14: Bloody Mary

"Oakes, your bloody mary..." a bartender at the counter called out.

"Is the drink finally here?"

"I've been talking for so long, my throat's practically on fire..."

"Come, come, Green..." Oakes said enthusiastically.

"Try this bloody mary; it's much more potent than rye ice beer, I guarantee you'll never forget it once you've had it."

"If it weren't so expensive, I'd want one every day."

"Oakes, how expensive is this bloody mary? Even you, Young Master Oakes, can't afford it," Green teased.

"One drink is three magic stones. This one's on me!"

"Ha! This small glass costs me three months' salary!"

"That's too outrageous, isn't that robbery?" Green said in surprise. One must know that in this Wizard Tower, the purchasing power of magic stones was still very strong.

In the mundane world — the Motlan Grand Kingdom — three magic stones could be exchanged for three hundred gold coins, three million copper coins, or even a low-ranking baronetcy... "Tsk, don't complain about the price..."

"This bloody mary is the most popular drink at the Battle Axe Bar." Oakes gave Green a disdainful look, as if he were an unworldly bumpkin.

"If it weren't your first time here, I wouldn't treat you to such an expensive drink," Oakes said, feeling a bit pained.

"Moreover, this bloody mary has a great effect..."

"It contains the juice of a rare-grade intermediate Demonized Plants—the Blood Fruit. Drinking it for the first time has the stimulating effect of increasing Spiritual Power," Oakes explained to Green.

"Furthermore, the bloody mary has an excellent taste, with a very unique stimulating sensation that makes one recognize it as a bloody mary with just one sip, and it leaves a lasting impression."

"I heard that some apprentices get addicted to this and have a glass every day. It's truly their greatest love."

Green fell silent, then, against his better judgment, took a small sip of the bloody mary.

The icy cold liquid slid through his mouth, down his throat, and into his stomach, like drinking a stream of ice water, chilling him to the core.

But after a while, a fiery sensation erupted from his stomach, like a line of fire reaching straight to his mouth, burning Green with a stinging pain all the way, and his nose carried a faint scent of blood.

This feeling of ice and fire made Green's spirit exceptionally active; even the base of his tail trembled. It was just one word:

"Awesome!"

"Haha, how was it? I didn't lie to you, did I?"

"I'm just asking, was it awesome?"

"Stimulating?"

Oakes was overjoyed, taking a large, satisfied gulp of his drink.

Green was too lazy to bother with the gloating Oakes right now.

He closed his eyes, slowly savoring the unique sensation.

After a long while... Oakes's mischievous streak was satisfied, and he happily continued to share with Green:

"You don't need to worry, this is a normal reaction after drinking bloody mary."

"Last time I treated Bigg, he was the same. That kid Bigg is really a simpleton."

"He copied me, chugging a big mouthful at once."

"Don't even mention how extreme his reaction was then; his face kept changing from green to red, and by the end, smoke was coming from the top of his head, smoke! Hahahahaha..."

"Bigg really can't handle having a bad friend like you, sigh..." Green mourned for Bigg in his heart... "Green..."

"The bloody mary is so famous for another reason: there's also a beautiful legend behind it."

Oakes, in a tone like someone recounting an epic, slowly began to tell the story:

"Legend has it that a long, long time ago..."

"In the ancient Kingdom of Elf, there was an incomparably beautiful queen. Her beauty, according to the praise of bards, was thus..."

"Her golden hair danced in the air, her two gem-like eyes held a dazzling light that captivated hearts, and her fiery red gown, like flowing flames, enveloped her jade-like slender body. Her entire being was like a moving fire spirit."

"Her fame for beauty spread far and wide; everyone in the kingdom knew of it. It is said that countless men dueled to their deaths for her."

"Even the kings of enemy nations were captivated by her."

"Her beauty, it is said, was well-preserved even when she was over eighty years old."

"But her secret to maintaining beauty was horrifying — the fresh blood of maidens."

"Throughout her life, she killed tens of thousands of maidens and bathed in their blood to maintain her enchanting charm."

"It is said that she even drank the blood of maidens to cleanse impurities from within her body."

"Later, she was burned alive in her bathroom by angry commoners."

"From then on, a peerless beauty vanished like a wisp of smoke..."

Oakes's face still held a look of regret... "Is there really such a secret? Why does it sound so absurd?"

Green asked. He wasn't interested in the beautiful queen, but rather in that mysterious secret recipe.

"Hmph, there's a lot you don't know. Don't you find this method of cultivating using human blood familiar?" Oakes responded.

"What method? Is it something I know?"

Green showed a bewildered expression. What he studied was the knowledge of orthodox Elemental Wizards, at most supplemented with knowledge related to Bloodline Knights.

"Forget it. If you have nothing to do in the future, you can come and sit more often at the Battle Axe Bar..."

"Listen more to some fresh news and various rumors happening all along our Mist Coast. Otherwise, your knowledge will be too narrow," Oakes suggested.

"These methods of manipulating blood are the specialty of those scoundrels from Blood Fortress Wizard Academy."

"Blood Fortress Wizard Academy is right next to our academy; we'll have many opportunities to deal with them in the future."

... "Alright, now that the story's done, let me tell you some details about this Magical Plant Exchange Hall."

Oakes then told Green about various precautions for each area, some small shops with good credit for buying and selling resources, tips for avoiding scams in the flea market, and so on.

Green listened quietly and intently, committing it all to memory.

Green knew that these valuable experiences would help him avoid some detours.

Unbeknownst to them, both their glasses were empty... Oakes looked at the large clock on the wall.

He realized it was already past two in the afternoon and slapped his head in annoyance: "Look at me, I talked so much I went over time! Why didn't you remind me? Come on, let's hurry to Old Moler's."

"It's fine, a little delay won't hurt."

Green followed Oakes towards Old Moler's plant cottage. Green was relaxed and not in a hurry.

On the door of "Old Moler's Botanical Garden" was a yellow parchment nailed with iron nails:

"Public Notice:

After multiple inspections of Old Moler's Botanical Garden, the following three Junior Magical Plant Cultivators are hereby accepted to participate in internship work at the garden:

Green Anglet, Lilith Bedley, Adler Simon.

For a period of five years. The above three apprentices are requested to gather at the main entrance of Old Moler's Botanical Garden at eight o'clock in the morning the day after tomorrow.

This is hereby announced!

Approved by: Old Moler."

...