‘Interesting, he seems to have a basic mastery of Fire magic, yet he’s already able to use it to speed up his production process. It makes me wonder if it’s possible to use higher levels of magic to replicate the technologies of my former world.’

After observing the craftsman at work for a while, Tristan went downstairs and returned to the shop’s entrance.

He saw Chiu sitting behind a counter, making notes with a brush. Approaching, Tristan said, “I have some things to take care of. I’ll be back here in an hour to pick up my orders.”

“Have a safe trip. You’re always welcome in our shop, young master,” Chiu replied.

After exchanging bows, he said farewell to the attendant, Moeh Chiu, and left the store.

‘I’ll have everything I need sooner than I expected. That’s good—I’ll be able to move my plans forward.’ He thought.

Deciding to prepare the other things he needed until it was time to return to the craftsman’s shop, he walked to a less noble area in the city center.

This was an area where basic necessities were sold. Judging by the clothing, which was far below the city nobility’s standard, Tristan knew that most of the people he saw walking those streets were probably employees of powerful families.

Wooden shoes were the most common in that place, and as a result, there were constant sounds of wood hitting stone as he walked.

He saw a large variety of goods, from clothes to exotic fruits and peculiar utensils.

‘For a place that’s practically isolated, the trade here is quite extensive.’

Memories of the merchant guild where he had met Yue and the others during his trip east crossed his mind.

‘It seems that other guilds are willing to make that hellish journey to get here.’

Tristan’s eyes continued to wander around the place until they landed on a shop selling kitchen utensils. He entered the shop and looked at the pot section; many seemed to be made for decoration due to their carvings and complex shapes, with a wide variety of materials, from harmless ones to some that Tristan knew were toxic to humans. He chose the deepest steel pots he could find.

Running his finger along the pot’s surface, he thought, ‘This should be safer for my experiments than those at the sect.’

“How much are these two pots?” he asked the vendor.

“Twenty copper ships,” the vendor replied.

Hearing this, Tristan handed over a silver ship and received eighty bronze ships as change.

He bid farewell to the vendor and continued to walk through the city’s commercial area.

Then, as he walked, he saw a single-story shop that looked like a small wooden hut, with a line of people stretching out the door.

‘A line?’ He was surprised, as this was unusual in the city center.

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Curious, he decided to see what it was about. He walked past the people and entered the shop, approaching the counter. Some people narrowed their eyes, looking at him with disdain; his clothes did not inspire as much fear in them as they did in those outside the walls, but still, no one dared to say anything.

Inside the shop, Tristan saw various types of plants in a range of colors; flowers and roots were hanging from the ceiling by a string.

Looking behind the counter, he saw an old lady, and in front of her were several glass bottles.

‘An elixir shop?’

He wasn’t very enthusiastic; aside from the vital essence of this world, he didn’t feel even a drop of energy in that place.

He was quite skeptical about the usefulness of things that didn’t have magical properties.

His eyes wandered over the products on the counter until suddenly, one of the bottles caught his attention.

“Hey, madam, what is this elixir for?” Tristan asked, pointing to one of the smaller bottles on the counter.

“This here is an insomnia elixir, young master. It’s made from a rare herb called the Sleep Flower; it’s one of the best products we have available,” the old lady told him.

“May I see it?” Tristan asked.

The lady nodded and picked up one of the blue bottles, handing it to him.

Inside the bottle was a thick, milky blue liquid.

Tristan began to remember something.

“Could you show me a Sleep Flower?”

The vendor looked puzzled but quickly responded, “Of course, young master!”

She bent down and opened a drawer in the counter.

“Here it is,” after retrieving the contents from the drawer, she showed him a flower with blue petals and a thick green stem.

‘This looks like the Iluna flower. I remember hearing that lesser nobles, who couldn’t afford to hire healers, often made tea from this flower to relieve pain.’

Though the Iluna flower in his memories had a more purple coloration, ‘They’re very similar and have similar effects. The Iluna flower also only grows near the east; perhaps they’re from the same family.’

“I want to buy the flower,” he said.

The old woman widened her eyes and said, “Are you sure, young master? This flower is very dangerous if not handled with care; any product made from it needs precise measurements; otherwise, it can be fatal.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.” There was confidence in his voice.

The lady sighed and asked, “How many would you like?”

“All of them!” he said without hesitation.

After buying eight Sleep Flowers for three silver coins, he went to another store and bought some jars of vinegar for five bronze ships.

‘I can get the salt and alcohol from the sect’s storage.’

Almost an hour had passed—the time to pick up his things was approaching.

He walked back to the craft shop.

Opening the door, the sound of the bell spread through the place, and when he entered, the attendant didn’t come to greet him as last time.

The sound of a female voice was coming from the shop’s corridor.

‘They must be dealing with another customer.’

Tristan waited a few seconds, but no one came to assist him.

Not wanting to waste time, he went looking for Chiu.

When he reached the corridor, he heard the woman’s voice he had previously heard coming from the third door, and her tone sounded quite irritated.

Without any decorum, he opened the door and entered.

He saw various human sculptures made of different materials like bronze, plaster, and marble.

There were four people inside that room; Moeh Chiu was the only one he recognized. Next to him was a short man with wrinkled skin; his hands looked rough and bore some scars.

In front of them stood a young couple.

The lady, probably in her early twenties, wore a long green oriental-style dress with many jewels attached to the fabric. Her black hair was tied in a bun, her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she had an angry expression on her face. Everything about her posture indicated she was someone of high status, at least compared to the people she was arguing with.

The last was a tall young man of average appearance, looking a few years younger than the woman. He was dressed in the classic white-and-black martial artist attire. There was a symbol on the back of his outfit that caught Tristan’s attention, as he felt he had seen it before.

The symbol was a circle with two figures in its center; in the upper half was a white carp with its head facing right, and in the lower half was a black skeletal carp with its skull facing left.

An expression of understanding appeared on Tristan’s face, and his lips curled in disdain.

‘A disciple of the Southern Carp Body and Spirit Sect,’ he thought.