Master and Apprentices: Rise of the Cheat Potion Maker #2
Master and Apprentices: Chapter 24

The next morning, I found myself back in the lab, deciding that saving spirit coins sucked. Thanks to the family time the prior night, as well as meditating on the Dao of Creation, a crafter’s Dao, I finally had a guess of how to essentially cheat myself a rank increase without having to worry about the town. In fact, the answers were right in front of me, but expensive.

The apprentices hadn’t arrived yet and Chenzu and the spirit beasts had started tending the farm. Milia’s attention currently resided on the garden.

System, what’s the rank of the garden? I asked mentally.

[Dryad’s Love Garden. Rank: C. A powerful garden capable of producing up to C-ranked herbs, fruits and vegetables. It cannot produce spiritual herbs.]

[A C-ranked garden is considered very high due to the scarcity of proper gardens and could take years to upgrade. A high-ranked garden may attract attention. Good or bad is up to how you take care of the land.]

I decided not to question Milia on how any of this worked, yet. If I allowed myself to keep getting distracted, well, I’d never get around to cheating out my shop’s upgrade. Cheesing the system may actually be a component of my skillset.

Accessing the MMABS, a red metallic cube, I quickly scanned through the options.

[Current options. Buildings. Tools. Garden. Forges. Equipment and Devices. Farm. Shop.]

What if I purchased the most basic items first? The shop wasn’t just a one-man ordeal, but a team effort. With dungeons being my primary access to resources outside of my reach, I simply couldn’t compete with the others at the moment, much less the top five. Milia did mention that this could change upon meeting her family, though I wasn’t sure what that meant.

[Forges. Currently unlocked:

1. Basic Blacksmithing Forge. Price: 2 spirit coins.

2. Advanced Blacksmithing Forge. Price: 10,000 spirit coins + Basic Blacksmithing Forge that has been used for at least 1 month.

3. Midgard Forge. Price: 10,000,000 spirit coins.

4. Satovian Forge. Price: 50,000,000 spirit coins + Midgard Forge.

5. Heavenly Forge. Price: 5 heavenly spirit coins. This price is reduced to 100,000,000 spirit coins if you possess a mana forge.]

My first purchase was the basic blacksmithing forge. If we were going to farm spirit coins through sales, then now had to be the time to get started. I knew a trip to a dungeon was due, likely a B-rank or maybe a different A-ranker.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t purchase the heavenly blacksmithing tools as it required a good forge. Luckily, thanks to the dungeon, Lucas had himself the heavenly forging hammer. I’d still order things through his master, though, until he was properly learned in the arts. Sophisticated items always needed the touch of an experienced craftsman or craftswoman.

[Buildings. Currently unlocked:

1. F-ranked Shed. Price: 15 spirit coins.

2. F-ranked Special Lookout Tower. Price: 400 spirit coins.

3. F-ranked Spiritual Room. Price: 1,500 spirit coins.

4. E-ranked Wine Cellar. Price: 10,000 spirit coins.

5. F-ranked Magic Lab. Price: 150,000 spirit coins.

6. F-ranked Mana Tower. Price: 100,000,000 spirit coins.

7. E-ranked Mana Forge. Price: 300,000 spirit coins.]

The second purchase was the F-ranked shed for fifteen spirit coins. This would be used to store anything Lucas or Mandi created. Harmony’s main focus would continue to be potions because, for some reason, the headstrong girl wanted to follow in my footsteps. I didn’t know much about her family outside of her father and maid, but even so, she was still quite educated. Her father likely got her private education, tutoring and the works.. They were still technically minor nobles, after all. I’d arrange for the blue-haired girl to have her own space to do potion research someday, but for now, we’d have to focus on the potential of her magic and learning the basics.

My biggest investment for today would be into Mandi. Well-educated herself, the teen redhead studied the S-ranked book almost nonstop and had her butler Howie order her materials.

[Tools. Currently unlocked.

