Chapter 61: Ch 61: Planting Seeds
He eyed Raidan’s simple, unbranded clothing with obvious distaste.
"Those are our master-crafted regenerative draughts. They are brewed using only the finest imported ingredients."
"How much for one of these?" Raidan asked, carefully masking the disbelief in his voice.
"For a standard vial? 75 gold coins. It is a generous bargain considering the unparalleled purity of Master Garrick’s personal work."
Raidan was genuinely shocked. 75 gold coins for a potion that contained a fraction of the potency of Naida’s worst mistakes? He stared at the murky liquid, his enhanced senses easily detecting that the healing properties were severely diluted. The potions were heavily mixed with cheap filler liquids just to maximize profit.
These supposedly elite Central District masters were not brewing high-tier medicine at all. They were running a massive, heavily monopolized scam on the wealthy nobility, relying entirely on fancy packaging and their aristocratic connections to sell garbage.
Raidan had walked out here expecting to find fierce competition. He had genuinely expected to see legendary alchemists who would force Naida to push her brewing skills to the absolute limit.
Instead, a slow, predatory grin spread across his face.
"This is going to be a lot of fun."
After saying this, he left the shop, earning another disdainful scoff from the clerk.
Raidan then changed his appearance to that of Scholar Verde.
The next thing he did was find some players to assign quests to.
Stepping into a secluded alleyway tucked between two towering stone buildings, Raidan quickly checked his surroundings.
Confirming he was entirely alone, he activated his faceless mask.
His physical features changed rapidly. The rugged, unassuming demeanor of a common warrior melted away, replaced by the tall, dignified posture of Scholar Verde.
His simple clothes morphed into elegant, flowing robes of deep forest green and silver, embroidered with intricate, glowing runic patterns along the cuffs. He adjusted his features to look slightly older, adding a neat, silver-streaked beard and eyes that held the profound, weary wisdom of an ancient master.
To complete the transformation, Raidan deliberately released a fraction of his mana. He shaped the aura to smell faintly of crushed pine, and rare exotic herbs.
Stepping back out into the bustling streets, Scholar Verde made his way toward the district’s Mercenary Square. This open courtyard was a known gathering spot for Earth’s "players," the Verdians who had recently arrived in this world and were desperately hungry for experience points and hidden scenarios.
He spotted his targets near a stone fountain: a party of five players wearing a mismatched assortment of mid-tier leather armor and iron weapons. They were huddled together, animatedly whispering to one another while pointing at various passing merchants, clearly searching for any interactive NPCs to trigger a quest line.
Scholar Verde adjusted his robes, adopting an expression of mild disappointment, and walked purposefully past their group. As he drew near, he let his heavy, refined aura brush directly against them.
The effect was instantaneous. All five players froze mid-sentence. The party’s scout, a young woman gripping a pair of iron daggers, instinctively used her Inspect skill on him.
Raidan felt the weak ping of her system trying to read his data, and he effortlessly blocked it, sending back a wall of terrifying question marks.
The scout gasped, her eyes widening as she stumbled back. "Guys... I cannot read his level. The system just gave me a high-danger warning. His title just says ’???’!"
The party leader, a tall man carrying a heavy broadsword, immediately straightened up and approached Verde with incredible respect.
"Greetings, esteemed elder. Is there... is there something troubling you today? My companions and I are seasoned travelers, eager to offer our assistance to a master such as yourself."
Scholar Verde paused his steps. He turned his head slowly, letting his piercing gaze sweep over the five players. He remained silent for a long, agonizing moment, letting the dramatic tension build until the players were practically holding their breath.
"Travelers," Verde finally spoke, "I suppose you possess capable hands, even if your foundation is somewhat lacking. Tell me, have you witnessed the absolute tragic state of alchemy in this so-called Central District?"
The players exchanged confused but excited glances. This was definitely a hidden quest trigger.
"We have, elder!" the leader lied smoothly, nodding his head enthusiastically. "The quality here is entirely unacceptable!"
"Indeed. It is a complete disgrace. Some charlatans peddling muddy water to fools with too much gold. True alchemy requires unyielding purity. It requires ingredients bathed in raw, untamed mana. I am preparing to supply a new establishment—Tomorrow’s Apothecary—that will completely redefine the meaning of medicine in this city.
However, my current research prevents me from leaving the inner walls to forage.
Verde raised his hand, channeling a tiny spark of green light into his fingertips to make the interaction look as magical and official as possible. He tapped into his system interface, rapidly drafting a series of tasks, and sent them directly to the five eager players.
