Although in the two years in Stormwind City, every time he looked to the west of the city, he could see this tall and mysterious tower standing high. Sometimes, he could also see the purple or pale white magical light emanating from it at night. But this was the first time he had actually stood in front of the steps of the tower.
At the door, a mage was wearing a short robe and a wide-brimmed mage hat that could block the sun. There was a long sword hanging from his waist.
This person was checking the emblems of people coming in and out. He should be the mage guard of the Wizard's Sanctum, a so-called battle mage.
It is said that in the early days of the war, many senior mages were killed because they lacked combat experience against orc warlocks. The power to counter the spellcasters of the Horde was severely weakened.
Dalaran, in conjunction with the magic organizations of various kingdoms, began to learn from the way the Holy Light Church trains paladins. They recruited people with magical aptitude from ordinary soldiers and trained them in a short time to be battle mages who were good at martial combat and assisted by magic.
After the war, these battle mages actually became a new school with considerable combat effectiveness.
However, Jesse was looking forward to a more intimidating detection method, such as an arcane film. All those without emblems or those with fake emblems would be blocked outside.
Showing the ring, he passed smoothly. Going up the spiral staircase that surrounded the giant tower that could reach the top floor, higher and higher. Before long, he passed over the crowns of the green vegetation and dense forests in the mage quarter.
Looking into the distance, all he could see were some purple tiles in the mage quarter and blue tiles outside. The spire of the lofty Cathedral of Light in the center of the city to the east and the layers of residential houses and tall buildings piled up around it. On the other side, to the north, there was Stormwind Keep built on the hillside above the dock and the noble residences that overlooked the sea like a father leading his children around it.
On the walkways distributed like cracks on a white wall, groups of workers, merchants, and carriages carrying goods and building materials traveled between the new city and the old city. The traffic flow extended all the way to the main road outside the city.
Looking further out, beyond the city walls was the endless Elwynn Plain. The great river Nafireti that cut across it and the forest extended all the way to the distant mountains - the Redridge Mountains.
The Eastvale, which used to take half a day to reach, seemed to be within reach.
The view here is completely different from that in the game. Although the directions are roughly the same, this real style and the shock brought by light and shadow are far beyond those color blocks and polygons in the game.
In Lordaeron, Jesse didn't have such a strong feeling. Because the game didn't give him a pre-destroyed Lordaeron, which made him lack the experience of comparison.
But here, the impact of reality and illusion is extremely strong.
Stepping through the doorway, he entered the upper section of the Wizard's Sanctum, which is also where the library is located.
Following the directions of a caretaker in the library, Jesse went down two floors along the spiral staircase in the library and came to the area of alchemy-related books.
Only when he got here did he realize that he had worried too much about the clothing issue.
The apprentices and mages reading books in the library might not care at all about what was happening around them and wouldn't mistake those in ragged clothes as thieves. Maybe only those who have nothing to do and wander around outside like to point fingers at other people's clothing and appearance.
Thinking of this, he calmed down and boldly started looking through relevant books.
Fortunately, his mother was the daughter of a farmer. She received proper education when she was young and thus taught him to read and write. Coupled with his education in his previous life, he also had a good ability to accept new knowledge and could understand the professional books here.
However, to match the complex herbs here with the names in the game, he had to rely on pictures.
"Shadow Protection Potion... Shadow Protection Potion..."
He searched according to various indexes but couldn't find the relevant entry. The search engine he was used to was so convenient. Searching for a keyword directly brought up a lot of relevant and irrelevant things. Now, coming back to use this classical method to find things made him a bit flustered.
After searching for a long time, he found that he had searched in the wrong area. In fact, many things related to shadow magic were in the bookshelf for black magic protection, including many kinds of potions and magic for countering shadow.
In a well-annotated "Laurel's Shadow Protection Techniques," he found a relatively easy-to-implement recipe and manufacturing process for a shadow protection potion.
——"Laurel's Lesser Shadow Protection Potion" was improved by Master Laurel Haggai based on the conventional shadow protection potion. It is suitable for emergencies.
It features simple production, easy acquisition of materials, and a short production time. However, it can still help the user achieve a certain degree of shadow protection and reduce the impact of shadow damage on the user.
Recipe:
Grave Moss, the basic material for shadow protection potions. The fastest way to obtain shadow energy is through this terrifying plant that absorbs necromantic power in cemeteries. It is somewhat toxic.
Kingsblood, an important medium that can transform harmful effects into enhancing effects. Kingsblood can transform the shadow energy of grave moss so that it can absorb shadow damage in reverse.
