Chapter 44

"Next, I should prepare to advance to the rank of High Mage..." Lin Yun steadied himself, tilted his head back, and drank the freshly prepared Mana Baptism, feeling the scalding liquid flow down his throat and the various subtle changes that began to occur within his body...

Lin Yun estimated that these changes would last for about three days.

During these three days, the Mana Baptism would gradually improve his body, and the original problem of insufficient mana capacity would gradually disappear with these improvements. When these improvements were completely finished, his magical talent would not be inferior to any magic prodigy.

At that time, advancing to the rank of High Mage would not be a problem.

Because the Mana Baptism was taking effect, Lin Yun could not use too much mana for the next three days, and even daily meditation had to be stopped. Therefore, after leaving the alchemy laboratory, Lin Yun did not go home directly but decided to visit the Gilded Rose.

For a period of time, the business of the Gilded Rose had been managed by the old butler. Apart from occasionally preparing some potions, Lin Yun had almost not interfered with the operation of the Gilded Rose.

The old butler had no complaints, as the old man knew that the young master had been determined to become a mage since childhood. After fainting once, he became completely immersed in the world of magic. Therefore, the old man always tried not to disturb him and solved any problems on his own.

The Gilded Rose's success today could be attributed to the old butler's efforts, at least eighty percent of the credit.

Speaking of which, the old butler was indeed very capable in business. When the Gilded Rose resumed operations, its total assets were only a few tens of thousands of gold coins. In just three months, the old butler increased the Gilded Rose's account by several hundred thousand gold coins, not including the stock of goods. If all the stock were sold, it would add another hundred thousand gold coins.

Most importantly, the downgraded version of the Mana Baptism, which the old butler named the Elixir of Hope, had not yet been revealed. It could be imagined that once the Elixir of Hope was released, it would cause a sensation in Stormwind City. All magic apprentices would likely go crazy. This was not an exaggeration; an alchemical potion that could easily help a magic apprentice reach level 9, while not impossible, was extremely expensive.

Even the great Rog Merlin could not obtain such a potion for his son. This alone could give an idea of how expensive an alchemical potion with the same effect would be.

However, the Gilded Rose's batch was different...

Currently, the Gilded Rose had over thirty bottles of the Elixir of Hope, each capable of creating a level 9 magic apprentice. With such a large quantity, they could not set an unreasonably high price. The old butler estimated that the most appropriate price would be 200,000 gold coins per bottle.

Ordinary magic apprentices could not afford the Elixir of Hope, so the real potential customers would be the children of Stormwind's important figures. Many of them, like the young Rog Merlin, were dedicated to magic but lacked talent. A bottle of the Elixir of Hope, while not making them instantly become mages, would still be a huge temptation, allowing them to easily become level 9 magic apprentices. After that, they could spend more time or find other ways to eventually become mages, thus keeping their hopes alive.

Faced with such potential customers, the price could not be set too low. If it were only a few thousand gold coins per bottle, people might suspect that there was something wrong with the potion.

However, setting the price too high was also not feasible. Spending hundreds of thousands or even a million gold coins to cultivate a level 9 magic apprentice was something very few people in Stormwind would do. At most, only three or four people had the means to do so. While three or four bottles could be sold, what about the rest? Should they be left for the old butler to drink?

Therefore, after much consideration, the old butler set the price at 200,000 gold coins per bottle.

Lin Yun did not offer any opinions. First, the Gilded Rose was always managed by the old butler, who had a much better understanding of the market. Second, Lin Yun's focus was not on these thirty bottles of the Elixir of Hope.

Currently, because the Gilded Rose was just starting, Lin Yun had to personally prepare alchemical potions. Once the business was on track, Lin Yun would definitely not waste his time on such tasks. A mage's time was too valuable to be wasted.

While thinking about these matters, Lin Yun entered the Gilded Rose. Today was the first of the month, the day the Adventurers' Guild issued new missions, and also the Gilded Rose's busiest day. Adventurers, with their new missions, naturally needed to prepare supplies. Located on Triumph Street, the Gilded Rose, while not the best choice, was certainly one of the best.

