Chapter 9: Mission Flow?
In the front hall of the Wizard Association, at the reception desk.
Caesar was burrowing under a wooden table, searching for something, with only one leg occasionally twitching, as if to indicate he hadn't suffocated yet.
Caesar crawled out from a pile of clutter, clutching a crumpled piece of black paper in his hand. Judging by the material, it seemed to be the skin of some creature.
"This is Heru's map, left behind by some unlucky bastard before he died."
Caesar looked at Su Xiao with a sleazy grin and rubbed his fingers together, signaling for payment.
"No need to be polite."
Su Xiao pulled the map from Caesar's hand and began examining it.
Broadly speaking, Heru could be divided into three areas: the Silver District, the Bone Harbor, and the Mist Graveyard.
The Silver District was where Su Xiao currently was. The Wizard Association was stationed here, surrounded by large residential areas. In fact, the Silver District occupied four-fifths of Heru City.
The Bone Harbor was also a residential area, but it was a slum. The security there was chaotic—so chaotic that even the Wizard Association couldn't manage it, or rather, didn't want to.
In a place like Heru City, overly strict management would only cause backlash, which was why places like the Bone Harbor existed. It was a gathering spot for scum, criminals, and desperadoes.
In the Bone Harbor, no one wanted to start trouble. Those exiled there were no saints. Provoke the wrong person, and you might get a dagger through the skull.
As for the Mist Graveyard, it was the smallest area, home to mad wizards and also Heru City's public cemetery.
It was worth noting that over 90% of the commoners in this world couldn't afford coffins. At most, they'd wrap the body in a straw mat, bury it, and let it become food for rats and underground insects.
Over time, bones could be seen on the surface of the Mist Graveyard. Ordinary civilians dared not go there.
The Silver District, the Bone Harbor, and the Mist Graveyard made up Heru City. There were no perfect laws here. If you wanted to survive, you'd better tread carefully.
To gain reputation with the Wizard Association, you had to make contributions, such as handing over supernatural materials or purging renegade wizards. Only then could you earn Wizard Association reputation.
Given the communication level of this world, finding those renegade wizards was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
As for using alchemy to concoct potions and handing them over to the Wizard Association, that wasn't feasible either. Wizards gained power too easily and quickly; they weren't desperate for alchemical potions.
"Are these the only ways to gain Wizard Association reputation?"
Su Xiao tossed a piece of Soul Crystal Fragment into his mouth. Since entering the Wizard World, he had consumed many Soul Crystal Fragments, which increased his Soul Strength. It had now permanently increased by 21 points.
"Not exactly. The simplest and fastest method is to go to the sewers and kill rats."
"Rats?"
"That's right, rats. Heru City has been overrun with rats for a long time. Kill one rat, and you get a tiny bit of reputation."
"This place... has sewers?"
"Uh... yes. Heru City's buildings have been around for centuries, supposedly built during the Old King era."
"..."
Su Xiao thought that going to the sewers to kill rats might be feasible, but the efficiency probably wouldn't be great.
"Can we get the wizards' potions?"
"Yes, 200 to 300 silver coins per bottle, the lowest grade..."
Caesar stopped mid-sentence and suddenly turned to look at Su Xiao, his shifty eyes seemingly gleaming.
"I forgot, you're an Alchemy Grandmaster. Damn it!!"
Caesar slapped his thigh hard, wincing in pain.
"Hahaha, those idiot wizards are about to go bankrupt."
Caesar started flailing around, but after a moment of thought, he felt like cold water had been poured over his head.
"We don't have the potion formula, and besides, potions aren't alchemy. They're fundamentally different. I'm sure of that."
"..."
Su Xiao glanced at Caesar, who, feeling insulted, loudly defended himself:
"With my alchemy level, I can't decipher the potion's ingredients at all. Even though your alchemy is a bit higher than mine, but..."
Caesar hesitated for a moment, then pulled a flat glass bottle from his bosom, about ten centimeters long and as thick as a finger.
"This is a low-grade potion, worth 283 silver coins. Be very careful."
Caesar handed over the potion with a pained expression.
[Enlightening Potion]
Origin: Wizard Association
Quality: White
Type: Special
Effect: After being guided by a special ritual, array, or energy, drinking this potion will amplify the drinker's innate potential, turning them into a Gray Wizard.
Note: During consumption, the drinker will bear immense mental strain and physical mutation. If the mind or body collapses during the process, the drinker will die.
Rating: 10 points
Introduction: An extremely difficult potion to concoct. Drinking it causes irreversible side effects, and the mind will gradually go mad. This trait significantly reduces the potion's quality and rating, dropping it by six grades.
...
Under Caesar's despairing gaze, Su Xiao pulled the cork from the "Enlightening Potion," took out several small instruments, and began analyzing the potion's ingredients.
Half an hour later, Su Xiao tossed the potion back to Caesar and tore up a sketch.
"Not difficult, but the concoction process and some materials can't be deciphered. If I had the potion formula, making this wouldn't be hard."
Su Xiao had a rough plan in mind for earning reputation, but he needed Caesar's cooperation.
"The potion formula..."
Caesar looked troubled. After an internal struggle, his expression turned ruthless. Clearly, Caesar wasn't a good person either.
Both teams of contractors and Hunters were dead. The fact that Caesar, who traveled with them, came out unscathed said a lot.
"Get at least 2000 Wizard Association reputation points. We'll exchange them for the 'Enlightening Potion' formula at the reputation shop!"
Under normal circumstances, the reputation shop would never have a potion formula, and even if it did, it wouldn't be that cheap. Obviously, Caesar planned to pull some strings and use unconventional methods to exchange for the formula.
"You provide the materials and sales channels. I'll take thirty percent of the silver coins. But there's one condition: for every bottle of potion sold, there must be a proportional increase in reputation."
"Deal."
Caesar quickly calculated the profits. After deducting costs, Su Xiao would get three-fifths of the net profit, while he would take two-fifths.
In this deal, Caesar had to play many roles. Though greedy, he knew one thing: without Su Xiao's alchemy knowledge, he wouldn't earn a single silver coin. Knowledge equaled wealth.
"My dear friend, if Caesar dies, remember to get me a coffin. And don't bury me in the Mist Graveyard. That damn place is haunted."
"Woof~"
Bubu Wang's trembling bark came from nearby. Caesar looked at him in confusion.
"I'll leave this to you."
Su Xiao patted Caesar on the shoulder and walked out. His first task was to go to the sewers and kill rats—not for reputation, but to confirm a theory in his mind.
Things had become clear. First, earn merits. Once the merits reached the level of a Secret Mage, he could meet the three Immortal Wizards. Then, he'd gather clues about the "Dominator" from them, find the "Dominator," kill it, and complete the second ring mission.
"My dear friend, wait. Let me show you something good."
Caesar waved his hand, and a virtual screen appeared before Su Xiao.
[You have opened the Reputation Shop.]
[Reputation Shop locked...]
[Due to Nicholas Caesar's authority, some items are now available for exchange.]