Essie closed the door to their office, then Angulo asked Locke, "Locke, how long does it take you to brew one Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potion?"
Locke thought for a moment. "About half an hour per potion."
"And it's quite draining. I can't brew more than eight per day at most, because producing more would affect my evening meditation."
"But the recipe and process for this potion haven't actually changed at all. The only difference is replacing the main ingredient from Emerald Lichen to the Emerald Iris Lichen I cultivated."
Angulo and Essie's eyes lit up.
According to Locke's explanation, this meant any Potionology Assistant who mastered the Bear Spirit Bile Potion recipe could brew the Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potion simply by purchasing Emerald Iris Lichen.
The Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potion Locke developed held universal value in both effectiveness and economic potential.
This meant they could now assist Locke in brewing the potions, preventing all the workload from falling on one person and creating excessive pressure.
Angulo said, "Then we can help you brew the Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potions too."
Essie added, "It's best not to go through the treatment center's internal channels—that would definitely drive down the purchase price of your Emerald Iris Lichen. Locke, you should still sell the Emerald Iris Lichen to your friend Shopkeeper Yuli at Lijin Secret Language. That way, it becomes a negotiation between the treatment center and Lijin Secret Language."
"Madam Irina behind Lijin Secret Language is also the owner of our Owl Cauldron. She's very influential. Leveraging her influence to negotiate the external selling price of Emerald Iris Lichen will absolutely protect your interests to the greatest extent."
Locke agreed with this approach.
Negotiating prices personally with the treatment center would undoubtedly put him at a disadvantage.
Locke proposed, "But for now, I can provide you with Emerald Iris Lichen for free. You can help me brew the Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potions, and we'll earn some money from these patients while competing for this year's Outstanding Healer or even Distinguished Healer titles."
Locke had considered this carefully before suggesting it.
Admittedly, this approach would incur some losses, but it was a necessary investment.
They were a team similar to Angron's workshop.
His daily output of Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potions was limited, yet treating a single patient often required more than one potion.
If they could produce more potions, they could quickly cure all current and future First Class Wizard Apprentices afflicted with Magic Plant Curses—even poaching patients with stubborn curses from other treatment center teams.
Having Essie and Angulo assist him while agreeing to transfer patient treatment credits to him would be ideal.
Ten minutes later, after discussion, Essie and Angulo decided their team would allocate 80% of patient treatments to Locke going forward, with the remaining 20% split equally between them.
In other words, from now on, the majority of patients treated by this team would nominally be under Locke's primary care, with Essie and Angulo merely assisting him.
This was mainly because their team would begin using the Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potion to treat patients and collect data on the potion's efficacy.
Since Locke was the one providing the raw Emerald Iris Lichen materials, if he didn't charge them, they'd essentially be using Locke's materials and formula. Naturally, the bulk of the credit would go to Locke.
This meant that within the treatment center, under Locke's guidance and leadership, the team was subtly transforming into a healer group with Locke at its core.
It formed an organizational structure similar to Angron's studio, where Angron was the central figure.
For the first time, Locke effectively had two First Class Wizard Apprentices as partners.
This was highly advantageous for Locke.
Especially since Locke's goal was this year's reward for Outstanding Healer—the Magic Potion. Obtaining it would allow him to rapidly increase his Mana reserves, saving him considerable time otherwise spent on slow cultivation.
For Essie and Angulo, this arrangement was equally beneficial.
They were essentially joining a highly promising project. Not only would their salaries remain unaffected, but they might even earn more and potentially receive additional rewards from the academy.
Locke, Angulo, and Essie exchanged nods, celebrating the formation of their genuine partnership.
Locke said to Angulo and Essie, "Starting now, let's prepare the Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potion in the treatment center's lab. With our combined efforts, we should produce enough today to treat the remaining sixteen patients."
As seasoned Potionology Assistants, Angulo and Essie were highly proficient with Bear Spirit Bile Potions. Producing twenty doses in a day wouldn't be unusual for them.
