"Are they still not awake?" Sophia glanced at the several unconscious individuals, her brow slightly furrowed.
"I'm afraid to wake them forcefully, as it might harm their minds," Roy explained. "Senior Apprentice, can we have the Puppet Wolf carry them?"
Sophia replied, "Fine, let's do it your way."
She then summoned the Puppet Wolf, allowing Roy to place the unconscious individuals onto it, and together they began walking back.
Seeing that she was relatively agreeable, Roy quickly took the opportunity to inquire about the matters inside the garden.
Sophia said, "This place has indeed been contaminated. I picked some mutated Serpent Fruits and plan to take them back for examination."
Roy's heart stirred slightly. "Could I take a look?"
Sophia shot him a surprised glance but still tossed him one.
"Indeed, this is a contaminated Serpent Fruit.
This kind of thing should qualify as a new species, no longer the original Serpent Fruit, but rather the Nightmare Serpent Fruit.
I remember it can be used to concoct items like the Nightmare Potion, right?
According to the general naming conventions, perhaps it could be called the Dark Orchard."
Roy observed it for a while, trying to paraphrase the knowledge from his books in his own words.
This is a type of garden-like mental illusion that can help people construct associations with related matters, refining the mind within dreams.
The negative effects include various sleep deficiencies and nervous exhaustion caused by nightmares, which over time can harm mental strength.
This is a contradictory phenomenon of duality.
Sophia was somewhat surprised. "These things are covered in the intermediate apprentice courses, but not in depth. It seems your self-study ability is quite strong."
Roy humbly replied, "I just happened to come across it."
Sophia said, "I'm not particularly skilled in Potion Studies, but I've heard of this. Come find me on the third floor later, and I'll give you some materials to try concocting."
Roy was taken aback by her words and suddenly realized that Senior Apprentice Sophia was at a critical juncture in her quest to become a formal Wizard.
She was interested in any potion that could aid in the mental realm, but her priorities were ranked.
This was likely just a fleeting thought for her, but it held significant meaning for him.
He quickly offered, "Senior Apprentice Sophia, I've been diligently studying Alchemy for six years and have some confidence. I would be more than happy to assist you."
...
Sophia did not comment on Roy's words.
However, after returning and completing their tasks, she still gave him a few fruits along with the corresponding materials.
This was considered an investment in him.
Roy was greatly encouraged and decided to thoroughly research various materials and deduce the formula.
At this time, Renien and Andov had already woken up midway, but they were greatly disappointed.
The task reward from the Wizard Tower was only 50 Magic Stones each.
"The Wizard Tower is so stingy!"
"This is only enough to buy a bottle of Minor Healing Potion!"
Regular healing potions could only be concocted by formal Wizards and could bring severely injured ordinary people back to life, making them quite precious.
Some had developed diluted series of Minor and Weak Healing Potions based on this.
There were also concentrated series like Strong and Super Healing Potions.
Many of these were not simply diluted with water or boiled to change concentration, but had different formulas and concoction methods.
By calculation, they fell into the category of replicas and substitutes.
"Looks like we can only buy a cheap eyeball from the merchant street to make do..."
Andov was somewhat speechless.
"Many of the things in there seem to have been dug up from who knows where, just washed a bit and treated with Necromantic Wizardry before being sold!"
Having suffered for no reason, he was certainly not very happy.
But unfortunately, there was no way to pursue it, as Roy had taken care of them when they fainted and had gotten them out.
Roy comforted them, "Changing eyes in the tower is just like changing glasses. If we make some money in the future, we can get better ones."
Though he said this, he understood that making money was not that easy.
Who doesn't want to make money? The real question is how to do it!
"Even high-level tasks only yield this little; investigative types are just a loss...
But getting the Nightmare Serpent Fruit means it wasn't a wasted trip.
If I can master the concoction of the Nightmare Potion, not only can I use it myself, but I can also leverage my connection with Sophia for a stable income!"
After returning, Roy took stock and found that the focus was on the fruit in his hand.
For the time being, there was nothing similar elsewhere; it was a specialty unique to this specific vein.
It could be understood as a replica of those famous Nightmare Potions, primarily marketed as cheap and affordable.
Moreover, the juice extracted from this kind of fruit could usually be diluted.
The specifics of how much to dilute depended on one's conscience.
If the juice wasn't enough, sugar water could be used to make up the difference, along with various additives, not only compensating for this loss but potentially leading to a significant profit!
...
As time gradually passed, it was now mid-December.
The progress of [Alchemy Talent Acquired] continued to grow at a snail's pace, but gradually accumulated, surpassing 53%.
Roy estimated that to naturally reach 100%, it would likely take until June of next year.
He had no clue about this for the time being, so he shifted more attention to the tasks at hand.
In the library, Roy researched materials and took a pile of notes.
Finally, combining the assistance provided by the Alchemy Talent [Proficient], he gradually deduced the formula for concocting the Dark Orchard.
He then took out the remaining white juice from his previous research and began to mix it, producing the final product.
"Success at last!"
He frowned as he looked at this milk-like experiment and drank the entire tube.
A feeling of mild intoxication washed over him, and he quickly fell asleep.
As expected, that night he experienced several hours of deep sleep, but his consciousness did not cease its activity; instead, it transformed into nightmares, where he faced a series of trials involving fruit picking in the orchard, encountering giant pythons, and fighting for his life.
Upon waking, his head throbbed painfully.
However, after meditating and carefully examining himself, he found that his mental strength had indeed increased slightly.
"It really works!"
Roy was greatly encouraged by this.
"If I continue training like this, it would be equivalent to spending just over ten Magic Stones to manifest a Willpower Rune, and the efficiency is much higher than before.
Moreover, this dream is incredibly realistic! The combat skills honed in the dream might be integrated into reality, becoming instinctual in my body?"
In addition, the experiences from this trip to the orchard also gave Roy some insights.
Having strengthened his physique and attained knight-level strength, he should have been able to showcase his abilities...
But the actual situation was not so simple.
It wouldn't be the case that just because he had strengthened his physique, he would encounter opponents that a low-level knight could handle.
Mental illusions do not follow logic; if it weren't for the luck of having the Mind-Calming Calamus Water Perfume, he would have been done for.
"But then again, does this mean I
can use it against Botning and Trides? The more dire the situation I faced this time, the greater the potential benefit from utilizing this! Perhaps I should make good use of this!"
Roy fell into contemplation.
(End of Chapter)