In the days that followed, Robert's life fell into a strict routine.
He woke at six, ate breakfast, then went to the ancient structure to guard the civilian researchers. His shift ended around six or seven in the evening. After dinner, he would find Scar to learn the Potioneer's craft.
On the third day, the day of Scar's assessment arrived.
In Scar's potion workshop, a set of materials for a Pyro potion lay before Robert.
"You've had several attempts these past few days and wasted several thousand Mora worth of materials. This is the test. If you can't do it now, forget about learning," Scar said without a hint of leniency, his tone cold.
Initially, Robert had thought making elemental bottles would be as simple as the steps Scar had outlined. In reality, there were countless details Scar hadn't mentioned, details that had to be painstakingly figured out through trial and error. The simplest example: how to stir different materials to optimize their effects. Or how finely materials needed to be ground to be considered acceptable. Every step had its nuances, and these details had made the last three days grueling for Robert. His hands, arms, and even parts of his body were marked with elemental burns and wounds. Fortunately, Scar had been watching and applied medicine in time, otherwise, Robert felt he might have died during the concoction process.
Thankfully, Robert wasn't without talent. Even Scar admitted that Robert had very steady hands—the greatest advantage for a Potioneer.
"Ready?" Scar looked at Robert.
Robert took a deep breath."Ready."
Scar's expression remained impassive."Then begin."
Robert fell silent, pouring his entire focus into the materials before him.
· He took out the Flaming Flower pollen, checking its fineness. It wasn't fine enough. He poured it into a small mortar for a second grinding.
· After the second grind, the pollen was finer, meeting the requirements. He divided it into two portions for storage.
· He took a lizard tail, submerged it in water, and added a drop of Slime Condensate—the most common alchemical ingredient. Soaking it with the lizard tail would create the tail extract. The soaking would take some time.
· He took out the gunpowder, observing the granules. No secondary processing was needed; it was ready to use.
· He took the previously prepared Flaming Flower pollen and added it to the gunpowder.
· He cleaned the small mortar from earlier, ensuring it was spotless, then poured in the gunpowder-pollen mixture for a slow grind. Speed was absolutely critical here; grinding too fast could generate enough heat to reignite the pollen, setting off the gunpowder and causing an explosion.
· After half an hour of slow, careful grinding, the gunpowder-pollen mixture was ready.
· The lizard tail had finished soaking. He used a test tube to extract the liquid, creating the lizard tail extract.
· After obtaining the extract, he took the remaining portion of Flaming Flower pollen, poured it into a test tube, and slowly, drop by drop, added the lizard tail extract. Again, speed was the enemy; it had to be slow and steady. Adding the extract too quickly could cause the Pyro properties within it to ignite the pollen, leading to failure.
· Another half hour of meticulous mixing, and the compound liquid was ready.
· Next, he injected the compound into the strong liquor. This step wasn't particularly special, except for the crucial need to stay far from any open flame.
· Then came the stirring. He had to use a glass rod and stir in one direction only. Robert chose counter-clockwise. The stirring had to be at a constant speed until the liquor turned a uniform red with no visible particles before he could stop.
· He poured the mixture into the elemental bottle.
· Applied the internal seal.
· Checked for any leaks.
· Confirmed the seal was tight, then poured in the gunpowder-pollen mixture.
· Gently tamped down the gunpowder mixture at the bottle's neck, then sealed the bottle opening.
· Finally, he screwed on the cap with the fuse attached.
Over an hour had passed.
Placing the newly completed Pyro potion on the workbench, Robert took a step back and finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Whew. Scar, I've finished."
Scar, who had been standing beside Robert, glanced at the potion on the bench and gave a slight nod. "Passable. A barely acceptable product. Congratulations. After spending over three thousand Mora, you've finally earned yourself three hundred Mora back." The troupe's internal purchase price for a passable potion bottle was three hundred Mora. The cost of materials for one bottle, not counting failures, was around one hundred ninety to two hundred Mora. Robert finally had a way to make money. A wave of joy washed over him.
At that moment, his Golden Finger interface flickered.
---
Name: Robert Lane
Race:Human
Life Energy Level:10 (Strong as an ox, full of vitality. Wherever you go, you'll be a first-rate beast of burden.) (Current stage: 500 Mora required per level-up)
Skills:Elemental Bottle Crafting · Lv.1 (You have grasped the most basic knowledge of elemental bottle crafting, but you are still very unskilled.) (Current stage: 100 Mora required per level-up)
Wealth:356 Mora
---
The increase in Mora was from winning a few wrestling matches with others in the camp recently. But that wasn't important. What mattered was that a skill had finally appeared in his previously blank skills list! And this skill seemed to be upgradeable by spending Mora!
He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement. "So, Scar, what do I learn next?"
Scar's expression remained unchanged. "From now on, you study on your own. Succeeding once means you've learned the basics. Potioneering is a disreputable trade to begin with; after learning the basics, you're on your own."
Robert felt a twinge of disappointment; he had hoped to learn more tricks. These past few days had made it clear that Scar genuinely had significant skill. However, Robert also understood that Scar's apparent friendliness was largely due to Blackwing's influence and the fact that Robert was under his protection. An ordinary Treasure Hoarder wouldn't have received these lessons, let alone such meticulous instruction over three days.
"Alright, get going. Take this potion with you. Tomorrow, you can take it to Old Three and exchange it for Mora or materials," Scar waved a hand dismissively. 'Old Three' was the troupe's third-in-command, in charge of logistics. His nickname was Blackhand, but many in the troupe called him Blackheart, because the man was truly unscrupulous. Selling something to him only for him to turn around and sell it back to you at ten times the price was standard practice for him.
"Alright. I'll be off then. Goodbye, Scar." Robert remained respectful and polite.
Leaving Scar's place and returning to his private quarters, Robert finally allowed his joy to show.
"Time to pay to win. Put everything into Elemental Bottle Crafting!"
[Mora -200. Elemental Bottle Crafting +2.]
---
Name: Robert Lane
Race:Human
Life Energy Level:10 (Strong as an ox, full of vitality. Wherever you go, you'll be a first-rate beast of burden.) (Current stage: 500 Mora required per level-up)
Skills:Elemental Bottle Crafting · Lv.3 (You have grasped the most basic knowledge of elemental bottle crafting and can now perform it proficiently.) (Current stage: 1000 Mora required per level-up)
Wealth:156 Mora
---
Two hundred Mora was deducted, raising Elemental Bottle Crafting to level 3. It cost one hundred Mora per level, but level 3 seemed to be a threshold, as the cost to level up skyrocketed from one hundred to one thousand Mora.
However, Robert wasn't concerned about that right now. As the skill leveled up, a strange sensation washed over him. The rigid memories of potion-making in his mind suddenly became clear and active. He closed his eyes, and images of himself practicing the craft countless times flashed through his mind. He knew these memories had never actually happened, yet they felt utterly real, indistinguishable from truth. His fingers felt more agile. He could sense that if he were to make another elemental bottle now, the process would be much smoother. If he pre-prepared the materials, he estimated he could drastically reduce the production time.
"Spending money is definitely the faster way."
Compared to the painstaking effort of studying, Robert ultimately chose the path of paying to win.