56: Substitute

"Professor! I have already become a Rank 3 Apprentice and have understood the basics about all the knowledge that has to be learned for Rank 4 as well so I know my current predicament from books..."

Wade said softly.

"Wade, ask what you want straight away and stop mumbling!" Fred said

"Sir, I would like to buy a potion formula that helps increasing Spirit!!"

"A potion formula that can raise Spirit?" Fred was a little surprised.

"The success rate of brewing these potions is too low and the resources required are extremely expensive. Many Potioneering Masters have lost their family fortunes over this, and only those with a strong family background are able to reap the benefits..."

Although Wads's Potioneering talent was highly outstanding, Fred still felt that his apprentice had set his goals a little too high.

"Sir, you know it too. My aptitude is only fourth-grade apprentice. For a fourth-grade apprentice to progress to a Sage, there is a great bottleneck. Breaking through to a Sage is easiest when it's done at a young age, so I want to give it a gamble." Wade spoke softly.

"You!" Fred sighed and sat down slowly, "I do have a few basic potion formulas for raising Spirit, but I signed a contract preventing me from reselling the formulas when I got them from other parties. As for my own formulas, you are definitely not able to afford them..."

"How many Magic Crystals are they worth?" Wade's heart sank, but he still asked.

"Haha! I knew you wouldn't give up. 15,000 Magic Crystals, and that's only because you're my apprentice!"

"Huuu!" Wade sucked in cold air, and then laughed bitterly, "It seems like I have no hope!"

"Developing a potion formula for raising Spirit requires a Potioneering Master to spend a dozen, or even several dozens, of years on continuous experimentation, and the consumption for this is immense.

Moreover, possessing an exclusive formula usually boosts a Potioneering Master's family development. Hence, it is within reason for potion formulas to be this costly."

Having a monopoly will yield the greatest profits. Wade nodded his head slowly.

However, it also depends on who owns the formula. If it was an acolyte instead of a Sage, even Wade would have harboured some bad notions.

However, Fred was an official Sage, and he had the Black Academy was behind him as his patron. Furthermore, his human relations were not bad; hence he did not have many worries.

"However, if you really have this goal, you might not be completely without answers!"

Just as Wade was prepared to take his leave disappointingly, Fred spoke these words.

"It seems like I have a chance!" Wade was secretly elated and hurriedly bowed.

"Although I am unable to give you my personally-developed formulas, I still have a few formulas from the Sages of old, and they were obtained when I went exploring several times before, so you can use them and give it a try!" Fred said slowly.

"Formulas from the Sages of old?" Wade felt a little uncertain.

"Indeed! Sages were the most prosperous back in the ancient times. Not only did they construct the Maish empire which spanned over several continents, they had even set their sights on several other distant worlds, conquering different planes one at a time like ours!" Fred's face was a little flushed. It seemed as though he held the utmost fascination towards the prowess of the ancient sages.

"It's a pity that the Maish Empire had come against a formidable foe in one of its exploration, which later caused a very tragic war which had even enveloped our world.

Otherwise, why do you think the other half of the planet is unsuitable for living, because of this war many of the legacies of these ancient Sages were lost.

We, as Sages in more recent times, have only risen to power through a few remnants of the research and documents left behind by the ancient Sages..."

Little by little, Fred spoke of the story behind the scenes. This information was never mentioned in the history books in the academy.

"I wonder how mighty these ancient Sages were?" Wade put on a fascinated expression, and asked:

"Those formulas, are they all having some kind of problems?"

"Indeed! You're very smart! As I am a professor it is not a problem for me but for you it is.

The ingredients required in these potions are very expensive, if only on a set of ingredients are brought it would cost around 1000 to 2000 magic crystals so if you want to even try these potions you would have to try to earn these crystals.

It would take you two to three years the fastest to collect all the funds to even try and even then it may be a loss.

You can try and find various substitutes for some of the expensive parts but that would lead to making the quality of the potion go down"

Fred said unhurriedly, "However, many Potioneering Masters still feel some affection for these ancient formulas because they all wish to find a substitute for them. Even if they have only a fraction of the original models, their effects are extremely useful!"

Wade was elated. With Abby's help, he would definitely save a lot of time and effort when researching them.

On the surface, he still put on a frowning and worried expression, "So... you want me to look for substitutes?"

"Indeed! Potioneering Masters often rely on flashes of inspiration for their successes. Many new types of potions are developed on this basis. If you really want to, you can try your luck! This way you can take the budget for one set to even 100 magic crystals and then try! However, the success rate will still be extremely low!"

Fred's face darkened. It seemed as if he was reminded of his past failures.

"Sir! I still want to give it a try. Even if I won't be able to develop a new formula, I can still improve my skills in brewing!" Wade said calmly.

"I can rest assured if this is your thinking!" Fred nodded his head. After rummaging through the shelves behind him, he managed to find some dusty scrolls.

"The formulas of the ancient Magi are all here."