1. Dungeon Detector. Price: 30 spirit coins.

2. Heavenly Blacksmithing Tools. Price: 50 spirit coins, requires a good forge.

3. Gadget Assist Pixie. Price: 80 spirit coins.

4. D-ranked Mana Striker Device. Price: 100,000 spirit coins.

5. D-ranked Oracle Spirit Stone. Price: 150,000 spirit coins and one C-ranked or higher standard mana stone.

6. Mana Steam Engine. Price: 395,000,000 spirit coins.]

I weighed this with buying the building upgrade. The upgrade didn’t guarantee a rank increase; however, by increasing the quality of our shop, making interesting objects for both the everyday people and well-behaved magicians, we could finally begin the long climb upward. I didn’t tell the teenagers our shop’s ranking, but they were sharp. They likely guessed it.

Pushing through the pain of spending what people would normally see as a small fortune, I bought the gadget assist pixie for a whopping eighty fucking spirit coins, leaving myself with only forty-one spirit coins. Still a fortune to many, but was nothing more than pennies.

Seeing that I still had some time before the workday began, I checked Andros’s spirit ring before confirming my purchases. I needed to manifest everything in the correct places.

[Andros’s Custom Storage Ring. Item rank: BB. Stores a moderate amount of items in a dimensional space.]

It contained a ton of gold, Andros’s items such as the swords, a tent, rations and dried meat, backup armor, and a letter to Andros’s family. One thing that caught my attention was a silver bracelet, which I took out to inspect.

[Spiritual treasure, Bracelet of Humming. Item rank: A. Item quality: Very Good. A band that helps with meditation.]

I shrugged and put on the bracelet. What was his was mine, am I right? He attacked first, not me. The decision to do what had to be done wasn’t an easy one, but I sure as shit didn’t lose sleep over that douche nugget.

Originally, I wanted to dose the Black Cross with sleeping potion to knock them out for at least a day. Put them on a cart with fast horses and send them off toward some random town, perhaps several, with a note revealing the lie that the hero ran off to another kingdom to escape someone. There was no guarantee that would work, but it beat having to fight the government elite force. Unfortunately, that went to shit. The bright side of things was that Gwendolyn didn’t have to burn away any additional trails thanks to the Black Cross flying all the way to the east. They’d likely be seen as defectors, perhaps to escape being government lackies.

The most troubling thing was that they’d simply be replaced according to Milia, indicating how little fucks the kingdom officials gave about them. They were tools and would go unavenged. I’d have to replace some four-leaf clovers to keep this lucky streak going. If only such a thing could extend to my potion making. Less failures, all results. That’d be nice.

With forty-one spirit coins remaining, I checked the equipment and devices section, hoping to see any upgrades. Unfortunately, my hopes of maybe replaceing a sale didn’t come to fruition.

[Equipment and Devices. Currently unlocked:

1. F-ranked Food Storage Box. Price: 2 spirit coins.

2. F-ranked Sled. Price: 1 spirit coin.

3. F-ranked Water Wheel System. Price: 5 spirit coins.

4. F-ranked Mana Gathering Machine. Price: 60 spirit coins.]

Luckily, I could repurchase items from here. I’d have to check the others later. Not that I’d need another forge, and I wasn’t sure if two gadget pixies would do more harm than good. What if they fought? Even if seeing some gladiator action between the two would be cool, I’d have to be the one to break them up before something terrible happened. Or if they started wielding fucking Kamehamehas at my house.

The mana gathering machine seemed interesting, but without a use for it at this moment, it would simply end up being a waste of precious spirit coins. I wasn’t sure what I’d do with a water wheel system without having a piece of machinery to use it; however, I bought it anyway. It’d help with supplying water to the area or perhaps… a setup for the forge’s bellows.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this cost a fuck ton of gold and nobles made use of them.

Ready to confirm, I stepped outside with the cube. Chenzu gave a bow in greeting. I bowed back, equal respect beaming from me like a lighthouse.

After replaceing a decent spot away from the house to install a forge, I confirmed everything. Prompts appeared, revealing my purchases as everything built itself.

[Basic Blacksmithing Forge. Nothing special about this forge yet. Must be used for 1 month before upgrading is possible. Practice is perfect! Requirement remains at 10,000 spirit coins. Good luck!]

