Chapter 1199: A Casual Monopoly
Chapter 1199: A Casual Monopoly
"The First Guardian was a part of it...?! I always felt that there was something off about her. She always walked around so arrogantly like she owned the place. But I didn’t think she’d betray her own junior sister and collude with outsiders to harm the order. Hmph, her punishment was too light! The Holy Maiden is a kind soul." Celia said.
In the end, Yuveil had her power and influence stripped away, the core of her techniques destroyed and was locked away in a room on the Thousand Blossoms Peak where she would never see the outside world again. To call the Holy Maiden a kind soul after doing such a thing—just what kind of punishment did Celia have in mind?
"Still, Spirit of Mana? It’s the first time I heard of that herb. Though why would the Great Clans go through so much trouble just to hide its existence? A herb that can expand one’s mana pool past its original capacity and even repair broken mana pools—if they sold it, they would make a fortune." Celia stated.
"If there is one thing the Great Clans do not lack, it is money and treasures. Besides, even though I don’t know the exact details, the method to cultivate the Spirit of Mana isn’t simple. There’s a good chance it’s already difficult enough to provide a supply for the trephasias alone." Izroth answered.
’Generation after generation of trephasias consuming the Spirit of Mana—it’s no wonder their race is known for having much larger quantities of mana than other races in the Mortal Realm. In terms of mana, only existences like the true dragons can rival or surpass them.’
The following moment, Celia went on to name another 25 ingredients that were within the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill.
"Then, my next question, how did you manage to craft a grade five pill without the use of Natural Energy?" Celia inquired curiously.
This had been on her mind ever since she first examined the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill.
Once one became a grade four Apothecary, it was impossible to go any further until they could use what was called Natural Energy.
Natural Energy was a special energy unique to Apothecaries. However, it was also something that required a bit of luck to obtain.
Not everyone had Natural Energy. And, ironically enough, despite being called Natural Energy, for humans, it was not something that could be obtained through natural methods. But, in order to draw it out, the Apothecary Guild had a special item at their main testing facility in the Apothecary District.
Each Natural Energy had its own element and traits. The best element to get was fire as it was the most compatible with pill crafting. While the worst element was something like water. However, the worst possible outcome was for one to have no Natural Energy at all.
Natural Energy was one of the prerequisites that must be obtained to able to craft grade five or higher pills. In other words, one’s path as an Apothecary was over if they had no Natural Energy.
But, in Celia’s eyes, Izroth’s case was strange. This should be the first official promotion test for Apothecaries since they stepped into this world. Izroth should have never had the chance to obtain Natural Energy.
The special item used by the Apothecary Guild was only activated during the promotion test. There was no way they would make an exception and activate it for a single person. As for getting it from somewhere else, while it might not be impossible, it was highly unlikely.
"I have a skill that has a chance to increase the quality of the pills I produce." Izroth replied calmly.
"Wha- Increase the quality?! A skill like that actually exists?!" Celia exclaimed as she became dumbfounded.
The difference between pill grades were considerable. But, the further up on went, the more massive that gap grew. In order words, a grade one pill was infinitely closer to a grade three pill than a grade four pill could ever hope to be to a grade five pill.
To possess a skill that was capable of increasing a pill’s quality—it was something unheard of!
"Incredible... I thought my Memory Scent was a useful trait, but a skill that can turn gold into diamonds—it’s too unbelievable." Celia sighed in awe.
After collecting her thoughts for a bit, Celia released one last sigh.
"Then, my next question, are you the one who has been monopolizing all the first Apothecary achievements?" Celia asked as she narrowed her eyes.
"Monopolizing? I’m afraid you have the wrong idea. Those things just happen to pop up whenever I’m crafting something. I’m not going out of my way to claim them." Izroth replied in a carefree manner.
"You-!" Celia almost coughed up blood out of frustration.
Wrong idea? They just happened to pop up? What kind of nonsense was that?!
Every time Celia thought she did something incredible and was waiting for the system to reward her for being the first, it always turned out that she was either the second or third player to have done so.
Because of this, Celia strived hard to get one of the first achievements for Apothecaries and thought it would be a fierce competition with others, but... For the person who had been monopolizing those achievements to simply act as if they fell into his lap against his will—how could she not be frustrated?
"No, then, who have I been competing against this entire time? What kind of unfair world is this? It just pops up he says..." Celia muttered to herself as she massaged her temples.
Celia let out a long sigh as she shook her head. She was suddenly reminded of what her master said to her back when she first started to walk down the path of an Apothecary.
"Celia, you are a talented and gifted child with a bright future ahead of you. That’s why, I hope that you do not make the same mistake that I made in my youth. One day, a wall may appear on your path. When that day comes, the world will seem unfair, but you must climb that wall diligently. Do not try to break through it or avoid it by walking around it. Otherwise, you will regret it just as I have."
Those were the exact words Celia’s master said to her.
"Master... You were right all along. These geniuses just naturally make you want to give them a good smack on the head once or twice..!" Celia thought to herself as she remembered the next words her master said.
"That woman—can you believe it? I asked her how she did it and do you know what she said? She said, huh, can’t anyone do this? Isn’t it just like breathing? Shouldn’t it come naturally? Another time, we were competing, I gave it my all and created one of my life masterpieces. But, that woman, she made something even better. Do you know what she said when she finished crafting? ’Ah, another failure.’ Then, she tossed the pill she crafted away like it was garbage in her eyes! How did she see my pill then?! I wanted to give her a good smack on the head right then and there once or twice to satiate my anger! Monsters, Celia, those damned monsters disguised as geniuses, whatever you do, do not lose yourself to them!"
"Eh... Now that I think about it, you’ve had it tough, haven’t you, master?" Celia thought to herself with a slightly awkward and helpless smile.
Celia held her hand out with the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill in her palm toward Izroth.
"Here, take it. The last ingredient, I have no idea what it is except that it must be an extraordinarily powerful poison. From the wild scent, it seems to belong to a monster, but even if I had ten hours, I wouldn’t be able to find the answer in time." Celia said regrettably.
"Being able to guess all but one ingredient is impressive. Even if you were using your trait, it is something that is useless if you do not take the time to research herbs properly." Izroth said as he took the pill and returned it to his inventory.
"What was the last ingredient?" Celia asked as she pouted with one side of her cheeks slightly puffed up.
"Blood of the Immortal Hydra." Izroth said nonchalantly.
"..." Celia’s eyes widened in shock; however, it was only for a brief period as she let out yet another long helpless sigh.
"You knew I wouldn’t be able to guess the last ingredient all along." Celia commented.
As an Apothecary, of course, Celia knew about the existence of hydra blood; however, it was so rare that she only had the chance to read about it. This was her first time ever coming across a pill that contained it as an ingredient.
"Hey, that hydra blood, can I see it? I just want to smell it one time in its original form." Celia said with an excited gaze as her mood seemed to instantly shift.