Evil Claw, the claw of a beast that has attacked and killed humanoids. Generally, take the sharp claw of an older fierce beast near humanoid settlements. It can weaken the potency and shorten the production time.
Clear spring water far away from any magic source.
Production steps:
Set up a crucible without lighting a fire and pour in clear spring water.
Pour grave moss into the water.
Light a fire and bring to a boil.
When the water turns light purple and a fishy smell is detected, start gently stirring for 20 minutes.
As the water gradually turns deep purple, pour a spoonful of dried and ground kingsblood powder into the pot.
Extinguish the fire and wait until the turbid shadow energy becomes translucent and stable.
Light the fire again and bring to a boil.
Add ground evil claw powder. The powder should be as fine as dust. No particles larger than gravel are allowed.
Gently stir for more than 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it cool.
Note: Lead bottles or specially made magic crystal bottles must be used to hold the medicine. Small bottles can be drunk in two installments. The effect lasts for one hour at a time or immediately becomes ineffective after receiving a sufficient degree of shadow damage. In the 10 minutes before the effect is about to fade, the potency will gradually decrease.
Note 2: The finished product should be purplish-red and more transparent than the ordinary formula shadow protection potion. The taste is irritating and slightly sour. At first taste, there will be a dizzy feeling. When the potency begins to fade, feelings of heat on the face and tears are all normal phenomena.
After reading it, Jesse only felt that it was really troublesome. In the game, the conventional shadow protection potion only needs two materials plus a bottle purchased from a merchant to be made directly. But here, there are so many steps.
In fact, he had already seen the production method of the conventional shadow protection potion. It was just like reading the instructions in a medicine box. It was several times more troublesome than this recipe.
In terms of collecting materials, although grave moss grows in most places with dead people, it is absolutely impossible in the cemeteries near Stormwind City. It must have been picked clean by all kinds of herbalists and mages.
And the cemeteries in Stormwind City are also regularly cleaned by special personnel. After all, this medicine is toxic, and the toxicity can even affect innocent grave sweepers who don't find it.
And in order to have room for trial and error, all materials must be prepared in more quantities in case of failure in production and everything has to be done again. So he needs a place where he can find a large amount of grave moss.
Then there is only one ideal collection location left - Duskwood.
When mentioning Duskwood, Jesse felt a chill down his neck.
It was during the period when he first came to Stormwind City. Once, he went with others to a small dock on a tributary of the Nafireti River to help move goods. When they were moving things until evening, they saw a person standing on the other side of Duskwood across the river.
That person stood there the whole time for more than an hour. Until they were about to return to Stormwind City, he still didn't leave. And he remained motionless the whole time. Only sometimes his body would sway a little to maintain balance.
When they came back and asked some guards who patrolled near the Nafireti River frequently, they said that it was a zombie that had run here from South Elwynn along the river. And they were already used to it.
A big explosion in the direction of Stranglethorn Vale a few years ago had a terrible impact on the entire southern part of Elwynn Forest. The huge shadow energy engulfed a large area of forest. Including the two towns of Grand Hamlet and Raven Hill, they were all shrouded in darkness. It even affected an area in Westfall.
Many people in Stormwind City still talk about that incident. Some people who fled from Grand Hamlet and Raven Hill to Stormwind City are more inclined to remain silent. In short, this incident has cast a shadow over the residents of the entire Elwynn region.
Some people think it is the dark energy blown in from Draenor, the hometown of the orcs, brought by the Dark Portal. This guess has some basis. After all, compared to Stormwind City, the direction of Stranglethorn Vale is roughly also the direction of the Dark Portal. And the time is during the massive invasion of the orcs.
The only problem is that when the orcs are on the march, they also try to avoid entering Duskwood as much as possible. If this dark energy comes from their hometown, isn't this a bit contradictory?
The real reason, Jesse knows it clearly. It is the evil shock caused by an ancient magic tower - Karazhan standing in the valley between the large swamp where the Dark Portal is located and Duskwood.
The master of Karazhan, the great mage Medivh in Amy's mouth, was controlled by Sargeras and led the orcs to open the Dark Portal.
After several heroes, Lothar, mage Khadgar, and orc female assassin Garona learned the truth, they planned and succeeded in assassinating Medivh. When Medivh died, the terrifying power in his body suddenly got out of control, causing this explosion incident and completely changing the terrain within nearly a hundred miles around, including Karazhan.
And this is also the main plot of the Warcraft movie.