[F-ranked Shed. It is possible to store magical items in here and grant access to specific people. Anyone without permission will be attacked until they’ve left the entirety of the premise. Upgrade for more storage space and features. To upgrade from F to E for free, use it for at least a week. No mana offering is needed. Otherwise, fill it with highly pure mana and pay 500 spirit coins.]

[Waterwheel. Item rank: D. Item quality: Excellent. A waterwheel. Utilize your river.]

A new presence manifested at my side. Six or seven inches tall and sporting purple skin, the woman had large blue eyes, long blue hair, and glistening, multicolored butterfly wings. I analyzed her as she rudely inspected me and Chenzu, shaking her head and nodding other times, making approval and disapproval noises.

[Analysis.]

[Opal. D-ranked Pixie. Gadget assistant. This is a friendly creature.]

“I wonder if Wolverine’s annoyed at me for the surprise bath,” I said to Chenzu, doing my best to hide how pleased I was with the shed. Upgradable, and for free, after just a week of use. The forge itself looked impressive to me, but even I could tell there was nothing special about it. You could feel an old rusty aura and glimpse its basicness. Yet, it would still serve its purpose.

Chenzu chuckled. “Wolves aren’t bothered by it like dogs.”

“Cheetara forced her way in and played in the water,” I said. “Luckily, she’s old enough.” I was positive kittens needed to be a minimum of nine weeks old before taking a dip in a bathtub. Cheetara was at least three to four months. Maybe older. Spirit beast kittens were completely different than their mortal counterparts. Hell, I didn’t even know she could swim. Not that the water was deep. She could… also walk on top of water like a shinobi, but no matter how much I asked how she did it, her adorable meows didn’t translate.

As if responding to a summon, the adorable kitten leapt onto my shoulder, rubbing against my cheek.

“You’re eager to know what’s going on, aren’t you?” I asked, smiling. The kitten meowed her response. Wolverine followed shortly, his tail wagging, proving Chenzu’s words. I pet him.

I could see the teenagers approaching from afar. When they finally got into view, Opal finally stopped her inspection.

“Lord Nate,” she said, her eyes seeming to beam with excitement.

“Just Nate,” I corrected.

The excitement only increased, and I had a feeling the creature would make life a bit more annoying, potentially difficult if I didn’t set any ground rules.

“My analysis took a little time,” Opal continued. And shall I say, without missing a beat. The pixie flew around us. “As just a mere D-ranked pixie, it is an honor to be summoned by a master magician.” She giggled maniacally, almost seeming to drool. “They laughed at me! They mocked me, just a humble fair lady.” She pouted, eyes teary. “They said one must be at least a C-ranked pixie to get the call of honor by even a whelp.” Opal’s tears vanished as she grew excited again. “The others are heartless morons on a quest for power, but everyone knows it’s the brain that progresses one in life. If you cannot assemble a high intensity magic enhancing device, then what are you doing?”

We all stared at her silently.

She flinched, returning to earth with us. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to go off on a rant. I’ve been mocked daily for one hundred years. You have no idea how happy I am to finally get away from that. Please don’t cancel our contract!”

I waved off her comment. “Welcome to our home.”

By this time, Milia had exited the house, having heard all the commotion. She eyed the pixie.

“Everyone, this is a pixie I summoned using the cube,” I announced, then turned to the floating fairy-like creature. I quickly introduced her to everyone, before revealing her role. “Mandi, show her the book. Opal, I’d like you to assist Mandi.”

“It is a humbling experience to hear a divine master magician take an apprentice, much less three of them, Great Wanda’s bubble,” Opal said, though no one seemed to have understood the ‘divine’ part of her sentence. It wasn’t something I wanted to explain. Mainly because I had no idea what that meant, aside from the obvious possibility of it being a special version of a master magician. “I will do my best to… Wanda’s jiggling backside! This book. Where did you replace this? It’s… it’s an S-ranked treasure trove.”

“It certainly is,” Mandi agreed, her eyes just as starry as the pixie’s. “I’m still carefully practicing the basics. Nate and Milia will provide the mana.”

