Chapter 286 – Preparation

“Caw? Caw caw, caw caw caw caw”!

In Punk’s Magic Tower Laboratory, positioned close to the corner stood an oversized cage. The bars woven from Magic Cage material were thicker than an arm, yet even such thick bars groaned under the impact of the creatures inside, filling the originally quiet laboratory with chaotic cries and rattling sounds.

The creatures confined in the cage were five Iron-Toothed Ravens with blood-red eyes. Each of these magical beings possessed strength equivalent to a level ten Formal-Level expert, capable of ravaging a small town if released.

But now they were tightly restrained within this narrow cage. Every impact and bite only created faint ripples in the black energy-formed prison.

Clearly, these frenzied Iron-Toothed Ravens couldn’t endure such confinement. They desperately gnawed at the bars with their gold-splitting, stone-cracking beaks while their metal-feathered wings flapped incessantly. The resulting Wind Pressure even stirred up minor storms within the small laboratory.

Yet no matter how violently these Iron-Toothed Ravens struggled, they couldn’t escape their cage, nor could they disturb the black-robed youth seriously concocting potions at the nearby Experiment Table.

Undoubtedly, that focused youth was Punk.

Half a month had passed since Punk and Ben Lajie finalized their cooperation agreement. In the blink of an eye, a full month had gone by since Punk joined the Thought of Truth.

During this period, even the unsociable Punk had paid courtesy visits to several other Master-Level Casters of similar standing. However, compared to Ben Lajie’s enthusiasm and “troublemaking,” the remaining five Master-Level Mages were much more reserved. Three were occupied with experiments and didn’t meet Punk at all, while the other two only exchanged brief, perfunctory greetings with him.

After completing these minimal social obligations, Punk promptly received the first business since Ben Lajie’s black market opened.

An anonymous mage wished to purchase a “Weeping Raven’s Bane” potion at ten times the standard price paid in adamantine, with the sole requirement being delivery within one month. To facilitate this, the client even agreed to provide the materials himself.

Thus, Punk received this cage of five “Iron-Toothed Ravens” delivered by Ben Lajie.

Theoretically, five “Iron-Toothed Ravens” could produce five portions of “Weeping Raven’s Bane” potion. However, the success rate for such challenging Master-Level potions was notoriously low, so four of the five material sets served as backups.

Upon receiving this cage of restless “Iron-Toothed Ravens,” even the typically unflappable Punk couldn’t help but marvel once more at the staggering profitability of alchemical items.

The real challenge with these priceless commodities wasn’t their exorbitant cost, but the fact that no amount of wealth or resources could purchase them otherwise.

If an alchemical mage possessed Punk’s capability to create truly advanced alchemical items, it was perfectly normal for them to enjoy such enormous profits—even receiving materials free of charge.Moreover, for ordinary mages, the most challenging aspect of brewing a “Weeping Raven’s Bane” potion is the alchemical process of creating a Master-Level concoction. However, for Punk, who possessed Vedrasha’s memories, the technique for crafting Master-Level potions was not lacking in the slightest. The real headache was acquiring the materials. In fact, as long as he could obtain high-quality alchemical ingredients, Punk—relying on Grand Arcanist Vedrasha’s vast memories and experience—could achieve an astonishing success rate of around 90% in creating Master-Level magical items.

Thus, this particular venture was immensely profitable for Punk, with costs nearly equivalent to zero. The only investment required was half a month’s time for brewing… Of course, such a staggering feat had to be kept under wraps. In front of Ben Lajie, Punk would claim that he had only succeeded in producing one potion out of five sets of materials.

Brewing a “Weeping Raven’s Bane” potion was no issue at all. What truly occupied Punk’s meticulous preparations now was his long-planned “Host Project.”

After all, the collaboration with Ben Lajie was merely a side hustle for Punk. Only that Eerie Eyeball and the fragment of laws within it were the “foundation” he valued most!

Since he had already decided to select a host for this eyeball from among the apprentices, it was crucial to conduct reconnaissance before the mages began taking on disciples. He had no desire to face the exasperating scenario of “the host he had his eye on becoming another mage’s apprentice.” So, over the past week, Punk had been busy with this very task.

He had to ensure his actions appeared “normal” in the eyes of every mage. At the very least, as a high-status Master-Level powerhouse without any overt eccentricities, personally “greeting” each and every apprentice in every group would be utterly unreasonable. It was currently the “Thought of Truth’s” once-every-fifteen-years “Apprentice Recruitment” period, which also coincided with the Zhentarim’s once-every-fifteen-years “Apprentice Raiding” season. Countless mages, including the powerful Kirk Weilen, head of the “Thought of Truth” branch, were closely monitoring all developments. At this juncture, Punk could only proceed with utmost caution and care.

Punk’s current objective was to broadly screen this year’s incoming apprentices under the guise of “reasonableness” and “low profile,” then find a way to manipulate things behind the scenes to ensure his chosen “host” became his own apprentice.

So, how could he “reasonably” tour the four entrances through which apprentices crossed the “Grey Mire Swamp” to reach the “Thought of Truth” branch headquarters?

Punk’s plan was to engineer a “minor incident”!

This incident needed to appear unsuspicious and not too difficult to resolve. It absolutely must not alarm too many people, yet it couldn’t go entirely unnoticed.

If it were someone else—like that old fatty Ben Lajie—tasked with orchestrating an “intentional accident” under the watchful eyes of a group of Master-Level powerhouses, he would likely either overdo it or be left helpless. But… for a powerhouse like Punk, well-versed in alchemical spells, pulling this off wasn’t particularly difficult.

————————Separator————————It was once again the tender season of the year, and the Grey Mire Swamp was experiencing its typical rainy climate. A light drizzle fell outside the Magic Tower, raindrops striking the energy barrier at the laboratory window before slowly sliding down under the kaleidoscopic light within, resembling dazzling multicolored gemstones.

Punk gently set down the “perfected” potion he had just concocted and glanced out the window.

According to the Divination Spell’s prediction, barring any unforeseen circumstances, those apprentices should be nearing the outskirts of the Grey Mire Swamp by now.

Gently swirling the test tube in his hand, he observed the faint cyan potion carrying numerous orange-yellow bubbles emitting a faint but pungent diesel odor. Punk nodded in satisfaction.

He had already prepared a “minor surprise,” and now it remained to be seen whether this year’s magic apprentices could bring him a truly remarkable shock.

Welcome to join the group! We have kittens and lovely members~ 548859662～

(End of Chapter)