Chapter 24

"Ah, I feel so powerful!" Dorn excitedly moved his limbs, as if he could handle ten beauties in one night.

After playing around, he took off the ring and asked, "How long does the spell last? How often can it be used? Can the spells stored in the ring be activated individually?"

As a merchant, it was his duty to answer customer inquiries, so Gordan patiently replied, "The spell lasts for one hour and can be used once a day. Since the four spells are combined into a spell matrix with a fixed activation sequence, it's impossible to activate any of the spells individually."

"That's a bit of a pity," Dorn said.

"There's no way around it," Gordan smiled, "I'm just a third-level mage. The spells of Bull's Strength, Bear's Endurance, and Cat's Grace each provide only 10 minutes of duration per level of the caster. If I didn't use the spell matrix to enhance the energy of these four transmutation spells, the Bull's Vigor Ring wouldn't last for an hour."

"Brilliant design, ingenious concept!" Dorn praised, "I find it hard to believe that a mere third-level mage can have such extensive knowledge of runes and arrays."

"Should I tell you that I was once a 20th-level high mage, just one step away from the legendary destiny realm?" Gordan thought to himself, but said, "Too kind. I owe it to my mother's excellent education."

Dorn played with the enhanced Bull's Vigor Ring, unable to put it down. The rings were specially crafted by a dwarf jeweler at Duro's expense, with an ancient and unique design, showing great ingenuity. It was clear that this young Lannister, born into a noble family with high standards, was quite satisfied with the appearance of the ring.

On the ring, Gordan's name was engraved, along with a phrase he left: "Bull's Vigor never fails, bed prowess never wanes."

Gordan admitted that this was his mischievous nature acting up again. It was customary for the creator to leave a unique mark on their magical items. Since he couldn't create powerful magical weapons and inscribe fashionable phrases like "Sword from the light, enemies tremble," he could only make up for it by inscribing some humorous verses on these less respectable items.

"It's an honor to meet an enchanter like you." Before parting, Dorn handed Gordan a silver badge. It depicted a staff radiating brilliant light, with a majestic iceberg in the background. "This is the Antello family crest. In a couple of days, after I'm done playing at the Amber Mask, I'll visit the Rainbow Spring Manor in the west of the city. You can use this family crest to enter the manor freely. The crest also has a messaging spell attached. I don't have many friends in the north, so perhaps we can stay in touch, chat, and discuss the mysteries of magic."

"My honor," Gordan accepted the badge.

The famous Lord Robb Antello's residence was in High Rock, the largest city in the Far Frost Province, but to recuperate, he chose the milder climate of Bluewater City as his permanent residence. For ten months of the year, the Staff Lord would stay at the Rainbow Spring Manor, which had the finest hot springs. Only during the coldest two months of winter, when the orcs from the Barren Mosslands invaded, would he return to High Rock to command.

Gordan returned home, laden with his spoils.

He put on the Wind Spirit Ring and summoned Ado and Al.

"Which of you is more skilled in runes and arrays?" Gordan asked.

The two wind spirits made "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sounds, like a gentle breeze in the ear.

Despite this, Gordan, who had established a mental connection with Ado and Al through the Wind Spirit Ring, understood their words, which meant only three words: "I don't know."

"Is that so," Gordan rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, and ordered, "Now, observe as I draw the rune and array on the vellum."

After completing the rune and array of the Bull's Vigor Ring, Gordan asked, "Which of you has learned this set of runes and arrays?"

The two wind spirits made "whoosh whoosh" sounds again.

"Hmm, Ado has learned three parts, Al has learned one part..." The ring accurately translated the wind spirits' words for Gordan, so he wouldn't be confused by the indistinct sounds.

"Ado, continue learning this set of runes and arrays. Al, come with me."

A few days ago, Gordan had finished reading the "Joras' Alchemical Compendium" obtained from Mendoza. Besides gaining 400 experience points and five alchemy skills, he had also learned eighteen potion formulas.

Alchemy is a major branch of alchemy, and among its products, there are mainly two types of potions.

The first type is alchemical potions. These potions achieve effects such as healing, curing diseases, and enhancing strength through the inherent properties of their ingredients. Alchemical potions are produced in large quantities and are relatively inexpensive.

The second type is magical potions. The ingredients in these potions are only used to stabilize and store arcane energy. The actual effect comes from the spell cast by the potion maker. In other words, a magical potion is essentially just a container. Each bottle of magical potion requires the casting of a spell. The spellcaster, whether a mage, warlock, priest, or druid, has a limited number of spell slots each day. Therefore, while magical potions are powerful, they are produced in small quantities and are expensive.