At full capacity, the two could likely manufacture around forty Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potions daily.
Currently, Locke had only cultivated ten acres of Emerald Iris Lichen. Even with Advanced Growth Serum Gel, monthly production wouldn't exceed about eighty plants.
His current inventory stood at merely one hundred plants.
Fortunately, one Emerald Iris Lichen could yield approximately two to three Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potions.
For now, their supply was sufficient.
Locke contemplated that he should probably secure some funding or obtain Emerald Iris Lichen purchase orders. This would allow rapid expansion of the Magical Fields without worrying about cash flow issues.
Expanding aggressively without confirmed orders still carried some risk.
After all, these were agricultural products requiring preservation costs.
Amidst the mixed feelings of other Potionology Assistants in the treatment center, Locke, Essie, and Angulo began working diligently.
By evening, most First Class Wizard Apprentices afflicted with Magic Plant Curses had been completely cured after taking the Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potion, with no damage to their vitality.
These First Class Wizard Apprentices were in relatively good condition themselves, so they didn't need intravenous injections. They only required oral doses of the Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potion to enhance their Magic Resistance, which would naturally help them overcome the Magic Plant Curse.
At dusk when work ended, Locke and the others gathered in the office. Essie said with a triumphant expression, "Locke, Angulo, you should have seen the looks on those Potionology Assistants' faces who were laughing at us before..."
"Someone even asked me where they could buy Emerald Iris Lichen. I told them the Lijin Secret Language shop would be selling it in a few months."
"Hahaha..."
"Even people from Angron's studio came asking where we got the Emerald Iris Lichen. I told them Locke just developed it and it's not available anywhere else. They were completely dumbfounded and couldn't say a word."
Angulo raised her eyebrows. "Those people were only thinking about shirking responsibility before."
"Now they won't get any benefits."
Angulo looked at Locke and noticed he was reading some documents. "Locke, what are you looking at? I'm treating you all to dinner at the Witch's Kitchen tonight."
Locke put away the documents. "It's patient information given to me by Formal Wizard Derrick Jones from the third floor. He noticed the superior efficacy of our new potion and wants to refer a patient suffering from Consciousness Split Curse to us for treatment."
"You know how troublesome this curse is to treat. Even after recovery, there are usually side effects that affect the wizard's future prospects."
"So if the Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potion proves effective, we'll get priority for similar cases in the future."
Essie and Angulo's eyes lit up.
More patients meant more money and experience.
Locke continued, "The academy leadership seems particularly optimistic about our potion. Senior Consultant Wizard Francis has ordered the Healing Hand Clinic to prioritize referring patients to us, to test the Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potion's effects on different curses and assist us with animal trials, mortal trials, and wizard apprentice trials."
Locke looked at an additional reward in his hand. "The academy awarded me 1,000 Magic Stones as an Excellent Project Reward, to fund continued third-phase trials of the Bear Spirit Emerald Bile Potion."
"And they want me to achieve results soon."
"Excellent Project Reward? I didn't know the academy had such subsidies," Angulo remarked.
Essie and Angulo's eyes sparkled. Angulo said, "The academy does have funds to support outstanding projects among First Class Wizard Apprentices. But you need to apply, and it's very difficult. This is the first time I've seen someone get an Excellent Project Reward without applying."
Angulo looked puzzled. "Essie and I have been applying for ten years without success."
"Just like how Formal Wizards receive funding from the White Wizard Association, the academy also has special project rewards for First Class Wizard Apprentices."
"If the academy believes your research project is valuable and has strong potential, they might approve your application and provide additional Magic Stones to support your work."
"But this is quite difficult. In a way, it's also an honor. It's not just about the money—if you can get it approved, your comprehensive evaluation score will be raised. It can be useful when competing for titles like Chief Apprentice, Wizard Seed, or Potioneering rising star."
"Of course, those three titles are still very far beyond our reach," Angulo said. "Essie and I never imagined we might earn such honors one day."
"But Locke, I think you actually have the potential."
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