Chapter 129 Chapter 130 Money
The freckled boy stared dumbly at the gold coins in his hand, ignoring the trickle of blood running down his forehead.
The apprentices, seeing this, shouted in excitement:
“Wow~!”
“There’s really money!”
“How amazing!”
For many of the apprentices, it was their first time witnessing a supernatural phenomenon; they had only heard about it before. After living an ordinary life for over a decade, they were finally witnessing something miraculous.
Only two people remained unaffected by the “miracle” before them.
One was Jima. She seemed to be stunned, her eyes fixated on the blood on the freckled boy’s forehead, but in reality, she was recording in the “personal information system”:
“Money Luck Amulet: A freckled boy estimated to be fourteen years old. After use, he received a purse with more than one gold coin in less than twenty minutes, and this windfall was kicked by a horse and hit him on the head. Notably, he himself was injured and bled from being hit by the purse. It is possible that this potion, while providing sudden wealth, can also bring disaster.”
“When personally tested, one must be cautious and try to have others experiment.”
Noticing the cost, she began to calculate the benefit. Without needing to compute it herself, someone shouted:
“Quick, how much is there?”
The freckled boy instinctively clutched the purse, covering it in front of his patched shirt, saying, “I’ll check it myself when I get home.”
Someone remarked, “It’s not even yours; it’s the teacher’s amulet given to you.”
“Those who see it share in it.”
The noble female apprentice crossed her arms and sneered, “Do you really have the nerve to want money bought with such an unorthodox potion? Aren’t you afraid the owner of the purse will come looking for you? No sense of shame at all.”
The apprentices, who had been excited just moments ago, fell silent, wanting to argue back but at a loss for words.
At that moment, a black carriage slowly approached. The coachman, dressed in a black vest with graying hair, asked, “Ladies and gentlemen, has anyone seen a purple purse?”
“I have!” The freckled boy unexpectedly raised his hand first. He released his grip to reveal the purple silk purse, saying, “A horse just kicked it at my head.”
The coachman examined the pattern on the purse and said, “This is indeed my master’s purse.”
The freckled boy tossed it back to the coachman. The coachman dismounted, opened the carriage, and handed the purse back. A pair of elegant hands, adorned with black silk gloves, opened the purse, casually grabbed a handful of gold coins, and handed them to the coachman.
The coachman closed the door, returned the gold coins to the freckled boy, and slightly bowed, saying, “This is my master’s gratitude.”
“Thank you.”
After the carriage left, the apprentices swarmed around.
“How much? How much?”
“Four gold coins, one silver coin.”
“Those who see it share in it.”
“This is for me!”
The noble female apprentice sneered, “Heh.”
Jima then began to calculate the profits in her mind. That small pile of spice was estimated to be worth only two gold coins at most, and the material cost might be three gold coins; this way, they would break even and even make a gold and a silver coin, but it came at the cost of a bleeding head.
However, considering that Singi was an experienced alchemist with at least twenty years in the field, this amount of profit was not substantial for him.
But if I have talent and can master it quickly and produce in bulk, then I can hire people to use it, and they can give me the money. A hundred people, each earning a gold and a silver, I could make a hundred and ten gold coins in twenty minutes!
Jima suddenly felt that her financial prospects were bright.
Someone called out to Jima, “Hey, hey, the one with black hair.”
Jima turned to see the noble female apprentice, who crossed her arms and said:
“You seem quite smart, not like them, getting blinded by money. You can tell this is Singi’s trick, right? Using money to keep students in line. Heh, the rumors of the people in Marin City loving money are not exaggerated.”
Jima reassessed her, noticing the black cross buttoned at the front of her collar, with a white skull in the center. In the Empire, a pure white skull was a symbol of the Empire, not associated with death.
Most likely, she came from a noble family that had access to the extraordinary world.
Jima felt uninterested and didn’t know how to respond. The other party’s looks did not spark any lustful thoughts in her, and after thinking for a while, Jima simply said “oh” to indicate she had heard her.
That was polite.
The noble female apprentice said, “Do you really want to learn alchemy?”
“Yes.”
“I have some books at home written by a master. Have you heard of Gait? He wrote them by hand.”
“I haven’t heard of him.”
“Uninformed, he is the most talented alchemist in the Empire, much better than those who only know how to make potions.”
Another human genius. What’s the big deal? After all, humans are short-lived creatures; they replace each generation in just twenty or thirty years, and then more human geniuses are born. Who remembers them?
“Mm.”
Jima turned her head, lacking any desire to pursue the topic further.
The noble female apprentice became more convinced that Jima was a country bumpkin, failing to recognize someone as significant as her. Even after she pointed it out, Jima took it lightly and didn’t seem to care.
She couldn’t help but say, “Don’t you want to see?”
“I’m only interested in herbs.”
The noble female apprentice walked away from Jima while saying, “No ambition.”
“Miss, if you disdain alchemy that can only make potions, why come to my small shop to learn unorthodox ways?” A male voice came from behind the two women.
Jima turned around to see Singi with his thick black hair speaking.
The noble female apprentice calmly replied, “I’m just curious about what alchemy is like outside the academy.”
Having said this, the noble female apprentice turned back and walked straight to the workshop.
“Who is she?”
“She’s a student from the Metal Division of Aldao Magic Academy,” Singi said irritably. “Bored during her vacation, she comes to stir things up.”
