Chapter Eleven: Ingredients for Magic Potions

"It doesn't feel very difficult..." Sorinus murmured to himself as he closed the book, lost in thought. "But I'll need to buy materials and try it out myself..."

Sorinus quickly skimmed through the few books Valensha had lent him, focusing mainly on the methods of preparing mental potions. Despite reading through them multiple times, nothing was as helpful as experimenting firsthand.

"As for magical materials, Valensha mentioned yesterday that they can be exchanged for with credits at the Truth Society..."

Sorinus currently had 24 idle credits on him, which he had obtained since his first year but hadn't yet completed the first-year assessment to utilize. With his mental power meeting the standard of a first-tier mage and proficiency in three first-level spells, Sorinus only needed Valensha's certification to claim them.

"With your current abilities, you could even advance directly to the third year..." Valensha exclaimed after Sorinus demonstrated all first and second-level spells. Valensha looked relieved; Sorinus was undoubtedly one of her most outstanding students.

The Truth Society was located in the easternmost part of the academy, a standalone building marked by a golden scale symbolizing absolute fairness and justice. Sorinus merely smiled at this notion.

"Hello, how can I assist you?" a redhead girl in a red robe greeted Sorinus eagerly as he entered. Sorinus replied, "I'd like to exchange credits for magical materials."

"Of course," the girl nodded. "May I have your name?"

"Sorinus Alduran."

"Sorinus Alduran..." the girl repeated, checking the student records. Suddenly, her eyes widened in disbelief as she exclaimed, "Sorinus Alduran?! You're the prodigious new student with double superlative talent?!"

Sorinus calmly nodded as the girl's exclamation drew the attention of others in the hall.

"By the gods, it's Sorinus Alduran! The most talented new student in nearly a century? Finally, we get to see him in person!"

"He looks quite handsome. I love his eyes..."

"Jennifer, go say hello to him!"

"Oh, come on, I don't do cradle-snatching..."

Everyone turned their astonished and curious gazes towards Sorinus, making him slightly uncomfortable. No one liked being treated like a spectacle.

"Can we proceed?" Sorinus asked nonchalantly.

"Oh, yes!" the redhead girl hurriedly nodded, her attention still fixed on Sorinus as she checked the information while sneakily glancing at him.

"Currently, you don't have any credits available... Sorry," the girl's expression turned apologetic, eliciting light laughter from the surrounding crowd.

"Haha, it seems our prodigious new student doesn't quite understand the academy's credit rules, does he?"

"I guess he thinks credits are as innate as his magical talent."

Someone sarcastically remarked.

Ignoring the snide remarks, Sorinus took out the letter Valensha had given him and handed it to the redhead girl.

"Could you please take a look at this?" he requested.

Perplexed, the girl accepted the letter, but her eyes widened in disbelief as she read it. "Oh my, you've already passed the assessments for both first and second years?! This is incredible!"

"What?!" The crowd of upperclassmen, who had been ready to mock Sorinus, rushed over, snatching the letter from the redhead girl's hand. Soon, they were just as incredulous as she was.

"Student Sorinus Alduran has passed the assessments for both first and second years with outstanding grades! And this is personally certified by Valensha!"

"This is impossible!"

"This means... he's already a second-tier mage?!"

"Oh my magical gods!"

Everyone's faces showed shock, horror, and disbelief. They now looked at Sorinus as if he were a humanoid monster.

"A sixteen-year-old, barely three days into school, already a second-tier mage... It's like something out of a fairy tale!"

"This can't be real!"

"Jennifer..."

"I know!" A tall, attractive girl named Jennifer hurried over to Sorinus with a radiant smile, extending her hand. "Sorinus, may I have the pleasure of meeting you? I'm—"

Before Jennifer could finish her sentence, Sorinus cut her off impatiently. "Sorry, I'm not interested."

He then turned to the redhead girl and said, "Can we please hurry?"

"Oh, yes, of course!" The redhead girl's demeanor suddenly became much more enthusiastic and efficient.

Only Jennifer stood awkwardly on the side, her hand still suspended in the air. Everyone's gaze toward Sorinus had changed.

From initial curiosity and teasing to utter shock, even a hint of dread. Double superlative! Was this what double superlative talent represented in terms of power?

To complete all first and second-year magical coursework in just three days... Even with intensive prenatal meditation, few could achieve such a feat.

Augusta, the previous prodigy who shocked the academy with her rapid advancement to the second tier, had taken how long again?

An entire year!

And Augusta was the son of a duke, already possessing the abilities of a first-tier mage when he entered school.

Though Augusta's achievement had been impressive, compared to the figure before them now...

It was like comparing heaven and earth!

Yageshtra's record for the fastest advancement to the second-tier mage had been broken once again!

Everyone felt deeply shaken.

"Well, Sorinus, you currently have a total of 48 credits available. What would you like to exchange them for?"

...

"I'd like to exchange materials for beginner and intermediate mental potions," Sorinus stated without hesitation.

This prompted another round of low murmurs among the people nearby.

"Sorinus is also studying potion making?!"

"Intermediate materials... Is he already attempting to brew intermediate magical potions? He's only sixteen!"

"He's probably just experimenting. Geniuses always feel they excel in every field..."

Ignoring the chatter, Sorinus simply looked at the redhead girl.

"Is that possible?" he asked.

The redhead girl snapped back to attention. "Oh, yes, of course."

"The materials for beginner mental potions include ghostvine stems and saliva from the rhino-toothed serpents... Each material costs 1 credit to exchange."

