Chapter 395: Potion Master

Chapter 395: Potion Master

For the next few days, Rain immersed himself in Magic Weaving, driven by his newfound passion.

Audrey and Alicia, curious about Rain's sudden obsession, refrained from disturbing him, keeping their questions to themselves.

As Rain's experience with crafting Apprentice Robes began to diminish, he contemplated visiting Jacqueline again to inquire about more advanced Magic Weaving blueprints. However, upon further reflection, he decided against it, considering his alarming rate of advancement.

After all, his progress was astonishingly rapid.

Moreover, it wouldn't be long before he might seek more blueprints from her.

Instead, Rain opted to visit the supply exchange, where he exchanged 100 Contribution Points for a new Magic Weaving blueprint—the Purifying Robe.

Compared to the previous Apprentice Robe, the Purifying Robe was more challenging to craft, but it also elevated the item to a higher tier of Advanced Magic Items.

The classification of Advanced Magic Items considered various factors, including the number, practicality, and power of Zero-Tier Spells, as well as crafting difficulty and material rarity, making it a complex evaluation.

Overall, this assessment resembled the five-dimensional charts Rain had encountered in his previous life.

Additionally, Rain discovered that his new core skill, Focus, proved particularly effective when applied to learning new Magic Weaving blueprints.

With Focus activated, his thoughts became remarkably lucid, and his sewing skills seemed divinely inspired.

Challenges that would typically require assistance became clear to him with a moment's reflection.

After several attempts, the system notifications chimed:

[You have crafted the Intermediate Magic Item 'Purifying Robe', enhancing your understanding!]



[You have learned a new skill—Purifying Robe]



[Your skill in crafting Purifying Robes has improved. Experience gained: +10]



[You have successfully crafted an Intermediate Magic Item, 'Purifying Robe'. Magic Weaving experience gained: +103]



In Rain's new residence:

"Anna, try this," Rain said, handing her a white wizard's robe.

Anna's pretty face lit up with joy, her large, beautiful eyes fixed on Rain. "Rain, is this for me?"

"Yes, this is my first Intermediate Magic Item, the Purifying Robe," Rain explained with a smile.

"Just infuse a bit of Mental Energy, and it will activate two Zero-Tier Spells, 'Dust Removal' and 'Stain Removal,' keeping the robe clean and tidy at all times."

When Anna put it on, she found not only that the two Zero-Tier Spells embedded in the robe were incredibly useful but also that the entire Purifying Robe fit her perfectly.

"Hmm, Rain, how did you know my size?"

"Well, I measured it." Rain spread his palms, explaining.

Rain's words caused Anna's face to flush with embarrassment. She gently tapped his chest and then playfully teased him for a while.

"Knock knock!"

A knock sounded at the study door.

Rain's senses immediately identified the visitor as Alena, accompanied by Tatia, who wore a tall and straight uniform.

The two women glanced at Anna's flushed face and then at the wrinkles on her white robe, their own faces turning slightly red.

Rain, you're a bit too much.

In broad daylight.

In the study...

"Rain, we'll let you get back to work."

The two ladies' knowing looks made Anna even more bashful. She nodded quickly and then hurried out of the study with a parting remark.

"Ahem, please have a seat." Rain coughed, trying to dispel the awkwardness.

"Sir Rain, we're here to discuss a situation with you."

"The Dram Family has assured us that the previous incident was solely Greenwood's doing, and even the butler, Owen, has been dismissed."

"They've offered to compensate you for your losses. The headquarters would like to know your thoughts on this matter."

"The headquarters' opinion is my opinion," Rain replied diplomatically, considering the intricate web of relationships involved.

He understood that this incident entangled various factions, including traditionalists, reformers, and the interests of numerous imperial families, as well as other underlying factors.

Even the Dram Family had an Imperial Guardian backing them.

However, this didn't mean the matter was settled; it was simply a matter of timing.

From another perspective, even if Rain wanted to confront them directly, he would need the strength to overpower the Imperial Guardian known as 'Cloudburst'.

Additionally, Imperial Guardians had their own prerequisites for intervention.

If you attacked a family, it would be seen as a provocation towards the Imperial Guardian, and their retaliation would be considered justified.

In Rain's view, the challenge might not be limited to the Dram Family alone, considering the network of allies they had.

