The Snake Tooth Grass needed to be ground into powder.
The Mountain Wormwood, on the other hand, had to be boiled. He needed to add a large cup of water—eight ounces—into the crucible and simmer it down until only one ounce of liquid remained, which would then be extracted for use. Gaode estimated that one ounce was roughly equivalent to thirty milliliters in his original world.
Processing the Green Spider Sac was much simpler: he just had to pierce it and extract the venom inside. Gaode completed this step using the Mage's Hand. Although the toxicity of the Green Spider Venom primarily caused paralysis, it was still slightly corrosive. If he accidentally got it on his hands, it would undoubtedly cause some trouble.
With all the materials fully prepped, it was time for the final step: fusing their medicinal properties together. This was the most crucial stage in concocting the Potion.
Gaode took a deep breath. He retrieved a conical glass vial from the rack on his desk and "skillfully" poured in the extracted Mountain Wormwood juice, followed by five ounces of honey water. He gently swirled the vial. Once the liquids had completely blended, he swiftly dumped in more than half of the grayish-green powder ground from the Snake Tooth Grass.
The moment the powder hit the mixture, the liquid inside began to violently churn as if boiling, its color slowly shifting.
Gaode released his Spiritual Power once more, fixing his gaze intensely on the vial. Strange ripples reappeared in his field of vision. Only this time, they were constantly intertwining, merging, and shifting. He observed their changes meticulously, occasionally adding pinches of Snake Tooth Grass powder based on the reactions. He worked hard to steer the final state of the ripples into the desired form.
The amount of Snake Tooth Grass powder couldn't be too much or too little; he had to strike a perfect balance. If he added too much, he needed to immediately pour in a splash of honey water to Neutralize it. If it was too little, he had to supplement it right away. To put it plainly, this process was a delicate balancing act, much like adding flour when a dough is too wet, or water when it's too dry.
However, executing it was far from easy. On one hand, Gaode had to focus his Spiritual Power to monitor the shifting ripples. On the other, it demanded an absolute understanding of the materials' properties, requiring him to know exactly how much of an ingredient to add in any given situation.
After nearly ruining the Potion in his first few attempts by misjudging the Snake Tooth Grass powder, Gaode finally managed to calm his initial panic. By now, the preparation of the Potion was drawing to a close.
When the final drop of Green Spider Venom fell into the vial, the violently churning liquid gradually settled. A grayish-green Magic Spirit Light could be faintly seen flashing through the liquid.
This was the mark of successfully brewing a Basic Spider Venom Potion. If one had mastered the Trick: [Detect Magic], they would be able to see this Magic Spirit Light within the mixture once more.
Looking at the faintly green liquid in the vial, a deep sense of accomplishment and pride swelled in Gaode's heart. A Basic Spider Venom Potion was a Zero Tier Potion. It possessed a potent paralyzing effect but was non-lethal. Buyers typically used it to coat their arrows when hunting fierce beasts.
Unable to wait, he grabbed three noticeably smaller conical vials from the rack and poured the freshly brewed Basic Spider Venom Potion into them. A Basic Spider Venom Potion brewed from a standard recipe could be divided into three smaller vials for sale. Selling it this way yielded a higher profit margin for an Alchemist and was more affordable for buyers.
But after filling the three small vials, Gaode was surprised to find that about half an ounce of liquid still remained in the large vial in his hand. According to his memories, a standard batch of Basic Spider Venom Potion should have yielded just enough to fill three small vials, with each vial holding exactly two ounces. How could there be so much left over?
"Unless..."
A sudden thought flashed through Gaode's mind. The next second, he immediately began searching around his small workspace. Finally, he dug out a wooden box from the very bottom shelf of the rack. Inside were three small vials of Basic Spider Venom Potion, six Gold Coins gleaming with an enchanting luster, and dozens of scattered Silver Coins and Copper Coins.
Gaode's heart began to pound violently. Without a doubt, this was a massive fortune.
In this world's monetary system, the most basic currency was Copper Coins. Here, the actual purchasing power of a single Copper Coin was equivalent to a little over four yuan from before Gaode had crossed over.
Sitting at the second tier of the monetary system were Silver Coins. One Silver Coin was equal to twelve Copper Coins, equating to roughly fifty yuan in purchasing power.
Gold Coins sat at the very top of the hierarchy. One Gold Coin could be exchanged for twenty Silver Coins, boasting a purchasing power of around a thousand yuan. Furthermore, due to differences in minting techniques, materials used, and the overall national strength of various countries, Silver Coins and Copper Coins were not universally accepted across borders. Their actual purchasing power could also vary drastically depending on the region. Gold Coins, however, were directly pegged to gold, entirely bypassing these two issues. They were universally accepted, and their value remained relatively stable.
Gaode picked up one of the enchantingly lustrous Gold Coins. It sparkled so brightly that it was slightly blinding, causing him to squint—and inevitably fall in love with it.
The region he was currently in was the Sean Duchy. The official name for the gold currency currently used here was the Sean Gold Coin, a straightforward and easy-to-understand name. The front of the Sean Gold Coin featured the portrait of Sean's founding Grand Duke, while the back depicted a proud, majestic rooster. As a result, people privately referred to it as a "Clucker" or a "Little Rooster."
"What an adorable Little Rooster!" Gaode couldn't help but exclaim as he admired the exquisite rooster design on the back of the coin.
"It absolutely isn't because I'm greedy for money; I just genuinely love roosters!" he justified in his mind.
After admiring the charming "Little Rooster" for nearly a minute, Gaode picked up a Silver Coin. The front of the Sean Duchy's Silver Coin still bore the portrait of the founding Grand Duke, but the back featured a Trifoliate Flower, earning it the name "Trifoliate Flower Silver Coin."
Gaode carefully counted the stash. There was a total of six Gold Coins, seven Silver Coins, and fourteen Round Copper Coins. This was equivalent to roughly 6,400 yuan from his time before crossing over.
It didn't seem like a whole lot at first glance. But one had to remember that in this world, under normal circumstances, the minimum annual living expenses for a family of five were a mere fifty-seven Gold Coins—and that was assuming they had to pay rent. If they owned their home, their annual living expenses could be squeezed to under forty-five Gold Coins.
For an apprentice born as a beggar to accumulate such a massive sum in this high-pressure environment was absolutely incredible—especially since apprentices received zero compensation for running errands for Mage Seda.
The original owner's memories regarding the source of this money hadn't been passed on to Gaode, but Gaode now understood everything. Whether it was the half-ounce of leftover liquid or the three neatly arranged small vials of Basic Spider Venom Potion in the wooden box, they all pointed to one undeniable truth.
The original owner of his body had been a naturally gifted genius. A genius in the field of Magic Potion.
Despite receiving unsystematic teachings for less than a year, he had somehow managed to yield an extra half-ounce of finished product when brewing a Basic Spider Venom Potion using a standard recipe. In other words, for every four batches of Basic Spider Venom Potion he brewed, he could produce an extra small vial that belonged entirely to himself.
All of this was built upon the original owner's precise grasp of the materials' properties, as well as the outstanding results he achieved during material Demonization. This was the true manifestation of his predecessor's talent—and now, Gaode had inherited it all.