive cost among those materials was merely the compensation for dead goblin slaves. Even so, they had still made double their profit.

Lister, meanwhile, nearly threw up. Those fellows paid no attention to hygiene. Their yellow teeth made his stomach churn, and his pockets were now utterly empty, leaving only enough for basic living expenses.

What an expensive education.