The spell model had been fully constructed, and its mana consumption was not high compared with spells of the same level. It was entirely acceptable. As he gradually mastered it, creating multiple Arcane Roses at once with his Spiritual Power and expanding the area of effect would also be possible.
Combined with the fire magic simulated through Arcane Mimicry, it could truly be called a redesign and improvement of Flame Burial. Not only did it mitigate the drawbacks of mana consumption and casting time, but it also greatly increased Flame Burial's damaging area, making up for the original spell's shortcomings. Steady, grounded effort was the best way to improve. Cutting corners and slacking off were both ways of being irresponsible with one's own life in battle.
There was a saying Patrick deeply agreed with: "The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle."
In Azeroth, those words were nothing short of the truth. After the Dark Portal opened, the planet Azeroth entered a turbulent era. Wars broke out one after another, and countless brave warriors, heroes, and demigods fell on the battlefield. Improving one's strength and seizing opportunities were the keys to survival on Azeroth.
He withdrew his Spiritual Power, bringing his thoughts back to Sunfury Spire. Arcane energy dispersed from the tower, and the magic vanished in an instant. Every elf outside the tower felt a gust of arcane wind and was immediately refreshed in body and mind.
Quelrintis, Idonis, and the others came in.
"Chief Patrick, thank you for generously teaching us your alchemical formulas and techniques." With deep respect, Quelrintis took out a magical cloth pouch and a scroll and handed them to Patrick before continuing, "These are the proceeds from the alchemical potions and the Enchanting Workshop over this period. All the earnings after costs are in this pouch. The scroll also records a complete breakdown of this past month's income and expenses. Please take a look."
Patrick accepted the scroll and the little silk pouch. The pouch was filled with coins. Although there were no gold coins, most were silver, making it quite a substantial haul. "Sales" had been good lately. They had devoted their energy and care to the Alchemy Workshop and the Enchanting Workshop.
Opening the scroll, Patrick was somewhat astonished. It contained detailed records of the materials consumed and items produced over this period, even including materials lost through mistakes during the process. After deducting costs and daily expenses, they had made a net profit of over nine hundred silver coins in just one month. That was truly cause for celebration.
"You've done very well," Patrick said with heartfelt admiration.
He had originally thought they would take their time learning the ropes before beginning to make magical items and potions. He had not expected them to turn the alchemy formulas into economic output so quickly, nor had he expected elves to be capable of such efficiency.
"It was all thanks to the alchemy formulas and unique recipes you provided, Chief. The potions made by Sunfury Spire are highly regarded. Demand in the Ranger Forces exceeds our supply, and merchants have even come from Tranquillien to buy potions after hearing of our reputation. Your selflessness made these gains possible."
Patrick could hear the sincerity in the four elves' words as Quelrintis spoke. They were grateful for Patrick's help. All four were obscure nobodies from pitifully small families, with scarcely any family businesses and no help from higher-ranking clans in Eversong Woods.
Likewise, when every avenue of advancement was blocked and movement between social classes had all but frozen, the resulting severe social division and stratification made it incredibly difficult for small families to rise above the crowd. Those elves who had not sworn allegiance to enormous clans such as Sunwing and Dawnstar did not even have access to decent educational and learning resources, further deepening the listlessness of commoners' lives.
Getting ahead was hard-harder than climbing to the heavens, enough to drain the color from one's face just hearing of it. Compared with the four of them, Patrick's standing placed him among the upper ranks, and compared with their families, the Cabrolon family could be considered a great family.
At the very least, the Cabrolon family was a partner of the Council and had a family Mage Tower and landholdings-property-in Silvermoon City. Moreover, Patrick had not looked down on them at all for coming from lower-ranking clans. Instead, he had directly taught them his family's alchemy and even given them its alchemical recipes. This was considerable help to all four and had spurred their enthusiasm.
Ordinarily, common elves might as well enjoy themselves in peace. Hoping that the god of luck would one day smile upon them was far too unrealistic. Or perhaps some master would take a liking to them, allowing them to stand out from ordinary elves and reach the pinnacle of life. Relying entirely on such a chance to succeed? Heh, they might as well wash up and go to bed.
Elves lack an environment that encourages them to strive, Patrick reflected.
"Quelrintis, I'll leave these silver coins with you. According to our earlier agreement, the Mage Tower and the individuals will each receive fifty percent of all profits. Once you've divided it up, just report the Mage Tower's share to me." Patrick pushed the little silk pouch back toward Quelrintis.
"I'm also planning to find an elf to manage the Mage Tower's finances. Are any of you interested?"
The four exchanged glances, looking from one to another. In the end, Quelrintis spoke up. "Chief Patrick, I've always overseen Sunfury Spire's daily operations. Please leave the financial management to me as well."
Patrick had no concerns about entrusting Quelrintis with control of Sunfury Spire's finances. After all, he had kept Sunfury Spire running well before, and putting him in charge was what everyone wanted.
"Chief Patrick, there's one more thing. Since Sunfury Spire began selling improved alchemical potions, more and more people have been coming to the East Sanctum. The surrounding homes are all occupied by those merchants, as well as some rangers who have come to the Ghostlands to hone their skills. Should we build another batch of homes?" Quelrintis was methodical, meticulous, and responsible in his work-a good assistant.
The Sun Temple could now be described as overcrowded. Quite a few merchants had spotted the business opportunity. Whether they bought potions from Sunfury Spire to sell in the human world or waited for the Council to purchase them, they could make a great deal of money with little risk. Driven by their profit-seeking nature, merchants would not let such a heaven-sent opportunity slip by.
"We can build some simple housing around Sunfury Spire. Most of the eastern part of the Sun Temple is occupied by Ranger Forces camps, so we can build some simple homes in the southwest and rent them to merchants and rangers. That way, first, they'll be easier to manage, and second, we can ensure their safety as much as possible."
The Ghostlands were not like Eversong Woods. Although the Ghostclaw Lynxes and Mana Spring Stalkers in the forest were about the same size as Mana Spring Lynxes, the Mana Spring Lynxes living in Eversong Woods were docile and nonaggressive because of the Sunwell's influence. Ghostclaw Lynxes were different. As large carnivorous felines, they were highly aggressive. Spending the night near the woods was ultimately an unsafe choice.
"If we're only building simple housing, our funds should just about cover it. We simply can't provide a large number of high-quality homes at present." Quelrintis carefully ran through the calculations in his head before offering his advice.
A little break here.
Finally home.
Before you continue