「Three days later.」
Aidele returned to Golden Oak Street, her expression exhausted as she clutched a heavy Dimensional Ring.
She stood in the Workshop’s courtyard, gazing at the closed metal door. Taking a deep breath, she pushed it open and went inside.
Inside, Ian had just woken from a deep Meditation.
On the laboratory bench, rows of empty Crystal Bottles were neatly arranged. Beside them were the processed material residues, sorted and categorized.
A crisp, starry scent wafted through the Laboratory, mixed with the faint, burnt aroma of plants.
Aidele placed the Storage Ring on a corner of the laboratory bench.
The metal hit the stone surface with a crisp CLICK.
"The materials you wanted are all here."
Her voice was a bit hoarse, but her eyes were startlingly bright.
Ian didn’t immediately reach for it. He looked up at Aidele’s weary face.
’Three days. To gather every material on his list, all meeting the quality requirements...’
’He knew exactly what that meant.’
’This woman... she must have used up the last of her connections and savings.’
’She might have even... mortgaged some important treasure.’
"There’s no need to be nervous. All of this... will be worth it," Ian said, his voice calm.
He could see Aidele’s all-or-nothing resolve and offered a quiet word of reassurance.
He picked up the Ring and submerged his Spiritual Power into it.
The space inside was packed to the brim. Every material was properly packaged and clearly labeled.
’The quality... was only higher than what he’d requested, not lower.’
A flicker of emotion crossed Ian’s eyes. He slipped the Ring onto his hand and turned toward the laboratory bench.
Without another word, he began.
For the next three days, the lights in the underground Laboratory at No. 12 Golden Oak Street barely went out.
Old Finn no longer kept watch in the front hall.
After finishing his duties, he moved a low stool and sat right at the Laboratory entrance, his back against the cold stone wall.
He was no longer fiddling with an abacus, but cradling a yellowed copy of Magic Potion Notes.
But his cloudy eyes were always peering through the crack in the door, fixed on the young figure inside.
He watched as Ian pressed his hands down on the empty air, five faint golden Energy Threads darting through the space like living creatures.
He was simultaneously controlling seven Crucibles, the temperature curves so precise it was mind-numbing.
Grinding, extraction, fusion, condensation...
Every step was so fluid, it seemed as if he had practiced it a thousand times before.
No mistakes, no pauses.
Even the removal of material residue was as precise as if measured with a ruler.
Old Finn’s breathing grew lighter and lighter.
Toward the end, he was practically holding his breath.
His gaunt fingers gripped the edge of the notebook, his knuckles turning white.
He wasn’t watching someone refining a Magic Potion.
It was more like... watching a work of art.
An art form where materials, flames, Spiritual Power, and even the Rules themselves were under perfect control.
「On the morning of the fourth day.」
The Laboratory door finally opened.
Ian walked out, a faint trace of fatigue on his face, but his eyes were still clear.
Behind him, two hundred thirty-seven Crystal Bottles were arranged in neat rows on the laboratory bench.
On the left were one hundred ninety-five bottles, their star-dusted blue liquid swirling with silver light.
An improved, high-purity version of the Starlight Potion.
On the right were forty-two bottles. Their liquid was a murky amber, with fine golden particles slowly drifting within.
A Bloodline Potion upgraded to Tier One: the Rock Bear Potion.
Aidele stood in the courtyard. The morning light filtered through the sparse leaves of the old Golden Oak Tree, casting dappled spots of light on her face.
She looked at Ian, then at the Crystal Bottles inside the Laboratory.
Her throat bobbed. She wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
Ian walked up to her and took a list out of his Dimension Ring.
"This is the cost analysis and preliminary pricing," he said, handing the list over.
Aidele took it, her fingertips trembling slightly.
She glanced down, and her pupils suddenly contracted.
’The cost... was at least thirty percent lower than she had estimated.’
’But the price... was a full fifty percent higher than she had imagined.’
"This price..."
She looked up at Ian, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes.
"Will they buy it?"
"You’ll know once you go," Ian’s voice was firm.
He picked up a vial of Starlight Potion and held it up to the morning light.
The star-dusted blue liquid swirled in the light, the silver specks within rotating slowly as if they were alive.
"Because this... is worth the price."
The family’s internal trade fair was held in the grand hall of an old stone fortress in the southern part of the city.
The hall wasn’t huge, but it could hold over a hundred people.
Most of the attendees were mid-level family Stewards and Guard Captains, along with a few freelance Wizards aligned with the various heirs.
Figures in robes of various colors gathered in small groups, conversing in low voices.
Fluctuations of Magic Power of all different attributes rippled through the air, along with the complex, mingled scents of various Magic Potion Materials.
When Aidele walked into the hall, many eyes immediately turned to her.
Curiosity, scrutiny, mockery, schadenfreude...
She wore a simple, dark teal Long Robe, with no ornate accessories.
Her back was ramrod straight, her face expressionless.
Behind her, Delia pushed a small metal cart.
After discussing it, they had decided not to keep the Potions in a Dimensional Ring.
The cart was covered with a dark velvet cloth, hiding what was underneath.
On the left side of the hall, her second brother, Edwin, was leaning against a stone pillar, holding a glass of amber liquid.
Upon seeing Aidele, the corner of his mouth curled into an undisguised sneer.
"Xiaoqi, you came to join the fun, too?"
His voice wasn’t loud, but it was loud enough for those nearby to hear.
"What goodies did you bring this time? Don’t tell me it’s more junk you scraped together from some street stall?"
The two Guards behind him let out accommodating snickers.
The Thunder Eagle on his shoulder tilted its head, its sharp eyes staring at Aidele.