CH54

The Stone Giant's heart is an essential potion ingredient for second-class apprentices aiming to advance to third-class. It's generally not available for purchase.

To maintain its activity, the heart must be soaked in a potion, preserving its potency for two months.

Second-class apprentices must consume the potion within two months to attempt their advancement to third-class.

Therefore, they usually seek out Stone Giants only when they're ready to advance, completing the process of hunting, potion-making, and advancement in one go.

Handling the Stone Giant's heart was a case study in the "Introduction to Potionology" course. Helag had practiced this several times with models during lab sessions and was very familiar with the process.

He was the only apprentice in his batch to successfully complete the Stone Giant heart experiment; the others failed.

"A first-class apprentice, capable of handling a Stone Giant's heart, do I need to participate in the battle?" Helag messaged the task issuer.

The task issuer, named Bessie, appeared to be a woman.

"A first-class apprentice? Are you sure you can handle the Stone Giant's heart?" Bessie asked.

"I've taken Mr. Larry's potionology course and am very familiar with handling the Stone Giant's heart," Helag replied.

"Hmm… come to the Lion's Café in town. Let's discuss this in person," Bessie decided to meet him.

The Lion's Café, located in the town center, was a popular spot for wizards to talk, exchange ideas, or relax.

As Helag approached the café, he smelled the aroma of coffee in the air.

Upon entering, he immediately recognized the tall woman who had bought three bottles of Dittany Healing Potion from him.

"Helag?" Bessie asked.

Helag smiled. "What a coincidence."

Bessie was also surprised and smiled. "I didn't expect it to be you. If those Dittany Healing Potions were really made by you, I have no doubts about your potion-making skills."

Helag laughed. "I wouldn't dare lie about such things. Outside Moonlight Woodland, I'm just a weak first-class apprentice. I can't afford to lie."

His meaning was clear: outside Moonlight Woodland, he wasn't protected. If he lied, they could easily deal with him.

"Don't worry, I'm not the kind of person who breaks the rules. Otherwise, who would dare cooperate with me in the future? Have a seat; the others will be here soon," Bessie explained.

Helag nodded and sat down. Taking this task was risky, as he would have to rely on his wits outside Moonlight Woodland.

"But there's no such thing as a risk-free task. Even picking mushrooms can lead to trouble," Helag sighed inwardly.

As they sat, they casually discussed potionology.

Helag was well-versed in the subject, thanks to Deep Blue's extensive database. He could answer all of Bessie's questions and even expand on many topics.

"Mr. Helag, you're quite knowledgeable!" Bessie was genuinely surprised by Helag's extensive knowledge, especially for a first-class apprentice.

Soon, the other two people Bessie had invited arrived.

One was Locke Dean, a third-class apprentice with thick glasses, who scrutinized Helag upon entering.

The other was Emma Marcy, a freckled woman who seemed close to Bessie. They hugged upon meeting.

After brief introductions, Bessie said, "Everyone's here. Let's discuss the plan. We'll depart in two days. I'll prepare everything needed. Helag will handle the Stone Giant's heart and won't participate in the battle."

After Bessie finished, Locke spoke up, "I have a question. Why bring a first-class apprentice to handle the Stone Giant's heart?"

"Although Helag is only a first-class apprentice, his expertise in potionology is high. I trust him," Bessie explained.

Locke sipped his coffee. "If you think it's fine, then so be it."

Locke was hired to kill the Stone Giant. Whether the heart was handled correctly wasn't his concern.

Typically, it took a third-class apprentice to handle a Stone Giant. Bessie had hired two third-class apprentices, making success highly likely.

Helag was too weak to participate in the battle, avoiding the risk of injury or death.

If Helag were injured or killed in the battle, Bessie and the others would have to handle the heart themselves, and they weren't skilled in potionology.

Potionology required significant financial resources, and most apprentices lacked the experience without sufficient accumulation.

After finalizing the details, they left the café. Helag returned home to prepare the potion needed to soak the Stone Giant's heart.

"Frober Caterpillar mucus, Horklump juice, Lionfish spines…"

Helag gathered the necessary ingredients and began brewing the potion, known as the Broad-Spectrum Elixir.

He placed the Frober Caterpillar mucus in a beaker, then ignited the Lionfish spines and added them to the beaker, channeling magic while chanting a few syllables.

Thick white smoke rose from the beaker, filling the room.

Wearing protective goggles, Helag ignored the smoke, focusing on the beaker.

[Reaction completion countdown: 9 seconds] Deep Blue provided the timing.

When the time was up, Helag immediately added some pink powder, ground from the fruit of a plant called Jiexiao.

Two hours later.

"Done."

Helag had a round-bellied crystal bottle filled with purple liquid, occasionally bubbling.

He sealed the bottle with an oak cork, completing the Broad-Spectrum Elixir.

At night, the sixth star in Helag's mind had taken shape. He estimated he could complete the meditation and advance to a second-class apprentice within two months.

"Fortunately, the materials for the Dawn Potion can be bought in the Woodland, so I don't have to take huge risks hunting for them."

Helag was already preparing the materials for the Dawn Potion, only lacking the expensive Demon Flower root. Completing this task would provide enough for one set of Dawn Potion materials.

***

Two days later, Helag and the others met at the northern forest station.

Their route wasn't towards Moonlight Forest but eastward.

Upon arrival, Helag noticed the station's atmosphere was different. A formal wizard and several third-class apprentices were stationed there, enhancing security.

"Is it because of that day…" Helag thought of Luen, killed by Shivara.