[ Hidden Quest Triggered: The Master’s Standard (A) ]
Scholar Verde, a mysterious and incredibly powerful alchemist, is disgusted by the local market. He requires pure, untainted ingredients from dangerous territories to supply Tomorrow’s Apothecary. Prove your worth by gathering these rare materials.
[ Objectives: ]
Gather 30 stalks of Moonlit Silvergrass from the Howling Ravine.
Harvest 5 intact Venom Glands from the Shadow-Weaver Spiders in the Darkwood.
Procure 10 pristine cores from Mud Golems in the Sunken Marsh.
[Time Limit:] 48 hours.
[Difficulty:] Extremely Hard.
[ Rewards: ]
- 45,000 EXP per person.
- Basic Book Of Alchemy.
- Increased Affinity with Scholar Verde.
[Penalty for failure:] Be Paralyzed on bed for 24 hours.
The players stared at the floating blue screens, their jaws practically hitting the cobblestone floor. Forty-five thousand experience points was an massive payout for their current levels, not to mention the promise of exclusive access to a high-tier shop.
"We accept!" the party leader shouted, bowing deeply at the waist.
The other four players immediately followed suit, bowing frantically.
"We will not fail you, Master Verde! We will depart for the Darkwood immediately!"
"See that you do. Return to this exact plaza tomorrow at dusk. Do not bring me bruised herbs or ruptured glands. I only accept perfection."
With a final, dramatic sweep of his embroidered robes, Scholar Verde turned and walked away, disappearing smoothly into the thick crowd of the market.
Once he was safely out of sight, Raidan dropped the disguise and slipped back into his normal clothes.
By tomorrow evening, Naida would have a massive stockpile of incredibly rare, highly dangerous monster materials to experiment with, and it hadn’t cost him a single copper coin.
And he would also get a massive return.
He could barely contain his excitement.
---
Over the next two days, Tomorrow’s Apothecary saw a moderate but steady stream of customers. The new signboard and the rumors of Naida’s miraculous healing hands had finally begun to draw in the curious. While they weren’t exactly overflowing with wealthy nobles yet, Naida was happily kept busy diagnosing minor ailments and selling off her stock of perfectly brewed, crystal-clear health potions.
Raidan helped out around the shop where he could, moving heavy crates and managing the gold, but his mind was completely preoccupied elsewhere.
The progress of those 5 player.
Three of the players were sitting agonizingly close to the finish line, completely stalled at exactly 99% completion. The other two were lagging far behind, stuck at a mere 38% after clearly struggling with the difficulty of the hunting grounds.
Raidan knew exactly what that 99% meant. They had finished all the physical labor and gathered the required items; they were simply waiting for the final rewards.
When the midday bell chimed through the Central District, Raidan told Naida he was stepping out to secure some lunch.
He slipped out the front door, smoothly blending into the crowd before ducking into a secluded empty alleyway.
With the faceless mask, his appearance changed again.
He magically became Scholar Verde again.
Fixing his nonexistent glasses, he walked purposefully toward the designated meeting spot in Apothecary Square.
Just as he expected, the three overachieving players were already there.
Their armor was damaged, and they looked very exhausted, but they had a loy dirt-smudged sack of materials around them.
As soon as they spotted the green-robed master approaching, they immediately stood at attention, bowing with extreme reverence.
"Master Verde! We have returned from the wilderness. It was incredibly difficult, but we have brought exactly what you asked for."
"Is that so?"
Scholar Verde replied, them stepped forward and briefly glanced into the open sack. He could feel the dense, raw mana radiating from the pristine monster cores and freshly harvested herbs inside. It was a perfect harvest.
"You have proven to be quite capable. However, gathering the ingredients is merely the first step on the true path."
The three players held their breath, completely enraptured by the hidden scenario.
Verde reached deep into his sweeping sleeves. He channeled a tiny fraction of his mana to create a faint, dramatic glow as he pulled out a thick, leather-bound book.
It was a Book of Basic Alchemy, a relatively common instructional text he had taken from Naida earlier that morning, but his mysterious aura made it look like a legendary artifact.
"Your foundation is raw, but your dedication is praiseworthy. Take this. Study it well. True understanding of these materials begins with the fundamentals."
He handed the book to the party leader.
The very second the leader’s fingers brushed against the leather cover, a series of bright blue system screens erupted in both of their visions.
[ Hidden Quest Complete: The Master’s Standard ]
[ Completion Rate: 100% ]
[ Rewards Received: 15,000 Exp + Book of Basic Alchemy ]
And now it was time for Neo to count his return.