90: Chapter 0090 Preparation

Gelia was responsible for finding potions, Felina for collecting Materials, and Li Size for Forging sorcery props, which would be more efficient.

Gelia planned to use her father's connections within the police System to inquire which sorcery markets or potion exchanges within a five-hundred-kilometer radius of Zero Degree City sold the Zero Ring sobriety potion.

The Zero Ring sobriety potion was a commonly used anti-hallucination potion for Wizard Apprentices.

The three of them felt that expanding the search radius to five hundred kilometers, covering over a dozen cities with sorcery markets, would surely allow them to buy it.

Even if they only found one Zero Ring sobriety potion, Li Size's Pay-to-Win Ability could directly Analyze its formula and allow him to refine enough potions himself.

Gelia and Felina had only followed Li Size for a few days, and although Li Size had only recently become a Wizard Apprentice, he had already quickly mastered the refining of the swift spirit, the brain in a vat, and the zero-ring mental power amplification potion through his Pay-to-Win Ability.

They weren't foolish; they had long guessed that Li Size was not only skilled in Mechanical Alchemy but also possessed a special ability in the field of potions: the ability to reverse-engineer formulas from finished products!

But they never exposed it, as this was a form of protection for Li Size, fearing pursuit by ill-intentioned individuals.

They also agreed with Li Size's approach: potions should not be exposed in large quantities except for personal use, lest they attract the attention of high-Rank Wizards and violate the rune ordinances regarding potion control.

Felina was responsible for collecting Materials like herbs inscribed with runes and fragments of sorcery crystals, allowing Li Size to focus on Forging sorcery props and refining potions.

In the Wizard World, a single Wizard had limited capabilities and needed the support of sorcery allies to accomplish great deeds.

This was what ancient Huaxia referred to as the 'companion' in 'wealth, companion, Dharma land'—partners who mutually shared rune knowledge and Materials.

Li Size first refined the black magic iron armor for Gelia and Felina, but this did not trigger any inspiration for the ancestral Forging secret method.

However, thanks to the generous effect of the Stingy Meditation Method, the protective energy level of both sets of armor reached 9.84 Demonic Energy, and the rune patterns were denser, resulting in better protection.

The process of Forging the black demonic iron armor was meticulous. To ensure a close fit, Gelia and Felina put on thin undergarments (though actually, they were not wearing anything underneath to avoid censorship, cough, cough), and Li Size measured their dimensions inch by inch with a soft ruler equipped with sensing runes.

Li Size gazed at the exquisite curves of the armor and clicked his tongue in admiration.

During the process, Li Size stopped working several times; he simply couldn't resist.

To counter the illusionary abilities of the Hallucinogenic Bewitching Butterfly, Li Size asked Gelia to prepare the Zero Ring sobriety potion.

He himself also prepared the zero-ring mental power amplification potion and the inferior vitality potion, storing them all in rune bottles.

He had withdrawn the gold coins earned from the little sorcerer donkey over the last two weeks through the Zero Degree City Sorcery Bank.

The bank offered out-of-town exchange services, which required Mental Energy verification and a handling fee for withdrawals, but in this emergency, there was no other choice.

This money was enough for the preparations for this hunt.

The Laboratory Li Size rented was permeated with a pungent mixed odor of herbs and metal.

The walls were covered with all sorts of Potion Refining tools, from delicate silver mortars to condensing tubes glowing with faint blue light; every item bore the marks of repeated use.

The table was piled high with various medicinal ingredients: Star Grass that shimmered faintly, Ice Crystal Flowers emitting cold air, and several strange Ores with a metallic luster.

The night was deep, and the moonlight outside was obscured by thick clouds, leaving only a few magic crystal lamps in the Laboratory to provide a dim and stable light source.

Li Size stood before the refining platform, his eyes bloodshot, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

His movements had almost become a form of instinct:

His right hand steadily gripped the silver stirring rod, stirring the bubbling purple liquid in the crucible at a specific frequency clockwise.

His left hand intermittently sprinkled in the ground powder with precision, the amount being exact every time.

"The twenty-seventh time..." he mumbled, his voice hoarse.

He had repeated this process too many times.

In the beginning, he needed to concentrate fully to calculate the time, temperature, and material ratios; even a slight mistake would ruin everything.

But now, his body seemed to have memorized every detail:

When to speed up stirring, when to add the catalyst, when to cool down...

All of this had been integrated into his muscle memory.

Sweat trickled down his cheeks, dripping onto the experiment table and instantly evaporating into a thin wisp of white smoke.

His arms ached from maintaining the same posture for so long, but he did not pause in the slightest.

After finishing each batch of potion, he would carefully pour the finished product into a specially made bottle and seal it, then quickly clean the apparatus and start the next round of refining.

With repeated cycles, a marvelous change was occurring.

The initially clumsy movements became smoother and smoother, and adjusting the heat, which originally required deliberate control, now became almost an unconscious reaction.

He began to perceive the subtle energy flow within the potion and could judge the optimal moment for solidification through the liquid's viscosity and luster.

During the eighty-something refinement, a faint smile unconsciously curved Li Size's lips.

He discovered he no longer needed to stare at the hourglass, but could accurately grasp the timing for adding the last ingredient just by sensing the change in the potion's aroma.

At the one-hundredth time, he could even close his eyes for a brief rest while stirring, completing the critical steps entirely by feel.

