Chapter 81

"Ah!" This was already the tenth time Donskos sighed. Donskos looked at Cook, feeling an indescribable sense of powerlessness.

"What are you sighing for?" Cook asked Donskos irritably. Indeed, if you were the master, and a friend was staring at you in your house and sighing nonstop, you would probably be unhappy too.

Donskos sighed again. At this moment, a knock came from outside the door. Only those with permission could knock on the dormitory door. It wasn't that the dormitory owner had given friends permission to enter without knocking; that was not allowed. Without permission, one couldn't even approach the door.

"Little Hen!" It was Little Jim Horsed, and Martha opened the door.

"Little sister, you shouldn't call people 'Little Hen' randomly," Horsed said, somewhat dejectedly.

Donskos then shouted loudly to Horsed, "Little Hen, come over! I have some very important information to sell to you."

"Information? What information do you have? Could it be about Cook being favored by Teacher Lyle and becoming his dedicated assistant? I already knew that long ago." Horsed's appearance made it hard for anyone to associate the fat man with a thief.

"Five hundred points! I'll tell you if you're willing to listen; if not, consider it never happened," Donskos said with a smile, spreading out five fingers.

Horsed was somewhat stunned, looking at Cook, then at Mitch and Lori, finally understanding something. Cook had no expression, still playing with Little Lei, while Mitch and Lori were excitedly discussing something. The only one who seemed strange was Connie, who looked at Cook with a gaze full of resentment.

"Could it be that Teacher Lyle has refined some new potion?" Horsed asked with a smile.

"Yes! But you need to pay five hundred points for Cook to tell you," Donskos said, understanding that the fat man was very smart and had hit the nail on the head.

Although Horsed was surprised, he still asked with a smile, "Five hundred points for information, Donskos, isn't that a bit too high?"

"Hehe, you don't have to know. After all, some people will be at a disadvantage," Donskos said calmly, with a look that suggested some people would suffer.

Horsed then approached Cook with a smile, chuckling, "Hehe, Cook, look at this Donskos, he's all about money. Just tell me, I promise..."

"Cook, friends are friends, business is business, you need to be clear about that!" Horsed was immediately interrupted by Donskos.

"Hehe, if that's the case, I'll entrust Donskos to sell such information in the future, giving him 10% commission," Cook said with a smile. In fact, Cook was also envious of the five hundred points, which equated to a lot of gold coins and magic cores.

"Good! Good, good! Cook, I'll take the 10% commission. Little Hen, you should be satisfied now," Donskos said, clapping his hands.

Horsed, without any hesitation, said loudly, "Five hundred points for five hundred points. If this information isn't worth it, hehe, Donskos, don't blame me for revealing your childhood secrets."

"Alright, five hundred points, give me 10% commission, Cook, come! come! come! Four hundred fifty points, Little Hen has plenty of points. This is the first time I've taken points from him, it's worth commemorating..." Donskos transferred the five hundred points directly to Cook, four hundred fifty points, and said excitedly.

Horsed's face was full of black lines, and he said in a low voice, "Donskos, shouldn't you tell me now? Remember, selling information is all about timing."

"Hehe, almost forgot in excitement. Teacher Lyle has ten bottles of high-quality secondary invisibility potion!" Donskos said with a smile.

Horsed was originally furious, but after hearing Donskos, he blinked his small eyes and asked incredulously, "You mean Teacher Lyle has successfully refined ten bottles of high-quality secondary invisibility potion?"

"Yep! That's right, secondary invisibility potion, and it's high-quality," Donskos replied with a smile.

"Damn!" Horsed exclaimed and quickly ran out.

"Is this thing really so valuable?" Lori and Mitch were startled, and Cook asked in confusion.

Donskos squinted and explained, "Any potion with an 'S' is valuable. Cook, you should take a good look. Although the secondary invisibility potion is still a black iron-level potion, its refinement difficulty is SS-level, which increases its value."

"Is that so? Where did you learn this?" Cook asked, his spirit lifted.

"In the potion department... Ah! I forgot, it hasn't officially started yet. Go to the comprehensive area and buy a basic knowledge of potions for 0.5 points. It has detailed classifications," Donskos said, slapping his forehead.

"I'll go buy it!" Lori stood up immediately upon hearing this.

Before Cook could react, Lori extended her identity card and said, "Four hundred fifty points, Mitch and I will split it, two hundred each. You know, being a mage is very expensive."

"Uh!" Cook was speechless, giving the four hundred fifty points to Lori and Mitch, two hundred each. Then Lori took Mitch, Besu, Lucy, and Connie out, including Martha.

"Women!" Bell shrugged at Cook and walked away.