Under the old butler's management, the Gilded Rose had gradually recovered. Among the many alchemy shops in Stormwind, it could rank in the top ten. With its prime location on Triumph Street, most adventurers, after receiving new missions, would choose the Gilded Rose, which was just across the street from the Adventurers' Guild.

However, today, when Lin Yun entered the Gilded Rose, he felt something was off. The business was still booming, the place was still crowded, and the staff were still busy, but Lin Yun felt something was amiss. Upon closer inspection, he realized the old butler was not there.

It was not unusual for the old butler to be absent on other days, but today was the first of the month, the Gilded Rose's busiest day. Lin Yun remembered clearly that the old butler always supervised the Gilded Rose on this day. Why was he not here today?

The more Lin Yun thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. Had something happened?

"Remy, come here." Lin Yun could not sit still and called Remy over.

"Boss, why are you here?" Remy, seeing Lin Yun, quickly handed his business to another staff member and ran over.

"Checking in. By the way, Remy, do you know where Uncle Pavie went?"

"I heard that Mr. Pavie went to receive a batch of magical materials this morning."

"Left this morning?" Lin Yun's brows furrowed. The Gilded Rose's magical materials were usually received by a dedicated person. Even if it was busy, the old butler would not go far, usually within Stormwind. With the time it took, he should have returned by now. Why had he not returned yet?

"Where did he go to receive the magical materials?"

"Seems like... the Frostwolf Mercenary Group..."

"The Frostwolf Mercenary Group?" Lin Yun nodded, slightly relieved.

The Frostwolf Mercenary Group was not large, with only about twenty members. In terms of reputation and strength, it could not compare to giants like the Silvermoon Mercenary Group. However, they had cooperated well with the Gilded Rose over the past few months, selling most of their magical materials to the Gilded Rose at fair prices. The old butler had praised them several times.

Lin Yun was initially worried that the old butler might face some difficulties when receiving the magical materials, but since it was the Frostwolf Mercenary Group, there should not be any problems.

Lin Yun did not ask further, just looked around the store. Business was indeed good, and everyone was busy. Since he could not meditate, he decided to help the alchemists.

After the Gilded Rose resumed operations, it had hired four alchemists, all of whom were quite skilled. Since the original alchemy laboratory was occupied by Lin Yun, Cadgar had set up a new one on the second floor. The four alchemists and several dozen alchemy apprentices were busy in this new laboratory.

Lin Yun had never shown his alchemy skills to these four alchemists, but occasional exchanges had let them know that the young boss was not a complete novice in alchemy. Therefore, they welcomed Lin Yun's help, though they did not entrust him with important tasks, only simple ones like mana infusion.

Lin Yun did not mind, as it was just a way to pass the time...

The afternoon passed quickly, and by evening, the bustling Gilded Rose gradually quieted down. Adventurers left with their supplies, and the staff began cleaning up, preparing to close for the day. The alchemists finished their work, said goodbye to Lin Yun, and prepared to go home.

Lin Yun chatted with the alchemists as he walked downstairs and saw the old butler pacing anxiously in the hall.

"Master, why are you here?" The old butler looked surprised when he saw Lin Yun.

"Nothing to do at home, so I came to check. By the way, Remy said you went to the Frostwolf Mercenary Group to receive a batch of magical materials. How did it go?"

"Well..." The old butler's expression darkened. "Master, I think we might have a problem..."

"Oh?"

"The batch of magical materials from the Frostwolf Mercenary Group was supposed to be fine, but when I went there early this morning, they told me it had already been sold to someone else. I was a bit suspicious, so I visited several other mercenary groups we usually cooperate with. After a whole day of running around, almost every mercenary group told me the same thing—that their magical materials had already been sold to someone else..."

"All of them said that?"

"Yes, all of them said that..."