Camp Life

Now that Wizard's Hand had achieved a breakthrough, it was the perfect time to see what "Spirit Infusion" could do.

He first picked up the formula for the Lesser Healing Potion.

He had brewed some of this potion at Starleaf before, but the materials were somewhat different from those listed here.

The main ingredients were Silverleaf and Hemostatic Moss, supplemented by a small amount of Silvermoon Grass powder and purified water.

Its effects were to accelerate the healing of external wounds and stabilize vital signs.

Thanks to his three special effects—"Mental Calm," "Focus," and "Insight"—Ian's ability to analyze and learn unfamiliar potions was astonishingly fast.

He activated "Insight," and the Silverleaf and Hemostatic Moss in his eyes were no longer simple plants.

Instead, he could see the pale green Life Energy flowing within them, along with the earthy yellow healing-energy pathways.

How to combine them, when to add them, how much Magic Power to use for activation and catalysis... all kinds of realizations naturally surfaced in his mind.

"Let's begin."

Ian activated the "Spirit Infusion" effect and controlled Wizard's Hand to process the materials. It felt no different from doing it himself, and it moved with flawless skill.

"It" took out a portion of Silverleaf, used a silver knife to cut away the section richest in Life Energy, then dropped it into the crucible and injected a trace of Magic Power to activate it. Pale green motes of light gradually seeped out.

Next came the Hemostatic Moss powder. The instant it was sprinkled in, earthy yellow energy merged with the green motes.

Once all the materials had reacted, the liquid in the crucible stabilized and gave off a pale green glow.

[Lesser Healing Potion Proficiency +1]

[Lesser Healing Potion: Beginner (42/100)]

"One success." Ian nodded to himself.

With Wizard's Hand assisting him, his workload would be greatly reduced in the future.

He continued brewing. One pale green potion after another was produced and placed into the Thermostat Box.

His proficiency rose steadily, and his brewing speed grew faster and faster.

In less than an hour, twenty standard-quality Lesser Healing Potions were neatly lined up inside the Thermostat Box.

His Healing Potion assignment was complete.

"Even faster than expected."

After taking a brief rest and a sip of water, Ian picked up the formula for the Basic Antidote Potion.

The potion's main purpose was to neutralize common biological toxins and the remnants of low-level curses.

This formula was completely different from the one used at Starleaf Apothecary. It could practically be considered another kind of low-level potion.

Its main ingredients were Clearheart Grass and Detox Fern, along with supplementary materials such as White Quartz powder.

The brewing process was somewhat more complicated than that of the Healing Potion, requiring an understanding of toxins and neutralization principles.

At the table, he picked up the notes Sterling's Sorcery had left behind and began studying them.

They contained only common knowledge about low-level potions, but Ian focused on the sections concerning antidotes and curses.

Half an hour later, Ian put down the notes and began brewing the Antidote Potion.

Activating "Insight" once more, he saw cool blue purification energy within the Clearheart Grass, while the Detox Fern contained pale golden decomposition energy in a web-like structure.

He first activated the White Quartz powder with Magic Power, forming a stable neutral base...

His first attempt failed due to a minor mistake, but the Status Panel still fed some information back into his mind.

For the second attempt, Ian adjusted the order of infusion and the timing of Magic Power intervention.

[Basic Antidote Potion Proficiency +1]

[Basic Antidote Potion: Beginner (35/100)]

With the experience of success, everything that followed went smoothly.

Potion after potion was brewed as though on an assembly line.

Before long, Ian had easily completed the task Wizard Sterling had assigned him.

He stored the extra potions separately, keeping them for emergencies.

Ian closed his eyes and concentrated, replaying the details of his potion brewing in his mind as he summarized his experience.

"During wartime, demand for these low-level potions is enormous. At this pace, I'll soon grind them up to proficiency, or even mastery. Limit Break won't be far off either..."

Still, he did not care much about whether these skills improved.

What concerned him more was Crystal Energy Barrier. Its proficiency was less than two hundred points away from Limit Break.

"Here, battles can break out at any time, and they won't be the little scuffles from before."

Without a sturdy instant-cast shield, he could never truly feel safe.

He pulled a Ring from his robes. It was the Shield Ring left behind by that Crimson Court apprentice.

"The Ring's shield really isn't that reliable." Ian frowned.

Several battles had shown that the Ring's shield was not especially tough. It was not much better than his own.

"Starting tomorrow, after completing my quota, I have to increase the intensity of my shield training."

After setting his plan, Ian drank a Limit Break version of the Awakening Potion and began his first Deep Meditation in Scorching Canyon.

Outside the camp, the night grew darker.

Yet the dark red glow in the depths of the canyon became increasingly conspicuous, like the eyes of some lurking beast.

The next day.

Ian tucked the quota potions close to his body and pushed open his door.

The smell of sulfur and a hot wind rushed over him. The dark red glow at the bottom of the distant canyon seemed dimmer in daylight.

The camp had been built against the mountain. As far as the eye could see, stone houses and tents were scattered across the area, clearly divided into several sections.

He had only given the place a hurried glance when he arrived yesterday. Now, he truly began observing this "Forge" camp.

The central area was the most orderly. That three-story Core Tower was clearly the heart of the entire camp.

Wizard Sterling lived inside, and some of his laboratories were there as well.

Several rows of sturdy stone houses surrounded the tower. Shadowmoon Banners of Shadowmoon Tower fluttered from their roofs. That was where the Academy's Advanced Apprentices were stationed.

His own stone residence was beside that garrison, making it convenient to hand in and receive assignments.

To the east lay the workshops and storage area. The sounds of Alchemy, Enchanting, and forging mingled together, while chimneys released smoke of various colors.

To the west was a wide expanse of tents and crude wooden houses, where the flow of people was most frequent.

Ian walked along the main road, observing everything closely.

The camp's personnel were complex in composition, but could generally be divided into three groups.

The first group consisted of Shadowmoon Tower apprentices, around forty to fifty people in total.

Most wore gray robes with Academy badges on their chests. They hurried along with obvious Magic Power fluctuations emanating from them.

These people were responsible for the camp's core operations, such as the Defensive Rune Array, strategic supply allocation, and frontline intelligence analysis.

The second group consisted of personnel dispatched by surrounding wizard families, numbering around two hundred in total.

Their clothing varied, but family crests could be seen on their cuffs or chests.

Of these people, only a little over thirty truly possessed the strength of Wizard Apprentices. The rest were trained attendants, Craftsmen, and Knight-level guards.

The third group was made up of temporarily recruited civilian logistics workers. After all, apprentices did not have time to deal with so many everyday matters.

There were around a hundred of them, responsible for basic work such as hauling, cleaning, and cooking.

Most of them looked exhausted, though they worked efficiently. Occasionally, he saw one or two with Knight-level strength, but they had no Magic Power fluctuations.

He also saw some apprentices radiating a fierce aura. They were wounded personnel transferred back from the front line to recuperate.

The entire camp had roughly three hundred and fifty to three hundred and sixty people. As a logistics base, it was moderately sized.

The true battlefield lay farther to the southwest. That was where the fighting against the Crimson Court took place.

At the edge of the camp, Ian saw several steady-looking people patrolling in black leather armor.

They were guards of the Crawford Family, said to possess Grand Knight-level strength.

His gaze grew distant. Grand Knights...

His father had been considered a "powerhouse" at that level, but from Ian's current perspective, he was no different from an ordinary mortal.

Even an ordinary Intermediate Apprentice could handle a Grand Knight with ease.

The two were simply incomparable.