Basic Augmentation Body Potion

"Welcome back, leader and Alex," greeted Village Chief Kellan.

"How is the village?" Devin asked.

"We have increased the paper factory according to your instructions, but Gary mentioned that Mr. Harrington wants us to further increase production," Village Chief Kellan reported.

Devin nodded. "You can increase production by expanding the factory space and adding more workers. It would be best to have workers in three different shifts to accommodate more people. We can have morning, afternoon, and evening/night shifts. This will also create more employment opportunities in the village. However, we must be mindful of income disparity. If it becomes too significant, it may lead to dissent among the villagers."

The village chief sighed, realizing that Devin was right. Many people had been coming to him, complaining about why they or their family members weren't employed.

The village chief went on to provide Devin with a report on the village's income and expenditure. Devin sighed, longing for the day when they could hire a manager to handle such matters.

Afterward, Devin went to see Ethan, who appeared tired. "You need to learn to rest," Devin advised his friend.

"I have energy potions, so no problem. Moreover, talking with Priest Adan has been really helpful. I've been working on creating a basic physical augmentation potion. It would make the user's body as hard as steel. Even an ordinary person or a mortal disciple who uses it would gain a strong body capable of withstanding a blow from a mortal master. The people in the village could use it to strengthen themselves. The good news is that the higher version of the potion can be superimposed," Ethan explained excitedly.

Devin was surprised to hear the name of the potion, as it also existed in his previous life and was quite popular among players and natives. He didn't know who came up with the potion, but it was always in high demand. Perhaps it was Ethan.

Curious, Devin asked, "So, where is the potion?"

Ethan became deflated. "I don't know what went wrong, but it always turns black."

"Why don't you try making the potion? Let me see if I can help," said Devin.

Ethan wasted no time and started making the potion. Devin noticed that the ingredients Ethan brought out were all low-cost, except for the blood of the bloody bear. It wasn't rare, but it wasn't cheap either, just affordable.

Devin inspected all the ingredients and a prescription appeared from the pharmacopeia.

First, Ethan used his spiritual power to warm his cauldron. He added the blood of the bloody bear into the cauldron to heat up, while extracting the essence from the rest of the ingredients. He added the essence to the bubbling blood, one by one, as he released his spiritual power to meld the extract together. Using his weaving technique, he controlled the temperature of the cauldron. Once the extracts melded, the color of the potion began to change. It was meant to be red, but Ethan's turned out black, making it inferior.

Ethan sighed in disappointment. "I don't know what I am doing wrong," he said.

Devin noticed that Ethan had used spiritual power to make this potion, which was different from the soothing potion. A potion of this grade required spiritual power, which fortunately, Ethan had developed.

"Let me give it a try," said Devin, as he brought out his cauldron.

He first used his spiritual power to clean the cauldron before heating it up with a fire rune placed underneath. He poured the blood of the bloody bear, allowing it to boil a little without bubbling, and then added the extracted essence of the ingredients one by one. Using the origin weave technique, he melded the extract. Once all the ingredients had infused, he covered the cauldron with a lid and used his spiritual power to cover the entire cauldron, while continuing to infuse his spiritual power into the potion. Thanks to his spiritual power, he could sense what was happening in the cauldron. He noticed that the potion had turned into a vibrant red, like the color of blood. Quickly, he removed the heat from under the cauldron and waited for it to cool down. He then removed the lid and poured the potion into empty vial bottles. He was able to fill four vials, meaning none of the ingredients had gone to waste.

Ethan became excited when he saw Devin's result. "This is the potion! This is the color described in the prescription."

[Congratulations to player for making Second grade potion. 100 exp gained]

"The thing you were doing wrong was allowing the blood to reach the boiling point where it starts bubbling. Also, covering the cauldron with a lid ensures that no essence escapes or goes to waste. And, most importantly, keep infusing spiritual power into the potion. That's all it takes. Try it again, and you should get the desired result."

Ethan quickly tried the potion again, this time correcting his mistakes, and the result was much better. He didn't achieve a Top grade like Devin, but getting a Mid grade on his first try using the correct method wasn't bad at all.

"How come you always produce at least one Top grade?" asked Ethan curiously.

"It might have something to do with my technique," answered Devin.

Ethan nodded in agreement as he continued to work on the potion. Devin believed that this potion could be one of the attractions of the island and would definitely generate the money they needed. He asked Ethan to calculate the cost of the potion so they could come up with a price for each grade.

Devin continued to make potions alongside Ethan and noticed that the more he used his spiritual power with Origin weave, the more refined his abilities became. He realized that he didn't need a new technique to train his spiritual power; he just needed to use Origin weave to practice.

Devin released his spiritual power and noticed that it could now sense the area around the room. As his sea of consciousness grew, his area of perception expanded as well.

While meditating to regain his depleted energy, Devin noticed that the origin sutra broke through, and he gained another technique. This new technique was called Absolute Domain, which was a growth-type skill. The strength of the spiritual power determined the size and strength of the field it created, allowing the practitioner to stand resolute against any onslaught.

Finally, Devin had a defensive technique to add to his arsenal. He already had an attack and movement technique, so having a defensive ability completed his repertoire.

"Do you think this potion can be produced on a large scale?" asked Devin.

"It's not difficult. It can be produced, although not at the Top-level. We can consistently achieve a maximum of high-grade and a minimum of Mid grade potions depending on the handling of the materials and quality. The problem now is finding pharmacists," said Ethan.

Ethan is right; finding skilled pharmacists who are willing to work and providing them with good incentives will be crucial.

"Well, keep producing as much as you can. You can get money for materials from the village chief, and I will inform him about it. With time, we should be able to attract pharmacists," said Devin.

"It's not hopeless. There will be a convention for pharmacists at Elysium City in three months. I am planning to participate in the competition which offers great rewards and also exchange ideas with other pharmacists. You should come too; it will be enlightening, and we might be able to recruit freelance pharmacists who need support or jobs," suggested Ethan.

[Task release: pharmacist Ethan has informed you of a pharmacist convention taking place at Elysium City player is task to visit and participate in the convention.

Reward is calculated based on the final position of the player. Accept: yes/no]

Even if the system doesn't give a task, Devin was determined to go because he believed he could recruit pharmacists, and there were some unique medicinal properties available in Elysium City that couldn't be found elsewhere.

"No problem, we will go together at that time," assured Devin.

Devin left Ethan to go and look for Alex. He had come up with a way for him to train his spiritual power and wanted to share it with him.

Alex was playing football with the young people of the village, having taught them the sport. The villagers were enjoying themselves and having a great time. "What's up?" asked Alex.

"I came up with a way for you to train your spiritual power. I noticed that the more you release your spiritual power, the more refined it becomes, and it helps your sea of consciousness grow," explained Devin. He described the method of forming his spiritual power into an arrow for his bow, which could also enhance his attack force.

"Let's go and try it out," suggested Alex. However, they soon discovered that it was easier said than done. At the moment, Alex could only materialize one arrow perfectly, but the distance the arrow could reach was limited. With more practice, he should be able to increase his proficiency.