Chapter 75

Chapter 75: Brewing Potions and Gathering Intelligence

Lan continued to sort through piles of herbs while occasionally responding to Margarita's conversation.

"You know, my lonely and bored students are very interested in you. A strong, energetic, exotic-looking witcher who has, for the first time, been granted access above the Loxia Palace. If I hadn't intervened, you would have had a few 'guests' visiting you in the nude on your first night here."

Lan raised an eyebrow as he crushed petals in a mortar.

"'A few'? Are sorceresses really that open? I thought it would be more like taking turns."

"Don't underestimate the appeal of your body, little witcher. Especially to sorceresses." Margarita propped her chin on the armrest of her wheelchair.

"I know most men wouldn't refuse such treatment, but I consider you an ally and a friend. When I want to give you a benefit, I'll notify you in advance and get your consent."

"So? Tonight, I can lift the ban outside your door. Those students might even fight in class this afternoon to be the first to enter your room."

Margarita spoke with a teasing tone, her eyes scanning Lan's body. She didn't seem like the rectoress of an academy but more like someone eagerly anticipating some entertainment.

And for the sorceress academy, this was indeed harmless fun.

"Please keep that ban in place, Rita. My first time was actually meant to be with a succubus."

Damn it, dirty jokes! Who's afraid of whom?

Poor virgin Mr. Lan was relying on his witcher's body control to avoid blushing! This was a matter of male dignity!

"Ah, a succubus."

Behind Lan, Margarita's voice sounded calm. But the faint creaking suggested that something like a wooden armrest was being tightly gripped.

"Yes, those creatures born for pleasure are quite popular too. Maybe the academy can help you find one."

After saying this, the sound of her wheelchair rolling away echoed until it disappeared outside the door.

"Phew—" Lan let out a relieved sigh. Then he turned his head and caught Arya, who was covering her mouth and giggling like a squirrel.

With a stern look from his cat-like eyes, she immediately straightened her expression and ran off to wash the used mortar.

Mentos's time management was extremely precise.

After several hours of continuously inputting herb potency data into the database, Lan now had the equivalent of five to six years of experience in identifying most commonly used alchemical herbs.

[Alchemy] - 73% proficiency.

This was enough to handle potion brewing.

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

By lunchtime, Lan had explored all the common herb types in Aretuza's storage. The herb potency data was recorded in the database as reference for future potion-making.

And as one of the two major sorceress academies, Aretuza's storage was representative of the vast majority of herbs on the market.

"[Swallow], [White Raffard's Decoction], [Enhanced White Honey]. Is my alchemy proficiency enough to brew these three potions?"

Mentos sounded confident in response to Lan's question.

"The significance of the proficiency system lies precisely in this, sir."

"Your [Alchemy] skill originates from Bordon. Its full name should be [Bordon's Alchemy]. A 73% proficiency represents 73% of Bordon's peak alchemical ability."

"In the future, if you acquire more advanced alchemical knowledge from others, the skill name will change to [XXX's Alchemy], and the proficiency value will adjust accordingly."

"Ordinary humans experience fluctuations in performance, but with the my assistance, as long as the subject doesn't suffer organic damage, proficiency will not degrade."

"Is 73% of Bordon's peak alchemical ability enough to brew these three potions? Are your taste, smell, and touch still functioning?"

"I think you know the answer."

Yes, it was enough. Lan nodded slightly to himself.

"My lord, everything's been washed. Three rinses with clean water, not one less." Arya took out one glass instrument after another from the sink and placed them back on the alchemy table.

Lan gestured for her to stand aside while he stepped up to the table.

This wasn't practice anymore—it was real brewing.

Brewing the "medical kit" to protect himself for the long-planned surgery.

"Phew—Mentos. Activate alchemy assistance mode."

"Command received. Alchemy formula retrieved. First item: [Swallow]. Assistance initiated..."

***

As dinner approached, Lan found Margarita leisurely sipping a glass of wine while reading a book of love poetry. This woman didn't seem like the typical image of a mage.

Compared to the tedious study of spells and the bloodless manipulation of politics, her enjoyment of a luxurious life seemed almost refreshing.

"Don't get too close, little witcher. The herbal scent on you will ruin this wine." Her expression was much colder compared to their conversation earlier in the morning.

The sorceress pointed to a mahogany chair not far away, indicating for Lan to sit there. The chair had a comfortable-looking sheepskin cushion nailed to its seat, clearly expensive.

Lan shrugged and obediently sat down.

"I thought it was the scent of a succubus that would ruin the wine."

"A succubus, huh..." Margarita chuckled lightly.

"It seems you've finally found some free time. What brings you here?"

Lan spoke with sincere flattery.

"Your alchemy classrooms are indeed very useful. But I am, after all, an employee of Aretuza Academy. I'm here for information this time."

When it came to serious matters, both of their expressions turned serious. Lan leaned slightly forward in his chair, while Margarita set down her poetry book and wine glass.

"Any news on that ship?"

The Head Eater had taken the twenty or so children onto that ship, and it was the only lead Lan had on their whereabouts.

After Margarita expressed her intention to make Lan her "debt collector," the search for this information was taken over by Aretuza Academy.

They were a long-established and powerful academy, and the sorceresses who graduated from here had built a network of connections.

This power, when used to track down leads, was far superior to a lone witcher.

"Thanks to the academy's network, our external affairs department has indeed found something." When talking about the scum who had eaten one of her students and nearly eaten her, Margarita's expression turned icy.

"The 'Galloping Whip' is registered in Novigrad. They frequently travel between Nilfgaard and Novigrad, dealing in precious timber."

Lan shifted into a more comfortable position in his chair.

"The world's trade capital and the distant southern empire... Sounds like a normal business."

"Not 'sounds like.' Everything about them is normal. According to shipping records, they were indeed passing by the coast of Velen on the night you crushed those scum. In other words, the ship you saw wasn't a decoy."

Margarita's wheelchair had a small backpack hanging on the back. It was a delicate handbag commonly used by ladies. She rummaged inside and pulled out a thick stack of documents.

Lan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. The volume of the documents clearly exceeded the size of the small bag.

This was spatial magic.

The golden-haired beauty flipped through the documents.

"And more 'coincidentally,' the ship's captain had previously booked a set of carriages from a carriage company in Novigrad for transporting goods. But yesterday, the carriage company received a notice to reduce the number of carriages rented, along with a penalty fee."

Lan smirked. "If they were transporting people, how many could the original number of carriages carry?"

Margarita flipped through the documents page by page, her expression cold. "Around a hundred."

"And after the reduction?"

"At most, twenty-five."

"Aha." Lan clapped his hands with a smile, but his eyes had already begun to gleam with a cold light.

"So, the final question is, where is this cargo headed?"

'"Snap." Margarita slapped the stack of documents against her hand, producing a crisp sound.

"Not far. The capital of Temeria—Vizima."

*****

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