After reflecting on himself, Li Ang began examining the two potions he had brewed. The first was a standard pale gold, giving off a gentle fragrance. Extremely faint specks of magical light drifted slowly within the liquid. According to the book, this was a standard Calming Potion of qualified quality.
But the second bottle... Li Ang's pupils widened slightly.
The color of this potion was deeper and purer, nearly a pure golden hue. Its fragrance was richer as well, and there were far more specks of magical light floating within it than in the previous bottle.
According to the description in Fundamentals of Potioncraft, this was the sign of a potion reaching excellent quality.
The purified water created by the [Water Creation Spell]... combined with the stability of the Lv1 cauldron, had allowed Li Ang, a complete novice, to brew an excellent-quality potion on his very first attempt.
Without hesitation, he picked up the two bottles of potion and quickly left the dormitory, heading to the supply distribution area.
When he entered the distribution area again, still filled with the dry scent of medicinal herbs, Old Morrie was as before, bent over his thick ledger.
"Wizard Mori," Li Ang called calmly.
Old Morrie did not even raise his head as he answered vaguely, "Hmm? New kid, didn't you collect everything?"
"No. I came to submit the results of my potion brewing."
Li Ang gently placed the two bottles of potion on the table before Old Morrie.
"Submit results?"
Old Morrie finally looked up and pushed up his slipping reading glasses. Confusion flashed through his cloudy gaze as it swept over the crystal bottles on the table.
The moment he clearly saw the golden potion, his entire body abruptly froze, as though someone had pressed a pause button.
"This... this is..."
After that brief moment of stiffness, he snatched up the golden potion, moving far too quickly for an old man.
He held the bottle up before his eyes and examined the magical light drifting within it beneath the magic lamp set into the wall of the distribution area.
"An excellent-quality Calming Potion! You brewed this?"
He cried out involuntarily, his voice full of disbelief.
"Impossible. How long have you had the materials? Half a day? Not even half a day!"
He suddenly looked up. His eyes were no longer cloudy as he scrutinized Li Ang's face with a sharp gaze, as if trying to pierce through his skin and uncover the secrets inside his mind.
"Kid, have you studied potioncraft before? Or do you come from some wizarding family? But I've never heard the name Carlson before."
"The basic herb packs distributed to everyone simply cannot support the brewing of a potion of this quality."
Meeting Old Morrie's scrutinizing gaze, Li Ang answered openly, "Wizard Mori, this really is my first time coming into contact with potion brewing, and I don't come from any wizarding family. The materials were naturally the ones you gave me."
"As for this potion, perhaps it was because I used purified water condensed through the [Water Creation Spell]," Li Ang replied truthfully.
As for the cauldron's binding upgrade, that was a secret he could never reveal.
"Elemental Purified Water?"
Old Morrie paused, then suddenly understood. Water elemental affinity... the [Water Creation Spell]... among the Potion School's most compatible attributes, one was fire, while the other was water.
He lowered his head again, looking at the golden potion in his hand as he muttered to himself.
"Two portions of materials... both succeeded. One qualified, one excellent. Half a day... no foundation..."
He suddenly raised his head again. The way he looked at Li Ang had completely changed. A stunning light erupted from his cloudy old eyes, as if he had discovered a priceless treasure.
"Good, good, good!"
Old Morrie said "good" three times in a row, so excited that even the wrinkles on his face trembled.
"Good boy. You are the most talented apprentice I have seen in the past ten years—no, the past twenty years."
He carefully put the excellent-quality Calming Potion into a box, as though it were a work of art.
Then he took a deep breath, trying to calm his overly excited emotions, though the fervor in his eyes did not lessen in the slightest.
"Li Ang Carlson," Old Morrie said with unprecedented solemnity.
"I will immediately present this excellent Calming Potion to Mentor Eve. As for the other bottle... you may choose to drink it yourself, or exchange it here for Potion School contribution points or more practical coin."
He paused, then continued, "If you don't have much money on you, I recommend taking the coin."
Li Ang had originally still had some money given to him by his family, but Kavi had taken it all after they boarded the ship. Now, he only had the sixty copper coins he had just received.
So he accepted Old Morrie's suggestion and exchanged it for coin. One qualified-quality Calming Potion earned him a gleaming silver coin.
One silver coin was worth one hundred copper coins. This single bottle of potion had sold for roughly the equivalent of two months of his stipend.
After Li Ang left with the money, Old Morrie adjusted his glasses and muttered to himself, "The Potion School has been silent for too long. But this boy's arrival may allow the Potion School to become great once again."
With that, he picked up the small box containing the Calming Potion, locked the supply distribution area's heavy wooden door early, and hurried away more quickly than usual. His figure soon vanished deep into the corridor. Clearly, he was in a rush to find Wizard Eve.
Li Ang slipped the silver coin into his pocket, and the hunger in his stomach became more distinct.
Following the general direction Ellie had pointed out earlier, he found the cafeteria on the first floor of the school.
The cafeteria hall was fairly spacious, with rough blackstone tables and benches arranged neatly throughout. It was mealtime, and noisy voices mingled with the scent of food.
All sorts of smells hung in the air: the savory aroma of fried and roasted fat, along with the burnt smell of scorched bread.
A wooden board hung on one wall, listing three meal sets available that day and their prices in white paint:
[Simple Meal]: One piece of black bread, one cup of water - 1 copper coin
[Standard]: One piece of white bread, one serving of pan-fried tender chicken cutlet, one cup of water - 5 copper coins
[Selected]: One serving of meat sauce pasta, one serving of pan-fried veal steak, one cup of low-alcohol fruit wine - 10 copper coins
Li Ang's gaze swept across the price board, and his heart sank. Prices here were far higher than in Carter Village, the original owner's hometown. In Carter Village, one copper coin could buy nearly five pieces of black bread.
He instantly understood why Old Morrie had recommended exchanging the potion for coin. Even if he ate only the cheapest simple meal every day, he would need ninety copper coins a month. His monthly stipend of sixty copper coins was simply not enough.
Not to mention that he still needed to buy other daily necessities or wizarding supplies. The path of a wizard had been filled with the cruelty of reality from the very beginning.
He was already a Formal Apprentice, yet even sixty copper coins felt nowhere near enough. Those reserve apprentices only received thirty copper coins. Did that mean they could only eat one piece of black bread a day?
On the ship, they had at least received three free pieces of black bread a day. How had things gotten worse after arriving at the Wizard Tower?
He squeezed the cold silver coin and his original sixty copper coins in his pocket, fighting a fierce battle within himself. Reason told him to order the cheapest meal and save the rest of the money for other uses.
But desire urged him to order the most expensive set. A fragrant steak paired with chilled fruit wine—just thinking about it made his mouth water.
Before you continue