Name Rises (Part 1)

In the blink of an eye, it was February. The sun shone brightly that day.

The long-lasting cold finally left Rika Town. The sun in the sky regained its strength, casting warmth over the land.

Places once covered in snow had now become havens for flowing water.

The snow on the ground had all melted.

As if thawing out themselves, people began leaving their homes, calling on friends or working hard.

Adventurers once again headed toward the Magic Beast Forest in groups. Rika Town, which had been quiet for several days, grew lively again. At that moment, someone sharp-eyed noticed that a notice board had been set up outside Romon's Potion Shop.

Several striking lines were written on the board. Some of those who could read shook their heads after seeing them, while others walked into Romon's shop.

Those who could not read had to ask others before learning that it was an announcement for a new potion launched by Romon's Potion Shop.

According to the notice, this new potion cost the same as the previous healing potions, but its effectiveness had improved greatly.

Although most townspeople merely shook their heads and left with indifferent expressions after reading it,

the adventurers were mostly very interested in the new potion. In weather as cold as this, many healing potions and methods were far less effective than usual.

Thus, a low-priced potion with remarkable effects was simply too important in the eyes of adventurers.

So, less than ten minutes after Romon had someone put up the notice board, curious adventurers began entering the shop to inquire about it.

However, Romon's Druid level was not yet high. Many asked about it, but almost no one bought any. Romon did not waste words. He brought out twenty finished bottles and let one hesitant adventurer take one, saying it could be tried for free first.

"This bottle is free?" the adventurer asked curiously as he looked at the small bottle in his hand.

Romon smiled. "Of course."

The adventurer immediately stopped hesitating. With a chuckle, he tucked the bottle into his clothes. He did not yet know how effective it was, but who would not like something free?

Once there was a first person to take one, there was a second. Adventurers who had only intended to look also came over to collect free potions.

Very quickly, even some adventurers who had originally planned to buy potions from Jefa's Potion Shop across the street were drawn over.

"Teacher, look at them!" The young girl dressed in luxurious winter clothes stamped her foot and complained coquettishly inside Jefa's Potion Shop, looking extremely upset.

Sitting across from her was the Druid Jefa, who had come to inspect the shop that day. Seeing his beloved apprentice so furious, he was equally helpless.

"It is only a momentary novelty. It is nothing," he said with a smile, trying to comfort her.

"But..." The girl pouted unhappily. "I stayed up so late making potions yesterday, yet no one came to buy any today. It is infuriating!"

Seeing his apprentice so angry, Jefa could only shake his head helplessly again as he turned his gaze toward the shop across the street.

"An enhanced potion with improved effects?" Jefa shook his head again and smiled dismissively.

Preparing basic potions was one part of the Druid learning system. Every Druid could learn to prepare potions, but the higher a Druid's level, the greater his influence over the brewing process, the lower the required cost, and the better the final result.

Moreover, potions were ultimately only an exercise for Druids to master the properties of natural medicinal plants. They could serve as a diversion or a means of making a living at low levels, but they were not a true profession.

A true Druid was responsible for protecting nature. No Druid would willingly make potion brewing a long-term profession—that was the responsibility of herbalists and priests.

Overall, this was why Druids, despite possessing the Healing Spell and herbal knowledge, were less skilled in healing than priests—though over countless years, the endless generations of Druids had studied the medicinal properties of plants and formulas deeply enough for their own use and practice.

Therefore, Jefa's first reaction to Romon's actions was disdain. His second was absurdity. He had originally felt that Romon had at least a little talent, since he had managed to advance so quickly to Second-Level Druid without guidance.

But after this incident, Romon, whom Jefa had already considered overly profit-driven, seemed even more self-important in his eyes.

Setting aside whether a Druid would devote his energy to developing new potions, even if someone were truly interested in such research, those who created new potions were always mid- to high-level Druids with profound knowledge.

For a mere Second-Level Druid like Romon to dream of preparing a new potion, even making the slightest improvement, was a joke to all the many predecessors!