"So cheap?" Sorinus felt surprised; the value of credits seemed to exceed his expectations.

"And what about the intermediate mental potion materials?" he inquired.

The redhead girl glanced at her notes and replied, "15 credits per material."

Sorinus raised an eyebrow. "Why such a big difference?"

The girl explained, "Because intermediate mental potions require the use of dragon saliva. Dragons are magical creatures with an average strength of fifth tier or above, making them rare and expensive."

After a moment of contemplation, Sorinus responded, "What if we exclude the dragon saliva?"

"Exclude the dragon saliva?" The redhead girl hesitated. Dragon saliva was a crucial ingredient for brewing intermediate mental potions; without it, the potion couldn't be made. But she answered honestly, "It would only cost 7 credits."

One portion of dragon saliva was worth 8 credits, more valuable than all the other materials combined.

"In that case..." Sorinus said, "Please exchange one portion of intermediate mental potion material, four portions of intermediate mental potion material excluding dragon saliva, and five portions of beginner material."

Blinking, the redhead girl subconsciously remarked, "Then you'll have no credits left."

"I know."

"Sorinus, without enough credits, you can't advance to the third year..."

"I know."

Interrupting the redhead girl, Sorinus said earnestly, "Please hurry, can you?"

With a sigh, the redhead girl reluctantly nodded.

Well, she had been too nosy.

Geniuses like Sorinus wouldn't worry about credits like ordinary students; monthly assessments alone would provide him with enough credits for a year.

Honestly, despite her time at the Truth Society, she had never seen anyone squander credits like this before.

Sorinus exchanged the materials he wanted, confirmed everything was correct, thanked the girl, and left amidst the astonished gazes of the onlookers.

...

Residence, underground magic laboratory.

"The key to brewing magical potions lies in the dosage of each ingredient, much like chemical reaction experiments in the previous world. A little more or less could result in unpredictable failure..." Sorinus murmured to himself.

His hands were steady as he poured the last ingredient into the vial.

With the addition of the final ingredient, a magical reaction occurred, transforming the cloudy liquid in the bottle into a clear, translucent liquid, then into a beautiful pale blue color.

"Brewing beginner potions is no challenge with my current mental strength," Sorinus observed.

Before him were two vials of successfully brewed beginner mental potions.

He had attempted three times in succession, all successful. If Brinjoff or Valensha were to see this, their jaws would drop in amazement.

"Now, let's try brewing intermediate potions."

Sorinus didn't take out the remaining two portions of beginner materials but instead retrieved the intermediate magical materials.

"Intermediate fire gem powder, bloodthirst vine leaves... and this one..."

Sorinus lifted a transparent vial containing a murky gray liquid.

"Dragon saliva!"

There were five portions of materials in total, but only one portion of dragon saliva... It seemed insufficient.

But Sorinus had a plan in mind.

"The potion-making book mentions that dragon saliva is used in brewing intermediate potions because it contains diluted dragon blood. As long as it's saliva from a dragon descendant, it can serve as a substitute. The stronger the bloodline, the better the effect..."

Sorinus contemplated, "In that case, Ilya's saliva should suffice... She's a purebred fire dragon, so her saliva should produce even better results!"

Clearly, Sorinus had already planned this.

"Come out, Ilya."

A red light suddenly illuminated the dim basement.

Ilya, a fourth-tier fire dragon, appeared before Sorinus.

Her size had become quite large, with a body length of nearly ten meters and a height of about five to six meters. The small basement could barely accommodate her, and she had to crouch down.

"Yiya... Yiya..."

Ilya whimpered like a large dog, feeling uncomfortable in the cramped space.

Sorinus gently patted her hot forehead to soothe her. "Hang in there, girl. I'm here to ask for your help..."

Sorinus picked up a crystal test tube and instructed Ilya, "Open your mouth."

Ilya obediently opened her mouth wide, revealing razor-sharp teeth and a throat like a black hole.

Fortunately, Ilya had been chewing on dragon scale fruits and hadn't eaten much meat, so her breath wasn't foul.

But the scorching breath nearly singed Sorinus's face, making him smell the scent of his own singed hair.

Sorinus tapped Ilya's lower jaw and chided with a laugh, "Stop panting, and hold it in."

"Ugh, ugh..."

Ilya grumbled twice, her eyes full of grievances.

Her breath weakened considerably.

Sorinus inserted the crystal test tube between Ilya's teeth, and transparent saliva slowly dripped into it, quickly filling the vial.

"Not bad, very clean!"

Sorinus examined the crystal test tube, nodding in satisfaction.

Ilya's saliva was as clear as water, thick as glue, and still scorching hot.

"The next steps are similar to brewing beginner potions."

Sorinus deftly handled various magical materials.

Brewing intermediate potions was similar to brewing beginner potions, but with more materials and slightly more complexity.

The real challenge remained in controlling the mental power.

Half an hour later.

"Almost there..."

Sorinus sighed regretfully.

He had come close to success, but made a small mistake.

One more try!

"Open up, Ilya!"

Ilya vigorously shook her head.

No, no, I'm a proud dragon. Opening my mouth once is already humiliating enough; I absolutely won't do it a second time.

"Good girl, I'm just trying to make money to build you a bigger house. Imagine a beautiful active volcano. Don't you want to roll around in the lava crater?"

Sorinus felt like a strange uncle deceiving a little girl with a lollipop.

Unfortunately, the target was a dragon...