「A few days later.」

Deciphering Art!

A faint halo emerged from Carl's palm, covering the several Potion bottles in front of him, and he then said, "Antidote Potion, medium quality, meets the requirements."

"The total purchase price is seventeen Magic Stones. Keep the receipt safe and come exchange it for Magic Stones next month."

An adjacent goose-feather quill dipped itself in ink, wrote a receipt on triplicate paper, and handed one copy to the potion-making apprentice before it. The other two copies remained, one in the shop and one for Wizard Archie for reconciliation.

The Potions bought by the apothecary would not be paid for on the spot but would be paid out collectively a month later. This effectively reduced the financial pressure on the apothecary, a testament to the reputation established as the shop grew.

"Thank you!"

The apprentice's face beamed with excitement as he raised his hands to receive the receipt, carefully tucking it away before taking his leave.

"Not bad," Charlie, who was sitting beside him, said with a nod. "Junior Brother Carl has trained his Deciphering Art very well, although he lacks some experience and isn't familiar with the Potions here."

"Yes," Carl said, using Mage Hand to send the Potions into the storeroom. "I also didn't expect there to be dozens of varieties of just Antidote Potions. The Magic Materials here are indeed enviably abundant."

"HAHA..." Charlie laughed loudly. "You might say, this is what normal looks like."

"The brilliance of the Divine in the Eastern Kingdom Continent is so dazzling that even the existence of the Star Realm is blocked off."

Without the Star Realm sprinkling Transcendent seeds, naturally, various Magic Creatures wouldn't be born, nor would countless materials.

He stood up. "With that, I can rest assured that the shop can function normally in your hands."

"Next, I'll help you gradually get familiar with the ledger. A portion of the shop's income goes to the High Tower, and another part is for the Cape family tax. The remainder covers employee wages and our own profits," he said, patting Carl on the shoulder before sauntering towards the Leipzig Market, obviously relieved to unload his burden.

「Midnight.」

After a busy day, Carl returned to the backyard.

Wizard Archie usually lived in the Wizard Tower and rarely came back. Although Charlie hadn't married or had children here, he kept several women and had a fixed residence. So the apothecary's backyard currently belonged solely to Carl, doubling as a guard against potential thefts from the storeroom.

In the center of the courtyard stood a disk the size of a washbasin, with complex runic imprints engraved upon it.

The Star Disk!

This was a kind of Demonized Item capable of activating various Witchcraft Traps, somewhat similar to the arrays Carl remembered. The Star Disk harnessed the power of the Star Realm and, with the aid of Magic Stones, enveloped the entire shop within it. If any strangers attempted to sneak in, they would be met with a barrage of witchcraft attacks.

Of course, the expenditure was not insignificant. Maintaining the Star Disk's most basic operation required eight Magic Stones per month, and more when facing enemies.

Both the Star Disk and other Demonized Items revealed that the path of wizardry here far surpassed that of the Black Swamp.

After inspecting the Star Disk, Carl strode into the study, where several thick books lay on the desk. The books detailed the current state of the Magic Forest.

'The Magic Forest is vast. Areas suitable for human habitation are not plentiful and are scattered across its various corners. This has resulted in the absence of any unified power for many years.'

'Similar to the Leipzig Market managed by the Cape family, there are several more such markets throughout the Magic Forest.'

'Each family or power controlling a market has at least one Second Circle Wizard stationed there.'

'The strongest, the Weiting family, manages four markets and even boasts a Three-Circle Wizard. However, this Wizard hasn't shown himself for decades, and many speculate he has died or gone to distant lands.'

'The Six Rings Tower from the Kaliem Continent, White Teeth Castle, and the Secret Cultivation Association hold a unique status here. Despite not possessing great strength themselves, they have powerful backers, so other forces rarely dare to provoke them. These three organizations maintain covert connections and also have a Second Circle Wizard among them.'

Carl stopped flipping through the books and pondered.

So, determining whether a power is strong or not hinges on whether there's a Second Circle Wizard at its core.

Under normal circumstances, a Second Circle Wizard could live for five hundred years. With special witchcraft practices, some could even live up to a thousand years. For instance, the Grey Robed Wizard Adison could have lived for a millennium had he not sacrificed himself. Therefore, merely having one Second Circle Wizard could almost guarantee a family's prosperity for hundreds of years. And with those centuries, they could nurture another Second Circle Wizard among their descendants, ensuring the continuation of the family legacy.

"Strange!" Carl frowned, shaking his head slightly.

Even if the environment is unsuitable, and despite facing the myriad dangers of the Magic Forest, a single, large power would obviously increase the survival prospects of ordinary people and Wizard Apprentices. So why hasn't there been unification for thousands, or even tens of thousands, of years?

Geographical reasons alone shouldn't be enough to prevent unification.

Could it be... that in all this time, the Magic Forest has never produced a singularly brilliant figure?

Though puzzled, he could not find answers in the books. Rather than worry about the larger picture, it was more practical to focus on his immediate surroundings.

The Six Rings Tower!

Being an apprentice of the Six Rings Tower from the Kaliem Continent was an honor, as it represented one of the continent's top powers. Similarly, in the eyes of the Wizards from the Six Rings Tower, the Magic Forest was nothing more than a dangerous, barren wilderness. Nobody wanted to come here.

Just like children from wealthy families in the capital city, how many would be willing to go to the rural countryside and then stay for thirty years?

The group from the Black Swamp came here because they had no other choice, and the place they came from was even worse.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.