CH48

After registering for the course, Helag spent some time at the Chatter Tavern, which was similar to an online forum from his previous life, where people could post and discuss various topics.

Macken and Sunny's bodies had already been discovered, and there were posts discussing it in the tavern.

Some speculated they were killed by people from Green Cottage, others suggested they had a falling out, and some believed a third party was involved.

However, the post quickly sank into obscurity. The death of two first-class apprentices in Moonlight Woodland was insignificant, barely worth discussing over tea.

Helag took out the Wind Spirit's Ring and infused it with magic to trigger the enchanted spell.

"Deep Blue, check my body stats."

[Helag Merlin: Strength 2.2, Agility 2.0 (+2), Constitution 3.0, Spirit 6.9, Magic 100%]

"An increase of two points in agility, not bad at all," Helag thought, feeling the lightness in his body, as if he could leap into the air.

"Deep Blue, how long does the Blessing of the Wind Spirit last?" This was Helag's first encounter with a blessing spell.

[Estimated duration: approximately thirty minutes,] Deep Blue replied.

Looking at the blessing, Helag had an idea: "Maybe I can gather more blessing spells, have Deep Blue optimize the magic consumption, and then stack all the blessings and shields during battle. The combat power should be considerable. However, blessings are temporary. If only the physical body could…"

***

A week later, Larry's potionology course began.

"Helag, come here for a moment."

As soon as Helag entered the classroom, Larry called him over, gesturing for him to come closer.

Larry picked up a thick book from the lectern, "Introduction to Potionology: This is the textbook I used. You can use it."

"Thank you, Mr. Larry!" Helag took the book and found a seat in the front row.

The classroom had twelve students, mostly first-class apprentices, with three second-class apprentices.

Once everyone had arrived, Larry began the lecture: "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to my potionology course. First, close your 'Introduction to Potionology' books. We won't be covering any of the book's content in the first lesson."

"For the first lesson, we will spend three hours discussing one thing."

He turned and wrote on the blackboard: "Experiment Protocols and Safety Standards."

Turning back, he pointed to the words on the board, "Potionology is fundamentally about these words. Potion properties and formulas can be learned gradually, but protocols and standards must be ingrained in your bones. You must develop good experimental habits."

"There are always wizards who neglect basic requirements, including many official wizards. If something goes wrong in a potion experiment, losing your life is the least of your worries. Many potion experiments can cause large-scale disasters."

"Once, someone saw ordinary people starving to death and decided to research a potion that could make cows grow from the ground. Guess what happened? The moment his potion spilled on the ground, it opened a portal to another realm. All life within a thousand miles of the portal was wiped out. Two wizard organizations fought for thirty years to seal the portal at great cost."

"And this happened because he didn't sterilize the test tube before mixing the potion!"

"He never got the chance to correct his mistake, even though it was just a basic protocol."

A wizard apprentice raised his hand, "Mr. Larry, so could his potion really make cows grow from the ground?"

"Idiot! Of course not!"

"Hahaha!" The classroom erupted in laughter.

Larry clapped his hands, and the room fell silent.

With a flick of his finger, the stack of parchment on the table flew up and landed in front of each apprentice.

"These are 168 experiment protocols. Everyone must memorize them. Start developing good experimental habits from the beginning. I will explain each rule, including why it's done this way, often based on bloody lessons."

Larry held a parchment and began explaining from the first rule.

Three hours passed quickly, just enough time to cover all 168 rules, showing Larry's experience.

[Potion experiment protocols and safety standards recorded,] Deep Blue noted all the content.

"Deep Blue, remind me if I deviate from the protocols during experiments," Helag instructed.

[Task logged.]

Larry tidied up the table and said, "That's all for today. This lesson is the most important. I don't want anyone who has taken my course to get injured or die from potion experiments."

Larry's "Introduction to Potionology" course had five lessons, completed over two weeks.

The first lesson covered experiment protocols and standards, followed by two theory lessons and two practical lessons.

Helag paid close attention in every class, with Deep Blue's assistance ensuring he didn't miss any knowledge points and correcting any mistakes.

"The Dawn Potion's raw materials cost forty magic stones per batch. Even with Deep Blue's assistance, the success rate isn't guaranteed. At least two batches are needed, totaling eighty magic stones."

Helag calculated the magic stones needed to advance to a second-class apprentice and looked at his five magic stones, feeling the weight of poverty. He also owed Larry ten magic stones.

"No wonder so many people are stuck at first-class apprentices. Without a background, gathering the resources for potions takes a long time."

"And this is just from first to second class. Advancing to third class and becoming an official wizard requires even more resources…"

Helag felt overwhelmed by the resource requirements.

"I'll go mushroom hunting in Moonlight Forest tomorrow. It's July, and Sleeping Mushrooms only grow in summer. I need to seize this opportunity to earn more."

Helag calculated that, based on his previous pace, he could earn five to six magic stones a day. A month of continuous mushroom hunting could yield 150 to 180 magic stones, though this was an ideal scenario.

***

The next morning, he returned to the entrance of Moonlight Forest. He didn't have to go far to reach the spot where he had killed Macken, with some traces still visible on the ground.

Few people had visited Moonlight Forest recently due to Macken and Sunny's sudden deaths, making other first-class apprentices wary. Helag took advantage of this to gather Sleeping Mushrooms.

In three days, Helag collected 170 Sleeping Mushrooms.

After another two days, he noticed the mushrooms were becoming scarce, making it difficult to find them in the forest's outskirts.

"Do I need to venture deeper into Moonlight Forest?" Helag pondered.