Can't see the king?
Vesemir and Allen exchanged puzzled glances as they watched Terek approach.
What's going on?
Has your king died too?
However, Allen noticed that, although Terek's expression didn't look great, it wasn't filled with grief or anger. It didn't seem like the king had died. So, Allen held back from asking this rather impolite question, staring at Terek expressionlessly, waiting for more information.
After hesitating for a few seconds and noticing that Mary had also walked over, Terek gritted his teeth and whispered:
"Don't tell anyone…"
So secretive?
The three of them exchanged glances and nodded. Only then did Terek continue: "Originally, His Majesty Oliver intended to use his poor health as an excuse to refuse your audience."
"But in truth, it's because of the Dark Sun Curse…"
"His Majesty is somewhat apprehensive about this curse, and since that day the glutton of Kaedwen also died…"
Understood.
He's afraid we'll bring bad luck. However, besides Vesemir, who was preparing his arguments against the war, neither Allen nor Mary was particularly eager to meet the king in the first place.
What they really cared about was the bounty for the Archgriffin and whether that massive head could fetch a good price. At least in that regard, the King of Aedirn was rather decent.
"This is a deposit slip from the Vivaldi Bank, containing 2,000 orens," Terek pulled out a leather slip and handed it to Vesemir. "This is His Majesty Oliver's way of thanking you for helping us deal with the Archgriffin."
"As for the Archgriffin's head…"
"His Majesty didn't express any desire to purchase it, probably for reasons related to the Dark Sun Curse…"
"But wasn't the creature hunted in your kingdom of Aedirn?" Mary said, slightly disgruntled.
Terek gave a conciliatory smile and replied: "His Majesty Oliver has never been fond of bloody things."
"Of course…"
"It could also be because you all hail from Ban Ard."
Terek paused, then continued: "However, I'm quite interested in it myself. Would you consider selling the Archgriffin's head to me?"
"Oh, and how much would you offer?" Vesemir asked with great interest.
Without hesitation, Terek raised four fingers.
"Four thousand. I'm willing to pay 4,000 orens!"
Vesemir, who had been about to negotiate the price higher, was suddenly taken aback and gave Terek a meaningful look. The head of the Archgriffin, even of the highest quality, would at most be worth a little over 3,000 orens. As the deputy leader of the royal knight order, Terek surely knew that.
And besides...
Vesemir glanced at Mary. From the moment they had entered, Terek's gaze had been drifting toward Mary. He had even quietly shared the secret of the king's attitude…
"Spit it out. What do you really want?" Vesemir asked bluntly, not wanting to guess. "The Archgriffin's head is far from being worth 4,000."
Terek, realizing his intentions had been seen through, wasn't embarrassed. After a couple of hearty laughs, he said: "As expected from Master Vesemir, nothing gets past you…"
Then, smiling, he turned to Mary with a flattering tone: "Lady Margarita, might I ask you to request a potion from Lady Vera on my behalf?"
Mary was not at all surprised. She seemed to have encountered many such requests. She proudly glanced at Allen, thinking: "So what if Lady Vera values you and cares about you?"
"Out here, I'm still her spokesperson! No one can take that from me!"
Recalling how Terek had arranged things so thoughtfully with the inn and the king's little secret, she asked softly: "What kind of potion are you after?"
It's working!
Terek's eyes lit up, and he immediately replied: "Verdant Sigh!"
"I'm willing to pay 20,000 orens for a bottle…"
Like the head of the Archgriffin, 20,000 orens far exceeded the actual value of the potion "Verdant Sigh." The current market price was around 15,000 orens. But the key was that it was priceless!
Each year, Lady Vera sold less than ten bottles of "Verdant Sigh," most of which were snapped up by kings, dukes, and other high-ranking nobles.
And besides…
Since Lady Vera was a hero written into history, no noble dared to use power or influence to threaten her. Families like Terek's wouldn't even get a glimpse of an empty bottle.
When Mary heard Terek's request, her body froze, and the arrogant look faded.
She didn't have "Verdant Sigh" at the moment, but someone else did!
Someone who had even treated this rare potion like water before…
Thinking of this, Mary's face flushed red with a mix of embarrassment and jealousy.
"Ahem~" Vesemir, noticing Mary's awkwardness, cleared his throat and asked, "You're still quite young. Isn't it a bit early to be thinking about life extension?"
"It's not for me…" Terek smiled bitterly and shook his head. "It's for my father."
"When Aedirn was in decline, he often led troops into battle and was left with numerous internal injuries."