"Brother, you have too many women. Also, bad luck, you even have a child," Donskos patted Cook's shoulder sympathetically.

In the Magic City, a piece of news had already spread: the Mage Guild planned to add a set of potions to the weekly auction, five bottles of high-quality secondary invisibility potion. The Magic City held auctions every day, but the largest was the Mage Guild's auction. The Mage Guild had a small auction every Friday and a large auction every six months. In fact, the small auction had over ten thousand participants each time, while the large auction had only a few thousand. The small auction required a threshold of 500,000 gold coins, using the Mage Guild's magic crystal card. The large auction required a threshold of 20 million gold coins and a certain amount of guild points to enter.

"Guy, what kind of potion is this secondary invisibility potion? Why are so many people talking about it?" In a tavern, a young mercenary asked an old mercenary.

"Hehe, do you know about the invisibility of mid-level thieves?" the old mercenary asked with a smile.

"I've heard of it. It's one of the thief's survival skills," the young mercenary said, pouring more wine for the old mercenary after he finished his drink.

The old mercenary took a sip and said, "A thief's invisibility emits a magical aura. It's actually a way of channeling energy, similar to a protective shield. However, this shield blends with the surroundings. The talent required for this invisibility is not something an ordinary thief can learn. Even so, against powerful mages, keen-eyed archers, and hunters with sensitive pets, a thief's invisibility isn't very strong."

"But what does this have to do with the secondary invisibility potion?" the young mercenary asked, remembering the old mercenary's words.

"The secondary invisibility potion is the lowest level of invisibility potions. It doesn't make you truly invisible, but it has two features. First, it reduces magical aura. In the wild, due to terrain, vegetation, and weather, most of the time, enemies are detected through perception, which is the perception of magical auras. Reducing the magical aura means not being detected by others or magical beasts, or discovering them earlier. Sometimes, even a two-second head start can mean a decisive victory. The second and more important feature is that it eliminates all odors, which is why it's called a secondary invisibility potion." The old mercenary explained and took a big sip of wine.

The young mercenary's eyes lit up, "If we had such a potion, we could have taken out that magic wolf's five cubs in one go."

"Slap! You're a wimp. Magic wolf cubs are worth a few coins. If we had it, we would go after the Flame Lion's den, a level six magical beast," the old mercenary slapped the young mercenary's head and scolded him.

"Yes, you're right!" The young mercenary's eyes sparkled at the mention of a level six magical beast.

"Slap! Nonsense! We can never afford it. A qualified secondary invisibility potion lasts fifteen minutes and can completely mask a level three magical aura. Each increase in quality increases the effect by over 30%. A good-quality potion lasts about twenty minutes and completely masks a level four magical aura. A high-quality potion lasts twenty-six minutes, and in half an hour, a lot can be done. A high-quality potion completely masks a level five magical aura, which is the effect of a mid-level potion, but the user only needs to meet the requirements of a low-level potion. How much do you think that would cost?" The old mercenary slapped the young mercenary again.

"That's not right. The time doesn't add up. A good-quality potion's 30% plus a high-quality potion's 30% should be 60%, which is 24 minutes, not 26 minutes..." the young mercenary asked in confusion.

"You idiot, it's cumulative. Fifteen minutes plus 30% is about five minutes. A good-quality potion is fifteen plus five, which is twenty. Twenty plus 30% is about six minutes, so it should be 26 minutes. Do you know how far a level four warrior can run in one minute? That one minute is crucial, even ten seconds can be crucial," the old mercenary said irritably.

"Uh! I see." The young mercenary smiled, understanding but using this to make the old mercenary show off.

This news also made most people curious, but some were anxious, like the Thief Guild, which quietly held an elder meeting. There were nine elders, the first five being level nine, the rest level eight. Thieves believe in being low-key, so their levels are only one, two, three, unlike the Hunter Guild, which is already in decline.

"We must secure these five bottles of high-quality secondary invisibility potion. Combined with invisibility, it can achieve unexpected results," the Grand Elder said, a frail old man.

"The Grand Elder is right. Combined with invisibility, it can compensate for its weaknesses, reduce magical aura, and mask most odors. The higher the user's level, the better the effect. I just don't know if the Mage Guild will auction them together or separately," the Second Elder said. The elders were seated in order, with strength being the only constant standard.

The Grand Elder scanned the elders and said solemnly, "No matter how they sell it, we'll take it all. Prepare the money. I'm sure the Assassin Guild will also be after these potions."

In the Assassin Guild, the five elders were cloaked in a mental barrier. The Grand Elder said, "These five bottles of high-quality secondary invisibility potion will greatly benefit our guild. We must secure them and use them to do some earth-shattering deeds to raise our guild's profile. The money is from others, so don't be stingy. The money will come back."

