Trade

Alivia neither confirmed nor denied it. At a glance, she could tell that Ian was only an Intermediate Apprentice.

And any student worthy of having Douglas plant a mark on them had to be at least a genius-level Advanced Apprentice.

It seemed this young man had some exceptional methods.

"I can help you erase the mark. But what do you have to offer in exchange?"

Alivia's expression remained calm. Formal Wizards did not act carelessly, especially when erasing someone's mark was tantamount to making an enemy.

"I have a Tranquil Flower. I wonder if it would be enough to warrant your help."

"So it was Nolan you killed. Impressive indeed!"

The commotion Nolan had caused in the ruins had reached the ears of many Wizards. That showed just how severe the uproar had been.

This time, Alivia studied Ian seriously, her gaze sweeping over him from head to toe until his scalp tingled.

"Very well. We have a deal." Alivia raised a hand, and a faint green gleam flew toward the back of Ian's hand.

A few sizzling sounds rang out. Ian felt as though a red-hot branding iron had been pressed against him, and the corner of his eye twitched.

The green glow quickly faded. The back of Ian's hand was once again intact, and the scarlet mark had vanished without a trace.

Ian's whole body relaxed, as though a massive stone had been lifted from his chest.

"Thank you for your help, respected Wizard Alivia!"

"It was merely a transaction. Since you are the Potion Master of this shop, you should work diligently from now on."

"Yes!" Ian understood. She was telling him to brew more potions to repay this favor.

He knew that a single Tranquil Flower would hardly be enough to invite a Wizard to erase a mark. Formal Wizards did not have any pressing need for such a thing.

Without Malena introducing him, she would not even have spared him a second glance.

"Malena, thank you!"

After bowing to Alivia once more, Ian left and returned to his residence.

After Ian left, Alivia picked up the wooden box and looked at the flower inside.

"I had originally been worried that you would not be able to break through to become a Formal Wizard within half a year. But it seems your luck has arrived. This can be considered the resolution of one of my lingering concerns."

She had previously possessed one set of breakthrough resources, but she had two people closest to her.

Besides Malena, there was also Aislin Moonshadow, a student from the same clan as her.

Aislin had polished her mental power to completion first and stood at the threshold of a breakthrough. After weighing her options, Alivia had ultimately given the resources to Aislin.

She had agreed to Ian's request in the transaction just now partly because she wanted to compensate Malena.

Otherwise, if a mere Tranquil Flower could make her erase someone else's mark, Wizards would be far too cheap.

"Malena, I still need to deal with the aftermath of this matter. You should not stay here either. Come back to the High Tower with me and prepare to devote yourself fully to breaking through to Wizard."

With no outsiders present, Malena brewed Alivia a cup of tea, and the atmosphere between them became much more relaxed.

"But if I leave, who will manage Starleaf Apothecary? Let me hand over the shop's affairs first, then I'll return with you."

After thinking it over, Alivia nodded and agreed to Malena's arrangement.

When it came to earning magic stones, Malena's senior sister Aislin was far inferior to her.

Although Malena's aptitude was slightly inferior, it was difficult to say who would ultimately go further.

Malena asked again, "Will Nolan's mentor retaliate against the Magic Potion Shop?"

Alivia shook her head. "I will make some deals with Douglas and shift this matter onto your senior sister. Since she took my resources, this is also her obligation."

As long as she gave Douglas a suitable deal, even if his beloved student had died, he would not take retaliatory action against the Magic Potion Shop.

Moreover, both of them had quite a few businesses. If they retaliated against each other, the losses would be enormous and would not serve either of their interests.

Malena secretly felt a little delighted. This meant there would be no further danger for either the shop or Ian.

"Then how should we arrange the shop's guards? Harvey is injured now as well. Should you send someone else over?

"Clayton and Christine are also injured and temporarily unable to brew potions."

A faint smile appeared at the corners of Alivia's lips, and there was something unreadable in the way she looked at Malena.

"If Harvey's injuries are not serious, let him stay and recover. As for the potions, have that boy Ian brew more. This is also part of his compensation."

Speaking of Ian, Malena took out a Rock Bear Potion. This potion had not yet officially gone on sale, and their stock was still too limited.

"Look, this was brewed by that boy Ian. He has an exceptional talent for potions."

Alivia took the Rock Bear Potion and examined it intently for a while, her eyes full of admiration.

"This is a Bloodline Potion. You said earlier that Ian wanted to use it as a physique potion? How ignorant!"

For an Intermediate Apprentice to teach himself how to brew a Bloodline Potion was not something that could be described as mere genius.

"Malena, you also have considerable talent in Potion Studies, but you still cannot brew this potion, can you?"

Malena nodded in admission. She truly admired Ian.

"Malena, to even begin brewing bloodline-type potions, one must resonate with the Bloodline Refinement Technique. You have not learned that spell."

Alivia returned the potion to Malena.

"Some geniuses possess more than one talent. Ian may also be highly gifted in spellcasting."

"What! No wonder he was always asking me to approve access to the practice room. Hmph! He usually acts so timid and submissive, yet he is quite good at disguising himself."

Malena felt no jealousy. On the contrary, she was delighted. After all, he was the money tree she had personally recruited.

"My lady, if this potion is sold for only 500 magic stones, isn't that too cheap?"

Alivia shook her head. "First, we will test the market response with a small batch, then make adjustments. This potion cannot be used alone, so its price cannot be raised much."

Next, Malena reported Starleaf's performance to Alivia.

Watching Malena hold the account book and eagerly recite the figures for the magic stones, Alivia grew increasingly satisfied with the daughter of her old friend.

"Malena, you need to set aside your mundane affairs lately and focus on tempering your mental power. Once you break through to become a Wizard, we can remain together for several hundred more years."

After hearing this, Malena's eyes filled with boundless longing.

Once an Advanced Apprentice broke through to become a Formal Wizard, their lifespan could reach as long as five hundred years.

This was also the powerful motivation driving countless people to desperately compete for resources and break through to become Formal Wizards.

"Prepare well for your breakthrough. If there is anything else you lack, tell me."

Alivia rose to her feet and put away the Tranquil Flower.

The Tranquil Flower could be used directly, but the best method was to have a skilled Potion Master brew it into a potion.

"I'll take it back first and brew it into Tranquil Water. There should be three finished vials. I'll give one to Douglas as compensation for his loss."

As for the final vial, she also needed to keep it to cultivate some followers.

At present, aside from Harvey, there were several people with considerable potential in her other magic potion shops. She needed to examine them carefully.

As for Ian, he was currently only an Intermediate Apprentice. His level was too low, and he was far from entering her considerations.

War with the Crimson Court now seemed almost unavoidable, so preparations had to be made in advance.

"Since you still intend to remain at the shop, just mind your limits. Do not delay too long. Strive to break through within half a year."

Alivia sighed. When the time came, there would inevitably be large-scale conscription and war preparations. Even Wizards could not avoid it.

In a war of this scale, even she did not dare guarantee that nothing would go wrong.

Before leaving, she seemed to recall something and said to Malena, "If that Ian has any questions regarding Potion Studies in the future, he may come to the High Tower to find me."