And now, he was considered a part of the Imperial Reformist faction and the Swordmaster Headquarters, which meant his decisions would be magnified, and naturally, he would need to respect the opinions of General Augustus and Marshal Alfred.

"Your Excellency, Rain, thank you for your understanding and support of the headquarters. We will strive to secure as many benefits for you as possible," Tatia said with a smile.

She naturally understood the meaning behind Rain's words.

Clearly, the powerful Rain before her had a clear understanding of the situation.

Although this time, the conservatives were forced to make concessions in many aspects, it wouldn't break their backs.

"By the way, Your Excellency Tatia, I'd like to ask, how did the Dram family explain why they attacked me?"

"And what about the butler, Owen? Since he was fired by the Dram family, can we find him?"

At this moment, Tatia, the female lieutenant, gave Rain a rather peculiar look and said, "According to them, Greenwood thought your companion was exceptionally beautiful, which led to the conflict between you."

Rain couldn't help but be slightly taken aback by her words, followed by a silent laugh.

As expected, the Dram family wasn't telling the truth, and they had concealed the fact that Anna was an elf.

It seemed that they hadn't given up, or perhaps there was another reason, such as not wanting to implicate those behind them.

"As for the butler, Owen, we've investigated these past few days, but he seems to have vanished without a trace. We suspect that he is no longer in this world."

Rain nodded.

Indeed, for such an influential imperial family, it would be difficult to find any obvious loopholes.

"By the way, what about the Noble Court and the Isodre Academy where Harold is from?" Rain asked after some thought.

"The Noble Court has already dealt with the matter. The young judge who presided over the case was influenced by certain individuals and has since been demoted. As for the Isodre Academy..."

"The headquarters has sent an inquiry, and they claim that Harold was also deceived and is a victim."

"He's also a victim?" Rain raised an eyebrow.

"Well, the Isodre Academy is a large-scale academy, and the influence the headquarters can exert on them is somewhat limited. Even if we mobilize high-level connections to suppress them, as long as they don't betray the empire, logically, they won't suffer much loss."

"Moreover, if we do that, they might develop a deeper grudge against you, leading them to use secret means to deal with you."

"Of course, our current approach doesn't guarantee that they won't use secret methods, but the possibility is lower."

"For you, if you go out recently, you should still be vigilant. But if you're in the imperial city, you basically don't have to worry."

Rain nodded, indicating his understanding.

Large-scale academies have relatively complete wizard lineages, and their overall strength is strong enough to make me so proud, he can even make me feel weak at the knees."

Even if they are still loyal to the empire, as the emperor, he couldn't possibly target them for minor matters.

But from another perspective, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. When he becomes strong enough, he can personally visit their academy for an exchange.

"Then, Your Excellency Rain, if there's nothing else, I'll return to negotiate the compensation with the Dram family."

"Okay, Your Excellency Tatia," Rain nodded with a smile.

"You're too kind, Your Excellency Rain," Tatia said, nodding to Olena before leaving.

Meanwhile, at the Cyrodiil Plateau.

The Isodre Academy, located in Nielheim.

As a large-scale wizard academy, the Isodre Academy's influence in Nielheim permeated every aspect of the city, almost as if the city was built to serve the academy.

In the grand hall at the center of Nielheim, several wizards clad in earth-yellow robes were solemnly reporting to an elder surrounded by multiple earth element shields.

Beside them on the ground lay a corpse, neatly wrapped, which Rain would instantly recognize as the 'Sculptor' Harold, whom he had killed.

"Master, Harold's tragic death is a severe blow to us. He was the strongest among us and had the potential to reach the epic level. Can we just let this matter go?" One of the wizards, who seemed close to Harold, spoke passionately.

"Yes, Master, this is also a significant blow to our academy's reputation. We can't let this slide!" Another wizard echoed.

"Enough! Harold brought this upon himself. As an Imperial Guardian, I cannot attack an Imperial Swordsman."

"Additionally, do you think anyone in the academy can defeat him?"

"If there is, I can agree to your request and have the Isodre Academy challenge him in our name." The elder spoke in a deep voice.

"This..."

The group exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss for words.

Clearly, their strength was still below Harold’s, and even the legendary Harold, known as the strongest, was no match for this Rain.

If they were to challenge him, not only would they lose, but the Isodre Academy’s prestige would suffer another blow.

"Master, are we just going to let this slide?" a wizard asked, unwilling to give up.

