Roy: "Yes, but I'll need a partial payment upfront. Also, is there anything else you'd like to add?"
Arya: "Tell me."
Roy: "You have potions that restore Magic. Do you have any that restore health points?"
Arya: "Yes. Healing Potion is one."
Roy: "What are its exact effects?"
Arya: "I'm not sure. I haven't brewed it yet. Or you can wait until this afternoon after I've made it."
Roy: "Alright."
Arya: "Then I'll pay you first for ten +50 Magic Potions."
Roy: "[OK]"
After sending that message, Roy immediately began drafting the trade application. He tossed the scattered materials that had filled half his room into the small floating screen, adding them one by one.
Once the transaction was complete and he successfully obtained ten potions, Roy looked up at his friend briefly, then turned his attention to another major client.
Roy: "Ten +50 Magic Potions."
He waited silently after sending the message. Based on the other party's habits, he knew he shouldn't leave just yet.
Natasha: "Send."
Just as expected, the response came quickly.
Arya's potions were currently in extremely high demand.
A single +50 Magic Potion cost 70 base units on the black market. Roy's lips curled into a faint smile as he stared at the extra 700 base units added to his account.
He was already looking forward to the profits he could earn from the rest of Arya's potions that afternoon.
Especially the Healing Potion.
It was something she had never brewed before, and that meant opportunity.
If the effects were good enough, he could easily earn a 100% markup.
Of course, Roy understood his position very clearly. Even if he received the product first, he would never be the one to set the price.
The pricing power belonged to Arya.
He wouldn't cross that line.
He only needed to follow behind her, picking up the leftovers. At this stage, that was more than enough to satisfy him.
Just as his thoughts drifted, the familiar voice of the world will echoed through the air.
[Ding! Congratulations to individual "Arya" from Zone 666, Abandoned Forest, for being the first to upgrade a Shelter to Level 3. You have received one self-selected reward. Please keep up the good work.]
Roy's lips curled upward again.
See? I told you she'd reach Level 3.
He pushed those thoughts aside and returned to his work.
At the same time, in the regional chat channel, messages began flying rapidly.
"I was just about to head out, and Arya pulled off something huge that forced me to sit down and send this message. Everyone, see you tonight. Level 2 Shelters are coming soon."
"Sigh… We're all struggling with Level 2 Shelters, and someone's already at Level 3."
"You really can't compare."
"If you know you can't compare, stop whining and go collect materials!"
"Aren't you whining too?"
"I'm already Level 2. I plan to rest today."
"…Bro, you're a legend."
Because most people were preparing to leave after dawn, the regional channel wasn't very crowded.
After upgrading her Shelter to Level 3, Arya began choosing her reward.
She skipped the first three options without hesitation and went straight to the knowledge category.
The last time she chose Basic Potionology, it helped her tremendously, so this time she firmly decided to pick knowledge that would directly benefit her Alchemy.
More importantly, it meant she would get new books to read, and that made Alchemy feel much less boring.
However, the real problem was how to pick something truly useful from the large list of choices.
Many of the books were loosely related to Alchemy.
For example, "Basic Mineralogy."
Judging from the name, it seemed more related to Mechanology, Forging, or Materials Science. In reality, it was.
But Alchemy also relied heavily on ores and minerals, so studying it wouldn't be a waste at all.
Still, it wasn't particularly helpful at Arya's current stage.
She also had to consider long-term development instead of only immediate benefits.
After thinking long and hard, Arya finally clenched her fists, stomped her foot lightly, and chose the book titled:
Basic Magic Circuit Studies.
This book served as a bridge, connecting her past knowledge with her future development.
Magic circuits are essentially regular lines drawn using one's own magic, connecting different points to make specific functions possible.
They aren't as complicated as Symbolism, but they are far from simple.
The circles and triangles that connected each symbol in Alchemy Arrays were, in fact, magic circuits.
By learning this, Arya could greatly strengthen her ability to draw circles and patterns, which would naturally strengthen her Alchemy Arrays as well.
There was also another crucial reason she chose this book.
The creation of magic dolls in Magic Doll Studies required the use of magic circuits.
Originally, she had planned to choose Magic Doll Studies.
If she could create more magic dolls, wouldn't her Alchemy work become much more convenient?
But the knowledge required for Magic Doll Studies was overwhelmingly vast, far beyond what Arya could realistically grasp at her current level.
In the end, she chose Basic Magic Circuit Studies, which was far more practical and immediately useful for her.
After receiving her reward, Arya immediately threw herself back into work.
Working while reading… what a beautiful experience.
Although she had promised Roy that she would brew Healing Potions, she still had to complete the Slowing Potion she had planned the day before.
Because of this, the Healing Potion could only be brewed later in the stockpot.
After flying back and forth several times and filling a larger water tank next to the bathroom, she finally began brewing.
After all, the novice protection period was about to end. No one knew whether a beast tide or some other disaster would occur afterward.
Novels always described things this way.
So she had to prepare some means of survival as quickly as possible.
At her current level, the "Slowing Potion" was her best choice.
She had no other options, because she only had enough materials to make one pot.
At this point, it was necessary to explain the difference between potions and elixirs.
Although both were brewed in a crucible, there was a fundamental difference between them.
The most basic distinction was that potions were drinkable, or more precisely, could be used directly on oneself.
Elixirs, on the other hand, were thrown at enemies and activated through volatilization or attachment.
This was the simplest way to distinguish potions from elixirs on the Karim Continent.
If one day an enemy throws a bottle at you, do not hesitate.
It is almost certainly an elixir.
As for the remaining one or two rare cases, it would probably be a novice who had just started learning Alchemy and grabbed the wrong bottle.
Of course, the above method was only how outsiders distinguished the two.
For Alchemists, there was an even simpler standard.
For example, the current situation.
After the water in the crucible began to boil, Arya put down the stone stirring rod.
She picked up a bottle labeled "Nutrient X-Ray," removed the lid, and poured 20 yellow objects of similar size into the crucible.
Those yellow, strip-like objects twisted and writhed in the boiling liquid.
They were a type of insect native to the Karim Continent.
Because their bodies were covered with many yellow circular patterns, Alchemists called them Yellow-Ringed Legless Worms.
Of course, following the naming habits of people from Blue Star…
They could also be called earthworms.