"Yes, the Grand Elder is right. Our Assassin Guild is ranked below the Thief Guild. We need to raise our profile," the Second Elder said.

"Let's vote then!" The Grand Elder looked at the time, somewhat anxiously.

In the Mage Guild, there was laughter. Lyle sat in his chair, extremely happy. The guild had just approved his budget for the second half of the year, 500,000 crystal coins, or 500 million gold coins, which was a significant amount. The 500 million gold coins were mainly for purchasing potion-related materials and researching new potions. The guild required a 50% profit margin, which Lyle agreed to, thanks to Cook's performance.

Everyone saw the high price of the potion, but the cost was indeed very high. The success rate, materials, labor, and refining tools were all factors. A set of high-level potion tools is made by alchemists, and everyone knows alchemists are a bunch of scammers. Lyle also knew that the cost for alchemists was very high, even higher than for potions.

"The guild's elder council has decided that Lyle's ten bottles of high-quality secondary invisibility potion will be purchased by the guild. Five bottles will be bought at 60% of the auction price. Lyle can choose points or materials," Lyle, as a councilor, did not have the right to enter the elder council, but the appearance of ten bottles of high-quality SS-level potions was indeed good news for the Mage Guild.

"Congratulations!"

"Congratulations, Lyle. 60% of the selling price is a new high."

"Thank you, thank you, it's all due to everyone's support!"

"Hehe, when I buy materials, please don't hide the good ones. The alchemists have money, but we do too." Lyle smiled, knowing that the Mage Guild was divided into many departments, each independently managed and developed, with the guild providing support. The alchemy department was the wealthiest, followed by the potion department, but equipment was always the top priority, so the alchemists were wealthy and popular with other material departments.

"Alright, today's meeting is over. If you want to participate in the auction, just go in." The councilor who led the meeting announced, ending the meeting, which was essentially a status update.

"500,000 gold coins!" Lyle entered the third floor of the auction, where guild members could go directly. The second floor was the VIP lounge, and the first floor was the main hall. The auction hall had over ten thousand seats, and above the auction stage was a large magical projection showing the items being auctioned.

"Level six dark magic core, high-quality, 33rd bidder offers 500,000 gold coins. Any higher bids? Dark magic cores are very rare... 57th bidder offers 550,000 gold coins, 550,000... 86th bidder offers 650,000 gold coins. Wow, the 3rd VIP lounge offers 1.2 million, 1.35 million, 5th VIP lounge offers 1.35 million gold coins. This is already the highest price for a level six high-quality dark magic core, which was 1.25 million gold coins three years ago. Any higher bids? 5th VIP lounge, 1.35 million once..."

Lyle looked and asked curiously, "The 5th VIP lounge seems to be from the Church of Light. They are very wealthy."

"Indeed, they are good at deceiving, but the Church of Light is ruthless. They bought the dark magic core for the Dark Church. A level six high-quality dark magic core is enough to refine a good magic weapon," someone said.

"Hehe, I know the Church of Light is very cunning. They buy it now and sell it at a high price privately. The Dark Church can't refuse it. In fact, most of the dark materials and dark magic cores are bought by the Church of Light. They have too many believers, so they don't care about the cost," another person said. Lyle was surprised to hear this. The Church of Light is the most populous force on the continent, but the strongest in terms of power is the Mage Guild. To counter the various churches, the Mage Guild formed an alliance with the Mercenary Guild, Warrior Guild, Thief Guild, and Assassin Guild. The churches are also at odds with each other, each trying to develop more believers. The largest church is the Church of Light, which is opposed by the Dark Church. Other smaller churches, like the Fire God Temple and Water God Temple, form strategic alliances. So, the continent is basically divided into five major forces: the Mage Guild Alliance, the Church of Light, the Dark Church, the Church Alliance, and the Empires, with the Empires being the weakest. The Empires' military strength is not small, but the church members are fanatics, so the Empires can't afford to provoke them. The competition between the forces is intense.

"Ts, it seems we need to focus on these guys to make money. I remember there is a potion that calms mental turmoil, which the Dark Church needs. I'll check it out later," Lyle thought, deciding to target these people for profit.

"Congratulations to the 5th VIP lounge for winning the level six high-quality dark magic core for 1.35 million gold coins. Next, we have five bottles of high-quality secondary invisibility potion, to be auctioned together. The starting price is 2 million gold coins. The auction begins." The auctioneer almost shouted, and the magical projection showed the appraisal certificate from Teacher Lyle and the five gray bottles of potion.