Chapter 277: Barren

In the early days of the Potion Master Association, there was no registration fee for the assessment, which led to many wizards signing up just to try their luck.

The result was that very few passed the assessment, while a large amount of potion materials were wasted.

Eventually, the Potion Master Association had no choice but to change the rules, requiring a registration fee as a deposit.

If you passed the assessment, all the money would be refunded. If you failed, the fee would be used to cover the cost of the materials.

After this rule was implemented, the number of people signing up for the assessment dropped significantly.

Only wizards who were confident in their abilities would register for the assessment.

Some might fail two or three times, but they would often pass eventually.

These wizards typically had a decent grasp of potion-making but might have made mistakes during the assessment or were unfamiliar with the specific potions they were asked to brew.

For them, it was just a matter of encountering a familiar potion and performing well to pass the assessment.

Helag looked up the costs and found that the materials for first-tier potions generally cost less than 1,000 magic stones, though the prices varied depending on the potion.

Some materials were rare, which drove up their prices, and as a result, the corresponding potions were also more expensive.

Despite the price differences, they were all classified as first-tier potions.

Helag had recently recorded a large number of books in the Silvermoon City library, including several on potion-making.

There were over sixty different first-tier potion recipes, and Helag had only brewed a few of them before.

It wasn’t realistic to brew all of them now, as gathering the materials alone would take an unknown amount of time and magic stones.

So, Helag decided to review all the potion recipes stored in Deep Blue, memorize the brewing processes, and mentally rehearse how to make them.

When the assessment came, he would choose a relatively simple potion to brew. With Deep Blue’s assistance and careful attention, he didn’t expect any major issues.

The worst-case scenario would be failing and losing a few hundred magic stones, but he could always try again.

Given the likelihood of encountering a potion he hadn’t brewed before, Helag was mentally prepared for failure.

Brewing first-tier potions wasn’t easy. Even a small mistake could ruin the entire process, requiring you to start over. It demanded a high level of proficiency.

After spending two or three days familiarizing himself with all the first-tier potions in Deep Blue’s database, Helag headed to the Potion Master Association to take the assessment.

The Potion Master Association was located in the southeast of Silvermoon City, not far from the Wizard Array Master Association—just two streets away.

The entrance to the Potion Master Association was much busier, with a noticeably larger crowd than at the Wizard Array Master Association.

This was mainly due to demand. Wizards had a much greater need for potions than for arrays.

Arrays were part of the construction process; once set up, there wouldn’t be a need for a new one for some time.

But potions were consumables, and the demand for them was constant.

Additionally, there were far more Potion Masters than Wizard Array Masters, which explained the difference in foot traffic between the two associations.

The Potion Master Association’s emblem was a wizard’s hat and a round-bottom flask, a clear representation of its purpose.

As Helag entered the hall, he looked around and noticed the noise. The place was bustling with activity.

There were people commissioning potions, others picking up potion orders, and only a few were there for the assessment.

After a while, Helag found the registration desk for the assessment in a corner.

Just like at the Wizard Array Master Association, he filled out a form, registered, and then waited for his assessment to be scheduled.

This time, he only had to wait an hour before he could take the assessment, unlike last time when he had to wait longer.

Helag figured this was because there were fewer people taking the Wizard Array Master assessment, so the examiners, like Israel, had to be notified in advance.

An hour later, Helag arrived at a potion-brewing room, which served as the examination hall.

As soon as he entered, he was surprised to see someone he knew.

The examiner for this assessment was none other than the bald man, Barren.

“Helag? You’re taking the Potion Master assessment too?” Barren asked, equally surprised.

“I didn’t expect to see you here, Mr. Barren,” Helag replied.

Now that he thought about it, when he had added Barren as a contact on his magic stone, he had noticed a tag on Barren’s profile.

At the time, he didn’t know it was the Potion Master Association’s tag, so he hadn’t paid much attention to it.

He hadn’t expected Barren to be the examiner for his Potion Master assessment.

Thinking back to the day he saw Barren at the Wizard Array Master Association, it seemed like Barren had just been visiting, since the two associations were so close to each other.

Barren chuckled, “Young man, you need to focus. Both wizard arrays and potion-making are deep and complex fields. If you try to master both, you might end up mastering neither. Your energy is limited.”

Barren was genuinely advising Helag. He believed that since Helag had such a talent for wizard arrays, he should specialize in that field.

As a seasoned second-level Potion Master, Barren knew that neither wizard arrays nor potion-making were easy to master.

To him, it seemed like Helag was too young and wanted to pursue everything.

Helag explained, “Thank you for the advice, Mr. Barren. I understand. I’m only taking the Potion Master assessment to try my luck. If I pass, I can make some extra money by brewing potions. I don’t plan to spend too much time on it.”

“Good, as long as you’re aware. Let’s get started then. I’ve prepared these three questions in advance, so there’s no favoritism here,” Barren said with a wave of his hand, pointing to three scrolls on the table.

He unrolled the scrolls one by one and laid them out on the table.

Helag glanced at them. Each scroll listed the name of a potion: Giant’s Elixir, Night Elf’s Spring, and Abyssinian Potion.

All three potions were recorded in Deep Blue’s database. Aside from Night Elf’s Spring, which was relatively rare, the other two were common first-tier potions.

Giant’s Elixir, as the name suggests, is a body-enhancement potion that temporarily enlarges the user’s body, increasing their physical abilities.

However, this potion has high physical requirements for the user. If the user’s body isn’t strong enough, they may experience side effects after the potion wears off.

The side effects usually involve certain body parts returning to normal size while others remain enlarged.

For example, the left leg might return to normal size, but the right leg could remain in its giant form.

This is a sign that the user’s body wasn’t strong enough to handle the effects of the Giant’s Elixir.

Night Elf’s Spring is a rarer potion that grants the user some of the abilities of a night elf for three days.