Since then, South Elwynn, which was once as sunny and warm as North Elwynn, has turned into a terrifying area full of evil thorns and black strange trees. Only two human towns can slightly protect the civilians who once lived there.
And now many people in Stormwind City have called that area Duskwood. Grand Hamlet is called Darktown or Nighttown.
There is a large cemetery near Raven Hill. It is the largest cemetery in the entire Stormwind Kingdom. There are many unnamed soldiers and nobles who died in the gnoll war and the troll war buried there.
If one can enter it, one can definitely find grave moss. But the problem is how to enter and come out alive.
Entering Duskwood, the problem of evil claws can also be solved by the way. Countless beasts there have gnawed on human corpses. There are even many that have gone crazy because they have absorbed too much necromantic energy and frenziedly attack all living things. What could be more evil than this?
As for kingsblood, kingsblood grows in flat places. There are distributions around Lakeshire in Redridge Mountains or in Westfall. There should also be some in Elwynn region. But this kind of grass is relatively rare. One can only hope to encounter it by chance on the way.
Thinking of this, Jesse even felt that it would be better to directly go to the Slaughtered Lamb and endure shadow spells with his body than to venture into Duskwood. It's really hard to say which is more dangerous, taking risks in Duskwood or enduring warlock magic.
The important difference is that the consequences of enduring warlock magic cannot be avoided and are difficult to estimate. While when going out, some risks can be avoided.
He briefly recorded the general travel plan and related materials on a scroll with a borrowed quill. He felt that he needed to ask Gerred's opinion about this matter. After all, he is the professional survival expert in Hinterlands.
However, he would first go to "Alchemist's Requisites" and ask the herbalist in the mage quarter if they accept herbs and how they accept them. Calculate a suitable price roughly and then discuss with Gerred. This way, at least there is a visible benefit, and the dwarf will be more active.
The alchemy shop "Alchemist's Requisites" is very close to the Wizard's Sanctum. Many people think it is just an alchemy room. But for most mages, this is a small shop that integrates a series of tasks such as buying and selling herbs, identification, grinding, and researching the efficacy of medicine.
Most senior mages have their own alchemy laboratories, at least small pharmacies. Their apprentices will also use their teacher's alchemy rooms. So, the main function of this alchemy shop, which was originally intended to be a public alchemy room, is overlooked. Instead, the business related to herbs is getting busier and busier.
As soon as he walked into the alchemy room, he smelled a strong smell of traditional Chinese medicine. The middle-aged blonde lady behind the counter looked back at Jesse who had just entered and said, "A young newcomer to the mage quarter? I am Ruth Lumire, the owner of this shop. If you need to buy herbs, go inside. My daughter will help you. I still have some work to do at the moment."
"I'm not here to buy herbs, madam." Jesse asked, "Do you accept herbs here?"
"Sure." Ruth Lumire asked, "Are you a herbalist?"
"I... yes." Jesse said, "I come from Lordaeron. I haven't known the specific market price here for a long time. But I already have a team that can go out and collect herbs. So I come here to see the purchase price."
"If it's common herbs in the Elwynn area, the general price is 2 silver per pound for Peacebloom, 2 silver and 50 copper per pound for Silverleaf, 1 silver per Earthroot, and 2 silver per Briarthorn."
"Excuse me, is there kingsblood in Elwynn?"
"If you count South Elwynn, there is, but very little and not easy to find. But now herbalists don't go there anymore. They call that place Duskwood. Whoever goes there will have bad luck. Because of this problem, the supply of grave moss has been cut off."
"If I can collect grave moss, how much can you pay?"
"Seven silver per pound. How about it? And for some other rarer herbs, such as Bruiseweed, Liferoot... we can still discuss the price."
After thanking her and walking out of "Alchemist's Requisites," he began to feel conflicted.
Sell the grave moss or use it to make shadow protection potions?
Try to learn magic or earn some money to live first?
Standing under the tall tower of the Wizard's Sanctum and looking at the mages coming and going, Jesse slowly felt that it would be better to master some life-saving or even lethal skills as soon as possible.
After all, if one has stronger strength, the safety of going out to collect will also be higher. In the future, one might be able to collect more difficult-to-find herbs or other rare things.
If one abandons the opportunity for growth just for the immediate petty gain, then one may be terrified every time one goes out of the city for the rest of one's life.
Seven silver, petty gain?
He gave a wry smile. He didn't expect that he had become so ambitious.
He still doesn't know the difficulty coefficient of collecting grave moss. But he has already thought so much. Judging from the price of seven silver, it is definitely not an easy task.
However, one will never know until one tries.