Aldao Magic Academy, Jima knew well. The largest magic academy in the Empire, renowned and world-class; when she was the Demon King, she had a few graduates working for her.
After saying this, Singi approached the apprentices and said:
“Stop the noise; the money is his. By the way, return the amulet to me.”
Singi took the amulet back and placed it in the leather pouch behind him, saying, “If you want it to not take effect, put it in a bag made of sea dragon skin. If not, a bag made of other materials will do, just ensure it’s not kept close to your body.”
“Alright, you have experienced the effects of the potion today. Later, when you return to the workshop, get familiar with it; if you have any questions, ask. Tomorrow you can try to make your very first potion.”
The apprentices enthusiastically responded, “Okay!”
Everyone’s eyes lit up, almost running back to the workshop.
Jima lingered behind the crowd and asked Singi, “Teacher, if I have no doubts, can I try making it at home?”
Singi was slightly surprised by Jima’s financial situation and said:
“You can give it a try, but don’t be discouraged. It’s normal for beginners to fail on their first attempt. Have you considered hiring a tutor? By the way, what is your family name? I can introduce a few suitable candidates to you.”
Jima smiled and said, “I don’t have a family or surname; I’m just comparatively wealthy.”
Which wealthy person’s illegitimate daughter is she?
In Singi’s eyes, Jima’s smile was suddenly filled with a bitter meaning, and he couldn’t help but feel sympathy for this beautiful, humble, and talented girl.
“You don’t need to take her seriously; she must have had quite a few experiences making potions,” Singi said. “Young people, let her show off if she wants.”
“So that means I can privately attempt it myself?”
“If you fail, there may be side effects. I advise against it.”
“Okay.”
The morning passed quickly.
Singi was not a full-time teacher; teaching the apprentices was merely his side job, and he would spend at most three hours a day on it.
After class, apart from apprentices like Jima who had paid the full tuition, the rest stayed in the shop to help Singi.
A day passed in the blink of an eye.
The golden sun slid toward the horizon, from the size of a disk slowly growing to the size of a mountain peak, sinking below the horizon.
As night fell, it was Jima’s time to cause trouble.
In a certain manor on the outskirts of Marin City.
The noble female apprentice, dressed only in pajamas, suddenly opened her eyes and got out of bed. Her green eyes lacked any sparkle as she dully got out of bed.
Muttering to herself:
“The book written by Gait, the book written by Gait…”
As she muttered, she opened her wardrobe filled with lace and silk garments, took out a book with a brass cover from a dark compartment, closed the wardrobe door, placed it on the desk, and walked back to bed, falling into a deep sleep.
The wind blew through the sheer curtains, brushing across the empty desk.
The book that had been on the desk vanished.
An hour later.
In the White City, within the inner city.
In a heavily guarded prison, Mr. Dong Dong lay on his bed, above which hung a dream catcher. The dream catcher swayed, and the shells on it rattled, waking Mr. Dong Dong.
After opening his eyes, he suddenly sprang up, tugging at a rope at the head of the bed, ringing a copper bell. He forced himself to lie back down.
When he opened his eyes again, a circle of people had gathered at the bedside, all wearing bronze masks and cloaked in hooded robes. A priest examined Mr. Dong Dong and turned to say, “No problem, but everyone should stand outside the ‘Evil Protection’ barrier.”
As the holy knight in charge of the matter, George was already fully armored, with a pair of cold, icy blue eyes behind his bucket helm.
On his left was Eve Frostleaf, not in armor, but wrapped in silver threads, with a pair of long legs wholly exposed. Her face was like frost, as if everyone present owed her at least two hundred gold coins.
To her left was a tired-looking elven maid who diligently ensured George and Eve Frostleaf did not have an opportunity to be alone; she stifled a yawn.
“He… He’s back again!” Mr. Dong Dong exclaimed in fear. “This time, He sat on a golden throne, dressed in pitch-black armor thicker than the walls! He asked me if anyone was looking for me. I said no, and He just laughed maniacally, causing the sun in the sky to explode with His laughter.”
George said, “Demons can manipulate dreams; everything is fake.”
“He already knows I’m lying!”
George pointed out:
“If He knows, even with the sanctuary’s protection, you would suffer some harm. So either He didn’t notice, or after noticing, He couldn’t retaliate against you. In any case, He is not as powerful as He exaggerates. Did the demon give you any tasks?”
Mr. Dong Dong shuddered all over and said, “He… He told me to sell books, to keep selling books, saying it was a believer’s book.”
“Where?”
“In a few days, someone will come looking for me. He asked where I was, and I said at Le’an Port.”
Eve Frostleaf said, “Go to Le’an immediately.”
Having said this, George walked toward the cell door.
Mr. Dong Dong suddenly shouted, “I understand! I understand!”
George and Eve Frostleaf turned back.
“He’s using me as bait to fight with you! He knows everything!” Mr. Dong Dong clutched his face with both hands, tears streaming down. “You’re also using me as bait! You promised to guarantee my safety? In the end, I’m just a worm struggling on the bait.”
Eve Frostleaf coldly replied, “Everything has a price. If you wish to evade the price you must pay, you will die more tragically, short-lived creature.”
Mr. Dong Dong lowered his hands from his face.