No, it was simply overestimating himself. As someone who had once taught Romon, Jefa knew well that although Romon had now reached the strength of a Second-Level Druid, without Jefa's thorough guidance, Romon's actual knowledge of Druids was severely lacking.

As for his understanding of potions, it was limited to simple potion preparation.

Even Weiwan, Jefa's current beloved apprentice, though only a First-Level Druid, knew far more about potion preparation than Romon.

This was also one reason Romon's Potion Shop had been doing poorly—his lack of knowledge and lack of strength.

Yet such a half-baked Druid actually wanted to prepare a new potion whose effects surpassed those of his predecessors. How could Jefa not find that laughable?

At the same time, in a room somewhere within the Temple, a young priest was repeating the words Jefa had spoken.

"An enhanced potion with improved effects?" His tone was equally disdainful, but there was a trace more malice in his words. He casually burned a secret letter, then sneered.

It was the malicious sneer one gave upon seeing an idiot.

The reason was simple. As someone who had watched Romon grow from an apprentice into a Second-Level Druid, he too did not believe Romon could develop any new enhanced potion.

"As long as his potion is not as effective as he claims, there will be a show to watch." The young priest sneered as he picked up a pen and wrote a letter.

After tying the letter to a carrier pigeon's leg and watching it spread its wings and fly away, the smile on his face deepened.

"Bakar, now let us see what you can do as a tax officer." A few minutes later, at the other end of town, a carrier pigeon landed on the windowsill of the tax officer's home.

The tax officer removed the letter from the pigeon's leg. After only one glance, he revealed a knowing smile.

"Use this chance to pin a crime on Romon? Good idea!" he muttered to himself as he destroyed the letter as well.

"The crime of deceiving the public? That charge really suits Romon!" With his hands behind his back, he gazed up at the sky, wearing the same cold sneer as the priest.

Meanwhile, in town, aside from a few adventurers who had taken free potions home, most townspeople remained onlookers regarding the new potion introduced by Romon's Potion Shop.

After all, in their minds, Romon was only a Second-Level Druid. He could not compare with Jefa, a Fifth-Level Druid.

If even Jefa, a Fifth-Level Druid, could not do it, could Romon really succeed? Besides, potions for treating wounds were not especially useful to them.

"Romon, no one has come yet. Do you think our potion does not work very well?"

It was already February, and the weather was gradually warming. At the end of last month, Romon's Potion Shop had introduced a new potion. Almost no one had bought it. Only the twenty bottles prepared at the beginning had been given away for free.

Moreover, the people who had taken them were mostly adventurers. Yet ever since they had taken those potions, there had not been any news at all.

Romon's Potion Shop was still deserted, with pitifully few customers. However, Romon had expected this situation long ago.

January was the season when Devil Beasts appeared least often. Thus, while some adventurers still headed for the forest, their chances of encountering Devil Beasts were extremely low, and the number injured by Devil Beasts was even closer to zero.

If no one was injured, then naturally no one would need his potions. So, the lack of any response now was normal. But just because he thought so did not mean others did.

Although Nick had initially placed great faith in Romon's new potion, as the days passed, he began to feel uneasy as the shop manager. Taking advantage of the lack of customers, he quietly asked that question.

Romon looked at him in amusement. "What, you do not trust the potion I prepared?"

"It is not that, just..." Nick scratched his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. "It has already been half a month, and no one has come back to ask about it. It is hard not to worry."

"You." Romon shook his head when he saw the worried look on Nick's face. "Do not rush. Someone will come to buy it."

Seeing that Nick still did not quite believe him, he patted his shoulder. "Nick, just wait and see. I never deceive people. Trust me."

"Mm! I trust you!" With Romon's assurance, Nick finally regained his confidence.

"That is more like it." Romon smiled, sweeping his gaze over the people watching outside, though he too felt somewhat frustrated.

Even Nick did not quite believe in the effects of this new potion. The others probably felt the same. But surely someone should have started using the twenty bottles he had given away for free last month!

As the weather had begun warming these past few days, adventurers had become more active.

His enhanced potion should be showing its effects soon. Why had no one come yet? Could it be that his new potion truly had no effect when used on people?