"Only the major guilds have Master Alchemists. I know a couple, but a burn resistance potion is a niche item, and I'm not sure who can make it. Sorry, Brother Xiao Hua." Even Old Fei couldn't help, as the burn resistance potion was simply too specialized.
Xiao Hua went through his friend list again. If even Old Fei couldn't help, none of his friends seemed likely to have a solution.
He might as well ask her; maybe she knows something.
His eyes fell on a name he had almost forgotten, and he had a sudden thought.
"SnowMM, what are you busy with?" Xiao Hua sent a message to Mang Mang Xue, the Tailoring Master. He hadn't contacted her since buying a fashion item from her some time ago. Given her extensive network, it wasn't surprising that she might know some alchemists.
"Nothing much, what's up?" Mang Mang Xue replied quickly.
Xiao Hua briefly explained his situation to Mang Mang Xue, who responded with a laugh: "You've come to the right person. I know an alchemist who might be able to help you, but it depends on your luck."
"Really?" Xiao Hua was delighted but confused. "Why does it depend on my luck?"
"Do you need it urgently?"
"It's pretty urgent."
"Alright, here's the thing. He's a free player like me, and he's only a Grandmaster Alchemist. Recently, he completed a difficult alchemy quest and received a tool that gives him a 5% chance to produce a higher-grade potion when making potions, but he can only use it once a week. So it depends on whether he's used it recently." Mang Mang Xue explained.
A 5% chance to produce a higher-grade potion is a pretty insane tool. It must be at least Dark Gold quality!
Hearing Mang Mang Xue's explanation, Xiao Hua was surprised. Such a tool would be incredibly valuable for any profession.
"He replied. He can use it tomorrow. Can you make it by then?" Mang Mang Xue asked.
"No problem. That's faster than I expected. Can SnowMM introduce us now?"
"Of course. Come to this address. I'll wait for you." Mang Mang Xue gave Xiao Hua an address, and he took a carriage there.
Ten minutes later, Xiao Hua arrived in front of Mang Mang Xue. She was wearing a white fur coat, exhaling white breath, and stood quietly on the street.
"Level 31? You leveled up so fast!" When players are in close proximity, their profiles update. Seeing Xiao Hua's profile, Mang Mang Xue noticed he had gone from level 17 to level 31 in half a month, which surprised her.
Thanks to the system's experience bonus, most players around level 30 gained a level, meaning Xiao Hua had been leveling up almost daily for the past half month. Although Mang Mang Xue was primarily a lifestyle player, she knew how challenging leveling up could be, as she often joined groups to skin animals in the wild.
"Haha, yeah, it's been good," Xiao Hua smiled. While Mang Mang Xue's guess wasn't entirely accurate, spending so much money on leveling up certainly paid off.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
"I've called my friend. Wait a moment; he'll be here soon." Mang Mang Xue smiled.
"Is he going to be difficult to deal with? Does he have any special requirements for making potions?" Dealing with a tricky NPC like Lina had given Xiao Hua a headache, and he didn't want another complicated player to deal with.
"Not at all. He's a free player like me. He'll be thrilled to help you. He's currently trying to reach Master Alchemist but is so poor he can barely afford buns." Mang Mang Xue laughed lightly.
Most players advancing in professions required significant funds, especially alchemists. For an ordinary player without support, reaching Master Alchemist was a daunting task. Hearing this, Xiao Hua felt relieved.
Soon, a male player ran towards them excitedly.
"Xiao Xue, who wants me to make potions!" The player panted as he approached.
"Why are you in such a hurry? They won't run away. Let me introduce you. This is Arsenic, a Grandmaster Alchemist, and this is NotStealWives, a Thief." Mang Mang Xue rolled her eyes at the player and introduced them.
Arsenic... What a unique name! Xiao Hua wiped a cold sweat from his forehead, thinking of the legendary poison.
"Hello, hello. I'm Arsenic. You need potions, right? Burn resistance potions, I assume?" Arsenic was a young man around 18 or 19, seemingly honest. His eyes gleamed with excitement similar to Lina's whenever she saw gold coins. He tightly gripped Xiao Hua's hands, afraid he might fly away.
"Do you really know how to make burn resistance potions?" Though he trusted them, Xiao Hua was a bit worried about the young alchemist's capabilities.
"He started as a Grandmaster and could only afford niche recipes. He knows a burn resistance potion called Cold Aura Potion." Mang Mang Xue explained, indicating their familiarity.
"Cold Aura Potion. It's unpopular, so I've only made it once. Here's the effect of the Grandmaster version." Arsenic handed Xiao Hua a small bottle containing white pills. Holding it, Xiao Hua felt a chill emanating from the bottle.
**Cold Aura Potion**: Grandmaster-level potion. Grants immunity to burn damage below 50 HP/sec for 30 seconds.
"I haven't gotten the Master version yet, so I'm not sure about its specific effects. There's only a 5% chance of getting a higher-grade potion, so it will require many attempts and a lot of gold." Arsenic wanted to do business with Xiao Hua but reminded him of the costs involved.
"How much does it cost to make one Cold Aura Potion?"
"If elsewhere, the materials might be expensive, but in Snow City, they're relatively cheap. At current market prices, the materials for one Cold Aura Potion cost around 500 gold. The materials are easy to gather around Snow City." Arsenic was familiar with market prices and provided a quick answer, confirming the costs.
500 gold per set of materials was manageable.
"How many potions can you make with one use of the tool?" Xiao Hua asked, knowing such tools often had usage limits.
"100 sets!" Arsenic was excited, sensing Xiao Hua's determination to make the potions.
"Let's make 100 sets, then!" Making 100 sets would yield only about 5 Master-level potions, but Xiao Hua wanted as many as possible. His previous experience stealing from the Frost Dragon taught him that stealing from a boss was no simple task.
"100 sets?" Arsenic's eyes lit up, quickly calculating how close he would be to Master Alchemist after making those potions.
"Can you help collect the materials? I'm not familiar with them. Of course, I'll pay you upfront. How much do you charge?" Xiao Hua preferred to have an expert like Arsenic handle the materials to save time.
"No problem. I usually charge 1% for making potions." Arsenic agreed readily, not hesitating to discuss fees. He was broke and grateful for the opportunity but didn't expect to work for free.
Xiao Hua initiated a trade, putting 51,000 gold into the transaction window.
"What's this?" Arsenic asked, puzzled.
"That tool can only be used once every 7 days, worth 500 gold each time." Xiao Hua smiled, noting that the tool was valuable and worth investing in for future use.
"Hehe, thanks!" Arsenic accepted the gold, appreciating Xiao Hua's generosity.
"Neither of you are in a guild, right?" After completing the transaction, Xiao Hua looked at Mang Mang Xue and Arsenic, smiling.
"I recently established a guild. Are you interested in joining?" Xiao Hua explained, seeing their curious looks.
"We're not really interested in guilds," Mang Mang Xue said apologetically.
"My guild is different. It has no requirements for members and doesn't organize activities. I prefer freedom and don't want to join others' guilds but want the benefits of a guild. My guild mostly consists of mission players with a 0% gold cut from missions. You might consider it."
Hearing this, they were hesitant. They weren't against guilds but preferred freedom. Xiao Hua's description matched their ideal guild, and the 0% gold cut meant they could earn gold from missions in their spare time.