Bear School Astartes

Chapter 75: 75. Configuring Magic Potions and Intelligence

Lann was still sorting through piles of herbs, occasionally chatting with Margaret.

”You know, my lonely and bored students are very interested in you. A strong, energetic, exotic-looking Demon Hunter, who even miraculously got access above Luoxia Palace. If it weren’t for me stopping them, your first night here might have been visited by some ’guests’ wearing nothing at all.”

Lann crushed the petals in his hands with a mortar and raised an eyebrow in response.

”’Some’? Are Female Warlocks so open? I thought at most they only came one at a time.”

”Don’t underestimate the allure of your body, little Demon Hunter. Especially for Female Warlocks.”

Margaret propped her chin on the armrest of her wheelchair.

”I know most men wouldn’t refuse such a privilege, but I consider you an ally and friend. When I want to give you benefits, I’ll inform you in advance and get your consent.”

”How about it? I could cancel the ban outside your room tonight, and those students might even have a fight during afternoon class to be the first to get into your room.”

Margaret looked playfully at the Demon Hunter’s body as she said this.

She didn’t seem like an academy head, but rather someone eager to see the fun.

And for the Female Warlock Academy, this was indeed harmless entertainment.

”Please, Rita, keep the ban. Actually, for my first time, I want it to be with an Enchanting Demon.”

Damn, it’s just dirty jokes! Who’s afraid of whom!

Poor Mr. Lan, at this moment, relies on the Demon Hunter’s bodily control to not blush!

This is a man’s dignity!

”Ah... Enchanting Demon.”

Behind Lann, Margaret’s voice sounded very calm.

Yet there seemed to be an indistinct creaking sound, like something wooden being tightly gripped.

”Yes, such pleasure-born creatures are quite popular. Maybe the academy can help find one for you.”

After speaking, the sound of her wheelchair rolling continued until it was outside the door.

”Phew-” Lann let out a heavy breath.

Then he turned his head and saw Alia, who was giggling like a squirrel with her hand over her mouth.

She immediately composed herself and jogged off to wash the used mortar.

The timetable given by Mentos was extremely precise.

After several hours of continuous data entry of herbal potency, Lann now had enough experience distinguishing most common alchemical herbs, equivalent to a regular alchemist working for five or six years.

[Alchemy] - 73% proficiency.

This was already sufficient for magic potion formulation.

Of course, the price of such rapid learning was that nearly one-seventh of the huge budget had been spent.

During the lunch break, Lann had already explored all the common types of herbs stored in Airetusa Academy’s reserve.

Herbal potency experience was recorded in the database as reference data for future potion-making.

And as one of the two major Northern Warlock Academies, Airetusa’s store was enough to represent most herbs on the market.

”[Swallow], [Pure White Rafad], [Enhanced White Honey]... Is my alchemy proficiency sufficient to make these three magic potions?”

Mentos seemed very confident in Lann’s query.

”The significance of the proficiency system in the bio-intelligence brain lies in this, sir.”

”Your [Alchemy] skill originates from Bordeaux; the full specification should be [Bordeaux’s Alchemy], and 73% proficiency represents Bordeaux at its highest state at 73% of its alchemical level.”

”In the future, if you acquire more advanced alchemical knowledge from others, the skill will transform into [***’s Alchemy], with proficiency values adjusting accordingly.”

”Ordinary humans experience fluctuations, but with the assistance of the intelligence brain, as long as the body doesn’t suffer organic damage, proficiency will not decline.”

”Does Bordeaux’s highest state of 73% alchemical strength suffice for making these three magic potions? Are your taste, smell, and feel off now?”

”I believe you already know the answer.”

Yes, there’s no problem.

Lann nodded to himself.

”Sir, it’s all washed now. Three rinses with water, not missing a single one.”

Alia took out one glass container after another from the sink and placed them back on the alchemy bench.

Lann signaled her to stand aside and walked up to the alchemy bench.

Now it wasn’t practice but a real preparation.

For the long-prepared surgery, he prepared to safeguard himself with a ”medical kit.”

”Phew- Mentos. Activate alchemical assist mode.”

”Command received, extracting alchemical formula, first item [Swallow], assist begins...”

~~~~~~

By dinner time, Lann found Margaret holding a glass of Aphrodisia red wine, leisurely reading a love poetry collection.

This woman seemed nothing like the rumored Mage.

Compared to boring magic research and bloodless political maneuvers, her enjoyment of luxurious living was surprisingly refreshing.

”Don’t come too close, little Demon Hunter. Your herbal scent will ruin this wine.”

The Female Warlock pointed to a nearby redwood chair, indicating for him to sit over there.

Her expression was much colder compared to the morning conversation.

That chair had a seat with a lavishly comfortable-looking sheep leather pad tacked onto it, clearly expensive.

Lann shrugged and compliantly sat on it.

”I thought the Enchanting Demon’s scent would ruin this wine.”

”Enchanting Demon, huh...” Margaret laughed softly.

”Seems you finally have time on your hands. Is there something you need?”

Lann offered a sincere compliment.

”Your alchemy classroom is indeed very useful. But ultimately, I’m an employee of Airetusa Academy here for intelligence.”

When it came to business, both of their expressions became serious. Lann’s posture leaned slightly forward in the chair, while Margaret set aside the poetry book and wine glass.

”Has the information on the Yangbian Lie Ma come through?”

The Head Eater had boarded that ship with over twenty children, and it was the only clue Lann had on their whereabouts.

After Margaret decided to make Lann her ”debt collector,” the search for this intelligence was handed over to the Airetusa Academy.

They’re a long-standing and powerful academy; the Female Warlocks who graduate establish networks using the academy as a bond.

This force used to track clues was considerably more powerful than a lone Demon Hunter could ever be.

”Thanks to the academy’s network, our foreign affairs department has indeed uncovered some information.”

Discussing these scumbags, who ate one of her students and almost ate the rest, Margaret’s face turned frighteningly cold.

”The Yangbian Lie Ma is registered in Novigrad, operating between the Southern Niflgaard Empire and Novigrad year-round, dealing in prized timber goods.”

Lann adjusted for a more comfortable position in the chair.

”The trade capital of the world and the far-flung Southern Empire... it sounds like this business is quite normal.”

”Not ’quite normal,’ everything about them is completely normal. According to route information, on the night you crushed those bastards, they were indeed passing along the Velen coast. Which means, the ship you saw wasn’t a swapped vessel.”

Hanging over Margaret’s wheelchair backrest was a small backpack.

The style was typical of a finely crafted, easily carried handbag for ladies.

Her hand rummaged inside, and she pulled out a big stack of documents.

Lann couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

The document stack’s volume clearly exceeded the handbag’s capacity.

This was space manipulation magic.

The blonde beauty flipped through the documents.

”An even greater ’coincidence’ is this. The ship’s captain had pre-booked a batch of carriage in Novigrad for freight, but yesterday, the carriage company received notice of decreased rentals and a breach fee.”

Lann smirked and asked, ”If it was for human transport, how many could the original number carry?”

Margaret sneered while flipping page by page through the documents, ”Around a hundred.”

”And after the reduction?”

”At most twenty-five.”

”Aha.” Lann clapped in his chair, with cold glints coming from his eyes.

”Then the final question is... the destination of this cargo?”

”Snap,” Margaret tossed the stack of documents onto her hand, making a crisp sound.

”Not far away, the Temerian Capital — Vizima.”