This wizard only wants to take students

Chapter 40: Hymn of Moonlight

Inside the Trading District.

“Hanks, I want to sell a batch of recovery potions.”
Lucien approached a third-tier wizard apprentice with a fixed stall and got straight to the point.

“Good thing the original host was at least a half-decent alchemist. Otherwise, selling such a large quantity of potions right now would have been a lot more troublesome,” he thought to himself as he took out the potions, silently thankful.

“Recovery potions? Lucien, looks like congratulations are in order—you finally pulled it off!”
Hanks, a chubby third-tier wizard apprentice, looked exceptionally friendly—more like a smooth-talking merchant than a cold, calculating wizard.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Do you know how much time and effort I poured into practicing alchemy?” Lucien scoffed. “I’ve only just gotten the hang of recovery potions. And even then, you know how it is—low success rates make it barely profitable.”

Hanks didn’t comment on Lucien’s complaints. Instead, he carefully inspected the forty recovery potions Lucien had brought.

“Hmm… the quality of this one isn’t up to standard.”
Hanks held up a flawed potion, his expression turning a bit hesitant.

“Name your price,” Lucien said calmly. “If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just stay in the trading area a bit longer and sell them directly to apprentices who need them. It’ll only cost me some time.”

Hanks muttered, “You alchemists really are a handful…” Still, he quickly counted the rest of the potions and calculated a number in his head.

“All together—125 magic stones,” Hanks said, looking at Lucien. “You know how it is—potions with flaws just don’t fetch a high price.”

“How about 130 magic stones?” Lucien met Hanks’ gaze. As the man looked ready to puff up and reject the offer, Lucien added, “I also want to buy fifty sets of ingredients for Hymn of Moonlight, along with the potion’s recipe.”

Hanks immediately shut his half-open mouth, sharp glints flashing in his beady eyes.

Hymn of Moonlight was one of the most difficult potions for wizard apprentices to concoct. Just a single set of ingredients cost two magic stones! The profit margin was significant. And considering how much material an alchemist consumes while learning to brew a new potion, Hanks could easily make up for what he lost on the recovery potions through this and future deals.

“Fine, consider it a gift to celebrate your becoming a proper alchemist, Lucien,” Hanks said with a chuckle.

Lucien smiled in return. So far, his trip to the trading district had gone exactly as planned.

Hymn of Moonlight.

That was the potion Lucien had chosen to develop next. And his reason for selecting it as a meditation aid was simple—its main ingredient was moonlight moss.

Soon, he would be heading to Kose Island, where moonlight moss grew in abundance. There, acquiring the key ingredient would become much easier and cheaper. He wouldn’t have to worry about someone back at the academy exploiting a monopoly to choke off his supply.

But Lucien had another reason in mind.

He wanted to teach Carly how to brew Hymn of Moonlight as well. If they ever discovered an upgraded version of the potion, chances were high that moonlight moss—or a derivative of it—would still be a core component.

And on Kose Island, with its abundant supply, he might even be able to gather all the rare ingredients needed for the enhanced version. With that at his side, the time it would take him to advance to a full-fledged wizard could be significantly shortened.

“Oh, by the way—do you have any finished Hymn of Moonlight potions?” Lucien asked as he accepted the magic stones and materials from Hanks.

“Looking for a sample?” Hanks smiled, though there was a tinge of helplessness in his expression. “Sorry, I don’t have any. As you know, potions like this—used for training and meditation—are always in high demand. But if you manage to produce some and are willing to sell, bring them to me first. I’ll offer you a price you’ll love.”

Hanks said this with confident eyes.

“Thanks, Hanks.”
Lucien smiled politely, but he didn’t commit. Unlike common potions like recovery elixirs, Hymn of Moonlight was a high-end item—clearly a seller’s market. Maybe not priceless, but definitely never lacking for buyers.

In fact, some might even say that rare potions like this held their value better than magic stones.

“Oh, one more thing—have you seen Norian recently?” Lucien suddenly asked just as he was about to leave.

Hanks’ round face grew conflicted. “Ah, Lucien, my friend… I’d love to help, but Norian is one of my most loyal clients…”

Lucien placed two magic stones on the table in front of him.

“This isn’t about money. It’s about principle. I can’t go leaking client information…”

Lucien calmly placed three more stones on the table. “I’m here to buy information.”

“Three days ago. He went to the Bone Grave. Said he was going to go into seclusion there!”
Hanks’ pudgy hands moved so fast they almost left an afterimage as he swept the five stones off the table. Then, using mental communication, he whispered the intel directly to Lucien.

“Hymn of Moonlight—legend has it this ancient potion recipe came from the Elves. Its name and the preparation process are as elegant and complicated as the Elves themselves.”

Inside the laboratory, Lucien studied the recipe written on a large, special leaf. After triple-checking that he had memorized the full process, he put the leaf away. With a wave of his hand, he retrieved the ingredients for Hymn of Moonlight from his spatial ring.

Seeds of the Qike Tree.
Moonlight Moss.
And… Tears of the Mermaid Shell.

“Thankfully, the Qike seeds and mermaid shell tears are renewable. Once I’ve got live specimens and raise them properly, they’ll be easy to harvest. The real cost is the moonlight moss.”

Lucien exhaled softly and began preparing the potion.

“Listen to the moonlight’s hymn—it is nature’s most resplendent symphony…”

In the language of the Elves, Lucien chanted the poetic verse aloud like a melodic incantation. At the same time, he fixed his gaze on a tiny sprout growing from the moonlight moss. Carefully, he nurtured the fragile yet beautiful plant with a special flow of mental energy.

The silver-toned seedling shimmered like moonlight. It swayed gently under Lucien’s chant and magical nourishment, slowly growing.

Suddenly, the delicate plant withered in an instant. The patch of moonlight moss it grew from also dimmed, its energy dispersing into the air—reduced to a useless husk.

“Attempt number twenty-one… failure.”
Lucien remained calm. He meditated to restore his mental strength to its peak, then activated the system’s appraisal function. Spending two reverence points, he analyzed the failed batch.

“A misstep in mental energy control…” Lucien nodded to himself, reorganized his workstation, and began attempt number twenty-two.

(End of Chapter)