[Tome of Magical Item Creation. Item rank: S. Item quality: Excellent. Infused with some of Atsuki the fallen angel’s mana, the user is capable of creating magical items, tools, gadgets, and trinkets of Superior and Extraordinary quality. The user is responsible for learning how to create such tools.]

“Oh Great Lord Nate,” Opal said, laughing. “It makes sense that you’re a ruthless teacher, expecting anyone who was worthy enough to be selected by you to pull their weight and tackle very difficult text.”

“It teaches the basics at the beginning,” Mandi deadpanned. “Whatever I don’t get, I search for in the library. Shera’s nice enough to let me enter for free, though it was at a discounted rate at first.”

“Like I said, it’s Nate, and keep the master magician thing a secret, okay?” I said.

Opal jerked to attention, giving me a fist to chest salute.

“Yes, your excellency! I mean Nate.”

“You’re fucking with me, aren’t you?” I said with a sigh. “Anyway, the difficulty of the book is why you’re here. Mandi’s somewhat of a late bloomer and her core hasn’t formed yet. So while we’re searching for a solution, she’ll take a different approach. Help her create the best magic tools and gadgets possible. Offense, defensive, be creative. If you do, I’ll grant you a request or something, within reason.”

“There’s no need for that, I doubt you humans have anything of value to us,” Opal said. “Besides, I can cultivate as much mana as my body can take in this world and so easily. This is more than I deserve.”

I shrugged, not refuting a gift horse. Recalling her words earlier, I considered the possibility that the system gave me a crazy discount on the purchase. Then tossed that thought into the fire. It was likely an inflated price.

I turned to see Lucas already in the forge, inspecting it. His excitement was almost on the level of the pixie’s.

“Come, honored apprentice Mandi,” Opal said. “Let’s go over here. I shall teach you the real basics. That book is easily understandable for me because I’ve made tools for hundreds of years, but for you, it doesn’t reveal the full story. I feel like Wanda’s a trickster goddess for doing that.” She looked around. “Psst. Don’t tell her I said that.”

“I’m going to start the first batch,” Harmony said, but I placed a hand in front of her.

“Are you sure you want to follow my path?” I asked, searching for any signs of hesitation. “You’ve got more potential than even the hero.”

She glared at me. “I already said I’m following in your footsteps. I haven’t stopped being intrigued ever since you created the first miracle potion. I may not be as good… but I won’t give up!” She marched inside.

My fiancée smiled sadly at me. I kissed her.

“I still can’t figure the brat out,” I said to her.

“Nate, you’re a role model to her,” Milia said. “Proof that someone can move into town with very little and make something of themselves. Perhaps you should stop lowering the personal view of yourself.”

I thought about those words for a good while before nodding. “You’re right. If I’m going to be a teacher, I need to do it right. That girl is as stubborn as it gets.” I shook my head. “Luckily for me, I’m not alone on this.”

Milia shrugged. “Swordsmanship and some magic is what she can get from me. But potion creation, well… you saw my qualities. I can’t wrap my head around the method of magic insertion. Do you utilize a pattern or something?”

“I should probably teach differently,” I said, scratching the back of my head. “I’ll try to figure something out. Maybe you’re onto something. I could draw the pattern and you guys follow it for practice.”

Turning to see Lucas running back to me excitedly, I gave Milia a nod, as it was my cue to introduce the forge. It took only a couple of minutes to explain my plan to Lucas, including the waterwheel system. I honestly didn’t feel like installing it and going through the trial and error to get it properly setup, so hiring someone to do it for me would be the key. Lucas did give me a brief skeptical look but ended up expressing his deep gratitude for the opportunity.

“We may have to get you some hired help,” I said.

“I don’t need any,” Lucas said, his eyes seemingly glowing. “Don’t insult my dwarf heritage, Sir Nate.” He chuckled. “I always wanted to say that.”

I stared at him, shaking my head, before giving him a smile of confidence.

“Don’t think this will get you out of potion making, kid,” I said.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, but the honest voice didn’t allow him to sound as cool as he likely intended. I still gave him a nod of approval.

“I’m expecting some great things from you,” I told him truthfully.