"I will handle this matter." The old man waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

After the group left, the old man pondered for a long time before heaving a heavy sigh and turning to a male wizard beside him. "Malcolm, contact the Tutkash Academy. We might need their help this time."

Hearing the name "Tutkash," Malcolm’s heart skipped a beat. "Yes, Master."

Not all wizard academies within the empire’s territory followed the imperial command. Various secret wizard academies, groups, and organizations existed.

The Tutkash Academy, specializing in necromancy, was one of them.

They were located on the Cyrodiil Plateau, but their main area of activity was on the western side of the plateau, near the westernmost border of the empire.

However, over the past thousand years, it seemed that they had been influenced by an evil deity. Many of the academy’s wizards were rumored to have turned to the worship of this dark god.

---

Imperial City of Tamriel.

In the following days, Rain’s manor received invitations to banquets and balls from various ducal and marquis families.

Many of these invitations came from conservative factions, but more were from the reformist noble families.

Their intentions were obvious: they wanted to befriend the rising star, Rain.

However, Rain thought about it and politely declined all the invitations.

If Jennifer were here, he might have let her represent him, but for Rain personally, attending these social events would be a significant drain on his time and energy, especially at this critical juncture, making it a poor investment.

His current status was built on his own strength, and that was his foundation, not anything else.

Perhaps, once he reached the Third Tier Crystallization Wizard level and became a Dragon Vein Mage, Rain would consider attending some social events.

At this moment, Rain had already leveled up his Magic Weaving Core Skill (Beyond Mortal) from level 1 to level 7, earning him 6 attribute points and 6 skill points.

This brought his total attribute points to 20 and his skill points to 7, while his gold skill points remained at 95.

"7 skill points, I still need 5 more to reach 12."

"If I consider learning two Third Tier Spells and quickly forming combat capabilities, I would need 24 skill points."

"Even if I can craft a new advanced magic item, the ‘Breeze Robe,’ it would be difficult to level up Magic Weaving to level 10, which is far from the 24 skill points needed."

"Looks like I need to have Alena arrange an official visit to the Royal Alchemists Association," Rain thought.

In the evening, when Rain returned to his manor, he found Anna chatting with a familiar but long-unseen figure.

"Miss Alisa?"

"Sir Rain, it’s finally good to see you again."

"Sir Rain, if I hadn’t heard that the Swordmaster Headquarters produced a genius who defeated the ‘Sculptor’ Harold, I wouldn’t have known you were in the capital!"

"And, why didn’t you contact me when you came to the capital?" Alisa’s beautiful eyes lit up, and she asked three questions in quick succession, slightly reproachful.

"By the way, Sir Rain, where did you find this lovely lady? Miss Anna is truly delightful." Alisa held Anna’s hand and said.

Anna didn’t seem uncomfortable, and the two seemed to be getting along well.

"Sorry, Miss Alisa, I’ve been quite busy lately. It was my oversight," Rain smiled and said.

Seeing Alisa, Rain realized he didn’t need Alena to arrange official channels to contact anyone, as Alisa herself was a formal researcher at the Royal Alchemists Association.

After some small talk, Rain learned that Alisa’s Stuart Family was also a ducal family in the capital.

"Sir Rain, you’re also interested in potion crafting?"

"With your status as an Elite Swordsman, I can take you directly to the Royal Alchemists Association headquarters." Alisa readily agreed to Rain’s request.

"How about tomorrow? In the afternoon, I’ll take you to the association headquarters, and in the evening, you can bring Miss Anna to my place for dinner, how does that sound?"

"I think my father would be very happy to meet you," Alisa invited.

"Thank you, Miss Alisa."

"Alright, then I’ll trouble you. I haven’t seen Special Envoy Javier in a long time, so it’s only right to pay him a visit." Rain thought for a moment and smiled, nodding in agreement.

The next afternoon.

Rain followed Alisa to the headquarters of the Royal Alchemists Association, located in the second ring of the capital.

After checking his Swordmaster credentials, they passed through the heavy oak doors, and Rain’s eyes were met with over a dozen three-meter-tall human-shaped stone statues.

"Sir Rain, these are the renowned Potion Masters in the history of the Association," Alisa said, pointing to two distinctive multi-story buildings on either side. "That one is the Herb Cultivation Room, and that's the Laboratory."

"Sir Rain, which one would you like to visit first?"

"Perhaps we should start with the Laboratory," Rain suggested after a moment's thought. In his mind, potion crafting seemed more relevant to his future job change than herb cultivation.

