Soon, two months had passed.
Astral Embers, a small potion shop, burned quietly like the spark contained in its name amid the lush forest that was Sky City, gradually growing brighter.
Thanks to the astonishing purity, stable effects, and wide variety of potions Duke brewed, the name Astral Embers began spreading through certain circles in Sky City.
At first, it was only fellow practitioners and enthusiasts like Todd, along with sharp-nosed low-level adventurers or mercenaries who needed specific high-quality potions.
But as word of mouth grew, the information spread like a stone cast into a still lake, its ripples reaching far wider circles.
Some people of higher standing began taking notice of the inconspicuous little shop.
For example, a minor noble's steward responsible for managing part of Sky City's defense supplies heard that Astral Embers' Blood Boiling Potion was not only highly effective but also had far fewer side effects than the common versions on the market while purchasing potions to improve his young master's training. The person in charge of a small merchant association, meanwhile, was directed here while seeking reliable Night Vision Potions and Swift Potions for guards about to embark on dangerous long-distance trade routes.
Whether it was the common Stone Skin Potion and Night Vision Potion, or the Basic Mana Restoration Potion and Quick Healing Potion sold here, Duke's potions far surpassed the market average in purity and stability.
Duke himself had become the most mysterious figure behind that reputation.
He looked far too young, with a calm and even somewhat distant temperament, utterly unlike the experienced, gray-bearded old-school potionist people imagined.
Duke's Astral Embers shop was not open every day either. It entirely depended on his mood, at least as outsiders understood it.
But only he knew that most of the time, he was simply