Locke and Yuli Burns had a meal at the Witch's Kitchen, which Yuli treated him to, costing her five Magic Stones.
After finishing the meal, Locke remarked, "I didn't expect the food at the Witch's Kitchen to be this good—far surpassing anything mortal chefs could make."
"Thank you, Shopkeeper Yuli, for the meal."
Yuli Burns let out a hoarse laugh, stirring her Magical Dessert with a fork. "No need for thanks. You're my benefactor. If it weren't for you, Madam Irina would have fired me."
"Treating you to one meal is nothing—I could even treat you every day if you wanted. The Witch's Kitchen is run by witches from the Enchantment School. They use a lot of Enchantment School magic here, innovatively blending human taste sensations with spells from their discipline. That's why the food here is something mortal chefs could never replicate."
"For example, take this mango dessert. Forget the culinary skill—just the 0.1-ring cantrip model [Concentrated Sweetness Returns] cast on it makes this dish unforgettable, enhancing both its sweetness and aftertaste."
Yuli pointed toward the bustling kitchen. "Otherwise, no wizard would spend Magic Stones just to eat food prepared by these witches."
"The witch apprentices working in the kitchen are also called [Flavorists]," Yuli added. "Some of the food Flavorists make can even be addictive, so be careful. Avoid these dishes on the menu—they all have slow-acting addictive properties."
Yuli seemed to have been tricked before, gritting her teeth as she spoke. "It's downright insidious. Once you're hooked, you have to buy specialized antidotes to detox."
As a Potionology Assistant, Locke automatically thought of several ways to counter such effects. "Daffodil Antidote could barely handle it, but its detoxifying effects are too weak. A more cost-effective method to neutralize Spell Poison from the Enchantment School would be Birch Purification Potion."
"Birch Purification Potion can depolarize and is specifically used to counteract status-altering spells from the Enchantment School."
Yuli paused, then glanced at the Potionology Assistant badge on Locke's chest. "As expected of a Potionology Assistant. Knowing the trade really saves a lot of money."
"Birch Purification Potion—that cheap thing costs about 1 Magic Stone per bottle, just slightly more than Daffodil Antidote. Back then, I panicked and bought a bottle of Bear Spirit Bile Antidote Potion instead."
Locke shook his head. "That was unnecessary."
"Alright. I've got a clear understanding of the centralized procurement matter now," Locke said, standing up. "Thank you, Shopkeeper Yuli, for giving me a heads-up and letting me prepare in advance."
It turned out that entering centralized procurement still required going through procedures—he needed to prove, at the very least, how his product passed the White Wizard Association's Ethical review mechanism.
Shopkeeper Yuli had warned him to pay special attention to the slave components used in his products.
After all, there had been cases where failure to enter the Academy Centralized Procurement occurred because the human slaves used had problematic backgrounds.
Locke could prepare in advance to provide proof.
Yuli seemed very confident that the Crystal Palmfire Lotus would be included in the Academy Centralized Procurement. She raised her teacup and said, "A toast in advance to your work being selected for the Academy Centralized Procurement, Locke."
"Based on my experience, there's no reason your work wouldn't make it into the Academy Centralized Procurement."
After exchanging greetings with her, Locke left the Witch's Kitchen.
Upon leaving the Chimera Market, Locke headed straight to Sophia's office. He needed to formally request a personal Pharmaceutical Room through her from the academy's higher-ups.
In Sophia's office, the witch set down a Magic Book she had been reading and looked at Locke curiously. "Do you have some connection with Wizard Urien Rich? Recently, he suddenly spoke up on your behalf and helped expedite the review of your Advanced Meditation Technique with me."
Locke explained to Sophia, "It's like this, teacher. Wizard Urien Rich asked me to tutor his grandson in Potionology."
"Since it happened suddenly, I didn't have time to inform you earlier."
Sophia showed an understanding expression. "That grandson of Rich's... he's indeed suffered greatly, and his talent is lacking. If he were just an ordinary person, it wouldn't matter, but as the only Bloodline descendant of a First Circle Wizard, he's destined to live under many watchful eyes."
"He may live more comfortably than most, but he'll also face far greater challenges in other aspects."
Sophia continued, "I have no objections to you tutoring him. His grandson is one of Urien Rich's core interests. As long as you can maintain a good relationship with his grandson, you'll gain another powerful ally within this academy."
"You want to establish a Pharmaceutical Room?"
"Potionology Assistants are indeed eligible to set up their own personal Pharmaceutical Rooms, but you should know the initial investment is quite substantial." Sophia crossed her hands and leaned back in her chair, looking at Locke. "Personal Pharmaceutical Rooms have strict staffing requirements."
"To pass the review, you must have at least one Potionology Assistant Certificate, along with three third-class wizard apprentices and at least one Second-Class Wizard Apprentice."
"Additionally, there's all the necessary equipment and basic procedural standards. The combined initial investment is no small amount."
Sophia hesitated before adding, "Even if I lend you my three students, you'd still need to hire a Second-Class Wizard Apprentice yourself."
"New Potionology Assistants typically don't possess exclusive potion formulas that can generate enough profit to maintain their own Pharmaceutical Rooms."
"If you're just helping others brew potions, you don't need your own Pharmaceutical Room at all. You could simply provide your labor and rent equipment when needed."
Sophia cautioned Locke, "Most First Class Wizard Apprentices apply for personal Pharmaceutical Rooms primarily to gain the privilege of selling exclusive potions to Magic Potion Shops and the academy in large quantities."
"The academy's review process for potions is quite strict. Potionology Assistants possess too much specialized knowledge—knowledge that could even deceive wizards who aren't well-versed in Potionology, such as wizard apprentices from other organizations specializing in the Shaping School, Transmutation School, or Alchemy School."
Locke understood that the White Wizard Association indeed imposed strict regulations on pharmaceutical rooms.
In the past, there had been numerous disgusting incidents where pharmaceutical rooms sold counterfeit potions or used banned materials prohibited by the White Wizard Association to concoct potions, leading to various tragedies.
It could be said that without special restrictions, one-third of the potions circulating in the Chimera Market would be counterfeit, another third would be inferior potions brewed from cheap, problematic materials, and the remaining third might still have other issues.
Even now, similar incidents were still happening in hidden corners.
Therefore, the academy's higher-ups had to enforce strict oversight on the primary sources of potion production—pharmaceutical rooms and magic potion shops.
Even today, it was common to see potion shops collaborating with pharmaceutical rooms to openly sell inferior, problematic potions.
However, as a Potion Master, Locke usually avoided potion shops in the Chimera Market that showed signs of dealing in substandard potions.
The White Wizard Association and the academy's leadership imposed even stricter regulations on pharmaceutical rooms than on botanical gardens.
After all, for Lilith's Cottage, magic potions were more important than magical plants.
In the Southeast Corner Domain, the Four Seasons Garden excelled in breeding and botanical magic. For more niche and obscure categories of magical plants, such as frost-type magical plants, the Holly Tower was the best, while the Summer Academy specialized in heat-type magical plants.
But the most formidable magic of Lilith's Cottage was Potionology.
In this field, it could even rival the top wizard organization in the Southeast Corner Domain—Verdantia University.
Locke placed a jar of Memory Ointment in front of the witch Sophia. "Teacher, what do you think of this potion?"
"I got lucky while brewing Contemplation Balm. It suddenly occurred to me that using Adiantum Spores and Water Element Magical Flame for low-temperature extraction could enhance the potency of the balm. This is what I came up with."
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