"Very well, Sir Rain, let's go and see my mentor, Master Kavrella," Alisa agreed.

"Alright."

Soon, they arrived at the second floor and approached a laboratory. The door was slightly ajar, and through the crack, Rain could clearly see a vast laboratory resembling a classroom from his past life.

Seven or eight alchemists in long robes were working on various projects at long tables.

At the far end of the laboratory, separated by a transparent glass partition, an elderly man with a white goatee was meticulously crafting a potion, holding a pipette and a flask.

"Sir Rain, it seems like the mentor is working on an advanced potion. Let's go and take a look," Alisa said, a hint of excitement in her voice.

Advanced potion?

This reminded Rain of something.

When he transcended into the Beyond Mortal realm, he had consumed an advanced potion.

Could this Master Kavrella be crafting the very same potion? Rain's eyebrows arched in interest as he quickened his pace to follow Alisa, stopping a few meters away from the glass wall to observe carefully.

"Sir Rain, this is the Shadow Panther Potion, crafted by the mentor," Alisa whispered beside him.

Suddenly, a system notification appeared:

[Ding! Host detected contact with potion crafting, triggering the Fatal Poisoner (Beyond Mortal) subsequent job change - Potion Master (Legendary)!]



[The prerequisites for changing to Potion Master (Legendary) are: 1. Level 5 or above in a potion-related profession in the Beyond Mortal realm; 2. Spirit attribute of 30 points or higher; 3. Mastery of three or more advanced potions. Current conditions do not meet the requirements! Job change to Potion Master (Legendary) failed!]



Upon seeing the system notification, Rain couldn't help but smile.

"Finally, the long-awaited job change hint. It wasn't easy," he thought to himself.

Back when he was in Mayster County, he had changed jobs to become the Fatal Poisoner (Beyond Mortal), but it wasn't until he arrived in the Imperial City of Tamriel that he received this subsequent job change hint.

"Obtaining the formulas for three or more advanced potions won't be easy," Rain mused.

"But with the job change hint, there's no rush to do it immediately."

That evening, Rain brought Anna to the Stuart Family Manor, where they dined with Javier and Alisa, enjoying a pleasant evening together.

The next morning—

"Sir Rain, here is the report on significant incidents that occurred in various regions of the Empire this week," Alena said, handing a document to Rain.

He took the report and quickly scanned through it.

"In Wesminster Province, the Limb Cult caused a tragedy in Valis County, resulting in nearly a thousand casualties. The Wesminster Swordmasters are still handling the situation."

"In Savva Province, the Steelmane Boar Tribe was incited and launched attacks on multiple surrounding towns."

"In Mosel Province, the Ancient Mother Tree Cult resurfaced and attacked the Empire's secret realm, the Dark Cavern. This triggered a large number of ancient beasts within the cavern to assault the surrounding towns. Currently..."

"..."

Rain wondered if this sudden surge in cult activity was influenced by some divine intervention.

As he skimmed through the report, he noticed that most incidents, except for a few involving foreign races, were related to cults. In a short time, various cults had wreaked havoc across the Empire's provinces, causing multiple tragedies!

"It seems like we don't have any informants within these cults. If we always respond after the incidents occur, the casualties will be immense," Rain said with concern.

"There are informants, but it's extremely challenging," Alena replied after some thought.

"The cult initiation rituals are meticulously designed, leaving almost no loopholes. Not to mention the mind-bending tests, similar to the effects of a truth serum."

"Additionally, there are other constraints. Even the most steadfast spies may gradually lose their resolve after participating in multiple prayer rituals."

"And if a divine projection appears during a major ceremony, it's an insurmountable obstacle."

"I see," Rain nodded.

No wonder the Empire often seemed to be one step behind or somewhat passive in dealing with cult activities. The issue lay in the difficulty of infiltrating these cults.

The idea of using a double agent seemed unfeasible, at least for the cults.

"By the way, Sir Rain, here's the information you asked for about specific incidents involving dragons or dragonborn," Alena said, handing him a thick stack of documents.

"I've gathered and filtered the reports from various provinces. These are the most notable incidents involving dragons or dragonborn."

Alena handed Rain a thick stack of papers.

"The first report is about the strongest dragon-related incident, as per your request. However, I suggest you consider the second and third incidents as well," Alena said tactfully.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end