When the proficiency reached above ninety, the refining process had transformed into an art form.

Every move he made was fluid, possessing a unique aesthetic beauty.

The medicinal ingredients seemed to be imbued with life under his hands, perfectly merging under his direction.

At this moment, the prolonged fatigue seemed to be replaced by a wonderful sense of pleasure.

Finally, when the last batch of potion was completed, a faint 'ding' sounded in Li Size's mind, and the proficiency reached 100/100.

He let out a long breath, looking at the flawless zero-ring mental power amplification potion in his hand, his eyes flashing with exhaustion yet filled with accomplishment.

Despite his aching body and utter exhaustion, an ineffable joy surged within him.

He suppressed the excitement that nearly burst from his chest, took a deep breath, and without hesitation invested another forty gold coins—to continue upgrading!

When he saw the skill proficiency of 100/100 abruptly break through the moment the Pay-to-Win effect took hold, Li Size's heart nearly leaped out of his chest.

An indescribable ecstasy shot through his entire body like an electric current—he had succeeded!

This was not just a leap from 'Proficient' to 'Mastery'; it was a qualitative transformation in the level of power.

He stared intently at the refreshed skill description before him; every increase in numerical value made him want to shout in his heart.

The forty gold coins were absolutely worth it!

All the accumulated fatigue was completely washed away by the intense sense of achievement and excitement at that moment.

The corners of his mouth curved upward unconsciously, his eyes gleaming with an almost obsessive light.

This was the charm of Pay-to-Win: tangible, visible strength!

"zero-ring mental power amplification potion (Mastery): Contains a miniature mental rune. Upon use, temporarily increases Mental Energy by 2.1 points for 1.4 hours. After the effect ends, a side effect period will commence, reducing Mental Energy by 1.6 points and causing sluggish thinking for 1.6 hours. Potion Resistance Time: 16 hours."

His Mastery level Potion Refining skill could increase the effect by twenty percent, with a ten percent chance to increase it by fifty percent. Coupled with the generous effect of the Stingy Meditation Method (which made the rune activity higher): the effect of the zero-ring mental power amplification potion reached 3.36 Mental Energy, lasting 2.24 hours.

This could push Gelia's and Felina's Mental Energy to the Peak of the Apprentice Rank, greatly enhancing their anti-hallucination capabilities.

He was lucky enough to refine two superior-grade potions: the runes inside were more complete, the color brighter, capable of boosting Mental Energy by 3.99 points for 2.66 hours, which gave him a greater sense of security when facing illusions.

The inferior vitality potion used cheap Materials; he had already pushed its refining skill to Master Rank 100/100 using his Pay-to-Win Ability, and the System suggested he could optimize the formula.

But optimizing the inferior vitality potion required 400 gold coins, which he was reluctant to spend.

This potion had a low Demonic Energy conversion rate and would soon be replaced by new rune potions; spending 100 gold coins wasn't worth it.

However, the Hallucinogenic Bewitching Butterfly's illusion would lower abnormal resistance, forcing him to spend the money to optimize the potion.

【Consuming 20000 energy points accumulated from the Pay-to-Win Ability, successfully deducing the 'Inferior Vitality Potion Formula', resulting in an unnamed potion.】

Li Size thought for a moment and named it: Optimized Inferior Physique Potion.

Optimized Inferior Physique Potion (Mastery Rank, marked with a Physique rune identifier): Contains a Physique rune, slightly increasing Physique by 1.2 points for 1 hour. Side effect: Lethargy (Physique -2.4), lasting 2 hours; Potion Resistance: 12 hours.

Analyzing the rune data, the Physique increase from the Optimized Inferior Physique Potion was 1.2 points, which was 0.3 less than the base value of the Zero Ring Physique amplification potion.

Furthermore, the Physique rune in the potion was already solidified and could not be upgraded further.

Li Size suddenly slapped his forehead, his eyes shining with rune-like light, becoming ecstatic:

The raw Materials for this potion hadn't changed, it was just that...

It was just that the proportion of herbs mixed into the potion and the rhythm of Demonic Energy injection during refining had been optimized by the Pay-to-Win Ability into a more efficient rune arrangement!

This was simply a miracle of sorcery!

The cost of the inferior potion was only a few coins—using only the most common fragments of sorcery herbs, with no sorcery crystals added!

What about the cost and selling price of that Zero Ring Physique amplification potion?

Li Size knew clearly in his heart:

The Zero Ring Physique amplification potion required 10 grams of low-grade sorcery crystals and various rare herbs, costing 40 silver coins.

And it could sell for 1.5 gold coins in the sorcery markets!

This didn't even account for the failure rate of ordinary potion-making Wizards.

Although his optimized inferior Physique potion was slightly inferior to the Zero Ring Physique amplification potion, its effect was comparable to a normal-quality Zero Ring potion.

If Li Size took this potion to the sorcery trading zone on the Dark Web, setting the price at 1 gold coin would definitely cause a rush to buy!

Wizard Apprentices would definitely scramble to buy it:

It's 50 silver coins cheaper than the Zero Ring Physique amplification potion, and the effect is similar—who wouldn't buy it?

This optimization and deduction function of the Pay-to-Win Ability was too Heaven-Defying!

Although it couldn't break through the Rank limit of the potion, it could make ordinary Materials exhibit effects close to the next Rank.

Li Size began to wonder:

What kind of surprises would he get if he used this function on rune arrangements or Forging skills?