Luciel once sold magic potions under the name of Giles, but now it was deeply embarrassing for him to stand in front of Giles.
Giles was the epitome of a nobleman: wearing a well-maintained mage robe, his hair and beard neatly trimmed. Though his face had aged, the remnants of his youthful handsomeness still lingered.
"Luciel Lanster..."
Before Luciel could greet him, Giles sneered and spoke first: "You have impersonated me, selling an untested new type of medicine that had not been certified by the Magic Pharmacy Guild."
"For these two crimes, I could have you expelled from Orland and thrown into Baifeng City's prison for ten and a half days..."
"Mr. Giles..."
Luciel's heart sank as he opened his mouth to explain, but Giles waved his hand impatiently, his tone cold. "I'll give you a chance now. This room is stocked with every magic material you could need. Prepare a bottle of intermediate-strength potion, and we'll forget this whole matter."
"What?!"
Luciel blinked, taken aback.
"Teacher..."
"Silence."
Helen, who was about to speak, was abruptly cut off by Giles' icy words. She could only helplessly fall silent, casting Luciel a look that suggested they had no choice but to comply.
Luciel inhaled deeply, silently noting to himself, I must analyze the materials required to create an intermediate-strength potion.
As his chip began its analysis, Luciel's eyes scanned the long table in front of him, which was covered with various magical ingredients. The chip marked the materials required for the potion, and Luciel swiftly gathered them.
Giles watched without saying a word, but as Luciel selected each ingredient, a strange gleam flickered in his eyes. Luciel had previously attempted to brew intermediate potions, but the success rate was dismally low, and the cost was much higher than low-level potions. He had poured all his funds into improving his own abilities and had thus abandoned any further attempts. But now, he had no choice but to press on.
The challenge in preparing intermediate potions lay in the precision of the measurements, which had to be several times more accurate than for low-level potions.
"Pouch..."
A puff of black smoke erupted from the crystal test tube, indicating failure.
"Humph!"
Giles sneered.
Luciel didn't flinch. Without hesitation, he resumed preparing the potion.
"Pouch..."
The second attempt failed.
Then came the third and fourth attempts.
"Idiot, you used too much green liquid! Do you want to waste all your money?"
"Who taught you to add Bactrian grass powder before the bubbles have fully formed?"
"Idiot, stop! Don't waste any more of my materials!"
Giles' mocking words were relentless, his tone becoming increasingly venomous. This once-dignified pharmacist had turned downright cruel, constantly hurling insults at Luciel.
Helen stood frozen, bewildered. How had her teacher turned into such a tyrant? This was not the Giles she had known—gentle and polite, the respected Dean.
Yet Luciel appeared unfazed, his attention solely on the crystal test tube before him. He took note of every correction Giles made, silently ensuring he would never repeat the same mistake.
Finally, on the seventh attempt...
"It's done!"
Luciel's eyes brightened, and the liquid in the crystal test tube glowed faintly green. He handed the potion to Giles, holding it with deep respect.
This was an intermediate-strength potion, optimized by the chip. Luciel was certain it would surprise Giles.
But Giles, showing no sign of interest, simply nodded coldly and said, "Fine. You can go now."
"Uh..."
Luciel was momentarily stunned, then offered a bitter smile. He had heard that some magicians, obsessed with their craft, grew eccentric with age, and it seemed that Giles was one such magician.
Luciel didn't say anything more. He exchanged a glance with Helen and turned to leave.
However, just as Luciel's back disappeared from the room, Giles underwent a dramatic transformation.
In a flash, he rushed to the table, seized the bottle of intermediate-strength potion, and studied it intensely.
"Helen, hurry, get paper and a pen!"
Helen, still shocked by the sudden change, scrambled to retrieve them.
The quill and parchment floated in the air as if guided by an invisible hand.
Giles carefully poured a small amount of the potion into his mouth and, after a moment's reflection, the quill began to move rapidly.
"Another intermediate-strength potion formula, never seen before!"
"The potency is three to four times stronger than normal intermediate potions!"
"Using mani fruit as the main material... this kid... haha..."
"He even replaced four materials..."
Giles spoke in a half-mutter, half-laugh, his eyes shining with obsessive delight as the quill continued to write furiously on the parchment.
Helen, unable to comprehend the drastic shift in behavior, stood there stunned.
The flurry of activity finally came to an abrupt halt. Giles calmed, his eyes still gleaming with excitement, a constant smile stretching across his face.
"This kid has figured out how to achieve such precise measurements without relying on mental control of the materials' weight... this is no exaggeration—he has reached the third stage of swordsmanship! And his solution for the magical traction needed in potion formation... using magic crystal powder instead of practicing magic himself... clever..."
Giles let out a long, impressed sigh. "This kid is an absolute genius in pharmacy. He could easily inherit all my knowledge... I'm sure of it!"
Helen, completely flabbergasted by Giles' rapid shifts, couldn't hold back any longer and asked, "Teacher, since you admire him so much, why not just take him as a disciple?"
Giles sneered, his tone dismissive. "This kid is too talented and already has a reputation at the Cavaliers Academy. I need to humble him first."
Helen was left speechless, realizing just how prideful her teacher could be.
Suddenly, Giles slapped his forehead. "I almost forgot! This kid's talent for knight-errantry is so remarkable, the old fogies at the Cavaliers Academy might try to claim him! I must go there quickly!"
"Helen, organize the notes and materials on the table!"
With that, Giles vanished into thin air, leaving Helen standing there, both helpless and amazed.
What kind of genius was Luciel to command such attention from a teacher like Giles?