"Now his bones and marrow ache everywhere, and he's in constant pain…"
"I've heard that the potion 'Verdant Sigh' can treat such injuries, but I haven't been able to find a way to get it…"
Terek looked respectfully at Mary, sincerely pleading: "Please, Lady Margarita."
"If you could help me acquire this potion, the Quennn family would forever be in your debt…"
Being stared at like this made Mary feel so embarrassed that she wanted to dig a magic tower out of the ground with her toes. But since she didn't know Allen's attitude yet, she wasn't sure whether to refuse or agree.
"Clink-clink~"
The sound of bottles clashing drew everyone's attention.
Allen had taken a green potion out of his potion pouch and said: "This is Verdant Sigh."
Terek froze for a moment upon seeing this, glancing over at Mary, who had suddenly lowered her head.
Shouldn't the one taking out "Verdant Sigh" be Lady Vera's apprentice?
Why is it a witcher?
He looked at Allen's potion with suspicion.
Is this really "Verdant Sigh"?
Vesemir sighed at the scene and explained: "Allen also studied alchemy with Lady Vera for quite some time…"
Terek gave the young witcher a surprised look, then turned to Mary. With no other choice, the young sorceress nodded and, in a voice as soft as a mosquito, said: "This potion is indeed Verdant Sigh!"
Finally realizing the situation, Terek was so excited that he reached out to grab the potion, only for Vesemir to stop him.
"My apologies!"
Terek slapped his forehead and quickly pulled out two more slips from his pocket. It seemed he had been prepared all along.
"These are also deposit slips from the Vivaldi Bank—one for 4,000, and one for 20,000…"
Only then did Vesemir lower his arm.
After receiving the potion, Terek examined it carefully, comparing it with the information he had gathered. Then, whether or not he had truly verified it, he nodded confidently.
"It's definitely Verdant Sigh!"
Of course, there's no mistake!
Vesemir thought to himself. He had personally watched the red fox deliver the potion to Allen on Lady Vera's behalf. Even now, Vesemir still owed Lady Vera a large debt.
Watching Allen handle three high-value deposit slips, Vesemir felt a twinge of envy and sighed inwardly. Then, he added: "This Verdant Sigh was a gift from Lady Vera to Allen for his protection before coming down the mountain."
"If it wasn't for the fact that you were buying potions for your father, there's no way I would've sold them to you!"
Vesemir knew that Allen wasn't just buying the potions for the money. Moreover, the premium he paid couldn't fully repay the favor. Hearing this, Terek's smile disappeared. He looked seriously at Allen and promised: "Master Allen, the Quennn family will forever remember your kindness!"
As he spoke, he took out a steel badge shaped like a shield from his pocket.
"This is the family crest of the Quenn family, and it symbolizes the friendship between us. Please accept it."
Allen took the heavy badge and glanced at it. The shield-shaped badge had a sword wrapped in an iris flower engraved on it. Seeing Allen accept the badge, Terek smiled warmly, carefully stored away the potion, and looked eager to bid farewell.
"Oh, right..."
Just as Terek was about to close the door, he suddenly remembered something and turned back, looking at Allen with a serious expression: "I should have kept you here in Vengerberg for a few more days to show proper hospitality..."
"But as a friend, if you have no urgent business here, I suggest you leave Vengerberg as soon as possible!"
Perhaps afraid they wouldn't believe him, Terek gritted his teeth and whispered: "War is coming!"
--------------------
"Bang!"
The door closed.
Vesemir glanced outside the window. The moon was hanging high in the sky. It was late at night.
"Let's get some rest," Vesemir sighed. "We'll leave Vengerberg tomorrow!"
They had originally planned to stay for a few more days. But when the vice-captain of the Aedirn royal knights advised them to leave, it was clear staying wouldn't end well. A witcher who knows when to listen lives longer.
Allen nodded and said, "You all go ahead and rest. I'll finish brewing this potion and then sleep."
Vesemir nodded.
He then led the little creature, who was yawning and couldn't keep his eyes open, along with his younger brother, Clay, back to their room. Though Clay was Allen's child of destiny, and the little creature was something Allen had bought, Vesemir had always been the one taking care of the two kids.
"Bang~"
The room door closed.
"You should get some rest too." Allen noticed Mary hadn't gone back to her room and was looking at him eagerly.
"This potion requires a special ingredient, and since you've learned it now, there aren't any spare materials for you to practice with."
What kind of material was so special?
Mary was curious, so she stayed and didn't leave.
