Selling Potions

Luo Lin cleaned up the tools, then sat cross-legged on the bed and began meditating to restore his depleted mental and magical power.

This time, he could clearly feel that after the intense concentration required to brew the potion, his control over his mental power seemed to have improved slightly.

His control over his mental power seemed to have improved slightly.

Although the progress of [Basic Meditation Method] on the panel had not immediately changed, he believed that the training effect brought by such practice would subtly accelerate his progress.

After one meditation cycle, his condition had recovered considerably.

Luo Lin looked at the azure potion and considered what to do with it.

Use it himself?

What he needed most right now was to steadily improve his fundamental strength. This kind of temporary enhancement potion with side effects was not the best choice.

Besides, he needed resources—more contribution points to buy food, a better meditation environment, and even spell models.

Selling it was the wiser choice!

But he could not take it directly to the academy's official store or the mission hall.

For a first-rank apprentice to produce a good-quality [Lesser Mental Boiling Potion] would attract far too much attention.

He needed a more discreet channel with a better explanation.

From the original owner's memories, there were small circles for private trading among apprentices, usually in areas with relatively lax supervision.

For example, the corner behind the cafeteria, or near some abandoned warehouse.

The goods traded there came from all kinds of sources. The prices might be lower than the official ones, but it was more discreet, and no one asked where things came from.

Luo Lin decided to try his luck.

He hid the potion in an inner pocket and left the cabin.

He headed for the area behind the cafeteria where miscellaneous items were piled up.

As expected, this place was more "lively" than elsewhere. Several scattered apprentices were squatting on the ground, with items laid out before them.

Some were materials, while others were worn-looking enchanted items that might still have some use.

All transactions were conducted in low voices, with wary glances exchanged.

Luo Lin found an empty spot and squatted down as well.

However, unlike the others, he did not lay out his goods. He simply waited quietly.

After a while, a tall, thin apprentice in a gray robe with sharp eyes strolled over and asked in a low voice:

"What are you selling?"

Luo Lin raised his head and sized him up, lowering his own voice as well.

"One [Lesser Mental Boiling Potion], good quality."

A flicker of surprise crossed the apprentice's eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

"Good quality? From a first-rank apprentice?"

His tone was skeptical.

Luo Lin offered no explanation. He merely exposed a corner of the potion bottle from within his robe. Its deep azure color and the starlike glimmers flowing within were impossible to fake.

The tall, thin apprentice's gaze sharpened. He crouched down and lowered his voice further. "How much? The official price is fifty contribution points per bottle."

"Forty points!"

Luo Lin named his price.

It was lower than the official price, but the material cost was much higher. He would still profit, and the other party would have room for profit as well.

The tall, thin apprentice pondered for a moment.

Good-quality [Lesser Mental Boiling Potion]s were not common. Their effects were ten or twenty percent better than ordinary ones, and their side effects might be slightly lessened. They would also be easier to resell.

"Thirty points! I'm taking the risk here, and who knows whether your potion is clean."

"Thirty-eight points. Take it or leave it." Luo Lin's tone remained calm as he made to stand.

He knew exactly what his potion was worth.

"Wait!"

The tall, thin apprentice grabbed him.

"Thirty-five points! Let's make friends. If you have goods in the future, you can come to me."

"My name is Black Rat. A lot of people around here know me."

Luo Lin looked into his shrewd eyes and knew this was probably as high as he could negotiate.

In the end, he nodded. "Fine."

The two quickly completed the transfer of contribution points through their identity plaques.

The number on Luo Lin's plaque rose from 8 to 43.

Black Rat took the potion and inspected it carefully. A satisfied look appeared on his face, and his figure soon vanished into the shadows among the piles of junk.

Luo Lin did not linger and immediately left the area.

With 43 contribution points in hand, he felt much more secure.

This proved that his path was viable.

Process materials, obtain hidden resources, brew potions, exchange them for contribution points, and form a positive cycle.

He did not squander them. Instead, he went to the cafeteria for another hearty meal, spending 3 points.

Afterward, he went to the supply office and spent 10 contribution points on several packets of ordinary herbal tea that could slowly nourish the body and relieve fatigue.

This would help him recover better and maintain his high-intensity study and crafting pace.

He temporarily saved the remaining contribution points.

He needed to prepare for his next step.

Should he continue brewing large quantities of [Lesser Mental Boiling Potion]s to earn contribution points, or begin trying to learn his first offensive or defensive spell?

Back in the cabin, Luo Lin drank warm herbal tea while making plans.

Continuing to sell the same potion carried risks, even through the black market.

Moreover, the main ingredient of the [Lesser Mental Boiling Potion], Shadow Fungus, depended entirely on Moonlight Moss processing missions. The source was far too limited.

He needed to develop new ways to acquire resources, or improve his own hard power.

Learning his first spell was urgent.

At the very least, it would give him basic self-defense in an unexpected situation.

Luo Lin recalled several basic zero-ring spells that first-rank apprentices could access from the original owner's memories:

[Mage Hand], [Acid Splash], [Cleaning Spell], [Phantom Sound Spell]...

Of them, [Mage Hand] was the most versatile. It had some use in both daily assistance and combat.

However, acquiring a spell model required contribution points, and not a small amount.

In the academy library's spell section, borrowing a zero-ring spell model usually cost more than 30 contribution points, and strict mental imprints prevented private teaching.

He did not have enough contribution points yet.

"Looks like I'll need to brew a few more potions."

Luo Lin made his decision.

Before learning and mastering his first spell, he needed more capital.

Over the next two days, Luo Lin's life settled into a fixed rhythm.

Meditate to recover, accept Moonlight Moss missions, extract Shadow Fungus, brew [Lesser Mental Boiling Potion]s, sell them through Black Rat, buy food and basic supplies, then continue meditating.

His contribution points steadily accumulated to 172.

The progress of [Basic Meditation Method] also steadily rose, reaching 49% of the beginner stage.

Both his mental and magical power had increased.

Once he felt he had accumulated enough contribution points, Luo Lin returned to the library and headed directly for the spell section.

"I need to borrow the spell model for [Mage Hand]."

He spoke to the steward managing the spell section.

The steward merely glanced at Luo Lin, confirmed that he was a first-rank apprentice, and said indifferently, "Forty contribution points. Borrowing time: one hour."

"No recording it, and no passing it on. Violators will be severely punished."

Luo Lin paid the contribution points.

The number on his identity plaque immediately changed from 172 to 132.

Then the steward handed him a cold crystal shard.

"Send your mental power into it. Once the time is up, the memory will be automatically erased."

Luo Lin took the crystal shard and went to sit at a reading seat nearby.

He took a deep breath and slowly infused his mental power into the crystal shard.

In an instant, an enormous, incomparably complex stream of information flooded into his mind.

It was a three-dimensional structural diagram composed of countless fine mental-power lines, nodes, and energy-flow paths.

It was the spell model for [Mage Hand]!

This model was far more complex than he had imagined, like a precise three-dimensional geometric figure. Every node and every energy channel had to be constructed accurately with mental power.

There could not be the slightest mistake. Otherwise, the spell would fail, and it might even cause a mental-power backlash.

Ordinary apprentices would likely be left dizzy by such a complex structure and require a long time to memorize and study it repeatedly.

But Luo Lin was different. The [Efficient Scholar] talent once again played a crucial role!

After that massive stream of information entered his mind, it seemed to be automatically sorted, organized, and understood.

The model's overall structure, its key nodes, and the core principles governing its energy flow were all absorbed and understood by him at an astonishing speed.

Although he could not master it immediately, his speed of memorization and comprehension far surpassed that of ordinary people!