"Next, it's time to prepare for advancing to Grand Mage..." Leon steadied himself, tilted his head back, and drank the freshly concocted Mana Baptism, feeling the scorching liquid burn down his throat and the subtle changes rippling through his body.
Leon estimated that these changes would last for about three days.
During these three days, the Mana Baptism would gradually improve this body, and the previous issue of insufficient magical capacity would slowly fade away. Once the transformation was complete, this body's magical talent would rival that of any prodigy.
By then, advancing to Grand Mage would be no problem at all.
Because the Mana Baptism was taking effect, Leon couldn't use much magic for these three days—not even his daily meditation. So after leaving the alchemy lab, instead of heading straight home, he decided to drop by the Gilded Rose.
During this period, the Gilded Rose had been managed entirely by the old steward. Aside from occasionally brewing potions, Leon had hardly interfered with its operations.
The old steward never complained, knowing that the young master had always aspired to be a mage. Ever since Leon fainted a while back, he'd been completely absorbed in the world of magic. So the steward was careful not to disturb him, solving any problems on his own.
The Gilded Rose owes at least eighty percent of its success to the old steward.
Speaking of which, the steward truly had a knack for business. When the Gilded Rose reopened, all its assets combined barely totaled a few thousand gold coins. In just three months, the steward raised the account balance to over thirty thousand, not counting the unsold inventory. If all that stock moved, they'd make another ten thousand easily.
Most importantly, the downgraded version of Mana Baptism—the steward named it Elixir of Hope—still hadn't been revealed. Once it hit the market, it would cause a sensation in Seaview City. Every mage apprentice would lose their minds. It's no joke: an alchemical potion that lets apprentices reach level nine with ease is rare, and the price of each one is, frankly, terrifying.
But the batch held by the Gilded Rose was different...
Right now, the Gilded Rose had over thirty bottles of Elixir of Hope. Each one could create a ninth-level mage apprentice. With such a quantity, selling them all meant the price couldn't be set unreasonably high. After careful consideration, the steward estimated that the ideal price would be two hundred thousand gold coins per bottle.
Ordinary mage apprentices definitely couldn't afford the Elixir of Hope, so the real potential customers were the children of Seaview City's big shots.
Many of them were just like Matthew Merlin once was—ambitious about magic but lacking in talent. Though the Elixir of Hope couldn't make them a mage overnight, becoming a ninth-level apprentice easily was a huge temptation. Once they reached ninth-level, they could spend time slowly advancing, or try other methods. At least it left them with hope of one day becoming a mage.
For customers like these, the price couldn't be set too low. If you priced it at ten or twenty thousand coins, people might suspect something was wrong with your potion...
But too high wouldn't work either—it wouldn't be worth it. Spending hundreds of thousands, even a million gold coins just to cultivate a ninth-level apprentice? In Seaview City, only a handful could afford that. Maybe three or four bottles could be sold, but what about the rest? Leave them for the steward to drink himself?
So, after much thought, the steward set the price at two hundred thousand coins.
Leon didn't voice any objections. The Gilded Rose had always been the steward's domain, and he understood the market far better than Leon did. Besides, Leon wasn't concerned with those thirty bottles of Elixir of Hope.
Right now, the Gilded Rose was just getting started, so Leon had to personally brew potions. But once business was on track, he definitely wouldn't waste time on this—time was far too precious for a mage.
Lost in thought, Leon walked into the Gilded Rose. Today was the first of the month—the day the Mercenary Guild handed out new tasks, and also the busiest day for the shop. Mercenaries picking up new assignments naturally needed supplies, and the Gilded Rose on Triumph Avenue was one of the best choices in town.
Thanks to the steward's management, the Gilded Rose had gradually recovered. Among the many alchemy shops in Seaview City, it now ranked among the top ten. Its prime location on Triumph Avenue meant most mercenaries chose it after picking up new tasks from the guild just a street away.
But today, as Leon entered the Gilded Rose, something felt off. The business was bustling, the staff busy as ever, but Leon sensed something was wrong. After thinking it over, he realized—the steward wasn't there.
Normally, that wouldn't be strange, but today was the first—the busiest day for the Gilded Rose. Leon remembered clearly, on this day each month, the steward always oversaw the shop personally. Why wasn't he here today?
The more Leon thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Had something happened?
"Remy, come here for a moment." At that thought, Leon couldn't sit still. He waved Remy over.
"Boss, what brings you here?" Remy saw Leon and quickly handed his work to another clerk before hurrying over.
"Just came to take a look. By the way, Remy, do you know where Uncle Pavi went?"
"I heard them say that Boss Pavi went out to receive a batch of magical materials. He left this morning."
"Left this morning?" Leon frowned. The Gilded Rose always had someone assigned to receive magical materials. Even if the steward had to go himself, it was never far—usually within Seaview City. A whole morning should be more than enough for a few trips. Why hadn't he come back yet?
"Where did he go to receive the materials?"
"I think..." Remy thought for a moment, then said uncertainly, "I think it was the Frostwolf Mercenary Group..."
"Frostwolf Mercenary Group?" Leon nodded, feeling somewhat relieved.
The Frostwolf Mercenary Group wasn't large—just about twenty members. In terms of reputation and strength, they couldn't compare to giants like the Silvermoon Mercenary Group, but they'd worked well with the Gilded Rose these past few months. Most of the magical materials they collected from missions had been sold to the Gilded Rose at fair prices, and the steward had praised them more than once.
Leon had worried that the steward might run into trouble while picking up materials, but since it was the Frostwolf Mercenary Group, there shouldn't be any issues.
Leon let the matter drop and glanced around the shop. Business was good and everyone was busy. Since he couldn't meditate anyway, he decided to help the alchemists out.
After reopening, the Gilded Rose had recruited four alchemists, each highly skilled. Since Leon had taken over the old alchemy lab, the steward set up a new one on the second floor. Now, these four alchemists and dozens of apprentice assistants were busy working in the new lab.
Leon had never shown off his alchemy skills in front of the four alchemists, but occasional exchanges made it clear to them that their young boss was no novice. They welcomed his help, though they only entrusted him with simple tasks—like magical processing and such.
Leon didn't mind—he was just killing time anyway...
The afternoon passed quickly. By dusk, the bustling Gilded Rose finally quieted down. Mercenaries left with their supplies, clerks began cleaning up, and the alchemists finished for the day and said their goodbyes to Leon before heading home.
Leon chatted with the alchemists as he came downstairs, only to spot the steward pacing anxiously in the hall.
"Young master, what brings you here?" The steward looked genuinely surprised to see Leon.
"Had nothing to do at home, so I came by. By the way, Remy said you went to the Frostwolf Mercenary Group to pick up some magical materials. How did it go? Everything smooth?"
"Well..." At the mention of this, the steward's face darkened. "Young master, I think we've run into some trouble..."
"Oh?"
"That batch of magical materials from the Frostwolf Mercenary Group was all agreed upon. But when I went over early this morning, they told me they'd already sold it to someone else. At first, I was just a little suspicious, but then I visited several other mercenary groups we usually work with. After a whole day, nearly every one of them told me their magical materials had already been sold to someone else..."
"All of them said that?"
"Yes, all of them..."