Departure

"Anyway, let's not talk about this anymore. These ingredients weren't originally cheap, but the prices of raw materials have fallen. Hence, I'll sell them to you for 200 magic crystals. Unfortunately, I can't sell you the stuff at the bottom of the list. I just do not have them in stock." -Woox set his price with a smile.

Leylin nodded and handed over 20 middle-grade magic crystals to him. He anticipated that his partner would not provide everything he wanted.

He then received a huge black sack from Woox, drawing the attention of many onlookers in the vicinity.

Leylin smiled, carried the bundle on his back, and left the Trading Post after a brief exchange with his business partner, which included a clear hint towards the academy's situation that was worsening by the hour.

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Presently, Leylin was making his way to the Quest Hall.

Although it wasn't necessary to register for a mission in order to leave, there was still the hurdle of the academy guardians not letting you in upon returning. This was simply due to the password being a secret given only to those who registered for quests. Leylin would not miss out on the chance to get back to the academy though. Thus, he would naturally follow these regulations.

In spite of his rather average aptitude, his great Potioneering talent had been acknowledged by Kroft, so the academy would not keep him here to die. Kroft had already made sure that an appropriate quest card was issued for Leylin.

Thanks to Harosi's cleansing of the school's surroundings, the Quest Hall managed to regain some of its former bustling activity. However and after a closer inspection, Leylin realized that there was an extremely low number of level 3 acolytes. Naturally, he knew what this was about.

'Look at all of these low-leveled acolytes. Splitting mission rewards and working hard to earn money to exchange for information... Too bad for them, their purpose as cannon fodder is inescapable. May they die as they lived: miserably.' -Leylin would chuckle if not for the fact that he was in public.

[What do you mean cannon fodder, Doctor? I thought the Beastmen and other creatures were the problems everyone worried about. Or do you think that there is an even more acute evil waiting in the shadows?] -Aralis inquired.

'Have you forgotten what I told you? The Beastmen were only the tip of the spear of something much bigger. I'm talking official Magus big. These forsaken meatbags are here to act as the frontliners of the Abyssal Bone Forest Academy. Although a single acolyte would be absolutely helpless against a Magus, they could still cause damage and even kill an official Magus if hundreds or even thousands of them banded together to execute a formation led by an official Magus. That is their role here.'

[I see... However, being in the vicinity of a Magus fight is extremely dangerous. It would already be considered extremely lucky for them to have a 30% survival rate here.]

'Which means that most of these trashes will cease to exist very soon.'

Leylin had a quick look at the missions on the quest board. Most of them had short durations and were also located very close to the academy. It seemed as though the academy had hidden all the other important missions.

When there were few people around, Leylin took the opportunity to quickly head up to the counter.

"What kind of mission did you want, boy?" -The receptionist was a very frail old man, but he looked singularly amiable.

"There should be a quest card with my name on it. I am Leylin Farlier, Professor Kroft's apprentice." -Leylin stated with a friendly attitude.

"Oh yes, I was expecting you... Here." -The old man took a small scroll from under the counter and passed it to Leylin.

The scroll read the following: The objective of this mission is to investigate the wilting vegetation in Extreme Night City. The time margin for the quest's completion is 3 years. The reward in case of critical success is 200 magic crystals.

'That Kroft, he really favors me. This quest is not too hard in essence, but its reward is quite decent. It can't compare to what I make with my alchemy, but still.'

[Luck has smiled on you today, Doctor.]

'Not so fast. Until I complete the mission, who knows what can happen? I doubt that Kroft would fuck me over, but this affair might complicate itself very quickly. It is not rare for someone to withhold information in a quest card to avoid paying extra fees.'

[Paranioc as ever.] -Aralis uttered sardonically.

'Not paranoic; cautious.' -Leylin shrugged her comment off.

"Extreme Night City is located in the Eastwoods Province of Poolfield Kingdom. You will have to travel through almost half the kingdom before you reach it. Do you want to buy a map?" -The old man smiled like a crafty merchant.

"Yes, please." -Although Leylin had a map of his own, it was always good to have another for comparison. Plus, he did not want to raise suspicion. It was only to be expected that someone would buy a map to a place he had not explored before.

After spending two magic crystals, Leylin obtained a brand new map. Not only were the various provinces of the Poolfield Kingdom highlighted on it, but there was also even a red line to mark his journey.

'According to the map, Extreme Night City is on the eastmost side of Poolfield Kingdom, where the border is. It is very far from the academy... Still, the good thing is that this region is near one of the Magi assembly points mentioned in the report Bicky sent me, which would make acquiring information and news convenient. And if I'm fortunate, then the black market I'm looking for is also there.'

