"Of course I know," Odis said. "But you also know that my business is growing bigger and bigger. If I don't get promoted, my status will be seriously out of sync with my strength, and then I will be in great danger."
This was a reason he had already come up with.
Max nodded. "That's true."
He took a deep breath: "Alright then, as long as you're ready, I'll apply for the 'Fighting Scholar' potion recipe and extraordinary materials for you in a bit."
Odis's contributions over the years were enough to earn him these from the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery: "Well, thank you."
Then he asked, "With my remaining contribution points, can I still obtain a Sequence 7 potion recipe?"
Max put down his knife and fork and said seriously, "Promotion is no joke. It can get out of control if you're not careful! Especially promotion to sequence 7, which is already considered 'intermediate sequence,' and there's a considerable risk involved!"
"I suggest you become a 'fighting scholar' for three to five years before considering promotion."
Odis thought to himself: That's because they don't know the "playing method".
He said, "I was just asking."
"It should be possible." Max picked up his knife and fork again to answer the question from before: "However, I'll have to ask Captain Iconsel for the specifics."
"You should know that potion recipes of this level are rarely available on the market."
Odis focused intently on cutting her steak: "I know."
That topic ended there, and they moved on to discussing international affairs and interesting anecdotes about Backlund. Of course, they also made light of the city's terrible weather.
That afternoon, Odis obtained the "Fighting Scholar" potion recipe and two main ingredients.
It wasn't until he returned to the rest room and laboratory of the Gard Herbalist's Shop that Odis opened the potion recipe and took a look:
Sequence 8: Fighting Scholar
Main ingredients: complete pituitary gland of a spotted monkey, complete flower of a blood hyacinth.
"Auxiliary materials: three pure black poppy flowers, 12 grams of dragon tooth grass powder, 15 ml of hydrosol soaked in boxwood for one year, and 25 ml of pure water."
Odis placed two extraordinary materials on the table. These auxiliary materials were available at the herbal shop, and he went to the front counter to retrieve them one by one.
Having gathered all the necessary materials, Odis is preparing for her promotion tonight.
Just as Odis was about to put away the extraordinary materials, a majestic and mysterious figure suddenly appeared in his mind—it was Mr. Fool!
Immediately after the figure disappeared, another image appeared in his mind: a middle-aged man whose face was obscured, in a prayerful posture, saying in a low voice, "Great Fool, please convey my question to the Hermit."
"I want to ask the 'Hermit,' besides the scepter you mentioned the day before yesterday, does he have any other extraordinary weapons?"
Odis recognized that the person praying was "the world".
After the other party finished asking the question, the image in Odis's mind disappeared. After thinking for a moment, he realized that Klein had probably taken a liking to the "Flaming Arrow".
So he also made a praying gesture and whispered, "A fool who does not belong to this age..."
"Dear Mr. Fool, please tell Mr. 'World' that I have another extraordinary weapon, but I do not intend to sell it. If Mr. 'World' needs it recently, I can rent it to him."
"The rental fee is 20 pounds a day. It's a revolver called 'Flaming Arrow,' infused with spiritual energy and using special bullets that can fire a flame slightly larger than a fist."
"The bullets are at your own expense, 1 pound per bullet."
...
15 Minsk Street.
Klein, who had already traded the "Sun Brooch" with the old man "Eye of Wisdom," exclaimed to himself after hearing the "Hermit's" offer: "So cheap!"
The enchanted bullets he bought at the "Eye of Wisdom" gathering cost 10 pounds each.
However, considering that the bullets of "Flaming Arrow" only have the ability of being similar to "small fireballs" and do not have any extraordinary effects, the damage they cause to "werewolfs" and "zombies" is very limited.
It's nowhere near as powerful as an enchanted bullet...
But it's cheap enough!
Klein thought that renting it to Marich would definitely catch the opponent off guard.
Hmm... Rent!
Klein belatedly realized: "The Hermit" has a good business sense. Unlike other extraordinary gatherings, the Tarot Club has Mr. Fool's testimony and credibility guarantee, and members can rent extraordinary weapons or even magical items to each other.
Even if Mr. Fool is currently just an empty shell, Klein has no intention of trying to get something for nothing.
After some thought, Klein decided to rent not only the "Flaming Arrow" but also the scepter, since the scepter had an ability to subdue evil creatures!
However, he wouldn't pay for it; Maric would have to.
...
51 Henry Street.
Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!
After receiving Klein's order, Odis immediately began producing a batch of special bullets.
Around 5 p.m., the two completed the transaction. Under the guidance of "The World", Odis placed two candles on the table and drew a mystical symbol in the middle, consisting of a pupilless eye representing "The Fool" and twisted lines.
Then, the "wall of spirit" was built, and the "flaming arrow," the scepter, and 30 specially made bullets were offered as a sacrifice to Mr. Fool.
The right to use these two weapons expires at 5 PM tomorrow, so Odis guessed that Klein and his team's operation should take place tonight.
Having completed the transaction, Odis, as usual, stayed busy at the herbal shop until after nine o'clock in the evening.
After his assistant Kaina left, Odis closed the shop door and turned off the gas lamps, then went to the lounge and laboratory in the backyard. He first used "meditation" to adjust his state, and then began to concoct potions.
He washed and wiped a beaker clean, and after confirming that all the materials were in place, he first put three beautiful, pure black flowers into the beaker.
This is a pure black poppy flower. Unlike ordinary poppies, the pure black poppy is a spiritual material, and both its fruit and flowers have a strong anesthetic effect.
Then Odis weighed 12 grams of dragon tooth grass powder on the scale. This is a popular and widely used spiritual material, and herbal shops have it in stock ground into powder.
He then measured 15 milliliters of golden liquid with a graduated cylinder. It was hydrosol made from boxwood that had been soaked for a year. Finally, he added pure water.
These spiritual materials did not react in the beaker; the flowers remained flowers, and the liquid remained liquid.
Odis brought out the "main ingredients" of the potion: two extraordinary materials.
First, a "striped monkey pituitary gland" was added, which looks somewhat beautiful, like twinkling starlight.
When the extraordinary material was added to the beaker, it immediately reacted with the spiritual material, producing a "sizzling" sound.
Then Odis opened the box containing the "blood-red hyacinth flowers," which lay inside as if they had been soaked in bright red blood.
The flower still looked very fresh, as if it had just been picked, and it even seemed to be twitching occasionally, like it was in the process of dying.
When the small hyacinth was placed into the beaker, the liquid inside seemed to boil, bubbling up and quickly turning into a viscous liquid with alternating white and red colors.
Odis took a deep breath, picked up the beaker, and drank it all in one gulp.