“What do you think about it?” Jack asked Abraham, the Mana Potion in his hand.
The head of the Harper household picked it up, awed by his son’s crafting capability. Jack had never ceased to amaze him ever since the abduction. Still, the perilous nature of Jack’s talent had been forcing Abraham to keep a lot of mouths shut lately, often with brutal intimidation.
“We’ll need a certified Maester to examine this thing,” Abraham said. “But from my experience, five times the absorption rate would mean you can sell this at the market price.”
“How much for the ingredients?”
“Around ten mana crystals. Could have been less if we bought in large quantity.”
“So, is that around a thirty crystals profit?”
“Not really,” Abraham gave the jar back to Jack. “That price is for official members of the Maester council whose products were strictly controlled and qualified only. As for us, we have to snuggle this thing out with a cheaper tag. Forty would be a good deal already.”
“Can you find a dealer for us?”
“I may be the biggest debtor in Oxdale, but I ain’t useless yet. You can count on me for that.”
“Oh, okay,” Jack nodded.
“It’s just that….” Abraham clicked his tongue.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know if you are capable of doing it, but the price scales up extremely well with the absorption rate the item provides, as high as three or four times the original price.”
Jack stood straight up, excitement in his eyes, for he indeed knew how to do it. From the information acquired, Mana Potion’s quality could be improved during the crafting process with the addition of an extra mana barrier to better isolate it, reducing loss. The problem was that it would triple the mana consumption and further strain the mental capacity of the conductor, which made the fact that a missed step during this whole process would result in a catastrophe the more feasible.
“So you do know how,” Abraham smiled. “Mana Potions are crucial items. They’re always welcome, especially in the Arcanist community, since their mana usage is usually the highest among the factions. Replenishment, as well as the increased mana absorption rate, is their lifeboat at times. The making of it is…, well, you know better than I do. It’s super risky and messy to make. And the Maesters who usually monopolize it, I’m at a loss of words about them.”
Jack didn’t object to Abraham’s words. He was thinking about should and how he was going to try it out.
“In the next couple of days, I’ll be working on something else,” Jack said.
“Alright,” Abraham responded, “that means you need more money?”
“In the short term, this will be it,” Jack pointed at the Mana Potion in his hand. “I’ll try my best to enhance its effectiveness at around seven or eight.”
Abraham opened his eyes wide, hands counting. His gaze brightened like that of a merchant who had struck a great deal.
“So, you can get around two to three hundred crystals with that,” a burst of vitality returned to the enervated man. “What else do you need? I’ll get them for you right away.”
“For now, a batch of ingredients exactly like yesterday. In the near future, you might have to take me to the Adventure Society to put up some requests. Money-wise, I’ll be reinvesting them back into what I do, so no immediate profit just yet.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“Well, no loss on me, right?”
Jack shrugged, laughing mischievously.
“Well, now he’s making a profit on me too.” Abraham lovingly scolded.
“I’ll be relying on you even more now, father” Jack put out his hand.
Abraham enthusiastically caught it, pulling his son into his open arms.
“Just, don’t overwork yourself, okay?” He said. “Your mother and I can still handle things.”
Jack didn’t answer that. Ever since Edward had pointed out where Abraham’s priority lied and his very own action at the turn, Jack reckoned he should carry as little debt as possible.
At night, inside his room, Jack came up with a plan to upgrade his Mana Potion. Even though he had had sufficient crafting knowledge, Jack still enhanced his Maester’s Item Crafting skill, as well as increased his Spirit stat.
You have used 4 stat points.
Your Spirit Attribute increased from 37 to 49.
“Here goes nothing,” Jack whispered to himself after setting up everything again.
The steps were repeated, this time with an extra touch of fluidity and efficiency. As far as things went, Jack couldn’t be more pleased.
Then came the ultimate challenge, the stage about which Jack couldn’t be certain. As instructed, he created a double-layer mana dome surrounding the ten mana crystals, and the enormous pressure that followed was immediately felt by his spirit. Mana was consumed at an unprecedented rate. Quickly realizing how fast he would go downhill with the normal approach, Jack proceeded to execute his backup plan.
You have used 3 skill points.
Enhancement Technique (Herald, Active, Multiple Targets)
Level: 4 (Requirements for next level: Spirit >= 33)
Mana cost: Low mana per use.
Cooldown: 50s.
Increase the effect of any potion or poison on a target.
+20% poisoning damage and effects.
+20% healing or detoxing effects.
+20% poisoning or healing duration.
*Does not stack with other enhancement spells or buffs.
*Does stack with consumable items.
Jack simultaneously used Enhancement Technique and gulped down the Lesser Mana Potion he had created. He could feel his mana pool being replenished as the skill and regenerative effect resonant with each other, assuring him of an ample mana supply. He returned to his work, ignoring a blinking System’s notification in his peripheral vision.
On paper, the crafting time seemed insignificant, but to actually do it proved tedious and taxing. The tips and tricks from the System had allowed Jack to be far more successful in his attempt, helping him save a lot of what would be experimental cost. After a few minutes, he could confidently say he had gotten the condensation just right.
While waiting for the Mana Potion to rest, Jack put his hand on his chin and started thinking. He intended to build a crafting system specifically for this consumable item. Ideas and practicality had been discussed with Bastian. Among the prerequisites for such a thing to function, monster cores and some rare materials were the most concerning for Jack.
Jack took out his pen and notes, writing down his own experience crafting the Mana Potion. The System might have given him knowledge of both the Maester and Artificer, but to combine and adjust them to work with each other was up to him. A generalized design was made, which Jack predicted would consume around fifteen mana crystals per jar of potion. This was because tubes and pipes, even with specialized material, would never be as effective in channeling and containing mana as one’s own spirit and mana. Bastian had been highly critical of Jack’s plan for this reason.
Accounting for all the problems was an almost impossible task, for one variable led to another. Still, with his comprehensive - and quite frankly, cheating - knowledge about all the trades and items alike, Jack was fairly confident about the project’s feasibility. The biggest obstacle remained the investment one. After some estimation, he could barely keep himself together, realizing how close it would be, for his heart ached with every penny flying through the window without one coming back.
The process was finalized. The new Mana Potion was noticeably darker in color, coruscating to the look.
“Eight?” Jack excitingly questioned himself.
With this, he could now somewhat afford his intention.
Only now did Jack see the System’s notification, and it really startled him.
What a pleasant surprise.
You have achieved the prerequisites for the next part on the path of Maester (15 accumulated levels on all the skill nodes.)
You are now granted access to Crusader skill nodes on the path of Maester.
All skills’ effectiveness will be reduced up to 70% since you are on the lower rank (crafting skills excluded).
The penalty can be alleviated if you increase your mastery of Maester by using more skill points on Herald Skill Nodes or through your own experience and knowledge.
Proceed with caution.