[Or perhaps even a legal market. I guess Kroft inadvertently did you more than one favor, Doctor.]

'Which is excellent. The more benefits for me, the better.'

"This is your exit pass. Don't lose it, it's irreplaceable." -The old man handed a red metal card to him.

'It seems like the academy has been very strict in governing any entries and exits lately. No longer is it a basic password system...' -Leylin thought this inwardly, but he did not say anything aloud as he took the metal card.

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After walking out of the Quest Hall, Leylin went to bid farewell to Kroft, Bicky, and his other 'friends'. He had not specified exactly when he would leave though. He did not want to be inconvenienced by prolonged farewells or even sabotage at the hands of one of them.

[How rare of you to say goodbye to people.] -Aralis noted.

'It is all for the sake of keeping face with them. I don't know when I'll return, and maybe when I do, some of them will already be dead. But if not, then it is in my best interests that I stay in good relations with them. They are my tools after all.'

Pushing his room door open and seeing the familiar setup, Leylin suddenly felt glad to be leaving. He abhorred being holed up in one place forever, especially if he did not control everything inside said place. He wanted some adventure, which to him meant some good ol' blood-spilling and looting. Or at least one of those two.

The spell books and ingredients that Leylin bought today were all lying neatly in a corner, filling up two big chests. He then cast a purple light on his hand and touched the chests, creating a simple locking charm on them. In the rare case that someone stole his tomes, he did not really care, as Aralis had a perfect holo replica of each book in her database.

Forthwith, Leylin moved his bed away to reveal some floorboards with very little dust on them.

"Fang Ming." -Leylin gently tapped a black dot on the floor as he pronounced the secret words in Chinese, his mother language from his previous life.

There was a mechanical noise, and the wooden floorboards slowly moved apart to reveal many potions stored in test tubes.

The amount here was at least 10 times more than what he gave to Neela. If Woox ever saw this, his heart might stop from the shock.

Leylin smirked. This was his private potions collection. Even without Aralis' help, his success rate had long since surpassed what could be expected of other grand talents like Merlin. He had sold only a minute fraction of them, but the bulk remained safely stored in his room.

'Aralis, do a recount of my stock.'

[200 strength potions, 150 poison antidotes, 180 hemostasis potions, and an assortment of other potions. Their total value would be at least 3000 magic crystals.]

Leylin looked at these potions. They were his greatest asset and had always been locked away beneath his bed. The spell used to secure them was a little magic trick that all level 2 acolytes knew. Apart from the owner using their Spiritual Force to open it together with a password, any other means of forcing it open would only cause the items locked inside to self-destruct.

'Now, with the chests of spell books and the other ingredients acting as my decoy, I can move these potions out with very little inconvenience. I will also have to draw some runes on the outside for concealment.'

Leylin opened a small box that was covered in runes. Sponges, silk, and other such materials were placed inside to prevent the potions from rolling and being ruined.

After spending hours on end, Leylin finally managed to move all the potions into the box. He then covered the box with some ingredients and placed spell books around it. He could've done it quicker, but he prioritized the care of his product over all else. He did not want to get a single scratch on them.

[Doctor, it's already past six! You have spent an entire day sorting your luggage. If you don't hurry, you will start your travels at night!] -Aralis warned.

After hearing that, Leylin speedily washed up and brought the two big chests outside his room.

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A bunch of hired servants took his luggage to the highest floor of the academy, while he bought 4 fine sturdy black horses and a high-quality carriage from the academy stables.

Leylin took a deep breath as he jumped on the carriage. The servants had also taken care of setting up the carriage with his stuff.

A bit faster than usual, he rode the carriage to an elevator-looking mechanism.

"Take out your exit pass!" -A man's voice sounded. Leylin calmly took out the red metal card that he had received the day before.

The elevator-like mechanism rose slowly and when it finally reached the top, the sound of gears could be heard.

Two black giant stone doors opened, and a beam of resplendent sunlight came shining in. The academy had other exits. The original entry was for people to use as an everyday passage. However, this one was for mounts and carriages to go through.

Cracking his whip, Leylin urged the horses to gallop forward. Only then did Leylin realize that his current position was at the back door, right behind the central graveyard that he had entered from in the beginning, back when Dorotte escorted his group.

'At last, some fresh air! This feeling of freedom... I missed it!' -Leylin thought with a smile drawing itself on his features.