Seeing the young sorceress was full of interest and had no intention of going to bed, Allen had no choice but to let her watch while he continued brewing the Water Hag's decoction. It wasn't that Allen didn't want Mary to see the brewing process of the decoction.
But sufficient sleep was critical for a sorcerer.
The chaotic elements were volatile forces, and without a good mental state, not only would the success rate of casting spells drastically drop, but it could even severely harm the sorcerer's body.
Moreover...
Though sorcerers also meditated, their meditation was completely different from that of witchers. Their meditation was a way to train their mental strength, not a substitute for sleep. But since Mary was insistent, Allen had no choice but to quickly finish the potion.
Though it was his first time making a decoction, the requirements for brewing Water Hag's decoction were only Alchemy Level 3. With Allen's current Alchemy Level 4 skills, it was more than enough.
Besides,
When it came to handling materials, decoctions were very similar to blade oils. Both involved using magic to activate the magic nodes within plant materials and then placing them into the cauldron.
Once he started the actual brewing process, Allen focused entirely on it, paying no more attention to Mary. He set up the pot, lit the fire, and poured in some dwarven spirits...
The magic nodes in the berber stem fruit activated under the stimulation of chaotic magic and high heat, dissolving into the dwarven spirits.
"Glug glug~"
The temperature rose.
Orange bubbles emerged from the cauldron.
After half an hour, it finally condensed into an orange-colored, fist-sized, jelly-like substance.
"Is it done?" Mary looked at the curious jelly inside the cauldron.
Though it was strange to see dwarven spirits and berbercane fruit turn into something like this...
There didn't seem to be anything particularly special about the brewing method or the materials!
"Not yet," Allen shook his head. "The hardest part comes next..."
He kept an eye on the fire under the cauldron while pulling out a crystal vial from his reagent pouch.
Mary, looking at the contents of the crystal vial, asked curiously: "What's that?"
Inside the crystal vial was an ellipsoid red gel encasing a green gel, and it was gently expanding and contracting, almost as if it were alive and breathing. It gave Mary a slight sense of unease, and she instinctively backed away. After hesitating for a couple of seconds, Allen replied:
"The Water Hag's mutagenic agent..."
"Mutagenic agent?" Mary frowned. "What's a mutagenic agent?"
As Allen poured the Water Hag's mutagenic agent into the cauldron, he explained:
"As the name suggests, it's a substance that induces mutations..."
"Only a very small number of magical creatures can produce this material."
Mary had never heard of this kind of material, either from books or from Lady Vera. But seeing Allen fully absorbed in the potion brewing, she didn't ask further and continued observing closely.
"Buzz buzz~"
The wolf medallion vibrated softly.
Under Allen's precise magic control, the red and green Water Hag's mutagenic agent opened up slightly. Then, like it was eating, it began to slowly absorb the orange jelly in the cauldron into its green core.
The technique of stimulating the mutagenic agent with magic was incredibly difficult. The magic had to be strong enough to stimulate it but not so strong that it damaged the mutagenic agent's vitality. If it was too weak, the two substances wouldn't fuse properly.
Before long,
A thin layer of sweat appeared on Allen's forehead.
But soon after,
The Water Hag's mutagenic agent had fully absorbed the orange jelly and turned completely blood-red and translucent. The strangest thing was that despite swallowing something the size of an adult fist, the mutagenic agent hadn't grown larger.
It still fit in the 50ml crystal vial.
Allen breathed a sigh of relief and bottled the jelly.
"Thump thump~"
A faint knocking sound came from the crystal. At that moment, Mary was certain. This blood-red substance was actually alive!!!
Her inquisitive gaze made Allen feel a lot of pressure. Especially since it was late, and he hadn't yet fully crafted (or made up) a story explaining how he had come across the mutagenic agent.
So,
Before Mary could speak, Allen pretended to be exhausted and quickly said: "It's late. Let's get some sleep."
"If you have any questions, we can talk about them in the morning..."
Seeing Allen so worn out, Mary had no choice but to nod in agreement.
-----------
"Squeak~"
The door closed gently.
Back in his room, Allen immediately perked up.
He eagerly activated his Witcher's Journal.
[Ding! Would you like to use 1 Archgriffin Heart Essence?]
"Archgriffin!"
"Let's see what your heart is truly capable of!"
....…
📢20 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: p@treon.com/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
236. Set a Small Goal First!
237. The Iron Knight Flying in the Sky and the Ominous Skeleton Soldiers.
238. The Wild Hunt and the Ants.
239. Is There Really Nothing We Can Do?
240. The Wild Hunt's Idea.