Of the eighteen potion formulas Gordan learned, twelve were magical potions, and six were alchemical potions. By accessing the "Potions and Scrolls" subsystem, Gordan reviewed the formulas and found that with the spells he currently knew, he could make the following magical potions:

Strength Potion.

Agility Potion.

Constitution Potion.

Invisibility Potion.

Jump Potion.

Angel's Eye Potion.

After estimating the production costs and sales prospects of the potions, Gordan decided to focus on making Invisibility Potions and Angel's Eye Potions. He would also produce a few of the other potions to diversify his product range.

The Invisibility Potion, which grants the drinker several minutes of invisibility, is useful for both escaping and ambushing. The Angel's Eye Potion, which grants the drinker sharp vision and a wide field of view, has the same effect as the Falcon's Eye. It is particularly useful for rangers and scouts, who often serve as scouts in adventuring parties.

Fortunately, the wind spirit Al knew how to make these common magical potions, so Gordan didn't need to teach him step by step.

After instructing Al to start working, Gordan saw that night had fallen outside. It was time to go to work at the cemetery, so he tidied up and left home.

The next morning, after a night's work, Gordan returned home in the golden sunlight. To his surprise, he found that the wind spirit Al was still tirelessly working at the alchemical apparatus, manipulating filters and mortars. On the table beside him were twenty bottles of potions, with colors ranging from red to green, quite eye-catching.

Gordan carefully counted the potions. Among them were two Jump Potions, eight Angel's Eye Potions, one each of Strength, Agility, and Constitution Potions, and seven Invisibility Potions. Casting a first-level spell consumes 2 mana points, and casting a second-level spell consumes 4 mana points. He currently had 60 mana points, enough to make ten first-level magical potions and ten second-level magical potions.

Gordan infused the potions with spells through enchantment, and his mana points rapidly decreased until they reached zero. This was the first time he had completely depleted his mana points, but seeing the twenty completed potions and thinking about the jingling gold coins they would bring, Gordan felt it was all worth it.

He let the exhausted Ado and Al rest in the ring, then put all the potions into a dimensional bag and left home.

On this leisurely and peaceful morning, Duro had his assistants clean the store and open the doors. He then sat on a comfortable single sofa, enjoying his breakfast as usual.

He took small bites of the apple pie, a satisfied expression on his face. In his early days as an adventurer, he rarely had the opportunity to enjoy such fine food. He mostly ate hard, stone-like jerky and moldy, maggot-infested cheese. He was very satisfied and proud of the life he had achieved through hard work.

He sipped a fragrant lemon tea and kept his eyes on the door, full of anticipation. He wasn't hoping for the first customer to bring a good start to the day's business, but rather wondering when Gordan, who had been absent for seven days, would fulfill his duty as a partner and visit the store.

After listening to Gordan's business insights, Duro had a sudden realization. The next day, he immediately used his connections to have the owner of the Amber Mask, Lady Daina, sell the Bull's Vigor Rings. As Gordan had predicted, within two days, the few Bull's Vigor Rings that had been gathering dust on the store shelves were all sold, significantly boosting the store's revenue.

Tasting the sweet success, Duro wanted to urge Gordan to make more Bull's Vigor Rings. However, since Gordan was mysteriously busy with something, he didn't want to push. But thinking about how this young mage always brought surprises, Duro eagerly awaited Gordan's return.

Just as he was thinking, the bell above the store door rang. A young man in a mage's robe walked in. He looked a bit tired, but his eyes were bright, and he had a smile on his face, as if he had encountered something good.

"My partner, if you disappear for a few more days, this store will go bankrupt."

"Don't exaggerate," Gordan looked around, "You're doing pretty well, aren't you?"

"By the way, what have you been up to these past few days?"

"Helping a big shot make a magical item," Gordan said. He couldn't possibly reveal that the mighty lord of the north had issues in bed and couldn't satisfy his wife, so he gave a vague explanation.

Seeing that Gordan didn't want to talk about it, Duro didn't press further. He had just mentioned it casually; compared to the gossip about the big shots, he was more concerned about earning more gold coins.

"Duro, the store layout needs to change."

"Why?"

"Because I've brought a new batch of products to the store."

Gordan then took out the twenty magical potions from the dimensional bag and placed them in front of Duro.

Duro's mouth dropped open in surprise, like a bear seeing a large barrel of honey.