Chapter 43 The Potion of Nutrients

　　Dirth didn't care about Mosido's sentiment in front of him.

　　As a magician, Dirth maintained his pride as a member of the magical community and his contempt for knights.

　　Those were just a group of guys who only knew how to use brute force.

　　How could they understand the depth of magic and the grandeur of elemental power?

　　Although Shadowy Territory didn't have any knights, Dirth knew that the number of knights in the Surface or even the entire Wizarding World far exceeded that of magicians at the same level.

　　The reason for this situation was partly because the threshold for becoming a knight was indeed lower than that of a magician, and partly because of the wider recruitment scope for knight's squires, as Mosido mentioned earlier.

　　In this world, nobles were ultimately fewer, and commoners made up the majority of the population.

　　Although knights, who possessed powerful combat energy and physical strength, would eventually go down the noble path, at least it provided a way for the billions of ordinary people in the Wizarding World to become nobles, rather than remain commoners for generations.

　　Of course, the large number of knights and their low threshold also created another fact.

　　That is, at the same level, magicians often have a higher status than knights.

　　And with sufficient Magic Shield defense in advance, magicians' performances are also far superior to knights.

　　The power of magic elements, whether it is the striking distance or the striking range, is stronger than the combat energy possessed by knights.

　　In addition, knights, who only know how to fight with brute force without any production skills, also rely heavily on magicians in the fields of alchemy equipment and magic potions.

　　For example, even the most basic and simple energy-gathering magic circle that can speed up the practice process would confuse knights who are strong but not smart.

　　They have no choice but to seek help from magicians who have extensive knowledge and elemental power.

　　It is precisely because of these reasons that although the major Holy Towers and Knights' Halls have repeatedly claimed that the status of knights and magicians is equal, in reality, magicians are still more popular and belong to the objects that knights of the same level need to please.

　　Sain and Dirth, two official Dark Magicians, chatted more than usual today about the hostility between Surface Holy Tower and Knights' Hall, as well as the general complaints about the environment in which Dark Magicians find themselves.

　　Inside the laboratory, Mosido was unaware of these conversations.

　　With the help of Senior Brother Zoro, Sain once again began to experiment with Azure Beak Feather claws and their enchantments.

　　…

　　Half a month later, Sain's greatest achievement during this time was three Azure Beak Feather claws with "Sharpery" attached to them.

　　Of course, in addition to this, Sain also learned how to make a "Dark Culinary" Nutrient Potion from his Senior Sister Faye.

　　Sain began calling it "Dark Culinary" after he finally learned what specific ingredients Senior Sister Faye put in it, including some black insects he couldn't name and even a piece of sticky yellow liquid with a particular texture.

　　When Sain asked what it was specifically, Senior Sister Faye calmly replied, "The saliva of the underground multi-legged Packhorse."

　　Sain's unattractive expression at that moment revealed his inner emotions.

　　Senior Sister Faye naturally guessed what Sain was thinking, and for the first time, she scolded Sain, who was usually lively and cheerful.

　　"You don't understand. The interior of Black Scabies' shells is rich in energy and is one of the main ingredients of my Nutrient Potion."

　　"The saliva of the underground multi-legged Packhorse has excellent solubility, and its addition can accelerate the fusion of various materials in the potion and prolong its shelf life," Senior Sister Faye lectured.

　　Senior Sister Faye's lecture immediately straightened Sain up.

　　Indeed, whether it was the creepy black insects or the nauseating Packhorse saliva, they were only superficial.

　　As a Magician, Sain should not be misled by appearances.

　　He should see through appearances and directly identify the essence of things.

　　Just like when dealing with specimens, what appeared before Sain was no longer a corpse, but a treasure trove of knowledge related to life and blood.

　　Only with this attitude could Sain truly become a truth seeker and go further in the future.

　　Senior Sister Faye's lesson had a lasting impact on Sain, even years later when he thought back on it, he still felt that her words were a sage advice for Wizarding World practitioners.

　　...

　　"I think the Cane Thorn Herb root can replace Black Scabies' exoskeleton. They have similar properties and high energy levels."

　　"As for the saliva of the Packhorse centipede, I believe the juice from Green Plu or my specially blended Ailan water can be used instead."

　　"Of course, this is just my initial idea. We still need to test it in practice."

　　"My mentor once said that even a slight change in the formula, dosage, or heat can cause significant differences in the final potion." Merry timidly said to Sain inside Bosch's shop.

　　With Sain's mandatory academy task deadline approaching, he came to Bosch's shop today to purchase some low-level materials and coincidentally met Merry there.

　　After chatting about their recent activities, Sain casually mentioned the Nutrient Potion.

　　After all, Merry was a legitimate apprentice in the field of potion making, while Senior Sister Faye was just studying it in her spare time and couldn't compare to Merry's expertise.

　　Sure enough, as they conversed for a few minutes, Sain received a shocking response.

　　Sain stared at Merry in disbelief, making her blush.

　　As Sain was still pondering, Merry took the initiative to offer, "Once I finish assisting my professor with these potion experiments, I can help you improve the formula."

　　Merry's response finally brought Sain back to reality.

　　Sain waved his hand and replied, "No need, no need. The Nutrient Potion is sufficient. Its taste and specific recipe are secondary."

　　"What about you, Merry? You should spend some time practicing. I remember your Mental Power score is only 17 points, right?" Sain asked.

　　Merry had helped Sain a lot, especially when she saved his life with those two potions last time.

　　As a result, Sain had also given back to her in various ways during this period of time.

　　Besides assisting Merry with Fire Elemental knowledge during their free time, Sain also lent her his crystal ball a few times.

　　Merry's initial Mental Power score was as high as 13 points, but after several years, it had only increased by four points.

　　This rate of progress was relatively slow at the Dark Magic Academy.

　　Fortunately, Merry had a strong foundation.

　　Some apprentices were already in their twenties, yet their Mental Power scores were still in the teens, making it almost impossible for them to advance to Intermediate Apprentice.

　　At the age of fifteen, Merry's 17-point Mental Power score was enough to give her a 70% chance of advancing to Intermediate Apprentice.

　　On the other hand, Bosch, who lacked talent and was not very diligent, had a real problem whether he could advance to Intermediate Apprentice before the age of 30.